Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 197 - 196 Ophalos Demon

Chapter 197: Chapter 196 Ophalos Demon

Originally, Leon had only planned to take a look at Tassera, then maybe spend ten days or so losing himself in the chaos before moving on. He hadn’t expected to stumble upon something quite so interesting. Of course, Leon was just joking around. Even without a reward from Tassera, he wouldn’t refuse to help her—he might even volunteer to join in.

To lure a snake out of its hole is no easy task, especially when the target is a cunning Yugros demon—true to its name, its essence is embodied in craftiness. Similarly, we can infer a weapon creator’s personality and modus operandi from the style and characteristics of their weapon, which makes thorough planning indispensable.

Leon wasn’t the best at planning, whether for schemes veiled in shadow or laid bare in the open. To put it simply, he preferred straightforward strategies over subtle machinations. It wasn’t that he couldn’t make plans if he had to—he just didn’t like doing so.

Back in his school days, he had avoided becoming a class officer. Instead, he preferred being the grunt soldier, following orders without overthinking. His only concerns were dodging responsibility and sneaking in a bit of leisure when he could.

Even now, Leon had no desire to rack his brains over this matter. After all, it wasn’t his issue to begin with. If Tassera wanted to fight back, he’d lend a hand. If Tassera planned to run, he’d enjoy the quiet and do whatever work she assigned him without complaint.

Tassera paced back and forth, alternating between muttering to herself and asking Leon for his thoughts.

Leon merely listened, chiming in now and then with a word or two to stave off any accusations of indifference from Tassera.

It took Tassera an entire day of plotting—she even dreamed about it in her sleep—before finally handing Leon a task.

And so, on a gusty morning, Leon left Tassera’s lair, taking with him the cursed weapon—the Bloodsucking Sword—to a canyon.

The canyon resembled a crack in the earth, its steep cliffs so sheer that sunlight could barely reach through, scattering into dappled patterns on the wind-eroded ground below.

A band of sand bandits roamed the canyon. They wore tattered leather armor, and their rugged faces told tales of a harsh desert life. They had turned the canyon into their stronghold, using their familiarity with the terrain and cunning tactics to plunder countless travelers and merchant caravans passing through. In this stretch of desert, their name carried weight.

Leon shifted back into his human form, then performed a Gathering Form and Scattering Energy technique to land silently atop a crude fortress made of piled stone and sand. He observed the sand bandits below, gathered around a blazing bonfire, drinking and feasting. The group was mainly human, with some hobgoblins and bugbears mixed in.

Leon’s task here was straightforward: throw the Bloodsucking Sword into the mix and quietly observe as the bandits fought over it, hoping to uncover any leads. With so little to go on, this was the best avenue for investigation.

Using innocent, good-hearted villagers as pawns? That was something Leon might hesitate to do. But against a band of hardened criminals, he felt no such moral qualms.

"What’s this thing?"

"Whose sword is this?"

A short-statured bandit was the first to notice the Bloodsucking Sword. He picked it up and called over a tall half-elf bandit, which eventually drew the attention of the eyepatch-wearing bandit leader...

The Bloodsucking Sword, once attuned, couldn’t be removed without a Remove Curse spell or a High-level Restoration Technique. And among this bunch? Spellcasters versed in such powers? Highly unlikely. Perhaps chopping one’s hand off could work, but who would take such a drastic measure unless absolutely forced?

The Bloodsucking Sword would drain the blood of enemies to nourish its wielder. If no enemies were available, it would instead feast on its wielder’s blood until it was satiated. First, they slaughtered camels, then prisoners. Soon enough, the sword’s thirst was sated.

The blade, once white in hue, transformed into a crimson sheen after being bathed in blood, growing sharper and more deadly—able to slice through iron like mud. At that point, the curse no longer mattered; the sword’s newfound value as a rare, blood-fed weapon awakened greed among the bandits.

What unfolded was a tragic bloodbath—but since it happened to these sand bandits, it felt like poetic justice, karma come full circle.

As the instigator of all this, Leon mused that his moral alignment might just shift slightly toward the "good" side after such an act.

In the end, the one left standing wasn’t the bandit leader but a man with a prominent nose. Holding the Bloodsucking Sword, he surveyed the carnage around him, panting heavily. He tossed the sword away, only to retrieve it again with reluctant fondness, slinging it onto his back before leaving the canyon with a haul of gold and treasure.

Leon didn’t reveal himself but instead drove a colossal Sand Roll Beast—a distant cousin of the Centipede Demon—to attack the man, leaving the Bloodsucking Sword lying abandoned on the sand.

Standing at a distance atop a rocky mountain, Leon waited and watched. But after waiting for hours, no Yugros demon appeared to retrieve the weapon. It wasn’t until nightfall that he saw a hunched, exceptionally tall old woman in a tattered robe and cloak shuffle toward the blade.

A desolate desert like this wouldn’t produce any ordinary elderly ladies. She had to be a sand witch, a near kin to the Annis Hag.

Leon considered following the sand witch, but despite the cover of night, he couldn’t fool her.

"Boy, I’ve noticed you. Come out now." The sand witch’s shrill voice carried far across the desert.

Leon slowly stepped forward.

"Who are you?" The sand witch scrutinized Leon. "Why are you following me?"

"I have a few questions for you," Leon said bluntly, getting straight to the point. "Since you were able to locate that sword so precisely, it’s clear that you have a connection to its creator. That Yugros demon—who is it?"

"Follow Granny, and I’ll tell you who that Yugros demon is." The sand witch, true to her kind, preferred luring victims to remote places. She’d either ambush them with overwhelming numbers, deceive them into self-destructive actions, or simply wait for them to fall asleep.

Leon wasn’t patient enough for those antics. Cracking his neck, he shifted into his Dragon Form and rumbled, "Now, can you tell me?"

Between a Yugros demon and a chaotic evil Red Dragon, the latter was undoubtedly more terrifying.

Seeing Leon transform into a massive Red Dragon, the sand witch quickly stopped playing coy and spilled everything she knew, whether true or false.

Leon dispatched the sand witch mercifully, annoyed at the time wasted on the mission. He resolved to demand some reward from Tassera for his troubles. Returning to the Oasis City, he found Tassera at her shop and recounted his experience.

"What’s the situation on your end?" Leon asked with a newfound lightness after completing his task. "Didn’t you say that man had more similar items to sell to you? Did he find you today?"

"No, he didn’t," Tassera replied. "But I found him instead, drinking in a tavern. I used a little... persuasion." She crossed her legs lazily, running her fingers through her loose hair. "Turns out someone instructed him to do it—a person he met during a ruin exploration."

"Where’s that ruin?" Leon inquired, "Should we check it out?"

"We can take a look." Tassera gazed into a Crystal Ball, which reflected only a blank surface. "Even if that person—definitely a Yugros demon disguised as a human—isn’t there, maybe we can find some clues."

"Go now, or wait for dawn?" For both Leon and Tassera, who were dragons with Dark Vision, day or night made little difference. The only variation was in color and brightness, which barely affected their ability to perceive or act.

"Let’s go now. Time is of the essence." Tassera nodded at Leon, having picked up his manner of speech.

"Lead the way," Leon said, then paused. "By the way, I’m curious... Do you think the Yugros demon who tricked you with the Flame Card knows you’re a Blue Dragon?"

"I doubt it—neither do I know for sure." Tassera pondered for a moment before continuing, "I’ve heard of the Impermanence Card, but I don’t know much about it. When I drew the card, I was in human form. The demon’s grudge should’ve been against my human disguise, unless further investigation revealed my true identity as a Blue Dragon."

No ruin could truly elude two dragons. Regardless of how well-hidden, a bird’s-eye view would uncover it instantly.

Leon and Tassera exchanged glances and spiraled down toward the ruin, buried under yellow sands. They reverted to human forms and began examining their surroundings. Just as they were about to look for clues, a man clad in luxurious formalwear emerged from an unusually intact, dilapidated temple.

Had they really found the mastermind so easily?

Leon found it hard to believe.

"Was it you scheming against me?" Tassera strode forward boldly. "An Ophalos demon."

Ophalos demons—cunning, humanoid creatures with jackal heads—had the magical ability to take on any humanoid form. Their charming smiles masked their inherently vicious nature.

Ophalos demons typically worked as commanders for lower-tier Yugros demons, overseeing contracts, records, and accounting. This didn’t mean they were weak; rather, each was more devious than the last, armed with high intellect and mastery over advanced spells.

"I am Sup, and it’s a pleasure to meet you—a Blue Dragon and a Red Dragon both," the demon introduced himself with a hand over his chest, bowing politely to Leon and Tassera.

Ophalos demons had True Vision, allowing them to see through polymorphs and magical transformations to discern a creature’s true form.

"Since you can recognize us as a Blue Dragon and a Red Dragon," Tassera said, "you must be bold indeed to confront us instead of fleeing."

Sup remained composed and courteous, replying, "In fact, I have been awaiting your arrival for quite some time."

"Oh, really?" Tassera raised an eyebrow at his words.

Leon’s instincts prickled. He scanned his surroundings, promptly reverting to his Dragon Form and readying himself for combat.

"There’s no need to be so tense," Sup said calmly. "No ambush awaits. It’s just me."

The Ophalos demon visibly faltered upon seeing the armored Red Dragon but quickly recovered. "And, uh, Red Dragon sir, this matter does not concern you. If you could choose to remain uninvolved, we would sincerely appreciate it."