Chapter 908: Isn’t It Beautiful?

"Acheronides, you and Bard wait outside. It's about to get messy, so you shouldn't follow." Liszt motioned for Bard and Acheronides to stay back.

Wielding the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword, Liszt charged into the Eagle Kingdom's supply convoy.

Dragon Aura and Dragon Fear flared simultaneously as he went on a rampage. Every member of the logistical team—knights and servants alike—fell beneath his blade, with no survivors.

There were no scenes of blood splattering; the fire-imbued mana instantly seared and cauterized the flesh as it cut. With a spark, the entire supply camp was torn apart by fire, consuming everything.

Watching the flames rise, Liszt felt an odd twinge of guilt. Once an ordinary salaryman on Earth who found killing chickens cruel, he now slaughtered a group of people with a single decision. Fortunately, they were enemies—opponents who sought to steal dragons—not civilians, so he felt no remorse.

In a world ruled by knights, weakness was the original sin.

Especially when it came to dragons.

"The Eagle Kingdom struck first. I'm merely retaliating. And by aiding the traitor Andre of the Sapphire Duchy, you've all committed unforgivable sins." Telling himself this flimsy excuse as psychological comfort, Liszt shook his head and turned away from the blazing camp.

Since his first battle, killing had long ceased to be a psychological barrier for him.

As long as they weren't civilians, the wars between knights were nothing more than a game in his eyes.

"Let's go, Acheronides." Liszt returned to the invisible dragon and glanced at Andre. Though he initially considered killing him outright, he decided it might be better to hand him over to the Sapphire Duchy.

Perhaps he could exchange Andre for some arcane techniques or information about the Lord of the Dragon Domain and lich magic.

However, another thought quickly crossed his mind: "If I ride too many dragons in a short time, it might trigger alarm among the three kingdoms. Maybe I should frame it—make it look like Andre successfully tamed the dragon, then turned on the Eagle Kingdom's supply team and rebelled."

As for the Eagle Kingdom's countermeasures against Andre riding a dragon—surely they had some—who could guarantee Andre wouldn't break free from them?

"Such restraints probably wouldn't involve threatening family. Nobles aren't easily bound by sentiment. It's more likely some kind of magical contract or curse. With Acheronides, an Archmage, and the vast network of mages in the Magic Guild, breaking a contract shouldn't be hard."

"Even if Andre dies from the contract or curse, what loss is it to me…?"

"Decision made."

Signaling Bard to seize Andre, he swiftly headed toward the battlefield where Ethan, Leo, and the orichalcum dragon clashed, dropping Andre off in a secluded corner.

Then, hopping onto Bard, he plunged straight into the fray.

"Wryaaah!"

The invisible dragon didn't attack the orichalcum dragon, and Ethan and Leo also halted their assault. The earlier dragon battle hadn't been particularly fierce, serving more as a containment tactic.

"Rroar!" The orichalcum dragon fixed its gaze on the newcomer, undaunted.

"Grah!" Leo retorted defiantly.

"Orichalcum dragon, I know you understand the language of the winds. Why don't we set aside our conflict and talk peacefully? I think there's been some misunderstanding between us." Liszt broke the tense standoff, speaking loudly.

From Andre, he had already learned that the orichalcum dragon, after prolonged encounters with knights, had mastered the language of the winds—dragons were highly intelligent, capable of grasping meaning after just a few exchanges. Talking wouldn't be a problem.

The orichalcum dragon looked at Liszt, giving him an ant-squashing glare, disdaining further interaction.

"To show my sincerity, I've brought your favorite thunderbird eggs, prime cuts of flame-seared steak, and some fruits you enjoy." Unbothered, Liszt pulled out a spread of food from his dimensional ring and laid it on the ground as a peace offering.

Truth was, he'd only packed the steak—meant for Leo, Bard, and Ethan's reward. Dragons generally loved beef.

The wind-thunder bird eggs and a large quantity of fruits were collected from the supply team's camp—originally intended for Andre to subdue the orichalcum dragon—but were now used by him instead.

He had placed a Milon Mind Fruit in the specially grilled tender steak.

This was a sudden inspiration. Originally, he had planned to subdue the orichalcum dragon first and then force the Milon Mind Fruit into it. However, the resentment from the grey cast iron dragon Ornn made him think that perhaps a softer touch might be more effective. There’s definitely a difference between a dragon tamed through confusion and one forcibly dominated.

"Hmph!" The orichalcum dragon narrowed its eyes, its golden scales gleaming under the sunlight. Its pupils shifted slightly as it glanced at the food on the ground.

Then it let out a warning growl.

This clearly indicated its disregard for Liszt’s gesture and its unwillingness to engage in further communication. Its scales even bristled, signaling an imminent attack.

"Since you refuse my kindness, then farewell." Liszt wasted no more words.

He called to the three dragons and flew away directly.

While Leo and Ethan flew out of the orichalcum dragon's detection range, Bard blended into the surroundings, quietly lurking at the edge of the dragon's perception. Liszt took out a telescope and carefully observed the clearing where he had left the food, watching the steak he had arranged.

Due to the Dragon Fear enveloping the area, no beasts or monsters dared come near, leaving the food untouched on the ground.

The orichalcum dragon stayed far from the food, lying on another hilltop, making no move to eat. It was unclear whether it was due to vigilance, lack of hunger, or simply disdain for Liszt's offering.

"Brother, are we just going to wait like this?" Acheronides asked curiously.

"We’ll wait a bit longer. If it still doesn’t eat by nightfall, I’ll retrieve the steak." Liszt was patient. Luring a dragon as smart as a human required patience.

Dragons had unique biology—no poison could kill them.

So, with a free meal right there, Liszt himself wouldn’t have wasted it or been suspicious.

...

Night soon fell.

The orichalcum dragon, having rested for half a day, saw no sign of the usual ant-like servants bringing it food. It was puzzled but quickly realized they might have been killed.

"It must be that damned human and those three disgraceful dragons who let ants ride them." As an adult dragon with centuries of life experience, the orichalcum dragon had encountered many humans and knew how fiercely they fought over dragons. That dragon knight earlier must have come to claim it.

So, the first step was to eliminate the competition.

"Annoying!"

It raised its head, realizing this place was no longer suitable for rest. That dragon knight would surely return, leading to another round of conflict. Deep down, it disliked that dragon knight, feeling their natures clashed—there was no trace of selflessness or honor in him.

However.

The orichalcum dragon suddenly remembered that the dragon knight had left some food behind, trying to bait it with scraps.

"Naive, childish, ridiculous!"

Was it the kind of dragon to stoop for petty bribes? No ant in the world was worthy of lowering its pride.

"It’s time to find a new place to stay, and maybe scout for some ants it didn’t despise to provide food." The orichalcum dragon flexed its wings and slowly walked toward the clearing where the food lay. "But before leaving, might as well take the meal that dragon knight left behind?"

It despised Liszt, but not food.

Approaching, it found the food still lying undisturbed, with only a few real ants crawling over it—insects unaffected by Dragon Fear. With a light breath, the ants perished, a simple application of dragon’s magic power. Then, in one gulp, it swallowed the whole basket of wind-thunder bird eggs.

Wind-thunder birds were mid-tier magical beasts, peculiar in that males were wind-attributed while females were thunder-attributed, yet their eggs carried both elements.

As the eggs differentiated by gender, their attributes gradually narrowed to just one.

Throughout its long life, the orichalcum dragon had developed a particular fondness for wind-thunder bird eggs. However, these birds preferred nesting in narrow caves and were extremely alert. The moment the dragon's massive form appeared or its Dragon Fear leaked out, they would immediately flee, making their eggs exceedingly difficult to find.

After finishing the eggs, the orichalcum dragon snacked on some fruit before turning its gaze to the tender steak.

The steak had gone cold, losing the rich aroma it had when freshly cooked. Nonetheless, the dragon sniffed it and gobbled down all the steak in one bite.

"Meh. Good enough." Having consumed all the food, it prepared to find a mountain peak to rest for the night, planning to leave at dawn the next day.

But just as it began flapping its wings, a sudden wave of sleepiness hit it. It shook its head vigorously but couldn't resist the intense urge to sleep, its eyelids drooping like lead weights. Moments later, the orichalcum dragon, unable to fight the sleepiness any longer, crashed down with a thunderous boom, leveling a whole patch of forest.

"Snore..."

Its deafening snores echoed across the sky.

From the distant edge of the clearing, Liszt, holding his telescope, couldn't resist snapping his fingers: "Done!"

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