nagpurpolice Chapter 943
Chapter 943
Chapter 943
Rudelite, leveraging the fact that he was a dragon well-versed in magic, managed to secure a job as a mage in Heins Territory.
His duties mainly revolved around inspecting artifacts and handling various odd jobs through magic.
Of course, Davey, who was aware of a dragon's distinct characteristics, decided to temporarily dismiss the idea of revealing his true identity. To do so would be considered taboo in their delicate game, and there was no reason to provoke him into a frenzy.
Whether Rudelite was aware of this or not, he seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself, as if he believed he had successfully begun his playful act. Davey then ordered the maids to clean him up and groom his scruffy appearance.
Once cleaned up, his true charm as a dragon became apparent—his striking beauty was enough to make anyone blush regardless of gender. Although he was undoubtedly a young man, his looks were so enchanting that some men were initially drawn to him, falling into despair upon learning his gender. Others, however, made unsettling remarks saying that his beauty was all that mattered.
About a week after Rudelite began adjusting to life in the territory, Davey received word of a grim situation in the Pallan Empire. Unlike the peaceful developments in Heins Territory, word about the Emperor’s younger brother’s rebellion had been made public, and anyone connected to it was being dragged away indiscriminately, vanishing into the execution grounds.
Knowing Sullivan’s personality of resolving all grudges, Davey wasn’t surprised by the empire's thorough efforts to root out the rebellion. He even agreed with his actions. Still, he couldn’t help but feel relieved that Illyna hadn’t caught wind of the events.
Davey missed her, wondering when she’d return. He figured it might take two or three months, given how determined she was to enjoy her girls trip. If he truly wanted to see her, he could always go find her himself. However, his curiosity about Rudelite had taken precedence for the moment.
Throughout the past week, his unique charm and friendly demeanor quickly won over the people of Heins Territory, allowing him to seamlessly integrate into their lives.
“He’s not human.”
Milpieu, the half-vampire who spent most of her time holed up in her lab, appeared out of nowhere to make this blunt declaration to Davey.
“Not human?” Davey played dumb, responding with a casual tone.
“Yeah. Not human. An interesting research subject, though honestly a bit of a cliche.”
“You sound like you know a lot about it.”
“It’s weirder that you’re pretending not to know,” Milpieu replied with her usual expressionless face, her hands buried in the pockets of her white coat.
“Anyway, here. It’s what you needed.”
“Thanks. Appreciate it.”
“He’s dangerous. Are you just going to leave him alone?”
“Who knows? If we’re talking dangerous, you’re no less of a risk yourself, are you?”
“I only act on the lord’s orders.”
Milpieu, the half-vampire, was once a member of a radical faction but had broken ties with them and willingly submitted to Josiah. Though he hadn’t taken care of her per Josiah’s request, the reality was that after the Princess of the Abyss was dealt with, Milpieu no longer had a solid reason to remain there.
“How long are you planning to stay here?” Davey asked as he went through documents related to the farmland development in Heins Territory.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, now that the Princess of the Abyss who was threatening you is completely taken care of, you don’t really have a reason to stay here anymore.”
Milpieu quietly closed her eyes, processing his words. “This place is safe, with the lord here. Besides, new research material keeps surfacing. The continent is incredibly strict when it comes to vampires—there aren’t many places safer than this one.”
“You could hole up in the mountains and do your research there.”
“I wouldn’t be able to secure research funding.”
“What do you think I am? A walking money machine?”
“Hella nice research funding, bruh.”
He wondered where on earth she picked up these weird phrases. Both her and Aeonitia, who often marched into his office demanding research funds, were like insatiable money-eating machines.
Not that Davey had much room to complain; their work brought significant benefits to the territory. It wasn’t a losing investment for him, by any means.
“I’m warning you: don’t let your research devolve into any forbidden methods.”
While research sometimes came with sacrifices, he had no intention of tolerating them.
“But you can’t deny the valuable results.”
“Don’t make me repeat myself, vampire Milpieu.”
“I’ll keep that in mind...”
“Good. Remember, vampires are practically ticking time bombs. If your existence is discovered, it wouldn’t be strange for you to become a public enemy of the entire continent. Even though Illyna’s anger toward vampires has subsided, it hasn’t completely vanished.”
Milpieu looked at Davey for a moment before she turned her head away.
“Still, he’s not human. You should know that.”
“I know. He’s a lizard.”
Milpieu flinched at his blunt response.
“Is it really okay to just leave him as is?”
“Why bother stirring up someone who doesn’t care about what’s going on with the world?”
If a dragon could hear about the extinction of its own kind and still come out to play games, there were only two possibilities: either it was an outcast, or a dragon so young it didn’t care about such things.
“If he’s the latter, he’s just immature. But if he’s the former...”
“He’s probably a serious oddball. And considering how rare it is for a dragon to be labeled an outcast, he must be quite extreme. But you seem to know more about this than I thought.”
“I just picked it up somewhere over the years... The real issue is that he isn’t actually that young.”
“I know that too.”
In other words, he was an eccentric. Milpieu trailed off, seemingly lost in thought. Now that Davey gave it more thought, her very existence raised a few questions of its own.
“Hey,” Davey called out to her.
She didn’t respond.
“You’ve implanted the Philosopher’s Stone in your body, haven’t you?”
“...”
“How old are you, exactly?”
She remained silent for a long time.
“Master Davey, Rinne acknowledges it as extremely rude to ask a lady her age,” Rinne interjected unexpectedly, breaking the tension.
“Rinne.”
She then shifted the topic. “Rudelite: A presumed lizard-like lifeform. Approaching target.”
If even Rinne had noticed, it was clear that his game wasn’t going as smoothly as he might’ve hoped.
“I hear you know a lot about dragons.”
“Ah, yes. I’ve taken an interest in them and have looked into them a lot. My magic teacher had done extensive research on dragons as well.”
“What happens if a dragon playing their game gets their identity exposed?”
Rudelite fell silent for a moment before responding. “Well... According to old texts, a dragon would abandon its current form and return to its original state before disappearing.”
“And that’s it?”
“No. They also erase the existence of anything and anyone connected to their exposure.”
As he spoke, the magic circle glowed even more intensely.
“I see. Erasing everything...”
“That’s why dragons are considered ferocious beings. Though, it’s hard for outsiders to truly understand their perspective...”
“That’s enough.”
At his calm response, Rudelite tilted his head in confusion. “So... this isn’t just a mana amplification circle, is it?”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s not,” he said, motioning for him to step aside. Once he moved back, Davey stepped into the magic circle himself.
“Given the level I’m working with, even just controlling mana normally can cause issues,” he explained as he positioned himself at the center of the circle.
Rudelite, who had been watching him with a puzzled expression, tried to say something.
But then—
[Full Release]
In an instant, divine power was mixed with his divinity and other forms of energy he wielded, erupting outward.
“Guh?!”
Rudelite staggered, falling to the ground with a thud.
“Don’t resist. If you do, you could seriously hurt yourself.”
“Cough... cough... What...?”
“I have a bit of mana, as you can tell.”
It wasn’t just a bit. Not only was the sheer amount overwhelming, but the quality of his divine power far surpassed anything a dragon could hope to match.
Rudelite, now pale and visibly shaken, swallowed hard as he stared at Davey.
“Let’s continue the conversation. Have there been any dragons that were hunted down after being exposed?”
“Uh... Not none, per se...” he replied hesitantly, beads of sweat trickling down his pale face.
Davey then put on a faint smile. “If you notice any mana leaking, let me know.”
“A-All right.”
As he continued to release an oppressive amount of mana, he maintained a calm demeanor.
“You see, I’ve always been a bit curious about them.”
“Dragons?”
“Yeah. People say they’re extinct, but I don’t believe they could have all been wiped out.”
“...”
“Surely some must’ve survived, don’t you think?”
“W-Well, that’s definitely possible...”
“And that’s why I’m not too fond of dragons. I can’t even say for sure how I’d react if I ran into one.”
“...”
“Plus dragon hearts make excellent materials, and I’m curious about Dragontongue magic. So I’ve been searching for information on dragons. If I find one, I might just use one as a test subject.”
“D-Dragons... aren’t something that mere humans can...”
“I’ll guarantee you this—if even an ancient-level dragon shows up, it won’t be an issue,” Davey commented with a smirk.
At that, his face turned even paler.
“So, I was wondering... do you know any dragons? You seem pretty knowledgeable about them. Maybe you know of a mountain range or a remote area where dragons might’ve been spotted?”
“W-Well... actually... I don’t know that much...”
“Really?”
“Y-Yes! Dragons... are notoriously good at hiding! They’re nearly impossible to find!” he blurted out, practically shouting in desperation.
“Well, that’s a shame,” Davey said, letting out a soft laugh as he retracted his mana and stood up.
After putting on his shirt, he began to walk out of the magic circle. But then—
“Uh...” Rudelite began.
“Hmm?”
“Dragons... They can polymorph. What if there was a polymorphed dragon near you? What would you do?”
It was a question he clearly had to muster significant courage to ask. Davey let out a low chuckle and turned his gaze toward him.
“First, I’d cut off their arms and legs. Then, I’d rip out their heart,” he answered with a grin.
As an overwhelming surge of energy radiated from him, Rudelite nodded frantically.
“U-Understood! I-I’ll get going for now!”
“Sure, take care. And if you ever face trouble, don’t hesitate to ask me. I’ll help you anytime.”
Turning away, Davey muttered to himself with a smirk, “What a cute little thing.”
Meanwhile, the new magic circle on Rudelite’s back glowed faintly as he hurriedly fled in the opposite direction.
“T-That insane human! If he finds out my true identity, even ten lives wouldn’t be enough to survive! What kind of monster is he?!”
Davey couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer as he heard Rudelite’s scream through the magic circle.
“Pahahahaha!”