Chapter 78: The Red Dragon and the Dragon Orb (7)
“Why… am I alive?”
Serena, the Red Dragon who had miraculously survived, looked around in a daze.
“Don’t make me laugh! This is impossible!”
At that moment, a Red Dragon suddenly flew at full speed toward Serena, clearly aiming to finish her off.
“Gard! What are you doing?!”
The elder of the Red Dragons frowned as El swiftly cast a spell toward the oncoming dragon.
A massive flame exploded in front of the attacking dragon.
*Boom!*
Startled by the burst of energy, the Red Dragon retreated. El had intentionally held back to avoid killing him, as clearing the misunderstanding was more important right now.
However, El found the situation strange. He had expected Veint to attack, but instead, it was a different dragon.
‘Are there more involved in this plot?’
Regardless, he couldn’t miss this opportunity. He had to clear his name, especially for Rurin’s sake.
El didn’t want even the slightest stain of guilt on Rurin, especially considering what had happened to her mother.
The reason El endured this absurdity and tried to clear the misunderstanding was precisely for that reason.
“Elder, did you see that? That dragon, acting like he’s guilty—Serena, I know you’re still confused, but this is important. That dragon who just attacked you, wasn’t he the one who tried to kill you? Your elder is right here, so tell the truth. I hope you won’t forget that I’m the one who saved you.”
“You… saved me?”
Serena, still struggling to grasp the situation, looked around in confusion. Then her eyes met those of the Red Dragon elder.
“So, you’re the one who saved me?”
“Well, yes.”
“You’re quite the gentleman. Too bad you’re wasted on the Black Dragons.”
“What nonsense are you spouting after I just saved you?”
El grabbed Rurin by the nape of her neck just as she was about to lunge forward. Her body hovered in the air, mid-kick.
“Now is not the time, Lady Rurin.”
“But how can I stay quiet when she’s spouting nonsense? You are absolutely not wasted!”
“Alright, alright.”
After calming Rurin down, El approached Serena again. Medidana, realizing the situation was unfolding in their favor, also stepped forward toward El.
“Who was it that tried to kill you?”
“That guy earlier. The one named Gard. He’s the one who tried to kill me. Yes, it was him! He whispered sweet nothings about wanting to marry me and have dragon offspring, and then he attacked me from behind with his breath! Elder, did you order this? Elder!”
Serena’s accusation left the Red Dragon elder shaking his head in anger.
“No, Serena. As an elder, why would I order the harm of one of our own?!”
The elder’s rage was directed at Gard.
“Gard, you scoundrel! You attacked one of our own? And after seeing her survive, you attempted to kill her again?! How deep is your malice?!”
“That… that’s not true!”
Gard quickly knelt before the elder, pointing at Veint, who had been leading the accusations against El.
“Lord Ronel is dead, and Veint threatened that if I didn’t side with him, I’d be shunned for life. He ordered me to kill Serena and join his faction! It’s true! Why would I attack my lover otherwise? I swear, Elder!”
“I never threatened you! You were fighting over a lover, and now you want to blame me?!”
Veint, clearly caught off guard, began shouting in panic as he realized his plan had backfired.
“You scoundrels! What are you doing?!”
The Red Dragon elder roared, his red body seeming to turn an even deeper shade of crimson.
“If this was simply a lovers’ quarrel, why did you try to frame me? Why did you want me dead? Do you have an explanation, Veint? Elders, isn’t this a severe violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Red Dragons?”
Though El spoke to both elders, his gaze was fixed on the Black Dragon elder.
It was a situation that worked in favor of the Black Dragons.
After all, Rurin had also been at risk of being framed. And as an elder, Medidana wasn’t one to overlook such a situation.
“I see… This is indeed a serious matter. Dedank, what do you plan to do about this?”
Medidana, his voice full of authority, asked with a grave tone. The Red Dragon elder, Dedank, could no longer remain silent. Furious, he turned to his clan members and shouted.
“Veint and Gard! What have you done?! Do you not realize that the Gold Dragons also mediated this ceasefire agreement, not just our clan?!”
“I-It wasn’t me! Shut up! You scoundrel!”
Realizing he was cornered, Veint lashed out, launching an attack toward El.
El easily deflected the attack and turned to Serena.
There was something that had been bothering him—Gard had mentioned the “Ronel faction.” El wanted to confirm what that meant.
“Is there a faction among the Red Dragons? What is this Ronel faction?”
“That’s… a faction that opposes Veint’s group. They’ve been fighting fiercely.”
“And Ronel, he’s dead?”
“Yes, I heard he died under suspicious circumstances. I was told by Gard, which makes me doubt it even more now.”
Serena glared at the dragon who had betrayed her. Although she was still recovering, the anger in her eyes was unmistakable.
***
Veint was in shock.
It had been a fatal wound. Serena should have died. How was it possible that she survived?
No dragon had ever seen or heard of such a method of healing.
Now, the one who needed to die was Gard.
If only he had finished her off cleanly, everything would have been resolved.
Dead dragons don’t speak. He could have shifted all the blame effortlessly.
But the situation had turned sour.
Veint glanced at Nies, who had orchestrated the whole scheme. But Nies was simply standing in the background, as if trying to distance himself now that the plan had failed.
Veint found Nies’ attitude deeply irritating.
Of course, Nies had his own frustrations.
Why hadn’t Gard killed her cleanly? Everything had been set up perfectly—a flawless murder swap. Yet, here they were.
Nies had even brought the elders to make sure there was no way out, but with Serena alive and pointing out the culprit, the plan had completely fallen apart.
Veint was at a loss. If he admitted to Nies’ involvement in killing Ronel and trying to kill Serena, it would be suicide.
Confessing that he had tried to kill two of his own kind would be like jumping off a cliff.
Meanwhile, Gard, desperate to save himself, continued to spill secrets. Veint wanted nothing more than to kill him, but too many eyes were watching.
“Elder! It was all Veint’s faction that threatened me. The timing of Ronel’s mysterious death and Veint’s involvement is too coincidental! We must investigate! I am a victim in all of this, Elder!”
“Gard, you scoundrel! What nonsense are you spewing?! I was with the elder at the time, wasn’t I, Elder?!”
The elder of the Red Dragons wore a pained expression. He felt deeply humiliated in front of other clans. Not wanting to show any more disgrace, he quickly issued an order.
“Arrest Gard and Veint at once! For causing discord among the clan, they will be charged with treason and taken to the sacred land for trial!”
“Yes, Elder!”
The ancient dragons who had come with the elder swiftly moved into action.
“Damn it!”
Veint cursed under his breath.
Nies was the real mastermind, but if he revealed that, it would mean confessing his own crimes too—the murder of Ronel.
“I apologize for the disturbance today. The young ones have gone mad, but fratricide is a grave sin. We will resolve this matter within our clan. I regret showing you this shameful display. However, this incident should not harm the ceasefire agreement.”
“See that it doesn’t. But I would appreciate it if you maintained better control over your clan moving forward.”
At the words of the Black Dragon elder, Dedank gritted his teeth, though he had nothing to say in return. The disgrace was unbearable.
Even El was surprised at how crestfallen the Red Dragons looked.
The ancient Red Dragons wore expressions of deep shame as they glared at Veint and Gard. Slowly, one by one, they began to disappear.
Meanwhile, Nies was already scheming. They were not in a city, nor was this an official event. Moreover, El wasn’t a dragon. Even if he attacked El here, it wouldn’t be a serious crime. The agreement between El and the Black Dragons only concerned Rurin, not the ceasefire.
He might face questioning, but that would be all. Killing El wouldn’t be a crime of the same magnitude as killing one of his own kind.
In fact, many Black Dragons resented El for daring to stand on equal footing with dragons. They might question him, but the younger generation could very well praise him for it.
Using others to handle the dirty work was the best way to avoid consequences. Although he had hoped to use the Red Dragons to deal with El, the current situation presented an opportunity to strike.
All the blame had been placed on Veint. No matter what Veint said, Nies could escape unscathed.
He had even made sure to frame Veint for Ronel’s death. The deeper they investigated, the worse it would be for Veint.
Having thought this through, Nies calmly spoke to the elder.
“It seems the matter has been settled. Elder, you must be busy. Why not return first?”
“With the matter settled and our side clear of any wrongdoing, I suppose I can.”
The elder responded, then glanced at El. And at Rurin.
For a brief moment, an affection flickered in his eyes as he looked at Rurin.
Rurin was his granddaughter.
No one had noticed, but the elder had always secretly cared deeply for Rurin. He just never showed it.
Naturally, he wanted his granddaughter to be happy, but for various reasons, he couldn’t openly express his affection.
That also extended to her relationship with El.
While most of the Black Dragons disapproved of Rurin’s connection with El, if that was what made Rurin happy, the elder had no intention of stopping them.
Thus, though he pretended to oppose their relationship publicly, he had been quietly supporting them. That’s why he had even revealed the existence of the lair in advance.
Having lost his own daughter in a tragic manner, the elder wished for Rurin to live a long and happy life.
After one last glance at Rurin, the elder prepared to teleport away. But Rurin’s gaze was solely focused on El. The elder smiled bitterly to himself. Though he had never openly shown affection, it was only natural that Rurin didn’t think much of him.
