Half an hour later, Velin rose to take his leave.
Elios looked reluctant, but he still had to bid Hetherwelin farewell and leave Holai Manor with Velin.
Once outside the manor, Velin noticed the hesitation on Elios's face. He felt that this golden dragon was being rather wishy-washy, but he did not mock him.
"How about you come with me to the Orc Kingdom?"
Elios, whose shoulders Velin had draped an arm around, lit up at the suggestion. But after recalling the agreement between the Holy Dragon Kingdom and the Pirate King, his expression dimmed again.
"Forget it."
Seeing this, Velin whispered, "You'd only be accompanying me. You wouldn't need to go fight, so it wouldn't count as breaking the agreement."
"Besides, once this war is over, I'll need your help with something."
Elios did not catch what Velin said afterward. All his attention was on the first half of the sentence, and he immediately replied without the slightest hesitation, "I agree, sir."
"Fine."
Seemingly realizing that Elios had not heard the latter half of his words, Velin merely shook his head slightly and did not repeat himself.
Three mornings later, Velin stood before a crystal mirror and allowed Xuemiyya to dress him up.
According to Elios, that Arcane Master was an old-fashioned man who disliked frivolous atmospheres and was almost obsessively strict about attire.
To leave a better impression on him, Velin had no choice but to let Xuemiyya handle his appearance.
About half an hour later, Xuemiyya took several steps back. Looking at her husband, a smile appeared on her face as she softly said, "You're even more handsome than when you were made a count."
"Really?"
Velin looked at himself in the mirror, but he did not seem to notice any difference from before.
"Alright, let's go.