Vol. 2 Ch. 45

When the Flame Dragon Clan invaded the Silver Dragon Clan, General Leon carried out an indiscriminate “downsizing.”

Not only did he physically "impeach" their leader, Constantine, but most of his elite forces were wiped out as well.

Now, as other dragon clans rise up against them, the Flame Dragons are struggling to fight back.

Their only advantage is home-field knowledge of the terrain, which allows them to fight while retreating.

Constantine’s loyalists may want to hide and recover, but it seems unlikely they’ll have that chance anytime soon. The dragon clans that the Flame Dragons once invaded won’t let this opportunity slip by. They need to take advantage of their weakened state and bite off a piece of their strength while they can.

As for whether the Flame Dragons might rise again and seek revenge, that’s a matter for the future.

Dragons have always had an intense, obsessive tendency toward revenge.

For example, when Leon’s blood magic resulted in Rosvisser getting pregnant, she did everything she could to save his life—only to repay him double the pain once he woke up. Similarly, the clans that had been pillaged by Constantine won’t let go of their desire for vengeance, even though they know the saying "An eye for an eye makes the world blind."

For dragons, revenge is deeply ingrained in their blood and hasn’t faded for millennia.

Leon and Rosvisser perched in a tree, watching the action unfold like spectators.

The dragons who came to "kick them while they’re down" were quite efficient. It didn’t take long for them to flush out Constantine’s loyalists from their hiding spots.

And so, a game of cat and mouse began.

Although the revenge-seeking dragons weren’t foolish enough to try and take over the entire Flame Dragon Clan in one go, harassing these leaderless, demoralized remnants was still satisfying.

After watching for a while, Leon asked in confusion, “Why does it seem like, aside from Constantine, there’s no one in the Flame Dragon Clan who can fight? They’re just running for their lives.”

“All the fighters were ‘downsized’ by you. The ones still alive are basically bureaucrats—they have no real combat strength,” Rosvisser explained.

After a pause, she added, “And besides, whether they can fight or not doesn’t make much of a difference to you, does it?”

Leon blinked and thought about it. “I guess you’re right…”

It was like comparing a student who scored 10 points on a test with one who scored 20. Sure, the one with 20 points was technically better, but from the perspective of a top student, they were all still failing.

For General Leon, anyone below Constantine in the Flame Dragon Clan—whether they scored 10, 20, or 30 points—were all still "failing."

So, when Rosvisser said "it doesn’t matter to you," she was spot on.

Seizing the rare opportunity to be praised by Rosvisser, Leon decided to milk it. “Now do you see how impressive I am?”

Rosvisser scoffed, humoring him like a child. “Yes, yes, you’re amazing.”

“Of course I am!”

“Hmph… Silver Dragon prisoner,” Rosvisser muttered under her breath.

“What did you say?” Leon didn’t catch it.

Rosvisser flashed him a sly smile. “Nothing, just praising you.”

After a few moments of light banter, the couple refocused on the guerilla warfare playing out below.

“Shirley found someone who fits our criteria during her intelligence gathering,” Rosvisser said. “He was recently appointed the acting Dragon King of the Flame Dragon Clan, and he’s part of Constantine’s faction. Even if he isn’t the person from Maureen’s memory, he certainly knows plenty of secrets.”

Leon’s eyes narrowed, but instead of focusing on the person Rosvisser mentioned, he asked, “Do dragon clans have internal factions too?”

Rosvisser nodded. “Of course. Especially in large, ancient clans like the Flame Dragon Clan. While factional disputes don’t always lead to open conflict, any opportunity will spark some trouble. For example, after Constantine’s fall, his faction had to work hard to secure their grip on power to prevent other factions from taking over.”

“The place is burning down, and they’re still fighting each other?” Leon was shocked.

“Power is the most addictive poison in the world. No one can resist it.”

Leon thought for a moment and then asked, “So does that mean your Silver Dragon Clan has factions too—?”

“Shh, something’s happening,” Rosvisser interrupted, placing a finger to her lips and signaling for Leon to look below.@@novelbin@@

The new development came just in time, sparing Leon from finishing his question.

Rosvisser knew he was about to ask if her Silver Dragon Clan had factional struggles too. The answer was, of course, yes.

But Rosvisser had expertly managed to suppress or mediate those struggles.

Power struggles were dark and dirty, filled with schemes and manipulation. Rosvisser didn’t want Leon to be exposed to that world just yet.

She did intend for her "fake" husband to learn more about the darker side of this world eventually—so that he wouldn’t be blindsided later—but that was a gradual process. Too much too soon could overwhelm Leon, turning the bright, cheerful man into a shadow of himself.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Rosvisser refocused on the present situation.

She pointed to the bright flames flickering below. “It looks like they’ve found their leader. They’re closing in.”

“Is it the person Shirley reported?” Leon asked.

Rosvisser nodded. “Most likely.”

Leon watched the Flame Dragon loyalists scrambling below and snorted. “The tallest trees get hit by the wind first. Being a Dragon King isn’t easy.”

“Even as an acting Dragon King, being able to hold things together in such dire circumstances is impressive. If he survives this, he might just rise again.”

Rosvisser looked at Leon. “Now, tell me your plan.”

“It’s not much of a plan, but it’ll work. They’re handling this guerilla warfare too well, which means they’re not under enough pressure. We need to turn up the heat.”

“Lead the way,” Rosvisser said.

The two of them faded into the shadows, ready to make their move.

Meanwhile, the dragons below were closing in on the fleeing Flame Dragon remnants.

“Chase them! Now’s our chance for revenge!”

“Hey, you Flame Dragons up front! I liked you better when you were all cocky. How about showing some of that attitude again?”

“......”

The Flame Dragons, though filled with anger, had no choice but to prioritize retreat.

“Damn it, these guys are like flies! They won’t launch a full-scale attack or take over, but they keep harassing us like pests.”

“Hmph, a bunch of cowards. They want revenge but fear the Flame Dragon Clan’s fire. They don’t deserve to call themselves dragons!”

“Bro, stop boasting and help cover Augus. We need to get him to the safe house. Once we’re there, we should be able to shake them off.”

Augus was the acting Dragon King they had appointed.

As Rosvisser had mentioned earlier, he was more of a bureaucrat—they hadn’t chosen a warrior because Leon had wiped them all out.

Though some of his subordinates had combat abilities, they would have a hard time protecting Augus from the pursuers.

In their weakened state, playing it safe was their best option.

“Damn it! They know the terrain too well. We’ll never catch up at this rate!”

“We still have to make them pay. If we don’t hurt them now, they’ll recover and be much harder to deal with.”

“Wait! It looks like one of the Flame Dragons got taken out! Who did that? There’s a reward!”

The tide of the chase began to shift.

The Flame Dragons had been using the terrain to their advantage, fending off the pursuing dragons while retreating. But something strange was happening—their numbers were slowly dwindling.

“What the—what’s going on? Is there an ambush?”

“A bunch of cowards hiding in the shadows! If you’re real dragons, show yourselves and fight!”

“Bro, stop boasting and just run!”

Under the protection of his remaining guards, Augus was getting closer and closer to the safe house.

However, as his fellow dragons had pointed out, their numbers were steadily decreasing.

This indicated that there was a highly skilled assassin among the pursuers—one much stronger than they were.

Who could be silently picking them off one by one? Augus wondered if it might be the Silver Dragons. Only Rosvisser’s clan had that kind of speed.

But the Silver Dragons’ speed came at the cost of their offensive power. Even if they were fast, they couldn’t take down a Flame Dragon in the blink of an eye and vanish without a trace.

So who was it?

Before Augus could dwell on the thought, a flash of blue light streaked past him, the killing intent nearly grazing the back of his head. One of the Flame Dragons behind him collapsed instantly.

Augus spun around, unleashing a burst of dragon fire.

But there was no one there.

His remaining guards quickly gathered around him to shield him.

“That speed... was it a Silver Dragon?” one of the guards speculated.

“No, that attack was clearly lightning magic... since when do Silver Dragons use lightning magic?”

“Are you an idiot? Have you forgotten how King Constantine died? He was taken down by that guy in armor who used lightning magic—wait… could it be… has he come for us?!”

Realizing who their attacker might be, the guards began to

panic, nervously scanning their surroundings.

Augus stared into the darkness. He had never seen the armored figure who used lightning magic, but the survivors of that fateful battle had described him in detail.

On the day Constantine had gone to war, Augus had been ordered to stay behind and protect their home. Bureaucrats weren’t meant for the front lines.

That order had saved his life. According to the survivors, the man in armor would have wiped out Augus too if he’d been there.

But it seemed there was no avoiding him now—the man who had killed King Constantine had come.

Just then, a sharp bird cry pierced the air, snapping Augus out of his thoughts.

When he looked around, two more of his guards had fallen.

“It’s him! It’s definitely him! That lightning strike—it’s too fast!”

“Hiding in the shadows and using lightning magic? How pathetic! If you’re a true dragon, show yourself and fight me!”

“Bro, shut up! We need to run!”

Cold sweat dripped down Augus’ face.

Oppression.

This was the feeling the survivors had described—the overwhelming pressure that came from being near the man who killed King Constantine.

Even though he hadn’t yet laid eyes on the armored figure, Augus could feel it.

This was the kind of power that had brought down King Constantine.

And the man behind it all… was just a human.

“There’s movement over there! Quick, chase after it!”

The sound of the lightning strikes had alerted the pursuing dragons, who rushed toward the source.

The remaining Flame Dragon guards surrounded Augus, ready to defend him.

“Hurry, run to the safe house! As fast as you can! We’ll distract them!”

Not daring to waste any time, Augus turned and fled toward the safe house at top speed.

Before long, the sound of magical clashes echoed from behind.

After running for a while, the person using lightning magic no longer made any moves, likely having been successfully distracted by the guards.

Aogu stopped in his tracks and looked back, seeing the battle still raging in the distance.

"Former King... what should I do now..." Aogu murmured to himself.

"If you're so eager to know how your former king would answer you, I don’t mind sending you to him," came an unfamiliar voice from behind.

It felt like a current of electricity shot down Aogu's spine, freezing him in place. Every pore of his body seemed to ooze fear.

Footsteps slowly approached.

Aogu's heart began to race.

Gritting his teeth, he mustered all his strength to turn around and unleashed a scorching burst of dragon fire.

But his opponent’s lightning was clearly superior, effortlessly shattering Aogu's flame.

Realizing the identity of the man before him, Aogu spoke with a trembling voice, "Leon Cassmod..."

"Oh, I'm famous, huh?"

The master of lightning stepped out from the shadows, his right hand crackling with blue arcs, signaling that he could strike at Aogu at any moment.

Aogu forced himself to calm down and stealthily took half a step back.

Seeing that Leon hadn’t noticed his subtle movement, Aogu suddenly spread his dragon wings, intending to escape into the sky.

The human before him was certainly powerful, but after all, he couldn’t fly.

And with the pursuing dragons from behind distracted, Aogu believed he could escape to his safe house from the air.

However, ideas are often better than reality.

Just as Aogu raised his head, a flash of silver descended from the sky.

Boom—

The ground erupted in thick clouds of dust.

When the dust cleared, Rosvisser was standing on Aogu's arm, her silver dragon wings spread wide behind her.

"Smart. You knew I couldn’t fly, so you tried to escape upward," Leon clapped his hands sarcastically as he slowly walked toward Aogu. "But my wife can fly. Didn’t see that coming, huh?"

Rosvisser, who had been striking a serious pose, nearly lost her composure when she heard Leon call her his "wife."

Her face flushed red as she shot Leon a sharp glare.

If they hadn’t already discussed this "brilliant plan" in advance, Rosvisser would have been silently cursing Leon a thousand times over by now.

Rosvisser shifted her gaze away, then gave Aogu a hard kick, sending him sprawling at Leon's feet. She retracted her dragon wings and walked over to stand by Leon's side.

Aogu sat up awkwardly, glancing first at Leon, then at Rosvisser.

"I never thought... a Dragon King like you would actually pair with a human... How disgraceful for the dragon race."

"We—"

"So what?" Rosvisser's voice was cold. "I married a good husband, and my daughters have a great father. I fail to see where the disgrace lies."

Leon was slightly taken aback by her response.

Since Aogu knew Leon’s true identity as a human, there was no need to keep up the pretense in front of him.

Leon’s casual remark, "my wife," was more out of his victorious glee than anything else.

So when Aogu accused their union of being a disgrace to the dragon race, Leon had been prepared to retort with something along the lines of "winners and losers."

But he hadn’t expected Rosvisser to suddenly start pouring on affection...

Does this female dragon have a protective streak?

Hiss—

Women, they’re so complicated.

However, Aogu wasn’t fazed by their display of affection. He scoffed, "I have no interest in your relationship. Kill me, torture me—do whatever you want."

Oh, jumping straight to 'kill me, torture me'? Didn’t expect this old man to be so loyal.

Leon crouched down slowly, looking at Aogu. "Killing and torturing comes later. First, I have a few questions."

"Do I look like a captive who will answer anything you ask?"

"Well—"

Before Leon could finish, Rosvisser kicked Aogu square in the chest, knocking him flat on the ground.

Leon was stunned, turning to her in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"He’s not worthy of using the word 'captive.'"

"Huh?"

"Huh, what? Keep interrogating."

"Oh... okay."

Leon dragged Aogu over to a large tree, the sound of magical clashes still audible in the distance.

"I know you won’t easily talk, but since you’ve fallen into our hands, we have ways of making you cooperate," Leon said casually.

"You and your men were running toward this direction, which means there must be a new base or safe house ahead. But it’s clear now that you won’t be reaching it."

"So, if we can’t get anything out of you, we can always hand you over to those dragons your Red Flame Clan once invaded."

"Although I’m not the type to push for extermination, listen carefully. Your men are already losing to the dragons seeking revenge. Once they fall, you’re next. I may not kill you, but they won’t show you the same mercy."

Aogu remained unfazed. "Do you think presenting me with these unfavorable circumstances will make me talk? You underestimate the Red Flame Dragons."

This guy’s tough, Leon thought, scratching his head as if deep in thought. "Well, in that case, we’ll just have to use force. You’re familiar with memory-reading magic, right?"

Aogu raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You’re planning to use that magic on me? I’ll resist the moment your mana enters my mind. The clash of forces will burn my brain out in an instant, granting me relief in death."

The old man was clearly prepared to die.

"No, no, everyone knows the limitations of memory-reading magic. As you said, a clash of mana would be fatal," Leon said, "but we could wait until you’re too weak to resist before using it."

"Are you planning to torture me? How laughable. I’m not afraid of death—do you think I’d fear torture?"

"Don’t be so hasty, old man," Leon said, leaning closer and gesturing toward Rosvisser. "You recognize her, right? Silver Dragon Queen."

Aogu shot him a glare.

What is this human brat trying to teach me about Dragon Kings?

"It seems you do know. Do you also know her nickname?" Leon asked, feigning secrecy.

"Nickname...?"

"The Midnight Ripper, Melkwei!"

Rosvisser: ...

Aogu twitched, his eyes narrowing. "Ripper...?"

"That’s right. My wife has a peculiar habit. If she doesn’t kill a dragon every month, she feels restless."

"How come I’ve never heard about this habit of the Silver Dragon Queen?" Aogu questioned.

"Of course, you outsiders wouldn’t know. But I’m her husband, and we’ve been living together for three years. Naturally, I know all her little secrets."

Leon spoke as if it were the absolute truth. "And as it happens, it’s been exactly a month since she last killed someone."

Aogu swallowed nervously, though he still retorted stubbornly. "Don’t try to scare me. I’ve already said—kill me, torture me, do whatever you want."

"Why are you so stubborn, old man? I’m trying to help you here," Leon said. "If you don’t cooperate, my wife’s craving will kick in. She’ll start by chopping off your arms and legs, then take a small knife and slowly slice from your kidneys up to your stomach."

As he spoke, Leon traced his fingers across Aogu’s belly.

"Then, she’ll tear open your stomach—note the word 'tear,' meaning your intestines and liver will likely spill out."

"But don’t worry. I’ll cover your eyes and inject you with adrenaline so you can last a little longer."

"Trust me, I’ve helped my wife with this several times already. We’re quite experienced."

"By my calculations, you could probably last one or two minutes before we can use the memory-reading magic on you."

Leon spread his hands, "So, this isn’t really torture. It’s just a fun game my wife and I enjoy. You know, we really like our little games."

Cold sweat dripped down Aogu's nose as he shrank back, casting a nervous glance at the Silver Dragon Queen.

She stood there, at some point pulling out a small knife, its blade gleaming coldly. She casually sharpened her nails with it, looking entirely relaxed.

Aogu closed his eyes, letting out a long breath.

Leon thought he might finally cooperate, but to his surprise...

"You won’t scare me! Gut me if you must—it’s nothing!"

"Old man, you—"

"Leon, move aside. I’ll start by cutting off his arm," Rosvisser said as she strode over with the knife.

Aogu, terrified, curled his tail beneath him and trembled under the tree.

"Wait!"

Leon quickly stepped in front of her. "Let me try again. I’m sure we can get the information peacefully."

"But it’s been a month since I’ve killed, Leon. I’m suffering here," Rosvisser pleaded.

"Just hold on a little longer, sweetheart," Leon urged.

"I can’t hold it in! Today, I must gut him! He won’t give us any information, so keeping him alive is pointless anyway."

Rosvisser tried to move past Leon.

"Wait, wait, darling, trust me. He’s just about to talk. Believe me," Leon insisted.

"He already said he won't talk. Now move aside! I still need to pull out his intestines to use as a clothesline," Rosvisser declared as she attempted to bypass Leon.

"Wait, wait, sweetheart! Really, he’s about to crack! Plus, your current clothesline is still perfectly fine! It’s made from the last guy's tendons, remember?" Leon pleaded.

"I don’t care, I don’t care! He won’t talk! I—"

"I'll talk!"

Finally, Aogu’s psychological defenses shattered.

Goodness, these crazy couple were terrifying. Any loyalty he had for the Red Flame Dragon Clan felt like a joke compared to them.

They didn’t care how tough Aogu was. What mattered to them was the "game" they wanted to play.

The mere thought of having his stomach cut open or his intestines hung up as a clothesline was unbearable. Even though they hadn’t actually done anything yet, Aogu was already under immense pressure.

Although he was loyal to the Red Flame Dragons and prepared for torture, Leon and Rosvisser’s methods weren’t ordinary interrogation—they were preparing for what seemed like a twisted game, something no amount of loyalty could endure.

It was pointless to stay stubborn in front of these lunatics; nothing good would come of it.