I am a wicked dragon, and you want me to fall into goodness?

Chapter 84: I told you to fight each other, but you refused (3k views)

Valerius's face turned deathly pale instantly, and his body beneath the silver armor trembled uncontrollably.

The arrogance and stubbornness of the past vanished without a trace, like snowflakes swept away by a raging wind.

He sat on his horse, nearly falling off, staring in terror at the blue dragon that exuded a chilling aura.

A deafening roar echoed in his mind; the cruel reality, like a cold, sharp blade, pierced his false illusions.

This is a newly established country!

A nascent nation where dragons hold power and laws and order are still in their infancy!

It will not acknowledge Elijah's glory, nor recognize Elijah's nobility, much less bestow upon these fugitives the privileges that have long been crushed by war!

His proud dukedom and the so-called "noble blood" flowing through his veins.

In this land, in the eyes of the dragons, he is nothing but a joke!

"No—no—"

Valer suddenly looked up at Karen and Cedric, his eyes filled with pleading and questioning, trying to get recognition of his identity from them.

"Karen! Cedric! You are the Levi! You are the heirs of Elijah!"

"You cannot stand by and watch a foreign dragon trample on the dignity of the Levi nobility!"

Karen's brow furrowed sharply; he seemed to be angry, yet also saddened, and in the end, it all turned into a deep sigh.

"Why not?"

"Duke Valerius, didn't your so-called noble dignity of the Levi, your proud family glory, vanish completely the moment Elia perished, the moment your territory was swallowed up by the iron hooves of the Crimson Empire?"

The boy's words were almost cruel: "When you fled to this land, you didn't take a single piece of Elia's territory with you, nor a single piece of a noble's fiefdom."

"All he has is a seemingly magnificent suit of armor and a foolish heart filled with pride!"

Karen looked directly at the Duke: "On the land of Starshine, we are first and foremost survivors, subjects who submit to the Starshine Dragon."

"Not the long-dead Elia nobleman you speak of," even my title is only recognized by the Levi people.

The Blue Dragon was very unhappy because of Duke Valerius's provocation, which, at least in Puse's view, was definitely a challenge to authority.

A bloodthirsty glint suddenly flashed in Puse's vertical pupils. The wind whipped up by the flapping of his dragon wings whipped up snowflakes, making it impossible for the people below to open their eyes.

"Had enough arguing? I've come up with another 'brilliant' idea."

Pusser seemed to have found another source of amusement: "Don't you all have a grudge against each other? Don't you all think you're in the right?"

"Then I'll give you a chance to live: the long-eared tribesmen, Valerius's private guards, and you, the duke!"

Puse addressed the two sides, who were on the verge of battle, saying, "Your men, lay out your forces and fight each other! The winner will live!"

"Since I'm dead, this can be considered as giving myself an explanation, and not letting you down."

The blue dragon roared at the humans, "If any race loses and is still not satisfied? No problem!"

His eyes gleamed with madness: "Then send out another wave of people to fight each other! Until everyone on one side is wiped out!"

"How is it?"

"Isn't my idea both fair and a way to completely resolve your conflict?"

"By then, all those who wanted to fight will be dead, and those who didn't want to fight will naturally compromise."

The long-eared knight commander, clad in dark green leather armor and with silver crescent pendants dangling from his ears, froze, his anger hardening.

According to this logic, if the Levi people had won, the Long-eared Tribe would certainly have been dissatisfied; if the Long-eared Tribe had won, the Levi people would certainly have been dissatisfied.

If we keep cutting them down like this, wouldn't one race be on the verge of extinction, or both races be almost wiped out?

"Well... it doesn't have to be like this."

"Great dragon, every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor! It was Valerius who instigated this conflict; he led his private guards to slaughter my people and steal my food!"

The long-eared knight commander's tone softened: "What we long-eared people want has never been indiscriminate slaughter, but justice!"

He turned abruptly, pointing at the pale-faced Valerius, then at the silent Karen and Cedric, and finally at Puse, his voice filled with sorrow.

"Enough blood has been shed by both races! You are the wielder of the Starshine Authority!"

"There are countless ways to resolve disputes, but it doesn't have to be this way. Let's use the lives of our entire clan to fill the hole dug by this madman!"

At this point, would people say that every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor?

Then what about the civilians you slaughtered?

Are they just unlucky?

Karen's gaze first fell on the leader of the Long-Eared Tribe, and she tried to persuade the cruel Prince Puse.

"Your Highness, he's right!"

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor; the root of this conflict has always been Valerius's selfish desires and arrogance!"

The boy finally regained his rationality and was able to accurately assess the current situation.

"Whether they are the Levi or the Long-Eared Tribe, they are all your subjects, the foundation of Starshine's future!"

He pointed at the two warriors, their swords drawn, and said, "Haven't you always hoped the gold mine would be opened soon? Then you shouldn't be letting the able-bodied men of the two tribes kill each other!"

"Among the Levi people are skilled craftsmen adept at digging and forging, while the Long-Eared People are familiar with the mountains and terrain of this land. They are all indispensable forces in gold mining!"

"It's really not worth sacrificing the lives of two races and causing Starshine to lose a large number of usable laborers for a foolish Valerius!"

'

Pusser let out a low growl of dissatisfaction, impatient with the ants' "pushing their luck": "What do you mean?"

"I said to kill them all, but you disagreed. So I let you fight each other, and you said it wasn't that bad—"

"So, this won't work, and that won't work either?"

Karen was about to speak again to persuade him when she was interrupted by Puse's suddenly raised voice.

"Do you intend for me to arrest Valerius, his personal guards, and all of you noisy long-eared tribesmen, and then slowly put you on trial?"

Almost the instant Puse finished speaking, Cedric bowed deeply to the blue dragon in mid-air.

"Your Highness! Cedric agrees with your wise decision!"

He slowly straightened up, nodded slightly to Karen, and then turned his gaze to Puse, his tone earnest and clear.

"Capture Valerius and his guards, and have them tried by your appointed judge, together with representatives of both tribes."

"This not only demonstrates your authority as the ruler of the Starshine, but also gives the Long-Eared Clan a clear and just judgment, and allows the people of Levi to see clearly that the culprit behind this conflict is not some racial dispute, but Valerius's selfishness!"

As the old sage spoke, he subtly gave Karen a look. Seeing the young man nod slightly, he continued, "As for those knights who were coerced, they can be punished according to the severity of their crimes, either by being forced into hard labor in the gold mines or by being demoted to slavery."

"This preserves the able-bodied men of both tribes and sets an example for others. Isn't this a hundred times better than killing each other or slaughtering everyone?!"

Puther looked at Cedric in front of him.

His words were as if they were the greatest favor bestowed upon the ants: "Hmph—this dragon will reluctantly agree to your request."

Before the words were even finished, the blue dragon's claws suddenly shot forward, the sharp tips pointing directly at the two warriors of the two races who were locked in a tense standoff. Its voice suddenly turned icy cold, carrying a death threat.

"All you long-eared tribesmen, lay down your scimitars immediately! Valerius's knights, surrender now!"

Puse's gaze fell on the hand of the Long-Eared Tribe leader gripping the hilt of his sword, and then on the tense arms of the private guards behind Valerius.

"If anyone dares to disobey, dares to continue holding weapons, I, the Dragon, will no longer care about who has the grievances or who owes the debts, nor will I care about the gold mine laborers!"

"Kill them all on the spot! Without mercy!"

The moment the last three words were uttered, Karen turned around almost immediately and shouted sharply at the Knight Levi behind her, "What are you all standing there for? Put down your weapons!"

Vallejo's eyes widened in fury. He abruptly sat bolt upright on his horse, letting out a hoarse, frantic roar: "No! You can't do this!"

"I am the Duke! You are my knights! You are Levi's warriors!"

He waved his arms wildly, even grabbing the hilt of the sword of the nearest guard without regard for decorum: "Grab your weapons! If they dare lay a finger on me, you should make these long-eared bastards and this dragon pay in blood!"

But the guard just shook his head stiffly, and with a flick of his wrist, the longsword crashed to the snow with a clang.

One person takes the lead, and a hundred will follow.

Valle's private guards looked at each other, and finally gritted their teeth and threw their longswords and shields to the ground one by one.

The clanging of metal against metal created a series of sharp sounds, and the duke was pulled off his horse.

The wind and snow continued to howl, but they could no longer stir up even a trace of the tense and hostile atmosphere.

Under the cold, vertical pupils of Puse, the tense gaze of Karen, and the impassive watchful eyes of Cedric, the Red Fang Knights marched in neat formation towards the Long-Eared Tribe warriors.

Their movements weren't exactly gentle, but they weren't overly provocative either; they simply extended their hands silently, waiting for the other to hand over their weapon.

The long-eared warriors gripped their sword hilts tightly, many of the younger warriors still burning with unquenched anger as they stared intently at the Levi people who had once been at loggerheads with them.

The atmosphere froze for a moment, as if a bloodbath would erupt again if one of them made the first move.

Just then, the long-eared knight commander with the silver crescent pendant hanging from his ear suddenly took a deep breath.

He raised his hand and pressed down on the shoulder of a young soldier next to him, then slowly loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

"Swish"

He sheathed the sharp scimitar without hesitation, flipping his wrist to hand it to the Red Fang Knight.

In the end, the entire Long-Eared Knights surrendered, and not a single one launched an attack.

They were led aside in an orderly fashion by the Red Fang Knights, separated from Valerius's private guards, and quietly awaited the impending trial.