To Protect
In the royal palace in Chiral, King Carlias spoke to Rafael from upon the throne.
“I understand well. Then, I shall entrust you with Dragon Claw in addition to Dragon Fang, which I have already bestowed upon you.” The king nodded to his knight.
“My utmost gratitude, Your Highness.” Rafael knelt and lowered his head respectfully.
During his recent deployment to Chancellor Riegliv’s lands in the east, Rafael had caused the resonance of two Artifacts, considered natural treasures of Karelia, unleashing a power which allowed him to transform into a gigantic, bichromatic dragon. This was a power which appeared to approach even that of a hieral menace, but it was one which required Rafael to be wielding both blades. As Dragon Claw had originally been bestowed upon Rochefort, Rafael was now receiving formal permission to carry it.
“To think that these two swords held such secrets... For many years I carried Dragon Claw myself, yet I never heard nor saw a sign of their resonance together. You truly are the greatest of the holy knights; not even I, in my youth, could compare.”
“But, Your Majesty... Such praise is more than I deserve.” Rafael, filled with gratitude, bowed his head even deeper.
“I thank you for hearing my request, Your Majesty,” Rochefort said. “I am grateful as well.”
Once they left the audience chamber, Rafael asked Rochefort, “Are you completely sure about this, sir? If I’m to carry Dragon Claw, then in an emergency, you...”
“What? No, I don’t mind a bit. It’s not like I can turn into a dragon with it. With a power like that, it’s better to have one strong force than a couple weaker, discrete units. That’s the sort of era we live in now.”
Rochefort himself had wielded both Dragon Fang and Dragon Claw at once and tried to transform, but it was something of which only Rafael was capable. After Rafinha and Inglis had infiltrated Alcard, upon their return, they had shared with Rafael some of the ancient dragon meat they had brought back. It was delicious, and he had eaten quite a bit. Perhaps his ability to draw out the power of the two Artifacts which carried the might of dragons was because that had increased his affinity with them. Inglis had said that dragon meat held that sort of power.
“Plus, when I have Dragon Claw, that cousin of yours’s after me every day for after-school training. Saves me that headache too.”
“Ah, I apologize on her behalf. Thank you for all you’ve done for her.”
“Anyway, I’m counting on you to master it. Can’t let our last line of defense always be a schoolgirl—we adults have to keep some kind of authority.”
“Yes, I really do agree. I’ve always wanted to protect the people of this country, my friends, my family... But Chris has never once let me protect her. She’s always been the one helping me.”
“Well, you may not be giving her covering fire, but you cover her tab, right? ‘Oh whoops! I ate too much, I’m broke, I’m gonna need to get some money from Rafael!’ is all I hear from those girls...”
“Ha ha ha... I guess I do spoil them a bit. I don’t have much to spend money on, so I’m happy to use it to make them happy.”
“Well, what you do with your money is your business. Whatever, honestly, their appetites are outta this world. But from now on, you can just transform and lop off your own tail and save ’em from hunger that way. Nice to have more options for protecting them, right?”
“Ha ha ha... That’s a bit much.” Rafael grinned wryly.
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