Translator: AnubisTL
"And what about you?"
Alberto stared at the Red-Silver Dragon, his voice laced with accusation. "A hybrid of a Red Copper Dragon and a Silver Dragon... Why are you here, keeping company with evil dragons?! You even attacked your own kind alongside them. Were you coerced? Or perhaps bewitched?"
The Gold Dragon, having been ambushed by the very kin he'd hoped would support him, was in no mood for pleasantries.
"Hey! You arrogant Gold Dragon, what are you screaming about?!"
The moment Alberto's words fell, a crisp, provocative voice rang out. Fairy Dragon Vera suddenly swooped down, landing in front of Deborah. Her iridescent wings flapped rapidly as she straightened her petite frame, claws on her hips, striking a haughty pose.
"Look closely! This is the Frontierlands, the territory of our Ignis Dragon Clan!"
"There's no room here for an arrogant outsider dragon like you to run wild! If you dare speak to us in that tone again, or put on that hateful face..."
Vera's voice rose sharply, revealing her pointed teeth. "Careful, or I, the great Vera, will stuff your noble Gold Dragon backside full of Explosive Fruit and let you taste some real heat!"
A Planar Dragon... Alberto thought. This land truly hides crouching tigers and hidden dragons.
Before witnessing it with his own eyes, he had found it truly unimaginable that the Frontierlands, a place long regarded as a desolate wasteland, could gather such a diverse array of dragonkind, each with its own unique form and bloodline.
He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves.
He did not let the fairy dragon's provocation anger him; instead, he kept his gaze fixed on the red-silver dragon, awaiting her answer.
Under Alberto's stare, the red-silver dragon wrinkled the skin between her brows and said coldly:
"Alberto, cast aside your prejudices and try to think carefully with that brain of yours—the one that is even stupider than a white dragon's."
"What kind of evil dragon could take a land that was once chaotic, lawless, and ruled by the law of the jungle, and govern it so efficiently, establishing a stable order?"
"What kind of evil dragon, while holding an absolute advantage, would choose to show mercy instead of completely twisting your head off your neck and smashing it to pieces—a head so foolishly stuffed with 'conquest' and 'order'?"
Deborah's words were a relentless assault, a dragon's fierce rebuke.
She left not a single shred of dignity for her noble gold dragon kin.
Yet Alberto could find no words to retort, rendered completely speechless.
The red-silver dragon, Deborah, did not stop because of his silence.
She looked down at her disgraced gold dragon kin below, a cold snort escaping her nostrils.
"In my eyes, you—who recklessly barge into others' territories, relying on brute force to fabricate excuses for extortion and plunder—are the one who truly resembles an evil dragon clad in golden scales!"
Just as Alberto's throat bobbed, his instincts urging him to defend his motives and actions, Deborah cut him off before he could utter a word, as if she had read his very thoughts.
"Save your excuses," she snapped.
"As a fellow metallic dragon, I know exactly what you're thinking."
"You're merely coveting the wealth this land has accumulated, or perhaps you're salivating over this burgeoning territory itself."
"That's why you'd fabricate some righteous justification—like those 'innocent' river beasts, or our 'evil' rule—as a pretext for your provocation. You intended to defeat the original lord of this land and then, quite naturally, seize control of everything here!"
"Am I right?!"
Gold Dragon Alberto panted heavily, his shattered chest heaving.
He fell silent for a few seconds before finally speaking. "You're right. But I don't see any problem with that."
He looked at the red-iron dragon, his voice unwavering. "My only mistake was underestimating the power of this land's lord, and being too arrogant to start a war without knowing anything about it."
Alberto was a gold dragon of immense ego.
He would not be swayed by Deborah's words.
In the eyes of the red-silver dragon, Garos was a warrior who had grown up amidst prejudice and discrimination, yet had never complained or grown twisted. Instead, he had fought against injustice with an indomitable spirit.
But in the eyes of the Gold Dragon—or rather, in the eyes of more observers—the Ironforged King was an absolute, overwhelmingly oppressive great evil dragon, a lord who ruled the Frontierlands with an iron fist.
"Alberto, your ideas are not without merit."
"From your words just now, I can feel your Dominating Ambition, and I understand your ambition."
The red-iron dragon suddenly spoke. "That such a heartfelt and honest perspective is not recognized only proves that there are too many mediocre beings and too few awakened ones in this world."
Alberto's brilliant golden dragon eyes constricted sharply, and his massive body trembled slightly.
Unexpected!
Completely unexpected!
The red-iron dragon who had defeated him, who had crushed him underfoot...
At this moment, far from mocking his arrogance or humiliating him for his defeat, it had actually validated the very ideology that countless of his own kind had denounced as heretical and extremely paranoid.
Rarely—no, almost never—had a dragon so straightforwardly acknowledged his path.
In an instant, the figure of the oppressive red-iron dragon before him became inexplicably pleasing to Alberto's eyes. Even the pain from his own broken bones and torn scales seemed to diminish.
"Perhaps there's been a slight misunderstanding between us."
Alberto nodded in deep agreement, then said, "You are a hybrid evil dragon, but I can feel that you're different from those other foolish, violent evil dragons. You possess a unique perspective and insight."
Sensing the gold dragon's hostility wane, Garos gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
Long denied recognition, surrounded by doubt and condemnation...
Alberto claims not to care about the opinions of other dragons, but he actually craves their approval. The more rebellious and stubborn he becomes, the more he fundamentally desires validation from others.
Dragon Taming Art: Gold Dragon Chapter.
Gold dragons are traditional and stubborn. Accepting their unacknowledged beliefs can make them see you in a new light.
However, Alberto's situation is rather special. Whether this works on other gold dragons remains to be seen... Garos thought to himself.
From Deborah's words and Alberto's own speech and behavior, Garos had already sensed that the gold dragon before him was different from normal gold dragons. He was somewhat rebellious, with the potential for a faction shift. This meant there was a chance he could be recruited.
Regardless of Alberto's true nature, his innate identity as a gold dragon—a symbol of justice and order—was an extremely valuable shield in itself.
If the Ironforged Tribe could bind the Gold Dragon to their war chariot and have him charge at the front lines, it would undoubtedly yield extraordinary results for their cause.
The Oath of Conquest he swore could be used to conquer on behalf of Garos.
The Oath of the Crown could be used to guard the crown of the Ironforged King. After all, the paladins who took the Oath of the Crown in the greatest numbers were the guardians of the Royal Courts of the Kingdoms.
Once Gold Dragon Alberto was successfully recruited, his immense power as a Dual-Oath Golden Holy Dragon would undoubtedly make him the number one "fierce general" under Garos.
As for the Red-Silver Dragon...
Garos was still counting on the potions and items from her Explosive Silver Dragon father, Edri. Unless she requested otherwise, he would not send her to charge on the battlefield. The task of guarding the rear was more suited to Deborah.
"A misunderstanding..."
The red-iron dragon's massive head nodded slightly, as if seriously weighing the word.
Then, his deep voice broke the brief silence: "I do not deny this point."
His gaze turned to the young gold dragon, the understanding in his eyes slowly receding.
"Alberto, the defeated. Let us discuss the matter of reparations now."
To recruit him did not mean granting him unprincipled indulgence!
With a gold dragon as arrogant and self-important as Alberto, a hard line had to be drawn. Only by making him pay a price and recognize the boundaries could any future "cooperation" be built upon a solid foundation.
"I will return the wealth I seized from your stronghold in full," Alberto said, gritting his fangs.
Forcing a dragon to surrender treasure it had already claimed was like carving a piece of flesh from its very heart. But he knew he was in the wrong, and now he could only endure the pain of parting with his hoard.
"Return the wealth that already belongs to my Ironforged Tribe, intact and in full," the red-iron dragon declared, her gaze fixed on the young gold dragon as she enumerated his offenses. "And then you think you can just act as if nothing happened?"
"Since when has there ever been such an easy deal in this world?"
"First," she continued, "this battle, which you unilaterally provoked, has caused significant damage to my Ironforged Tribe's territory. The land is torn, the riverbanks have collapsed, and the territory is scarred. You will bear the cost of these repairs."
"Second, your reckless intimidation and extortion of my kin have left those poor, weak children terrified, unable to sleep at night, and suffering from severe collective psychological trauma. This has directly disrupted our normal trade and cost us precious time that could have been spent amassing wealth."
"You will also compensate us for these losses!"
"Furthermore, such acts of plunder and extortion are severe violations of the laws and rules of the Frontierlands, and they must be punished."
"Based on all the above, Alberto, you must pay punitive damages."
Hearing this, Alberto's dragon tail tightened, his eyes filled with defiance.
"Red-Iron Dragon, don't push it too far," he said, the scales on his neck glowing faintly again. "If I choose to retreat, you won't be able to stop me."
He was prepared to use the magic scale left by his elder to prevent this paranoid scion from committing any evil acts.
The magic scale could only be used three times and lacked strong offensive capabilities, focusing instead on defense and speed buffs. Although it would waste one of his opportunities, he believed he could use it to break through the encirclement.
"Retreating is clearly just a pathetic flight."
Red Dragon Samantha snorted, sparks flying from her nostrils, and sneered.
The gold dragon, with his strong sense of self, glanced at the red dragon, unbothered by her words.
The path to conquest would never be smooth.
He who wishes to wear the crown must bear its weight.
He had long expected that the journey to realizing his life's value as a dragon would be fraught with difficulties, covered in thorns and mud. Therefore, he would not be disheartened by a temporary setback.
Several evil dragons paced slowly, closing in on the gold dragon.
The atmosphere grew tense and suffocating once more. Alberto braced himself, ready to activate his magic scales at a moment's notice.
Just then, the red-iron dragon waved a claw, signaling his companions to stand down.
At this gesture, the gold dragon's pupils constricted slightly.
Those dragons—creatures that should have been arrogant, vicious, perpetually at odds, and impossible to tame—had halted their menacing advance at a single signal from the red-iron dragon. They now simply stared at him with cold, impassive gazes.
Then, the red-iron dragon's eyes swept over Alberto, studying him with a deep, re-evaluating intensity. A faint, inscrutable smile touched the corners of his mouth.
"I am not a dragon who dwells on trivialities," Garos said, his voice suddenly turning exceptionally calm and forgiving.
"The rules you broke in the Frontierlands, the damage you caused... in the grand scheme of things, these are all insignificant matters."
He continued, "Since you have ignored the rules and refused to accept punishment, acting with the spirit of an evil dragon, I do not mind overlooking this incident. I might even consider you a comrade."
Hearing these friendly words, the gold dragon's expression shifted.
"Every living being must pay the price for breaking the rules," he declared, his voice heavy.
The red-iron dragon dismissed the remark. "Let it go, brother gold dragon. This is merely a minor misunderstanding."
The gold dragon shook his head stubbornly.
"No. You must punish me!" he insisted, his tone unwavering.
(End of the Chapter)
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