Ancient Dragon in Arknights

“What do you think? Rita, as a member of the Scamanderos family, shouldn’t get too close to me, Drak; she should turn around and serve the hidden Crown Prince Aslan.”

"But do you think that's a good thing for Rita?"

"She doesn't seem to care much about this kind of royal duty..."

Lori initially thought the Scamanderos family would take protecting the royal family seriously, but Rita never mentioned it.

“Yes, she is the most courageous and free-spirited person in Scamanderos. If in the future, the crown prince can win her over and make Rita give her life for him, I naturally won’t say anything more.”

"But now—I want her to stay away from this kind of trouble. Standing with us will only bring trouble upon us, and you should know that better than anyone else."

"So—we have to keep it from her?"

"Isn't it exciting?"

"..."

Lori learned one thing today: men's words are deceitful.

All that gentlemanly manners and romantic encounters were just pretense by Nesario on a whim.

In reality, he's a guy who's annoying, has a sharp tongue, and whose brain is full of lewd nonsense.

......

"Losiri?"

"Rita! I'm back."

"Looks like things are resolved? You seem to be in a good mood?"

When Rita saw that familiar confident smile on her roommate's face again, her initial anxiety subsided.

Do I look like I'm in a good mood?

Was it Rita's imagination? Losley felt she had never felt so heavy-hearted in her life. It was a clash between the Duke of Victoria and two royal families! What right did she, the daughter of a fallen nobleman, have to get involved?

"Why don't you just look in the mirror and see for yourself?"

Rita held a small mirror in front of Losilly—what she saw was her own barely suppressed smile.

'Ugh—what am I laughing at? Why am I still laughing at a time like this?!'

Lori herself didn't know why she had become like this; only God knows what happened to her.

Chapter Seventy: The Duke's Gaze x2

The gears of time slowly turned, and two weeks passed once again.

During this time, Nesario didn't cause any trouble; he listened attentively in class and studied diligently; and he spent his free time interacting amicably with the "3+1" girls.

As time has passed, the four-person group that initially came together by chance has now become best friends.

Nesario, Chen, Fiona, and Rita—these four have already registered as a squad. A normal squad should consist of an assault guard, a heavy armor shield guard, a ranged crossbowman, and a light vanguard. As the number of members increases, intelligence officers, medics, attack mages, and other types will be added.

In short, the core of a tactical squad should be balance and diversity.

Their team of four... can only be described as incredibly strange.

Fiona – Assault; Chen – Raid; Rita – Battlefield Command; Nesario – Decisive Weapon.

Ranged attacks? Defense? Spells? None of them!

The core motto of the Guardian F4 is: "Let's blow you up!"

Once these four guys get their hands on you, it's either you or me.

But looking across the entire Royal Guard Academy, which squad could possibly stand against them? Rita's command could be countered with experience and surprise attacks, Chen's superb swordsmanship could be used to kite enemies with ranged weapons, and Fiona's brute force could be overwhelmed by a group attack—but how would they deal with that *Victoria-swearing!* Nesario?!

In a head-on confrontation, you'll be sent flying, sword and all; a flanking attack will be blocked by its tail, and its two fists and tail can take on six hands; ranged weapons won't create any distance at all, and will only stimulate Neltharion's hunting instincts.

Right now, everyone in the same grade is probably racking their brains trying to figure out how to deal with Neltharion and his team. Especially the core of this team—Neltharion himself.

"The first large-scale exercise will be held soon. Have you thought about the tactical arrangements yet?"

At the dinner table, Nesario's words drew everyone's attention to Rita.

He and Bagpipes are at a passable level in tactical command; they can't turn a battle into a work of art, but they also don't make any particularly outrageous command errors.

In terms of tactical command, Chen and Rita are the top students, but Chen's command style and combat methods are more inclined towards the Great Yan. In the Guard Academy full of Victorian style, she cannot guess the opponent's intentions well. In other words, all tactics can only rely on Rita.

"I've spoken with the captains of several other teams, and well... our team isn't really that useful except for assaults and stronghold breakthroughs. We'll be the surprise force on the battlefield."

"Got it, human bombs. Wherever they can't break through, just drop us there. Then Fiona and I will team up to tear a gap in their lines, right?"

"That's absolutely right..."

"Oh! So that means Nana and I are the key to the whole battle, right!?"

'No. More like sacrificial pawns, like those in a suicide squad.'

Nesario currently only excels in speed and strength, as well as combat and decapitation skills; he does not yet have the ability to blow an opponent and their stronghold away with a single breath, which means he cannot yet decide the course of a battlefield by himself.

Neltharion now sincerely hopes that his mental space will bring him back into it. The power of slaying the dragon has intoxicated Neltharion, making him look forward to the prey that will follow.

What kind of being could possibly defeat a monster like the Dragon Slayer?

Nesario can't imagine it now.

"Speaking of which, we still don't have a clue about where that scale came from... Can Lori find out about it? That seems a bit too much to ask... But let me just say, it would be great if we could find something. No clues, no loss, right?"

'Speaking of which, this week is supposed to be our week to exchange information? I wonder how her investigation is going.'

Upon closer reflection, Nesario realized that his life was not as calm as it appeared on the surface; rather, he had been walking a tightrope, dealing with nobles in Londinium, one of the eight dukes, a threat from the Glasgow Gang, and the ever-present threat of revealing his identity as Drak.

"So, Fiona, you've clearly studied mechanical engineering, so why can't you even use a simple communicator properly?!"

"Hey... well, at least I'm pretty good at driving tractors, right? I can use those big machines too, but the communicator is just too fragile... it starts smoking as soon as I apply even the slightest pressure. This must be a quality issue with the engineering department!"

"Fiona is suited for large machinery, but for small ones... well, hehe."

After getting to know each other better, the four of them figured out each other's personalities. Rita and Chen had a lot to talk about. They were both from noble families, both had ambitions, and even agreed that Fiona was noisy. They also agreed that they wanted to find an opportunity to beat up Nesario, because he was just too annoying!

I hope I can graduate safely, at least let me enjoy some peace and quiet for a while.

Mr. Vaiva, an ordinary man, offered his heartfelt prayer.

......

In the same relatively secluded bench, Lothiri and Nesario sat side by side.

This time, Lori returned the favor by bringing Nesario a cake, supposedly her most recommended flavor.

"Durian... how can this stuff be combined with cake? If it's that Dior creation from last time, I swear on my stomach, that guy is an absolute bastard."

"Um... but this thing is the most popular item at afternoon tea in Lentinium."

"Did they even consider what would happen to races with a sensitive sense of smell? This thing is attacking my nose like a biological weapon."

"But it tastes delicious!"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Losley took out her investigation results from her small bag.

"Based on the approximate location you pointed out, I can determine that it is the closest part of the Otcliff district to the palace, and the people there are no ordinary people."

"So that's what they mean by 'under the emperor's feet' in the Yan language?"

Nesario wasn't sure if Yan Kingdom actually had this saying, but neither were the others; when asked, they all said it was taught by Chen.

"Based on your description of your appearance and actions—I can roughly guess that the person you are fighting is the current 'Duke of Cumberland'."

OK, we're doomed.

Nesario has given up hope for his future.

Who would have thought that the noble mansion he stole by chance was actually a duke's mansion!? After Nesario arrived in Londinium, he was caught twice by the duke or his subordinates.

Who else?! The eight dukes might as well come to Londinium for a team-building event. They might even be able to perform a talent show for them when they meet Nesario.

Chapter 71 Cumberland, you don't want the Aslan royal family to decline, do you?

"With eight dukes provoking two of them, I think there aren't many people in Victoria who can achieve what I have done."

Nesario had accepted the situation. His only hope now was that the two dukes would fall out of favor and, ideally, fight because of him and Vina, so that they would be too busy fighting to care about him. That would be the best-case scenario.

“No, no, no… Nesario, you are actually very lucky. Because ‘Duke Cumberland’ doesn’t have that much power to do anything to you or that Aslan.”

"how do I say this?"

Has the situation taken a turn for the better? Could it be that the Duke of Cumberland is a rare good person?

'Her fierce demeanor that day didn't seem like that of someone who was going to be polite.'

Her first move was a whirlwind capable of sending people flying. If Nesario hadn't been exceptionally strong, she really would have been able to hold him back.

“From the perspective of Victoria’s history, every head of the Cumberland family has been the most reliable ally of the King of Aslan; Cumberland has been the most loyal supporter of the Aslan royal family. After the previous king was hanged, the previous head of the Cumberland family also died soon after being persecuted by other dukes. Without the king’s favor and protection, the Cumberland family’s power is now less than one-tenth of what it used to be.”

Lothiri presented Nesario with the intelligence she had collected, including official historical records, letters from many famous people, and even newspapers from that time—the Cumberland family and their master, the old king, were being severely criticized.

"Now in Lentinium, the new head of the family rarely attends political events, but the Cumberland collection occasionally appears on the market—her predicament is obvious."

"In other words, even if we're all inside Londinium, it'll be difficult for her to mount any effective threat against me?"

Upon closer reflection, Nesario did indeed discover some facts that proved the decline of the Cumberland family.

That night, the Cumberland household had no guards, and even only a handful of maids—it was ultimately the head of the household who personally intervened to find Nesario.

If it were any other noble family, a single alarm would have brought several squads of private soldiers and police to the scene.

"Moreover, she still relies on the Cumberland family's resources for support, rather than siding with other dukes. What does that mean?"

"Is Cumberland still loyal to Aslan?"

"Isn't this the only valid explanation?"

"..."

The situation has suddenly reversed!

What a touching bond between ruler and subject! Even in his own fallen state, he remained steadfast, awaiting Aslan's return. To be honest, Nesario was beginning to envy Vina.

The Glasgow Gang members, while not of high overall quality, are absolutely trustworthy in their loyalty; and the nobleman Rita, along with the White Wolf family behind her, are waiting for an opportunity; now they even have the added support of a duke!

Draco! Where are Draco's followers? Why haven't I encountered a single one!