Chapter 101: Divine Intervention (IV)
Both of them followed behind me as we made our way towards the dining room. The double doors were opened up by Moca and a couple of butlers. They bowed when we entered through.
"Are they monsters?" Elcro voiced out his opinion in surprise when he saw Moca and the rest.
"Yes, but please don't say it like that to my friends. They are shapeshifters, and they are more human than monsters."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend. It's just very unusual to see such high-level monsters being able to change into a human, but to see so many in one place….it's quite formidable."
"Really? I don't think so." Maybe I got used to their presence that it didn't affect me, but lately, visitors who did come by did seem to be a lot more wary around them.
We sat down. The plates, silverware, and napkins were already out on the table to be used. I sat on my usual spot at the edge, while the other two sat across from each other. They were glaring at one another, giving off sparks.
"So then, why are you really here, Elcro?" I spoke.
"What do you mean? The king had decreed for me to stay and protect you. I was given the task to find you and bring you home."
I stare at him. He gave a fluid speech that made sense, but I got the feeling they were more. Maybe one could say it was my womanly instincts?
Elcro gave me a gentle but kind smile, almost fatherly. "I don't have any other motive, Berry. I have told you like last time, I am here to protect you. I see you as my own daughter. I had watched over you since you were little."
"I have another father…" I whispered under my breath. People from my biological to non-biological keep appearing out of thin air. At this rate, I might even have more brothers and sisters somewhere. Having no family except my adopted grandmother back on earth was a lot already. Suddenly being tossed into having a large family in this world was a bit too much for me. I think I have enough, thank you very much.
"Um…if you don't mind asking. How old are you?"
"One thousand thirty-seven years old." Elcro didn't seem to be embarrassed about his age and instead seemed proud of it.
My cheeks twitched when I heard such an age. He's way past being a grandfather, the best word would be an ancient, though his whole face and body didn't seem to change of a twenty-one-year-old. It was just too weird. The youthfulness of these people is quite astounding.
From beautiful shape-shifting monsters to drop-dead gorgeous Divine and Elves of both genders, one could say this world is paradise, but in my opinion, this place could be a devil's trap for all I know.
"We live longer. Your father is three thousand forty-two years old and your mother."
"Over Six thousand," I replied.
"No, she died when she was five thousand nine hundred seventy-three years old."
Wow….my supposed biological mother is over five thousand. I don't know if I should be any more surprised. I did remember hearing that the dragon maiden will live up to six thousand years in age.
"Do I have any siblings? I do remember hearing that I was the only daughter."
"No. You were the only child."
"I see." I was glad that I didn't have any more biological brothers or sisters, too many things were going on, and having new relatives was a spinning headache.
Moca opened the door, and Tart came in, pushing in the cart. I could smell something really delicious coming from the cart. Tart stopped and started to take out the food.
"Young miss, today for late lunch we have roasted chicken with garlic bread. Sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes with green beans and salad."
"Thank you, Tart." I happily replied.
Moca served each of us a delicious plate, and I started to chow down with vigorous hunger. Using my brain too much has caused me to use up all my calories because I didn't care how I looked right now while I was eating.
"I am curious, though. Is it normal for a Divine to be so….emotionless?"
"You're talking about your father."
"Yes…you and the king seem to have a wide range of emotions, but even still, the king only showed a few ranges of emotions. Most of his expression was either slightly happy or dead."
"That is a natural expression of a Divine. When one gets older, we become more distant with our emotions. The younger we are, the more vibrant our emotions, though your mother was a different story."
"What was my mother like?"
"She had a warm heart, a charming smile, and was colorful. Every day her laughter would pick up the souls of the weary soldiers and even the elderly. No one could say that she didn't bring color to one's life."
His words made me wonder what my mom was like when she was alive. Even though I have a colorful imagination in my mind, it still wasn't enough to bring out her true personality. I could tell that the look on Elcro face was filled with love. Something that you don't see very often. His eyes were distant and foggy, but the smile quickly disappeared.
"Though her sister killed her out of spite."
"I thought the king stated that it was out of love."
"It was. Out of love for your father. You can say both sisters loved the same man."
Wow….my father is seriously some kind of lady killer. I mean to have two in the palm of his hands. Now it made me wonder if the so-called father had some kind of fling with her. That's the only answer that I had for something like this. There was quite a bit of drama from my past life that I used to watch. This was one of those possible stories.
"Did my father love my mother?"
"I don't know."
"Then how about her sister."
"That one is a bit difficult to answer."
"So you're saying this whole time she did it out of jealousy and spite."
"There is that possibility, but your father hadn't said anything."
"He's quite a player, isn't he." I know the words that came out of my mouth were harsh, but I felt the truth.
"I wouldn't say that. He is a very honorable man and had served the king with great utmost valor."
"Though it seems like he has trouble with women."
Elcro didn't say anything more about it and stayed silent. We continued eating, not saying anything more. I enjoyed the temporary peace that we had.
"Berry!" A distance voice was getting louder and louder, echoing in the castle. The thundering footsteps finally appeared in front of us. Don was breathlessly tired from the rush.
"Tart?" I asked. I could tell something was seriously wrong.
"We got in trouble!"
"Such as?"
"The Dragon Kingdom is making their move! All three major generals and their armies are heading towards this city!"
"What?!" I stood up in alarm. What the heck are the three human generals doing coming here for? "How far away?"
"In three days, the first batch of armies will arrive, then the second will come a week later, and finally, the third will arrive in under three weeks."
"What is going on? Why so many?!"
"People are saying that the Black Gryphon is here in our city. They're getting ready for a counter-attack to chase the Black Gryphon away!"
I swore in my head. I should've known the children of the Black Gryphon would bring trouble, and if they made their way inside the city walls, that means that there is a chance that the Black Gryphon himself had made it in. This was genuinely troubling. Fighting against the whole Dragon Kingdom itself was nearly impossible with the amount of forces that we have.
"Black Gryphon? How is that possible?"
I quickly fessed up. "I met the Black Gryphon's children yesterday."
"What? Why didn't you say anything?" Phil shouted, dumbstruck at my outburst.
"Look, I didn't have time, and too many things have been going on these past couple days. I don't know about you, but I was attacked by them and suddenly had a visitation from the Divine King, now the possible invasion of the Dragon Kingdom. Yea, that's quite a lot on my plate here."
"I'm sorry, but who are the Black Gryphon's children?"
"Crow and Raven."
"Wait, those two? I didn't expect them to be the ones. They were quiet this whole time."
"Why did they come here?"
"To kill me."
Phil swore. "How did they get in?"
"I don't know. I haven't figured out that part yet."
"This is bad. Really bad." Phil got up, "I'll get the rest ready to be on standby. Stay here, Berry." He left before he ate all his food.
"This is quite a predicament, don't you think?"
"No. This is a never-ending nightmare." I sighed and slouched back onto the chair, feeling defeated. One too many things to deal with, and I am already tired.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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