99 Odd Dragon Slayer
(4K words)
A few years ago, Leon and Roswiser visited the territory of the Red Flame Dragon Race to investigate which dragon kings were still in cahoots with the Empire.
So, he could still remember where the palace of the Red Flame Dragon lay.
As he ventured through a jungle, flickering flames in the distance hinted that he was about to meet the unkillable male dragon.
It was quite the twisted fate—throughout General Leon’s illustrious dragon-slaying career, old Constantine was the only dragon king he had faced at least three times who miraculously managed to stay alive.
It was getting to the point where Leon felt a tad embarrassed to keep knocking old Constantine into the resurrection rounds.
Chuckling to himself, Leon knew he couldn’t let his guard down.
After all, Constantine hadn’t just leveled up with Primordial Power; even without mastering specific Primordial Magic, he was definitely several tiers stronger than before.
Taking him down like the old days? Not happening.
But Leon’s decision to venture alone indicated he had confidence in the gap between his and Constantine’s strength.
Even if he couldn’t defeat Constantine, escaping unscathed was definitely on the menu.
With those thoughts, Leon arrived at the outskirts of the Red Flame Dragon Palace.
Strangely enough, not a single dragon came out to stop him.
“Hiss… It’s a bit too quiet, and that’s suspicious.”
Not just suspicious.
In fact, it triggered a rather unpleasant memory for Leon.
Back when he had just woken up from a two-year coma, he had tried to escape from Roswiser’s Silver Dragon Temple.
During his attempted escape, there wasn’t a guard in sight—coming and going was as free as wandering in his own backyard.
Until he reached the riverbank, where Roswiser caught him, he realized it had all been a twisted sense of humor from the Mother Dragon.
Watching his enemy think he had slipped through her fingers, only to shatter his dreams when pride got the better of him—
Tsk, tsk, tsk, killing while crushing the spirit; such a classic devious dragon move.
So… is Constantine thinking of employing the same tactic?
Leon heightened his vigilance, scanning his surroundings.
Meanwhile, inside the Red Flame Dragon Palace, Constantine lounged on his throne.
Below him, a guard rushed in to report,
“Your Majesty, after the various dragon races stationed around our territory, one of them has sent a person inside.”
Constantine closed his eyes, dismissing it lazily. “Just k*ll him.”
“Uh…”
“What? Can’t k*ll him?”
“This man is Leon Casmod.”
“…Oh, well that’s not your fault.”
Upon hearing that Leon was the intruder, Constantine immediately relaxed about his subordinate’s somewhat lackluster efficiency.
He slowly opened his eyes and asked, “Are you sure he came alone?”
“Sir, I’m certain.”
Well, that’s peculiar.
Constantine could guess why the various dragon races sent troops to monitor him—it was for the Primordial Power.
And it was highly likely they’d fed into that absurd Dragon King Secret Meeting at the Twilight Tower; that old coot Arlais had used the meeting to line his pockets for centuries.
He certainly wouldn’t pass up such a powerful commodity.
But even if Leon had participated in that meeting and joined the mission to monitor Constantine, there would be no need for him to wander alone into the Red Flame Dragon territory.
Could it be that this human fool wants to challenge the entire Red Flame Dragon Race by himself?
Ha, that’s really wishful thinking—
Hiss…
Well, it’s not impossible.
Constantine pondered for a moment, deciding not to act rashly.
He still hadn’t completely adapted to the immense power of the Primordial Force and couldn’t wield it skillfully yet; his chances against Leon weren’t looking good.
So, let’s see if there’s a way to get this big Buddha to leave.
“Send some people to drive him away. Try to avoid direct confrontation.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The guards exited the palace.
Ten minutes later.
The main door of the palace was slammed open, and in came two Red Flame Dragon security guards flying through the air.
“Constantine, I’m here to negotiate.”
The man stood in the hall, surrounded by dozens of Red Flame Dragons, not showing an ounce of fear.
Constantine remained composed on his throne, looking down at Leon.
“I don’t know what’s going through your mind trying to negotiate with me, nor do I care. Guards, get rid of him.”
The guards surged forward.
Leon wanted to strike back, but then realized he had indeed come to negotiate. If he fought in their “office,” it would definitely mess with the negotiation’s vibe.
So he reluctantly pretended to be shoved out the door.
A minute later.
The main door of the palace was once again slammed open.
This time, four Red Flame Dragon guards entered.
“Constantine, I truly am here to negotiate.”
Aside from Roswiser, Leon had never been this sincere with another dragon king.
But old Constantine wasn’t buying it.
Who knew what kind of trick this kid had up his sleeve.
“Get out, get out.”
Another group shoved Leon back outside.
Another minute later.
The palace doors were flung open again.
“Constantine, I’m genuinely here to negotiate.”
“Get out.”
Push, close door, crash open.
“Constantine, I’m here to negotiate.”
“Get out, get out.”
…
“Constantine, I am—”
“Your Majesty!”
In the hall, a bloodied loyalist knelt on the ground, hands clasped.
“Your Majesty, just talk to him; if it goes on any longer, my buddies can’t take it anymore!”
Constantine looked at his moaning and rolling subordinates on the floor, feeling quite helpless.
Since this guy was so persistent and didn’t seem to want to fight, well… let’s just hear what he has to say.
Constantine stood up and descended from the throne.
He stood in front of Leon, barely five meters apart.
Constantine waved his hand, “You guys can leave now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The guards helped each other as they left the hall.
Finally, they were getting down to business!
Once everyone had exited, Constantine coldly stated,
“You’ve got some guts, showing up alone in my territory.”
“You have guts too, sitting there while all those dragon kings have armies monitoring you outside, not even flinching.”
“Hmph, just a bunch of useless trash. If they’re so bold to spy, why don’t they come barging in?”
“Stop fronting, Red Flame Dragon King.”
Leon shrugged, “If they really rushed in all at once, with your Red Flame Dragon’s current strength, would they really be thwarted?”
Leon saw right through Constantine’s bravado.
Cut the BS, old Constantine, am I unaware of your current capabilities?
The Red Flame Dragon Race had been leaderless for years, many of its elite members and warriors had perished or fled, and overall strength had significantly dwindled.
And how long had it been since Constantine returned? There wasn’t enough time to regroup.
Seeing his thoughts exposed, Constantine felt a bit embarrassed but still insisted,
“Whether they can hold them off has nothing to do with you.”
“Hey, how does it not concern me?”
“Why should it concern you?”
“Do you know Arlais?”
Constantine nodded.
“He’s the one who suggested directly attacking and snatching the Primordial Power you barely managed to get during the Dragon King Secret Meeting.”
Leon added, “Now guess who countered his proposal and turned the operation into just spying without igniting warfare?”
Constantine squinted at Leon, realizing from his smug expression that he already knew the answer.
But he refused to say it.
“Who? Odin? Morgan? Or some other old coot?”
Since it concerned the Secret Meeting targeting him, Constantine could figure out who had attended.
Old Odin and Morgan’s kin were also present at the ruins, so they would surely be there.
Leon rolled his eyes.
“It was me! I’m the one who temporarily saved your Red Flame Dragons from impending doom, you know?”
“Casmod, my not attacking you right now just means I’m surprised by your audacity to come here alone, but that doesn’t mean you can talk to me this way, got it?”
“No, no, no, you aren’t attacking me because you’re unsure if you can win,” Leon asserted confidently.
“……”
Dude, are you really only in your twenties?
Why do I feel like you’re scheming like you’re over two hundred?
After a few exchanges, Constantine realized that Leon had the upper hand in this situation.
So, there was no need to continue probing. Let’s cut to the chase.
“So, what exactly do you want to discuss?”
“Let’s chat about the Empire.”
After a pause, Leon added, “To be precise, it’s about the Empire and you dragon kings. I want to know why you’re cooperating with the Empire? What’s the purpose of this alliance?”
“Why should I tell you?”
Even though the initiative was in Leon’s hands, it didn’t mean he held the reins of the negotiations.
Constantine realized that Leon had come for “personal matters,” unrelated to the Dragon King Secret Meeting.
Seeing Constantine’s firm attitude, Leon remained unfazed.
“Because the Empire is our mutual enemy; because I didn’t bring an army either, just to have a proper chat; and because the thousands of dragons outside haven’t charged in due to me countering Arlais at the meeting.”
“Of course, the most important reason is that the Empire has been torturing you like this. At this point, do you still want to protect the Empire?”
That last point hit hard.
Constantine’s thoughts stirred slightly, and he slowly spoke,
“I can only briefly discuss the insider info I know. As for matters like the Extreme North Land, I was completely uninvolved.”
Upon hearing Constantine was willing to chat, Leon secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
See? This crazy dragon isn’t completely out to lunch; at least he can communicate.
“Great, I’m all ears,” Leon said.
Constantine slowly turned and began pacing,
“About thirty years ago, that was the most intense phase of war between you humans and us dragons. It was during this time that the Empire formed an alliance with a small number of dragon kings.”
“To put it simply, the purpose of that alliance was to prolong this war.”
That opening line stunned Leon; he incredulously asked,
“Prolong the human-dragon war?! How is that even possible?!”
Years of conflict had raised taxes and reduced the population, and the common folk were suffering tremendously.
Even though they celebrated victories, the cost behind them couldn’t be ignored.
Why would anyone want to continue such a war?
“I was equally shocked at the time, but if you think it through, Casmod, you’ll find that the profits of war far outweigh its downsides.”
“Don’t spout nonsense, Constantine! War brings only d*ath and suffering; where could there be profit?!”
“Profit certainly doesn’t come for the common folks, but for those in power.”
Constantine explained,
“The longer the war drags on, the more manpower, financial resources, and materials the citizens provide to the nation, allowing the Empire’s rulers to reap the benefits.”
“This is much safer than suddenly altering the country’s employment or tax systems.”
“And when someone questions or resists the war, just arrange a planned ‘victory’ to stabilize the people’s hearts.”
“For over thirty years, the Empire has used such a seamless performance to continuously exploit you commoners. So—”
Before Constantine could continue, Leon interrupted,
“It can’t be… How can it be like this?!”
He seldom got this emotional.
Because at that moment, his inner faith was crumbling a bit.
The honor he once defended with his life, the war he once dedicated everything to ending, was just a show in the end?
How was he supposed to accept that?
“Then what about you dragon kings? What benefits could you possibly gain?” Leon asked urgently.
“Seizing territories would become as easy as pie.”
Constantine said, “Many battles have left both your Empire’s Dragon Slayer Army and the dragon race severely damaged. Once the Dragon Slayer Army retreats, that’s prime time for us to reap—we can easily seize land and resources.”
“Of course, just one tribe’s resources would be enough for us to utilize for quite a while; otherwise, overusing such tactics would invite suspicion.”
Leon furrowed his brow, cold sweat trickling down his temples.
He suddenly recalled that his Master had once said he discovered some dark sides of the Empire, leading to his withdrawal from the Dragon Slayer Army.
So his Master had caught a glimpse of the truth of this war back then…
Seeing Leon’s reaction, Constantine chuckled,
“I think you might regret coming here seeking the truth, don’t you?”
Leon quickly adjusted himself, his tone solemn,
“Then why does the Empire want me dead?”
“Isn’t it obvious, Casmod? Because you almost ruined their little plan.”
“What… do you mean?”
“It was all part of the act, and you charged onto the stage as the disruptor.”
Constantine stated,
“Your arrival allowed the Dragon Slayer Army to sweep across the battlefield; no matter if it was a preordained ‘victory’ or actual combat, you seized them all.”
“The black armor was once undefeated; even we dragon kings who had allied with the Empire had to be wary of you.”
“And the Empire realized that if they let you continue, in less than ten years, you’d wipe out the entire dragon race. How could they allow that? Without dragons, where would the rulers go to continue this war?”
“So they arranged for a traitor to stab you in the back, sending me to the Silver Dragon Race to take you out.”
Constantine slowly stepped in front of Leon, looking him in the eye, speaking deliberately,
“Casmod, you shouldn’t be this strong. You’ve interfered with their cake, and they will chase you to the ends of the earth.”
