Evil dragon has a warm heart

"Your Highness Shadowflame, what exactly are the Snow Giants, and what do they seek by coming through the portal from another realm?"

Inside the Shadowflame Volcano, feeling the scorching heat of the magma, Russell slowly voiced his inner doubts.

Earl Merlin had told him that the Snowfield might be a huge hunting ground where the Snow Giants hunted dragons to extract the essence of the Dragon Sleep Continent. However, even Earl Merlin wasn’t sure, so Russell wanted to ask the Shadowflame Dragon himself.

"Shadowflame does not know," the Shadowflame Dragon responded.

"You don’t know either?"

"Have you heard that rumor, that the Snowfield is the hunting ground of the Snow Giants? If it really is a hunting ground, how could Shadowflame, the prey, know the hunter’s purpose?" the Shadowflame Dragon replied calmly, "It is a mystery your kind should unravel."

It raised its head, looking towards the sky from the volcano’s mouth.

After a moment of silence, its magic-filled draconic language continued, "Establishing a land conducive for survival is the mission of Shadowflame... the rest is for your kind to complete, to forge civilization... to save the world..."

"To forge civilization, to save the world..." Russell mused over the Shadowflame Dragon’s words, gently nodding his head.

In the unique ecosystem of the Dragon Sleep Continent, the mighty dragons are the foundation of survival, while the frail humans are the stewards of civilization.

Russell bowed respectfully, "I understand, Your Highness Shadowflame."

"Go now, let Shadowflame see how far you can go... You are not like the knights bound by contract with Shadowflame, you lack their inherent aura of the strong, nor do they have their sense of destiny, but you are the most intriguing."

Having said this, the Shadowflame Dragon closed its eyes and rested its head back on the magma, silently beginning its hibernation.

It remembered its three Dragon Knights.

The domineering Quentin Shadowflame, who founded the Shadowflame Grand Duchy with it; the resolute Quentin II Shadowflame, who stayed by its side the longest; the spirited and carefree Quentin III Shadowflame, who died alongside it on the Snowfield...

Born into noble families, they seemed innately adept at wielding power, their heroic presence awe-inspiring to the Shadowflame Dragon.

But Russell was different.

In its eyes, Russell was just an ordinary, mediocre knight.

Although he had a gentle and dignified demeanor, humble and kind-hearted, he lacked the charisma of the strong.

If it weren’t for Russell’s appearance, if it weren’t for his family background, if it weren’t for Russell’s enviable adventures, lost in a crowd of knights, he would be unremarkable, many knights outshining him.

"How could such a knight be a natural-born Dragon Knight?" the Shadowflame Dragon wondered, puzzled.

It could not understand why its kindred, the dragon known as Ice Cream, chose Russell as its knight.

And not just any knight, but a natural-born Dragon Knight.

"Countless knights dream of becoming a Dragon Knight, yet Russell is one by nature... Shadowflame is really curious!"

Gurgling.

The magma churned, and within the Shadowflame Dragon’s perception, Russell had already turned and left the Shadowflame Volcano. His silhouette was ordinary, yet to the Shadowflame Dragon, it seemed filled with mystery. It couldn’t help but want to delve deeper to find the answer.

...

Russell had no idea that in the eyes of the Shadowflame Dragon, he was just an average knight, lacking the heroic spirit the Shadowflame Dragon cherished.

In fact, after his conversation with the Shadowflame Dragon, he felt good.

He was imbued with a strong sense of being the protagonist of "forging civilization, saving the world," resolved to lead the Dragon Sleep Continent on a brilliant path of giant resistance and anti-colonial liberation!

"It’s a pity that a knight can only bond with one dragon; otherwise, the Shadowflame Dragon would definitely be eagerly begging me to bond with it!"

He could feel from their conversation how vulnerable the Shadowflame Dragon was.

When humans feel weak, they desire company; similarly, when dragons are vulnerable, they too wish for a knight’s comfort, but alas, he was already committed.

"Lord Russell, have you finished talking with His Highness Shadowflame?" Lord Welchi asked curiously as he saw Russell coming out.

He was outside and couldn’t hear the dragon language of the Shadowflame Dragon.

Usually, the magical dragon language is only transmitted to specific interlocutors; if they do not want others to hear, nobody can hear it.

"We’ve finished," Russell said. "It was quite pleasant."

"Okay, did His Highness Shadowflame have any instructions?" Lord Welchi asked, skeptical of Russell’s words.

As the Volcanic Minister responsible for communicating with the Shadowflame Dragon, the dragon completely ignored him. Russell, who hadn’t studied the dragon language even for a day, audaciously claimed to have had a pleasant chat with the Shadowflame Dragon.

"No instructions, we just discussed some interesting matters," Russell responded with a smile. "Alright, I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now."

As they passed by each other, Welchi keenly felt a pressure emanating from Russell. This aura of authority was similar to that of a dragon’s, but upon closer inspection, it seemed as sharp as a bolt of lightning.

"He is strong—although he is newly appointed as a Flying Dragon Knight, I can feel a strong oppressive force, as if his power is greater than mine!"

Welchi found it hard to believe as he watched Russell’s retreating figure, deeply furrowing his brow: "He’s just a newly appointed Flying Dragon Knight, and yet I have been riding dragons for over a decade... Also, what’s that symbol on his forehead that looks like lightning?"

He had to remain at Red Castle back then and had not attended Russell’s dragon riding ceremony.

Previously, his sole impression of this young man who had suddenly broken into the ranks of the Flying Dragon Knights was from the day when the Shadowflame Dragon suddenly opened its eyes and looked at Russell for several seconds.

This scene had somewhat shocked him.

Even though he himself had become a Flying Dragon Knight and now served as the Volcanic Minister, every time he communicated with the Shadowflame Dragon, the dragon kept its eyes closed and had never looked him in the eyes, which he deeply regretted.

Russell, who was just a young Phantom Beast Knight at the time, had received such a qualification, how could it not shock him?

Afterward, "Russell being directly looked at by the Shadowflame Dragon" became a topic he and his friends would talk about with emotion, and slowly it spread.

As a result, Russell’s dragon riding has now become a popular tale in the Grand Duchy of Shadowflame.

"Young people these days, I can no longer understand them... My Grand Duchy, always in times of trouble," Welchi mused silently.

Meanwhile, Russell had already passed through the underground passage and returned to Red Castle.

Then he went to Count Merlin’s private castle.

"Grandfather, I’m back."

"Have you visited His Highness Shadowflame?" Count Merlin had already prepared tea, and the grandfather and grandson chatted over tea, "Did His Highness Shadowflame say anything, what are the intentions of Snow Giant Da?"

"His Highness Shadowflame considers the actions of Snow Giant Da as a provocation," Russell said.

"So, it means there might be a second time, or even more?" Count Merlin frowned.

Russell shook his head, "According to His Highness Shadowflame, if Snow Giant Da dares to invade again, he will sacrifice a piece of the Warm Enclave and utterly destroy Snow Giant Da."

Pausing for a moment, Russell then added: "However, I somewhat doubt if the... dragon can actually do it."

Speaking ill of the Shadowflame Dragon behind its back naturally meant not mentioning its name, lest the dragon sensed it.

Count Merlin stroked his beard and nodded: "I have my doubts too."

"Grandfather, should the Demon Subduing Order continue to be executed?"

"This... apart from the snowfields outside our national borders, are there other places where the Snow Demons exist? The tactics of Snow Giant Da are overt," Count Merlin sighed. "Hunting abroad might be a cure worse than the disease, but shutting the national gates is just a slower death."

Then, he looked at Russell, truly valuing his opinion for the first time: "If it were up to you, what would you do?"

Russell calmly said, "I don’t know, it all depends on the Council of Elders’ decision, but I will still go hunting on the snowfields. Snow Giant Da couldn’t kill me in a sneak attack; from now on, he will never have the chance to kill me again!"