Chapter 478
Chapter 478: Spirit of Mutual Aid
Orphen was furious. He was determined to eliminate the wicked and tyrannical Demon Race.
(Using us like beasts of burden and demanding they carry their bugs too!?)
Let us not forget—ordinary dragons absolutely hate carrying others. Even the Demon Race is so disgusted by it that they plot to revolt. It doesn’t help that our hatching ground has been converted and occupied as the Demon Lord Castle.
(As if it’s not unbearable enough that the Demon Race is flying around as if they own the skies!)
The skies belong to dragons. The wings that allow for free flight are the symbol and pride of the dragon race.
However, with the rise of the Demon Kingdom for over two hundred years, the sacred skies of dragons have continually been invaded by demons.
(What’s infuriating is that there are those who are starting to become accustomed to this humiliation…!)
Though Orphen’s kin, the Dark Dragons, are raising their awareness not to forget their pride and are educating the younger ones well, what about the other tribes—especially those small fry?
As they flit about as lackeys of the Demon Kingdom, they are gradually developing a slave mentality.
What a disgrace! Such cowardice is unbecoming of proud dragons! Orphen couldn’t tolerate the sight of his kin, other dragons, being domesticated like livestock.
If they were merely pretending to comply while harboring resentment, it wouldn’t be too bad; but being genuinely obedient from the bottom of their hearts—what is the meaning of this? We are proud dragons!! Shall we so easily bend to the barbaric fighters who flaunt their dominance using the powers of demons?
(That being said… if the Demon Lord requests something, it’s hard to refuse.)
It’s infuriating, but that’s the reality.
(However, at the same time, I can’t just accept it without conditions.)
If Orphen were to readily agree, it would set a dangerous precedent. Although he has transported Night Elf agents before over decades, the dragon race had always fussed and squeezed concessions from the Demon Lord and Night Elves.
The return of dragon caves occupied by demons and undead, the provision of labor from Night Elves, and so on.
(What conditions should I impose this time…? Money?)
The thought that sprang to mind made Orphen feel pathetic.
Even I! Am I falling prey to the very system created by demons!?
Money!? To hell with that currency economy! That should be left to the ground insects. If we want something, we take it; that’s how the greedy and violent dragon race operates!
And yet…! Everything is abominable, absolutely abominable!!
(This incident is the result of the Demon Race’s rampage! Why must we clean up their mess? Enough with this nonsense!!)
—Meanwhile, the Night Elf King Omenissa looked at Orphen with cold eyes, hiding his dissatisfaction and anger behind a facade of mockery.
(Now, what conditions will this lizard come up with?)
As a member of the illustrious Night Elf royal family, he had no reason to be called an insect by someone younger than a fraction of his age. Dozens of insults and barbs ran through his mind, but Omenissa was wise enough not to let them surface.
(Even this stubborn beast can fly. That fact still makes him a lifeline for rescuing my kin…)
It would be just as easy to enrage Orphen as twisting a baby’s hand, but if he were to be too irritated, mistakes or minor accidents might occur during the rescue operation.
Such trivial matters cannot be allowed to cost the lives of his precious kin.
“I understand your feelings well, Orphen,” Omenissa spoke gently.
“For the sake of our invaluable kin, could you bear with this for now…?”
“Our wings are not cheap. Particularly, it’s one thing for those worthy of the skies to ride, but quite another for the weak who can’t even return home.”
Omenissa kept a straight face but struggled to keep from clicking his tongue.
The dragon race claims they are carrying demons because they are worthy strong beings, thus rejecting the use of riders from other races. They deem them “worthless weaklings.”
(What makes you think you’re strong! Should I poison you all?)
Many members of the dragon race are upper-class citizens in the Demon Kingdom and have hired Night Elf servants. Recently, it has become mainstream for dragons to transform into humans to eat.
—Naturally, those meals are prepared by the servants. They could easily add poison if they wanted.
(They assume we can’t do anything dangerous because of our “Oath,” but…)
Among the Night Elves, those with strong magical power can use “Oath” magic, pledging not to leak their master’s secrets or harm them, with the penalty of their heart stopping if broken.
This gives Night Elf servants high information confidentiality and overwhelming trustworthiness.
But.
(That only works on demons.)
In reality, for other races, including dragons, the Night Elf servants have options to “make an oath,” but they don’t actually use magic. It’s just a “verbal promise.” Thus, they can break the oath at any time if they choose.
Only a few high-ranking demons and the Night Elves themselves know this. The dragon race is particularly considered likely to revolt in the future, so plans to poison powerful figures like Orphen during emergencies have been considered.
“So, what kind of compensation do you desire?”
Omenissa inquired while envisioning the pitiful sight of Orphen foaming at the mouth and writhing after being poisoned. He bore a fair amount of murderous intent, but it was skillfully concealed, a testament to wisdom.
By the way, during this time, the Vampire Duke Vlad absentmindedly fiddled with his curled mustache; the Beastman King gazed at the ceiling with a “I wanna go home” expression; Enma maintained a smile while thinking (this is boring; I hope they all die quickly); and Izvorii, the Demon of Invasion, sank into thought, arms crossed, probably planning his next invasion.
“This time, it’s money. Around… this much.”
The amount Orphen proposed was indeed a gouging price that forced the Night Elf King to say “that’s too much.”
“Orphen, that’s quite excessive…”
“Eh? Wasn’t it the life of my invaluable kin? I thought this was quite cheap, perhaps I should have estimated it lower?”
With a malicious grin, Orphen prompted Omenissa to unleash venomous arrows in his mind.
(He’s getting too big for his britches. His greed rivals that of hobgoblins. If only he were as foolish as them, dealing with him would be easier.)
By the way, Omenissa didn’t believe in Orphen’s claims about the “pride of the dragon race” at all. He regarded it merely as a means to extract favorable conditions.
Nevertheless, Orphen had put forth his conditions. Now, how to negotiate down from here… just as Omenissa was contemplating this,
“—It seems you’re misunderstanding something.”
The Demon Lord opened his mouth.
“There is no ‘compensation’ for this matter.”
Glaring at Orphen.
“…What do you mean? Are you telling us to work for free?”
“The Demon Kingdom grants appropriate rewards and treatment to those who have greatly contributed to the nation. Like your titles and salaries.”
It was as if the Demon Lord hadn’t noticed Orphen’s displeased expression at all; he continued speaking flatly.
“And the spies lurking in the allied zones can indeed be said to have made huge contributions to the Demon Kingdom. By probing the movements of the allied forces and sending detailed information from the field, our army’s advance was made flawless. If the Demon Kingdom benefited, then you too must have enjoyed that. You are our subjects, citizens of the Demon Kingdom.”
“…………”
“Therefore, if such a contributor finds themselves in a crisis, it is only reasonable that those with ability and qualification extend a helping hand. This is a matter of principle, Orphen. If you dragons say, ‘That principle doesn’t exist,’ or ‘It has nothing to do with us,’ then that’s fine too.”
The Demon Lord laughed.
“—In that case, I will view you dragons as such beings.”
Neither looking down on nor despising him, just quietly.
“Even when faced with significant problems, you are a self-sufficient race that can solve things spectacularly by yourselves.”
…Orphen felt an ominous premonition weighing on him.
Honestly, he was confident that the dragon race could handle any trouble that came their way.
However, acknowledging it could give rise to unpleasant justifications.
He felt that way.
For example, if there were once again a surprise assault on the Demon Lord Castle by remnants of the White Dragon, and the scouting dragons couldn’t stop them, allowing an attack on the castle,
“There was something we dragons couldn’t solve,” and some sort of penalty could be imposed.
Most importantly, the way he spoke suggested that a significant problem might arise! Was he planning to intensify his interference with the dragon race under the pretext of this threat!?
(Uugh, this is troublesome…!)
Orphen began to suspect that today’s meeting was an attack on his charisma disguised as a rescue operation for the Night Elf spies.
If he were to flatly say, “I don’t know about the Night Elves,” then a “great problem” could befall the dragon race, and if they failed to resolve it perfectly, they would be condemned.
On the flip side, if he turned and said, “It happens; it can’t be helped,” he would have lost face as the Dark Dragon King for failing to maintain a resolute stance against the Demon Lord.
(Damn it! What a sneaky move…!!)
Orphen, who considered himself to be quite crafty, was furious.
If he had said from the start, “Given the circumstances, it can’t be helped,” he wouldn’t have found himself in such self-entanglement… but he really hated flying with other races, so it couldn’t be helped.
“…………”
Silence stretched on. Orphen, expressionless as he pondered how to respond, while the Demon Lord waited, wondering, “Why is this guy going silent?”
By the way, the Demon Lord was not thinking about anything as deeply as Orphen assumed.
Today’s proceedings were filled with more trivial matters than usual, putting him in a foul mood.
Though he originally intended to observe the negotiation between the Dark Dragon King and the Night Elf King, he was astonished by how assertive the former was and thought to play a cheeky role supporting the Night Elf King.
After all, this whole affair originated from an internal struggle within the Demon Race, and the Night Elves, who were completely dragged into it, deserved sympathy.
“…………”
Overthinking left Orphen struggling to respond.
All the while, the Vampire Duke Vlad observed him with interest, the Beastman King Gaogaer intensified his “I wanna go home” vibe, Izvorii the Demon of Invasion remained deep in thought, and then—
“Yes! Your Majesty, may I say something?”
Breaking the silence, the Undead King Enma raised a hand.
“Mm, what is it?”
The Demon Lord, slightly surprised by this unexpected voice, encouraged him to continue.
“I was deeply moved by your earlier words, Your Majesty. Therefore, we undead would like to—”
Enma flashed a grin.
“—offer our cooperation for the Night Elves’ retreat support.”
!?
The Dark Dragon King and Night Elf King exchanged glances, the Demon Lord blinked in surprise, and even the previously indifferent Vampire Duke did a double-take, while the Beastman King picked at his ear, and even Izvorii looked up.
At that moment, the hearts of everyone in the conference room unified.
—What is this guy plotting?
