The inn was spacious and brightly lit by lantern grasses found only in the underground. The flames burning in the fireplace piled up with stones eliminated the chilliness, bringing them a comfortable warmth. An old man, who seemed to be the boss of the inn, took a nap over the counter. Due to the years of being unexposed to the sun, his skin appeared sickly pale, like a funny-looking wooden barrel. But what was most eye-catching about him was his legs. The areas below his knees were completely severed and the balance of his upper body was supported by prosthetics made from black iron. Maria admired it for a moment before her eyes scanned the surrounding.
In the meantime gazing at the arrival of Maria's group, the old man widened his eyes and showed a bewildered expression. He opened his mouth and revealed an excited smile.
"Oh, welcome everyone. I haven't met any human customers in a long time. May I have your orders please?"
''We want a quiet place to stay.'' Maria declared while slipping one platinum coin under the old man's hand which shocked him.
''I mean I'm renting the whole place,'' Maria added with an expressionless face.
The old man behind the counter seemed troubled for a moment but in front of money he could only give in, especially currency from the continent which is worth a lot, he couldn't say no as it would be shooting himself in the foot.
The happy old man tried to hide his shining eyes as he pocketed the money while giving Maria a bit of kind advice.
''Miss, as we are all humans, I think I have to remind you that Gandor isn't a safe place to be. Since you made your way here, it proves that you are strong enough to deal with the dangers. But I still need to remind you that the dark elves are hard to deal with. Besides, recently they have sealed off the city. The atmosphere is tense. If it isn't necessary, I advise you to avoid any trouble as much as possible. If you are targeted by dark elves, you will be in big trouble."
"Thanks for the warning," Maria responded with a smile.
The old man frowned before opening his mouth to continue.
''Miss, it may be rude of me to say this, but…"
Bang!
Before the old man finished his sentence, a loud bang on the second floor captured everyone's attention. Shortly after, the a petite human girl who went upstairs earlier rolled down the flight of steps with a bruised, swollen face. Seconds later, several burly, heavily-equipped dark elves descended the stairs. They swept a glance at the lobby and after spotting the beautiful young ladies, their eyes glinted in passionate lights. They exchanged filthy looks with one another. One of them who seemed to be their leader strode forward and snarled at the group.
"Are you the ones who booked the entire inn and forced us to leave?! Some weakling humans?!"
Upon hearing the snarls of the big dark elves, Maria couldn't be bothered to turn around. Those people were naive, sinister, and crude. As for these idiots who would step into a minefield for the sake of following that dangling carrot in front of them, they were the most unworthy of cannon fodders in the eyes of the true decider of the dark elves. Therefore, facing the interrogations of these idiots, Maria remained silent, extended her hand, and snapped her fingers.
"Scram!"
Witnessing her gesture, Gracier chuckled. The petite dragon's lady swept an ice-cold glance at the idiots not knowing the immensity of Earth before she strode toward them and let out a grunt. Along with her bellow, the air around them instantly turned cold. The idiot dark elves who heard her voice revealed furious expressions. They stretched out their thick arms to reach for the weapons on their waist, apparently to teach this young lady a lesson and let her experience what true agony and nightmare were.
''Dragon's Might!" Gracier silently mumbled as a formless pressure spread out from her small body.
But just as they clutched the hilts of their weapons, their faces instantly became that of beached fish—gasping for air, staring with wide-open eyes, and rooted to the spot. Not only that, but their complexions also became increasingly red as though invisible hands were choking their throats. Even though the muscles on their bodies trembled, they couldn't move an inch. This peculiar behavior seemed odd to everyone, an intense fear took hold of them.
At the next moment, Gracier extended and swung her right arm as though she were driving away flies.
Boom!
Along with this action, those who were frozen to the spot flew out of the exit as though their legs were equipped with rockets. They crashed heavily onto the ground outside like a big pile of mud.
No, it wasn't 'like'—they turned into a big pile of mud under the effects of the vampire's magical spell. Their skeletons and muscles were crushed into bits by an unknown force, turning into worthless residue. They lay on the ground like flat, deflated balloons. The bewildered crowd stepped forward in uncertainty, sizing up the revolting corpses on the ground. No one dared to say a word. Their eyes were filled with terror. In this city, they had witnessed many more terrifying things, but they were usually committed by dark elves. Due to that reason, as the crowd saw a non-dark elf disintegrating an enemy using a crueler method than the dark elves, they were immediately petrified of Maria's group. The crowd initially decided to stir trouble with Maria's group and pry their intention. But now, it seemed like everything would be in vain if they couldn't even protect themselves.
Hearing the clamors outside the inn, Maria nodded in satisfaction. Her sister-in-law and maybe future sister were truly suitable for the task secretly given to her.
As a dragon, she was born to look down upon most of the other species. This kind of heartfelt contempt and the formidable strength of hers were the best weapons to strike a blow at the dark elves' confidence. Those hidden in the darkness should be aware of this, it was Maria's goal.
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