Chapter 55

Chapter 55: He Saw The Light Again

On a sunny morning, a group of happy little dragon cubs were playing on the beach of Minglong Island.

In the distance, hidden in the bushes, were three humans quietly observing.

As always, cautious yet reckless, Leo had cast several advanced concealment spells on their hiding spot and also applied a magical layer on each of them, preventing their breathing, heartbeat, and internal magic from directly interacting with the air.

Dragons of emperor rank and above possess a skill known as “Life Sense”, allowing them to detect energy fluctuations in the air caused by such behaviors, which helps them sense lurking threats and transform from prey into hunters.

Leo’s teleportation circle could only transport three people at once, which is why he organized this trio to act as a scouting team, investigating Minglong Island.

If they were discovered, as long as they weren’t immediately caught by Iris, they could still retreat safely.

Everyone trusted Leo.

When Leo informed them that Zelan was still alive, merely captured by the dragons and in need of rescue, they quickly responded to his plea and formed a rescue squad for Zelan.

There were ten members in total, with the other seven waiting on the other side of the sea, ready to provide support.

“That pink-haired little dragon seems to be one of those who were watching when Zeran and I challenged Iris,” Leo muttered, eyes fixed on Illya. Since arriving at the beach, that purple dragon maid had been closely following the small dragon girl, indicating that her identity might not be simple.

Leo cast a sidelong glance at his green-haired comrade.

His hair blended seamlessly with the grass, making for perfect natural camouflage.

It was clear that he harbored a deep hatred for dragons, though truth be told, most humans in this world viewed dragons as mortal enemies. They always talked about the evil dragons, claiming them to be humanity’s greatest foes.

In Leo’s opinion, though, it was entirely the humans’ fault for courting death. If humans didn’t constantly provoke dragons, the dragons wouldn’t even bother with such weak creatures.

Don’t be fooled by the small size of those dragon cubs.

A six-year-old dragon cub in its true form could easily swallow a human whole in one bite.

Despite his boasting, the green-haired man was a coward at heart, just like Leo. That’s why Leo had brought him along.

Leo turned to the other companion, the blue-haired man.

“Jade, use your keen hearing and listen to what they’re talking about. I’ll strengthen the magic barrier to prevent any energy disturbance.”

“Understood.”

With Leo’s permission, Jade closed his eyes and focused his senses on listening. After a few minutes, he had a general idea of the dragon cubs’ identities.

There are three boys and three girls—three of them were the children of other royal families, and one of them was a true princess.

“So that pink-haired one is Iris’s daughter.”

Leo stared at Illya in the distance, thoughtful.

“Master Leo, what should we do? Should we call for reinforcements and captured all these dragon cubs as hostages? We could use the princess to force the Dragon King to release Zelan,” Jade suggested.

“Don’t be impatient, let’s wait a little longer.”

So, Leo and his two companions waited, from dawn until dusk, before retreating across the sea to their temporary camp on the other side, planning to gather more information before crafting a foolproof rescue plan.

They wanted to avoid a scenario where they failed to save Zelan and lost their entire rescue squad in the process.

Everyone trusted Leo because he had led Zeran and other renowned Heroes out of countless deadly situations. Except for when facing the Dragon King, Leo’s rescues had always been successful.

As for what happened when they faced the Dragon King, all they knew was that the Dragon King was immensely powerful. They didn’t know that Leo had decisively sacrificed his teammates to escape.

But then again, any Hero who had survived a fight with the Dragon King had done so by sacrificing others.

Those who returned from battles with the Dragon King were always deeply scarred, never daring to challenge her again. They would retreat to safer tasks, like exterminating beasts.

Only Leo kept challenging the Dragon King year after year, despite his constant defeats. His unyielding courage and mental resilience had earned him great respect.

The green-haired man, Nissen, watched Leo sitting by the sea, feeling an inexplicable sense of tragic heroism in his silhouette.

Master Leo… what a strong and determined hero.

Nissen came and sat down next to Leo, and looked at Minglong Island in the distance with Leo.

Without the help of Leo’s teleportation magic, they would most likely be intercepted by dragons halfway across the sea, or be swallowed by sea monsters under the water.

Dragons, on the other hand, could easily spread their wings and cross the waters—a daunting barrier for humans.

How unfair life was. Dragons were created with powerful bodies, able to conquer the skies. They were also gifted with exceptional magic, allowing them to dominate the land. It seemed like dragons were given every advantage.

Leo glanced at Nissen before resuming his cool, silent demeanor.

In truth, he had been chatting with Zelan through the squad’s communication spell all along.

From their conversation, Leo learned that Zelan, after being turned into a dragon, hadn’t been mistreated. Instead, Veltia had been feeding him delicious meals, trying to win him over with kindness.

It seemed they intended to sway Zelan to their side with benefits.

[You’re living quite comfortably in that prison, huh?]

[No, no, no! Leo, trust me! I would never submit to the dragons!]

[Of course, I believe you.]

Otherwise, Leo wouldn’t have chosen him as his scapegoat teammate.

Leo had recognized Zelan’s unshakable sense of justice and his brave, unyielding heart. Only a Hero like that could push his limits and remain steadfast in his quest to slay evil dragons.

That’s why Leo chose to save Zelan, not because of his friendship with Zelan, but because Zelan still had value to be used.

A human turning into a dragon? Leo had only ever read about such events in ancient texts, stories from over a thousand years ago, which he had assumed were mere myths born from humans’ envy of dragon power.

But Zelan’s transformation suggested those legends might be true.

[But, Zelan, you may need to play along a bit, pretend to submit to the dragons.]

[What?!]

On the other end of the conversation, Zelan’s tone instantly grew agitated.

He is a righteous Hero who will always fought for humanity.

In his personal code, the only words that mattered were: “Rather die than surrender.”

His life motto was: “I’m proud to be born as a human being.”

Leo knew that this boy would react so strongly, but only by pretending to obey, could he get closer to Iris.

Wasn’t this also a great opportunity to assassinate Iris?

[You’re a dragon now, aren’t you? Are you sure your comrades won’t attack you on sight when they see you? At the very least, learn how to take on human form. You’ll seem less intimidating and more persuasive that way.]

[Would they really care about my appearance?]

At the other end of the line, in a well-lit dungeon.

Zelan looked at his black-scaled, white-bellied reflection in a mirror. His expression darkened—if he found himself repulsive, what would his comrades think?

[Actually, I haven’t told them you’ve turned into a dragon. I just said you were captured, and they were quick to respond. In their eyes, you’re a Hero, Zelan. Are you sure you want to face them like this?]

[You didn’t tell them?]

[Forgive me, Zelan, but it’s all for the sake of slaying dragons. You’re the wielder of the Holy Sword, the hope of humanity. You cannot die.]

Zelan lifted his shackled forelimbs, his clumsy dragon claws grasping at the air.

The Holy Sword… a Hero…

He couldn’t betray everyone’s expectations. He couldn’t let down the hopes of all humanity, shining like countless lights in the distance.

But, his Holy Sword had already been destroyed by the Dragon King. He could no longer be called the strongest Hero of humanity. How could he protect humanity now?

[Don’t worry, host. Once we escape, there are ways to repair the Holy Sword.]

[Really, System?!]

[Yes, please don’t give up easily.]