The Black Dragon's Deliberate Difficulties

Without any nonsense, O'Neal began assigning tasks directly.

"Yakla, lead Squad One and take charge of Area One."

"Luda, lead Squad Two..."

"..."

"Jose, take the slaves and take charge of Area Thirteen."

Jose suspected he had misheard. Area Thirteen was no smaller than the other areas. Every other team had at least fifty members, while his group had only two. Leaving aside what they would do if they encountered enemies, the workload alone was a major problem.

"Lord O'Neal, just the two of us?"

"What? You have objections?!" O'Neal shot Jose an unfriendly glance.

It was your honor to be my punching bag, yet you dared to object?!

Jose burned with anger. He understood now. Under too much pressure, combined with Wolf's involvement, the Black Dragon had made him into a punching bag.

Bearing the pressure of Dragon Might, he continued, "But what if the enemy is hiding in Area Thirteen, and we fail to discover them in time because we are short-handed?!"

The Black Dragon frowned at his words. He had to admit that Jose had a point. If that really happened and the Matriarch held him accountable, he would not be able to bear the consequences. There was no need to take such a huge risk just to vent his frustration.

But he had already said the words. If he took them back now, where would he put his pride? After a moment's thought, he came up with an idea.

"You have a point. Everything is for the Matriarch. How about this? Whoever is willing to follow you can join your team."

Everyone stayed far away from the two dragons as if avoiding the plague. Anyone with a functioning brain could tell that the Black Dragon was deliberately making things difficult for Jose, so naturally, no one wanted to invite trouble.

Only one dragon was an exception: the White Dragon, Kashi, whose brain was clearly not functioning. He had not even figured out why everyone was staying so far away from him.

O'Neal naturally could not be bothered to argue with an idiot. With a mocking expression, he said, "Oh my, only one person is willing to join your team. That won't do. How about this? So the mission isn't affected, you can pick whichever fortress elites you want from outside. What do you say?"

Jose remained expressionless.

Fortress elites?!

They had received no training, were so skinny that only skin clung to their bones, and you called them elites?!

"Lord O'Neal, you are truly generous, selfless, and wise. My foolish little brother, hurry up and thank Lord O'Neal for his kindness."

Hearing Baren's mocking words, Jose smiled instead.

"That's right. Lord O'Neal is truly generous, selfless, and wise. My dear brother, your wisdom is only the tiniest bit inferior to my lord's."

"I am pleased that you recognize that."

"Enough! Enough!"

O'Neal impatiently interrupted the two dragons. "Since there are no more problems, hurry up and carry out your mission."

After the gathering ended, Jose left the cave and flew into the sky, hovering above the shacks as he looked down at the monsters below.

Most of the monsters living in the shacks were thin from malnutrition. The Gnolls' fur was clumped together with mud and sweat, the Kobolds' scales were so filthy that their original color could no longer be seen, and the Goblins looked as though they had rolled in mud. They were the residents of Greystone Fortress, and also the Black Dragon's cannon fodder.

Though the cannon fodder looked like filthy refugees, once gathered in sufficient numbers, they were still a considerable fighting force. Ants could kill an elephant, not to mention monsters whose ferocity was ingrained in their bones.

Jose took a deep breath and shouted at the monsters gazing up at him below, "Lowly servants! By Lord O'Neal's order, you have been conscripted! Every household shall send one adult male! Take your weapons and gather at the city gate!"

In Greystone Fortress, O'Neal's fearsome reputation could stop children from crying at night. His intimidation was naturally beyond measure.

One after another, monsters emerged from the shacks carrying "weapons" such as clubs and pitchforks. There were nearly a thousand of them.

Inside the cave, O'Neal watched the massive scene through monitoring magic and felt as though he had lifted a rock only to smash his own foot. Irritated, he punched the table, sending the parchment atop it half a meter into the air.

"Wolf was right! That little brat really is irritating!"

And so, amid the envious, jealous, and resentful gazes of the other teams, the three dragons held their heads high and set off with nearly a thousand people in a grand procession.

After marching for more than two hours, the group arrived at Area Thirteen. From afar, they could see the cave where they had roasted meat earlier.

"Everyone! Turn these mountains upside down for me!"

The monsters scattered, while the three dragons remained where they were.

The White Dragon suggested, "W-with... with so many people, why don't we go to the cave and r-rest?"

"Better not. Don't give O'Neal something to use against us."

Inside the cave, the Sanctuary Guardians spotted the passing Red Dragon.

"That Red Dragon is back again!"

"Stay calm, my friend. Maybe this time we'll have a chance to get revenge." The Thief's expression darkened as he glanced at a lump nearby. That thing had stunk everyone up badly.

Seeing the culprit who had made them suffer, even the usually quiet Priest was filled with fury. "Everyone, endure a little longer. As soon as noon arrives two days from now, I will activate the Sacred Altar immediately, and we can all have our revenge."

At those words, the burly Muscular Warrior touched the cold blade of his Double-Bladed Great Axe and gritted his teeth. "When the time comes, I'll chop that damned dragon into eight pieces to vent my hatred!"

"No! Eight pieces isn't enough! At least sixteen!"

"No! Start with thirty-two!"

"No! No one is allowed to kill him!" Captain Oluk, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them. "Take him alive!"

Everyone suddenly understood.

"Right, right, right! Take him alive! A Young Red Dragon can be exchanged for a viscount's title!"

"Before selling him, we have to torture him properly."

"Hang him up and beat him!"

"Dunk him in a cesspit and let him taste this for himself!" The female warrior wore a satisfied expression, as if she could already see her enemy being overwhelmed by the stench, kneeling and begging for mercy.

"..."

While everyone discussed how to torture their enemy, the Red-haired Mage—Oluk—remained silent.

He was neither a fool with muscles for brains nor a Priest brainwashed by doctrine.

He was a spellcaster, a highly learned spellcaster, and he was of noble birth.

When he had seen the Red Dragon roasting meat with Dragon Breath, he had thought there was something unusual about the dragon. Later, when he saw the Red Dragon share the meat with lowly Kobolds, his doubts only deepened.

After thinking all night, he recalled an obscure book he had read during his apprenticeship in the Family Library—Dragon Aberrant Behavior Analysis.

The book contained the following passage:

Dragons are one of the most successful races in the Multiverse. They possess Dragon Heritage and are born with innate knowledge. Every dragon species has its own distinctive way of behaving and dealing with the world. If a dragon seriously deviates from its species' inherent behavioral patterns, caution is required.

There are many reasons why dragons deviate from their nature, but two of them demand the highest vigilance.

The first is when an evil entity uses a special secret technique to seize a dragon's body. However, one who occupies a dragon's body through external means has no true name and cannot obtain Dragon Heritage.

The second case is even rarer: a naturally born Dragon Aberrant Body. Dragon Aberrant Bodies often possess certain special abilities. These abilities vary wildly, but they all share one trait—their growth rate and strength far exceed those of ordinary dragons.

Under normal circumstances, as long as a Dragon Aberrant Body does not die young, it can usually grow into a powerhouse of the Multiverse.

The appearance of Dragon Aberrant Bodies follows no pattern. Cases exist among every dragon species, but they appear most frequently among the Five-Colored Evil Dragons.

According to information provided by an anonymous dragon elder, among the Five-Colored Evil Dragon rebels personally eliminated by the Dragon God of Evil—Tiamat—over the past ten thousand years, nearly half were Dragon Aberrant Bodies.

"Dragon Aberrant Body..." Mage Oluk murmured.

He decided that once they captured the Red Dragon, he would keep it for himself. The chance of it being an aberrant body was small, but what if he got lucky? Even if it was not, he would still gain an impressive mount. If trained properly, his family would gain another guardian capable of living for two thousand years.