Commotion
Irina sighed. She looked up at the nostalgic Imperial City. She wasn’t sure if it was thanks to the city that she got to see the man she liked. That was the reason she was a little afraid and felt distant upon sighting the black smoke that had enveloped the city. Nonetheless, it was truly a hassle to exit the city.
The results of the meeting were to be publicised today. The businessmen waiting outside the city desperately tried to get into the city to find out what happened, since money was the most important thing to them. The gold coins were more important than their lives. Irina didn’t quite understanding their thought process despite the dragon race having a habit of collecting gold.
“Irina.”
Irina turned around. Sounding surprised, she asked, “Queen Sylvanas. Why are you here?”
“I came specifically for you. You’ve finally come to the Imperial Palace, yet you’re leaving after one day. Why not take a look around? Don’t worry, Nier and Lucia have already arrived at Troy City, so you don’t need to be afraid of running into them. You’ve never seen where Troy lives and works, have you? Take this opportunity to see it. While you’re at it, go to Troy City’s hot spring for a dip and to wash your scales. If you’re always looking after your son, you wouldn’t have time to leave for a dip in the hot spring, right?”
Soaking in hot springs wasn’t just as simple as soaking in there for dragons. When they soaked in hot springs, they cleaned their scales, which was why they selected a place with a hot spring when selecting their residence. Before the dragon’s territory was reduced to a desert, there was a huge hot spring there. Of course, Vyvyan had an undeniable part in turning it into a desert.
“Hot spring… but… my son… I didn’t bring him here. I want to go back to take care of him…”
“How did you wind up the same type of mom Vyvyan and Elizabeth are? You saw how those sorts of mothers turn out, didn’t you…? I guess it’s fine, though. It’s all the same in the end. In any case, I think you should have a short respite. Your son can live for a very long time without your care at his age. If you’re always doting on him, how do expect him to be his father’s guard without worrying yourself to death?”
“That is true… That being the case, what you said makes sense… So… so… I shall go to have a dip in the hot spring at Troy City, then. However…. however… is it a good idea for me to go there? I am considered an outsider at Troy City, am I not…?”
“The same goes for me in relation to Vyvyan and Elizabeth. As long as you don’t start on them, there’s no need to be worried about anything. Nier and Lucia don’t want trouble, either. It’s been a long time since you’ve seen Troy, so how about staying for a while?”
Sylvanas came over with light steps and wrapped her arm around her dragon junior. Irina wrestled with herself as she looked at the letter in her hand. She softly responded, “I… I… I do not know if Troy is all right with that… He… he and I clearly should not be interfering with each other… The two of us are not spouses in love… Would he be happy if I am always clinging to him?”
“You two have a child. Troy is just reluctant to interact with you because of Nier and Lucia. If you’re with him, he’ll definitely be h-.”
Before she finished, a huge explosion suddenly went off inside the city. Black smoke coiled into the sky. Accompanying it was a tremble that shook the ground and a loud roar. The commotion came from the plaza where the conference’s conclusion was announced. The guards first froze for a moment then sprinted toward the location of the commotion.
Sylvanas then pulled Irina over and shouted, “Let’s go, Irina. Let’s go see what happened. I think it has something to do with the results of the meeting. Troy should be on his way back to the Imperial Palace at the moment. If they want to block him and try to gain something, they might cause an accident!!”
All of the guards on the streets exchanged eye contact with each other, with all of them feeling as puzzled as the other. Then, they all ran toward the origin of the commotion with their reloaded rifles. Ever since the beginning of Troy’s reign five years ago, there was never been any disturbance in the Imperial City. That was the first time. As a consequence, the mightiest soldiers, who had just joined the Imperial City’s most trusted guard unit, were tense.
“If we don’t deal with it appropriately, blood will be spilt in the Imperial City. The guards are all very tense.”
After Sylvanas made the simple statement, she quickly squeezed through the crowd to rush to the location. Not a single citizen was willing to get involved with the commotion. Soldiers rushed over from various locations.
The commotion was isolated near the plaza. The people who started the commotion were the human businessmen. They were armed with short blades and spears. They got into a formation with shield users to assault the formation erected by the soldiers.
Their only option was to use cash to impact their fur trade. Nobody had that much money. No ordinary businessman could accept the time required and risks involved in transporting gold from Hilles City to the farthest North location in the North. Only major businesses would have the chance and qualifications to continue purchasing fur. It was, without question, the end of the road for businessmen, who gave up everything to get into the fur trade. As such, they had to put up a resistance despite not being in their domain.
“Everyone, everyone, what you’re doing is jeopardising safety in the North. Your actions have been classified invasion and dangerous!! You’ve threatened our soldiers! Please immediately lay down your weapons, and leave the city! Lay down your weapons, and leave the city immediately! Otherwise, we will be forced to take serious measures! Please remain calm, and lay down your weapons to avoid bloodshed!!”
Soldiers blocked off Irina and Sylvanas. The Imperial Palace’s guard unit arrived in a timely manner. They already had the plaza surrounded and formed a proper three line firing formation. The leader of the soldiers drove the armed people to the centre of the plaza and protected himself using his bayonet and barrel. The officers stood in the crowd and continuously shouted out. They continued to tell their men not to fire. If they fired, it would escalate into a political conflict between the North and humans.
The rioting businessmen wouldn’t initiate an attack. Once they did, they’d no longer be able to get through or negotiate again with Troy. As long as they didn’t attack, nobody had the courage or right to open fire.
“What do we do, Queen Sylvanas…? Sh-Should I do something?” Irina asked.
Sylvanas pressed a hand onto Irina’s shoulder and quietly instructed, “Stay calm for now. We’ll wait for the meantime. If a riot breaks out before Troy comes, immediately bring the situation under control. That will be enough.”
“Und-Understood!”
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