Evil dragon has a warm heart

Chapter 175: Chapter 174: Returning Home Chapter 175: Chapter 174: Returning Home “A half-step Great Knight, what a bizarre title!” Count Merlin stepped into the training ground. “What is it that occupies your mind all day?”

“Grandfather.”

“Grandpa.”

Russell quickly greeted him.

Count Merlin drew a fine steel longsword from the weapon rack and looked at Russell, “Your Battle Qi is depleted, isn’t it? Can you still fight?”

“Are you going to instruct me, Grandpa? Of course, I can!” Russell responded with joy, the handsome elder before him was a Flying Dragon Knight, after all.

The entire Shadowflame Grand Duchy could count the number of its Flying Dragon Knights on one hand.

“Not instruction, but a duel. A pure contest of Swordsmanship, purely Swordsmanship!” Count Merlin gripped the fine steel longsword, and his aura instantly transformed.

Like a precious sword drawn from its sheath.

Russell held his fine steel longsword with both hands, likewise erupting with an unstoppable aura, and stood directly opposite Count Merlin from a distance.

In an instant.

The two clashed, their similar fine steel longswords continuously clanged against each other, and they exchanged blows more than a dozen times in one breath.

Viscount Mejie and Cousin Mel watched on, completely overwhelmed.

But soon, the two figures moved faster and faster, their longswords clashing rapidly, producing not only a sharp metallic sound but also a piercing sound as they sliced through the air.

Without Battle Qi.

This was a pure contest of Swordsmanship.

It started quickly and ended just as quickly, in less than half a quarter of an hour, snap, both fine steel longswords simultaneously broke.

The figures of Russell and Count Merlin separated as quickly as they had come together.

Count Merlin stood with his hands behind his back, not out of breath, while Russell was gasping heavily, hands on his thighs.

“Grandpa is impressive!” Russell praised sincerely.

With the enhancement of the Sword Butterfly Amber Bug, he was able to achieve the perfection of Swordsmanship, but Count Merlin had no such bug—Russell had observed Count Merlin carefully in the Gloomy Dreamland, there was no glow from an amber bug.

This meant Count Merlin’s Swordsmanship was entirely self-taught.

One couldn’t help but admire it.

“That little spirit of yours is quite something,” Count Merlin praised, then turned to Mel, “Mel, who do you think won or lost between Russell and me?”

Mel replied with a smile, “Surely, Grandfather, you won.”

“Nonsense!”

“Er…”

“Mejie, what about you, can you tell who won and who lost between Russell and me?” Count Merlin then turned to his own son.

Viscount Mejie laughed, “Father, do you want the truth or something pleasant?”

“The truth.”

“The truth is, you lost, and you used your superior strength to unfairly break Russell’s fine steel longsword.”

“Haha!” Count Merlin wasn’t angry when his son revealed his tactic, instead, he laughed heartily, “Not bad, I did use a little trick, otherwise it wouldn’t have looked good, knowing that in all the years of dueling, when have I not had the upper hand!”

Yet this time, his swordsmanship was bested by Russell.

He then patted Russell heavily on the shoulder, “I am starting to look forward to seeing how far you will go on the path of Swordsmanship!”

Russell smiled, “I hope to reach even higher peaks!”

Viscount Mejie mused, “Your Battle Qi talent is average, but your Swordsmanship is astonishing. Given time, you are bound to become a powerful Phantom Beast Knight. Keep it up, and asking Grand Duke Kunstan for a dragon to ride might not be impossible.”

Just as the Rainflower Family has many Little Sprites, the Shadowflame Family of Red Castle also has a lot of Bipedal Flying Dragons.

However, despite the abundance of Bipedal Flying Dragons, there weren’t many within the family who could ride them.

Thus, a policy was implemented, targeting those Great Knights and Phantom Beast Knights of outstanding talent who were identified as having the potential to ride dragons.

As long as they dedicated themselves to serving the Shadowflame Family wholeheartedly, they would be granted a chance to ride a dragon.

If they managed to successfully mount a Bipedal Flying Dragon and subsequently accomplished outstanding feats in battle, that Bipedal Flying Dragon would be awarded to the Flying Dragon Knight as a reward, helping the knight to establish a new hereditary noble family and defend the frontier for Red Castle.

After Earl Merlin and Viscount Mejie left.

Mel directly hooked his arm around Russell’s shoulder, cheerfully saying, “Russell, do you want me to make you famous? You are the one who defeated Flying Dragon Knight Merlin! Keep in mind that in recent years, many have challenged my grandfather, yet none have been able to shake him!”

It could be said that aside from the Shadowflame Dragons, Earl Merlin was the strongest in the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

“Forget it, my grandpa would beat me up.”

“How could he? Grandfather has already retired from the grand stage of Red Castle, and now it’s our time to shine. Using his reputation to build your fame wouldn’t bother him.”

“No way,” Russell said. “I don’t want to serve Grand Duke Kunstan either.”

Mel’s eyes lit up, “Great minds think alike!”

And so, the subject of making a name for oneself was dropped.

Both men went to bathe and change their clothes, and when they met again afterwards, Russell spoke up, “Cousin, after staying for almost a month, it’s time for me to say goodbye and leave.”

“So soon?”

“Being away from my domain for so long, I’m a bit worried.”

Mel wanted to say that there was nothing to worry about for such a small manor, but seeing the seriousness in Russell’s eyes, he held back and sighed, “Alright then, since you want to go back, I won’t keep you any longer.”

“Thank you.”

“But remember one thing, Tributary River Mouth is always welcoming to you, and I am always here to welcome you as my vassal.”

“Okay, when I figure it out, I’ll come to join you,” Russell said with a laugh.

Thus, at dinner that evening, Russell formally made his farewells to Earl Merlin and Viscount Mejie and his wife.

…

The next day, on the 9th of October in the year 5581 of the Dragon Calendar, a day high with a bright sun.

Russell, with two full carriages of gifts, escorted by a group of knights from Bluebird Castle, embarked on the journey back home.

Cousin Mel accompanied him throughout the journey.

After half a day’s travel, they arrived at the estate where the Twin Rivers Trade Route began and stayed there for the night. That night, the two brothers drank themselves into a stupor, but they did not share the same bed—Mel had a lover at this estate.

Early the next morning, Russell prepared to set off.

Mel, with dark circles under his eyes, gave Russell a final hug, then yawned and said, “The entire Tributary River Mouth, so many distinguished ladies and none could capture your heart. Russell, if you didn’t occasionally have that lecherous gleam in your eyes, I might even doubt your orientation.”

“Please continue to look out for me, Mel. Keep an eye out for daughters of houses who are about to blossom,” Russell said with a smile as he mounted his horse.

He lightly nudged the warhorse’s belly with his legs and called out without looking back, “Goodbye, Mel!”

“Goodbye, Russell!” Mel waved his hand.

The knights escorting Russell all greeted Mel in turn, then slowly set out, crowding around the carriages as they took to the road.

“Knight Commander Karis, please ensure Lord Russell’s safety above all,” Mel instructed.

“Rest assured, Young Master Mel,” replied Karis, a Phantom Beast Knight and Knight Commander, as he thumped his chest in a knightly salute.

Under Mel’s watchful gaze, the convoy left the estate and galloped west into the hills, soon disappearing from view.

Russell rode at the very front of the group.

As he neared the Snowfield, he felt a warmth in his palm; opening his hand, he saw the ‘M’-shaped mark burning brightly.

The Little Dream Dragon was becoming restless.

Having been in Tributary River Mouth for a month, it had been a long time since it had the chance to feast on Ice Pellet Pearls or Ice Soul Pearls, and now it was eager to gorge itself, sensing the scent of the Snowfield!