Witch Monastery
Chapter 390: Reunion with Adelan
After exchanging more polite flattery, the meal finally came to an end. Charging the bill to the monastery, Charles and the blue dragonborn left together, strolling down one of the only clean and tidy avenues in South Harbor District. After a quick survey of the area—enough to pick a spot for the future Blue Dragon Bank headquarters—they parted ways, each taking a carriage to their next appointment.
The meeting had eaten up quite a bit of time, but at least everything was settled. Charles planned to head straight back to the monastery to resume his spell studies.
But just as he had seen off the blue dragonborn and was about to return, he noticed a brand-new carriage, drawn by a gold dragonborn drake, rolling into the neighborhood.
The carriage stopped at the corner, and several sharply-dressed gold dragonborn disembarked, apparently there to inspect something as well.
Charles’s brows drew together. Not good. As expected, these guys show up the moment they smell a chance to make money.
Next, it would be their usual playbook—so-called fair competition, "free trade," everyone willing, locals selling off their land for cheap, only for these people to build homes and flip them in a year or two for a hundred times the price...
But when that happens, none of the wealth will benefit the original residents.
He narrowed his eyes, mind racing for some clever way to stop these guys.
But then he spotted a familiar silhouette—and instantly brightened up.
Adelan Starsong, the Drakewarden ranger whose life he’d once saved.
He took a moment to collect his thoughts, then strode forward.
...
Behind the large carriage walked an even larger drake, moving in stately fashion. It looked essentially like a scaled-down tyrannosaur, but every one of its golden scales shone brilliantly, and instead of tiny little claws, it had massive dragon wings curling from its back—clearly built for flight.
Unlike its cousin up front, who had to haul a wagon with harnesses, this gold dragonborn drake lived the good life: strutting wherever it pleased, even with a half-elf servant hovering by its side.
Well, servant wasn’t really the right word—it was Adelan, the Drakewarden. If anything, he should be called the master.
But in truth, it often seemed the roles were reversed.
"Here, Zach, have a bite—your favorite peanut cakes."
Beside the impressive gold drake, half-elf ranger Adelan Starsong opened his pack, and pulled out an aromatic nut pastry, holding it up to the drake’s mouth.
The drake sniffed, licked out a long tongue, and coiled the treat into its maw, chewing appreciatively. Adelan smiled quietly and reached up to pat its head—only for the drake to twitch away, dodging his hand and making it crystal clear it wasn’t interested in physical affection.
Adelan let out a sigh.
Everything else about this drake was great: obedient, bright, powerful, and loyal.
There was just one thing he wished he could change.
It was just... so aloof.
Training together was always fine, but any attempt at a bit of cuddling was met with an instant sidestep, as though the mere thought of close contact was offensive.
Sometimes Adelan felt genuinely hurt—maybe he just didn’t have enough Charisma. Still, he’d observed the drake treating everyone else exactly the same way, which gave him some small comfort: maybe it was just Zach’s personality.
The drake was already nearly perfect—how could he be ungrateful? Things were pretty darn good as they were.
That was what he told himself... until a familiar voice rang out from across the street: "Hey—Adelan, is that you?"
Huh?
Adelan squinted toward the sound. Striding closer was a white-haired man with a sunny, handsome grin—it could only be one person: Nigel Charles, now a rising hero of Liberl Port and also the man who’d once saved his life.
Oh right, he’s a Liberl Port native too.
As that thought flitted through his mind, a sudden gust made him glance at his side. He was astonished to see that Zach, usually the picture of restraint, had bounded over to Charles, lowered his head, and was now nuzzling affectionately against the man’s cheek.
Charles, smiling, patted Zach’s head with one hand and scratched under his chin with the other, playing with him as if he was a household pet.
While doing so, Charles turned to Adelan with a smile, "Your drake is still just as affectionate as ever, huh!"
Adelan grit his teeth, a surge of humiliation churning in his gut. He could see it clear as day: Zach was loving every bit of Charles’s attention, his massive tail even gently swaying!
All that training, all those vows to guard freedom side by side—and now his drake was cuddling up to another man like a kitten!
It was almost mortifying, but he forced out a pained smile and managed, "Heh, yeah, he’s always been like that—it’s nothing unusual."
Charles drew the drake’s head into his arms, stroking the smooth golden scales. "By the way—are you transferring to South Harbor District for work?"
Adelan hesitated, "Um... sort of. Technically, I’m only here for a site survey—nothing’s officially decided yet..."
Charles pretended not to know the purpose of their visit, playing dumb. "Got some free time? Care to check out my neighborhood?"
Zach crowded closer to Charles, acting like he didn’t want to leave. Adelan glanced at his colleagues—he honestly didn’t want to help with their busywork anyway, and this seemed like a great excuse to get away.
So he nodded, "Sure, let’s take a look around."
Charles led the way through his housing block, gesturing to the orderly dorms. "What we really advertise here is peace and quiet—excellent for getting good sleep. These rooms have some of the best soundproofing out there—shut the doors and windows, and you won’t hear a thing from the outside."
"That’s why all the slightly wealthier folks in South Harbor District have switched to my houses. Especially the Amazons—according to incomplete stats, almost half the full-time Amazon workers down here have bought one of my places..."
Adelan’s curiosity was clearly piqued. "Is the soundproofing really that good?"
Charles grinned. "Want to try it out for yourself?"
Adelan nodded. Charles brought Zach and him into one of the model rooms.
Watching them walk inside and shut the door, his colleagues couldn’t help an odd feeling of discomfort; something about the scene left their faces twisted and inexplicably frustrated, with no idea why, nor how to describe or shake off that emotion...
They watched as Charles and the drake went right to the window. Through the glass, Charles mouthed something—probably "Can you hear me?" or words to that effect.
Adelan shook his head, and then Charles cracked open the window, giving him a friendly smile, "How about now, can you hear me?"
Adelan’s eyes went wide in surprise. "Whoa, is that magic? How can the soundproofing be this good?!"
Charles only smiled mysteriously, "Trade secret, sorry—can’t share that."
He continued, proud, "We’re planning to build another thousand of these within the next three years, selling to locals at just two thousand gold a pop. At least for this batch, there’s absolutely no plan to increase the price."
He said it offhandedly, as if he hadn’t figured out why Adelan was here with the gold dragonborn crowd. "If you end up working in South Harbor, why not buy one for yourself—and your whole team, too?"
Adelan fell silent, floored not just by the aggressive sales pitch but by the implications.
This guy is actually willing to let so much profit go to the ordinary folk of South Harbor District?
It was obvious—the quality of these homes was outstanding, and at that price, if Charles kept it up, any expectations the bank had of making a big killing here would be dashed.
Unless he could convince Charles to hike prices in the future—or somehow drive him out of the business entirely...
Those thoughts flashed through Adelan’s mind, but every possible approach seemed harder than the last.
So at last, all he could do was sigh awkwardly, "Thank you for the offer, Lord Charles, but... I’ll have to think about it. We’re only here for an assessment—still not sure about the future, haha..."
Charles couldn’t read all that from his face, but just observed and took the smile at face value, gauging how much his words had hit home.
He smiled amiably. "That’s fine! I’m looking forward to your decision."
"But if you do end up in South Harbor District, let’s make sure we keep in touch—work together as a team!"
Adelan managed a strained grin, "Of course, definitely!"
Nearby, the drake Zach nudged closer to Charles’s palm, and Charles gave him another affectionate scratch. Noticing Adelan’s envious look, Charles arched an eyebrow, "Bet you want to give him a pet too, huh?"
Adelan fumbled, a little embarrassed, "Uh, well..."
"Hey, don’t be shy. Come on!" Charles gently pushed the drake toward him, even switching to Draconic, "Let your master have a turn, all right?"
Reluctantly, the drake shuffled over and brushed against Adelan’s shoulder.
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