Chapter 11 – Bureaucracy with a Dragon-View

The wind slapped Ryo's face with the persistence of an angry scribe. He'd sworn not to complain after the "mandatory-joke bridge," but this screaming dive from Mount Eye to the Central Kingdom's valley was testing even his freshly-upgraded Courage I. Kairo insisted on "warm-up zigzags," which—judging by Sugi's tomato-red complexion—shook internal organs into psychedelic knots.

"Are we sure dragons need to warm up?" Chio groaned, clinging to a dorsal spike.

"Of course!" Kairo boomed in everyone's mind. "Ancestral cardio. Besides, you can admire the scenery."

The "scenery" blurred—clouds, fields, rivers blended into watercolor every time Kairo rolled. Yuna, however, squealed with joy. Gumi-chan had molded itself into a jelly visor on her forehead, serving as improvised goggles. Toru recited mantras between discreet retches, while Doi prayed to any deity willing to deliver solid ground.

At last the dragon leveled out. Before them spread the valley of Luminar—capital city—encircled by rose-marble walls that caught the morning sun. Spired towers and crystal domes rose like urban stalagmites; cobalt rooftops glinted, and here and there hot-air balloons drifted above noble districts hawking impossible wares: "Bread That Never Stales," "Climbing Hats," and "Coffee Without Dark Circles."

Great, Ryo thought. I've officially reached Disneyland for magic merchants.

Kairo began a gentle descent."I mustn't cross the sixth parapet," he warned. "The Royal Guard fires anti-dragon harpoons over the finance dome. Landing at the Dragon Field—"

"—outside the city, right?" Ryo finished.

"Of course. Human bureaucracy: wings, breath, and pest-control forms must be registered."

Ryo snorted. Dead or alive, paperwork follows me. The compass on his chest pulsed and showed:

[Compass] Secondary destination: Royal Audience.[Compass] New attribute unlocked — Authority (0 %).

"Great," he called back. "Prep your speeches, folks—we're headed to court!"

Sugi paled. "Is there etiquette for an ex-bandit turned hero?"

"Sure," Ryo said. "Smile, don't steal the silverware, nod until it hurts."

Parking the Dragon

The Dragon Field was a sandy lot outside the wall, fronted by a sign: "Flying-Reptile Parking. First hour free. Lost token: two silver." Ryo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. A wax-moustached official—with a reflective sash reading EXOTIC ZOOTRANSPORT DEPARTMENT—greeted them with a four-meter scroll.

"Dragon name, breed, approximate weight, breath wattage, gem consumption per league…" he droned without looking up.

Kairo lowered a giant eye to within inches of the clerk."Name: Kairo. Breed: sapphire-veined obsidian drake. Weight: enough to snack on you."

The clerk blinked, stamped ACCEPTED, and handed over a token."Thank you for parking with us. Please secure your dragon with a Class-III chain."

"Will they really try chaining him?" Yuna whispered.

"Let them," Kairo rumbled, baring obsidian blades.

Into Luminar

They followed the main causeway to the East Gate. Toru led with his staff-license, while Ryo lugged supplies. The oculo rested in an inner pocket; Gumi-chan napped, scarf-style, around Yuna's neck.

Wall guards gleamed in polished armor. Spotting the compass, they traded wary looks. One, sporting a tiny moustache, held out a hand.

"The chancellor expects you for urgent audience," he said. "Is… that the artifact?"

"The very demon GPS," Ryo answered.

No laugh. The guard handed over wooden badges carved with a broken compass."Beta-level clearance. Stay out of the Celestial Quarter, don't bother civil servants, and avoid the Laughing Markets—the last team danced polka for a week."

"Relax," Sugi said. "Professionals at trouble-avoidance."

Chio and Doi snorted just as the gates opened.

Inside, cobbled streets thrummed with rune-sled carts delivering levitating pastries. Peddlers hawked singing hats and self-editing ink. It felt like Akihabara fused with a medieval bazaar on espresso.

Ahead loomed the Solar Palace—pearl marble walls, gilded domes. Turquoise banners bore the kingdom's crest: scales and gavel flanking a smiling pink sphere. Justice and humor on the same flag… nice mix, Ryo mused.

The Royal Offer

Chancellor Rodrik met them in Atrium IX—a vaulted hall of smiling-king statues and glittering mosaics. Stout, trim beard, midnight-blue robe weighed down by medals, Rodrik nodded curtly.

"Bearer of the broken compass," he began, steel-gray eyes on Ryo. "The court tracked you from Liria—wolf, stone dragon, heretic repelled. Congratulations… and condolences: you've been conscripted in Her Majesty's name."

Ryo sweated despite the breeze."Look, I'm still in the 'just want to go home' phase. Conscription sounds… permanent."

Rodrik snapped. A secretary produced a sealed scroll."Only permanent if you survive," he said dryly. "The realm suffers a laugh-crisis: the trickster god's corruption warps trade routes. That compass can right them—or doom us. We need you to keep… touring, under royal backing."

The parchment read "Royal Explorer – Grand Comedy Class." Perks: weekly stipend, access to restricted libraries, licensed arms inside the walls. Drawbacks: "Mandatory public representation" and, tiny print, "Supernormal mortality risk: high."

"'Grand Comedy Class'…" Ryo muttered. "Could be worse."

"It always is," Toru sighed, scanning the fine print.

Rodrik clapped; an aide opened a chest: lightweight metal gauntlets and a bronze medallion.

"Quick-Consonance Gauntlets—convert ambient sound to shields. The medallion is your diplomatic pass." He tossed Yuna a cotton-candy puff. "Cloud candy—helps balance on flying mounts."

Yuna beamed.

Compass vibrated:

[Compass] Authority: 12 % — you attract allies and enemies.

Not always a perk, Ryo thought, as the needle swung to a 3-D map display.

"Locate the remaining seals before Haru's sect," Rodrik said. "I'll loan escort to the Changing Forest border—beyond, you're on your own."

Two blue-armored guards marched up—one bright-eyed, the other brow-raised."Only two?" Sugi blinked. "I expected a battalion."

"Two royal guards equal a battalion," Rodrik replied. "And fewer mouths to feed."

Toru signed with a holly-bright seal. Ryo dipped the quill.

Haru Crashes the Party

Glass shattered; a purple sphere burst through the main window, billowing violet smoke. From it staggered Haru—skin ashen, tattoos blackened veins, smile cracked.

"Royal court or ruin, there's always room for humor…" he rasped, raising a sparking hand.

Guards rushed, but Haru's shockwave flattened them. Rodrik fell back. Ryo stepped in, compass blazing blue.

"You again? I'm fresh out of good jokes."

"Then laugh at this," Haru hissed, shadows lashing toward Yuna.

Instinctively, Ryo thrust on the new gauntlets—clang! Sound became a shimmering barrier that caught the shadow. The impact numbed his bones, but held.

Compass chimed:

[Compass] Authority: 25 % — Vanguard mode.

"Consonance gauntlets!" Toru cried. "Sound-to-shield converters."

"Great sales pitch," Ryo grunted, deflecting more lashes.

Sugi, Chio, Doi lobbed their ever-present bakery flour. Ryo slashed the sack—white cloud met dark sparks, detonating blue-purple pops. Haru snarled, tattoos sizzling, and retreated toward the shattered window.

"The king will laugh last… and you will weep," he croaked, diving into swirling smoke.

Silence, broken only by burnt-sugar scent. Rodrik straightened, dusting his robe.

"Well," he coughed, "now you know why we needed humor-capable adventurers."

Ryo eyed the compass, pulsing bright."Humor, sure. And maybe explosive-flour insurance—does the crown cover that?"

The chancellor cracked his first genuine smile. Yuna giggled; Gumi-chan rolled over the mosaic, slurping up cinders. The ex-bandits collapsed on the steps, exhausted but alive.

Compass flashed:

[Compass] Next destination: Changing Forest — Branch Seal.[Compass] Recommended Authority level: 50 %.

Ryo glanced at friends and the dust-covered escorts."All right, crew. Food, confetti rinse, a few more forms, and tomorrow—Changing Forest. With luck, trees that don't tell tree jokes. If they do? We laugh anyway."

The adventure—sentenced to laughter and disaster—rolled on, and the Central Kingdom was only the prologue to a path ever more twisted… and fun.

End of Chapter 11.