Translator: AnubisTL
"Spare me! Please forgive my ignorance and offense."
As the red-iron dragon approached, Edmund recognized him as the leader and knelt, begging for mercy, his former elegance and pride completely gone.
The once arrogant face now twisted into a servile, fawning grin.
This so-called noble's son now looked no different from the kobolds under Garos's command.
"Honorable dragon lord," Edmund pleaded, "my father's vault contains seven tons of northern ice stone, three chests of mithril, and countless magic scrolls. Just say the word, and I guarantee he'll bring it all."
Edmund's voice dripped with obsequiousness.
Whatever it takes to save my life, he thought.
He still had a bright and vast future ahead of him. He swore inwardly that when he became a legendary mage, he would hunt down dragons across the land to wash away this humiliation.
Solgorn and Samantha exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with instinctive greed. They couldn't help but feel tempted, but instead of agreeing outright, they tacitly deferred to the red-iron dragon.
Garos's face remained as cold and hard as forged iron, unmoved by Edmund's pleas.
Using Edmund's life to extort the viscount might yield a substantial ransom, but it would inevitably lead to a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
He didn't believe the other party would simply hand over the ransom without any tricks.
Garos instinctively craved wealth, but this desire paled in comparison to his survival.
To live and grow stronger—that was Garos's greatest ambition, eclipsing all others.
"Next time you try to tax dragonkind, remember to bring a coffin," Garos said, glancing at the iron dragon.
At his signal, the iron dragon bared a cruel grin and raised its steel-forged claws.
The young spellcaster's face drained of color.
In desperation, he mustered a spark of quick wit, recalling the dragons' arrogance. Suppressing his fear, he shouted, "Killing me will only prove your cowardice!"
His voice suddenly rose: "You evil dragons are neither brave nor honorable!"
The iron dragon's claws froze mid-air.
Edmund seized the opportunity to stand, forcing his trembling legs to straighten. "I am destined to become a legendary mage, a rising star of magic. You know very well that if you let me live—"
His gaze swept across the three dragons.
"One day, you will pay for what you've done today!"
Samantha roared, her voice a low, furious growl. "Insignificant vermin! Even if you had a hundred years—"
"Then let time be the judge!" Edmund interrupted, his voice filled with desperate resolve. "We'll see who's begging for mercy in the end!"
Garos's vertical pupils narrowed slightly as he scrutinized the suddenly defiant human.
In his eyes, this so-called noble's son was nothing more than a pathetic gambler, wagering his last chips on a life-or-death gamble—all bluster and no substance.
Moreover, in Garos's memory, this man hadn't cast a single spell throughout the entire battle, displaying zero combat experience. Garos had almost forgotten he was even a spellcaster.
"Human, you're quite amusing," Garos said with a sardonic smile. "Flee. I'll grant you the chance to live."
Edmund froze for a moment, his pupils widening slightly at the unexpected reprieve. A look of incredulous joy flooded his pale face.
His initial retreat was cautious and slow, as if afraid to rouse a slumbering beast.
But when Edmund confirmed that Garos truly wasn't pursuing him, the young mage suddenly erupted with a primal instinct for survival.
His frantic turn and desperate sprint were a pathetic sight. The squelching sounds of his expensive mage boots sinking into the mud and being yanked free echoed like the death throes of a cornered prey animal.
"I told you to run, and you actually ran?"
The cold whisper pierced Edmund's spine like an icy dagger.
The young noble froze in place, slowly turning around, a ridiculous hope clinging to his face.
The expression reminded Samantha of a frog caught in a snake's gaze.
As the dragon claw descended, Edmund's lips moved, as if trying to recite a protective spell. But even in his final moment, the spell failed to take form.
Against absolute power, the fragile flesh of mortals ultimately proved to be fleeting and insignificant.
The torrential rain washed away the radiating bloodstains, carrying the mangled flesh and shattered bones into the mud.
The Iron Dragon Solgorn pawed at a tattered corner of Edmund's gold-embroidered robe, chuckling. "He claimed he would become legendary."
Samantha grinned. "Now he's legendary—" The red dragon maliciously added, "The most foolish spellcaster in history, dying like a mere mortal."
Meanwhile.
The sounds of battle had completely faded, leaving only the howling wind and torrential rain.
Without needing intervention from the dragons, the remaining knights were slaughtered by the monsters, not a single one spared. The downpour washed away all traces of the carnage.
"Karu, immediately lead the troops north to the Quenching Highlands. Rendezvous with the Ironforged People who have already departed," Garos commanded the Gluttony Demon.
As for the scattered weapons, alchemy golems, frost giant remains, and other debris, Garos decided against having his familiars collect them. He feared they might be marked with tracking spells, and there was no time for a thorough inspection.
The monsters, fresh from battle, didn't linger. They immediately began their mass migration toward the Quenching Highlands, braving the storm.
These were elite troops.
Despite their late start, they might even reach the highlands faster than the familiars who had left earlier to secure the territory.
"Samantha, Solgorn, come with me," Garos said, flapping his wings and soaring skyward against the rain.
The red dragon and iron dragon followed closely behind, the three of them soaring through the dark clouds.
"Aren't we going to the Quenching Highlands?" Solgorn asked, noticing they were heading in the wrong direction.
Garos lowered his gaze, surveying the dimly lit earth. "After this battle, we'll be immediately exposed, coming into the sights of the Thousand Serpents' Trace garrison. We can't stay here any longer."
No more retreating. He had slaughtered the enemies who dared to offend him.
The feeling was exhilarating.
But there would inevitably be a price to pay. They would have to abandon the territory they had cultivated for years. Compared to the behemoth that was the Lothurn Federation, the juvenile dragon was still too weak to confront directly.
"Still, now that we've decided to migrate..."
"Before we leave—"
The red-iron dragon bared his formidable fangs, his voice deepening to a growl. "Let's make it clear to everyone that we dragons are not to be trifled with, even juvenile ones!"
After years of restraint, he had finally unleashed his fury, revealing his true power to the world.
Garos's emotions still surged with adrenaline. He resolved that since they had already been exposed, they might as well strike another major blow while the enemy forces were still reacting, minimizing the losses from abandoning their territory.
"What's our next move?" Samantha asked, trailing behind the red-iron dragon's right flank.
The iron dragon's eyes brightened with sudden insight. "You're planning to raid the sky piercer stone mine?"
Sky piercer stones were no ordinary minerals; they were a type of wind-attribute magic gem.
The Celestial Magic Academy of the Holden Empire was constructed from massive quantities of sky piercer stones, reinforced with magic. It was a magical academy that floated high in the sky, perched amidst swirling winds and drifting clouds.
Having resided in this region for many years, Garos had observed the terrain from above during his aerial flights, gaining an intimate knowledge of the surrounding mineral veins. The iron dragon, understanding the strategic importance of these veins, also possessed a general understanding of their distribution.
This particular sky piercer stone mine was small-scale and belonged to the Duchy of Raymond.
By observing Edmund, the tax official, the knights' uniforms, the patterns and markings on the golems, and other details, Garos could identify their nation of origin.
Since they had already made an enemy, he might as well deepen the offense.
As a small-scale gem mine, its garrison was relatively weak. At least, with Garos's mobility, he could evade the guards and escape unscathed if he avoided prolonged combat.
The torrential rain provided excellent cover for their approach.
"Robbery! Robbery!"
"I want to rob! I want to set fires! I want gems!"
Samantha grew excited, flames erupting from her nostrils.
As a pure evil dragon, she naturally relished the act of robbery, though she loathed being the target of such schemes herself.
(End of the Chapter)
------------------------------------------------------
🔸 Read ahead up to Ch247 (DRAGON) on: CinderTL
🔸 Free chapters up to Ch166
🔸 No sign-up required!
🔸 Just search us on Google to find our official site.
🎁 GIVEAWAY ALERT! 🎁
💲 Want a Free 10-Day Baron Membership?
📆 You have until 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭𝟭𝘁𝗵 to grab it before it's gone forever!
🌐 For details, go to the CinderTL site 🏃💨
------------------------------------------------------