Work Prophet
Chapter 184 - 32 Where’s My Dragon?

Chapter 184: Chapter 32 Where’s My Dragon?

The messenger looked up in shock upon hearing the laughter, and turned his gaze towards the Family Head of the Arias household. He found that the latter had already resumed a serious demeanor. When she spoke, her tone carried some gravity which could have be improved if her face hadn’t been flushed with redness.

"This is terrifying, I never thought that dragon would attack Black Stone City."

Miss Rabbit spoke earnestly; she, along with everyone else, believed that once the dragon in the swamp failed to find enough food, it would inevitably attack Green Field first since it was so close by.

This was also why all the nobles in the western territory felt they could continue to delay the dragon slaying, knowing that the Arias family would be the first in line to face any disaster, affording them time to calmly gather their forces afterward.

It would also give them a chance to reassess the dragon’s strength based on Green Field’s losses.

However, no one had anticipated that this so-called doomed individual was still in fine shape, while those who had been idly watching had inadvertently drawn fire onto themselves.

And it was quite literally drawing fire onto themselves.

The messenger then recounted to the Family Head of the Arias family what had happened the day before.

When the Black Dragon flew over Black Stone City, the city was in the midst of a celebration, celebrating the current Family Head of the Immanuel Family, Sir Diodosi, having fathered a child late in life, thus adding another boy to the family.

In order to share this joy with the townspeople, Sir Diodosi declared that all taverns in the city would be free for three days, with all expenses during this period to be covered by the Immanuel Family.

Upon his declaration, not just the city’s residents but also neighboring mercenaries and travelers rushed to Black Stone City.

Sir Diodosi, along with his sixth wife and newly born son, rode in a flower-adorned carriage, tossing money about while basking in the surrounding roars of approval.

Unexpectedly, the circumstances shifted dramatically in an instant, as a vast shadow descended from the sky, plunging into the crowd.

It crushed a drunkard to death instantly, and then, without a word, unleashed a blast of Dragon Breath at the newly born child. That poor little one had just opened his eyes to glimpse the splendor of the mortal world for the first time, only to close them forever.

Along with him, his mother, a team of guards responsible for protecting the carriage, and several young members of the Immanuel Family lost their lives — even Sir Diodosi himself nearly perished.

Seeing the situation turn dire, the Family Head of the Immanuel Family immediately leaped from the carriage and dove under it. However, he still sustained burns and is currently being treated by family physicians and priests from the Silver Moon Church. It is uncertain if he will survive.

Hearing this, Miss Rabbit couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows and interjected, "Was Sir Diodosi’s youngest daughter, Miss Angela, among the young people who were attacked?"

"No, Miss Angela wasn’t in Black Stone City at the time."

Ireya voiced an acknowledgment, indicating to the messenger to continue.

"After attacking Sir Diodosi and his party, the Black Dragon began to set fires throughout Black Stone City. The fires spread quickly while the city was crowded, everyone was screaming and trying to flee, clogging the streets," the messenger explained, "making it difficult for the guards to get through."

"How many casualties did you have over there?" Miss Rabbit asked.

"A preliminary count puts the number at about three to four thousand."

"How could there be so many?!" Ireya was also startled, "Has that dragon become so vicious?"

"Actually, only about a hundred people died directly at its hands; the rest were either caught in the fires or more were trampled to death by others in the chaos of escape. The city was in turmoil, and some even took the opportunity to rob and kill," the messenger reported truthfully.

"When I left Black Stone City, the turmoil there hadn’t completely settled down yet."

"What about the dragon then, what happened to it afterward?"

"It flew away," said the messenger, "Its speed is very fast, our people simply couldn’t catch up to it."

This explanation was just the official stance of the Immanuel Family. The actual situation was that at that time, everyone had been terrified by that dragon, watching helplessly as it incinerated an entire family of their lord, yet no one dared to follow it, only to let it leave unhindered after it had its fill.

Ireya, being a noble herself, was naturally well aware of this, but she did not point it out; instead, she expressed her regret and sympathy for the misfortunes of the Immanuel Family and then said to the messenger, "You came here because you think..."

"The Immanuel Family believes that the tragedy that occurred in Black Stone City is proof enough that the evil dragon is extremely dangerous, and it would be difficult to eliminate it with the strength of just any single family; the nobles of the western territories must unite immediately."

"Ha, isn’t this exactly what I’ve been saying for the past two months?" The girl’s expression turned strange.

"I’m sorry, but at that time, most people hadn’t yet realized the seriousness of this issue."

"Was it not realizing the seriousness of the issue, or thinking that you were far away and wouldn’t be affected by that dragon anytime soon?" Ireya’s uncle Lucio couldn’t help but speak up.

Miss Rabbit also said, "Both Lord David and I had warned you. That dragon can fly, and it’s very fast; if it wants, it can fly across the entire western territories. Representatives of the Immanuel Family were also present at the time, but you raised objections based on economic concerns.

"With Black Stone City right next to Green Field, you have not sent a single soldier in these two months to help the Arias Family deal with the imminent crisis, yet now you turn around asking for our help?"

Looking at the messenger who was left speechless, Ireya felt a satisfaction she had never felt before, as if she had savored two pieces of Shrimp Cracker.

However, complaints aside, the issue still had to be resolved. Although it was unknown where the Black Dragon had gone, its lair was always in the Gai Gu Great Swamp. Miss Rabbit naturally hoped the dragon would simply vanish and not return, but reality might not be so kind.

It felt like a sharp blade hanging over her head, and the girl didn’t want to continue living in constant fear. It would obviously be better to resolve this threat sooner rather than later.

Thus, after taking a deep breath, Ireya added, "You can go back and tell your family that the Arias Family’s stance has not changed, supporting the union of all the families in the western territories to fight against that fearsome beast together."

She paused, then added another line, "For the family of Sir Diodosi, and those who lost their lives to it."

The messenger’s face showed a hint of joy, but then he heard Ireya continue, "However, I do not think that Lord Hels should still serve as the Alliance Commander... Hmm... Since he has been the commander, so much time has passed and the Alliance Army hasn’t even shown a shadow, we should select someone more capable."

The messenger was momentarily stunned, but such matters were not for him to meddle in. He then bowed slightly, saying respectfully, "I will take your suggestions back to my family."