Relying on his darkvision, Cassius steadily walked out of the mine, only to discover that the humans had not fled very far.
Though the recent battle had been perilous, it had actually taken very little time.
For ordinary humans, simply making their way out of the deep mine took considerable time, not to mention under such chaos.
Jinya was waiting at the cave mouth to greet him, bending low in an exaggerated bow. "O my great master, your might is unstoppable! Even the most formidable monster cannot withstand your flames!"
From a distance, the humans gazed at the blood-drenched red dragon emerging from the cave, every face frozen in terror.
The monster in the mine had already been terrifying enough, so what kind of horror must this dragon be to have vanquished it?
They strained with the last of their strength, fleeing for their lives.
Many had already been devoured by the monster within the mine, and others crushed by falling boulders.
Over a hundred people had entered the mine, but only fifty or so had managed to escape now; the rest were buried forever in those dark, cavernous depths.
Jinya leaned in fawningly and asked, "My great master, how do you intend to deal with... these vile humans?"
A spark of cunning flashed through the kobold's eyes.
He had once been enslaved by humans, and now the chance for vengeance had arrived.
"I have my own plans."
The red dragon showed no interest in its grudge, merely beating his wings with effort to lift off and chase down the fleeing humans.
A cry of terror swept through the crowd as panic overtook them. They sprinted all the harder.
Yet how could running on foot ever match flight?
Soon, the shadow cast by the red dragon engulfed the frantic crowd.
Yet the people were met with neither the fiery inferno they dreaded, nor tearing talons, nor a gaping, blood-soaked maw.
"Humans, you have trespassed upon the territory of Cinder Nest."
"Yet a benevolent red dragon is willing to pardon your transgression."
"This time, I shall punish only the culprit who deserves it."
With a dive, the red dragon skimmed across the ground, seizing only the most conspicuous figure among them in a suit of armor—Hart.
Then he flew back to the cave entrance.
Hart was dumped heavily to the ground from the dragon's talons. He remained on his knees, not daring to stand in the slightest, his tongue trembling with fright. "L-Lord Dragon, I was wrong!"
"D-D-Don't eat me! I... I don't taste good!"
The once-overbearing slaver was now trembling like a leaf.
Cassius looked down upon him from on high, noticing that Hart was actually a Level 3 fighter. He feigned righteous wrath: "Who gave you the audacity to trespass on Cinder Nest's territory and steal a dragon's gold?"
In the red dragon's shameless narrative, the gold mine had already become his personal property.
Standing by, the kobold felt a surge of petty delight seeing his former master in such a wretched state, and couldn't resist barking threats: "You are nothing but a lowly human! How dare you violate the great dragon's property and enslave the dragon's subjects! There is only one fate for you—to be torn to shreds!"
At the words "torn to shreds," Hart collapsed limply onto the ground.
Snot and tears streamed down his face as he babbled incessantly, "It wasn't me! S-Someone else ordered me to do it! Someone else sent me here!"
Hearing that someone was pulling the strings behind him, Cassius's interest was piqued.
"Who?"
"Tell me the thief's name."
Detecting a glimmer of hope for survival, Hart answered without hesitation, clinging to it like a drowning man clutching at a straw.
"It's Baron Todd!"
"Todd Lackman!"
At this, Cassius grew even more intrigued. He asked:
"Of House Lackman?"
"The so-called Eagle of the North Wind, ruler of Northwind Keep?"
Hart nodded furiously, scrambling to answer. With his life on the line, his tone could not have been more earnest.
"Yes, yes, yes, Lord Dragon! That Lackman!"
Hart knelt on the ground, cautiously lifting his head amidst floods of tears.
"Lord Dragon, you must seek justice for me!"
"It was that Baron Todd! He controlled me with evil magic and threatened my family's lives, forcing me to obey his orders! That's the only reason I came here and violated your property!"
Now that things had come to this, Hart cast aside any pretense of loyalty. Staying alive was all that mattered; whatever blame there was, he would dump it squarely onto the baron's head.
"Fascinating."
As far as he knew, the old duke of House Lackman was a vampire, and most of his scions had either become vampire spawn or true vampires themselves. This Baron Todd was likely a vampire as well—which could serve as an entry point for him to gather intelligence on Northwind Keep.
The red dragon bared his fangs in a grin. "Where is this Baron Todd right now?"
Hart froze for a second before hastily answering, "Lord Dragon, I can lead you to him! He must be made to pay for your losses!"
The quintessential behavior of a collaborator.
"Very well. But you will have to wait a little while first."
Snatching up the human once more, the red dragon beat his wings and took off, heading straight for Cinder Nest.
...
Cinder Nest.
Cassius landed as usual amid the greetings of the wyverns.
This time, however, the wounds covering his body sparked all kinds of speculation among his followers as to who could have hurt him so badly. Yet none dared utter a word aloud, terrified of enraging the injured red dragon.
The hobgoblin Duoluo was also waiting at the entrance with a squad of worg cavalry, wearing an ingratiating expression.
The red dragon casually tossed Hart before the hobgoblin and commanded, "Watch this human. Do not let him escape, and do not let him die."
"Yes, great master! I will certainly see it done. I will never disappoint you again!"
The hobgoblin readily agreed and cracked his whip to give orders.
Promptly, several burly bugbears stepped forward carrying an animal hide. They loaded the human onto it and carried him off toward the barracks dungeon.
Having given his orders, the red dragon flew straight back to Giant's Mouth Cave.
He went directly to the deepest part of the cavern and shifted aside the boulders that had previously blocked the opening.
"So that's why. No wonder I felt that sense of dread earlier."
"Time to clear out the hidden dangers in my lair,"
Cassius muttered to himself.
He leapt directly into the opening.
Inside, magma sputtered everywhere, billowing plumes of white smoke and searing steam.
Yet boiling magma was nothing more than a warm bath to a red dragon, and the sulfurous heat only gave him the welcoming comfort of home.
After descending for a long while, diving countless meters deep, he finally spotted another passage opening—though it was blocked by a cascading torrent of molten rock.
*Splash!*
The red dragon surged out from the magma.
Lava splashed in all directions, scorching the solid stone.
Before him lay an exceptionally narrow, seemingly endless tunnel.
The tunnel mouth was only four meters high. The red dragon had to pull his wings in tight just to squeeze inside, and he began feeling his way forward.
Chapter 25