The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL]

Chapter 415: A Curse?

Slimy.Moist.

Clammy.

Honestly, the uncomfortable feeling those words evoked, and the intrusive thoughts they tended to drag into a person’s mind, were probably the closest thing Riley could compare to what washed over him the moment he got a proper look at them.

He wouldn’t call them disgusting.

That just didn’t feel morally right.

But they absolutely produced the kind of instinctive revulsion that made one’s spine tighten and the hair on their arms stand on end.

Especially for anyone capable of sensing mana.

Safe to say, Riley was partly grateful that when he had first encountered similar creatures in the dark, he had still been incapable of detecting mana properly. Because had he felt this back then, he was fairly certain he would’ve thrown up from sheer queasiness before dying from being unable to stand the sensation.

And that wasn’t even taking their appearance into account.

No.

The appearance, and knowing where those parts had probably come from, was somehow only the second worst part.

The truly disturbing thing was their mana.

Every single one of them carried traces of something unnatural. Their signatures felt stitched together from pieces that shouldn’t have belonged together in the first place, creating a nauseating blend that made his instincts scream that something was fundamentally wrong.

It felt less like sensing living creatures and more like touching a wound that had never healed properly.

No wonder even hardened criminals wanted out.

Not that Riley believed they had suddenly discovered morality or undergone miraculous personal reform, but if they’d seen these things and realized they were eventually supposed to become similar masterpieces themselves...

Then honestly?

No wonder some of them had found their way back to the gods.

Because, shit.

Death really did sound like the better bargain.

Kael must’ve felt his reaction through the bond.

Then again, simply looking at Riley’s face was probably enough. The black dragon had gone visibly pale, and despite trying to maintain a composed expression, there was no hiding how much he absolutely did not want to be here.

But surprisingly, when Kael quietly suggested handling everything himself while Riley remained safely behind, the golden dragon received an immediate rejection.

"No."

Riley’s answer came so quickly it almost overlapped with the suggestion itself.

"I have to desensitize myself."

Just saying that aloud made his stomach churn.

But what was the alternative?

He couldn’t exactly lose a war because he couldn’t stand looking at the enemy.

"And when else are we ever going to get this close to them?"

It was meant as an offhand remark.

A practical observation.

Unfortunately, Kael clearly didn’t appreciate it.

The golden dragon’s expression darkened immediately.

"Ideally never."

His answer came without hesitation.

"They should’ve never entered your line of sight in the first place."

The words sounded almost wistful.

And beneath that was something Riley recognized immediately.

Guilt.

Kael was blaming himself again.

Probably because the last time Riley had encountered creatures like these, things hadn’t exactly gone well.

The black dragon sighed softly.

Sure enough, when he turned to look at his mate, Kael was visibly sulking.

Honestly, the recently minted-immortal was fairly certain he was one of the only people in existence capable of identifying when the terrifying Dragon Lord was pouting.

So, naturally, he reached over.

His hand found Kael’s chin before gently guiding the golden dragon’s attention back toward him. Then he cupped his face, forcing their eyes to meet.

"I’d like that too."

Riley’s voice softened.

"Then I could’ve spent today staring at you instead of staring at them."

That earned him a blink.

"But here we are!"

A helpless smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Though, honey..."

His thumb brushed lightly against Kael’s cheek.

"The faster we finish this, the faster I can heal my psychological wounds by looking at your handsome face, right?"

The golden dragon visibly froze at the sudden shameless words.

For a moment, genuine surprise crossed his features before he promptly looked away.

Which honestly told Riley everything he needed to know.

His mate remained embarrassingly vulnerable to certain types of praise. Particularly the kind where Riley would make such blatant advances.

Cute.

And yes, Kael absolutely knew what he was doing.

The golden dragon wasn’t stupid.

He knew Riley was sweet-talking him because he wanted permission to proceed with something dangerous.

Unfortunately, knowing that and resisting it were two entirely different things.

Because when it came to indulging Riley, Kael had always been hopeless.

The black dragon smiled faintly.

"Don’t worry."

His gaze drifted back toward the creatures in the distance.

"I have absolutely no intention of getting closer like some lunatic."

That part, at least, was true.

"Staying here is enough."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"We just need to get the timing right."

Kael immediately frowned.

"What?"

__

Riley flashed a knowing smirk at his mate, earning a curious raise of an eyebrow in return.

See, there was a reason why the ex-mortal had insisted on staying on this particular mountain when there were countless others they could’ve chosen from.

And that reason was one hell of a natural pollinator.

The wind.

"The wind?" Kael repeated.

"If all you needed was wind, then that would’ve been—"

"Very easy?" Riley supplied.

The golden dragon stopped there and simply waited.

Because judging from that tone, it was obviously not that simple.

"It would’ve been," Riley admitted. "But that would’ve also immediately given our plans away."

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes drifting toward the distant figures below.

"So instead, we’re going to need an unpaid but reliable actor."

A grin tugged at the corner of his lips.

"And what better candidate is there than the fall winds of the Whispering Crags?"

Kael frowned.

"What?"

"The fall winds."

Riley pointed toward the surrounding mountain range.

"From where we’re standing, a predictable but extremely powerful wind current should form once the temperature starts shifting. Cold, dense air would gather on the higher plateaus and eventually cascade down the slopes into the valleys below."

He paused briefly.

"Most local accounts attribute it to a curse affecting the Dark Elves."

His expression became thoughtful.

"But personally, I don’t buy it."

Kael glanced at him.

"You don’t?"

"Nope."

Riley shrugged.

"I think it’s mostly geography."

He gestured toward the terrain.

"Sure, mana gets mixed into it because this entire region is overflowing with the stuff, but I honestly think these winds would still happen even if someone cut this place off from the nearest leyline."

Then he added,

"Or if the Elowens somehow succeeded in conquering it."

The moment those words left his mouth, Kael’s expression visibly changed.

Riley immediately bit the inside of his cheek.

Because unfortunately, he knew exactly why.

"No," he said before the golden dragon could say anything. "I definitely did not research this because of the elves."

Kael remained silent.

"I already knew about the phenomenon."

Still silence.

"This was somebody’s thesis back in university."

The golden dragon continued staring ahead.

Riley looked at him for several seconds before eventually relenting.

Honestly.

Sometimes Kael could be surprisingly stubborn. Then again, this was the kind of dragon who could look at an inanimate object and somehow decide it was acting suspicious.

"...Anyway."

He wisely changed the subject.

"And you intend to use these winds?" Kael asked.

"Yep."

Riley brightened immediately.

"We just let these little things ride the airflow."

He lifted the small sack containing the trackers.

"It actually works perfectly because those guys are constantly moving around. And since these are winds they’ve seen countless times before, they’d never think twice about a bit of debris getting carried along with them."

The more he thought about it, the more satisfied he became with the plan.

Once more, modern human technology was proving incredibly useful.

"Now, my love..."

Riley turned toward Kael with a smile that immediately made the golden dragon suspicious.

"I was hoping you could do me a favor."

Kael narrowed his eyes.

"What kind of favor?"

"I need these scattered when the winds arrive."

Riley lifted the bag slightly.

"But without leaking any mana."

Then he pointed at himself.

More specifically, at his own rather unimpressive physique.

The gesture spoke volumes.

Sure, he could probably do it.

Technically.

He was still a dragon.

Even in hiding, he wasn’t exactly fragile anymore.

But compared to Kael?

Well.

There was a reason one of them looked like a walking natural disaster while the other still occasionally resembled an overworked office worker.

And if Kael was going to insist on participating anyway, then Riley might as well give him something useful to do.

Sure enough, the golden dragon’s ears twitched slightly.

Without another word, he reached over and took the sack.

Then, while inspecting it, Kael suddenly asked,

"You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?"

Riley immediately looked offended.

Not because the accusation was wrong.

But because he’d been caught.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much point denying it.

"Of course I am."

He spread his hands helplessly.

"I’m already terrified of everything else."

His gaze drifted toward the distant horrors crawling across the landscape.

"So isn’t it healthy to find a little joy somewhere?"

Then, because apparently he enjoyed living dangerously, Riley formed a heart shape with his hands.

Right in front of the all-powerful dragon lord.

The effect was immediate.

The golden dragon visibly froze.

Riley’s smile widened.

Because for all the terrifying things Kael could face without blinking, his husband remained hilariously vulnerable to moments like this.

Wordlessly, Kael turned away.

Then promptly jumped into a nearby tree.

It looked suspiciously like a retreat.

Riley was still trying not to laugh when the golden dragon reached a higher vantage point.

But then he stopped moving.

The change was instant.

The playful embarrassment vanished.

So did the indulgent exasperation.

Instead, Kael’s entire body went rigid.

Riley immediately noticed.

Because the bond between them abruptly surged with something hot.

Something sharp.

Something furious.

The golden dragon stared toward the distant excavation site.

At first Riley thought he had spotted another one of those creatures.

But then he realized it wasn’t a thing.

It was someone.

And whatever Kael had just seen caused his bloodlust to spike so violently that even Riley felt it through their bond.

No.

The golden dragon’s expression darkened.

Hell no.