Chapter 112: The Magic Dragon Lantern x Hero's Day

Hua Deng has many things she likes in this world, but if you ask her what she likes most, it must be sparkling treasures.

That's just the nature of a dragon.

But the treasures in the world are always limited.

Every year, the Dragon Kingdom holds a Moonlight Contest, where they display their collected treasures under the moonlight for evaluation, and once again, Hua Deng lost.

Her friend, a golden dragon skilled at finding treasure, comforted her: "Don't be discouraged, maybe you'll be the champion next year!"

Hua Deng said dejectedly, "But I can't find a treasure as brilliant as yours."

My friend thought for a moment and said, "I've heard that in the human realm there is an incomparably dazzling treasure called the Holy Sword of the Warrior. If you can find it, you might be able to win the competition."

Great idea!

After thanking her friends, Hua Deng left the Dragon Kingdom that very night, vowing to find the Hero's Holy Sword, even though she didn't yet know what it was.

Disguised as an ordinary person, she passed through several villages and learned the whereabouts of the Holy Sword.

Five years ago, a hero appeared, drew the holy sword, and began a legendary journey.

There are four demon kings on the continent, each of whom is guilty of countless crimes and has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians.

This hero, having single-handedly killed three demon kings, is about to launch an attack on the fourth, the most powerful one.

If she could help him defeat the Demon King, then the kind-hearted hero would surely be willing to lend her the Holy Sword for a few days, right?

Thinking this through, Hua Deng studied the map for several days. It seemed there were only three paths to find the fourth Demon King. Trusting in her luck, she closed her eyes and chose one, waiting there for the hero to appear.

She guessed right.

Hua Deng met the legendary hero.

While she was deliberately entangled in a battle with the ogres, he passed by, his black hair and black eyes carrying a gleaming holy sword.

Strangely, the moment he looked over, Hua Deng noticed not the Holy Sword, but his black gem-like eyes.

His eyes were more dazzling than a holy sword.

A streak of flame flashed, the holy sword cleaved through, and the ogre was reduced to ashes. Just as Hua Deng was about to feign injury to elicit his sympathy, he suddenly saw him calmly turn and walk away without looking back.

Hua Deng: "..."

You humans are so rude!

She quickly followed: "You saved me! You must be the famous half-blood hero, right? My name is Hua Deng, and I'm a hero from the Kingdom of Uru-Uru. Let's team up and defeat the Demon King!"

I've heard that brave warriors love such passionate pronouncements, so he'll probably agree.

Shen Zhou stopped and glanced at her: "Are you a hero?"

"Uh-huh!"

Shen Zhou remained silent.

She seemed somewhat frustrated: "Don't you believe me?"

Those bright eyes sparkled in the sunlight, looking at him expectantly, as if to say: Believe me now!

Soon, Shen Zhou said, "I believe it."

The lights shone even brighter.

And so, they formed a team of heroes and embarked on a journey to defeat the Demon King.

The only remaining demon king can command the undead army, which he leads to trample cities and villages, with the Kingdom of Rivia bearing the brunt.

Shen Zhou accepted Livia's commission, agreeing to drive away the undead army and slay the Demon King. This was part of his plan.

He wasn't traveling very fast, which is why Hua Deng waited many days to see him.

Along the way, he would also take on commissions from other civilians in exchange for payment to make a living, although, in Hua Deng's opinion, he didn't lack this meager reward at all.

Before leaving, her friend told her not to flaunt her wealth in front of humans, because humans are very greedy.

So Hua Deng was very restrained. Look, she only bought one of these Holy Grail of Light, which is worth 100,000 gold coins.

Shen Zhou didn't ask where her money came from; he only had one question: "Why did you buy these things?"

Giant's belt, magic paintbrush, phantom mask... He had no idea that one person could buy so many strange and wonderful things.

Holding his treasures with obvious delight, Hua Deng declared confidently, "We don't have these in our Uru Uru Kingdom. I'm very curious."

Shen Zhou shook his head: "Protect your things. If the elves steal them, don't complain."

Hua Deng: "Okay."

She not only loves the treasures of the human realm, but also its cuisine.

Because Shen Zhou's holy sword was so conspicuous, no one dared to cause them any trouble. She spent almost the entire journey eating and drinking, listening to people praise the hero's strength.

"You too should praise the dragon, humankind," Hua Deng thought as he ate his amber honey tea jelly.

Finally, a month later, they arrived in the Kingdom of Livia.

Upon hearing of the arrival of the heroes, the king was overjoyed, regarding them as saviors, and warmly invited them to the palace for a grand feast.

Hua Deng accepted without hesitation. She loved these kinds of occasions, and knowing she was happy, Shen Zhou didn't refuse either.

The palace of the Kingdom of Livia was not luxurious, and the lights were somewhat disappointing, but the sumptuous food at the banquet made up for it, and she was especially delighted when the king said he would give them gifts.

But she didn't know that Livia was known for its open-minded people.

The king was to give Shen Zhou his princess, and the prince was to give her.

Hua Deng: "?!"

She immediately looked at Shen Zhou, hoping he would refuse, but he remained indifferent, his expression unchanged no matter how many times she blinked.

The prince came to the lantern, wearing a crop top, and asked her to dance with him.

But as soon as he reached out his hand, it was blocked by another person.

“She’s drunk,” Shen Zhou said.

"Yes, yes, I'm drunk!" Hua Deng quickly helped Chen Zhou stand up. "We should go back and rest first."

On the way, she was still complaining to Shen Zhou: "Why didn't you refuse? Do you like that princess?"

Shen Zhou said, "Oh, I thought you would refuse."

Hua Deng: "I'm afraid you'll be unhappy if I refuse you."

Shen Zhou: "Really? Then I'm afraid you'll be unhappy."

Hua Deng: "Are you deliberately trying to start a fight with me?"

They argued the whole way, all because of this guy! She never used to argue with her friends!

Shen Zhou lowered his eyes, a hint of a smile flashing in them: "No, how could I dare to argue with you?"

Hua Deng puffed out her cheeks; she knew he was doing it on purpose, and she didn't want to pay him any attention.

She walked silently toward her room.

Shen Zhou hesitated, not having had a chance to remind her: You are indeed drunk, and your true colors are showing.

*

Shen Zhou refused the king's offer to send troops to his command, and as always, set off with the Holy Sword. The only difference was that this time, he was accompanied by lanterns.

Hua Deng wasn't afraid. She had witnessed Shen Zhou's strength. Even if Shen Zhou lost, she would still be there. No matter how powerful the Demon King was, he couldn't compare to their two-man team of heroes.

But the situation was more complicated than expected.

The Demon King not only controlled the undead army but was also skilled in spatial magic. He used unexpected means to destroy Shen Zhou's holy sword.

As we all know, the Holy Sword contains the power accumulated by heroes over thousands of years. Once the Holy Sword is lost, as human beings, heroes will have no ability to fight against the Demon King.

So Hua Deng was about to transform into a dragon and take Shen Zhou away from the battlefield. She didn't want Shen Zhou to get hurt, more than to win.

Her eyes gleamed with golden light, and her tail and dragon horns materialized first.

But at that moment, Shen Zhou threw away the shattered holy sword, and the legendary holy sword turned into a black shadow and drifted away.

The magic of the blazing city lights has come to a standstill.

……etc.

“The Holy Sword is fake,” he said. “I have never drawn the Holy Sword.”

The streetlights gaped open.

He continued, "Perhaps I shouldn't be called a hero; I'm just an ordinary person who's stronger than everyone else in the world."

Hua Deng: "..."

Alright, enough talk, let's defeat the Demon King!

In short, before the demon king, who thought he had destroyed the holy sword, could even rejoice, he was burned to ashes by flames falling from the sky.

Hua Deng suddenly remembered the flames she had seen during their first meeting; they weren't actually the power of the Holy Sword. No wonder his sword-wielding movements were so perfunctory; he wasn't a hero, but a magician.

This fact shocked Hua Deng, and she only hurriedly hid her tail after he had used most of his magic to burn the undead army and reforged a holy sword.

Shen Zhou stood in front of her, raised his hand, and touched the dragon horns on her head.

Hua Deng: "...!!!"

Rude human, what are you doing!

He smiled slightly at her and said, "The hero is a fake, but if you want this sword, I can forge many for you."

"...Take your hands off my head first!"

"oh."

He lowered his hand, seemingly a little reluctant: "When can I touch it again?"

Hua Deng gasped, angrily accusing, "Don't think you're so great just because you defeated the Demon King! You humans will become our prisoners sooner or later!"

“Okay,” he said. “I want to be a dragon’s captive.”

In the near future, a legend will circulate on the mainland.

Who is the most powerful being in this world? It's not the hero who defeated four demon kings in succession, but the mysterious dragon who was able to capture the hero all by himself!

[Author's Note]

The remaining two articles, "Doppelganger" and "Interstellar," will be published gradually.

To those of you who have added my favorites to your collection, I'd like to say that I plan to save the entire draft of this story, so the process will be a bit lengthy. During this saving period, I'll also finish serializing "After Marrying the Deposed Crown Prince, I'm Lying Down".