Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 41. A Public Claim

Rick starts to slap his own face again and again so that he can feel the motivation after getting kissed by Liora. "Yeah..."

"You’re right... I’m not going to lie about that one..." Rick didn’t see the point in keeping it a secret. "A Dragon Queen is coming again, and she thinks I wanted her."

"In the meantime, I’m already connected to you and Carmilla and Natasha... this has disaster written all over it."

"Maybe." Liora put her hand on his arm gently. "Or maybe it’s a chance."

"So far, you’ve brought people together by being honest and making real connections, so why should this be different?"

"Because she’s a Dragon Queen who could probably destroy the whole capital if she gets mad?"

"That’s true, but she’s also very old and smart. She has seen a lot of history and politics over the years."

"Dragons become wiser with age, you know." Liora smiled gently. "Trust in yourself, Rick. You’ve accomplished things that once seemed impossible."

"What’s one more challenge for you?" Liora chuckled.

Rick wanted to believe her, but the knot in his stomach got worse as noon got closer. He walked to the central plaza, where he had first seen Sylvia six days ago.

Royal guards kept a safe distance from the crowd that had already formed. Fredrich stood on the steps of the guild hall with his Council of Ancient Mages around him. They all looked tense and ready to fight.

Carmilla and Natasha stood at the edge of the plaza, close enough to step in but far enough away to not look threatening. Liora stood with them, and her divine presence calmed the crowd.

Then, right at noon, the sky darkened. It wasn’t due to smoke or clouds, but the sun was obscured by something enormous.

Rick looked up and saw her descending, but not as a dragon as she had promised. When Sylvia Flameheart appeared from the sky in her human form, Rick could hardly believe his eyes.

She was at least six feet two inches tall, and her presence made her look even bigger. Her hair was long and flowing, a beautiful mix of red and gold that looked like it was on fire even though there was no wind.

Her eyes were like molten amber, shining with an inner fire and ancient wisdom. She wore something that was half armor and half dress.

Crimson scales covered her important parts, and flowing fabric in gold and red hung gracefully around her body. It looked both royal and deadly, like she could go to a royal ball or a battlefield with the same ease.

They could see waves of power coming from her. Rick could feel the heat in the air around her and the weight of her presence on everyone in the plaza. This was a creature that had lived for more than a thousand years, ruled a whole kingdom of dragons, and could level mountains if she wanted to.

She landed in the middle of the plaza with perfect grace, and her feet touched the ground without making a sound. Everyone in the crowd held their breath.

Rick’s eyes were on her, and so were everyone else’s. He couldn’t look away even if he wanted to.

Sylvia looked over the crowd with a wide gaze that took in everything. When her eyes finally found Rick, they locked onto him with such force that his Spirit Bonds flared with protective energy. He could feel Carmilla’s and Natasha’s fear through their connections, but he forced himself to stay calm and look the Dragon Queen in the eye.

"People of Valdris," Sylvia said, and her voice could be heard all over the plaza without her having to shout. It had a sound that Rick could feel in his chest and bones.

"I have come back as promised."

"I saw something six days ago that hasn’t happened in three hundred years. A mortal man told an Ancient Black Dragon to protect the people he cared about."

"He fought with bravery, skill, and heart. He put his life on the line for people he didn’t know, and he had all the noble qualities that dragonkind respects and admires."

She started walking toward Rick, and the crowd moved out of the way like water. "In dragon culture, showing bravery like this is the best way to win someone’s heart."

"To risk your life for others, to face impossible odds without thinking twice, and to protect the weak with your own body are all ways that a dragon shows they want to bond."

Rick’s face turned red when hundreds of people looked at him. He could almost hear the rumors starting to spread.

"So," Sylvia said, now standing just a few feet away from Rick, "I claim Rick Rolland as my own under the dragon law."

"He has tried to win me over with his actions, whether he knew it or not. I have come to make my intentions known."

People in the plaza gasped in shock. Rick heard Fredrich take a sharp breath behind him.

He could feel Carmilla’s protective rage and Natasha’s cold calculation as she got ready for battle magic through the Spirit Bonds. But before anyone could do anything or the situation could get worse, Rick did the only thing he could think of.

He moved forward. "Hold on." His voice was much quieter than Sylvia’s, but it cut through the noise.

"Can we talk before anyone does something stupid?"

"We can talk privately without catching any eyesore, you know?"

"Do you mind, Fredrich?" Rick looked at him.

Fredrich moved right away. "N-Not at all! We don’t know what she wants, and we can’t take the chance of losing you."

"With all due respect, Grand Magister, I don’t think anyone here can stop her from taking me somewhere if she wants to." Rick watched Sylvia closely. "And I’d rather talk than fight, which would probably destroy half the city."

Sylvia’s lips turned up in a small smile. "What a smart move... Okay, Rick Rolland."

"Let’s talk in private. I recommend the tallest tower in this academy. It should give you enough privacy."

She reached out her hand to him. It wasn’t a request.

Rick hesitated for a moment, feeling the waves of protest coming through his bonds with Carmilla and Natasha. He sent back a pulse of comfort, hoping they could sense how determined he was to handle this peacefully.

Thereafter, he held Sylvia’s hand. "Whoa... she feels warmer than the hot water I used to bathe..."

He could also feel the power thrumming under her skin, which was warm, almost hot to the touch. With a casual use of magic, she lifted both of them into the air, which made Rick’s stomach turn.

They quickly climbed the Royal Academy’s central tower, leaving the shocked crowd behind, until they reached the very top. There was no one on the observation deck at the top of the tower, which gave a view of the capital and the lands beyond in all directions.