CHAPTER 80: NEVER HEARD

Vacuse had a headache the next day.

It was expected, as he trained throughout the night. Rith had driven him, and Vacuse was greedy to learn.

The night of the attack had shown him clearly just how powerless he was and how strong he still needed to be.

Ironic.

Vacuse of old would have been absolutely stunned by the power he had now. But then again, he wasn’t what he was. He had seen what power could be like, and his greed had only grown.

The Void Dragon said there are others more powerful than him.

"Where are we going this early in the morning, my lord?" Harkon said.

He was beside him, and Lyra, the real one, on the other. The other members of the Dragon Guards and the New Dawn surrounded him as well.

"I need to see someone. After all, we should speak with the one that will be hosting us for the new journey."

Soon, they stopped by a door where two guards with grey skin stood with large axes in their hands. They bowed when they saw who their guest was and knocked loudly on the door.

Soon, it was opened, and Captain Valka came out. He saw Vacuse and swept into a bow. "Lord Vacuse. We are expecting you."

Then he hesitated and added in a solemn voice, "Thank you for saving my master’s life. I hope to be able to repay you in the near future."

Vacuse looked at the one that was nicknamed the Dragon Killer in his past life. And he flashed a smile of his own. "I will remember. Now then, shall we see your... master?"

Valka nodded and stepped back.

Vacuse and Harkon, with Lyra, stepped in while the rest of his guards stayed behind.

Lord Ragna was standing there with a slow smile on his face. "Lord Vacuse. You are standing here now as a heir and not just like any other Vorrakyn. Congratulations once again."

Vacuse clasped his hands without bowing. "Thank you. I am glad you are unhurt."

Ragna nodded. "That was only because of the guards you put with me. That New Dawn member? He was the one that kept fighting in the shadows to save me."

Vacuse understood what he meant.

Not that Ragna couldn’t fight, but in the type of battle that happened that night, Kagerou’s sneak attack shone through in the way he protected him.

Just as Vacuse hoped for.

Lord Ragna bowed. "As his master, and since he was following your instructions, I owe you one."

’...finally!...’

Vacuse felt a wave of satisfaction, and he bowed in return. "As a host, I was only doing what I must do. But since you insist..."

Ragna led him to the chair, and they both sat, talking about things happening in Kragthar. Ragna expressed his condolences about it, and Vacuse graciously accepted it.

Before long though, Vacuse finally talked about why he was there. He decided to go about it bluntly instead of the usual wordplay. "Lord Ragna. How likely is the possibility of your Clan forming an allegiance with us?"

Ragna froze mid-speech.

And he wasn’t the only one.

Harkon and Lyra, as well as Valka, all froze.

It was likely the first time ever they’ve heard someone talk about something like that. Something so absurd they needed to give their brains time to process it.

Orcs and humans? Alliance?

Words that have never been put together before.

Ragna blinked, and he stopped smiling entirely. His brows furrowed as if he was thinking about the question seriously. "I’ll say, you have a one percent possibility."

Vacuse smiled brightly as if he’d heard the greatest news of his entire life. "Then let’s make it possible!"

Ragna’s eyes widened. "Wait, wait. Are you serious about this? You are going to ally with us? Us with you? Lord Vacuse, don’t tell me you’ve been drinking so early in the morning."

Although no one was actively throwing their aura around, there was a subtle tension in the room as if they were discussing a forbidden conversation.

Vacuse spread his palm. "I don’t like drinking. It muddles the head and makes thinking in an irrational way. You shouldn’t try it."

Ragna grunted. "Orcs like drinking. Eating and fucking."

Vacuse raised his brows. "I bet people like Valka don’t like drinking. It dulls the head."

Ragna’s eyes narrowed, and his eyes flickered to his captain before they settled on Vacuse again. There was a chilly, brilliant light in them. "Lord Vacuse, are you trying to say something with that?"

Vacuse stopped smiling. "What? Of course not! I’ve actually tried alcohol before. It dulls my head, and it makes me forget things for a while."

Ragna frowned as if he couldn’t get a handle on how Vacuse thought about things. He sat in silence for a long time, as if he was taking all his time to think things through.

"Then... how about this. I will personally serve you a strong one when we get to my Clan."

Vacuse smiled, surprised. "So you are going to ally with me?"

"No," Ragna said flatly. "But I will take you to the Agba—the Elders of my Clan."

Vacuse knew the reason for the question he wanted to ask, but he asked anyway. "Why the Elders? Shouldn’t such decisions be left to the Clan leader?"

Ragna looked sad. "My father is currently on a sickbed, and although I’ve come of age, I still can’t be the Clan leader for now. So, the day-to-day running of things has been placed on the Agba, the Elders of the Clan."

Vacuse knew that earlier from his past life, and he even knew more than that. He resisted the urge to look at Valka and instead made his eyes widen in sympathy. "I am sorry to hear that."

Already, his plan was already starting.

Vacuse wanted the Orcs as his ally, and he would have them, one way or the other.

There wasn’t much to say after that, but Vacuse still stayed to exchange words with Ragna before he finally bid him goodbye.

Outside, Harkon asked where they were going next, and Vacuse said, "To the Head Healer."