Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 178 - 177 You’re Overthinking It

Chapter 178: Chapter 177 You’re Overthinking It

After the battle with the Death Knight, Leon basically confirmed that Tear Claw and Dragon’s Jaw weren’t very useful. There weren’t many opportunities to wield a sword where they could come in handy, but hey, it’s better than nothing.

Of course, being strong is a momentary thing, but being stylish lasts a lifetime. While power is undoubtedly important, having good looks shouldn’t be underestimated. Although Tear Claw and Dragon’s Jaw didn’t live up to Leon’s expectations in terms of strength, as long as they looked cool, that was enough for him. He eagerly awaited the upcoming Dragon Armor.

As for being intimidating, it had no effect whatsoever on the Death Knight. Leon understood this and wouldn’t underestimate it.

"You go handle those zombies and reassure everyone," Leon glanced at the Efreeti, then inspected the equipment left behind by the Death Knight. The shield had visible web-like cracks, and with a light tap of his claw, it shattered completely. The remaining sword and plate armor might still fetch a bit of money...

Leon handed over the mess to the Efreeti, while he returned to the volcano’s crater. Suddenly, he thought he should have greeted the Death Knight here and just tossed it into the molten lava to end the battle.

"That Death Knight was really strong."

"Actually, it wasn’t that bad. I’m much stronger than it."

"You only won because of that last Lightning Magic spell; otherwise, you definitely wouldn’t have defeated the Death Knight so easily."

"If you weren’t a Brass Dragon, you’d be cleaning tables at a tavern."

"You’re no different."

"That’s where you’re wrong. Even if I weren’t a Red Dragon and didn’t know any magical spells, I could do a lot more jobs than you... You have no idea what I’ve been through to become like this."

Even though he was just a spectator, the Brass Dragon seemed even more excited than Leon. Leon chatted with him for over ten minutes before finally losing patience.

It was the Efreeti who woke him up, and now that the battle was over, Leon wanted to catch up on his sleep.

Before falling asleep, Leon seriously considered the possibility of putting skeletons and zombies to work. However, just thinking about it made him realize it wasn’t very practical. Not to mention ethical concerns, but would this turn him into a heinous Great Demon King? Awakening skeletons and zombies would require necromancy, and even that wouldn’t be a permanent solution unless he was in a land brimming with death and destruction.

Leon was quite carefree and often forgot everything after a nap. However, the impression left by the Death Knight was too profound—the sword wound on his lip hadn’t healed yet, and even after waking up, he hadn’t forgotten.

The Death Knight, bound to the Decaying Garden as a Death Fear Punisher, would never die until redeemed, doomed to eternal unrest.

Leon worried that the Death Knight might resurrect in the Decaying Garden and report everything to the Death Horror Monarch. Torn with concern, he decided to head to Watchtower Port to look for the Blazing Sky Wall Knight, hoping to gather some intel. He remembered that the knight’s name was Jason.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have the knight’s specific address, so Leon wandered around Watchtower Port in search. Still, he believed that as long as he showed up in Watchtower Port, Jason would inevitably appear.

Even though he had previously told Jason to stay away, Leon was certain that paladins like him would never ignore it. The most troublesome thing about these holy warriors was their persistence.

"Are you wandering around looking for me?"

As expected, Leon’s appearance in Watchtower Port caused the Blazing Sky Wall Knight to show up.

"Let’s find a place to sit," Jason enthusiastically suggested.

Leon didn’t stand on ceremony and followed Jason to a coffee shop—the only one in Watchtower Port, specifically set up for merchants to conduct business. After all, it wouldn’t make sense for a merchant to be yelling like a sailor in a tavern.

"I sensed necromancy energy, meaning undead creatures recently appeared in Watchtower Port," Jason said with a nod to Leon. "You’ve encountered a Death Fear Punisher, haven’t you?"

Jason studied Leon, and judging from how casually he had dealt with a Shuffle Demon earlier, Jason concluded that Leon’s strength wasn’t weak, which explained why he hadn’t heeded Jason’s earlier warning.

Now that Leon was in Watchtower Port, there was only one possibility: he had encountered a powerful Death Fear Punisher and gotten scared.

"The wound near your mouth must have been left by that Punisher," Jason noted, his gaze briefly lingering on Leon’s face.

Leon touched his lip and thought about how his transformation skill allowed him to take human form—the wounds of his dragon form were directly reflected in his human form. He responded, "That’s right."

"I warned you long ago. A Death Fear Punisher is a dangerous entity," Jason said. "As long as you possess an Impermanence Card, whether the high-level or low-level version, the Punisher will relentlessly hunt you until its mission is complete."

"If you hand the Impermanence Card over to us, we will take it back to our headquarters and store it in our treasure vault," Jason continued. "As long as the card is no longer in your possession, you’ll have nothing to fear from the Punisher."

"I admit I’ve had contact with the Impermanence Card before, but it’s not in my hands anymore," Leon said. "I just want to ask—why are they still after me when the card is no longer with me? What exactly is the card’s scent?"

"It’s not with you anymore?" Jason shot up from his seat upon hearing Leon’s words. "Who has it now?"

"I can’t tell you," Leon said. Even when the Death Knight confronted him, he didn’t divulge information, much less would he tell Jason, the Blazing Sky Wall Knight.

"Don’t you know how dangerous that thing is?" Jason groaned, clutching his forehead. "You’ve seen it firsthand just now, haven’t you?"

"Don’t worry, it’ll be fine," Leon smiled. "I’ve already warned him about the danger. He’s not afraid."

Jason hesitated; he’d encountered similar situations too many times before. People never saw the gravity until it was too late. He said, "Fine, I won’t say anything more... If you meet him, let him know that if he encounters danger, he can come find me immediately. I’ll be staying here for a while."

"If I see him, I’ll let him know," Leon said. "By the way, you still haven’t explained what the card’s scent is. Is there anything that can be done to make the scent disappear?"

"The scent isn’t really a smell, like a fragrance or stench; it’s a kind of magic power. Shuffle Demons are particularly skilled at tracking that energy," Jason explained, inhaling deeply. "Since the card is no longer in your possession, that energy should fade away after some time."

"During the time it takes for the card’s scent to fade... I can protect you and ensure you aren’t harmed by the Punisher." True to his nature as a paladin, Jason was willing to protect others—though surely, he had his own motives as well.

"I don’t need you to worry about me; I’ve already dealt with that Punisher," Leon said. "I’m mainly concerned about the Punisher coming back to trouble me, especially the Death Horror Monarch... I only have information about the Impermanence Card, not the card itself. The Monarch wouldn’t come after me, right?"

"What are you worrying about? The Death Horror Monarch isn’t that idle," Jason chuckled. "Even if you killed the Punisher, the Monarch wouldn’t act unless they were certain you had a full set of Impermanence Cards and managed to draw the Skull Card. Otherwise, the Monarch wouldn’t easily make a move."

Jason thought for a moment, then said, "The Punisher resides in the Decaying Garden, whose center features a peculiar lighthouse called the Glass Plantation. In the middle is an Octagonal Tower known as the Death Passage—one side is an entrance, while the other seven sides are illuminated with stained glass windows that actually serve as portals to various worlds."

"When someone in the multiverse draws a Skull Card from the Impermanence Deck, one of those windows reveals a scene of that unlucky person and opens a portal to their location," Jason explained. "At that point, the Death Horror Monarch might act, and most Punishers would definitely deploy."

"Well, that’s a relief," Leon said. Only the Blazing Sky Wall members seemed to understand the Punishers so well, while Shuffle Demons only had a vague idea. With this clear answer, Leon felt reassured.

A rural warrior might be well-known in their local area, but worrying about trouble from the Emperor was absurd. Jason propped his chin on his hand and gazed at Leon, unsure what expression to show. He said, "Don’t worry about the Monarch, but the Punisher ranks are vast—you can’t rule out others coming after you."

"Resurrected Corpses, Wights, and Ghosts probably won’t pose a challenge for you," Jason said. "How about Skeleton Knights? Are you concerned about them?"

"Not at all," Leon replied.

Jason stroked his beard and gestured to where Leon had been injured. "Then who hurt you?"

"A Death Knight. It’s incredibly strong," Leon said, puzzled. "Is that a problem?"

Leon drew out the Death Knight’s weapon, saying, "This is its sword—a wicked blade. Would the Blazing Sky Wall take it? If so, I could sell it to you or trade it for something else... If you don’t have the money now, you could pay me later."

Jason suddenly fell silent, pressing his lips tightly together.

After a brief conversation, Leon said his goodbyes to the Blazing Sky Wall Knight, no longer worrying about the Impermanence Card. Suddenly, he remembered Tassera—the Blue Dragon hadn’t been unlucky enough to draw the Skull Card but had drawn the Flame Card.