Evil Dragon, Without a Princess, I Had to Transform Myself!

Chapter 118 : Kiran

Dawn Knight Freya rubbed her chin in frustration.

She wasn't timid and possessed a strong will, yet she remained reluctant to interact with the young woman before her. This unexpected situation left her no choice but to conceal her true feelings as best she could.

"I didn't expect to have the chance to meet you. Please, have a seat—ah, not there. A bit further away, if you don't mind my rudeness."

Two people sat down. One settled heavily like a mountain, while the other chose a shadowy corner, their face obscured, with only a pair of chilling crimson eyes visible.

"I am Dawn Knight Freya, Guardian of the Sefero region," Freya said, idly toying with a dagger on the table with one hand. "Might I ask what important matter brings the hero here?"

Loranhir reached toward Elaphia, who shot her a glare before unzipping her bulging jacket. From within the thick stack of commissions, she pulled out a scroll of white parchment.

"Was it you who posted this in the tavern?" Loranhir asked. "Is everything written here true?"

Freya glanced at the etched text on the parchment and sighed in relief. "So that's what this is about. Yes, it's all true. This commission was personally issued by King Arlant. It's no easy task. Many have tried and failed, but you might just succeed."

"The bounty mentioned in the commission is five thousand gold coins."

"That's the correct amount," Freya frowned. "However, I must remind you—the rumor about the reward including marriage to Princess Yanis is completely false. There's no such thing. If you came specifically because of that, I advise you to give up now."

"I have no interest in her whatsoever," Loranhir stated bluntly. "What concerns me more are those five thousand gold coins. What about the specific details?"

"These are terrible times," Freya grumbled, taking a large gulp of beer. "All sorts of filthy monsters are emerging nowadays. Magical creatures run rampant. In the past, the forests only had the occasional howl of wolves—now it's werewolves and various other monsters. You could spit and hit a passing goblin. Hags have been abducting hundreds of children from villages."

"Now, before we've even dealt with Taurant's problems, a dragon has appeared in my jurisdiction. It's been burning, killing, and plundering everywhere, and I suspect it's planning to settle here permanently. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if it tries to kidnap a princess next to calm its nerves."

"To put it plainly, we really need your help. Desperately," Freya said earnestly.

"Aren't you the Dawn Knight? Why not lead a team to resolve this yourself? Has no one taken this commission before?" Elaphia, who had been silent until now, looked up at her.

"What a shame, but this is something I cannot handle. I have no choice but to endure it," Freya smiled wryly and lifted her cloak with her left hand, revealing the empty space where her right arm should have been.

Elaphia and Loranhir exchanged glances.

"All I can do is post the commission and wait for the right person to help. There used to be many takers, but lately, hardly anyone has accepted. Oh, there was one just a couple of days ago, but they insisted on receiving the five thousand gold reward upfront. I simply stuffed them into a money bag and threw them into the lake to feed the fish."

"Was that person named Shatina?" Loranhir instinctively asked.

"Shatina? Never heard of this name."Loranhir let out a long sigh, relieved that Shatina wasn't here—otherwise, this greedy fool might have been the next victim. Her money-grubbing nature was like a reincarnated penny-pincher.

"Alright, is that all? No more information?" Elaphia continued asking.

"The evil dragon Kiran is holed up in the northern forest; that entire area is its territory. Bring back its head, and I'll reward you with a hefty bag of gold that'll make your head spin."

"That's all I know. Do you two have any other questions? If not, you may leave." Freya smiled and waved her hand.

"Fine, that gives us a general idea," Loranhir said, rising to leave.

Elaphia didn't follow immediately. She stared intently at Freya for a second or two before striding off after Loranhir.

Only after their figures had completely vanished from sight did Freya take a deep breath and relax. She glanced at the king's portrait hanging on the wall and grinned.

Beneath her cloak, the neatly severed stump of her right arm twitched with writhing flesh.

○

"Achoo—" Loranhir sneezed as they walked.

"Caught a cold from the rain?" Elaphia asked.

"Not at all, not at all. I'm full of energy," Loranhir rubbed her cheeks, itching unbearably. "Maybe someone's thinking of me, hehe. Maybe it's the Princess."

"The sun hasn't even set yet—stop dreaming. The Princess is probably fast asleep in her carriage right now. You and I both know her well," Elaphia pointed out. "Hurry up; she must be bored to death by now."

"Alright, alright, we're almost there. The witness spot that person mentioned is just ahead," Loranhir pointed down the road. "What about you? Aren't you going to apply more sunscreen? The sun's about to come out."

Elaphia looked up at the sky. The late autumn rain had stopped abruptly, and the clouds that once commanded wind and rain dispersed, revealing a gentle, clear sky that brought sunlight and falling leaves into view.

She savored the sweet, burning pain of the sun and the restless itch of vitality. Under the gaze of a pair of blue eyes, all of this seemed insignificant.

"No problem, definitely no problem," Elaphia felt quite confident.

"Fine, as long as you know what you're doing. Just remember, I won't be hugging a lump of charcoal to cry to the Princess," Loranhir warned.

She checked her compass to confirm their direction and finally stopped to look around.

"It should be around here."

Elaphia glanced at the surroundings. The leaves in this area had completely fallen, leaving only bare branches like skeletal fingers reaching from a grave. The silence was absolute—not even the chirping of insects could be heard in the bushes. It felt just like being back home.

"Loranhir, do you really plan to complete this commission?" Elaphia asked.

"What's wrong?" Loranhir turned back.

"I don't think the client is a good person. Her blood smells," Elaphia frowned, "foul, like rotting corpses."

"Don't worry," Loranhir patted her shoulder. "We'll just observe from a distance. Once I confirm my hypothesis, we'll leave."

"What hypothesis?""Hmm…" Loranhir fiddled with the holy sword, hesitating for a moment.

She couldn't very well admit that she still didn't know how to draw this thing, and had specifically come to verify whether the holy sword might only unsheathe when coming into contact with an evil dragon.

How embarrassing.

But staying silent wasn't ideal either, especially after all this time they'd spent together.

"I actually—" Loranhir intended to clarify this matter first.

"Wait." Elaphia interrupted her, signaling her to lower her voice.

"Wait for what? I need to get this off my chest."

"I said wait. Whatever it is can wait until later," Elaphia whispered earnestly.

"Wait for what? I'm trying to discuss something serious here. Nothing else takes priority—let me finish first."

"…Fine, just look ahead yourself." Elaphia pointed forward, warning Loranhir to be careful.

"Ahead?"

Following Elaphia's gaze, Loranhir spotted a dragon in the distance, curled into a ball with a vaguely familiar sleeping posture. Every visible part of its body was continuously festering, wounds spreading like black datura flowers.

The dragon mentioned in the commission—Kiran—was right before them.

This dragon seemed to have polluted the ecosystem it lived in. Plants had completely decayed into black sludge, forming its bed where it had comfortably made its nest.

What the...

Loranhir noticed a flaw in her reasoning. While this evil dragon could indeed devastate the ecology within a ten-mile radius, it was so severely decayed that its tattered membranous wings could never support flight.

Crawling alone couldn't possibly allow it to cover the exaggerated distances described in the commission.

It seemed like it was…

—Intentionally kept here?!

And where was the massive amount of gold? All she saw were countless skeletons—cattle, horses, dogs, humans, and other races.

Near them, Loranhir spotted several recently deceased adventurers' corpses gradually being swallowed by the sludge, their deaths neither peaceful nor dignified, but shabby and ugly.

This creature didn't seem like one to trifle with.

The graveyard in the black mud stood as silent testimony, burying whatever bodies could be found—though most adventurers killed by Kiran left no remains behind.

"Phew… Glad we didn't wake it." Loranhir sighed in relief, then twisted her heel and snapped a dry branch. The crack echoed sharply in the silence.

Kiran's slender neck instantly rose, swift as a snake. Its murky golden pupils gradually widened, fixing directly on the two of them.

"…Seriously? My loud talking didn't wake you, but one stepped branch does?"