Shut Up, Malevolent Dragon! I Don’t Want to Have Any More Children With You Vol. 5 Ch. 34

“Muse...”

“Moon… Aurora...”

“Noa...”

“Rosvisser… Rosvisser… Rosvisser—cough, cough—”

A fit of dry coughing jolted Leon awake from his dream.

Sitting up, he rubbed his chest and imdiately felt parched. Reaching for the water jug beside him, he uncorked it and took a long drink.

But midway through, he froze, noticing three pairs of eyes staring at him.

“Muse: 287 tis. Moon and Aurora: 293 each. Noa: 301 tis,” Rebecca reported with a straight face, holding a small notebook.

“And Rosvisser is the clear winner with 519 ntions, far outpacing second place.”

She added, “That’s even one more than when you first ca back to the Empire a few years ago!”

Leon set the jug down, wiping his shoulder. “You actually kept track of sothing from that long ago?”

“Of course. Captain, you rarely say anything even remotely interesting, so when you do, I have to rember it.”

Leon chuckled, shaking his head. Standing up, he brushed the dust off his clothes.

The dry, scorching air surrounded him, and the constant repetition of nas in his sleep seed to fulfill Rosvisser’s playful demand to always have her in his heart and dreams. Unfortunately, it had wreaked havoc on his throat—it felt like his lungs had just endured a smoky battlefield.

Luckily, the Lionheart Guild had set up camp near a water source. It had been two weeks since Leon arrived at the Flaming Valley’s border, and the guild mbers were already familiar with the area’s terrain.

They spent their days combing for clues about the Black Dragon Scales and “Shadow” and their nights staying vigilant.

This oasis was rare in the arid, yellow-brown desert-like region, making it a prized resource fiercely contested by animals and dangerous beasts alike.

Occasionally, unfamiliar dangerous beasts would intrude on the camp. At first, these encounters were troubleso, but everything changed when they discovered Black Dragon Scales on one of the attackers.

Following that lead, the guild tracked the source and made significant progress.

They eventually located a gathering site of dangerous beasts, where the guild’s sensing mages confird that every creature there had been implanted with Black Dragon Scales.

Leon planned to investigate the site thoroughly today.

As the sun rose, casting its blistering heat over the already scorching valley, Leon and his team climbed to a vantage point. Below lay the gathering of beasts implanted with Black Dragon Scales.

“Every beast we’ve encountered with Black Dragon Scales so far has been more aggressive and significantly stronger than normal,” Nacho said, joining Leon at the edge and observing the creatures below. “But these beasts seem much calr. I wonder why.”

Leon thought for a mont before turning to Martin.

“Martin, do we have any records on these beasts?”

The Southern Continent was sparsely populated, and Leon had never been here during his campaigns.

Martin, clutching a thick book, flipped through its pages rapidly.

“Yes, I found so detailed information on this group last night,” he said, stopping at a page.

“We’re looking at a species called the ‘Blazing Fla Antler Deer.’ They’re native to the Flaming Valley, a species that erged approximately 1,300 years ago.”

Leon raised an eyebrow.

“We have sothing called the ‘Great Antler Deer’ back ho. Are these related to them?”

Martin skimd further before answering.

“According to records, a long ti ago, a population of Great Antler Deer migrated southward, eventually settling in the Flaming Valley.

“Because the valley was ford from the remains of the ‘Fla Demon,’ which left behind powerful fire-elental energy, these deer adapted over generations, evolving into the ‘Blazing Fla Antler Deer.’ This phenonon is widely accepted among dangerous beast researchers.”

Leon nodded thoughtfully. He’d seen similar cases of evolution driven by environntal factors before.

He recalled an incident with a pair of Six-Winged Dragonhawks that had stolen a dragon fruit intended for Rosvisser during her pregnancy with Muse. After a chaotic chase, Leon not only retrieved the fruit but also left so for the dragonhawks. To his surprise, the pair eventually evolved into a dragon-empowered subspecies.

After Martin’s explanation, Leon remarked,

“It seems the Fla Demon must have been an incredibly powerful dangerous beast in its ti, strong enough for its residual energy to drive such evolution.”

He paused, his expression turning contemplative.

“Still, the speed and extent of these creatures’ evolution resemble sothing I’ve only ever seen in dragons.”

It was clear the Fla Demon had possessed imnse power in life.

But of course, as Leon quipped internally:

There’s nothing a Dragon’s Roar can’t solve. And if there is? Just use another one.

“Let’s focus on understanding these fiery antlered deer for now,” Leon said.

Rebecca crouched, resting her elbows on her knees as she peered at the herd below.

“Martin, does your book say anything about their temperant?”

“It does,” Martin replied.

“Unlike most dangerous beasts in the Flaming Valley, which are aggressive, the Blazing Fla Antler Deer have retained their original docile nature. They prefer to avoid conflict.”

“But they all have Black Dragon Scales implanted,” Rebecca pointed out. “Based on what we’ve seen, creatures with the scales beco more aggressive. How does that make sense?”

“Could it be that the deer are resistant to the scales’ influence, allowing them to maintain their original temperant?” Nacho speculated.

The group exchanged uncertain looks, none of them having a clear answer.

After a long silence, Leon finally spoke.

“The Black Dragon Scales are highly corrosive, even for a Dragon King. These deer aren’t inherently strong enough to resist that level of power. So no, I don’t think that’s it.”

Nacho frowned thoughtfully. “Then what’s your theory?”

Leon’s lips curled into a small smile.

“Do you rember the corpses of those beasts we found in the Moonlit Forest? Their chests were all blown open. At first, we thought it was battle damage. But after investigating further, we realized that those creatures had been implanted with Black Dragon Scales. Unable to handle the scales’ power, their bodies eventually exploded.”

“The implantation technique back then was far from perfect,” Leon continued. “But recently, we’ve encountered beasts that are stronger and haven’t been destroyed by the scales. That ans Shadow’s experints have made significant progress.”

Rebecca nodded. “But that still doesn’t explain why these deer are so calm.”

“Exactly,” Leon said, gesturing toward the herd below.

“These deer may represent Shadow’s ultimate goal: creatures that can harness the Black Dragon Scales’ power without losing their minds.”

The group fell silent as they absorbed Leon’s deductions.

Rebecca broke the silence.

“Captain, does this an we’re getting closer to Shadow?”

Leon didn’t answer imdiately, his gaze heavy as he stared into the Flaming Valley.

“Theoretically, yes. We’re close. But…”

He trailed off, his unease palpable.

Leon rarely doubted his chances of success before starting a mission.

This ti, he could only hope his instincts were wrong.