Schroeder's speech finally came to an end. The crowd was inflamed with righteous fury, people slamming their hands down and springing to their feet one after another.
"That evil dragon must be made to pay!"
"The tyranny of the Kingdom of Cinders will end!"
"The justice and order of the Northlands will not be destroyed!"
"One day, his head will be hacked off and mounted as a trophy!"
Schroeder surveyed the room. Seeing that the mood was thoroughly stoked, he said in a low, somber voice, "Now, I have discovered a special method capable of trapping that red dragon. Yet I am alone and weak. I need everyone's assistance."
"..."
Silence instantly fell over the hall.
The very people who had been delivering impassioned speeches moments before now acted as if an area-of-effect silence spell had been cast upon them, unanimously clamping their mouths shut.
After all, talk was cheap, but putting one's life on the line was an entirely different matter. That terrifying dragon had single-handedly annihilated a coalition army thirty thousand strong. Everyone loved to talk about slaying dragons, but no one was foolish enough to walk into the jaws of death.
Schroeder noticed the crowd's silence, yet no trace of disappointment appeared on his face.
These low-level spellcasters had never been his real targets to recruit.
His peripheral vision drifted toward Lady Stars.
Displeasure flickered within her lovely blue-grey eyes, showing no intention of responding.
Experienced at reading people, Schroeder had long discerned that while Lady Stars possessed formidable spellcasting prowess, she was clearly naive and indecisive, even downright green in handling worldly affairs.
That was precisely why Schroeder had dared to cut her off earlier. Had she been an assertive high-level spellcaster, he would never have had the guts to do so.
However, Lady Stars had just openly questioned him, and he had slighted her in turn. She was obviously not someone he could win over either.
With that in mind, his gaze turned to Mr. Embers.
The dark-haired, gold-eyed noble youth wore an expression rife with indignation, looking as though he could not wait to tear the brutal red dragon apart.
Yes, this was the one.
Formidable spellcasting power, strong backing, and an earnest heart dedicated to the pursuit of justice—was this not the absolute, perfect dupe Schroeder had been dreaming of?
In truth, Olivia was not the only one who had spotted the flaws in the youth's Polymorph spell. That, combined with the poorly veiled arrogance displayed throughout their subsequent interactions, led Schroeder to suspect that Mr. Embers was very likely a gold dragon.
Upholding justice was a creed inscribed into the very bloodline of every gold dragon. These obsessive creatures spent the majority of their lives in disguised forms purely to bait wrongdoers into revealing themselves. Many brigands and assassins roaming the desolate corners of the world had met a swift end when their seemingly helpless quarry suddenly turned out to be a gold dragon in disguise.
A gold dragon would never rest until evil was struck down and either slain or brought to trial; they were satisfied with nothing short of total victory over wicked forces.
Schroeder had risked offending a high-level spellcaster just to paint such a desperate picture of encroaching evil precisely to lure this suspected gold dragon onto his hook.
Sure enough, Lord Embers slammed his hand down onto the table and rose.
*Smack!*
He cast a contemptuous glance around the room and declared loudly, "Could it be that the justice all of you so loudly proclaimed just now was nothing more than a joke?"
"Mr. Grey Hawk, I, along with the forces behind me, am willing to provide whatever assistance we can muster to help you subdue that brutal red dragon!"
"Lord Embers, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for stepping forward and contributing to the justice and order of the Northlands."
"Save your breath, Lord Grey Hawk. Eradicating evil dragons is merely my duty, an inescapable obligation for anyone who holds justice in their heart."
"You... you... I truly do not know what to say."
Schroeder rushed forward, gripping Cassius's hands tightly with a look of overwhelming, tearful gratitude.
*What an easily duped gold dragon. Once they tear each other apart, I'll sweep them both up in one fell swoop. When that day comes, I'll be the hero of the entire Northlands,* Schroeder thought smugly.
*I will definitely do everything in my power to 'help' you,* Cassius thought in turn, a barely perceptible glint of amusement flashing across his golden pupils.
Two pairs of hands clasped tightly together, forging a pact to crusade against the brutal red dragon ravaging the Northlands at any cost.
To any onlooker, the scene brimmed with epic heroism, straight out of the opening lines of a bard's grand tale.
Yet beneath the surface lay a grotesque reality: an evil wizard serving a vampire and the disguised avatar of a red dragon were clasping hands, swearing to slay the very same red dragon in the name of righteousness.
Viewed in that light, the entire spectacle was utterly absurd.
And so, the gathering concluded to everyone's satisfaction.
The attendees showered Lord Embers with effusive praise for his nobility, wishing them success in their campaign to slay the red dragon and restore peace to the people of the Northlands—though what they truly cared about, of course, was preserving their own lofty aristocratic status.
***
With the meeting adjourned, the crowd dispersed.
Schroeder left behind teleportation coordinates, inviting Cassius to a secret location prepared specifically by the Principality of Bosque the following morning to discuss the specifics of their collaboration.
Cassius was in no hurry to depart, lingering in place instead. Sure enough, Olivia—the Silver Stars—hailed him once again.
She hurried over, a trace of worry lingering in her blue-grey eyes.
"Anhel, you cannot trust that human. He's lying. My divination spells tell me he likely serves that vampire duke. He is by no means a good person."
"I know, of course," Cassius replied placidly.
Olivia was bewildered. "Then why did you agree to help him?"
Cassius gazed toward the sky, an unyielding resolve gleaming within his golden pupils. "Because an even greater evil currently looms over Anzeta. I must unite every force that can be united to eliminate that rampaging red dragon."
He turned to Olivia, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Rest assured, I will not let a single evil slip through my fingers. Once Grey Hawk helps me slay that red dragon, I will eliminate him without a second thought.
"I will bring true justice and order to all of Anzeta, and even to all of Elezerg. That has always been my goal."
"You..."
Olivia stood frozen in astonishment.
In her seventy-odd years of life as a dragon, she had rarely interacted with gold dragons, spending most of her time among her fellow silver dragons.
Unlike the single-minded obsession of gold dragons, silver dragons rarely took the eradication of evil as their personal mission. They preferred blending into humanoid settlements to enjoy life, seldom taking action unless confronted by aggressive foes.
Though Olivia had her own history of fighting against the Cult of the Dragon, she had never encountered anyone quite like the 'gold dragon' before her, someone so utterly consumed by the duty to wipe out wickedness. It struck her as eccentric, yet it moved her deeply all the same.
Seeing that the silver dragon was completely taken in, Cassius engaged his silver tongue at full throttle.
"My father, the ancient gold dragon Castro, told me something fifty years ago: with great power comes great responsibility.
"This world has bestowed upon us metallic dragons a might beyond mortal comparison. In return, we must shoulder the heavy responsibility of purging all evil. Such is the way of the world."
Olivia could not help but sigh in admiration. "Anhel, your father is truly a great and wise gold dragon."
Cassius stared into her eyes, his tone turning somber. "Olivia, my investigations have revealed that this red dragon is exceptionally formidable—far beyond what you might imagine. He can even cast ninth-circle spells."
Shock immediately flashed across Olivia's lovely eyes.
"How is that possible?"
Having studied spellcraft for more than fifty years as a high-level spellcaster, few understood the sheer impossibility of ninth-circle magic better than she did. It was a summit most mages spent their entire lives failing to reach.
Yet a red dragon—a creature not known for its spellcasting prowess, and merely a young adult dragon at that—could wield ninth-circle magic? It defied all reason.
"Nothing is impossible," Cassius said, his voice sinking even lower.
"So, if I do not attend the next Arcane Hermitage gathering, it most likely means the operation has failed. When that time comes, I will leave behind a message at the Northwind Keep battlefield containing the intelligence on that red dragon that I gathered with my life.
"When that day comes, I hope you will seek it out and deliver it into the hands of the righteous."
"Alright..."
After a long silence, Olivia answered softly.
"Anhel, do not always assume the worst. Lord Bahamut will watch over you. I hope to see you again at the next Arcane Hermitage gathering."
"Let us hope so," Cassius replied nonchalantly, as if he had long since cast aside his own life and death.
Watching the faint shimmer in Olivia's blue-grey eyes, Cassius smirked inward, knowing he had thoroughly led this silver dragon by the nose. Now he only had to wait for her to deliver herself to his doorstep.
***
Stravburg, the Avengers' Chamber.
This was a secret base prepared specifically by Grand Duke Leo of the Principality of Bosque for Schroeder and the other displaced mages. Its location was exceptionally well-hidden; even the Kingdom of Cinders' yuan-ti spies remained unaware of its existence.
Schroeder gathered here with six former court mages of Lakeman, awaiting the arrival of their collaborator.
Space twisted as a teleportation portal tore open.
The noble youth Cassius had assumed stepped through, casting a glance around at the several wizards assembled before him.
In his eyes, these were merely 4th-level wizards, hardly worth a second thought.
Schroeder hurriedly led the others over with a fawning smile. "Lord Embers, welcome. We who have lost our homeland have waited far too long for this moment."
"Time is pressing, so spare me the pleasantries," Cassius said calmly. "Every day that red dragon draws breath, the nations of the Northlands remain in mortal peril."
He paused, a look of skepticism crossing his face.
"I merely wish to know what gives you the confidence to contend with that red dragon. Could it be relying solely on the few court mages standing before me?"
"Of course not. Please, do not be anxious, Lord Embers," Schroeder said with an ingratiating chuckle.
He retrieved an aged parchment scroll from a hidden compartment within the chamber wall.
Cassius narrowed his eyes, immediately on his guard. He could sense a dangerous aura radiating from it—a forbidden, esoteric art specifically designed to target dragonkind.
*Vagnerd's Dragon-Binding Circle*
*8th-Circle Conjuration*
*Developed by Vagnerd, the 'Dragon-Mad Black Mage,' born of his boundless obsession with dragons in order to study them in perpetuity.*
*Owing to the immense power of true dragons, this spell requires twenty or more spellcasters to cast in unison, or must be cast by a legendary spellcaster, using the blood and scales of a true dragon as a catalyst. It is capable of binding any dragon whose life-tier has not yet attained the ancient dragon stage.*
*Vagnerd.* Cassius knew that name all too well; he had been a notorious boss in Anzeta during his past life.
A century ago, he had been abducted into the Cult of the Dragon, forced to serve chromatic dragons and dracoliches. But when a starving red dragon devoured his wife alive, Vagnerd had completely lost his mind.
From that day forward, Vagnerd descended into a rabid obsession with the power of dragons. He hunted the white dragons of Anzeta, erected the Tower of Polar Night, and went so far as to butcher and reconstruct his own flesh-and-blood daughter into a half-dragon monstrosity, earning himself the title of 'Dragon-Mad Black Mage.'
Cassius knitted his brows, his voice laced with thunderous outrage.
"This is a creation from the Tower of Polar Night?"
"How dare you consort with that madman Vagnerd?!"
Schroeder clearly had not anticipated that the youth would recognize that mysterious mage, and frantically defended himself. "No, we had no idea where this scroll originated! We merely sought to use it against that red dragon!"
Cassius said coldly, "Lord Grey Hawk, I trust you have already guessed my true identity."
A suffocating aura surged forth, causing cold sweat to trickle down Schroeder's forehead. He stammered, "O-Of course. You are a gold dragon, a defender of justice and order."
Cassius gave a cold snort, playing the part of an arrogant gold dragon to perfection.
"Good, so long as you understand. Human, I shall cooperate with you, but do not dream of playing any petty tricks."
"Understood, Lord Embers." Schroeder pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed the sweat from his brow.
"Lord Embers, our plan is as follows: you will revert to your true form to confront that red dragon head-on, luring him to a prearranged location. Once he is there, I will activate the circle and bind him.
"Naturally..."
"We will also require your scales and blood."
He stole a glance at 'Embers.' Seeing no change in the youth's expression, Schroeder finally let out a sigh of relief.
Cassius raised another objection. "With only the few mages gathered here, you hardly have enough power to cast an eighth-circle spell, do you?"
Schroeder replied respectfully, "I am currently rallying spellcasters from all over, but few have responded. It may still take several months of preparation."
"We do not have that kind of time," Cassius cut him off bluntly. "The people of the Northlands are in constant danger."
Schroeder said helplessly, "Yet spellcasters are truly scarce..."
"I have dozens of spellcasters under my command who can be summoned immediately," Cassius interrupted without hesitation. "Furthermore, I have contacts within Northwind Keep who can secure a safe area for you to lay down the circle.
"So tell me—when can this operation begin?"
"One month," Schroeder answered dutifully.
"It will take an ordinary wizard at least a month to learn how to inscribe a portion of the circle. The spell is of too high a tier; it can only be inscribed once, and all memory of it will fade once drawn. Meanwhile, I will serve as the circle's primary controller."
"Very well. I will begin teleporting spellcasters here in batches. I trust that one month from now, you will achieve success."
"Yes, Lord Embers."
***
Northwind Keep, the Magic Coin guild base.
"Five hundred and one, five hundred and two..."
"We've hit the jackpot lately!"
Charlotte, guild leader of Magic Coin and now a 4th-level wizard, was gleefully counting the gold coins stored inside the guild warehouse. His guild had been raking in substantial sums taking on quests throughout the city.
Suddenly, a faction quest refreshed on his system interface.
*Lurking Mages*
*[Schroeder, former court mage of the Principality of Lakeman, is plotting vengeance against Cassius, King of Cinders. Recruit twenty players to disguise yourselves as vassals of the gold dragon Anhel and infiltrate the Avengers' Chamber in the Principality of Bosque...]*
*[Reward: 15,000 Faction Contribution per person; 2,500 gold coins total]*
"Why is it another traitor gig?"
Charlotte had just begun to complain when his eyes bulged at the reward section.
"Holy crap, that payout is insane!"
Their guild had made its name playing double agents in the first place; they were practically professionals at this kind of business. This score was about to make them filthy rich.
"Woohoo, we're taking off!"
"Move it, boys!"
"Magic Coin, ride out with me!"
Paying no mind to the ordinary residents staring at him as if he were a lunatic, Charlotte hollered at the top of his lungs inside the guild base.
Chapter 150