Mr. Dragon Knight, the dragon girls are chasing you!

The dragon-slaying glory was gone, and the number of elite troops killed in action needed to be accounted for, but they couldn't let the truth get out—"Several thousand elite troops surrounded and killed the Black Dragon King, only to be rescued single-handedly by a duke's second son"—if this story reached the capital, everyone would lose face.

He looked in the direction where the Black Dragon King had disappeared, then glanced at the bloodstains and tattered pieces of clothing left by Luo Ye on the ground, his eyes flickering.

Then, the curve of his lips turned slightly cold, and a cruel and meticulous calculation quietly emerged.

"The second son of the Duke of Violet... suddenly displayed power resembling dragon energy, and even helped the Black Dragon King escape at the last moment..."

"This matter must be reported to His Majesty the King immediately, and—"

He paused for a moment and looked at the family crest above the scout's head.

"—Inform Duke Raymond himself."

"Duke Raymond is an upright man with a good reputation, and the kingdom has never doubted his loyalty."

"If his second son really colluded with the dragons, it may involve more than just the outcome of this dragon-slaying battle."

The golden-armored commander turned around and whispered instructions to his adjutant beside him, keeping his voice very low so that only a few people around him could hear.

"Pass down the order: maintain a unified narrative."

"In today's battle, the Black Dragon King Eluvia was critically wounded and on the verge of death, but was rescued by a dragon servant she had secretly tamed, who was disguised as the son of a human duke. We fought valiantly, killed the dragon servant, and severely injured the Dragon King, but he still managed to escape."

"Do you understand?"

The adjutant understood immediately: "Yes, sir!"

The golden-armored commander nodded, then looked at the scout who had initially recognized Luo Ye, his gaze icy: "You, are you sure you saw the Black Dragon King's servant disguised as Luo Ye, with malicious intent, and that you've been exposed today, right?"

The scout shuddered and immediately knelt on one knee: "Your subordinate... Your subordinate saw it clearly! That was definitely a dragon servant in disguise! Young Master Luo Ye must have already been murdered! Your Grace, Duke... Please accept my condolences!"

"very good."

The golden-armored commander withdrew his gaze and looked down at the ruins soaked in dragon blood.

Night had completely fallen, and faint rumbles of thunder could be heard along the distant mountain ridge.

The cold wind from the abyss rushed into the canyon, stirring up the remaining smoke and stench of blood.

He gently patted his adjutant on the shoulder.

"Then, immediately send someone back to the capital as quickly as possible to deliver the message that 'Duke Raymond's son, Luo Ye, has been kidnapped by the Black Dragon and his fate is unknown.'"

He paused, his voice slowing down with a deeper, more meaningful tone.

"We share in the Duke's grief over the loss of his son and will continue to do everything in our power to investigate and rescue him."

The leaders of the hunter squads all responded in unison, "Yes!"

High above the sky, below the leaden clouds.

Eluvia's flight had become much smoother, but it was still noticeable that she was struggling.

She deliberately concealed her dragon might, using the clouds and her control over the shadows to hide her tracks.

Luo Ye was supported by a gentle shadow energy and placed in the center of her relatively flat and broad back, where there were fewer damaged scales.

He slumped onto the dragon's back, his body feeling as if it had fallen apart, each breath aggravating his injuries. The pain of the shared contract was lessening, but his severe injuries and the aftereffects of overloading his power left him nearly exhausted.

He struggled to lift his eyelids, looking down at the ever-blurring Eternal Night Rift below, and at the still-warm, dark golden blood of the Black Dragon King flowing beside him.

[Ding! The first stage of the hidden world event 'The Dragon King's End' has been completed!]

[Mission objectives 1, 2, 3, and 4 (minimum survival requirements) have all been achieved!]

[Task completion assessment in progress... Assessment complete. Task rating: S (A miraculous choice in a desperate situation)]

[Quest rewards are being calculated... Due to the special nature of this quest, some rewards have already been directly distributed through the 'Eternal Night Dragon Knight' class and contract. Additional rewards will be distributed based on the subsequent development of the relationship with the contracted party 'Eluvia - Wings of Eternal Night' and the continuation of the quest.]

[The "Dragon Knight Covenant of Shared Life and Death" is stabilizing... Current stability: 17%]

[Elvia - Wings of the Night's Status: Severely Wounded/Extremely Weak/Curse Corruption/Pact Backlash (Mild)]

[Your favorability rating: 28 → 36 (Complex, curious, initial approval, mixed with a hint of indescribable strange feelings)]

[Note: Your relationship with the "Dragon King's Lament" alliance is permanently fixed as "mortal enemies." Your relationship with the Dragon Clan (partially) has undergone unknown changes. The continent's reputation has experienced drastic fluctuations.]

36 points of favorability...

Luo Ye tried to smile, but the movement aggravated his wound, causing him to wince in pain.

The game started in a dead end, but the player fought their way out with sheer courage, even managing to acquire a hidden, unique class and a Black Dragon King "mount"...

Although this "mount" looks like it's about to fall apart, its favorability rating has only just escaped the negative.

But this start is exciting!

He managed to turn his head slightly, looking at the massive black dragon head standing motionless in the howling wind. His voice was hoarse from weakness and pain, yet it carried a hint of satisfaction and mockery, as if he had just completed an epic quest:

"Hello... Your Majesty Eluvia, does this mean we... successfully eloped?"

Ahead, the Black Dragon King's massive body seemed to stiffen slightly.

Immediately, a suppressed dragon roar, filled with anger, embarrassment, and perhaps something else, accompanied by a blast of scorching air, sprayed Luo Ye's face:

"Shut...up! You rude, lowly human!"

But for some reason, the dragon's roar seemed to have lost some of its initial killing intent.

The gray clouds were torn apart, and the enormous black dragon, carrying its newborn, wounded knights, struggled to fly towards the unknown, night-shrouded distance of the continent.

[Eluvia's Affection Level: 36 → 38 (She's embarrassed and annoyed, but not truly angry)]

Behind them lay the near-death experience they had just escaped, and the inevitable onslaught of greed and hostility from the entire "civilized world."

Before him lay a future shrouded in mist, and a proud but severely wounded Dragon King, his "partner" with complex emotions.

Luo Ye lay on the dragon's back, feeling the heavy and powerful throbbing of the dragon's heart beneath him, as well as the subtle connection brought by the 36 points of favorability, and slowly closed his eyes.

"The game... has only just begun."

"And, this feel... these dragon scales, this body temperature..." He thought vaguely, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold, hard, yet incredibly elastic and vibrant dragon scales beneath him.

A strange, dragon-like power surged through his fingertips, causing his heart to skip a beat for no apparent reason.

"It seems... a little intoxicating."

With a faint smile on his face, and overwhelmed by a wave of exhaustion and excruciating pain, Luo Ye's consciousness sank into darkness.

Only the 36 favorability points flickered faintly and steadily on the system panel.