Chapter 267: End Here? Hmph!
"Finally, it's over." The general leaped down from the stretcher, having just been flown back into the fortress by his guards from where he had fallen. Although it was only a few minutes, it felt like an ordeal for him, being watched by so many people was truly embarrassing.
"You bastard, why did you spill so much blood on me?" the fortress general exclaimed, looking at the beast blood soaking his armor and inner robe, glaring at his aide. "All this blood spilled along the way."
"It was to make the general look seriously injured. So many nobles have been killed; you absolutely cannot bear this consequence. So, the more injured you appear, the less responsibility you'll bear later."
"But you didn't have to..." The general's words were cut off as he noticed his aide giving a slight bow behind him. He immediately stopped talking, turned around, and saw a black-haired, golden-eyed young man standing quietly behind him, smiling at him.
"Why do you have so much blood on you?" Muria sized up the man before him, who was as burly as a bear. He could tell from the smell that it was beast blood, deliberately poured on.
"Uh..." The general turned back and glared fiercely at his aide, then awkwardly smiled. "Have you already dealt with those who offended you?"
"Only a part of them." Muria took out a scroll listing more than a dozen noble names, half of whom had already paid the price for their actions.
"It seems some have run away." The general showed a hint of regret. "It would have been nice if you could kill all these guys. I'm fed up with these wastes."
"Look at this, I found something interesting." Muria handed the list to the general. "These nobles seem to be the ones not valued by their families, just messengers, really. The ones who wanted the demon-hunting knight dead must be their backing family forces.
I now want you to tell me the locations of these noble families' territories."
"You plan to continue the pursuit?"
"What else?" Muria sneered, clearly not planning to end things here.
"Actually, there's no need to continue." The general shook his head, taking the list from Muria and glancing at it. "This is a border fortress directly controlled by the royal family, not possible to be granted to those nobles. So, the noble youths sent here are just wastes, only useful for their bloodline to their families.
The demon-hunting knight's emergence must have been reported by them to their families, who then provided funds and ordered them to hire assassins to kill the demon-hunting knight.
Now that you've traced it back to them, even if they run back to their families, there's only one outcome."
"..." Muria narrowed his eyes, silent.
"Their families will use their lives to quell your anger," the general's aide added.
"General!" At this moment, a soldier clad in heavy armor came running. He paused upon seeing Muria, then looked at him with a mix of awe and respect before bowing and whispering a few words to the blood-stained general.
"Your Excellency, the things those families sent to appease your anger have arrived and have been brought here."
"...Is this the unwritten rule among your human nobility?" Muria looked down at the heads lined up before him, their faces still marked with fear and disbelief, then turned to ask the general beside him.
"Pretty much!" The general looked over the uncomprehending heads. These were the nobles who had fled, now slaughtered by their families, their heads sent to Muria to pacify his anger.
"Not enough." Muria glanced over, his tone indifferent.
"Uh, a few are missing." The general looked at the list again. "Seems like there are a few not-so-stupid ones who didn't run back to their families. Just don't know how these pampered wastes will survive without their families!"
"I didn't mean that's not enough." Muria's face showed a hint of mockery. "Do these families think sending a few irrelevant descendants will settle things?"
"Uh, Your Excellency, what else do you want?" The general and his aide exchanged glances before tentatively asking.
"These forces that wanted the demon-hunting knight dead, have no right to exist anymore." Muria spoke calmly, his words chilling the general and his aide.
"Your Excellency, having heard that the demon-hunting knight you protected hasn't perished, and those nobles have already sent the heads of their kin, continuing to pursue this might be a bit too..."
"You think they've given me enough face?" Muria pointed to the heads before him. "So, I shouldn't pursue this further?"
The aide who had just spoken smiled awkwardly, realizing that this golden dragon didn't seem to follow the implicit rules of their human race.
"Hmph, I am not human. Don't expect to constrain me with those boring and ridiculous rules of your human nobility." Muria looked at the general. "I came to you for the territories of the families behind those on the list."
"..." The general's face twitched, and he started to sweat profusely, fearing that revealing the noble territories to Muria would unleash a storm of blood and violence across the kingdom.
"Don't worry, no one saw me come in. Even if you tell me, no one will know." Muria floated in the air, his smile as innocent as a child's. "Even if you don't say, I can also ask those True God Churches."
"Gulp!" The general swallowed hard.
"Tell me, and you will get a chance to ask for my help." Muria, though in human form, displayed the pride of a dragon in full.
Hearing Muria's words, the general hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind. A promise from a golden dragon was worth betraying those nobles who had no ties to him.
Thus, the general spilled all the information Muria wanted, completely ignoring the frantic gestures of his aide beside him.
"Oh, by the way, are there any legends among these families?" Muria, having obtained all the information and ready to leave, asked.
"None." The general was certain in his reply.
"Good, I won't have to call an ancient dragon for help." Muria nodded, satisfied, and vanished from the fortress.
Then, a resounding dragon roar filled the air.
Hearing the sound, the general hurried to the window and saw a nearly hundred-meter-long red dragon circling above the city, with a black-haired, golden-eyed youth standing proudly between its horns.
Beside him, a green dragon of no lesser size than the red, and around them, fourteen green dragons circled, their dragon majesty enveloping the skies above the fortress.
The appearance of multiple dragons didn't cause much panic, as almost everyone recognized the youth standing atop the red dragon, surrounded by the dragons.
"Set coordinates!" Muria ordered, and three soul-level green dragons combined their magic to open a massive portal. "Let's go!"
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