A Cornered Dog Jumps Over the Wall

A large group of experts arrived at the battlefield, only to find ruins and wreckage all around; the Giant Dragon was nowhere to be seen. Despite their haste, they were still too late.

Seeing the group of "wounded" Northern Nobles before him, Duke Affierro's anger was completely ignited, and he glared at them.

Hudson's face was also grim; his men were playing such a dirty trick, and he, as their manager, was making a fool of himself.

After surveying the warehouse reduced to ruins and glancing at the Northern Nobles acting out a scene, he said sarcastically, "Send down the order to immediately seal off the site and inspect the remaining ruins!"

Anyone who dares to disrupt the scene will be prosecuted for colluding with Beastfolk, and their entire clan will be held accountable.

"The fire dragon burns the granary," but it must be burned completely.

It's understandable that supplies like grain and cloth would be reduced to ashes in the fire, but even if weapons and armor were burned, something should still remain.

Whether their feet were frozen in place or not, no one moved after Hudson gave the order; everyone was waiting for their boss's command.

Seeing this, Hudson was not angry but pleased. Disobedience was good! It would be perfect for Duke Affierro to see the arrogance of the Northern Nobles, and when the news reached the Royal Capital, it would lessen Caesar III's fear of him.

Perhaps realizing the situation was not good, Duke Cavadia hurriedly tried to salvage it by saying, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and take action!"

Duke Affierro and Count Hudson, you are too late. The dragon has already departed.

We have recorded the image of the dragon and can organize dragon-slaying warriors at any time..."

Before he could finish speaking, Duke Affierro interrupted, "There's no need for that. Just send someone to capture the dragon."

While we were at it, we also replenished the supplies that had been burned.

The scene is all laid out here. I'm not stupid; I can see what happened myself. I don't need your explanations.

Cavadia, we've known each other for quite some time now. But this time, you really did do it.

Save your prepared reasons for the Alliance investigation team! If you can get away with it, consider yourself lucky; otherwise, you know the consequences!"

Every circle has its own rules of the game. In this "fire dragon burning the granary" incident, the Northern Nobles really went too far. But to convict them, we need more evidence.

The ruins left at the scene are indeed a clue. But this evidence can only be used by our own side and cannot be handed over to the joint investigation team.

Regardless, when dealing with external threats, the Alpha Kingdom remains a unified entity. We cannot allow our own people to stab each other in the back.

If nothing unexpected happens, the fire just now destroyed not only the warehouse, but also the detailed ledgers of the logistics supplies coming in and out.

All relevant materials have been destroyed, making any further investigation extremely difficult.

If the Northern Nobles cannot be convicted, then the responsibility must fall on the kingdom. Hudson is one step closer to packing up and going home.

However, it seems he can't escape now. What will happen to the coalition's logistics if they suddenly change personnel?

When it comes to food, the Allied forces fighting on the front lines will absolutely not allow any major disruption to their logistics.

The meeting ended unhappily, with Grand Duke Affierro leaving in a huff. Now it remains to be seen how the Northern Nobles will deal with the alliance.

"Killing the dragon to silence him" seems to carry a slightly higher risk.

Having dealt with Maxim before, Hudson knew that although the guy was a newcomer to the Dragon Race and lacked dragon life experience, he was still quite good at escaping.

Killing a dragon without killing it will bring endless trouble. Giant Dragon Brand Pestilence is definitely worth having.

"Your Excellency Count Hudson, please order the capture of the evil Red Dragon and seek justice for our fallen soldiers!"

Hearing Duke Cavadia's shameless words, Hudson's anger flared. He said "please" in name only, but in reality, he was clinging to him.

Learn from history. In cases like the burning of the granary by a dragon, the perpetrators were never the only ones punished; the officials in charge of the granary were also held accountable.

Even though he knew it was the work of the Northern Nobles, Hudson was still forced to bear joint responsibility. Although this was to be expected, it didn't mean he was willing to accept it.

"No problem, I'll immediately send a message to the Allied Command to apprehend the evil dragon with all our might. We will definitely bring justice to the fallen soldiers!"

After saying that, Hudson turned and left, leaving a group of Northern Nobles staring blankly at each other.

It was truly unexpected that head coach Hudson would tank at such a crucial moment.

When the Red Dragon fell into the kingdom's hands, everyone covered the matter up. In the end, the burning of the granary was "made a big deal into a small deal, and a small deal into nothing."

Once it falls into the hands of the league, those involved in the case will certainly suffer greatly, and head coach Hudson's reputation will also plummet.

I can't speak for other things, but with the stain of ineffective supervision and lax management, Hudson's path to becoming a marshal is definitely over this time.

The turmoil in the Logistics Department did not affect the normal operations of the army at the front. The Northern Nobles were also sensible; they burned only the empty warehouses and did not foolishly burn the supplies as well.

Needless to say, the other nobles had barely managed to plug their own holes, so naturally they wouldn't cause any trouble at such a critical juncture.

The issuance of the bounty greatly stimulated the fighting enthusiasm of the nobles. The most unfortunate were naturally the Behemoth Clan, who, as the ones with the highest bounty, also attracted the strongest firepower.

Countless small tribes of Behemoth were wiped out by a sudden intrusion of "mercenary groups" in a chaotic and disorganized manner.

This ruthless, childless tactic naturally enraged the Orc Empire. However, their strength was insufficient to stop the allied forces.

Even if they wanted to concentrate their forces and hold their ground, it wouldn't work. The combined population of the Five Great Royal Families was over ten million, and if they were to rely on each other, their logistics would be enough to wear them down.

Decentralizing garrisons and relying on favorable terrain for defense was a last resort.

Unfortunately, the opponents they encountered were too monstrous, either a powerful human alliance or mercenaries who didn't play by the rules.

If the conditions aren't there, create them; poisoning water sources and setting mountains on fire are common practices. All sorts of monstrous Evil God also pop up to join the fun at this time.

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Looking at the ever-increasing battle reports, Hudson was surprised to find that the once-mighty Orc Empire was actually on the verge of collapse.

If the battle achievements hadn't been exaggerated, the Behemoth Clan, would have been on the verge of extinction. Their remaining population is estimated to be less than 50,000.

It just goes to show how efficient the war is in this extraordinary world. The loss of one-fifth of the Beastfolk royal family is now a foregone conclusion.

The only regret is that Maxim has not been captured for a long time, which is obviously because he is a top expert in the coalition forces and they have not taken this mission seriously.

The ones truly busy with this now are the Northern Nobles. Whether they want to kill the dragon to silence it or inform Maxim to flee, no one knows for sure.

After pulling off this big heist, Maxim disappeared into the Ula Mountains, and nobody knows where he is now.

One day, Beldens returned from a hunting trip and brought back news that caught Hudson's attention.

"Beldens, are you sure you've found traces of the Red Dragon?"

Unlike the short-lived human race, if Dragon Race want to "survive," they can simply dig a hole, sleep in, and decades will pass in the blink of an eye.

No matter how big the trouble you cause, it will gradually fade away with the passage of time.

"Of course, that stupid dragon has been having a terrible time lately. It's being hunted down by a group of human experts. If they weren't trying to capture it alive, they could probably be holding a dragon meat feast right now."

Judging from their clothing and appearance, they are quite different from those of your Alpha Kingdom; I'd guess they belong to other factions.

After hearing Beldens' explanation, Hudson immediately understood. The fact that the league's investigation team hadn't arrived at the front lines after all this time was clearly abnormal.

It's highly likely that these people have already arrived, but they are hiding in the shadows, secretly investigating the resale of logistical supplies.

From this perspective, the Northern Nobles actually played the good guy this time, successfully drawing the investigation team's attention to themselves.

Sending people to capture the dragon now is clearly an attempt to find the most compelling evidence to logically kick the Alpha Kingdom out of the game.

Hudson hesitated, unsure whether to leak the news. The temptation of capturing a Giant Dragon alive was simply too great.

Especially for a new dragon like Maxim, who seems easy to fool, if we can manage to fool him, it would be a huge profit.

The mere mention of "Dragon Knight" is enough to resonate throughout the entire continent. The resulting appeal is enough to entice Hudson to take the risk.

"Beldens, you keep an eye on that Giant Dragon for me. Be careful not to get spotted by the human experts chasing him."

I'll go and gather the best soldiers in the army right away!

This is the greatest advantage of being the commander-in-chief of the army: he can openly use the power of the kingdom to seek personal gain.

The reasons are readily available: the Red Dragon cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of the Alliance.

Other problems, once they've become a fait accompli, everyone can only grit their teeth and accept it.

It's all about luck.

Having already rescued an Earth Bear, rescuing a Giant Dragon seems plausible.

As for the damage caused by the Giant Dragon, the Northern Nobles would naturally have to compensate for it. They paid people to do their work; how could they shirk responsibility?

The Orc Empire, after days of defeats, has exhausted the last bit of vitality of this ancient nation.

Countless long-forgotten relics were forced to appear on the battlefield. Unfortunately, this was not their era, and often helping out meant eternal slumber.

All strategies and tactics are futile in the face of absolute power.

"The human race's strength has developed too quickly. Not only has its military strength expanded rapidly, but its strength in other aspects has also far exceeded our expectations."

In the past, we could wear them down with logistics, but this time it's different.

They not only secured access to the sea and shortened transportation distances, but also significantly increased the number of transport vehicles they used compared to before.

What was originally an ordinary carriage suddenly gained immense transport capacity after being engraved with Magic Array.

It is said that their maritime transport fleet has also seen a significant improvement in sailing speed and storm resistance.

Lightweight Magic Crossbow are also showing a trend of becoming more widespread. Perhaps in another hundred or two hundred years, mass production will be possible.

These new technologies were not previously possessed by the Alpha Kingdom; they only began to be widely adopted after the kingdom entered the grasslands for warfare.

It's either a new invention born out of the stimulus of war; or it was given by those powerful forces in the Southern Continent, whose purpose might really be to clear out the area.

Unfortunately, the various ethnic groups on the mainland are not united; they all talk a big game but none of them take any real action.

Whether it was a promise from the humans or their fear of human strength, they dared not show themselves at this crucial moment!

As he spoke, the Eagle Emperor glanced at Alex. The port incident was Old Behemoth Emperor's doing.

If it weren't for that arrogant fool who stupidly believed the humans' lies and opened up a sea route in order to make huge profits from maritime trade, they would never have been defeated so quickly.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Alex, who had originally wanted to minimize his presence, forced himself to say, "Things have come to this point, and we have no choice but to resort to this last resort."

First, unleash the plague— the Black Calamity —to force the human army to retreat. If they persist in their pursuit, then open the Hell Gate.

If they won't let us live, then they won't get away with it either. We're all going to die anyway, so let's drag the Human Alliance down with us!

We've exhausted all available methods. Now, the only option left is a mutually destructive approach.

Plagues don't discriminate between friend and foe; once they spread, everyone will suffer.

The only difference is that Beastfolk have a stronger resistance to poison than ordinary human soldiers. However, the elderly, weak, women, and children in the rear do not have this advantage.

The Black Calamity —just hearing its name tells you how terrifying its destructive power is. Even after lying dormant for over a thousand years, it still strikes fear into the hearts of many.

"The Hell Gate," needless to say. How terrifying the otherworldly army that comes through depends entirely on the size of the gate that opens.

The final blow, meant to drag others down with it, would definitely be delivered through a massive, well-built portal. Looking back at all the large-scale invasions from other worlds throughout history, not one has ever ended well.

"There's no other way right now, so let's do as Alex says and give it a try!"

"If the humans won't let us live, then none of us will live. If it comes to the very end, some seeds will retreat to the Ice and Snow World, and the rest will stay and fight the humans to the death!"

"The Lion Emperor said coldly."

It's tragic to think about. He had just taken the throne as the leader of the Orc Empire, and before he could even get comfortable, it was time to fight for his life.

In the Ula Mountains, Hudson, accompanied by a group of skilled soldiers, cautiously traversed the forests.

Monsters are very territorial. They came here to capture a dragon, and if they accidentally startled the monsters along the way and a fight broke out, their whereabouts would be exposed.

To snatch food from the jaws of the Human Alliance, the most important thing is to keep it secret and catch them off guard.

If they discover it beforehand and everyone bumps into each other while trying to catch the dragon, Hudson won't have the confidence to snatch the dragon back from them.