Chapter 83
When Veris finished eating, Lortheran was still engrossed in his meal. The dragon watched the acrobatic performance below end and returned to his seat, still feeling unsatisfied.
The fourth round of meals began.
While the dragon was watching the performance, Veris ordered another table of food and paid for it.
Of course, it was Sylvain's money he paid.
Later, only the dragon was still eating. Lortheran, looking as if he were eating his fill for the first time, was sprawled in his chair, completely disregarding his image. Veris looked at him and asked, "Have you taken care of things in the Fourth District?"
Lortheran said listlessly, "No... I still have to investigate the spies in the army. The astrologer said there would be some minor setbacks for the army in Salem, so I thought I'd just ignore it."
Let Count Reed worry about it; he's already been told about the spies in the army.
The second prince was clearly more familiar with the fourth district. Lortheran was not the kind of person who craved power, and he felt quite at ease delegating authority to the second prince.
What bothers him even more now is... Lortheran straightened up, frowned, and said, "Although I also enjoy reading Granvar's novels, it's really inappropriate for Ethan to be spending all his time studying these things instead of doing his proper work."
Veris was taken aback: "Why is he researching these things?"
“How should I know…” Lortheran muttered, scratching his head. “But it’s not that this child doesn’t do anything; he just does exactly what I’ve assigned him, and he won’t do anything beyond that.”
According to Lortheran, he had no desire to compete.
He also arranged for a highly respected minister to re-instruct Ethan. The old man also felt that Prince Ethan was not interested in becoming king, but his years of obedience to those in power had left him with no room for resistance. He accepted the old minister's teachings without question—though he might not necessarily learn them.
Lortheran hadn't seen such an unambitious descendant in a long time, and he was somewhat worried. He was only going to stay on the throne for a few more years, and he was hoping that Ethan would grow up quickly and then be put on the throne.
Veris smiled but didn't say anything. Instead, he looked at the table next to him and his gaze fell on Allen, whose figure was blocked by Aster.
The group of teenagers at this table was much more lively. Arnold was already noisy, and with Aster joining in, the others kept interrupting. Allen seemed to sense something and his body stiffened slightly.
With his back to Lortheran, only Lortheran and Sylvain noticed when a tiny, pale golden light fell on the back of his neck.
Lortheran looked at Veris. This color... is it magic?
Veris shook his head slightly.
He noticed something: Allen didn't seem to have joined the church... He hadn't paid much attention to this young man when he encountered him before, and had eventually forgotten about him.
However, the amount of divine power that fell on Arnold was enough to keep Allen conscious.
It was almost time. Veris called out to the dragon. The dragon raised its head, biting into the last piece of steak, mumbled a reply, and then swallowed the steak.
It only ate about 40% of its fill, but the restaurant's food was indeed quite good, and the dragon was still very satisfied.
Veris stood up, immediately attracting the attention of the people at the next table. Arnold, as if sensing this, turned around and asked, "Oh, is Mr. Veris leaving?"
The young man looked over and nodded at him: "It's getting late, goodbye."
His face was completely indifferent. Although there was a polite smile on his lips, there was no emotion in his eyes when he glanced at them. The past encounters and exchanges had left no trace in his heart.
After glancing at the young man over there, Veris looked away and turned to Sylvain, who was sitting to the side, looking up at him silently.
The calmness in his eyes was instantly replaced by another emotion. If one had to describe it, it was a kind of joy, a gentleness that would make everyone envious. He whispered something to Sylvain, perhaps words of comfort, perhaps the sweet nothings that poets often say. In any case, with those beautiful eyes, everything he said sounded exceptionally pleasant.
Everyone could see that he treated Sylvain very differently.
Those who admired him saw favoritism, those who wanted to be his friends saw friendliness, but those who frequently interacted with him saw a deep-seated desire for control.
Lortheran picked up the wine glass that the waiter had just brought him from the table, took a sip, and although it didn't have the rich aroma of royal wine, it had its own unique flavor. He stared at the plate on the table; there wasn't a single piece of food left. No wonder he was a dragon.
After Veris left the restaurant with the dragon, on the stage on the first floor, a bard was singing Granvar's new work.
Sylvain also got up to take his leave.
Only Lortheran remained at the table, but he wasn't in a hurry to leave; he was still sipping his drink.
He was pondering what Veris's gaze truly meant.
Arnold from next door, having finished his meal, came over to chat again. Lortheran snapped out of his reverie and resumed his friendly conversation with his adopted son.
When Veris and the dragon stepped onto the spatial teleportation array again, after a brief feeling of weightlessness, the surrounding environment distorted and then turned into a desolate wilderness, with faint lights of a village not far away.
Dragon glanced at Veris, who had put his backpack back on beside him, and said, "Sylvain is acting a bit strange."
Veris grunted in agreement, not surprised that the dragon had noticed something, given the powerful nature of dragon bloodlines... Legend has it that dragons are creatures capable of smelling the scent of souls.
He led the dragon forward and said, "Sylvan is still Sylvan, but there will be three kinds of consciousness in his body. The first is his reincarnation, the second is the Sylvan you know, and the third is his original self."
"What just dominated his body should be the first type, his reincarnation."
The dragon's eyes widened: "Why isn't Lortheran saying anything?"
"Doesn't he know?"
The man and the dragon walked slowly, not in a hurry to reach the village. Veris explained, "Loseran probably really didn't notice. Don't underestimate Sylvain. You only sensed the difference because of your keen sense of smell. Their memories are always there, but once the dominant consciousness is misplaced, the memories experienced by the new dominant consciousness will be temporarily blocked."
dragon:"……"
It couldn't understand, so it simply put on a long face and said, "Fine, fine, I don't want to know anymore. As long as Sylvain is still inside Sylvain, that's enough."
Willist paused, then smiled and said, "You're right."
Dragon quickly put the matter aside, patted his stomach, and said wistfully, "Actually, I'm not full yet..."
Human-cooked food may be delicious, but it is not as filling as food containing immense power like that of magical beasts.
Veris smiled but coldly refused, "You can't leave now."
dragon:"……"
The boy raised his eyebrows but stopped in his tracks. With a sudden change in his posture, Veris turned around and saw the little dragon soar into the sky and then transform back into its original form. They were not far from the village to begin with, and the dragon's transformation instantly attracted the attention of the villagers.
Veris looked up at the smug dragon, but pointed to the village. The dragon turned its smug face away, its red vertical pupils ignoring the dim night and accurately capturing the shadows of many humans.
The dragon circled in the sky, then raised its head and spewed out a mouthful of flame, illuminating the entire night sky in an instant, yet not a single spark fell.
The faces of the villagers dressed in simple short clothes all changed.
Is this a monster? With that terrifying size, they probably wouldn't stand a chance—
At the entrance to the village, a young man appeared, carrying a simple backpack and wearing a dark gray robe of ordinary material. His medium-length black hair was blown by the wind, and his heterochromatic eyes reflected the appearance of the village.
The giant dragon overhead turned around, exhaled another burst of flame, and then flew off to the south.
The monster flew away, and all the mercenaries breathed a sigh of relief. These ground warriors were absolutely helpless against a monster that could soar through the sky and breathe fire.
Soon someone spotted Veris.
The order came from above: any outsiders should be killed on the spot.
So the mercenaries quickly revealed their ferocious expressions and picked up their weapons. The mercenaries from the neighboring village at least pretended to be villagers, but these people had no intention of hiding their true colors at all.
Veris raised his eyes, looked at the mercenaries who had surrounded him, and asked, "Where are the villagers?"
In the afternoon, he and Long went to release the villagers who had been imprisoned in the barn of the neighboring village. These people probably haven't received the news yet.
"Of course, kill them all!" A tall mercenary at the head of the group sneered.
Veris's expression turned serious. The dragon wasn't here; otherwise, he could have smelled it to see if that was the case.
The mercenary leader was still observing the young man. He was thin and could not possibly be a warrior. Could the monster from earlier have been his contracted beast?
Beside him, a subordinate suddenly spoke up: "He doesn't have a beast contract." This person was also a beast tamer. Beast tamers can see the beast contracts on other beast tamers to determine whether the other person is a beast tamer and what type of magical beast they have contracted.
Not a beast tamer? Then that magical beast probably wasn't coming for them either.
The mercenary leader was overjoyed. If he was neither a warrior nor a beast tamer, then he must be a mage? Or perhaps an apothecary or an alchemist... It didn't matter. At most, a mage would be a bit more troublesome, but the latter was even less of a concern.
"Kid, hurry up and say your last words! I'm kinder than most people. If it were anyone else, you wouldn't even have time to say your last words!" the mercenary leader shouted, and a burst of laughter erupted around him.
Veris sized up the group, wondering why the Duke of Salem would hire a bunch of hopelessly stupid mercenaries. No one from the neighboring village had made it out intact, so why did these people think he was an easy target?
So, you really have to be big and strong to avoid being looked down upon? Veris sighed, but unfortunately, his physique was basically set.
"Give me your last words..." He raised his hand, and a zither appeared out of thin air. The young man sighed, "I have researched a completely new profession, but unfortunately I have not been able to find a suitable successor."
Holding the modified lute, he spoke in a way that left the mercenaries bewildered: "I am just a bard, but through years of playing, I have acquired some methods of killing."
Long, slender fingers plucked the strings, and smooth notes flowed down. The sound shouldn't have been loud, but in the quiet night, it resonated—how was that possible?!
The mercenaries were filled with doubt and uncertainty, but the leader of the mercenaries, unwilling to sit idly by and wait for his death, quickly waved his arm to signal the others to attack.
"Kill him!"
The melodious music, every bouncy note, stirred the hearts of the mercenaries. Their eyes changed instantly, their bodies stiffened, and they raised their weapons high, not towards the poet playing the zither under the moonlight, but instead plunged them into the bodies of their comrades beside them.
However, their bodies were also pierced by their companions.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, yet the music remained lively, its vibrant notes highly rhythmic. It should have been a cheerful tune, but the pulsating syllables, accompanied by the sounds of sharp weapons piercing through flesh, made it all the more grotesque.
The mercenary leader standing at the front lost all color in his face.
What's going on?
"Do you know why you're unaffected?" The young man looked up, his mouth opening and closing, and the mercenary leader strangely understood his words.
The other person gave a strange smile and said, "Because you were deaf from the beginning."
Blood flowed from the ear hole, tracing a path down the mercenary's neck.
-----------------------
Author's note: See you tomorrow! [hugs]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
