Saving Face

He had saved those people, yet he still had to put up with their attitude. Good thing he was a Celestial Dragon. Otherwise, he might have had to kneel after rescuing them, and he might not have been able to stop himself from killing them on the spot.

The Celestial Dragons stalked off with their heads held high, muttering, "Hmph. I really didn't want to owe Saint Sanming a favor." For all their arrogance, they shared the same unspoken thought: If we stay, Saint Sanming will flick a booger in our faces. Better leave.

They really had run into a vicious band of pirates this time. All their bodyguards had been killed, and they had been scared out of their wits. They complained aloud, but deep down, they knew they owed Miming a favor.

Haya said haughtily, "This wasn't too bad. Saint Sanming is a Celestial Dragon, after all. He's far more respectable than a Marine Admiral. If we'd waited for those idiots to save us, it might have taken days, and that would have been even more irritating."

The Celestial Dragons all nodded. She was right. This way, at least, they had saved face.

The Marines, led by Gion, escorted them away. People knelt all along the route. The Celestial Dragons hit and cursed the Marines, and treated their own servants as less than human. The Marines found an ornate carriage and practically begged them to get in so they could send them off. Someone even had to lie on the ground and serve as a step.

Kuina followed Gion, watching them in confusion. They were Celestial Dragons, just like Miming, but they felt nothing like him. They were insufferable.

"Why hasn't Miming come out yet?" Kuina asked uneasily.

"He's still negotiating with the Donquixote Family." Gion knew a