Dragon King's Harem Chapter 537. Peaceful Flight

Dragon King's Harem Chapter 537. Peaceful Flight

Five hours in the sky felt different when you were not flying toward war.

When it was war, time folded. Every flap of wings meant survival. Every cloud might hide arrows. Every shadow below might be an ambush.

Today? It was almost peaceful.

The wind roared across my scales in steady rhythm. My wings cut through air currents with practiced ease. Clouds drifted lazily beneath us, their tops glowing white under midday sun. The horizon stretched endlessly ahead, layers of mountain ridges fading into softer blues.

Below, rivers carved silver lines across valleys. Forests thinned and thickened in uneven patches, shifting colors subtly as we moved from draconic highlands into territories shared by smaller tribes.

Five hours.

Even for a dragon, that was a stretch.

The suns had climbed higher now. Almost noon. My stomach reminded me that I had eaten early and flown hard.

I angled my wings slightly downward, reducing altitude. The carriage and soldiers adjusted formation smoothly behind me.

The land below shifted into something busier. Farmland patches. Small stone houses. Smoke rising in thin spirals from chimneys.

Fairy territory.

I could feel it in the air.

Lighter mana. Sparkling. Almost ticklish along the edges of my senses. Not as heavy as dwarven earth mana. Not as dense as dragon ley currents.

We approached a border town nestled between two sloping hills. Wooden watchtowers rose modestly at the entrance. Fairy banners fluttered in soft green and gold, embroidered with delicate wing motifs. Beyond that, I could already see distant stone structures hinting at dwarven architecture creeping in from the opposite side.

A shared border.

A fragile one.

I gave a low, controlled roar to signal descent.

The soldiers followed.

We landed outside the town walls rather than directly inside. No need to scare civilians more than necessary.

My claws touched earth first. The ground vibrated faintly under my weight. The carriage followed with careful coordination. Wyverns folded their wings, snorting steam-like breath.

As soon as my feet settled, I shifted.

Mana rippled outward again. Scales withdrew. Wings folded inward. My body condensed back into humanoid form.

Draconis uniform settled seamlessly over me. Black horns curved back from my head. Blue eyes adjusted to human perspective again.

The soldiers did the same.

It always felt strange for half a second. Going from massive sky predator to upright king with boots on soil. Like compressing something ancient into a socially acceptable shape.

Al jumped down from his wyvern saddle with theatrical grace.

Cape flipping dramatically behind him.

Of course.

I glanced toward the town gates.

The guards there had gone very still.

Very, very still.

Two fairy guards stood at attention near the gate. Slender frames. Pale green armor polished to mirror shine. Spear tips trembling slightly.

Behind them, a few dwarven traders who had clearly just arrived were staring openly. One of them dropped a crate. Apples rolled across the dirt road.

Right.

I forgot sometimes.

A king outside his capital was not common.

A dragon king landing with uniformed soldiers and wyverns at the border of two territories?

That was not common at all.

My horns did not help.

Black. Distinct. Not exactly subtle.

My blue eyes probably glowed faintly under sunlight too.

I stepped forward toward the gates.

Murmurs rose immediately.

“That’s him.”

“The Dragon King.”

“Why is he here?”

“Are we at war?”

The fairy guards exchanged panicked glances.

One of them straightened awkwardly. “Y-Your Majesty—”

Before I could even say anything, Al’s hand shot out and lightly pressed against my chest.

I stopped.

Slowly turned my head to him.

“What,” I asked flatly, “is it? Something wrong?”

He looked at me deadpan.

“Yes.”

I blinked.

He gestured subtly toward the guards.

“Can’t you see them?”

I followed his gaze.

The poor fairy guard nearest the gate looked about two seconds away from fainting.

His partner was gripping her spear like it might abandon her and run away.

“They look about to collapse just because you landed,” Al said calmly. “If you walk up to them directly, they may spontaneously combust from stress.”

I stared at the guards again.

One of them visibly swallowed.

Oh.

Right.

My presence had that effect sometimes.

Especially when political tension was already high between territories.

I exhaled slowly.

“Fine,” I said. “Handle it.”

Al’s lips curved faintly.

“With pleasure.”

He walked forward with smooth, deliberate grace.

Not threatening.

Not overly submissive.

Just… controlled.

His cape flowed behind him dramatically despite the near lack of wind. He adjusted his gloves once, like a villain preparing to sign a treaty or poison someone’s wine.

I almost cringed. Almost.

He stopped at a respectful distance from the guards and offered them a small bow.

“Good afternoon,” he said pleasantly. “We would like to temporarily stable our wyverns and carriage outside town and possibly enjoy a quiet lunch. Is there a designated area for larger… aerial guests?”

The fairy guard blinked.

He blinked again.

Then he nodded rapidly.

“Y-Yes! Yes, of course. There is a clearing east of the gate near the riverbank. We usually accommodate merchant sky caravans there.”

“Perfect,” Al replied smoothly. “We promise not to burn anything.”

That did not help the guard’s expression.

Al smiled reassuringly.

“In fact, we are here for entirely peaceful reasons.”

I heard one of my soldiers cough quietly behind me.

Entirely peaceful.

Sure.

I crossed my arms and waited.

Watching.

Feeling.

This place felt tense.

Not hostile. Not yet.

But tense.

Fairy children had gathered behind a wooden fence further down the road. Tiny wings fluttered anxiously behind them. A few dwarven traders stood whispering among themselves, glancing between me and the direction of their homeland.

News traveled fast in border towns.

They probably already heard about the wedding.

About the dwarf king’s new bride.

And now the Dragon King was here.

My stomach tightened faintly.

This was the kind of moment where reputations moved without swords.

If I walked wrong.

If I spoke wrong.

If someone misinterpreted my presence.

Rumors would ignite like dry grass.

I did not say that out loud.

I just stood there, letting Al do the social defusing.