Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 145. Diplomatic Mission

Rick stood in the demon camp’s war room the morning after the coronation, surrounded by maps and reports. Vyra Ashenblade stood across from him, her two swords resting on her back.

"I’m sorry that I had to call you at this hour, Vyra."

"Don’t say that. I’ll do anything for the king." Vyra giggled.

"So...what’s wrong?" She looked serious as she listened to what he had to say.

Rick stated, "I need you to monitor the security of the demon realm while I’m away."

He tried to sound more sure of himself than he really was. "You’ve been in the demon army for decades, so you probably know more than I do."

Vyra’s love for him had stayed at that impossibly high level, and he could feel her pride and worry even though they didn’t have any connection through the bond. "You’re asking me to protect your kingdom while you go to Valdris for a meeting?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Rick rubbed the back of his neck. "Listen, I know it’s a lot to ask, but Zara has to be there for the meeting with the Mage Council as well."

"She is still the general in a technical sense, and the other Major Powers respect her."

"You really trust me with this job?" Vyra’s voice was softer now, almost fragile.

Rick looked her straight in the eye. "I trust you more than almost anyone else."

"You have shown yourself to be trustworthy a hundred times, and I know that your hands will keep the demon realm safe." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Vyra’s face, which is usually serious, broke into a small smile. "Very well, my lord."

"I’ll keep everything safe, but if you die in Valdris, I’m going to be very angry with you."

"Got it. (Why does every girl who loved me want to kill me when I die... how logical is that?)" Rick smiled. "Don’t start any wars while I’m gone."

"No promises."

Rick and his traveling party were outside the demon camp an hour later. Carmilla and Natasha were checking their gear with the skill of professionals.

Liora was fixing her divine robes, which were glowing with holy energy. Zara stood a little apart, her formal general’s armor shining like a mirror.

And Sylvia was a full dragon, huge and beautiful, with red and gold scales that shone in the morning sun.

"Is everyone ready?" Rick called out.

Carmilla said, "As ready as we’ll ever be," and strapped her sword to her hip.

Natasha said, "The flight to Valdris will take about three hours," looking at a mental map. "We should get there a long time before the meeting."

Zara walked over to Sylvia’s huge body and looked up at her with a look of disgust. "I’m supposed to ride on this kind of a dragon?"

"What a disgraceful thing to do."

Sylvia’s huge head swung down to Zara’s level, and her amber eyes sparkled with laughter. "Do you want to walk, bitch?"

"I’m sure you’d get to Valdris sometime next week."

"I’d rather travel with some dignity than hang on to a flying lizard like a desperate merchant."

"Lizard?" Sylvia’s voice got low and dangerous. "I AM a Dragon Queen, you small—"

"Hey, ladies!" Rick stepped in between them and held up his hands. "Please don’t start this again."

"We just had the coronation yesterday...can’t we have at least have one peaceful day without any argument?"

Zara and Sylvia stared at each other for a long time before turning away at the same time, both with looks of disgust.

""Hmph!""

"Fine," Zara said. "But only because it’s part of the mission."

"Yeah, same," Sylvia said, her nostrils flaring with smoke. "Though I expect you to show me proper respect for letting you ride on my back."

"Respect!? You mean the shame of—"

"That’s it!" Rick took Zara’s arm and started to pull her toward Sylvia’s back. "We’re leaving before you two kill each other."

"Get on the dragon, Carmilla, Natasha, and Liora."

"Now, please."

The three women looked at each other and smiled, but they did what they were told and climbed onto Sylvia’s back with ease. Even though Zara said she didn’t need help, Rick assisted her up.

"This is so humiliating," Zara said as she got into position.

"This is efficient for us all," Natasha said from behind her. "Traveling by air is much faster than traveling by land."

"I don’t care about being efficient. I don’t want to look like I’m a pet of a dragon!"

Sylvia’s laugh sounded like thunder. "Pet...? Oh, please."

"Pets are cute and well-behaved...and you aren’t either of those things."

"Why you—"

"FLY, SYLVIA!" Rick yelled in a panic while covering Zara’s mouth with her hands. "Come on, my dragon and demon queen... please stop fighting!"

The Dragon Queen’s huge wings beat once, twice, and then they were in the air. As Sylvia climbed into the sky with strong, practiced strokes, the demon camp fell away below her.

Rick had to admit, despite the personality conflicts, flying on Sylvia’s back was incredible, like it always used to be. The wind blew by them quickly, making them feel cool and fresh.

The trees, rivers, and mountains below made a patchwork of greens and blues that looked like a living map.

Zara said from her seat in front of Rick, "I still think this is unnecessary."

"I could have led a group of demon warriors to Valdris while also putting on a good show of strength."

Rick said, "That’s exactly why we’re not doing that," and he held her waist to keep them both steady.

"We’re not going for a war, but we’re going to a diplomatic meeting."

"Coming with an army would send the wrong message."

"The message is that demons are strong and you shouldn’t mess with them?"

"The message is that we are aggressive and want to fight." Rick let out a sigh. "Hey, I know this isn’t how you usually do things, but please trust me on this."

"Politics is less serious than war."

Zara was quiet for a while, and then she leaned back a little against him. "Zork would have said the same thing."

"He was always better at playing politics than I was."

"You are better at them than you think, just because you want things to be simple."

"Straightforward means hitting problems until they stop being problems?"

"That’s right." Rick couldn’t help but grin.

Sylvia’s voice came back to them over the wind. "If you two are done being lovey-dovey, I should tell you that we’re getting close to Valdris airspace."

"To avoid being shot down by their defenses, I need to let them know we’re here."

"Please do that," Liora called from behind. "I don’t want to have to bring everyone back to life because of a mistake."

Sylvia banked a little to change the direction of her flight. Rick saw her take a deep breath, and then her voice rang out with the power of a dragon, magically amplified so that it could be heard for miles.

"LISTEN UP, PEOPLE OF VALDRIS!"

"THIS IS SYLVIA FLAMEHEART, THE DRAGON QUEEN OF THE NORTHERN PEAKS!"

"I CARRY THE DEMON KING RICK ROLLAND AND HIS PARTY ON OFFICIAL DIPLOMATIC BUSINESS!"

"REQUESTING PERMISSION TO LAND AT THE MAIN PLAZA!"

There was a short pause, and then a voice came back, louder because of the same magic. "Go ahead, Dragon Queen!"

"The Grand Magister is waiting for you!"

"At least they know we’re coming," Carmilla said.

"That’s better than coming without warning."