"……"
The scene before them left Naclis and the others stunned for a mont. They knew the Evil Dragon wouldn't fall for the trap easily, but they never expected it to be this cautious, choosing to blow up the chest without even looking.
This also confird for them that there were indeed people working for the Evil Dragon in the village.
At the sa ti, they felt a wave of relief. If they had actually hidden inside the treasure chest, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
While the bomb wouldn't have caused them serious harm, injuries would have been unavoidable.
But this was also within Loren's calculations. They were never truly in danger.
Without exchanging a word, everyone simply hid in different corners, waiting for the Evil Dragon to appear.
……
In Loren's room, he was lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully, completely unaware that a maid had stealthily made her way to his side.
"Mmph!"
The maid suddenly pulled out a cloth and pressed it over Loren's mouth. After struggling for a few seconds, Loren completely lost consciousness.
The maid then hoisted Loren onto her back and slipped out through a small door in the castle.
She carried Loren a long way, finally arriving at a hidden cave.
Loren had no mory of this cave. He had guessed correctly. Even though it had never been discovered by anyone, the Evil Dragon was still constantly changing its hiding places.
"I've brought him, my lord."
After placing Loren on the ground, the maid knelt on one knee towards the shadows ahead, appearing extrely loyal.
As the torches in the cave were lit, the dragon hidden in the shadows finally revealed its form.
The dragon was a full dozen ters long. Its massive wings seed to blot out the sky. Its dark purple scales reflected the torchlight, giving it an indestructible appearance.
"Are you going to keep pretending, Master ntor? I brought you here to talk."
When the dragon spoke these words, the maid looked at Loren in shock.
"How did you discover ?"
Seeing the Evil Dragon lay its cards on the table, Loren also lost his reason to keep hiding.
"I can share vision with my followers. When you first pretended to be sick, I noticed your children weren't just worried, they were more shocked. Didn't you discuss your plan to feign illness with them beforehand?"
"Impressive as always. Truly cautious. I see my ambush near the sacrificial offerings was indeed superfluous. You were never going to show yourself."
As it spoke, the dragon lowered its head. Its head alone was much larger than Loren. At this mont, the Evil Dragon radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure.
"It seems we are cut from the sa cloth. The plan you announced in front of the commoners earlier was also fake, wasn't it? You already knew so of them were my people."
"Likewise."
Loren sat down directly in front of the Evil Dragon, neither subservient nor arrogant.
"How about this, let's make a deal? I'll pretend to be defeated by you. After you enjoy the honor and wealth and leave, I'll co back in a few years.
"It's a good deal, isn't it? We avoid a fight, neither of us faces danger, and I'm the one taking all the loss. I just want safety."
"Is that so…"
Loren pretended to ponder. The next instant, the Crimson Blade slashed at the maid who was trying to slip away. A bloody mist instantly exploded from her back.
Seeing Loren attack the maid, the Evil Dragon's eyes suddenly widened. Its golden pupils fixed on Loren as it roared,
"You should consider the master before beating the dog! Do you really think I can't defeat you?"
"Stop the act."
Loren ignored the "Evil Dragon" and instead walked directly behind the maid attempting to flee. He stomped on her ankle. The sound of cracking bone rang out.
"How did you find out?"
The maid suddenly turned her head. In her eye sockets were distinctly golden, vertical pupils.
"Information gap, my friend!"
Loren had seen the true form of the Murmuring Dragon. He knew it couldn't be that big, and he knew about its transformative abilities.
Furthermore, a Murmuring Dragon would never allow a follower into its sanctuary, not even one of its many sanctuaries. Therefore, the maid could only be the Murmuring Dragon itself.
Then, as if possessed by the spirit of Confucius, Loren began punching the maid's face, one blow after another. As her face deford, dragon scales also began to appear on her body.
Finally, it completely transford into a dragon. Its appearance was identical to the giant dragon from before, just much smaller, only a little over a ter tall.
The giant dragon had vanished without a trace just before the maid transford.
"You…"
The Murmuring Dragon tried to say sothing, but the Crimson Blade severed its neck.
"I had to wait until you transford to make the scales usable. Otherwise, I would have finished you off long ago."
This was the easiest fight Loren had experienced since arriving in this world. The hardest part of killing a Murmuring Dragon was finding it.
With Scarlett not here, Loren had to shoulder the Murmuring Dragon's corpse back by himself. Fortunately, the corpse wasn't large, so it wasn't too tiring.
When Loren returned to the village, Naclis and the others returned at the sa ti, bringing back the little girl who was ant to be the sacrifice.
Loren had told them earlier that if they couldn't ambush the Evil Dragon after a long ti, they should give up and return first.
"Master ntor…"
Seeing Loren return carrying the Evil Dragon's corpse, no one was particularly surprised.
Everything had unfolded within Loren's expectations. He knew Naclis and the others most likely wouldn't ambush the Evil Dragon's true form, and he knew his feigned illness would probably be seen through. In the end, as long as the outco was good, it was fine.
"Brave One! You truly defeated the Evil Dragon!"
The people cheered, not caring at all that it was Loren who brought back the dragon's body. They only knew the prophecy said the Brave One would defeat the Dragon King.
After Loren threw down the Murmuring Dragon's corpse, he didn't converse with the people. He just silently walked to Naclis's side.
"Let's go."
"Alright."
Naclis felt no attachnt to this place whatsoever. She was already tired of seeing these numb people.
The village was filled with joyous laughter. People gathered around the Evil Dragon's corpse, occasionally kicking or punching it.
Even though they hadn't dared to look the Evil Dragon in the eye before, after Loren killed it, they suddenly found their courage.
"Is the Evil Dragon this small?"
Soone in the crowd suddenly voiced a doubt. He rembered the Evil Dragon wasn't this small, though most people had never seen it.
However, his voice was quickly drowned out. He was even beaten up by a few fanatical individuals. The scene of a mob questioning the Brave One did not materialize.
"The Evil Dragon has been slain. We are leaving."
After Loren finished speaking beside the Murmuring Dragon's corpse, he shooed away the people gathered there. The corpse still had uses for Loren.
Seeing Loren about to leave, the people actually breathed a sigh of relief. With the Evil Dragon dead, they no longer needed the Brave One. Having the Brave One around would have ant they had to support and serve him.
"This is the gift we have prepared for you. Please, you must accept it."
The Princess stepped out from the crowd. She held a tray laden with various gold, silver, and jewels.
"No…"
"You… you don't want it? This is our heartfelt…"
Just as the Princess's face began to show a hint of secret delight, she heard Loren's complete sentence:
"Not enough."
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