Wild Dragon of Rome 36 (Patreon)

“Welcome to our temporary camp,” I said an hour later, after taking another complicated route. It wasn’t as complicated as I would have taken if I wasn’t planning to abandon the camp immediately, but still enough to waste quite a bit of time.

Lillian was still in the cave, meditating. As I approached, I made several quick sounds, giving one of the signals that we agreed upon, asking her to come out the moment she could handle without sacrificing her gains from meditating, which, ideally would only take a few minutes, but could extend to half an hour depending on the point where she was in vitae condensation.

I stopped some distance from the cave entrance, thinking about how to handle Astrid. Finding her a proper outfit was vital. Luckily, we had prepared a few.

However, before I could even let her down, Astrid looked around for a few seconds, then suddenly tensed as her gaze turned to the entrance of the cave. “There’s an elemental mage here,” she growled, almost spitting out as her arms and legs tensed around me in anger. Then, she let go and landed on the ground.

I focused on her anger rather than the way her body reacted to that sudden move, but with the way she dressed, it was a close call. “And, that’s a problem, why?” I asked. She looked frustrated. “She’s an important ally and her presence is vital,” I told her.

“You expect me to work with a heretic,” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. “You have to suffer the indignity for a while.” She looked extremely frustrated. “Why does it matter? I know your people use elemental magic as well. Not as much as Romans do, but it’s hardly rare.”

“It’s because those tribes lost their true ways and picked the path of the heretics and desecrators,” she said. I had no idea where her anger toward the elemental magic was coming from.

My best guess was it was a reflection of the constant warfare between the tribes and Rome, both the Empire and the Republic, but it was just a guess. And, it didn’t matter much. I could see her conviction shining in her gaze, which implied that she wouldn’t change her opinion by a few words.

“We might talk about it later, but her presence is not subject to your approval,” I said sharply. “You just need to help me for a few weeks and guide me through my problems, and your debt will be paid.”

“And if I don’t,” she asked, her tone challenging.

I paused. I didn’t know if she would take it as a deal breaker, but either way, Lillian’s presence, with her healing abilities and druidic secrets, was vital. “Then, you can leave and try your luck whether you can last by yourself,” I said.

“You would leave me alone in Roman territory. It will be a death sentence,” she said.

I shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s not like you’re my responsibility. You were already on this side of the river when I saved you from almost certain death. The rest, I’m offering a simple trade.”

She paused, her frustration flaring. I didn’t say anything, waiting for her to decide. While I was an expert on many things, negotiations, and diplomacy were certainly not a part of those. Still, I didn’t even bother convincing her to wait until Lillian could finish her meditation. The reason for it was simple.

Despite my complicated situation, I was an elemental mage as well. A disabled one, but still the point stood. And, considering the nature of the assistance we required from her, I doubt that we could hide that fact from her forever. Sooner or later, it would come out. And, if she found the presence of elemental mage abhorrent enough to risk almost certain death, she would never help me.

Her silence stretched for a long time, and I continued to look at her eyes. Her determination was impressive, but I had been raised in a household hostile to my whole being. The angry glare of a beautiful woman could never dissuade me.

Particularly since I was still getting a show from the corner of my eye.

“On one condition,” she said.

“State your condition,” I replied, hoping that it was not a difficult one.

“One week. I’m going to help you one week, and once the time is up, you’re going to help me cross the river.”

“A month,” I countered. She looked ready to argue. “And, not only I’m going to help you cross, but also I’m going to make sure you replenish your mana and your equipment. I’ll also help you capture a second-order beast at the other side so you won’t be defenseless.”

She looked torn up about the offer, but ultimately nodded.

“Good,” I said. “And, speaking of equipping,” I said as I walked a bit, where we kept our meager possessions and pulled a cloak. “Let’s start with something more substantial to wear.” With that, I threw the cloak at her.

She looked confused at first as she grabbed the cloak, but that lasted only for a second. She looked down, which was enough to remind her of the state of her clothing. The blush she sported was spectacular, matching the color of her hair even as she wrapped the cloak around her body in a hurry.

 I couldn’t help but chuckle. Seeing her react like that was just too amusing when compared to her unyielding stance earlier. She said nothing, blushing as she turned away, keeping her cloak around. The silence ruled the opening for a few more minutes until I heard footsteps.

Lillian walked out. “What’s going on?” she asked once she noticed that we weren’t alone. Astrid looked at her with an angry gaze, as if she was at fault for her situation, but said nothing.

I gestured for her to take a seat on a nearby rock. “This is Astrid, and she’s a priestess,” I said.

“You’re kidding, right?” she said.

I pushed my fingers through my hair, feeling amused. “Oh, I know how it sounds, but wait until you hear the whole story,” I said before telling her the whole story, starting from my meditation mishap.

“That sounds like an incredible coincidence,” she said. “Or not…”

I frowned. “Do you think it’s a trap? It’s impossible. Even assuming that we failed to ditch them, it’s impossible for them

“No, but what if there’s something else. Something divine?”

I shrugged. I was never a fervent follower of the gods, and the fate was even more complicated. “Maybe, but if it’s the case, there’s not much to think about. If gods wants to help us, we’ll take it. And if they want to hinder us…”

She sighed. “We have no choice but to take it,” she completed.

“Exactly. Let’s talk about something more practical,” I said.

“Yes, like her hostility toward elemental mages. Any idea why?” I opened my mouth, but she didn’t allow me to interject. “Other than the heretic comment, of course,” she followed.

“Then, I have nothing,,” I said. “It’s not like we were able to talk a lot,” I said. “I’m lucky that she’s amenable to making a deal. A month of her time is far more than we hoped for.”

“What if a month is not enough,” she said.

I chuckled. “Then, we’re going to hope that the gods are willing to grant us another boon,” I responded. ”That, or we will make her another offer. After all, while we were lacking when it came to coinage, we can always offer mana plants and help her tame high-order beasts.”

“I’m not afraid of that part. Her hostility is the bigger problem,” she said, looking at her for a moment, then turned to me. “What are you planning to do?” she asked.

“Since we’re going to pass a couple checkpoints, we can’t start moving until the night,” I said. “And, after the latest debacle, I won’t dare to experiment unless I could find a mana-dense location. I’ll probably patrol to make sure I didn’t bring any enemies to the camp.”

“Good. Then, I can start working on reducing her hostility,” Lillian offered.

“Do you think you can?” I asked. “She seemed pretty adamant in her hatred.”

“We have no other choice. Sooner or later, she has to know about your elemental mage status,” Lillian answered. I sighed. She was right. “Don’t worry, I have spent years dealing with spoiled merchants and nobles with overblown egos. I can handle her.”

“As you wish,” I said as I stood up, and went for the patrol. Though, just in case, I stayed near for some time, watching them interact. I was too far away to hear them even with my enhanced senses, but reading their body language was enough.

Astrid started stiff at first, like she was facing a mortal enemy, though that intensity lasted for a few moments. Her sharp expression turned into intrigue, which then softened further when Lillian cut her hand to show her druid magic by making a small sprout grow several inches.

I decided to go for my patrol. Lillian had the situation under control.