Dragon King's Harem Chapter 536. Less Like Invasion

Dragon King's Harem Chapter 536. Less Like Invasion

I walked toward the doors where our departure platform waited. The sky beyond stretched clear and endless, clouds drifting low like invitations to be pierced.

“We attend a wedding,” I said smoothly. “We observe. We gather proof. We expose truth.”

“And if things go wrong?” Sela asked.

I smiled slowly.

“Then we remind them why dragons are not invited to ceremonies lightly.”

A few of the soldiers behind us straightened unconsciously at that.

We moved together toward the grand courtyard of the palace, boots striking polished black stone in steady rhythm. The air outside was sharp with morning chill, sunlight spilling fully over the eastern ridge now, turning banners and armor edges into lines of fire.

The courtyard had already been cleared.

The sky carriage waited at the center.

Four massive wyverns stood harnessed to it, their scales deep bronze and midnight blue, eyes sharp and intelligent. They pawed at the stone impatiently, leathery wings flexing slightly, ready for flight.

A dozen royal soldiers stood in formation nearby.

Best of the best.

Full black and gold uniform. Scaled pauldrons. Ember-thread cloaks. Every one of them had fought in real battles. Every one of them had seen me tear through armies.

They knew what kind of mission this could become.

I caught a few glances exchanged between them.

They remembered what happened in the snow elven territory. The public exposure. The collapsing political trap. The chaos that followed.

We were not bringing a large escort this time.

Less was smarter.

Less looked less like invasion.

Less made it easier to maneuver.

Sela, Marissa, and Evelina stepped toward the carriage first.

Sela’s boots clicked sharply against stone. She lifted her chin slightly.

“Sela will not vomit,” she muttered under her breath.

“According to Jyne, you vomited once last time,” Marissa said calmly.

“It was one time,” Sela snapped. “The wyvern made a sudden dive.”

“It was smooth,” Al said lightly from behind us.

We turned.

And there he was.

Al.

Standing beside his favorite wyvern like he was posing for a dramatic painting.

Black cape flowing dramatically despite minimal wind. Silver runes faintly crawling along the hem. Hair tied back just enough to look intentional. Eyes gleaming with entirely too much excitement.

He swung one leg up onto the wyvern saddle effortlessly.

“Let us create chaos,” he declared grandly. “Muahahaha.”

I frowned immediately. “We are not going to war, Al.”

He pouted.

Actually pouted.

“At least let me enjoy the villain aesthetic,” he said. “This is the closest I get to theatrical entrance without being scolded.”

“You are always scolded,” Sela muttered.

“True,” he admitted cheerfully.

I shook my head, though I couldn’t entirely suppress the faint smirk tugging at my mouth.

Al was Al.

Twisted. Brilliant. Dramatic. Childish.

But when things went wrong, he was exactly the kind of twisted I needed.

The horns sounded.

Deep, resonant notes rolling across the courtyard like thunder contained inside bronze lungs. The wyverns answered with guttural roars that vibrated through my bones.

Soldiers turned into dragons.

I turned toward Eir.

He stood just beyond the formation, uniform polished but expression tight.

“Contact me immediately if anything happens here,” I said firmly.

He nodded. “This empire is secure.”

“It is my priority,” I added.

His gaze sharpened. “Always.”

I stepped closer briefly and clasped his forearm. Firm. Warrior to warrior.

Then I stepped back.

No more delay.

I walked forward into the open center of the courtyard and inhaled deeply.

Then I let go.

My body shifted smoothly, mana rippling outward in controlled waves. Uniform folded and reformed as scales emerged. Bones lengthened. Wings tore outward in a powerful unfurling motion that displaced air in a sharp gust.

The courtyard seemed to shrink instantly.

Black scales caught the sunlight. Horns curved back, longer and sharper in full form. My eyes burned bright amber as ancient instinct surged forward.

I roared.

Not in anger.

In declaration.

The sound shook banners. Sent birds scattering. Made the wyverns answer with reverent cries.

The empire below paused to watch.

Argod, Dragon King of Draconis, departing for a wedding that smelled like war.

I leapt.

Wings snapped downward once, twice, and I was airborne. The wind tore past my scales as I rose quickly above the palace towers.

Behind me, the sky carriage lifted, wyverns straining in synchronized power. Soldiers followed in tight formation. Al’s wyvern shot upward slightly off to my right, cape snapping behind him like he was indeed auditioning for dark sorcerer of the century.

The capital shrank below us.

Molten rooftops became shimmering patterns. Streets turned to lines of movement. The palace courtyard to a small square.

Cloud layers approached fast.

I angled upward sharply, breaking through them.

Cold air enveloped me. Clean. Pure. Free.

I always felt most alive here.

The wind roared in my ears. Sunlight burst above the cloud layer like a second dawn. My wings cut through the sky effortlessly.

Below, the carriage and soldiers followed at disciplined distance. They were fast. But I was faster.

I led.

The mountain ranges passed beneath us like sleeping giants. Rivers carved silver veins across valleys. Forests stretched deep and dark toward the horizon.

Ahead, far beyond visible peaks, lay dwarven territory.

Stone citadels carved into cliffs.

Mines that glowed faintly at night.

And a wedding hall currently being decorated for a ceremony that might either bind kingdoms or burn them.

Al’s voice echoed faintly through magical amplification from his position to my right.

“If this turns into chaos, I have three illusions prepared, two emergency escape sigils, and one extremely dramatic smoke entrance,” he said casually.

I turned my massive head slightly toward him and gave the gaze that said “We are attending a wedding.”

“Weddings are inherently chaotic,” he replied.

I almost laughed mid-flight and angled downward slightly to check formation.

The soldiers flew tight. Perfect spacing.

The sky shifted subtly as we crossed into different air currents. The temperature warmed slightly. The scent changed. Less mountain. More mineral and iron.

Dwarven land approaching.

I felt it in the mana itself.

Denser. Heavier. Grounded.

The horizon revealed the first distant shapes of stone towers carved directly into cliff faces.

We were close.

My heart beat steadily.

Chess pieces were moving.

And the board was almost in view.