North Wind Eagle Guard (6)

North Wind Eagle Guard (6)

Alger was blindfolded and led through the passage, turning left and right.

When the black cloth was removed, a vast cavern lay before him. At its very center, the Red Dragon was curled atop an enormous rock, its eyes half-closed as if resting.

The Bugbear shoved Alger forward and forced him to kneel, then said with utmost respect, "Master, I have brought the human."

The Red Dragon before him lazily opened its eyes and casually said, "Well done. Withdraw for now."

Alger could even feel the hot breath carrying the Sulfur Scent from the Red Dragon's mouth.

"Yes, Master."

The Bugbear respectfully took his leave.

Alger struggled to rise from the ground, gritted his teeth, and said word by word, "Evil dragon, whatever plot you have, I will not let you succeed, even if it costs me my life!"

Having said that, he closed his eyes and straightened his back, ready to receive the Red Dragon's wrath.

Whether scorching flames or sharp claws awaited him, he felt no fear.

Unexpectedly, there was not the slightest anger in the Red Dragon's voice as it merely asked, "Why did Brad Lachmann send you here?"

Alger kept his eyes tightly shut, refusing to say a word as though he had heard nothing.

Seeing Alger's reaction and considering the timing, Keosius roughly guessed the purpose of his mission. It was likely the infamous Tiefling Camp Massacre from his previous life.

Hundreds of Eagle Guards had searched everywhere for traces of Tieflings. Once they found them, they immediately began slaughtering them, sparing neither the old, the weak, nor women and children. They left no survivors, burned the site to the ground, and destroyed any witnesses in the surrounding area along the way.

This operation should originally have gone smoothly.

Unfortunately, they had encountered Ember Nest.

Thinking of this, Keosius stared at Alger, who stubbornly refused to speak, and asked teasingly, "Alger Yoman, do you know how your parents died?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Alger's expression changed drastically. The most hidden wound in his heart had been ripped open, bloody and raw. He could not help opening his eyes and shouting:

"That's impossible!"

"How could you know?"

Seeing Alger open his eyes, the Red Dragon said unhurriedly, "You need not know why. You only need to answer truthfully according to what you know."

Keosius repeated himself, "Then tell me, how did your parents die?"

"They were..."

Yet Alger failed to notice the faint, nearly imperceptible red glimmer rippling through the Red Dragon's vertical pupils—and through his own eyes as well.

"They were sacrificed to devils by those damned Tiefling mongrels!"

Alger recalled those painful memories, and his eyes immediately reddened as he ground his teeth.

Keosius asked casually, "And who told you that?"

"It was... it was... the Duke."

"Then why is that not what I know?"

"What do you know?"

"What I know is that your beloved Duke, in his pursuit of immortality, in his desire to become an undying vampire, traded the lives of thousands in the city. Among them—"

Keosius paused.

"Were your parents."

The Red Dragon before him was like a devil from hell, using artful words to lure the human's thoughts step by step.

"No... impossible!"

"You're lying!"

Alger cried out, his voice trembling.

Yet under the Red Dragon's deliberate guidance, he could not help considering that terrible possibility—his benefactor, his godfather, the Duke to whom he had sworn lifelong loyalty, was his very enemy.

Keosius pressed him relentlessly, slowly spreading his Wings and shrouding Alger beneath an enormous shadow. Looking down at him from above, he said, "Think carefully. Has your beloved Duke ever once left his castle?"

"Has he ever stood beneath the sunlight rather than remained cloaked in shadow? Even when delivering those grandiose speeches?"

"With your keen senses, have you ever heard the victims' wails from the backyard of Lachmann Castle, or smelled the blood mixed into the soil below?"

"When you slaughtered innocent lives, did you know they would become sacrifices, pitiful materials for the Duke's immortality?"

As Keosius's words fell, scenes of roaring flames appeared before Alger once more. Within the inferno were wailing children and mothers clutching their children.

"No, no, I didn't..."

"I didn't."

Alger staggered backward again and again, constantly shaking his head.

He felt dizzy, as though his head were splitting apart. Every detail in his memories became so vivid that each seemed capable of proving it all.

"No..."

"You're lying. You're bewitching me."

"I won't believe your slander. The Duke clearly..."

Alger collapsed onto the ground, shaking his head and muttering incessantly, his eyes clouded by an unrelenting gloom.

Only after a long while did a trace of clarity return to his gaze. His voice trembled as he said, "Evil dragon!"

"You... what did you do to me?"

Keosius looked down at him indifferently and said, "Nothing more than a small trick, to make you accept the truth."

"Besides, after doing those things, what right do you have to call me an 'evil dragon'?"

"No, I don't believe it."

"This must be your scheme!"

"You're deceiving me, aren't you? You used magic to mislead me! I... I won't listen to your slander."

"Your tricks mean nothing before the loyal North Wind Eagle Guard!"

Alger forced himself to stand and tried his best not to dwell on those terrifying words, but the excuses from his mouth were so pale and powerless.

"I have no reason to deceive you."

"And... you will know soon enough."

Keosius did not continue arguing with Alger. He merely lowered himself calmly, narrowed his eyes, and resumed resting, while summoning the Bugbear at the entrance.

"Take him back to the dungeon and lock him up."

"Yes, Master."

Three Bugbears that had been waiting for a long time stepped forward and forcibly dragged away the struggling Alger.

Even as he was carried off, he remained agitated, shouting without pause.

"Evil dragon, you can't fool me!"

"Don't even think of slandering the Duke!"

"You're in league with those devils!"

Years of loyalty training within the family had long taught him the principle of absolute obedience. He was merely a sharp blade of the family, and weapons had no good, evil, right, or wrong.

Do not ask why. Simply carry out your orders.

That was what the Old Instructor often said.

Thus, as a competent Eagle Guard, Alger often emptied his mind and tried not to think about right or wrong. He habitually deceived himself—especially when killing, when facing those unarmed Refugees.

But now, Alger was rarely giving all this thought.

As long as he could be made to do that, cracks had already appeared in his psychological defenses. All it would take was one more trigger for them to collapse completely.

Keosius had achieved his goal.

The perspective returns in the next chapter.