Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 247 - 247 246 Vertical Pupil (Added more request for

Chapter 247: Chapter 246 Vertical Pupil (Added more, request for monthly ticket) Chapter 247: Chapter 246 Vertical Pupil (Added more, request for monthly ticket) Snow Giant Da had escaped, which was the news brought back by the Torrential Flood Dragon when it returned to the battlefield in the latter half of the night. It had failed to kill Snow Giant Da.

But as Marquis Arno Sunfire translated the Dragon Language of the Torrential Flood Dragon, an undeniable joy was hidden in his expression.

And the reason was simple.

The Torrential Flood Dragon had severed one of Snow Giant Da’s arms and drained a crucial power from this limb. A power of great benefit to the dragon, once lost by the snow giant, was permanently gone, irrecoverable.

In other words, even if one day Snow Giant Da were to make a comeback, it would just be a disabled snow giant, missing an arm.

Yet, nobody felt elated by this good news.

The entire battlefield had been cleaned up, and the Knight Regiments had already gathered around the Shadowflame Dragon, setting up camp one after another. There were no smiles on the knights’ faces; they mourned both for their fallen comrades and for Grand Duke Kunstan.

Count Merlin’s hair had turned completely white overnight. He stood motionless beside the neatly arranged coffin of Grand Duke Kunstan.

Baron Swan Kunbifu Yinyan, accompanying Marquis Arno Sunfire, was discussing something in a tent.

Baron Osclo Shuiliu, along with the other five barons, had tried a few times to persuade Count Merlin without success. They could only stand silently by Count Merlin’s side, guarding Grand Duke Kunstan’s coffin while dealing with the aftermath of the battle.

In the distant snowfields, Lord Russell, leading a team of knights, like many other knightly teams, was sweeping the battlefield again to prevent any lurking Snow Ghosts or any of the dead knights from rising anew.

However, his mind was no longer on cleaning up the battlefield.

From time to time, he raised his head to look at the sky, where the Torrential Flood Dragon was circling in flight. This dragon from the Scorching Torrent Kingdom never touched the ground; if it wished, it could even spend its entire life aloft, reveling in its flight.

“With dragons looming before and behind, ice cream wouldn’t dare poke its head out,” Russell lamented.

The M-shaped mark in the palm of his hand had long been concealed, with only the Sword Butterfly Mark and the Thorns Mark left to be summoned by Russell.

“Sir,” Eric rode up on his horse.

“Has John’s body been burned?” Russell asked with a slight sigh.

“It has been burned, and these are his belongings,” Eric said. Despite the protection of Mr. Ross, the Glowing Valley Knight Regiment had still suffered significant losses, losing over fifty knights in the consecutive battles.

Even one of Russell’s four knight attendants, John, had fallen in this battle.

“Keep his belongings safe. Later, tally up the gains and, once we return to our fief, discuss with Charles the amount of compensation to be given to John’s family,” Russell said softly, displaying not much sorrow.

This brutal battle, although he had been slacking off from start to finish, had left him numb to death, his nerves thickened to it.

Eric responded in a low voice, “Yes.”

“You continue leading the team to clean up the battlefield. I’ll go to the campsite to send off Grand Duke Kunstan on his last journey.”

“Understood.”

Riding Unicorn Polly, Russell crossed the shattered snowfields.

The great battle had fractured the ice cap of the snowfields. But as the power of the battle waned and the cold returned, these broken ice caps began to refreeze. Along with the cracks, the limbs and severed body parts left by the knights were also frozen over.

In this battle, the Grand Duchy had lost an untold number of knights, most of whom had been collected and their bodies burned en masse.

This was to prevent the bodies from coming back to life as Snow Ghosts.

But there was always a portion of limbs that could not be found, left behind in the layers of ice.

“I’m so tired, dead tired. Why is it so exhausting? I don’t want to come to the snowfields anymore. Every time, it’s never good news.”

“I’m starving to death. Damn it, why hasn’t my food arrived yet?”

“Dragons are so terrifying, dragons are so terrifying, dragons are so terrifying. Never get close to a dragon, dragons are so terrifying…”

“I, undefeated in battle!”

“I miss the snow-white warhorse. I think I heard its name was Polly. I really hope to get close to it for a while.”

Strange whispers occasionally reached Russell’s ears—private conversations of magical creatures. There were even magical creatures with designs on his Unicorn Polly.

Russell furrowed his brows, thinking sternly, “Once back at the fief, I must find the Fairy Saiban. These magical creature whispers are too annoying to shut off… Thankfully during the charge I was undistracted. If I’d been disturbed by the whispers of the magical creatures, it could have ended badly!”

The previous great battle wasn’t as bad; Phantom Beast Knights were scattered across the vast battlefield and you couldn’t always hear the phantom beasts’ private whispers.

But now that the Knight Regiment has assembled, the density of phantom beasts is too high, and one can hear a phantom beast’s private whisper almost every other moment.

It was giving him a headache.

“I can’t hear them,” Unicorn Polly said in their mind.

“Not hearing them is a good thing. The phantom beast private whisper that Fairy Saiban sent me is certainly powerful, but I’ve only used it to communicate with you. I haven’t begun to capture more phantom beasts before it irritated me to no end… The key is that the phantom beasts here already have owners.”

“We could catch phantom beasts in the forest.”

“Of course, that’s for later. For now, we can only ignore the phantom beasts’ private whispers,” Russell shook his head helplessly.

The man and beast had already made it to the camp.

Most of the wounded knights had been transported back to Fire Ant Swamp for treatment, but the main forces of the Knight Regiment remained here to send off Grand Duke Kunstan.

Because.

It’s impossible to bring the dead back to warmer lands; knights who fall on the snowfields must be dealt with there, either crushed or burned.

According to the rudimentary beliefs of the people of Dragon Sleep Continent, once the dead come back to life, their souls would be locked inside the bodies of Snow Ghosts, suffering and writhing in pain. Even if the Snow Ghost is slain, the soul would still transfer to another Snow Ghost.

Unless all Snow Ghosts are eradicated, no one knows when the souls will be set free.

“Lord Russell,” a knight who recognized Russell greeted, “Seeing you safe and sound is a relief to me.”

“Likewise, we’re all still alive,” Russell, on the Unicorn’s back, touched palms with the other.

Passing through tent after tent, they arrived at the center of the camp, which was also the center of the battlefield.

The Shadowflame Dragon lay prostrate on the ground, eyes tightly closed, its magma scales flickering red as they gleamed. The torn and broken wings had been set right, lying flat against its back, and the wounds could be seen healing rapidly.

But there were too many wounds on its body, even gaping holes in some places, and they wouldn’t be easy to mend quickly.

Although Russell had seen the Shadowflame Dragon in the daylight,

At this moment, he still wanted to take a closer look at the Shadowflame Dragon, for opportunities to be up close with a great dragon were rare.

The Shadowflame Dragon was like a mountain.

Even if it looked dismal, the mountain’s oppressive aura was still present, deterring any disrespectful thoughts.

More importantly.

Even if the Shadowflame Dragon was in a wretched state, as long as it lived, it remained the undisputed deity of the entire Shadowflame Grand Duchy. All knights, all humans relied on the power of the Shadowflame Dragon to thrive on these warmer lands.

“His Highness Shadowflame is asleep.”

While Russell observed the Shadowflame Dragon, a gentle voice came from beside him, and turning around, he saw a tall knight.

“Lord Welchi,” Russell promptly gave a salute.

The man was one of the top ten Flying Dragon Knights of the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, Lord Welchi, who also served as the captain of Grand Duke Kunstan’s guard knights. However, as a captain of the guard, he was unable to ensure Grand Duke Kunstan’s safety. His status as a Flying Dragon Knight was in question.

If Red Castle were to be enraged, it’s highly possible that they would strip him of his dragon-riding privilege.

Only the hereditary nobility could own a Bipedal Flying Dragon, or someone who found a Bipedal Flying Dragon in the wild.

Otherwise, none of the dragon-riding knights bestowed by Red Castle held ownership over a Bipedal Flying Dragon, and their privilege to ride could be revoked at any time.

“Do not disturb His Highness Shadowflame,” Lord Welchi spoke softly.

“Yes, sir.”

Russell nodded and no longer approached the Shadowflame Dragon.

However, right at that moment, the slumbering Shadowflame Dragon suddenly opened its eyes. In an instant, its eyes, bigger than a room, narrowed to slits, staring straight at Russell as he prepared to step back.