【 THE PROUD RED DRAGON】

“I have already dedicated my body and soul to Her Grace, the Goddess, and therefore I am unable to form a companionship pact.”

Eve spoke calmly, glanced at the red dragon, and continued.

“Furthermore, even as an envoy of the dragon race, you must answer for your actions. Florence was once the holy city of the elves. Do you understand the gravity of what you have done?”

Hearing Eve’s words, Tiberia’s smile froze as she instinctively looked at the crumbling temple, suddenly feeling a little apprehensive.

Although she was reluctant to admit it, history had proven that any non-legendary dragon that opposed a religious organization had never met a good end.

Even legendary dragons who had not yet ascended to the status of a mythical dragon would find themselves constantly on the run if they became mortal enemies of a religious organization.

After all, it was a well-established truth that the majesty of a True God cannot be blasphemed. Hence, even if the slighted deity did not intervene directly, their zealots and saints would still tirelessly pursue the blasphemer across the land.

As a red dragon with only peak Gold-rank strength, no matter how reckless Tiberia was, she understood the terror of provoking the wrath of a True God, especially if the deity also inhabited the same realm as her.

Nonetheless…

Sometimes, there were just some things more important in life than one’s life itself.

“No! Gold is everything to me! I… I will never hand over a single coin from my treasures! Never!”

She gritted her teeth and declared firmly.

Hearing this, Evé simply smiled faintly, neither surprised nor disappointed.

“So you don’t wish to offer compensation? Well, that’s fine too.”

Tiberia let out a sigh of relief.

But Evé was still not finished speaking.

“However…”

“For the next year, you must sign a soul binding contract and must remain here in the Elven Forest to atone for your deeds. You shall serve under the elves’ behest until your actions fully make amends for the damage you’ve caused.”

Evé smiled as she looked at Tiberia.

“You mean serve… under you, Lady Zero?”

Tiberia’s eyes lit up.

“No. Under them.”

Eve gestured toward the surrounding crowd of players.

Following her gaze, Tiberia turned to look—

And what she saw made her dragon face twist in horror.

What she saw made her dragon-like features twist in horrified disbelief. Before her stood a ragtag collection of players, disheveled and worn, standing and sitting in every conceivable pose that betrayed a complete lack of discipline. Their combined strength was so pitifully weak that they seemed to barely be an improvement over goblins.

“No way! I, the Great Tiberia, would rather die than take orders from these worthless fools!”

Among all the dragons species, red dragons were the most prideful and so, they also tend to look down upon the weak the most.

Pah!

Evé lightly extended her hand and slapped the red dragon into the ground once more.

“No! I will never submit!”

Tiberia struggled to stand, roaring in defiance.

Pah!

“I will never—!”

Pah!

“I—!”

Pah!

“…”

Pah!

“I… I will sign the contract…”

At last, bruised and battered, Tiberia muttered weakly.

“Good. Then once the contract is signed, your first task will be to help the Chosen Ones repair the buildings you destroyed.”

Evé nodded in satisfaction, extending her hand and summoned a ready-made soul-binding contract then presented it to Tiberia.

The contract was heavy with stipulations with each one meticulously crafted to ensure the safety and sanctity of the Elven Forest.

The terms were clear: no harming elven natives or players under any circumstances, and a sworn duty to protect every blade of grass and every tree in the elven city, among other stipulations.

This time, the red dragon obediently accepted the terms and just like that, with a heavy breath, Tiberia’s fate was sealed, becoming a laborer in the Elven Forest.

Watching as Tiberia signed the contract, Eve nodded in satisfaction.

In truth there was never really any chance for her to form a companionship pact with the dragon.

After all, this body of hers was merely just an incarnation. Therefore if she were to establish any kind of companionship bond, then it would directly connect to her true body, thereby exposing her real identity.

Moreover, a companionship pact implied equality between the two parties, which also meant a lack of constraints, without hierarchy or forms of limitation.

Plus Evé had no interest in forming an equal companionship with a temperamental, destruction-prone red dragon who wasn’t even at the legendary-rank.

An unrestrained red dragon may not necessarily be a good thing for the Elven Forest.

A servitude pact was also out of the question, given that Tiberia also had the status as an envoy of the dragon race.

But that didn’t mean Evé intended to let this opportunity slip away.

Having a Golden-rank laborer was a rare find, and Tiberia had practically delivered herself right at her doorstep

She intended to leave the red dragon in the care of the players, since within just a year, they had already managed to tame Meryer into submission. So surely, they would be capable of taming a red dragon as well?

Eve was quite looking forward to it.

Besides, she had noticed that, just like Meryer had once been, this red dragon was also a non-believer of any kind of faith, much like a typical chromatic dragon.

So, if possible, she would like to subtly trick this red dragon into becoming her believer, shaping her into something similar to Meryer.

Enslaving a dragon envoy, however, would be rather impolite—perhaps even deemed a hostile action by her kind.

However, given that this envoy was the one who provoked conflict first, then the situation would be entirely different.

Her status as an envoy wouldn’t shield her from the consequences of her reckless actions and she would need to stay here in the Elven Forest for quite a while…

But if, hypocritically speaking, during her stay, the players managed to somehow “reform” this red dragon then…

Evé inwardly smirked.

Yes.

This scenario would paint quite a nice story. One even the proud dragons might find acceptable.

After all she couldn’t be held responsible if their envoy herself had ‘willingly’ become her believer, right?

Of course, the next part was up to the players.

Red dragons in general were impulsive and battle-hungry creatures.

But that also meant something else.

Among all dragon species, red dragons had the simplest, most straightforward personalities.

In simple terms, they were rather easy to deceive—er, no, easy to “reform” so to speak.

Hmm…why do I feel like my personality is slowly getting darker and darker?

Evé mused to herself.

In any case, after finalizing the contract, she issued instructions for Florence’s reconstruction under her identity as Zero, before leaving the premises.

As she disappeared from view, the players especially the newer ones gazed in awe, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Whoa… She’s really amazing! That NPC lady is so strong! Even a dragon couldn’t take her down!”

“Hey, hey, show some respect man! that’s Lady Zero! Or Big Sis, as we like to call her. She’s the second most popular NPC after the Goddess.”

“Wait…I just noticed that she has a purple username! Aside from Saintess Alice, she’s the only other purple-class NPC I’ve seen so far!”

“Yep, and she’s a huge source of important hidden quests. You’ll easily reach the top in no time if you manage to get one from her.”

“Seriously?! Then I need to make sure to raise her favorability!”

“Heh, what a noob. That’s easier said than done. Big Sis isn’t exactly easy to impress, you know? Good luck with that!”

The surrounding players chattered excitedly.

Meanwhile, Meryer, the black dragon, watched the now-subdued red dragon with a look of pure satisfaction.

“Heh heh… Foolish red dragon. In the end, you still became a prisoner here in the Elven Forest!”

Tiberia’s expression darkened. She instinctively wanted to pounce on Meryer for another fight but… having signed a soul-binding contract, she could no longer raise a claw against anyone in Florence.

She let out a snort, huffing coldly before turning her gaze toward the direction Zero had left, her eyes burning with admiration.

“Staying here… might not be so bad. At the very least… I’ll have more chances to see Lady Zero!”

“One day, I’ll be as beautiful and powerful as she is!”

She comforted herself with that thought.

Then, glancing back at Meryer, she sneered.

“Unlike a certain pathetic black dragon who spends his time messing around with weaklings.”

“Weaklings?! You’re the weakling! Your whole family is weaklings! You arrogant fool, you’ll never understand the charm of the elves!”

Furious, Meryer roared back.

“And another thing—don’t call me a black dragon ever again! I, the great Meryer am a silver dragon! A proud silver dragon!”

“Hah…a silver dragon?!”

Tiberia froze for a moment, then looked at the other party as if he were a complete idiot.

She shook her head.

“Moron.”

“Idiot.”

Both dragons insulted each other simultaneously before snorting and turning away, refusing to acknowledge the other.

“What’s so great about these pathetic long-eared weaklings anyway?”

Tiberia scowled as she observed the noisy crowd in the vicinity.

But despite her disdain, she had already signed the contract. Whether she liked it or not, she had no choice but to help repair the damaged city.

Tiberia had barely begun working when her nostrils suddenly twitched. Something in the air shifted, drawing her attention away from the task at hand.

An incredibly tempting aroma wafted through the air, rich and mouthwatering, so powerful that it seemed to pull at the very core of her being. Her senses sharpened, and for a moment, the smell completely overwhelmed her focus.

“What’s that smell?”

She instinctively swallowed.

Then, Tiberia heard a cheerful voice calling from a distance.

“Meryer! Your lunch is ready!”

At those words, Meryer, who had been laboring to move heavy stones, perked up immediately. Without a second thought, he dropped the work and, with surprising grace for such a large creature, soared through the air, eager to reach his meal.

He flew to the far side of the city plaza, wherein a group of elves were pushing a cart laden with freshly grilled barbecue meat, the savory scent filling the air. The elves wore wide grins as they approached, clearly pleased to serve the black dragon his meal.

Curious, Tiberia glanced over at the scene, intrigued by the sudden shift in the black dragon’s demeanor.

And what she saw left her dumbfounded.

There, Meryer lay sprawled lazily on the ground, half-reclining in the sun as he devoured the roasted meat with evident enjoyment. A few elves worked with practiced hands, skillfully brushing his thick, leathery scales with metal bristles, giving him a thorough massage as though he were a pampered noble rather than a fearsome dragon.

Meryer narrowed his eyes in bliss, his face the very picture of satisfaction. He even flashed his teeth at Tiberia in a smug, taunting grin.

“Tch. What a pampered fool.”

Tiberia sneered at him, full of disdain.

But as the rich, meaty aroma filled her nose, the red dragon couldn’t stop her mouth from watering.

Suddenly, Tiberia realized… she was kind of hungry too.

“Ahem…Lord Red Dragon, would you like some as well?”

A voice, full of flattery, suddenly rang out.

Tiberia looked down to see an elf grinning at her, holding out a skewer of roasted meat.

She swallowed.

Then, raising her head high with a haughty scoff, Tiberia declared:

“Hmph! Foolish elf, don’t think you can tempt me, the great Tiberia with your food!”

Players: “…”

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