I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 861

Chapter 74: The True Threat

The war-torn land was a sight to behold, filled with devastation, and the air was thick with crimson and smoke.

The crumbling city walls were one thing, but the city center was a wasteland of scorched earth and acidic bogs, with lava flowing in places, leaving the ground sunken. The battle between two high-tier combatants had ravaged half the royal capital, turning its former splendor into ruins.

Even the war nineteen years ago was limited to the Doomsday Volcano. The Lionheart City, symbolizing the heart of the kingdom, had never been this miserable since its founding.

But in the end, they had won.

Nothing is more uplifting than victory.

After a long siege, supplies were running low, but the Red Fortress still put on a lavish feast to celebrate this hard-earned victory.

Though they called it a feast, food and drink were scarce, leaving both commoners and knights with only meager rations of bread and pickles.

Yet even in such dire circumstances, joy was the only unquenchable emotion.

Charlotte Reinhardt had proven that slaying dragons wasn’t an impossible feat.

The Fall of the Devourer of the Seven Heavenly Dragons had finally tilted the scales of this desperate war toward humanity.

“Did you all see it? Princess’s might rivals the King’s, just like His Majesty did back in the day when he slain the dragons, leading us to triumph just like before!”

“And our Oath Knight almost took down the Ice Dragon King! What’s an ice giant dragon next to our Oath Knight?”

“Long live the Princess! Long live the kingdom!”

The people raised their glasses in a toast to the Lionheart Princess, the waves of celebration continued unabated.

Meanwhile, Roy was assessing the gains from this expedition.

【Reputation】: Reputation points +5000

【Detected reputation gain, converted to faith power】

【Divinity】: 8.5%

【Detected progress on the Reversal Node】

【Reward】: Reversal points +1

【Lionheart·Reversal Progress】: 80%

Though Charlotte was the true hero for defeating the Acid Wing Dragon Crolein, she continuously emphasized Roy’s contributions, and Roy was more than happy to ride the wave of fame.

Defeating the Seven Heavenly Dragons had certainly pulled Charlotte and the entire kingdom back from the brink of destruction.

However, Roy couldn’t feel as elated as the folks and knights below the castle.

Progress on the Reversal Node had been made, but it hadn’t been completed.

This meant that new threats were still approaching in the near future.

Upon reflection, there had been no respite since this Reversal Node set in; it was relentless.

Two of the Seven Heavenly Dragons were still left, and the black dragon Nidhogg, who once dared to challenge the Dragon King, hadn’t shown its face yet. Roy wasn’t about to let his guard down.

Taking advantage of the banquet, Roy found a moment to visit King Robert, the Lionheart.

The former king looked significantly more haggard than Roy remembered, bandaged and pale, clearly still suffering from severe injuries. But those eyes, strikingly similar to Charlotte’s, still burned with royal determination and spirit.

“Your Majesty, it’s great to see you safe and sound.”

“Kid, there’s no one else here, so cut the formalities! Just call me uncle.”

After some playful banter, Robert glanced out at the lively scene and couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride, “I haven’t seen everyone this happy in a long while since we were besieged.”

“You did well. You guys are the real dragon slayers.”

Roy chuckled awkwardly, “If we’re honest, I just did a tiny bit of support, riding on Charlotte’s coattails. She’s the real dragon slayer here.”

After battling against Alice, who had transformed into an angel, Roy witnessed firsthand how terrifying a Sequence 4 bloodline could be.

The power of the 【Blood and Fire Connection】 was horrifying, matching the strength of 【Flame King’s Breath】, and the compressed flames spewed from afar were even more potent than the dragon’s breath. Just one strike totally reduced the Sequence 4 dragon to ashes.

Initially, seeing Charlotte all battered and bruised, Roy thought he could avenge her by slaying the dragon.

In the end, he looked at the charred remains of the dragon and realized there wasn’t a single intact place to lash out at.

The Daughter of Destiny truly was formidable!

Thankfully, he hadn’t followed the plot of the original work; otherwise, Crolein’s fate would have been his own!

“Just a tiny bit?”

Robert raised an eyebrow, finding it amusing.

“Those inside are often oblivious, the observers clear-headed; I figured out what fueled my daughter’s inner fire from the start.”

“Why do you think Charlotte could break through to high-tier?”

“She said you offered some tips.”

“Hmph…”

Robert ultimately decided not to reveal the truth, lest this brat became too cocky.

At the same time, the old father’s heart felt the shame of admitting that his precious daughter’s fire came not from him but from some other young man.

But with the matter having reached this point, Robert had already figured out Roy’s nature. Complaining was one thing, but opposing was out of the question.

“Regardless, I’m grateful you can stay by Charlotte’s side.”

Roy smiled lightly, “I’m simply fulfilling the vow I made back then.”

“Is it the vow of a knight, or the vow of a man?” Robert pressed.

“Both.”

“……Tsk.”

Robert suddenly felt quite displeased.

Alas, due to his heavy injuries, he couldn’t even attempt an ‘Old Man Locks Men’ move, leaving him frustrated to no end.

“Fine, you’re not too shabby. As long as Charlotte agrees, I have no objections.”

“Though, it’s not time to celebrate just yet.”

Robert’s tone shifted, becoming grim, and Roy adjusted his expression to match the mood.

“I know saying this sounds boastful, but the Acid Wing Dragon Crolein wasn’t the greatest threat. If I were at my peak, I could have easily dealt with it.”

“The real danger lies with Nidhogg.”

Robert tore off some bandages to reveal a gruesome wound.

A horrifying black imprint marked the once marble-like sturdy body of the Lionheart King, a mark that burrowed deep into the flesh and bone, writhing like maggots and exuding a chaotic and ominous aura.

Roy’s eyelids twitched.

So this was the reason for Robert’s enduring weakness.

The corrosion from the Acid Dragon was terrible, but it was not beyond healing for high-tier Extraordinary beings.

A king of a nation couldn’t lack medical means, and additionally, the holy practitioners and highly concentrated holy water he brought could not heal it, enough proof of the black dragon’s terror.

Meanwhile, Roy’s mind echoed with Alin’s serious voice: “The corruption of the evil deity.”

“Indeed, the evil god worshiped by the Evildoers Club is Nidhogg.”

Roy wasn’t surprised, as according to historical records, Nidhogg had long fallen. But he never expected its power could overwhelm a being of Robert’s caliber.

“This kind of injury can’t be healed?” Roy asked Alin.

“Not at all. Compared to the injury, this is more like pollution. And having lingered for so long, unless a high-tier holy practitioner intervenes personally, or you eliminate the source of pollution, there’s not much to be done.”

No longer the boisterous Robert, he self-deprecatingly remarked, “They say Nidhogg has long fallen to evil, and yet I still underestimated him.”

Holding his charcoal black wound, the Lionheart King solemnly instructed, “If you encounter it, be sure to proceed with caution.”

“The power of the black dragon is far beyond other dragon species.”