The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases
Chapter 79 - 77: Too Chaotic

Chapter 79: Chapter 77: Too Chaotic

David had never imagined that the Duke of Silver, a figure of such lofty status, would choose to personally meet him at the very first opportunity.

The Duke of Silver, descending from upstairs, seemed unconcerned by David’s greedy and aggressive gaze. In fact, her smile widened slightly when she noticed the focus of his stare.

It was only when she reached the final turn of the staircase on the first floor, pausing at a spot slightly elevated above David, that she stopped and prepared to speak.

"Auntie—AHH!!!" Ahmed, who had lunged towards the stairs, his enthusiastic "Auntie—" still hanging in the air, was sent flying out of the castle doors—which slammed open and shut—by the Duke’s raised staff.

After ejecting the impolite fellow, she turned to David, smiled gracefully, and said,

"I presume you are the young Silver Dragon, Saphistouin, who has recently caused quite a stir among our High Elves.

"Due to the recently tense situation and the successive assassination attempts I’ve faced, I had no choice but to strengthen the defenses around myself and my daughter, Elizabeth.

"I thought they were well-hidden, but I didn’t expect your perception to be so powerful that it became the source of your alarm.

"For that, I deeply apologize."

As the towering Elf bowed slightly, her already ample bosom seemed even more magnificent and profound, giving David, the small Silver Hatchling, a little jolt.

"There’s no need for formality. My visit is only to return your nephew and to try and collect a modest reward for ensuring his safe return.

"Oh, right, the one you just tossed out the door," David added, flicking the tip of his tail toward the entrance.

"Oh, my unlucky cousin Ahmed," Princess Elizabeth, standing behind her, could only cover her mouth and giggle, playing along with David’s performance.

"That’s what I wanted to discuss with you," the Duke of Silver said, smiling.

Discuss? David was slightly startled. Does this kind of thing really require discussion? Discussing benefits? Or something else? But what David absolutely hadn’t guessed was that the Duke of Silver wanted to discuss...

"What I want to discuss with you concerns the very ’story’ of you, a Silver Hatchling, returning to the New Continent..."

And the replacement of the ’actors’ in that story.

As the Duke explained with crystal clarity, like a flowing stream, David finally understood how his impulsive decision had caused such a fiasco and trouble for all the High Elves, and even for Dewensen.

"His Majesty, Elf King Ailiando, has handed the decision-making for this matter back to me. After much deliberation, this is the only solution I could devise.

"We will publicly declare that my ’resurrected’ nephew was actually my mischievous, runaway daughter Elizabeth in disguise.

"And you, a Silver Hatchling who happened to be out on an adventure, rescued my daughter from that shipwreck and brought her back to me.

"A clichéd but failsafe tale of a hero saving a damsel in distress.

"Only in this way can we quell the raging fury of the families of the naval personnel who are practically battering down the doors of the military logistics department.

"And only thus can we preserve the dignity of myself, Mirillian Elizabeth Scallia, Duke of Silver Wheel, His Majesty Elf King Ailiando, and the entire navy of the Elven Kingdom.

"For this, I will compensate you with a reward no less than what you would receive for ’rescuing’ one of my nephews.

"What do you think?"

Hearing these words, which so easily resolved the Elven Kingdom’s troubles by completely inverting the truth, David felt a mix of admiration and a new sense of caution toward the Duke.

But since there was money involved, what was there to complain about?

"That’s perfectly fine. But what about your nephew, what’s-his-name?"

The Duke of Silver chuckled. "I believe it would be a relatively amicable arrangement for both of you if he were to continue his training under your guidance, Lord Saphistouin. If you don’t fully trust him, it’s also perfectly acceptable to establish a Magical Contract to ensure reliability, similar to the ones you have with your two Drow."

As she spoke, a female attendant, who seemed to materialize from the shadows, presented a Magic Slavery Contract.

Judging by its intricate patterns and shimmering magical aura, it was likely a couple of tiers higher in quality than the contracts used on the two Drow.

David was completely taken aback and said bluntly,

"The problem is, I was worried you wouldn’t recognize your nephew, so I even arranged for a priest to come over today and give him some ’cosmetic surgery’."

The Duke of Silver immediately laughed heartily, her form trembling.

"Oh, you mean the resident Priest Attilicia. That’s no problem. He’s a regular visitor to our Silver Fortress and also my... friend. In any case, I had already planned a welcome luncheon for you today. His presence simply means adding one more place setting. And it saves you a considerable ’travel fee,’ doesn’t it?"

So the plan is to let that unlucky fellow Ahmed live out the rest of his days with that disfigured Drow face that his ’aunt’ wouldn’t even recognize? Wow! That’s so cruel! And so damn amusing! These High Elves are truly ruthless when they set their minds to it. No different from those Drow, are they?

But hearing that last sentence made David pause. Anything involving money, he felt, needed to be clarified.

"Hold on, why does it save *me* money, and not *you*?"

The Duke of Silver playfully shrugged her shoulders like a young maiden.

"But he’s your subordinate now, isn’t he?"

"..." David, a ’naturally evil’ Red Dragon, felt a flush of shame at the Elf’s audacity.

"Of course, if you’re unwilling, I’ll have no choice but to send him to Central Earth to gain experience."

"No need. This... valiant warrior, I’ll take him under my wing." The main reason is that high-grade Magic Slavery Contract is valuable. It’s practically a freebie; it’d be foolish not to take it. I could find a favored enforcer to use it on later. As for that High Elf, whatever his name is, he’s just an extra. Tossing him into the Dragon Nest to be a Hatchling caretaker would still be a net gain.

"It seems we’ve reached an agreement on this matter. Truly cause for celebration."

The Duke of Silver smiled sweetly again, her expression full of noble grace, and said,

"However, it’s still early, and the Halfling chefs are still preparing the banquet. If you still have some energy, how about I have Elizabeth give you a tour of my domain?"

Without waiting for David to refuse, she turned her head towards her daughter, smiled, and winked.

"Elizabeth, your Silver Dragon friend you’ve been so looking forward to is here. Make sure you seize this opportunity, alright?"

"I will, Mother." Elizabeth’s lovely face immediately flushed crimson.

The Duke of Silver’s sudden arrangement left David completely bewildered.

Especially when he caught the subtle implications in the conversation between the Elf mother and daughter, and recalled how the Duke had previously gone to great lengths to have ’him,’ the Silver Hatchling, ’invited’ back to the New Continent...

A wild idea, so audacious it startled even himself, flashed through his mind:

Damn! Could the Duke of Silver, seeing that I’m male, be thinking of recruiting a Dragon Knight for her daughter? Or even crazier... damn it, is she thinking of recruiting me, David, as a live-in ’Dragon King consort’?

This absurd notion made David’s mind reel, and then he recalled something even more critical:

If I really let this High Elf princess accompany me constantly, with that swarm of sentinels always lurking nearby, how could I possibly carry on my potion smuggling business in the New Continent? What was my purpose in coming here, anyway? Surely, I didn’t come all this way just to become a mount or a live-in Dragon consort for this delicate Elf princess, did I?

*Wrath*.

But then another thought popped into his head:

This is the Duke of Silver’s daughter! Getting on her good side would be like connecting with a future incredibly wealthy young heiress, wouldn’t it? If this rich miss is happy, would I still need to slave away for that paltry sum of hard-earned cash?

*Sloth*.

As David’s mind wrestled with these two conflicting extremes, Elizabeth, holding the hem of her skirt and blushing shyly, approached him.

BOOM.

The great doors of the Silver Fortress were thrust open violently.

Everyone instinctively turned to look. David, the Duke of Silver, and her daughter all stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

"Attilicia... you..." the Duke of Silver began to say.

David also blurted out, "Father Attilicia, what are you doing here so early?"

We agreed on today, but this... this is far too early, isn’t it? Moreover, the Silver Dragon Priest’s eyes were clearly red and swollen, with dark circles under them—he obviously hadn’t slept well last night!

Then they saw Father Attilicia, whose gaze had been fixed on David since he entered. He strode directly towards David, bypassing the spot Elizabeth was about to reach. He firmly grasped David’s foreleg, took a deep breath, and, turning to the Duke of Silver, said urgently,

"Mirillian, if you don’t mind, how about I accompany Lord Saphistouin on a tour around your territory instead?"

At these words, David, whose foreleg was tightly gripped and couldn’t be shaken free, was utterly dumbfounded!

Princess Elizabeth, who had been about to walk over and take David’s arm, was also flabbergasted.

The Barbarian and the Winter Wolf, not being the sharpest tools in the shed, were simply dumbstruck.

The two worldly-wise Drow exchanged bewildered glances.

Everyone was utterly astounded...

And to think that Priest Attilicia dared to address the Duke of Silver by her first name, Mirillian? Yet the Duke seemed completely accustomed to this familiar address and remained unfazed.

This made everyone cast questioning glances at Princess Elizabeth, whose eyes were now welling up with aggrieved tears due to Attilicia’s unexpected ’swooping in’...

Chaos... Their social circle is utter chaos!!!

Only the Duke of Silver, observing Attilicia’s obvious exhaustion, anxiety, and deep concern—clear signs of a sleepless night—couldn’t help but connect it to this Silver Hatchling’s origins in the Old Continent, and even to the tragic misfortune that had befallen Priest Attilicia during the Crimson Calamity nine years ago.

A shocking conclusion began to form in her mind.

Could it be... that this Silver Hatchling is the illegitimate child of Attilicia and that... Crimson Calamity? In that case, my original plans... would they still be feasible, in any sense of the word...?