The warmth of her sleeping form made me want to stay put, but I could already hear movement in the corridors outside. The sentinels were apparently early risers.
Or maybe they don't sleep at all, after all they are dragons.
I slipped out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake Irene. She'd had just as much to process as I had yesterday, maybe more.
Then again, nothing about our relationship had ever been normal.
I got dressed and stepped outside the chamber, immediately running into Jue who was waiting in the hallway like he'd been standing there all night.
"Good morning, my lord," he said with that formal bow.
"Morning," I replied, still not entirely comfortable with the whole 'my lord' thing. "Sleep much?"
"Dragons require little rest," he said matter-of-factly. "I trust your accommodations were satisfactory?"
"Yeah, they were great." I stretched. "So, about this Bahamut..."
Jue's expression grew serious. "Ah yes, the Storm Dragon King. A... persistent problem."
"Persistent how?"
"He arrived approximately three hundred years ago," Jue explained as we walked through the crystal corridors. "Initially, we attempted diplomatic solutions. We explained that the northern territories had been designated for a specific purpose."
"Let me guess - he told you where you could stick your diplomatic solutions?"
"In rather colorful language, yes." Jue's lips twitched slightly. "Bahamut is... proud. He claimed the territory by right of conquest and has defended it ever since."
We stepped out onto a balcony overlooking the continent. In the distance, I could see the northern territories - a vast expanse of mountains and valleys shrouded in what looked like perpetual storm clouds.
"Those storms," I said, pointing. "That's him?"
"Indeed. His presence alone affects the weather patterns for hundreds of miles. The territory is in a constant state of tempest."
I had to admit, it looked pretty dramatic. Lightning flickered constantly through the dark clouds, and even from this distance I could feel the raw power crackling in the air.
"And you three together can't take him?"
"We are powerful," Jue said carefully, "but Bahamut is... different. Storm dragons are naturally among the strongest of our kind, and he has had centuries to fortify his position. More importantly, he fights with the desperation of one who has lost everything else."
That last part caught my attention. "What do you mean?"
"Like us, he fled Acnologia's hunt. But unlike us, he lost his entire clan. We had each other - he had no one. That kind of loss... it changes a dragon."
Well, shit. Now I was starting to feel bad for the guy.
"So he's basically a grieving dragon with anger management issues who's squatting on land that was supposed to go to the Ishgar Empire?"
"That is... a crude but accurate assessment, yes."
I leaned against the balcony railing, thinking. This was exactly the kind of complicated situation I hated dealing with. On one hand, I could understand why Bahamut was being territorial. Losing your entire family and then having strangers tell you to move out of the place you'd claimed as home? That would piss anyone off.
On the other hand, I'd already committed to giving those territories to Ishgar. And I wasn't in the habit of breaking my promises.
"What's his power level like compared to, say, Acnologia?"
Jue was quiet for a moment. "Difficult to say. Acnologia's strength is... unnatural. Twisted by his hatred and madness. Bahamut is powerful in a more traditional sense - raw elemental fury combined with centuries of experience."
"But not on Acnologia's level?"
"No, my lord. Few beings in existence could match the Dragon King's power."
Good to know. Not that it mattered much - I could handle pretty much anything at this point. With the Celestial Inventory giving me access to every weapon and artifact across the omniverse, there wasn't really a question of if I could deal with Bahamut. It was more about whether I felt like putting in the effort.
Something else was bugging me though. "Wait a minute," I said, frowning. "If Bahamut's been throwing around that much power for three hundred years, how the hell hasn't Acnologia noticed? I mean, those storms are visible from space."
Jue's expression shifted, and I caught something that looked almost like reverence in his eyes.
"That would be thanks to you as well, my lord."
"Me? But I've never—" I stopped myself. Right. Future me.
"Your future self implemented a concealment barrier around this entire continent," Jue explained. "An artifact of incredible power that hides us from all external detection. Magical senses, physical observation, even satellite surveillance from your original world - nothing can penetrate it."
Well, that's convenient. And also explained why this place had stayed hidden despite housing multiple dragons and apparently being some kind of prophesied kingdom. Though honestly, with my power level, I could probably take on Acnologia and every other dragon at the same time if I really wanted to. The concealment was nice, but not exactly necessary for my safety.
"And who has access?"
"Only you and Queen Irene. "
That made sense.
"Wait, if only Irene and I can find this place, how did Bahamut get here?"
Jue's expression darkened. "That is... the complication. Bahamut arrived during the brief window when the barrier was being established. He slipped through before the concealment was complete."
"So he's basically been freeloading off my protection for three centuries?"
"In essence, yes. He has been using your artifact's protection to hide from Acnologia while claiming territory that was never meant for him."
Now I was starting to get annoyed. It was one thing to be a grieving dragon looking for a safe place. It was another thing entirely to take advantage of protection I'd provided and then refuse to follow the rules. The guy was lucky I was in a good mood - I could end this problem in about five seconds if I really wanted to.
"Has anyone actually tried talking to him recently? Not demanding he leave, just... talking?"
"Not in some time," Jue admitted. "Our last attempt at communication was... explosive."
"Right. Well, here's what we're gonna do." I turned away from the balcony. "I'm going to go have a chat with our grumpy storm dragon. See if we can work something out."
Jue's eyes widened. "My lord, I must advise against—"
"Relax," I said, waving him off. "I'm not going in looking for a fight. But this whole situation needs to get resolved before the coronation ceremony next week." I stretched casually, feeling the infinite power coursing through me. "Besides, it's not like he can actually hurt me. I'm basically invincible at this point."
"At least allow us to accompany you," Jue said, clearly worried. "If negotiations fail..."
"If negotiations fail, then I'll handle it. Trust me, I've got this."
The confidence in my voice wasn't just bravado. I really did have this. With the Celestial Inventory at my disposal, I had access to weapons that could unmake reality itself. There literally wasn't anything in existence that could pose a serious threat to me anymore. And if Bahamut was really as strong as they said, well... it might be amusing to see what he could do before I put him in his place.
It had been a while since I'd had anything even remotely resembling a challenge. Though honestly, calling it a challenge was probably being generous.
"Besides," I added with a grin, "what's the worst that could happen?"
Jue looked like he could think of several very bad things that could happen, but he didn't voice them.
"Very well, my lord. When do you wish to depart?"
"No time like the present. But first..." I glanced back toward our chambers. "I should probably let Irene know where I'm going. She gets cranky when I disappear without warning."
"A wise precaution," Jue agreed. "Queen Irene's... displeasure is not something to be taken lightly."
Queen Irene. Huh. I guess that would make her my queen now, technically. I wondered how she'd feel about that title.
Probably better than I feel about being called 'my lord' every five seconds.
As we headed back inside, I found myself actually looking forward to meeting this Bahamut guy. Dragon politics were always interesting, and it wasn't often I got to flex my power on someone who might actually notice before getting completely obliterated.
Plus, if I could solve this without violence, it would prove I wasn't just some overpowered thug who solved every problem by hitting it really hard.
Even if hitting things really hard with reality-breaking force was definitely my preferred solution most of the time.
"Oh, and Jue?" I said as we reached the chamber doors.
"Yes, my lord?"
"Stop looking so worried. It's gonna be fine."
But even as I said it, I could feel that familiar tingle of anticipation running through me. The kind I always got before something interesting was about to happen.
And in my experience, interesting things rarely went according to plan.
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