Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 498 - 498 497 The King Arrives Personally

Chapter 498: Chapter 497: The King Arrives Personally Chapter 498: Chapter 497: The King Arrives Personally “Greetings to Lord Russell!”

“Lord Russell, the grand spectacle of your duel with the Frost Giant Ge yesterday is something we all wished we could have witnessed personally. It is a great pity we missed it!”

“Earl Sir, I offer you my highest respects!”

In the hall of the Inner Fort at Red Castle, nobles of the Grand Duchy were paying their respects to Russell, expressing their awe and admiration.

Frost Giant Ge had been slain by Russell the night before last. After brewing all of yesterday, the news had spread throughout the whole castle today; everyone knew and spoke of it. Moreover, the truth of it had been verified by the Council of Elders, praised by the Shadowflame Dragon himself.

“You flatter me,” Russell said with a casual smile, “it was merely an underdeveloped Frost Giant, hardly worth mentioning.”

While that was said,

the spate of sycophantic compliments around him never ceased for a moment.

“Lord Russell, why not tell us about what happened during the fight?” Baron Dyson Golden Top Mushroom eagerly asked.

Although there had been displeasure during their previous encounters, Dyson had since actively endeavored to align with Russell, mending the relations between the Golden Cap Family and the Fluorescent Fungi Family, and this year he was even planning to open a trade route from the Golden Prairie to Leize.

“Indeed, Lord Russell, do tell us about it,”

“Battles of a Dragon’s scale are beyond us; we can only look forward to seeing the Earl and His Highness Shadowflame fighting side by side!”

The nobles crowded around Russell, forming circles within circles around him.

Seeing everyone so enthusiastic, Russell reluctantly cleared his throat and said, “Very well, I shall briefly share with you the situation of that night’s battle…”

In another corner of the hall, Earl Oskolo Willow from the Count Stone Shard family stood together, noticeably not blending in with the crowd.

Seeing Russell surrounded by countless nobles, Earl Oskolo could not help but snort coldly, muttering under his breath, “Such a vile character, yet he manages to rise to the rank of Earl. The Dragon really has become senile; why would they ever cultivate him!”

His son, the chosen son Augustus,

full of envy, nodded in agreement, “Exactly, what ‘slaying the Frost Giant Ge’? He just picked up a windfall in a battle involving three dragons and thinks he is a Dragon Knight now. And the Regent Lady too, even holding a commendation ceremony in the great hall for him!”

“Don’t worry, father, son,” Lady Kunli said venomously as she stared at Russell, her voice sharp and spiteful.

Then she glanced towards another corner of the hall, where Baron Romand and his wife, Viscount and Viscountess Mejie, were also surrounded by a large number of nobles. Her sister-in-law, Lady Kuna, was pulling Lady Meryl along, laughing and chatting sisterly.

This only fueled Lady Kunli’s jealousy, her voice growing even sharper: “Don’t be fooled because he killed a Frost Giant today; perhaps next time, he will be killed by a Snow Giant, dying miserably in the Snowfield, his soul never resting in peace!”

Earl Oskolo laughed coldly, “I look forward to that day!”

“It won’t be long,” Augustus also sneered.

Behind them, Augustus’s wife Davin quietly lowered her head, feeling powerless about her husband’s family’s mindset.

She had thought that by marrying into an Earl’s family, she was destined for a top-tier noblewoman’s life.

Who would have thought that this family of the Earl would be of such character? She couldn’t help but lament internally, “No wonder none of our Three-headed Bipedal Flying Dragons take these two seriously… If only my uncle had arranged my marriage to Lord Russell, how much better would that have been!”

As she fantasized,

Lady Kunli suddenly yanked at her, “Always lurking in the back, exuding the air of a petty household, you disgrace the Willow Clan!”

Davin dared not talk back.

But she thought bitterly, “What dignity does the Willow Clan have left, with my father-in-law lying on the ground having his face trodden upon…”

Earl Oskolo, unaware of his daughter-in-law’s internal criticism,

put on an air of seniority and said gravely, “Davin, look at your brother’s attitude, his obsequiousness even towards his enemies, has he no Baron’s pride left! Later, you must reprimand him properly for me, make him be more reserved and not think of playing both sides.”

Davin, with her head down, responded softly as though a mosquito, “Yes.”

Yet, she had made up her mind, definitely to emphasize to her brother, Baron Dyson, the necessity of earnestly ingratiating himself with Lord Russell.

Mingling with the Willow Clan promised nothing fruitful.

On the contrary, currying favor with Lord Russell would further stabilize his status as Baron Gold, providing her with a strong backing—against a family like the Willows, who were fierce on the outside but frail on the inside, the closer one got, the less they were valued.

“Find an opportunity and go over there, be smart, and stop acting like a servant the whole day!” Lady Kunli scolded.

Davin still kept her head low and complied.

This further displeased the count and his wife, and they belittled her yet again, while her husband, Augustus, appeared indifferent to the matter.

He only stared at Russell, his eyes filled with both jealousy and admiration.

Seeing this, a look of resentment flashed in Davin’s eyes, and her fingernails left deep marks in the palm of her hand under her sleeve.

She prayed incessantly in her heart, “Lord Russell, please become a Dragon Knight soon, become the new Duke, and banish these despicable people to the Snowfields, and may Augustus also perish in battle there… The Willow Clan is enough with me, the widow…”

With this thought,

she couldn’t help but lift her head and glance at the inexpressibly noble Russell in the crowd, her heart skipping a beat, and a slight dampness emerged below.

…

Slaying a Frost Giant on par with a dragon was certainly a great victory for the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

Therefore, at the celebration of valor, Russell became the center of attention, surrounded by all stars.

Chief Steward Lord Kunbei, standing together with Regent Lady Princess Anxia, said cheerfully, “Just promoted to earl, and he has slain Frost Giant Ge; this is the greatest gift to our Grand Duchy, to His Highness Shadowflame, to Lord Russell!”

Princess Anxia, with a smile filling her eyes, said gently, “Lord Kunbei, your Council of Elders should indeed reward Russell handsomely.”

“Ha ha, the Regent Lady need not worry; His Highness Shadowflame has already rewarded him, and we only need to celebrate for Lord Russell,” Kunbei said.

After speaking, Lord Kunbei took another glance at Princess Kunlaya who stood by Princess Anxia, already blossomed into a striking beauty, and remarked, “The little princess has also grown up; Regent Lady, you have made it through.”

“Yes, made it through,” Princess Anxia sighed sentimentally, looking fondly at her daughter.

Despite a life of hardship, she was, after all, accompanied by her daughter and still held a sliver of hope for the future.

At that moment,

suddenly, a dragon’s roar echoed in the sky outside the great hall: “Roar!”

The sound reverberated through heaven and earth, but it was not the roar of the Shadowflame Dragon; the nobles of the Grand Duchy were very familiar with the Shadowflame Dragon’s roaring sound.

“Eh, it’s the Fiery Dragon’s voice!” exclaimed Lord Kunbei in surprise.

Immediately after, another dragon’s roar was heard: “Roar!”

This time it was the Shadowflame Dragon’s voice; the two roars, one after the other, were obviously a greeting between the Fiery Dragon and the Shadowflame Dragon.

Inside the great hall, the nobles discussed among themselves, “With the Fiery Dragon arriving, does that mean King Ares has come?”

“Why has His Majesty suddenly come?”

“Could it be that His Majesty has come to personally congratulate Lord Russell at today’s celebration of valor?”

“It must be for Frost Giant Ge!”

“Splendid! Lord Russell’s slaying of Frost Giant Ge has even roused King Ares!”

Soon, Count Merlin stepped forward, silencing the noisy discussion, “Gentlemen, follow me to welcome King Ares!”

As everyone just stepped out of the Inner Fort Hall,

they saw the Fiery Dragon, overshadowing the sky and enveloped in rolling smoke, hovering above Red Castle, its dragon head overlooking the multitude beneath.

Above its head, King Ares rose from the smoke, casually walked through the air, and arrived in front of the Red Fort Hall.

“We greet His Majesty the King!” Count Merlin, emerging out of the crowd, greeted King Ares with proper decorum, “We were unaware of His Majesty’s arrival and did not prepare sufficient ceremony, my negligence.”

“It’s not your negligence; it’s my rudeness for coming unannounced,” King Ares replied casually, nodding his head. At his level, decorousness was no longer a requirement, and he could follow his own inclinations.

“Father,” Princess Anxia said, pulling Princess Kunlaya along to greet him.

Princess Kunlaya also called out, “Grandfather.”

“Hmm,” King Ares nodded calmly, always maintaining a cold demeanor towards this daughter and granddaughter.

However, this time, he stepped forward and touched Princess Kunlaya’s head.

But he quickly moved past Princess Anxia and her daughter, turning his gaze toward Russell in the crowd, “Slaying Frost Giant Ge, young Russell, you have greatly impressed me. Therefore, I have personally come today to congratulate you.”