Demonic Dragon: Harem System

"Lyana..." The girl groaned, her voice barely more than a whisper as her mind swam between the beginning and the end, caught in a whirlwind of confused thoughts. She felt like both a still pond and a stormy ocean, buffeted by a great tempest.

The murmurs of the girl, who had just woken from her faint, drifted on the wind. The woman whose lap her head was resting on turned gently to help her sit up. "H-How long was I... ah ~ my head hurts," she groaned in pain, placing her hand on her head. It did little to ease the pain, but she did it anyway.

"Two hours have passed, my mistress," Lyana replied, looking at the woman's thin and weary body. Slowly, she was wasting away. She was no longer the beautiful woman Lyana once knew. She was a shadow of herself... or worse, she was merely what she could have once been. "My time...

must be nearing its end," she murmured, placing her hands on her hair, the tips of which had already begun to turn gray. "Time... yes, time is passing," she whispered, as if seeing something Lyana couldn't understand.

"We're almost to Eldoria, but we've encountered problems..." Lyana said hesitantly, knowing they couldn't afford much delay. Her mistress's life was slipping away, and they needed a solution quickly. "We're fine, but... we've lost part of our forces," she revealed, trying to soften the blow.

She didn't want to simply say their soldiers were killed, although part of the blame lay with her for not leaving the carriage and staying by her lady's side.

"Duty above all, isn't it, Lyana?" her mistress asked as she sat up properly, as if reading her thoughts. "My lady... I..." Lyana began, but her mistress raised a hand, signaling her to stop. "I understand your thoughts, and I agree with them to some extent," she said as she examined her arms. Her skin was pale and dry, almost translucent, revealing her veins prominently.

"An assassin... he killed many of the enemies and invaded the carriage. He said his group had been attacked by these people earlier, and he wanted to settle the score..." Lyana murmured, feeling as if she had failed. "Good job," her mistress said, stretching her arms and yawning. "Knowing you, you would have killed him immediately. I assume you didn't because..." "Spirit Swords...

strong ones, likely Rank 5 or higher... but the spirits within them... were strange," Lyana said, struggling to find the right words to describe what she had felt.

Her mistress nodded thoughtfully. "Strange spirits, you say... that complicates things. But it also means we're dealing with someone who commands significant power. We must be cautious."

Lyana bowed her head. "I will do whatever it takes to ensure your safety, my lady. Even if it means facing these strange spirits."

Her mistress smiled weakly. "I know you will, Lyana. I have always trusted you. But remember, we must reach Eldoria soon. Time is not on our side."

"Yes, my lady," Lyana replied, determination filling her voice. "We will get there, no matter what."

"It was as if... they weren't inside the sword, but used it as a..." she murmured, "a bridge between the user and the sword. That's why I feel these two immense auras," she said while adjusting her kimono. "Could you tie my hair, please?" she asked, and Lyana nodded, stepping forward and sitting behind her.

"Two men, three women, two spirits," she said as she concentrated. "You shouldn't be using mana... you know you're dying, right?" Lyana said, worried, as she helped form a perfect bun with a thick needle. "Don't treat me like a fragile girl. We both know it's not the mana that's killing me," she replied with a smile, as if this were all a game.

"Life has been playing tricks on me lately..." she murmured.

"What do you mean by that, my lady?" Lyana continued to ask as her steady hands worked on the hairstyle, smoothing the remaining hair that fell back gently.

"What was your first impression of this man?" she asked, looking out the carriage window in the direction of the different auras that had caught her attention.

"Shameless," Lyana said, completely breaking her train of thought. "Can you believe it, my lady? He helped us and still invaded our carriage! He wanted profit; he's no different from the thieves who attacked us!" Lyana said, without holding back, letting her dissatisfaction pour out with all the force she had.

"Hahaha," the woman laughed at Lyana's reaction. "That said?" she questioned, and Lyana huffed, "He's strong, despite being so shameless," she said, pouting. If those knights saw her now, they'd all be stunned to see the woman who appeared so cold making such faces.

"Strong, huh... it's been a while since I've heard you call a man strong. It's quite amusing, you know?" she said, placing her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. Lyana felt a bit embarrassed. "My lady! Don't make fun of me!" Lyana said, finally finishing the small hairstyle and placing the veil back over her mistress's face.

"All done," Lyana said as she adjusted the back of the white kimono her lady wore. "You've improved a lot. I thought those rough hands were only for fighting, but you've changed a lot in recent months."

Lyana looked at her for a moment but couldn't help but smile. "That's your fault, you know? You give me so much trouble. It's like I'm taking care of a daughter I don't even have," she said, smiling, clearly showing the strong bond of friendship between them.

"Then, let's get back to business. What exactly is this man, and what does he want with this deal? I presume he knows his own value, considering the value of those swords... this could end up costing more than we can offer." She questioned Lyana, who shrugged. "The scoundrel said it's up to you to decide what you want to negotiate," Lyana said, leaving the woman a bit confused.

"How is that?" she asked, and Lyana repeated, "He said money would be good, but that you probably have something better to offer. He said to ask you what you would negotiate, knowing that one of his subordinates is in charge of the perimeter security at the auction." Lyana explained, and the woman's expression changed drastically.

"He... has a subordinate? Inside an event like this?..." she murmured. "Yes, I found it strange. How does a man like that have subordinates? I mean, come on, he was looting bandit corpses.

What kind of impression is that?" Lyana said nonchalantly while her mistress tried to make sense of it. "Lyana, calm down first, let me ask something..." she said, and Lyana nodded.

A few seconds passed in silence. Lyana noticed that her mistress was deep in thought. "My lady?" Lyana questioned.

"Lyana... you know that the security for these places is exclusively handled by black market personnel, right? I mean, we are already at a hidden, even illegal, auction, but... having someone inside... means that... this man...

he is either with an Assassin's Guild or, at least, a dark guild..."

"Wait, you believe him? He's a fraud!" Lyana said, but the look she received from her mistress... "W-What?" Lyana thought as she saw those eyes... like two orbits that saw everything. "Let's go see him," she said and stood up, as if not thinking about anything else. She just wanted proof.

"Wait, my lady! You can't go out like this!" Lyana quickly stood up, stopping the woman. "What do you mean? I need to speak with him immediately, I need to know if this is true! Damn it, if he has an assassin's guild with him, at least we have a chance to get what we need, if it's true..." she murmured, sounding possessed. "Yes, my lady, I understand, but rushing out like this won't help.

Out there... well, out there are some problems still being resolved. Please wait a bit, okay?" Lyana said, trying to contain the woman who seemed possessed.

Lyana saw the sudden change in her mistress. She had never heard her curse like that. "Besides... you need to get another veil, maybe a black one... I feel that man has a much darker gaze than usual, and he can see through this one..." she murmured. "My face is not untouchable, Lyana.

Soon, I will have to reveal it, even though it is not even a shadow of what it once was," she murmured. "I understand, my lady, but the tradition... I don't want you to get into trouble... Especially after what happened, I am sure you will be judged when you return," Lyana said.

"I have my own goals. A traditionalist family will not stop me. Even if it requires staining my hands with blood, I will do everything to survive," she said, and the atmosphere became slightly cold and tense. Lyana knew what those words meant.

"My lady... calm down. Stressing too much with these thoughts will only speed up the progression of the disease," Lyana said worriedly. "It's okay, I'm fine," she said, but Lyana didn't believe any of it. Damn... she was almost skin and bones.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Yes?" Lyana asked, hearing the knock on the door, and on the other side, a male voice reported, "That guy is joining us. It seems he wants to speak with you," the knight said, stepping away from the door. "Well, he came to me, this will indeed be easier," she said while Lyana looked at her still worried. "Come on, help me up."

"Yes, my lady."