Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 338 - 333: Fiora on the Attack

Chapter 338: Chapter 333: Fiora on the Attack

Leon wanted to comfort Fiora with a few words, but she pushed him away before he could speak.

"I don’t need your comfort." Fiora blinked; no tears fell. "I’m not that fragile."

"Sorry for making a scene." Fiora turned her back to Leon.

"There’s nothing funny about it," Leon said, staring at her back. Until now, he’d never realized how much Fiora supported him. "If anything, it’s quite impressive."

Fiora snorted softly.

"It might be a bit late to say this, but you could use it for the future. I was thinking..." Leon rubbed his forehead, facing the sea breeze. "Next time something like that happens, you can say you didn’t want to do it either, that you were coerced by the Red Dragon. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind. That way, it wouldn’t have to lead to this kind of mess."

"Say what suits the crowd. Talk like a human to humans, like a ghost to ghosts. Be adaptable, be eloquent. That’s something you and Cecilia love doing," Fiora replied. "I don’t like it. To me, right is right, and wrong is wrong."

"She said she’s going to convince everyone to strip you of your Metal Knight title... I recall you value that title a lot, don’t you?" Leon looked up at the sky. Tatiss had just flown off and wasn’t far yet—one Gathering Form and Scattering Energy would be enough to catch up. "I’m confident I could intercept her."

"Don’t joke around," Fiora said.

"I’m not joking," Leon explained, crossing his arms. "She’s your friend. Unless you explicitly tell me, I won’t kill her lightly... My plan is to subdue her, make her see Watchtower Port with her own eyes. Once she sees what it is now, she’ll surely understand you."

"No need." Fiora waved her hand dismissively and sat on the cliff, letting the sea breeze tangle her hair.

Leon remained silent, thinking it was better to let the other party have a moment of quiet.

"I did nothing wrong," Fiora suddenly said with an unusually firm and steely tone.

"Of course not." Leon wasn’t just agreeing for the sake of it. Truth be told, he himself had no grand ideals to bring peace to the world. His rule over Watchtower Port was for personal gain; founding a nation was for the rewards of the Golden Finger. Even so, that didn’t mean he intended to oppress the populace.

"The common people of Watchtower Port need me. If I weren’t keeping those corrupt officials in check, the citizens would have nothing left after being drained dry," Fiora said as she gazed at Leon. "Even though you strictly prohibit corruption and mistreatment of the people, implementing harsh laws to stop it, they’ll still take the chance if they see one. They’d risk everything."

"If they are unlucky enough to get caught, they wouldn’t regret their actions. They’d only regret not being more discreet," Fiora added. "And Cecilia, while not openly corrupt, she... Wherever planning is happening, she buys up the land there. A quick turnaround, and it’s a huge profit. Abusing power for personal gain."

"In fact, I taught her that." Leon admitted. "Making some money off insider information isn’t a big deal, as long as it’s not over the top. If someone’s going to profit, it may as well be one of us."

Fiora’s mouth twitched slightly.

"I’m the Red Dragon," Leon said with a cheeky grin. "Did you really think I’m some kind of virtuous person? A good dragon?"

Fiora remained sullen.

Standing behind her, Leon said, "Perspectives are shaped by circumstance. Right and wrong are subjective."

Leon arranged his thoughts. "To humans, monsters are evil. But to monsters, humans are the evil ones."

"Just do what you believe is right." Leon smiled. "Right now, the Metal Dragons working under me aren’t just you. Eggon is the Engineering Minister, and Isily isn’t as resistant as she was when she first arrived. I didn’t imprison her, and she hasn’t fled either. Now she just wanders around aimlessly every day... You’re not alone, not without allies."

Fiora gave a casual "mm-hmm," pinching the hem of Leon’s pants with her slender fingers and tugging lightly. "Would you sit with me for a while?"

"With great pleasure." Leon sat next to Fiora. Unlike her, who let her legs dangle off the cliff, he bent one knee and rested his arm on it. "Miss Fiora."

"Do you think I’ve always been foolish?" Fiora asked abruptly.

Leon looked at the sea and countered, "Do you want the truth or a lie?"

"Of course, the truth," Fiora said, her tone calm.

"The truth is, yeah, you’re pretty foolish," Leon answered honestly.

"In what way?" Fiora asked, her expression surprisingly serious and genuine.

Leon pondered for a moment. If he had to label her as foolish, it wasn’t in her work as Inspector, where she had performed outstandingly—she’d even uncovered the concealed money-making schemes he’d taught Cecilia. Was it her high intelligence but lack of emotional tact? Maybe. "Naive. Too much of a sense of justice, does that count?"

"What else?" Fiora pressed on.

Leon couldn’t immediately articulate more. He could only say what came to mind. "We tend to see the worst in people, but you seem to prefer seeing the best in them."

"Is that a problem?" Fiora countered.

"It makes you prone to losing out," Leon replied. "It’s good to trust, but better to be cautious."

"How can you say ’don’t harm others’," Fiora scoffed, tilting her head to look at him.

Leon raised his fist. "Guess what this is."

"A hand, obviously," Fiora said, puzzled.

"Nope. It’s a fist the size of a sandbag," Leon quipped. "One punch, and it’ll leave a lump the size of a sandbag on your head."

Fiora burst into giggles but suddenly stiffened, her face falling. "Can I borrow your chest for a moment?"

She buried herself into his embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

Leon admitted he was a bit of a scoundrel. Even in this moment, his mind wandered. Fiora was... well-endowed. To avoid embarrassment, he hunched over slightly, patting her back gently as a distraction.

"Not bad," Fiora muttered unexpectedly.

"What’s not bad?" Leon was puzzled.

Fiora lifted her face. "You’ve always secretly desired me, haven’t you?"

"Don’t talk nonsense," Leon said righteously.

"Your body doesn’t lie," Fiora pointed out.

People can only fake so much before instinct takes over.

That came later.

Now lying on the grassy cliff, Leon chewed on a blade of grass, staring at the endless night sky dotted with stars. Recalling the day, he realized Fiora had been wearing matching lingerie. So, what did it mean when a girl wears matching lingerie to meet a guy?

From the very first meeting, he’d thought there was something off in Fiora’s head. In what regard? She liked reading strange books and saying strange things.

Apparently, Tassera had been so forward back then because of Fiora’s influence.

A scary thought crossed Leon’s mind, making him shudder.

Boys stepping out into the world must learn to protect themselves.