Bone Dragon!

Miss Daina grabbed the handkerchief and, gritting her teeth, scrubbed hard at her face several times. However, because Karen had slammed her face-first into the ground and the wall multiple times, her face was already bruised and cut. Wiping so forcefully smeared nosebleed straight out, leaving two red streaks running down. "Heh... hehe." The sight was simply too comical; Karen couldn't hold it in and chuckled. Taking a deep breath, Miss Daina looked at Karen laughing at her. Rather than staying angry, she raised her hand, trying to conjure a healing spell. But because Karen had broken her earlier mental assault, the spiritual power within her body was still in disarray; after several attempts, she couldn't even manage a simple healing spell. "Sigh." Karen sighed, crouched down in front of her, opened his hand, and conjured a healing spell, casting it over her. Miss Daina pouted, casting occasional glances at Karen. She still had some stubbornness left, but she was also a little touched. Yet soon, with Karen's next words, that nascent warmth vanished in an instant: "If you don't know how to fight, learn to rein in your temper. No matter how well others protect you on the outside, there are some things you ultimately have to face with your own ability. Throwing a tantrum, for instance—only when you have the capability and confidence to back it up is throwing a fit truly satisfying." "Can you stop lecturing me? I'm sick of hearing these lectures at home." "That's because you never took them to heart." "I understood all these principles long ago." "Which proves you still don't understand. True principles are meant to be savored over and over, drawing out different flavors, not swallowed in one bite with the assumption that you completely get it." "How did you become so formidable?" Miss Daina was clearly more interested in this point. "Is it because you didn't have anyone around to protect you?" "No. I've always been protected very well—exceedingly well, in fact." "Then why are you..." "If you want to come out and see the scenery, you have to walk on your own two feet. Otherwise, the roadside scenery doesn't belong to you." Miss Daina turned her head away. "All done." Karen withdrew his hand. "The injuries aren't severe. The event starts tomorrow, right? Once you go back and put on some makeup, it won't be noticeable." Karen hadn't used excessive force during the fight; although the girl had been humiliated at every turn, her injuries were all superficial. "I don't know how to do makeup. Do you?" Daina sneered. "If it's not hidden, do you think people won't hold you accountable once word spreads that I've been injured?" "You hate him, and you feel he is your cage, but deep down, you actually enjoy the shelter that cage provides." Miss Daina said, "I've realized that your skill with words is even greater than your skill in a fight." "Mm, perhaps. If you can't manage it, go find my business trip assistant." Karen stood up and dusted off his hands. "All right, Miss, you may go back and rest." Miss Daina scrambled up from the floor and asked curiously, "Why did you come here?" "Isn't it the same as you—to attend the Selection Assembly event?" "My tier is high. What about yours?" "Probably not as high as yours, but not too low either." After all, his application form was attached to Wolflen's will; the old Head Bishop had given him one final lift. "If you're willing to say a few nice words right now and beg me, maybe I can help you apply for the same tier as mine." Karen stared at her with an amused look. Miss Daina caught herself and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. You're right. I have no right to complain about this cage, because I truly do enjoy it." "No need to take it so hard. Enjoy what is yours to enjoy with peace of mind. For the vast majority of young people, the first mark of maturity is realizing that while they still depend on their parents and elders for support, it's rather embarrassing to throw tantrums at them." "Next time I'll ask Sister Augie to step in. I can't wait for her to tear apart that lecturing mouth of yours." "Perhaps the person Lord Augie least wants to face right now is me." "Do you really have to speak to me like this? I'm genuinely curious: you clearly know Augie, so you should know how much you'd gain by flattering me. Or are you playing some reverse psychology trick, deliberately provoking me so I remember you better?" "You're overthinking it. I purely..." "Purely what?" "Find you rather annoying." Fuming, Miss Daina stormed off, slamming the "door" shut with a loud bang. Purr rode over on Kevin's back and said, "Truth be told, I see a bit of my past self in that girl." Back in the day, before the Allen family fell into decline, she, Purr Allen, had also been a spoiled young mistress. Karen smiled. "But you were a genius, weren't you?" Purr blinked, accepting Karen's compliment first before saying from a rational perspective, "She isn't bad either. It's only when compared to a freak like you that she seems ordinary." "I'm going to take a bath. Do you want one?" "Oh, of course, meow." "Ashley, take Purr to your room for a bath." "Yes, Section Chief." Kevin panted with his tongue out, wearing an honest, goofy smile as he trotted after Karen toward the room. Karen stopped, looked at him, and said, "Isn't there a fountain pool in the hotel? Go rinse off there. Remember to hold your room key card in your mouth, or they'll definitely kick you out." Kevin: "..." ... Night fell. The crystals hanging above the subterranean world outside the window dimmed, and aside from the occasional wailing and howling, it was generally very quiet. Miss Daina lay on her bed holding a thick stack of documents—an investigation report she had sent word for that afternoon, requesting them to gather and transmit it to her. With her status, contacting the secretary of some uncle to ask for a small favor was the simplest thing in the world. "My goodness, an orphan can be this incredible? He really is a genius." After reading the file, Miss Daina felt her understanding of Karen had deepened. What's more, according to the records, talent and strength weren't even the most dazzling aspects of this guy of similar age to her—yet even so, his talent and strength had completely crushed hers. Keep in mind, she had been training in the knight order all along, and among the reservists of her age group, she was considered exceptional. Yet he had truly beaten her up like a little kid. "Still, compared to his experiences, I really do seem like a child." Just then, Lord Augie pushed open the door and walked in. "Sister Augie, have you sorted it out?" "It's sorted. I modified parts of my memories, and now I can recall things normally." "Like that Karen next door?" "Karen? Last time in York City, he lusted after my beauty. In a room at the crime scene, he told me he loved voluptuous bodies like mine, repeatedly praising the desire I aroused in him. Then he groped my thighs and my ass for ages. If I hadn't known the Whip-Wielder seemed to find him an interesting young man, I would never have endured it. I'd have smashed him to pieces with one punch long ago." Miss Daina blinked. She felt Sister Augie's fabricated memory was... truly a bit too made-up. In a small room inside the home of a Head Bishop who had just been assassinated, molesting you, a dragon, while the Whip-Wielder and a host of other dignitaries were right outside, and you having to endure it without making a sound. Miss Daina couldn't help marveling inwardly: *Are dragons' kinks really this twisted?* "So now I'm going to find him, beat him senseless, and settle this score!" "Sister Augie, don't be impulsive. I clashed with him this afternoon." "Really? Miss Daina, did you settle the score for me?" "No, Sister Augie. You have another debt on your tab now." "Uh, right, you're no match for him." "You knew I couldn't beat him?" "I don't know the specifics, but I can sense it. In my impression, his physical constitution is very strong... There's no concrete evidence, but maybe I saw or sensed it before. Anyway, it's normal that you can't beat him. So I still need to take action myself." "Sister Augie, I advise you not to go, or you'll get struck by lightning again. His memory seal is different from yours. He can tease you right on the edge of that sealed memory and make you lose your cool." Augie fell silent. "What's wrong, Sister Augie?" "It's normal. He is an Order priest, and an outstanding youth of the Church of Order at that, while I am merely a dragon... a dragon treated as a servant." "Oh, Sister Augie, are you about to get melancholy?" "I've never hidden my yearning for freedom from you; the right time and conditions just haven't presented themselves. After what happened last time, the Whip-Wielder even reinforced my seal." "Maybe you can tell me a few more details. For instance, did that Karen only grope you in the room, or did he do anything else?" To divert the dragon's attention and keep her from spiraling into sadness, Miss Daina could only latch onto the most convenient topic at hand. Hearing this, Lord Augie turned sideways, lowered her head, held up two fingers, and wore an expression of sheer disgust. Miss Daina caught her meaning. Superimposing this fictional "Karen" over the Karen who had thrashed and lectured her today, she couldn't hold it back any longer and burst out laughing: "Hahahahahahaha!" "You can still laugh? You have no idea how sickened I was back then." "So Sister Augie, do you feel you were humiliated?" "Humiliated would be putting it lightly! To be handled like that by an ant—it's practically an insult to my entire race!" The "ant" Lord Augie referred to was in terms of size discrepancy. She wouldn't preach dragon supremacy in front of Daina; besides, she was well aware that she was a servant dragon. Sometimes, when two female friends whispered among themselves, the topics could go far beyond what men could imagine. What's more, the intensity of a dragon's desires in this regard was incomparable to other races; the two established impressions granted them in mythology—greed and lust—were truly not slander. And now, Miss Daina was also intrigued by the topic she had steered toward. She chimed in eagerly: "Did he speak to you, warning you, coaxing you, lecturing you?" "Yes! He told me: 'Lord Augie, you wouldn't want the Whip-Wielder and the others outside to know what's happening in here, would you?'" ... Karen had no idea what kind of sleazy role the two women next door had concocted for him the previous night. He slept soundly, not feeling out of place in a strange bed at all. Indeed, giving someone a moderate beating from time to time really did help relieve mental stress and bring pleasure to body and mind. For breakfast, the Church of the Crypt's hotel prepared and delivered two trays of delicacies. One was ordinary food, while the other consisted of local specialties, which surprisingly included writhing raw marinated monster beasts of an unknown edible variety. "Ooh, such fresh food," Purr praised. "Reminds me of my past adventuring days, when supplies ran dry and we finally managed to scrounge up something to eat." "Are you eating it?" Karen asked. "Only if supplies run out. Who would eat this when there's normal food? Stupid dog, do you want it?" The stupid dog nodded excitedly. In the end, that portion of local delicacies went entirely to Kevin, who devoured it with sheer delight. Purr sternly warned, "You have to brush your teeth after eating, or I'm not sitting on your back, meow!" After breakfast came a rather dull period of waiting. Karen sat on the sofa, basking in the crystalline light filtering through the window while browsing a travelogue provided in the hotel room. Purr called out to Ashley, "Oh, Little Ashley, hurry and summon Sandy out to play with us." Ashley naturally wouldn't refuse; after all, summoning Sandy put practically no strain on her. "O Sandy, my dearest friend, I summon you now to accompany our play!" "Little Ashley, do you have to chant such a long incantation just to summon her now?" "I'm worried she'll be too scared to come out." Finally, Sandy appeared, immediately acting extremely cautious. Then, once confirming that it truly was just "play," she happily played tag with Purr and Kevin. Past nine in the morning, the hotel manager knocked on Karen's room door. "My Lord, in fifteen minutes, you may head down to the hotel lobby to prepare for departure." "All right, thank you." Ashley unsummoned Sandy. As Sandy returned, tears of gratitude welled in her eyes—it was a rare occasion where she was normally dismissed after being summoned, rather than having her phantom form battered into dispersion. Karen tidied up briefly and prepared to head downstairs. Ashley held Kevin on a leash with her left hand and carried a tote bag in her right, containing tea leaves and a thermos packed with ice cubes. Purr sat on Karen's shoulder and asked, "Aren't you going to say hello to the willful young lady next door?" "If you know she's willful, why bother?" "I think a little girl who lacks love and has a bit of an Electra complex is actually pretty easy to fool, isn't she?" "Easy to fool?" "Ah, for others it might be hard, but I have immense confidence in our little Karen. If it weren't for me, your great-great-great-great-aunt, keeping an eye on you, you'd have had to custom-build a ten-meter-by-ten-meter bed just to fit all your women." "Woof, woof!" "Damn it, shut up, stupid dog! Looking for a beating, are you?!" Purr turned back to Karen and noticed a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "You understand what he said?" "No, but I guessed." "I don't believe you." "Should I say what I guessed?" "No, no need. But aren't you really going to give it a try? Like redirecting that Electra complex—aren't you good at that sort of thing?" "How about you stay behind and watch the room?" "No way!" They stepped into the elevator, which descended. This time, Karen even caught sight of the giant python's eyes, appearing to gaze at the passengers riding inside its body. Ashley wondered aloud, "When Lord Augie takes the elevator, wouldn't it be scared to death?" "Probably not," Purr said. "This giant python was specially bred to serve as an elevator. In truth, it's nothing more than a living husk; most of its soul was wiped long ago. It's just a simpleton snake now." Hearing that, Ashley remarked with sympathy, "Oh, how pitiful." Stepping out of the elevator into the lobby, Karen noticed over twenty Order priests sitting on the sofas in one section. All of them were quite young. They had been chatting among themselves, but when they saw Karen approaching in the same Order robes, their eyes instinctively shifted toward him. Then someone sharp-eyed was the first to spot the unique insignia on Karen's robes. "Good heavens, what rank is that?" "Looks like the Whip of Order..." "Damn! He's a section chief!" Immediately, all the Order priests present stood up, turned toward Karen, and bowed with great deference: "Greetings, Lord Section Chief!" "Greetings, Lord Section Chief!" "Mm. Hello, everyone." Karen nodded to them. This group was likely from well-off backgrounds, allowing them to secure quota spots to come and choose companions. However, because their qualifications were too low, it would be difficult for them to attract truly exceptional partners. After all, entering into what was essentially a master-servant relationship was something no creature would willingly accept unless the compensation was overwhelmingly generous. "My Lord." A middle-aged female priest walked over. She was the priest leading the group, functioning like an event organizer. However, someone of Karen's rank had no need to register with her or follow her arrangements, which was why Karen had stayed here an entire day without seeing her until now. "When do we set out?" Karen asked. "My Lord, you have a private carriage." "Oh, is that so?" Karen nodded. Just then, a massive ladybug appeared outside the hotel. The lead priest called out at once, "Everyone, board the carriage!" The crowd walked out and climbed the ladder onto the ladybug's back. Immediately afterward, the ladybug's body began to tremble faintly, because an even larger earth dragon had pulled up alongside it. Strictly speaking, an earth dragon was not considered a true member of the dragon race; it merely possessed a trace of dragon bloodline, making it a sub-species. But to other monster beasts, it was noble enough. "I was wondering if you might have overslept and even knocked on your room door," Miss Daina said, appearing behind Karen. Karen replied with a smile, "Before leaving, we waited outside your door for quite a while, but fearing we might disturb your rest, we didn't knock, and only came down when the time arrived." "Oh, really?" Miss Daina pointed at the earth dragon. "Let's ride together." Karen looked around, didn't see his own "private carriage," and could only say, "All right, thank you." Lord Augie stepped forward and cast a glance at the earth dragon. The creature, which had looked utterly haughty in front of the ladybug just moments ago, instantly lowered its head, letting out a bleating "Baa, baa..." like a sheep. Climbing the steps hanging along its flank, Karen deliberately picked the back row when choosing seats; there were only backless round stools there. Yet to Karen's surprise, despite choosing the back row, Miss Daina and Lord Augie followed him all the way back. Miss Daina sat diagonally in front of him, while Lord Augie planted herself directly ahead of him. The stools were not spaced far apart and had no backs. Given Lord Augie's height of around 2.3 or 2.4 meters, coupled with her voluminous figure, the moment she sat down, her lush rear was practically pressed against Karen's face. And this was with Karen deliberately leaning back; had he sat normally, he probably would have been completely buried in it, especially since Lord Augie was wearing a skirt. Purr took the initiative to reach out a paw and scratch at Lord Augie's rear. To this cat, petting a dragon's backside was truly an amusing novelty. Lord Augie immediately whipped her head around, shouting, "Ha! Caught you red-handed! You actually dare to—" When she saw that it was a cat pawing at her, she fell silent. She had intended to run a sting operation, only to hook a cat. Karen stood up, shifted away from his original seat, and went to sit further ahead. Miss Daina stood up and followed, asking, "Do you know what I came here for?" "Aren't we on our way there right now?" "No, what truly drew me here is something in that place—I've already reserved it. Not long ago, news broke in the Church of the Crypt that a madman had reanimated a bone dragon in the dragon graveyard. They initially intended to destroy it because it was heretical. "However, once our church learned of it, we demanded it be placed in the Selection Assembly, which is how I reserved it. I only came this time to go through the motions, and then bring my little bone dragon home to be my playmate." Karen smiled. "Congratulations. I hope everything goes smoothly for you." "Don't worry either. There are plenty of high-grade goods this time. Because the Church of the Crypt bowed to our church's pressure and didn't destroy this rebellious bone dragon, they also received concessions from our church, allowing them to invite people from outside religions to attend this assembly. As a result, there will be high-grade goods here that would never have been shown before, available for mutual selection." "What does that have to do with me?" "I read your file last night. You'll be very popular, believe me." "Are you encouraging me?" "Of course. If you take a liking to one and it refuses, I'll have Sister Augie go down and persuade it. Sister Augie holds quite a high status here." "Thank you." "You're welcome. So if you fancy any of them, just tell me directly." Miss Daina reached out and patted Karen on the shoulder, doing her best to act like a grown-up. Karen nodded. What a pity. The one I have my eye on happens to be the very bone dragon you reserved.