Chapter 100: Chapter 100

“First-name basis, from the get-go, hm? I like that, Sokram.” Grace's smile widened a bit.

"I could call you big sis…" Sokram teased, watching her expression grimace as their hands parted.

“Please don’t! I don’t call you Lord and you don’t call me big sis, deal?” Still grimacing, Grace urged him.

Sokram nodded, smiling at her and understanding her pain.

“Deal.” He gestured. “So, are you the first one?”

Seeing her nodding, he motioned for her to follow him, “This way, please.”

When Sokram handed her the contract, Grace glanced at him, curiosity filling her gaze.

"Why would a young genius belonging to three prestigious families choose a stable as his starting point?”

Sokram was surprised by the question but decided to indulge her, “Why not? It was just the first sale, and I already made a fortune.”

“But it’s not like you need the money, right?” Grace glanced sheepishly at Hannah and Margiory.

“True, but as a dragon, how can I freely use the coins of another? Besides, I’m already depending on them a lot, using their names and reputations to my advantage. But this is not my starting point, by the way. Though Mr. Oliver is my first business partner, this is not the first business I opened.”

Grace looked at him curiously, seeing that the intel her merchants gathered on him was wrong, “Not the only one?”

"Yes, I’m one of Figos’s butchery’s primary partners,” Sokram flashed her a grin, noting the indignant look on her face.

“I’m still fulfilling mandatory services, and given that the Steelhearts’ butcheries only sell second-rate meat, I started a partnership with the city’s best butcher. And in just a couple of months, we went from a single store to 5 stores in the city. Quite good for a thirteen-year-old, right?”

“So you use the obligatory mission as an opportunity to hunt monsters and sell their meat. I wish I had thought of it when I was fulfilling my mandatory service.” Grace flashed him a polite smile, completely ignoring his comment about the Steelhearts.

But Grace's following words were a sincere compliment, “Your business acumen is amazing, no wonder Lady Margiory chose you instead of your cousins. I met some of them, and all they ever talked about back then were girls from the academy and the Purple Pavilion.”

But just then, another of the young nobles from Frozen Root, a young man with short light brown hair, light olive skin, and wearing glasses over his dark blue eyes, dressed in blue and purple mage robes, approached hesitantly, “Grace…”

A jolt, cold and sharp, pierced Sokram.

The voice, identical to the one that still haunted his nightmares, echoed in his mind: ‘Brother, take care of Grace and our child for me…’

For a fraction of a second, the bustling stables faded, replaced by the crushing weight of a past he desperately wanted to alter.

He felt the familiar ache deep in his chest, a ghost limb of old grief.

His jaw tightened, and he forced his gaze away from Matt, focusing on a speck of dust on his glove, anything to prevent the tremor from reaching his hands, anything not to shed tears that had already dried a long time ago, anything to recompose himself.

Yet, oblivious to Sokram’s inner turmoil, Grace just glared at the young mage, “What is it this time, Matt?”

But seeing everyone staring at her, she softened her expression.

“Can you… eh… You know… Finish it? There’s a line and all…” Matt’s tone was barely a whisper, laden with hesitation; Sokram looked at him with surprise.

In his previous timeline, when he met the couple, Matt wasn’t the shy type.

One thing was quite familiar, just as it was the first time they met in his previous timeline.

When Matt’s eyes finally flickered to Sokram, a micro-expression flashed through them, a subtle tightening around the corners, a brief, almost imperceptible hardening.

It was quickly masked by politeness, but Sokram, with his heightened senses, caught the lingering trace of possessiveness and jealousy beneath the polite facade.

Sokram also noticed, from the tone with which Grace spoke to Matt, that they were already together, which filled his heart with happiness. “Is he your fiancé or something? You two sure look like it, super close.”

“Ah, yes, he is my husband. Our families arranged this marriage from birth.”

Grace cast a mischievous glance at Sokram, who looked startled at the revelation. “Why? Did you fall for me already? Did I break your heart?”

Sokram's face contorted in mock hurt as he clutched his chest, “Yes, you broke my heart in so many pieces that it’s hard to count.”

This also lightened the mood, as some of the other young ladies nearby and some of the guards couldn’t help but giggle at his antics.

"But seriously, I asked because you can sign the binding contracts together, and the crows will recognize both of you as parents.”

Sokram explained, but then he warned, “But only do it if you’re truly together because simultaneously forging a bond with two intelligent beasts demands a deep level of mental and emotional sync, a shared intimacy.”

Sokram’s tone became even more serious as did his warning, “Without that true connection between you two, the emphatic link can become a storm. The crows, intelligent and fiercely loyal, might sense the lack of unity and might choose the 'sincerest' among you, overloading them with their shared senses. Such a fractured bond wouldn't just be weak; it could dangerously backfire, perhaps even driving a wedge between you, or worse, making the beasts hostile to the perceived 'lesser' partner. They never forget a grudge."

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Grace nodded, understanding the risks, but assured Sokram, "Don't worry. What Matt and I have is true love."

With Grace's love confession, when Sokram's gaze met Matt’s again, he felt a shiver running down his spine.

The glint in Matt’s gaze had shifted, morphing from suspicion into something akin to reverence, as if Sokram had just offered him salvation. But Grace was more interested in the Magi behind it, “Are there any advantages?”

"If his Crow senses him in danger, you will feel it. And he will feel the same from your Crow. And they will always protect you both, even if the other is not around.”

Grace’s eyes lit up hearing that, and she took a firm grip of Matt’s hands, “Then please, let us do the binding together.”

Sokram smiled seeing the two of them like that, Grace’s gaze sparkling with ambition, and Matt’s beaming with pure joy.

The moment the twin eggs cracked, revealing two miniature, white-chested crows, their dark, bead-like eyes swiveled in unison, first to Grace, then to Matt, as if imprinting on their new parents.

A shared gasp of pure delight escaped the couple’s lips, "Incredible!" they gasped, their voices thick with awe.

Grace held the two crows, one cradled in each arm, “My babies are so cute!”

“Our babies!” Matt corrected her, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Louder, Matt. Show more confidence; we’re already married. You can’t be that shy forever.” Grace glanced back at him, and so did the crows.

“Say it with me. Our babies!” Grace teased while Matt blushed.

“O-Our babies!” Matt’s voice was louder than he intended, a raw sound betrayed by his nervousness and his eagerness to please his wife.

“Cute couple. But not wanting to ruin your moment, I’ll have to make the Crows grow now.” Sokram felt awkward.

Seeing them caused even more memories to flash in his mind, memories he wasn’t ready to revisit.

“No! So soon?!” Grace was truly reluctant to have the birds grow too fast.

But this time Matt’s tone was firmer, a subtle anxiety about the waiting line creeping into his voice. “The line, Grace.”

Which only gained him a frown from his wife.

Soon after, Sokram sat on the floor, his hands settling gently on each, surprisingly warm breast.

He closed his eyes, focusing.

A faint, almost imperceptible hum resonated beneath his palms as he guided the delicate energy through their pathways.

This time, however, a barely-there wisp of Chaos Energy, like a cool, invisible dark mist, seeped from his fingertips, slipping through their veins, whispering into the pulse of their hearts as their cores started to form.

It was so subtle, a whisper of power, that even with their nascent bond, neither Grace, Matt, nor the crows themselves registered its transformative touch.

And instead of 1.5 meters, the birds reached 2.5 meters, strong enough to carry them; now they just needed to learn how to fly using Magi.

“Whoa! So they were special, hm?” Sokram feigned surprise as if it had happened purely by chance.

Wallace and the other merchants present at the auction gasped, eyes wide at the sheer difference in the size of the crows Sokram had just hatched for the couple compared with the ones from the auction.

Their gasps quickly drew the attention of the other nobles, who, upon hearing the explanation, turned to glare at the couple with undisguised envy, especially after hearing Sokram's subtle hint that the couple might have merely gotten lucky with such exceptionally special crows.

Meanwhile, Margiory and Hannah exchanged a glance, a flicker of suspicion in their eyes.

They couldn't quite fathom why Sokram was extending such overt goodwill to both Matt and Grace. Googlᴇ search N0veI.Fiɾe.net

Had it been only Grace, they might have merely dismissed it as a flare of his inherent draconic nature.

Yet, his evident benevolence towards the couple as a whole left them truly confused.

Still, knowing their grandson, they decided to patiently observe what fruit this particular seed he just planted would bear.

“Special how?” Grace's eyes widened.

“Just remember to pay attention when or if they deviate from what I just showed them. Once they reach Tier 1, bring them back and I’ll tell you then,” Sokram flashed Grace and Matt a sincere smile, which tranquilized them but also hinted they might have just gotten lucky.

After that, Sokram asked Oliver to bring a pair of saddles and told Matt and Grace to go for a flight while he finished binding the others.

Following Sokram’s instructions, the young couple led the pair of crows out of the covered area of the stables and told them to fly around the area.

Sokram explained that since the crows had no innate understanding of flight, Grace and Matt needed to hold a clear mental image when giving the order for the Crows to fly.

A chorus of confused caws erupted as the crows, despite their impressive new size, acted more like befuddled chickens than majestic avians. Feathers flew.

Their massive wings struck the air with frantic urgency, but all they managed were clumsy hops and panicked pirouettes.

They cocked their heads, jet-black eyes wide and brimming with utter bewilderment.

They stared at Grace and Matt, who, with growing exasperation, continued to chant: “Fly! Fly!”

Their arms gesturing wildly, trying to transmit a coherent mental image through the budding bond.

Still, the massive birds merely jumped and flapped, their attempts comical and frustrating in equal measure.

Sokram was about to ask Hannah if she could help, but Oliver approached the couple. “They need to use Magi…”

The old tamer began explaining, drawing on his vast experience to guide them.

After a few more clarifying points, his words finally seemed to resonate with the crows.

Soon, the two crows began exchanging glances, as if communicating and sharing a newfound understanding of flight.

And when their instincts kicked in, it only took them a couple more tries to understand what they were doing, and soon they began rising.

At first, their flight was an awkward sight; the crows rose skyward, their wings flapping asynchronously, giving them the appearance of unbalanced kites.

Yet, highly intelligent as they were, they quickly found the right rhythm, and the two crows were quick to adapt themselves to flying.

Once Sokram saw their flight was firm enough, he told the couple it was good enough for them to ride the two crows.

Grace quickly called them back.

They strapped on the saddles and mounted the two crows, who now perfectly understood their commands and seemed eager to carry their new parents into the sky.

Once they took off, Grace’s excited yelps and Matt’s hearty laughter left the other nobles feeling envious of their good luck.

Wallace looked at Sokram with a mix of shame and gratitude, his loyalty to Grace and her family evident in his expression.

But Sokram didn’t do that just out of kindness; the Starfrost family could become a powerful ally in the future.

So he didn’t lose anything by planting a few seeds for the future.

But the future wasn't his only motivation.

The past Sokram shared with the couple was taking his focus away; This was the reason he sent them away.

Their absence let him finally breathe.

The emotions had nearly won.

Sokram was finally able to focus on the task at hand and finished the bindings quickly after that.

The young noble who had previously insulted Sokram, with no arrogance and deflated, remained quiet and behaved with surprising meekness.

But Sokram didn’t even bother demanding an apology.

Two hours later, Grace and Matt finally came back, both looking somewhat flustered.

Sokram merely offered a knowing smile before asking, “So, how fast are they?”

“Very fast, it’s amazing we went all the way to Trident Mount, and back in less than an hour,” Matt spoke, clearly overly excited.

And even if Sokram noticed the discrepancy in the time, which clearly indicated the couple enjoyed the trip in more ways than one.

He wouldn’t put them on the spot, though he couldn’t help but muse to himself, ‘Youthful love, hm? Hehe.’

But then, Sokram had to struggle to maintain a neutral expression, as the memories of his previous timeline flooded his mind as he watched the happy couple.

After explaining everything once more to the nobles, he sent them on their way.

This time, Sokram accepted the introduction cards from the merchants, which could be used to get some advantages when dealing with their merchant groups.

He also gained some communication crystals to get in contact with them in case rarer flying mounts became available.

Seeing the nobles of the neighboring cities leaving the stables with a murder of crows flying above them, Sokram’s eyes met Grace’s and Matt’s backs. ‘With this, a small part of my debt has been repaid, my friends. May Fate be kinder with the two of you this time until our paths cross again.’