Trapped in Another World With No Magic

Chapter 47: Return to the Flower Garden

Daniel checks his own magic bag to make sure he has everything he wants for the journey to Fort Peony. It's supposed to be a short trip, but just in case, they're making sure they have rations, as well as weapons. It shouldn't turn into a scuffle, but Daniel won't hesitate to protect his family. After all, just because Commander Leiwelles shouldn't prove to be hostile, that doesn't mean the others will be so accommodating.

Just as they're preparing to leave, Ryukana approaches Daniel. "Daniel, I will be observing you from here. If there is any trouble, I will remove all of you from the area. Rest assured."

Daniel nods politely. "Thank you, Ryukana. But, focus on the dragons and Hekate. I don't think it'll come to a firefight, but they shouldn't attack Gwenesphia or Treia, and Aoloan and I will be in disguise."

Treia speaks up, "Daniel, that reminds me. You... remember about Leiwelles, right?"

Daniel nods. "She can detect lies. That doesn't mean she can't lie herself, right?"

"What?"

"I'm reasonably confident she'll protect my new identity. After all, I'm the lord of the Citadel and have brought the dragons to my side. Even if I won't serve the eastern alliance, having the dragons eliminated as a threat will be a big relief to the Flower Garden. Ideally, she'll understand the problem with revealing that to the east."

Hekate remarks, "I thought you were going to have the dragons intimidate the easterners if they try to invade."

"Mm-hmm. Still true. And, we'll let Commander Leiwelles know that. The goal is to de-escalate the war. If they invade during the draw-down, then the war isn't actually over, and we'll provide support for the side actively pursuing deescalation. Many things can cripple an army. Destroying supply lines, trapping and altering the terrain, and causing chaotic noise while they're trying to sleep. The east doesn't have any mass means of air travel or combat. A dragon flying overhead every couple hours roaring and breathing fire would likely be enough to keep any eastern army from sleeping, even if they believe the dragons won't hurt them."

Ryuogriar, Reignleif, and Geirahoel laugh softly together. Hekate instantly puffs up as big as she can get -mostly thanks to her tail-. "What about me!? I can scare people, too!"

She begins chanting and creating a fireball, but she halts when Daniel's hand lands on her head gently. "I have a better idea for you, Hekate. Something only you can do."

"R-Really!?"

He nods with a smile. "You can haunt them. Day, night; your ability to turn a corner and vanish and reappear anywhere you want will cause them to be on guard even more."

Daniel reiterates to everyone, "Remember, though. This is all hypothetical. If the easterners don't invade, there's no point, right?"

They all nod together, humming in approval. None of them want to go to war, but they also want to ensure their life can continue.

"Alright, then let's head out."

Daniel and his companions, excluding Xyreko herself and Ryukana, who is laying low, depart on a wing drake's back. Since the dragons had long ago tamed the various species of drakes, it was a trivial matter to send some of them to retrieve the drakes and migrate them to the Citadel. Drakes are useless as beasts of burden for anyone but a dragon, but Ryuogriar, Reignleif, and even Geirahoel are happy to help. The wing drake they're riding on is about half as big as Ryuogriar in her dragon form, but it's still plenty large enough to carry Daniel, Hekate, Treia, Gwenesphia, Aoloan, Ryuogriar, Reignleif, and Geirahoel in human forms. The plan is to fly into the controlled zone, remaining out of sight with magic, and then send the wing drake to wait somewhere else to be summoned by Ryuogriar when they've finished their business.