Harem System In A fantasy World

"He’s gone?" Elion frowned. "Since when? And where?"

The blacksmith shrugged.

"I don’t know. The lad just up and vanished about two weeks ago. Might’ve been even earlier than that, honestly. We could go days without seeing him, after all."

The lanky man struck the piece of metal he was working on several times.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"He only ever came out of that workshop when he needed materials or when he needed something."

He shrugged.

"The only reason I found out was because someone came looking for him. I gave them directions, and they came back saying the place looked abandoned."

The man paused.

"Truth be told, when I went to check myself, it did look abandoned." He scratched his ragged chin. "Well... more abandoned than usual."

Elion’s frown deepened.

That was troubling.

Now that he thought about it, Oliver’s workshop had looked a little emptier and tidier than he remembered, almost as if someone had intentionally cleaned up before leaving.

The blacksmith struck the glowing metal one final time before dipping it into a nearby tub.

Shhhhhhh!

Steam rose into the air.

"Who knows, perhaps he will return someday. If you’re urgently looking for another crafter, I know a guy who knows a guy..."

Elion shook his head.

"No. It’s not that."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, but thanks for offering."

The blacksmith dropped the blade onto his workbench and slipped off his thick gloves before walking back toward the counter where Elion stood.

"By the way, kid." He leaned forward, lowering his tone so that just the two of them could hear. "I couldn’t help but notice something."

Elion raised an eyebrow.

The man casually slung a sweaty arm across Elion’s shoulder and nodded toward Zenith and Isla, who were browsing the neighbouring stalls.

"I couldn’t help but notice the pair you came with." He gave Elion a toothy grin. "Are they both yours?"

Elion glanced toward the two women before looking back at the blacksmith.

"Something like that."

"Ohhh..." The man’s eyes lit up. "I get it."

He gave Elion a knowing smile.

"Trying to impress the young ladies, still trying to win them over, ey?"

He sighed dramatically.

"Ahh, the springtime of youth."

The man puffed out his chest.

"I was a real lady-killer when I was your age."

Elion gave him a slow once-over.

A lanky, Frail, frame, bronzed skin, a toothy grin with several missing teeth, and a reeking smell that suggested he hadn’t seen a bath in weeks.

’Yeah. Right.’

"So..." the blacksmith continued. "Want some useful tips?"

Elion gently removed the man’s hand from his shoulder and took several steps backward.

"Oh, come on, lad!"

The man pointed at him.

"I know my stuff!"

He lowered his voice conspiratorially.

"You’ll have both of them warming your bed tonight if you just...!"

Elion immediately tuned out the rest.

The man’s voice became little more than background noise as he walked toward Zenith and Isla.

Zenith looked particularly amused by the interaction.

"Quite a peculiar friend you’ve made there, hubby."

Elion laughed softly.

"Finding anything you like?" He glanced toward the cheap jewellery they had been examining.

"Not really." Isla gently set down a silver bracelet. "More importantly, did you find any information on the person you were looking for?"

Elion shook his head.

"No. Unfortunately not."

His gaze drifted toward the distant workshop district.

"Looks like our paths aren’t meant to cross at this point in time."

He sighed.

"I do wonder what happened to the beautiful sword Oliver made for me, though."

His expression became thoughtful.

"I forgot to ask Mira, but remembering Oliver reminded me of it."

He scratched his cheek.

"Though I bet Dawncrest kept it after I escaped from the arena."

Zenith smiled pleasantly.

"This Dawncrest seems to be a problem."

She tilted her head.

"Maybe I should just kill him."

Elion laughed.

"Don’t we all?"

He folded his arms.

"We need to get through this royal summons first."

A dangerous smile appeared on his face.

"Then you can kill him quietly afterward. No one will know; people die all the time after all."

Zenith nodded thoughtfully.

"Reasonable."

"I’ll deal with William myself, though. After that, we can go borrow a few things from their family’s coffers."

Isla looked at him with a disapproving gaze.

"Borrow? You mean steal?"

"Hey now... It’s not stealing if the owner is dead...." She still gave him that same look. "You can think of it as a long-term loan, with no return date."

"Right..." She ended up simply shrugging.

"I’m sure a duke’s family would have accumulated quite a generous amount of money, resources, and artefacts over the years."

"That sounds suspiciously like robbery."

"Only if we get caught."

Zenith let out a soft laugh.

"Fufu." Her smile became unusually bright. "I can’t wait."

...

In the skies above the southern regions of the Draconic Mountain Range, a majestic black dragon flew across the cloudy skies, the sun’s golden radiance spilling across not only the beautifully moulded white clouds, but also the dragon’s menacingly dark, leathery, and scaly hide.

The beast’s golden eyes were visibly enraged as it looked down toward a massive settlement built around a collection of towering mountain peaks.

A steamy, disdainful laugh escaped its maw.

"Finally... I have found you."

The sound of Vel’dranor’s voice in this form was an unsettling mixture of speech and a low, biting roar, each word carrying a faint rumble that seemed to reverberate through the clouds themselves.

His massive wings beat once.

Whoosh!

The surrounding clouds were violently scattered as his enormous body descended toward the settlement below.

His golden eyes remained fixed on the distant mountain peaks.

After searching for so long, he had finally found the place where Veyra and her sisters were hiding.

Not even bothering to make a quiet entrance, despite the possibility that his targets might flee at the sight of him, Vel’dranor began descending through the skies, his enormous body tearing apart the clouds around him as he descended.

"Of course you would hide here..." His golden eyes narrowed as he looked down toward the settlement. "With these inferior half-breeds."

The disdain in his voice was palpable.

Those going about their daily lives below quickly noticed the enormous beast descending upon their city.

Heads turned toward the sky as the enormous shadow of the dragon swept across the settlement, followed by a growing sense of dread.

After all, the sight of such a massive dragon could only mean one thing.

A Greater Dragon.

And for the natives of this region, that meant nothing pleasant.

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