Beneath the Red Dragon

Chapter 34: Chapter 33: Conspiracy

A gigantic passenger airship, filled with formidable warriors and several ’Advanced Mages’, slowly descended on the coast before the Ogre Tribe’s camp, where Orsus had been waiting with his guards. The reinforcements he needed had finally arrived, and his plan would soon be put into action. Success was continually beckoning to him.

He wasn’t particularly surprised at the speed of the reinforcements. These High Tier Mages, originating from the High-level Mage Association, already had the ability to freely set up Teleportation Gates, provided they had enough time and coordinate guidance.

But upon seeing the first person alight from the airship, Orsus couldn’t help but exclaim in shock, ”Will, how could it be you?”

Will Clarence, like Orsus Clarence, hailed from the same family. However, whereas Orsus was relegated to the awkward position of being a subordinate merchant group leader due to his remote branch lineage, Will’s status was considerably higher.

He was the future head of the Clarence Clan and its current mainstay, the eldest son of the Gata Empire’s treasurer. A formidable warrior himself, he commanded significant loyalty within the clan.

Will Clarence’s tall frame was remarkably robust. He glanced over at the servant samurai who had once been loyal to Orsus and now hid behind him. With a slight smile, he said, ”Why can’t it be me? Your discovery of the juvenile dragon group was reported to me by Booni. This is an extremely important opportunity for the family, allowing it to further advance. Don’t worry, Orsus; the family won’t overlook someone who has made contributions. I will reward you.”

Orsus knew that the warrior Booni, who had once been faithful to him, had chosen the stronger Will, effectively shattering his plans. However, he still signaled with his eyes to Master Laksu standing beside him. If Master Laksu could unite the other mages, there might still be a chance for him to contest Will for plan leadership.

Laksu understood Orsus’s intention. The two had been companions for many years and had enough tacit understanding. But he also understood mages. These mages only sought benefits, and Orsus, with his relatively lower strength and status, couldn’t offer a better deal than Will Clarence, so he shook his head.

Therefore, Orsus quickly plastered on a smile, moved forward to welcome Will, and cheerfully said as he clasped Will’s hand from high above, ”You arrived just in time, Will. I happen to have a plan that might serve as a reference for you.”

·····

”Bag, you’re truly a loyal kobold,” Blue Dragon Doss said, looking down at the small kobold. After the upheaval in the Dragon Nest Canyon, the kobolds, having lost their support, quietly moved back to their burrows on the prairie under the leadership of Chief Bag, and found the juvenile dragons who, out of fear of the mysterious power of the Ogre Giant Demon, dared not approach the Dragon Nest.

It’s quite odd to say, but kobolds, who submit to the rule of the giant dragons, seem inherently drawn to them as if it were a preset in their nature and bloodline.

Once a kobold becomes a Dragon’s Beloved, it will never bow to any other power. Even when facing destruction, it will only flee, though they often run even faster than rabbits.

These days, the juvenile dragons relied on Bag, who led his kobolds to explore the Dragon Nest Mountain for information, and now Bag brought back news that delighted the dragons.

”I found two Blue Dragons and a White Dragon in the Dragon Nest, but didn’t see Lord Karon. I didn’t dare to get too close, so I came back without a clear view of the situation,” Bag said, somewhat dejected, for in his heart, that beautiful and strong Red Dragon was his true lord.

Perhaps for the rare loyalty of the kobold, Red Dragon Kleyna actually consoled Bag, ”Rest assured, Karon is smarter and stronger than all of us. Even if he hasn’t returned to the Dragon Nest for now, he might be hiding somewhere.”

As Bag stepped back, the juvenile dragons watched him intently before turning their gaze to the Blue Dragon, who, in its usual stable state, seemed to be the leader the juveniles looked up to for guidance.

White Dragon Camid had already stepped forward. Although dragons do not express emotions as obviously as humans do, as Gomot’s brother, Camid showed some concern. ”Should we go back and take a look, Doss? It seems Lord Carlette took Akzhi and Gomot back. We should understand the situation.”

Antajena and Rosani, who hadn’t spoken, also looked hopefully at Doss. Without the protection of the Dragon Nest these days, the juvenile dragons hadn’t dared to sleep with their eyes fully closed. Even the slightest disturbance startled them like a timid herd on the prairie. They had indeed had enough of such days and missed the sense of security in the Dragon Nest even more.

Doss agreed, ”Let’s go back and take a look. With Carlette and Akzhi around, as long as we are careful, there’s no need to fear those ogres returning.”

The juvenile dragons soared into the sky, eager to return to the Dragon Nest like wanderers long separated from home.

Blue Dragon Carlette lay quietly in the canyon that used to house the juvenile dragons, lazily pretending to sunbathe. Beside her were lifelike illusions of Gomot and Akzhi, crafted by the handiwork of a human mage.

Though those human mages, who looked so fragile as to be easily slain with a swipe of her claw, lurked in the shadows beside her, the magic restraint left her no room for extraneous thoughts.

Although she might face the choice of betraying her kind, she wouldn’t feel guilty about it. In truth, most Five-Colored Giant Dragons adhered to the survival law of the jungle beasts—to harm others for self-gain.

She only hoped those humans would keep their promises and let her go after their success. As for those few juvenile dragons, though regrettable, she wasn’t overly concerned, as she could hatch a new batch given time.

The sound of dragon wings flapping reverberated through the sky. The unique sound was unmistakable, as the magic-supported dragon wings produced it repeatedly when they flapped powerfully and at long intervals in the wind, like a giant canvas tarp being dragged. Carlette looked up; it was indeed several juvenile dragons from the family, cautiously circling to peer down from high above.

Together with the mage hidden in the magic array in the shadows, Will Clarence gestured to the mage beside him, who immediately channeled their magic and activated the restriction on Blue Dragon’s soul. Carlette let out a long dragon’s roar, issuing a summons to the juvenile dragons.

The juvenile dragons roared in response, having no suspicion it was a trap. Being only marginally more than magic idiots, they could not detect the means of high-level mages from the Gata Empire and unwittingly entered the encirclement.

Once the juvenile dragons saw the warriors and mages emerging from the shadow array, they realized they had been baited—just as Karon liked to fish with a straight hook. These juvenile dragons had become the hooked fish. Once the no-fly array was activated, they were like fish out of water.

”You betrayed us, Carlette!” Kleyna’s anger turned into flames as she lashed out at those frail-looking mages, and the other juvenile dragons also leaped in defiance, unwilling to submit.

However, the warriors present were elite forces Will had drawn from his clan, all having awakened their Power Seeds and stepped into the Extraordinary Stage, averaging four to five tiers as Extraordinary Warriors.

Will himself was a Level 11 High Tier Warrior. Though still far from the Holy Sanctuary post-Level 16, with his abilities, he could easily serve as a legion captain within the Empire’s legions.

The juvenile dragons, deprived of magic power and flight ability, had not even approached the mages’ shield before being scorched by fireballs and slipping over the icy ground formed beneath.

Warriors launching sneak attacks from behind flung chains through the limbs and wings of the juvenile dragons, dragging them back. The mages seated within their pentagram arrays activated them, deploying nets specifically designed to ensnare dragons to trap the juvenile dragons.

”Wonderful,” Will exclaimed, his excitement palpable. His golden locks rippled uncontrollably in the surge of power within him. ”Such a contribution surely even my father will view me in a new light.”

Turning to his warriors, he made a solemn promise, ”Once we’ve ensnared the red dragon as it meets the same end as these rabbits, successful capture will mean receiving gold coins equal to each of your weights.”

”This is bad, very bad,” materialized an invisible silhouette from the forest above the canyon—a Pik Elf in a green petal fairy dress seemingly merging with the green woodland. The Little Elf Riven knitted her slim eyebrows in worry to herself, ”Those idiots, Doss, were captured by humans. I have to report this to Karon, but where even is Karon?”