Lord: Starting with Contract Half-Elf Twins

The next day was another rare sunny day.

Good weather during the rainy season is rare.

Allen opened his eyes, climbed up from the simple bed made of animal hides, and stretched lazily.

I smelled myself and found I smelled terrible.

Animal hides that have not undergone tanning will rot very quickly.

"The 'Lord's Hut' must have a bathroom."

Allen thought to himself.

"You're awake?"

Looking back, I saw that Solina was already roasting the cut lizard meat over the fire.

This lizard-like creature has extremely thick skin covered in scales, and it doesn't have many places to store fat; only the meat on its belly looks edible.

Solina knew that Allen would be hungry again after waking up, so she handed him the lizard meat that she had already roasted.

Allen didn't stand on ceremony and took a big bite of the lizard meat.

It tasted as bad as I expected.

The meat was dry and tough, with a fishy smell, similar to dry-roasted rabbit, and not very oily.

Perhaps because they live in shallow seas, their meat has a slightly salty taste, which makes it much better than the meat of animals from inland areas when roasted.

Although he had been eating raw meat and drinking blood for three months, Allen, born in a country where food is the most important thing, simply could not get used to this kind of life.

"We must get our hands on spices in the future."

Allen added the task of territory development to his mind while swallowing large mouthfuls of the unpalatable roasted meat.

The bloodline of the red dragon doesn't care about the taste of food; it's said that real dragons can even digest metal and stone.

As long as there is not enough nutrition for development, a strong sense of hunger will urge Allen to find food as soon as possible.

"Allen, I think you've grown quite a bit taller lately."

Viola ate the cooked lizard eggs in small bites. She had a small appetite, and each lizard egg was the size of a washbasin, so one was enough to fill her up.

"It seems like he's grown a little taller."

Allen felt that he had not only grown taller vertically, but also wider horizontally. His originally somewhat slender figure was increasingly resembling that of a calf.

Actually, it wasn't just him; the half-elf twins were originally even thinner.

After living in the wilderness for some time, the Gemini's originally slender arms and thighs have developed noticeable muscle definition.

Her naturally fair skin remained unchanged, and it didn't even become rough due to the terrible living environment; it was still as smooth as moonlight.

One can't help but marvel at the power of elven blood in terms of charm.

After finishing their meal, the three of them walked out of the cave and began to act separately according to Allen's plan.

Solina and Viola were responsible for using the cliff as a center to drive out and hunt other wild animals, thus carrying out the initial "territory-claiming" behavior.

Sapphire Bay is vast, and this cliff is just a small corner of it.

But if it could be completely occupied, Allen estimated that the area would be about the size of a village.

Due to its terrain, which is backed by mountains and faces the sea, this mountain is mostly cliffs with little flat land, and appears barren from a distance. It is not a territory that ferocious species would favor.

Only amphibious beasts like lizards, and some birds that nest on cliffs, are easier to drive away.

If Allen is really unlucky enough to encounter a ferocious species, then he'll have no choice but to start over in another place.

With their current limited strength, the three of them can at most deal with ordinary wild beasts.

Therefore, Allen instructed Solina to prioritize her own safety above all else, and to run away immediately if she encountered danger, waiting for Allen to return and investigate the situation.

As for Allen himself, he went into the lush forests of the outer mountains.

He knew that such a suitable place to live must have groups of magical beasts.

As long as one can understand instructions and possesses a certain level of intelligence, there is a chance to be recruited by him to become one of the first "citizens".

In theory, it would be even better if there were humanoid races.

However, the strength of humanoid races is incomparable to that of social magical beasts. Even a small group of goblins, with simple weapons and a certain degree of teamwork, can kill him through group attacks.

While the hero template implies that he has the ability to take on multiple opponents, that's just an in-game description.

In real battles, things can change in an instant, and a single mistake could cost him his life. He was not so arrogant as to think that he could act recklessly just because of his awakened ability to control fire.

Moreover, if a special individual with spellcasting abilities were to emerge within the tribe, the goblins might not even suffer many casualties in this siege.

"Thinking about it this way, slimes are actually pretty good subjects. At least as long as they're fed, they don't have any particular desires... I just wonder if we can find them."

Allen muttered to himself as he stepped deeper into the mountains.

……

"Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh..."

The heavy breathing, like a broken bellows, indicated the body's poor condition.

Three toe bones were bitten off its hind paws, a piece of its tail was bitten off, its vest was hit by a heavy stone hammer, and its internal organs seemed to be about to be vomited out with its panting.

It was already extremely difficult to escape.

It is not very intelligent, but it has the ability to recognize its own level of intelligence—a skill that far surpasses that of its kind.

It's the rainy season now, so there aren't many opportunities for such a sunny day.

If it weren't for the blazing sunlight that bathed the earth, deterring its kin from venturing out, it would have long been dragged back into the deep pit of the cave and used as a ritual sacrifice.

After catching its breath, it struggled to its feet, its severely injured hind paws raised, and it limped along the jagged rocks, its three paws on the ground.

It dared not stay in one place for long.

The noses of its kind are extremely sensitive; if it stays in one place for a long time, its scent will definitely be detected.

As dusk begins to fall, its kind will emerge from the darkness and seize it.

Therefore, we must take advantage of this time to get as far away as possible, away from the area covered by their clan's caves.

However, it is also afraid of sunlight.

Its tiny eyes were burning with excruciating pain every moment, and its scales were almost burning up in the sunlight!

If it weren't a mutated individual, it wouldn't be able to move in the sunlight.

It struggled forward for a while, and suddenly, its still-sensitive ears heard the sound of fallen leaves being trampled.

Its rich experience allows it to estimate the size of a target even when it cannot see clearly who it is in the sunlight.

Its despair deepened, and encountering a large predator at such a terrible time almost signaled the end of its escape.

But instead of giving up, it instinctively squatted down and used its two front paws to untie the stone stick that was tied around its waist.

The element is responding to its call; this is its innate and special ability, and its last resort in dire situations.

……

Allen stared at a strange creature in the distance.

It has a body covered in rusty red scales, two small horns that are hard to tell if they are ears, a rat-like tail, and a head that looks somewhat like a lizard or a wolf.

Moreover, this strange creature was in quite poor condition.

Blood was flowing from its hind legs, and its rusty red scales were inexplicably scattered, with a section of its tail tip missing.

Nevertheless, upon sensing Allen's arrival, it almost immediately became alert, struggling to sit up and taking out a short staff.

Allen quickly glanced at its character panel:

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

【Name: Flint Claw】

Race: Kobold

Age: 10

[Character Template: Elite]

[Level: Warlock lv4 / Miner lv8]

[Status: Severely Injured]

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A kobold with an elite template and spellcasting aptitude!

Kobolds are a fairly typical humanoid race, not only possessing a sound social structure, but also often having superior weaponry and equipment compared to goblins due to their love of rare minerals.

What caught Allen's attention even more was the stone club in the kobold's hand.

To be precise, it is a stone staff, because it is only the length of a forearm and has a red crystal inlaid at the top.

Clearly, it's a magic wand that even Allen doesn't have—a tool to assist in spellcasting.

At that moment, Allen sensed a familiar fluctuation.

The stone staff in the kobold's hand was gathering magic, attracting elements to condense into magic.

It's fire!

Allen immediately decided to kill the kobold.

Kobolds are a dangerous race, and Allen is not yet capable of taming them; in fact, he might even suffer harm at their hands.

If this kobold is allowed to return to his pack, he will then have to face an entire vigilant kobold pack.

Allen raised his hands, and crimson flames rose from between them.

Although the kobold was seriously injured, Allen did not want to let his guard down, after all, its level was higher than Allen's.

Pure, burning magic surged and roared through his veins, and Allen unconsciously followed his instincts, letting out a low growl!

The red dragon is the overlord who wields fire. Without Allen's active call, the thin fire elements in the air rush to gather around Allen, obeying his will and intending to clear away all enemies for him!

Even the flames that had just condensed on the kobold's staff began to flicker violently, as if the fire element was about to rebel against its control and turn to a more powerful master!

Sensing that the magic was out of control, the kobold's face showed human-like shock and bewilderment.

But just a second later, its body and its soul, following closely behind the fire element, also sensed that aura.

A sense of awe and fear, rooted deep in my blood, welled up in my heart!

The kobold shuddered violently, its tiny eyes widening abruptly, and it even froze in its breath.

The few remaining rusty red scales exploded as if startled, and the fire element that had been gathered at the top of the stone staff instantly dissipated!

Allen, oblivious to all this, was about to completely destroy it when he suddenly heard a series of low, distorted, yet exceptionally clear, guttural sounds coming from the kobold.

Strangely, despite it being a language he had never heard before, Allen seemed to have skipped the translation process and understood the kobolds' words!

"great……"

"I beg..."

"Owner……"

"A dragon..."

……

Allen slowly lowered his hands and saw that the dog-headed man had been lying on the ground at some point, trembling and repeating the same words over and over.

There was no screaming to warn their companions, and no attempt to escape.

The dog-headed man buried his head deep under his front paws, pressed his severed tail tightly to the ground, and lowered his entire body even further.

Without any attempt to conceal it, he exposed his most vulnerable neck and back to Allen.

A somewhat absurd word even flashed through Allen's mind—"piety".

But that's actually the case.

He listened to the kobold repeating the words twice more and roughly understood the language the kobold was speaking.

Dragon language.

Although it consists of only fragmented words and phrases, and although it seems to be tinged with the "racial dialect accent" that has eighteen bends.

But what it murmured must have been dragon language.

It is an ancient language that comes from the bloodline of dragons, which can be directly understood by the invisible elements and resonate with magic itself.

Although kobolds are a lowly race despised by the world and living underground, they seem to have a rather close connection with dragons.

Allen once again realized the powerful effects of his diluted red dragon bloodline.

No wonder they were kept by slave traders for so long and then sold at high prices.

There was even a scene where the king's domineering aura was displayed, and the enemy immediately bowed down in worship.

Allen made a self-deprecating remark.

He doesn't take this for granted.

Even if the red dragon's bloodline made this kobold instinctively want to follow him, he still had to think it over.

A badly wounded kobold might be willing to follow.

But what about a healthy ethnic group that retains its original social structure?

Without sufficient strength, any loyalty relationship based on external factors will not be stable.

After all, he wasn't a real dragon, just a human with diluted dragon blood. Dealing with a single kobold was easy for him, but he wouldn't stand a chance against a siege.

Once the kobolds realize his weakness, a single betrayal could be enough to finish him off, and Allen doesn't want to be sitting on a powder keg.

"Can you understand what I'm saying?" Allen asked, approaching the kobold.

Seemingly sensing Allen's willingness to talk, the kobold's voice became noticeably excited.

"Flint, yes, you understand."

This time, the kobold spoke in Common, which surprised Allen.

Although its common language, like the Dragon Language, still has a heavy, distorted "accent" and its vocabulary is quite fragmented.

But it clearly expressed its meaning.

If it speaks dragon language, it's possible that this kobold learned it naturally from its bloodline due to "atavism."

Universal Language is not some magical language; it can only be learned through books, instruction, or by living in a Universal Language environment.

Allen only knows the Common Language, but the original owner's intelligence and cognition were deliberately suppressed, making it impossible for him to understand how to "use" it.

A kobold in the wilderness, who could cast spells and speak a little of Common, piqued Allen's curiosity even more.

"Your name is Flintclaw, right? You want to follow me?"

"To become, Dragon Lord, Glory, Servant, Supreme..."

The flintclaw stumbled through its explanation, its common language not very good, and it would pause for a long time to express what it meant.

"I am not some dragon lord, but I am indeed a lord."

"Lord... Dragon Lord?" Flint Claw seemed unable to distinguish between the two words.

Allen didn't care and picked up the kobold lying on the ground:

"I don't care what your reasons are for following me, but I'm very interested in you now."

"But what I want is not just your following, but the loyalty of an entire tribe."

"In return, I will bestow upon you a reward. What do you desire?"

Flint Claw didn't quite understand; it really didn't understand.

Why would the Dragon Lord explain so many strange reasons and ideas to it?

The knowledge gained from their ancestors made it a matter of course for the kobolds to be loyal to the dragons.

Unless a stronger dragon emerges, they will need a new dragon lord.

The Dragon Lord only needs to answer "accept" or "reject"... or even just a default attitude is enough, without needing to explain anything to his lowly servants.

But in any case, it heard the Dragon Lord's final question.

What kind of reward do you want...?

"Power!" it blurted out the word impatiently.

Then, after a pause, he added, "The entire tribe, servants, loyalists! Take them back! Follow you!"

"Great, that's exactly what I need."

Allen nodded, revealing a smile that said, "This kid is teachable."

This kobold still has a lot to learn, but it can understand what I mean, so it's already a pretty good follower.

The rest can be taught gradually.

Now he should figure out how to bring a kobold tribe under his control.

A kobold warlock, who clearly held a high position within his tribe, was now wandering alone, wounded and alone.

He could guess what had happened even with his toes.

Before Flintclaw demonstrated exceptional learning and comprehension abilities, he had assumed there was no possibility of "taming" the kobolds.

Now that we have an excellent tool to use to subdue the kobolds, everything has become much simpler.

Allen simply didn't know whether what would unfold next would be a prince's revenge or a coup d'état at Xuanwu Gate.

Or perhaps both?