Chapter 640: The Evil of the Evil Dragon

This chapter is an extra update sponsored by "I Love My Prince."

Now that they had secured beef,

Leo, though reluctant, still engaged in a vigorous training session with Liszt.

Having been away on campaign for over a month with only potions to rely on, his strength grew at a slow pace—though still faster than most sky knights. However, compared to the tangible growth he experienced when training with a dragon, solo training felt painfully slow.

"Nothing beats dragon knight training."

Yet, he harbored some concerns. Chief among them was Leo’s stagnant—if not regressing—rapport. As an aspiring dragon knight, he had yet to successfully ride a dragon, nor did he have the luxury of spending every day with Leo, building their connection through constant bonding.

This left a chasm between them.

Watching Leo’s thoroughly drained appearance, Liszt pulled out a pile of magic potions and handed them over, giving the dragon a thorough pat-down. Leo didn’t resist the touch, but neither did he seem to particularly enjoy it.

The hard-earned trust had plummeted back to square one.

A high-maintenance dragon.

"No wonder elemental dragons are mostly wicked—their attitudes are downright infuriating," Liszt mused as he toyed with one of Leo’s scales. The dragon’s scales varied in size: those on its neck, head, forelimbs, and wings were fine and densely packed, while the ones along its back were thick and large, some even dinner-plate sized.

The scales carried a warm touch, and between their gaps, traces of stray magic shimmered faintly, forming tiny red sparks.

These magical sparks weren’t scalding.

Hovering between energy and substance, they weren’t true flames.

Sometimes, Liszt was tempted to peel one off and take it back for study—though he never acted on the impulse.

Sensing the magic clinging to the scales and the abundant Dragon’s Will within, Liszt frowned in thought. "How do other dragon knights succeed in riding their dragons? Could it be that elemental dragons’ nasty dispositions make them inherently unrideable? Most dragons in the great kingdoms are either elemental or metal dragons, and among the few elemental ones, none are fire dragons."

He paused.

"Or perhaps my strength is still insufficient? Maybe only when my mana reaches perfection can I earn Leo’s recognition, mount him, and form a contract… I should write to Marquis Merlin and ask him about the state of perfected high-level mana—whether it’s akin to the intermediate mana of Elite Earth Knights."

For a squire, primary mana was simple: just a unique magical energy refined from the body, referred to as mana.

When this mana evolved and gained its own attributes, it advanced to intermediate mana, elevating the wielder to an Earth Knight.

Once intermediate mana reached saturation within the body, one became an Elite Earth Knight. To progress further, one then relied on the impact of magic potions to break the constraints of their cells, allowing them to contain even more intermediate mana. Quantity bred quality, eventually leading to the transformation into high-level mana.

High-level mana, wielded by Sky Knights, was even more specialized than its intermediate counterpart, with its most notable change being "lightness," making aerial leaps effortless.

And when high-level mana reached saturation, one became a Sky Knight at the perfection stage.

Liszt wasn’t entirely clear on the state of mana at this level. According to common records, Sky Knights at the perfection stage could begin seeking dragons to ride. Perhaps perfected high-level mana provided some advantage in dragon taming—or perhaps it could only advance further with the aid of a dragon.

He suspected the latter: that only a dragon could help break through the limits of perfected high-level mana.

"Rraagh!"

After finishing his potions, Leo let out a deeper, more imposing roar. With a glance at Liszt—without a backward glance—he leaped into the air, soaring toward the volcano’s mouth like a meteor plunging into the magma below. The molten rock churned before settling, leaving only billowing steam and sulfur stink.

The sun sank low.

Liszt stood silently at the crater’s edge, lost in his thoughts, before finally descending the mountain after a long while.

Down by the shore, Acheronides was helping Rainbow Whale Rosi scrub away dead scales. Spotting Liszt’s return, she set down the brush and greeted him with a quiet smile, while Rosi let out a joyful chirp of delight.

The disappointment he felt toward Leo.

But that disappointment quickly faded at the sight of this heartwarming scene.

Compared to the little Fire Drake Leo, Acheronides was infinitely more considerate.

"A brute is still a brute. It seems I'll have to resort to some tough measures to truly make Leo submit... But how exactly should I be tough? Given my current strength, I might not actually be able to defeat it." Even a juvenile dragon possessed formidable power.

Its ability to shift into a magic form alone made it difficult to truly harm.

Moreover, with the advantage of the volcanic crater environment, Leo was practically invincible here.

"Unless... I craft a weapon from volcanic glass—would that be able to strike Leo's magic form? Actually, it shouldn't be called a magic form, but rather a 'dragon-essence' form." Dragon essence was the pinnacle expression of a dragon’s magic, a term Liszt coined by analogy to sword intent.

No use dwelling on it.

With a smile, he joined in helping Rose exfoliate.

...

After resting for the night in the wooden cabin on *Dodo Island*, Liszt woke early the next morning and collected more Hemp Rope Vine seeds and skullfruit.

Then he departed, returning to Flower Town.

He’d barely reached the seaside villa when he spotted a squire knight pacing in the distance. Upon seeing Liszt, the knight hurried over: "My lord, you've finally returned! The Dowager of Tulip Castle, Lady Mary, Sir Levi and his lady wife, and Baroness Lvera are all waiting for you in the castle."

"Why has Grandmother come?"

"They are here to celebrate your victory. Sir Levi and his lady wife have also brought your nephew."

"My nephew?" Only then did Liszt realize. "Gloria has given birth? A boy? What's his name?"

"A boy, named Richard."

"Richard, huh..."

Liszt placed the violet kelp worms into the pool in the insect room, mounted his strider, and swiftly returned to the castle. Upon his arrival, everyone, including Lady Penelope, came out to greet him, just as they did for every triumphant return. The welcome was humble, but the enthusiasm outshone all past returns.

With each victory, the fervor of his welcome grew exponentially.

Such fawning was second nature to nobles, but Liszt didn’t bother reprimanding such behavior. Kowtowing to the strong and dismissing the weak was simply human nature. Hell, even he’d rather eye a pretty girl than spare a glance at an ordinary woman.

"Grandmother, why have you come to Flower Town in person?"

"Would this old dowager, who owes everything to the family, not come to welcome the genius of our Tulip family upon his triumphant return?" Lady Penelope replied with frankness.

Liszt supported her by the arm: "A few things held me up here. I had planned to settle them before personally delivering the news of victory to you at Tulip Castle."

"The thought alone warms my heart."