Gawain had returned.
The blue dragon's enormous wings blotted out the sky. The colossal creature came from the north, flying straight toward Imperial Capital Cecil without any attempt at disguise. Everyone living in the region witnessed the sight of a dragon descending upon the land—in other parts of the world, or in earlier times, such a spectacle would undoubtedly have terrified ordinary people. Bards and scholars might even have linked it to a regional catastrophe. Yet when the people of Cecil saw the dragon, most of them felt nothing but exhilaration—even the oppressive mood brought about by the sudden outbreak of war was swept away.
Because many days ago, His Majesty the Emperor had departed atop just such a dragon.
Gawain stood behind Melita's shoulder blade, watching the familiar cityscape swiftly draw closer in his field of vision. As the dragon swept over the banks of the White Water River, he could not help sighing softly. "Cecil, your emperor has returned..."
But his quiet sigh did not escape Amber's keen ears. The Half-elf girl's long pointed ears twitched, and she immediately turned her head with a sharp look. "Hey, hey, why are you suddenly getting sentimental?"
Gawain promptly put on a stern face. "...Nothing. I was just moved by the moment."
Amber gave Gawain a suspicious look. Though she could not detect anything strange in that inexplicable remark, her instincts still told her it was worth recording—maybe it was one of his cheesy lines.
The Half-elf girl had always been exceptionally perceptive.
A moment later, the blue dragon landed smoothly in the square beside Cecil Palace. Heti, accompanied by Administrative Hall Officials and the attendants of Cecil Palace, had long been waiting in the open space.
The dragon wings lowered, forming a gentle ramp. Gawain appeared first at its top,