Andrew's funeral was held on March 6. A fine drizzle drifted from the sky that day.
Funerary customs were not popular here. Once someone died, they were buried in the ground and that was that; there were no fixed annual seasons for memorial offerings.
In accordance with Grand Duke Andrew's final wishes, he was buried near the Sapphire Dragon's lair—the Sapphire Dragon had been what he cared for most.
At this very moment, under A Ke's treatment, the Sapphire Dragon had already fused with the portion of its dragon soul that had been taken away. It lay in its lair, watching humans like ants file past Grand Duke Andrew's grave. A nearly imperceptible trace of sorrow flickered through its dragon eyes.
Dragons were indeed proud by nature and looked down on humans, but it had communicated directly with Grand Duke Andrew through their souls. They had lived and died together.
Some memories were destined to be hard to forget.
So it turned its dragon head away, no longer watching the funeral, and closed its eyes to sleep in silence.
After the funeral ended, everyone dispersed.
After bidding his good friend Mashu Red-White Rose farewell, Liszt also returned to Flame Island. In Tinder Castle, he saw Zyra, already wearing a smaller-sized Frac Habillé, strutting about with its hands clasped behind its back, its transparent wings fluttering as it slowly inspected the entire castle.
The Great Elves could ignore Zyra, but the Little Elves were deeply afraid of its domineering manner. The moment they saw it, they all hid in their bug rooms. The Elf Bugs did not yet know what fear was, while Ati, the buckwheat Dragon Elf who remained in the castle, likewise paid Zyra no heed.
Zyra likewise paid Ati no heed.
Simply because it could not beat