A Dragon's Curiosity

In front of the city gates, the legion that arrived on their [Navis Terram]—the floating fortress built out of giant trees—now changed their accomodation from a ship to a building. By tearing apart the previous beams connecting different sections of the vessel, the flying ship changed into a building without the need for extra material or manpower.

As a residence for legionares and their officers, it was suited for long term stay.

In front of the gate, two of the soldiers stood guard, easily recognized by their iconic short swords and rectangular shields.

The guards kept their eyes straight towards the front, not reacting in the slightest no matter who passed them on the road.

Only when the elf diverted from the road and attempted to go through the wooden entrance did one of them step forward and block her way with his sword and shield.

“Halt. This is the official embassy of the Terus Empire. Unrelated personnel and foreigners are not allowed entrance without sufficient reason.

State you purpose, please.”

Even when the soldier approached her, he did not stare at the dragon or sweep his eyes over her figure. To Nisha, he seemed slightly mechanical and stiff.

Strangely enough, this treatment did not feel cold at all, only like a strong sense of order and strict rules established by the legion.

The dragon did not mind being inspected either. After spending some time with Lance Corporal Hale previously, she had already learned of the strict rules the Terus Empire imposed on their citizens.

“Please help me to send a message to Lance Corporal Hale, I am here to visit her. My name is Nisha, she already knows me.”

No matter what she said, there was a zero percent chance that these two would bend the rules to let her in.

And if the elf attempted to sneak in, it was likely that the two soldiers were allowed to use deadly force to stop her.

“Understood. If you do not mind, wait for the response from the Lance Corporal here. Excuse the formal regulations, as a non-citizen of the empire, we need a guarantee from the officer before letting you on the premises.”

Without a change in his expression, the legionare returned to his post beside the entrance  and stared ahead again. If it was not for the chime that the other one had pulled and the runner that showed up briefly after, she would have thought that they never moved in the first place.

The summer sun showed from beyond a thin layer of clouds and started to warm the earth and nourish the plants growing on the side of the road, giving the land a hint of vitality.

Sweat started to run from the gaps between the soldier’s armor, yet they did not move at all to wipe it away or relieve themselves.

Nisha thankfully had the physique of a dragon, no matter how she looked, and unless the heat was strong enough to melt stone into glass or freeze earth into dust, a simple weather change could not cause her discomfort.

A short while later the runner returned and offered a paper writ marked with an official looking seal to one of the legionares.

They barely glanced at it and then stared ahead again. The runner, on the other hand, walked up to the elf and let the slightest smile break out on his face—although his expression remained mainly neutral.

“I am very sorry for the delay, miss.

Protocol is very strict in regards to visitors and guests, I hope you can understand. Since this piece of land is currently under the sovereignty of the Terus Empire, we are responsible for all and any incidents that occur here and as a result there is heavy pressure on all staff to avoid an incident between our two nations.

If you follow me, I am authorized to take you to Lance Corporal Hale’s office.”

The runner fell into a fast stride and did not look back as he led the way. Apparently, he was certain that the dragon would keep up with him.

Of course, there was a definite limit to the harm she could cause even if she snuck away. The girl was registered at the gate and soldiers patrolled the entire building at regular intervals.

Nisha had no trouble keeping up with the man but another topic interested her.

Some of his words attracted her attention, especially since the old crook working with her was currently running around to get permissions and documents that pertained the same topic.

“You said this is currently land under the domain of the Terus Empire? But this is the entrance to the capital of the kingdom? Did the empire buy the land or what is going on?”

Nisha had also begun to increase her efforts to make the entire new district she was funding and building belong to the Dharnas household.

Suddenly, the runner casually mentioned how the Terus Empire owned a sizeable plot of land where they had not camped for much more than two moons.

“Oh, yes. I cannot stress this enough. On the base, the laws and customs of our empire take precedence, although we do understand if there are some mistakes due to cultural differences.

Are there any concerns you want to immediately address, miss?”

“No, no, I just wanted to ask about the land itself. You said it belonged to the empire. Did you purchase it from the kingdom? I thought this all belonged to Leandar.”

The pair climbed through the wooden innards. Even though the [Navis Terram] transformed into an anchored structure, the formerly floating structure still had a lot of rooms and free space.

“Ah, that’s understandable. Rather than having acquired the claim to the land or the rights to settle down here, the Terus empire has a multitude of diplomatic agreements with its neighbours.

One of these rulings includes that all space on a [Navis Terram] or other vessels belonging to our army is under the sovereignty of the empire.

And since the ship is currently turned into fortress mode, all privileges hold true.

Hence, the empire’s laws and customs take precedence.

We’re here. This is Lance Corporal Hale’s office.”

Nisha absentmindedly thanked the man and watched him as he walked away—the implications of the information he carelessly revealed still haunting her thoughts.

After standing silently in front of the wooden door for a short while, the dragon could only conclude that it came down to the fact that the Terus Empire was stronger than the other kingdoms and could impose its demands on them. Otherwise, no sovereign state would allow a group of foreigners to establish a sphere of their own laws and customs.

In the end, power still reigned supreme!

“Come in!”

Nisha knocked on the door, and in no time, a female voice called her inside the room.

After entering and closing the entrance behind her, the dragon was quite amused to notice that this office also happened to be the room she woke up in when she was on the [Navis Terram] for the first time—injured and weakened.

Now, she returned to the same place with a changed mind and a healthy body.

I wonder whether there is someone controlling fate behind the scenes or if there are true coincidences in life. Maybe I will know one day.

Beside the small bed, next to the opposite wall, a desk that she did not remember from the previous time took up a lot of the space in the room.

Compared to Luthais’ desk at home or Alester’s one, which had a lot of documents and other things piling up in a giant mess, the Lance Corporals table had not a single item out of place. It could be measured with a ruler and each pen and paper would be found following regulations.

As Hale already knew about her arrival from the messenger, as she had to sign a document for the elf to be allowed on the base, she only gestured towards the chair in front of her without lifting her eyes to meet with Nisha’s gaze.

Amused and not at all upset, the elf quietly stepped up to the other side of the desk and seated herself.

Despite the differences in their tidiness, gender, and personality, Lance Corporal Hale resembled the marshal quite a lot in that moment.

And since Nisha had a request in mind, waiting did not bother her. Demanding the other party to drop everything for the sake of her visit did not sound proper either. Hence, the dragon idled in the surprisingly comfortable wooden chair.

It was a military issued piece of furniture, in the end.

“What can I do for you, Nisha? I don’t suppose this is a courtesy visit. What can I help you with?”

Cecilia Hale always had a martial air about her. Upright, with a back as straight as a rod, an earnest and strict bearing, and a clear voice, with piercing eyes that always looked straight at the core of an issue.

Nisha secretly thought how the name Cecilia did not quite suit Lance Corporal Hale well; it was too feminine and soft to be associated with a military officer like her.

Even right now, Hale wore her military uniform; the red and silver colours representing the empire she fought for.

The document before her got its stamp, signature, and seal, each according to regulations. A mischievous voice inside the dragon’s head urged her to steal one of her pens when she left later on and see if the Lance Corporal would later confront her about it, but it also might result in a thorough beating by a professional soldier.

Hence, the imp behaved herself and gave one of her brightest smiles to hide the roguish thoughts.

“Am I not welcome here, Lance Corporal Hale? I can always come back on a more opportune date, you only need to tell me when would be convenient.”

As her visit was indeed quite sudden, Nisha offered the Lance Corporal a way out as a perfunctory courtesy.

And as expected, a straightforward person like Hale would never push off a duty.

“No need, you can always visit, Miss Nisha. In what way can I assist you?”

During work hours, the Lance Corporal showed no signs of familiarity with the elf and kept a professional attitude.

Previously, when the elf had been injured and escorted by the legion, Hale let her peek behind the facade and even comforted her.

Now there was only a capable officer and representative of the Terus Empire present.

Instead of acknowledging their previous acquaintance, the two women might as well be strangers.

Fortunately, Nisha was not bothered by small details nor expected preferential treatment due to that or her noble title in Leandar.

“As a matter of fact, I am here today in order to ask a favor from you, Lance Corporal Hale.”

The dragon resisted the urge to pull out a valuable gift—either gold coins or expensive materials—to accompany her request.

If it were the officials occupying the different ranks in Leandar, the old crook Alester had complained enough to let the elf know that such an act could potentially ease the difficulty in the face of success.

To use the same strategy on a Lance Corporal would hardly work. Seeing the strict attitude of the soldier and being reminded of the different customs and laws by the runner, Nisha held off on that impulse and just came out straight with her appeal.

“Actually, I am not quite sure if you can help me out with this, I’m just trying my luck.

As you know, the academy turn started recently here in Leandar. As I am one of the students at the [Royal Academy], the warrior classes have begun as well.

Personally, I’m not sure whether or not I am suited for profession, and I’m still trying out several weapons.

The favor I want to ask of you is to help me with finding my combat style and maybe teaching me the way a warrior handles their sword.

Since you are a Lance Corporal, training soldiers and overseeing troops is your job, right? Who would be better suited to introduce a new student to the matter?”

When Nisha began her sentence, she was not quite sure if the topic was appropriate, yet her confidence soared as Hale did not change her expression or stop her midway.

After the elf finished her sentence, the Lance Corporal did not immediately answer but weighed her thoughts in silence.

Just as the dragon was beginning to get fidgety and wonder if she had unknowingly committed a faux pas grave enough to get her kicked out of the base, the officer looked directly at the elf and answered her request.