Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight! novel Chapter 187

Chapter 187: ’Azure, The Mighty Dragon of the King’

Heinz smirked. "Flying," he repeated, amusement threading through his voice.

Florian blinked at him, his gaze darting around in search of something—anything—that could justify the statement. An airship, a hidden set of wings, some arcane mechanism. But there was nothing. Only trees, shadows, and the soft whisper of leaves in the evening breeze.

’He’s joking, right?’

But Heinz was already moving, stepping forward with a surety that sent a ripple of unease through Florian. Before he could react, Lucius’s hand landed on his shoulder. Lancelot grabbed his arm, and together, they pulled him back, forcing him to take a few steps away.

"What are—?"

"Trust me," Lancelot said, his voice uncharacteristically serious, laced with something Florian almost mistook for intimidation. "You’ll want to step back."

Lucius hesitated. "Are you truly sure about this, Your Majesty?" His gaze flickered toward Heinz, wary but resigned.

Heinz reached for his neck, pulling out a necklace Florian had never noticed before. A crystal, deep blue and pulsing faintly, dangled from the chain. It was the first time Florian had seen it—had Heinz always worn that?

"I’ve already done it once," Heinz replied, almost offhandedly.

"But His Highness was unconscious then," Lucius reminded him. "So he didn’t mind."

’He? Do they mean me?’

Florian barely had time to process that before Heinz closed his eyes and whispered something under his breath. The words sent a shiver down Florian’s spine—not their meaning, which he couldn’t grasp, but the cadence. The language was unfamiliar, yet ancient, its weight pressing against the air itself. The tongue of Concordia.

Then the wind rose.

A violent gust tore through the clearing, rattling the trees down to their roots. Leaves scattered, swirling like a tempest had been unleashed. The crystal in Heinz’s grip ignited with an eerie blue glow, its light pulsing, growing—until something else began to take shape.

Something massive.

Florian’s breath caught in his throat. His thoughts scrambled to make sense of the impossible.

’What... is happening?’

The very ground trembled beneath him as the glow from the crystal expanded, morphing into something solid, something alive.

Then, he saw them.

Wings.

A shriek—high, piercing, primal—shattered the night as the form fully materialized. Scales gleamed beneath the moonlight, every ridge and curve catching the glow of the crystal. The beast towered over them, its eyes burning with an intelligence far beyond mortal comprehension.

Florian could only stare, the truth sinking in like a slow, inevitable weight.

’No way... Is that—?’

It was.

Azure.

The mighty blue dragon of Heinz. The only one of its kind.

The wind from its wings nearly knocked him off his feet. He staggered, but Lucius and Lancelot held firm, keeping him upright as the beast flared its wings in full display.

"What the—" Florian’s voice barely carried over the wind, his mind still struggling to reconcile what was before him.

Lancelot sighed, shaking his head. "I told you."

Florian couldn’t move.

The sheer size of the dragon, the power emanating from its very breath, had frozen him in place. His mind swam with disbelief, awe, and something far closer to fear than he cared to admit.

’A real dragon. A real, breathing, living dragon.’

Azure’s wings rustled, a deep vibration coursing through the ground as he shifted his stance. The glow of his eyes was almost hypnotic, but it wasn’t Florian that Azure was focused on. His piercing gaze locked onto Lucius and Lancelot, and a low, guttural growl rumbled from deep within his chest.

The hostility was palpable.

Florian’s breath hitched as the dragon’s lips curled slightly, revealing sharp fangs that could probably snap through steel. The growl turned into a warning snarl, and the air itself seemed to grow heavier.

"Uh... Your Majesty," Florian said, voice shaky. "Are you... are you sure I’m supposed to get on? Because he looks like he wants to kill someone."

Heinz hummed, clearly unbothered. "He’s not going to kill you."

"Not very reassuring," Florian muttered.

Lucius exhaled softly, watching Azure with sharp eyes. "It’s not what it looks like," he said. "Azure isn’t hostile. He’s just... loyal. To King Heinz alone."

The dragon let out another snarl, wings twitching as if in agreement.

’That’s supposed to make me feel better?’

Heinz turned to Florian, tilting his head slightly, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Are you scared?" His voice was teasing, but there was something else in his gaze—something Florian couldn’t quite place.

Florian swallowed hard. His pride flared. "No," he said immediately.

"Then let him smell you."

Florian blinked. "What?"

"He needs to get used to your scent," Heinz explained. "It’ll help him recognize you as... let’s say, ’not an enemy.’"

Florian’s heart pounded. That meant getting closer. Closer to the beast that looked like it was two seconds away from devouring Lucius and Lancelot whole.

He forced his feet to move, each step forward feeling like an eternity. Azure’s growling deepened.

’I’m going to die.’

The meaning behind those words settled heavily in Florian’s stomach. ’Last time... when I was poisoned. When he carried me back.’