Chapter 878: I’ll take them to their room.

Strax quickly regained his focus after that initial exchange, shifting his gaze from the woman in front of him and turning his attention directly to Derick, like someone who had already decided that that part of the situation was resolved enough to move on. He crossed his arms simply, without any theatrics, and went straight to the point.

"When will I see the Celestial Emperor?" he asked bluntly, his practical tone making it clear that this wasn’t curiosity, it was about scheduling. "I have things to take care of in my territory; I can’t just stand here waiting indefinitely."

Derick let out a small sigh through his nose, like someone who had expected this kind of question but still needed to choose his response carefully. He maintained a firm posture, hands still behind his back, and answered calmly.

"At the moment... it won’t be possible immediately," he said, without trying to soften the situation too much. "The Emperor is busy. He’s in a conference with all the ruling monarchs of the continent. It’s not something quick. It will take some time."

Strax tilted his head slightly, absorbing the response without showing immediate irritation, but clearly assessing its impact. He was silent for a second, then looked back in the direction Shalom had gone.

"She’s a monarch, right?" he asked, pointing with his chin in that direction. "Why isn’t she at this conference then?"

Derick couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at this, shaking his head before replying.

"She’s a monarch... in name," he said, his tone more direct now. "Not in responsibility. There’s a big difference between the two. Shalom has the title, she has power, but she doesn’t handle the political obligations of the office. In practice, she’s not considered an active part of this type of meeting."

Tiamat raised an eyebrow slightly at this, but didn’t interrupt, while Scarlett simply observed, clearly finding the information more curious than surprising. Ouroboros kept her gaze fixed on Derick, following every detail of the explanation.

Derick continued, now looking directly at Strax, as if taking the opportunity to comment on something that had already been on his mind. "It’s kind of ironic, actually," he said with a slight smile.

"You appeared out of nowhere, defeated two monarchs and took their territory. And you’re still asking how things work here."

Strax didn’t change his expression, but responded immediately. "Is that a problem?" he asked directly, without any attempt to soften the question.

Derick let out a more open laugh this time, but without disrespect. He shook his head as he answered.

"No. On the contrary," he said. "It’s better this way than it was before. Competition is good. The monarchs here were too complacent."

He paused briefly before continuing, now with a slightly more serious tone. "Since you killed the Monarch of the White Flames... things have started to change," he added. "They’ve become more... interesting."

Scarlett let out a small sound of approval, crossing her arms with a slight smile. "I told you he’d make an impact," she commented, as if stating the obvious.

Tiamat just closed her eyes for a second, clearly expecting that kind of comment, while Ouroboros looked back at Strax, assessing his reaction.

Strax, for his part, showed neither exaggerated pride nor false modesty. He simply nodded slightly, as if the information was useful, but not particularly surprising.

"Good," he said simply. "As long as it doesn’t become a direct problem for me."

Derick shrugged. "It depends on you," he replied. "If things continue as they are... probably not. But you’ve already attracted enough attention not to be ignored."

Strax looked at him for a second, then nodded. "No promises," he replied dryly.

Derick chuckled softly, clearly expecting that kind of response. "Fair enough," he said.

And, for a moment, the situation finally seemed... stable.

Derick made a simple gesture with his head for them to follow him, turning unceremoniously as he began to walk down the palace corridors like someone who had walked that path hundreds of times before. "Come on," he said, without looking back, but already assuming they would follow him. "I’ll take you to your rooms. It’s better than standing here in the middle of nowhere."

Strax began walking right behind him, unhurried, maintaining a calm pace while observing his surroundings with practical attention, not impressed, but clearly registering everything. Scarlett came beside him, hands in her pockets, glancing upwards occasionally, while Tiamat walked a little behind, analyzing structural details more carefully. Ouroboros stayed close to Strax, her gaze moving more slowly, absorbing the place more silently.

The first corridor already made it clear that this was no ordinary palace. The walls were not merely decorated, they were alive with magic. Runes traversed the surfaces in constant patterns, shifting slightly as if responding to the presence of those passing by. The floor was perfectly polished, reflecting not only light but also small distortions of energy that seemed to circulate beneath the structure. It wasn’t visual exaggeration, it was functional.

"Is all this active?" Tiamat asked, looking at one of the walls as she walked.

Derick nodded without stopping. "Yes. Protection, structural reinforcement, energy flow control. The palace isn’t just a building, it’s an entire system."

Scarlett let out a small, low whistle. "That makes sense," she commented. "If someone tries to break into this place, they’ll have more trouble with the building than with the guards."

Derick gave a slight, wry smile. "Exactly."

They passed through a large side opening, and the space expanded abruptly. It was no longer a corridor, but an open hall connecting different levels of the palace. Platforms floated at varying distances, linked by solid energy bridges, and people moved between them as if it were completely normal.

Ouroboros stopped for a second, looking up. "This... doesn’t have physical support," she said, more as an observation than a question.

"It doesn’t need it," Derick replied. "The entire upper city works like this. Gravity here is... negotiable."

Strax observed this for a few seconds, then resumed walking. "Useful," he simply commented. They continued forward, now crossing one of the bridges. Below them, parts of the floating city stretched out in various directions, with structures that didn’t follow a single pattern. Some areas were organized, others clearly adapted over time. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Tiamat crossed her arms. "Was this planned like this from the beginning, or did it grow this way?" she asked.

"Both," Derick replied. "The core is ancient, but much has been added as needed. The city evolves along with those who rule it."

Scarlett glanced down briefly and then looked away. "I prefer the ground," she murmured, more to herself.

Strax heard, but didn’t comment, just kept walking.

After a few more minutes, they entered another wing, this time more secluded. The movement decreased, the flow of people was smaller, and the atmosphere seemed quieter. The doors along the corridor were different, more reinforced, with denser and less decorative inscriptions.

"This is the high-end guest accommodation area," Derick explained. "Higher security, greater privacy."

Strax nodded slightly. "Good."

They stopped in front of a door larger than the others. Derick raised his hand and lightly touched the surface. The runes on the door reacted immediately, rearranging themselves before dissipating, clearing the entrance.

"This is yours," he said, opening the door.

The interior was spacious, but not excessively so. It was clearly functional, but with a high standard. There was a central area with sofas, a large table, several side doors indicating separate rooms, and a large window showing part of the floating city.

Scarlett entered first, looking around. "Okay," she said. "This is better."

Tiamat entered soon after, quickly assessing the space. "Well laid out," she commented. "No waste."

Ouroboros walked more slowly, lightly running her hand along the surface of one of the walls, feeling the energy there. "There’s still active magic in here," she said.

"Of course," Derick replied. "Basic protection and comfort. Nothing invasive."

Strax entered last, glancing around once before leaning lightly against one of the walls. "It’ll do," he said bluntly.

Derick nodded. "If you need anything, just ask. You have free access within the permitted areas. Just avoid restricted zones."

Scarlett looked at him with a slight smile. "And how do we know what’s restricted?"

Derick gave a simple answer. "If you try to enter and can’t... it’s restricted."

Tiamat let out a small sigh. "Practical."

Ouroboros looked out the window again, observing the city. Strax was silent for a moment, then looked back at Derick.

"And now?" he asked.

Derick shrugged. "Now you rest. Or do whatever you want. Until the Emperor calls."

Strax nodded.

And, for the first time since they arrived—

They weren’t moving.

Derick said nothing more after that. He simply gave a short nod, turned on his heels, and left with the same upright posture as before, closing the door behind him with a firm but discreet sound. The click of the door sealing the space brought a momentary silence that contrasted with all the movement they had faced until then.

Strax stood still for a few seconds, looking at the surrounding space as if finally allowing the fatigue to settle. He ran a hand over his face, letting out a heavier sigh than before, something that had been accumulating since the fight, since the trip, since everything.

"Finally," he murmured, more to himself than to the others.

He took a few steps inside, practically analyzing the environment. He checked the doors, the positioning of the windows, the density of magical energy in the place. Everything was as expected. Safe enough, comfortable enough, and silent—something rare in recent days.

Strax then relaxed his shoulders slightly and turned his body, ready to speak. "I’m going to—"

He stopped.

The sentence died in the middle.

Because when he turned around—

The three of them were there.

And not exactly as before.

Scarlett was standing, completely at ease, arms crossed, with a brazenly provocative smile on her face. Tiamat was beside him, more restrained in her posture, but not at all recoiling, her eyes fixed on him with calculated intensity. Ouroboros... was a little further back, clearly more timid in her positioning, but still there, not retreating, not fleeing.

Strax’s brain took a second longer than usual to process.

He blinked.

Once.

"...I was going to say I was going to sleep," he finished, finally, in a completely neutral tone, as if deliberately ignoring what he was seeing.

Scarlett let out a low laugh, uncrossing her arms and taking a step forward.

"Sleeping is bullshit," she said bluntly, without any filter, her smile widening. "We have to deal with other things first."

Tiamat turned her face slightly, as if hiding a smile, but clearly agreeing with the situation.

"You’ve been building up too much tension," she commented, in a more controlled tone, but no less clear. "And it’s not just you."

Strax ran a hand through his hair, letting out a small sigh through his nose, this time more filled with disbelief than tiredness.

"...You chose an interesting moment," he said.

Scarlett shrugged. "Perfect timing. We arrived alive, we have a decent room, and it looks like we won’t be attacked for the next five minutes."

"High expectations," Tiamat murmured.

Ouroboros didn’t say anything immediately. She just looked at Strax, clearly less comfortable than the other two, but also without backing down. Their fingers intertwined for a moment, a slight sign of nervousness, but their eyes didn’t waver.

Strax noticed this.

And that slightly changed his expression.

He didn’t say anything for a second, just observing the three of them, assessing not only the situation but the intention behind it.

Then he let out a small sigh.

"...You two are trouble," he said.

Scarlett smiled even more. "And you like it."

He didn’t answer immediately.

But he didn’t deny it either.

The atmosphere, which had previously been just silent, now had another kind of tension. It wasn’t uncomfortable, nor heavy—it was charged with expectation, with closeness, with something that had been building up between them for too long to simply be ignored.

Strax took a step forward.

Slowly.

Without haste.

His gaze swept over each of them, pausing for a second longer on Ouroboros, as if silently confirming something.

She didn’t back away.

He didn’t look away.

He just took a deep breath.

And that was enough.

"Okay," he said finally, in a lower but determined tone.

Scarlett let out a satisfied laugh.

Tiamat uncrossed her arms.

And Ouroboros... relaxed his shoulders, just a little.

The night, which until then had been about battles, tension, and journeys—

was about to take a completely different turn.

And this time—

Without interruptions.