Ember Dragon

Chapter 64: Awakening (Part Five)

Watching the red dragon relentlessly slaughtering and closing in, Bennett finally made a decision—this damned spell-loving red dragon was unbeatable. He could only abandon his hard-recruited adventurer party and escape from this death trap.

"Damn it, I have to get out of here."

"Sorry, everyone, but I'm still on the path to pursuing truth." Bennett justified his actions with a lofty excuse.

As a wizard, he naturally had numerous ways to escape.

Bennett removed the silver pendant hanging from his neck, shaped like a delicate little door.

"Dimensional Door."

He prayed to the goddess of magic while muttering the spell.

The pendant glowed with magical light, the space beside Bennett warped and folded, and a doorway-like rift gradually appeared, leading to Victoria Harbor—his familiar homeland.

Bennett's face lit up with joy, and he rushed towards the dimensional door.

"Finally, I can leave this cursed place."

But before he could finish his sentence, the red dragon's shadow enveloped him, its magic negation field nullifying the nearby magic web, causing the rift to close and stabilize as if it had never existed.

"Where are you trying to go?"

"Uninvited guest."

The red dragon looked down at the wizard, its massive head appearing especially menacing.

Bennett looked up at the dragon, his hands trembling as he clutched his staff, cold sweat pouring from his forehead as he forced an awkward smile.

His robe detected the danger and automatically cast a shield spell on him, though it provided no real sense of security, only a strange awkwardness.

"I-I'm staying right here. Not going anywhere."

Bennett stammered.

"What are you here for?"

A hint of amusement flickered in Cassius's golden eyes.

This group, half of whom he'd already slain, was undoubtedly elite, with most members being advanced level-ten adventurers. Against an ordinary young red dragon, they might have succeeded, but they had encountered Cassius.

However, Cassius wasn't the stereotypical bloodthirsty red dragon. These adventurers kept coming, and it would be more worthwhile to squeeze every last bit of value from them rather than merely slaughtering them all.

"I…"

Hearing the dragon's question, Bennett was struck speechless.

He glanced at the surviving teammates beside him, all of them trembling, unable to speak.

They couldn't possibly tell this cruel, arrogant red dragon that they were here to slay it, or they'd surely be incinerated or devoured alive.

Just as the tense silence was stretching, and the dragon was beginning to grow impatient.

A bard stepped forward, mustering his courage.

This bard was handsome, clad in a green robe, and carried a finely crafted lute on his back, though he looked rather battered, his robe torn and singed from the recent battle.

His name was Eugene, here to pen the epic of dragon slayers.

Just as everyone, including the dragon, expected him to deliver some grand speech—

Eugene knelt down without hesitation, tears in his eyes, and shouted:

"O mighty Flame Dragon King, your claws can tear any foe apart, your flames can scorch all of creation, your strength strikes fear even into the gods! We followed your footsteps to witness your glory, but we dared trespass into your territory."

"It was an act of blasphemy! They've paid for their recklessness with their lives, and as for the rest of us, we're nothing but humble beings, willing to become your eternal servants. Just to gaze upon your magnificent form, even death would be worthwhile."

"This… this…"

His flattering words were so unexpectedly poetic that everyone else could only stare, stunned, before they, too, knelt, begging for the dragon's mercy.

"This guy is a real talent," Cassius thought, amused by the bard's rhythmically flattering words.

The red dragon exhaled a breath of sulfuric heat, making everyone's eyes water, though none dared to move.

"You speak well."

Eugene, kneeling, heaved a sigh of relief.

He dared to lift his head slightly, noticing the dragon's expression had softened, and inwardly rejoiced: "It's true; dragons are indeed vain. Thank the gods, this intelligence was accurate!"

Just as they were starting to feel relief at the thought of forgiveness, Dolo arrived, leading a group of strong hobgoblins who quickly surrounded them.

"But it still lacked some passion."

Cassius wasn't a simple-minded brute and certainly wasn't fooled by such obvious lies. He simply found the flattery entertaining.

"Take them all to the dungeon."

The red dragon ordered offhandedly.

"Yes, Master."

Dolo immediately bowed in response, ordering the dragon-blooded hobgoblins to roughly drag away the kneeling adventurers.

Under the dragon's gaze, none dared resist, knowing the outcome if they did—their companions' bodies were still warm.

The ogre mage Langpu arrived late, wobbling awkwardly through the air, clearly still mastering the flight spell.

But Langpu was brimming with excitement, his face filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest: "Master, see? I knew those adventurers would hide here. Haha, that giant rock looks natural but was placed here deliberately by me. It's the only spot nearby where they could spy on Rock Fortress."

He pointed at the runes.

"Every time adventurers hide here, they trigger my guard inscriptions, get half-killed, and then set off my alarm spell. When they try to flee through the back passage, they hit an automatic web trap, and the giant boulder inside rolls down. Unfortunately, it didn't trigger this time."

Langpu sounded almost disappointed.

Cassius's mouth twitched slightly, momentarily speechless.

Langpu then asked, "Master, what will you do with these adventurers?"

"Take all the magical items from that wizard, especially the dimensional door pendant, then drain every spell from his mind. Whether he lives or dies afterward is irrelevant; you could keep him as a dragon-blooded minion for you, or kill him to prevent any future trouble."

"As for the others, kill half of them and let the rest escape, but make sure they believe they managed to flee by their own strength."

"As for the bard…"

Cassius's face showed a hint of amusement.

"Make him a scribe and have him draft some PR articles. Assign someone to monitor his progress. If he doesn't write at least twelve thousand words daily, he's not allowed to rest. Even if he has to take stimulants, he must keep going."

"Yes, Master."

Langpu couldn't help but marvel at his master's knack for tormenting others.

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