Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon's Might-Chapter 9 - I’ve Been Waiting for You for a Long Time

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Passing by the Magic Statue, he entered the house through its open doors.

From its appearance, the house seemed fairly ordinary. Before falling into Edwin's hands, it likely belonged to a rural gentleman or minor nobleman. The interior... was also quite ordinary, with the walls of the main hall simply covered in wallpaper, and the wooden flooring missing pieces here and there—all in all, it bore no resemblance to the dwelling of a Mage.

However, upon crossing the corridor and reaching a side room, things were different. This room, transformed by the Mage into a laboratory, was filled with a variety of strange instruments and equipment, twinkling with mystical light, perfectly fulfilling Leon's expectations and captivating his attention.

Leon curiously sniffed the various potions' scents, courteously refraining from touching any of the instruments, and finally, having satisfied his curiosity, he said, "This laboratory doesn't seem like a place for studying forbidden Spirit Summoning Techniques or demon magic... So why would you abandon the noble status of Human society to come here and serve a Red Dragon?"

A Dragon's adulthood is marked by two milestones: a century of life and a treasure trove of significant value. Such a sizeable hoard bonds the Dragon, its nest, and its territory together, forming a cohesive magical energy that elevates the Dragon to true legendary status, bestowing upon it legendary actions and lair actions, and radiating its influence across the entire area with a regional effect.

For now, the territory of the Mother Dragon has yet to be warped by magic, as manifested in occasional minor earthquakes, water sources warmed and tainted with sulfur by supernatural powers, and rock fissures becoming portals to the Fire Element Plane—inviting Fire Element creatures to enter this world and settle nearby, indicating that the Mother Dragon is not yet powerful enough.

Such a Red Dragon is indeed powerful, yet it isn't powerful enough to merit the allegiance of a Teleportation-capable Mage.

"I made a mistake; now, Human society can no longer accommodate me," Edwin explained while tidying up the experiment table, casually picking up a flask and holding it up to the window to catch the light, "And only the Red Dragon is willing to sponsor my risky experiments."

"What kind of dangerous experiments?"

"Take a wild guess."

"I have no idea."

"Give it a try. You are the most unique Red Dragon I've ever met," praised Edwin, "If it were your sister, she would certainly not come to me to learn the Universal Language. A proud Red Dragon would never allow itself to seek teaching from a Human. Even if she did come, she would instantly get into a fight with my Magic Statue for intruding upon my estate, curiously touching the unfamiliar equipment, and then getting furiously enraged after being stopped by me."

"Red Dragons are not like White Dragons; they lack brains, but they can discern benefits and consequences."

"You don't understand Red Dragons as well as I do... Red Dragons and White Dragons, it's the difference between having a brain and not using it, and not having a brain at all."

"I am a Red Dragon."

"Hehe. So, have you figured out what experiment I'm working on?"

"I smell the scent of sulfur..." Leon looked around, his gaze landing on a huge experiment table filled with alchemy tools, then he saw saltpetre, sulfur, and charcoal, along with some materials he didn't recognize. Notebooks with experiment data hung on the walls, and there were scorch marks everywhere.

"If I'm not wrong—" Leon paused, "—it's about fire and explosions."

"Do you like explosions?" Edwin asked in return.

Leon confirmed his guess was right.

"Explosion is an art."

"Explosion... Surely, erm, an experimental accident, a big explosion, you had no choice but to stay away from Human society... If you've been researching explosions, I can understand why only a Red Dragon would sponsor you—it's just too dangerous."

"But," Leon spoke, "you are a Mage, right? Shouldn't you be studying magic, not alchemy? Alchemy should be the Mechanician's job."

"No need to make such a clear distinction. A Mage can also study alchemy."

"Alright." Leon nodded slightly—role-playing games are still games, and for the sake of gameplay, it's necessary to distinguish professions clearly, but in reality, a person can be versatile, both a General and a scholar. In fact, in most fantasy works, alchemy has a deeper connection with Mages.

"Let's begin." The baby dragon wasn't interested in delving into Edwin's past; sometimes, knowing too much isn't a good thing, "How do we start, with learning the alphabet?"

Edwin pulled out a thick book from his belt—which obviously was a Dimension Bag, otherwise it couldn't contain such a large and thick volume—held it up, and said, "Luckily I once moonlighted as a tutor, otherwise I wouldn't know where to begin right now."

And so, Leon began his studies with Edwin.

First recognizing the alphabet, then learning the phonetics, and after that... Having such a powerful Mage as a kindergarten teacher was somewhat awkward, Edwin soon tossed the book to Leon and got busy with his experiments.

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Leon had the ability to comprehend languages, and reading posed no problem for him. Thus, he would devour the books voraciously, and when the effect of language comprehension wore off, he would ask Edwin for more.

The memory of a Red Dragon is exceptionally good. A Red Dragon can clearly remember the value and origin of every item in its treasure horde, as well as the precise location of each item. It would ignite its fury over a missing coin and relentlessly pursue the thief without mercy.

Now Leon deeply understood this; he had memorized all the required letters of the Universal Language in just one morning, as well as over a hundred words and basic grammar.

Leon read on, forgetting sleep and food, until he realized that in front of him there lay a large plate of raw meat. He glanced at Edwin and began to feast heartily.

"Don't you want to cook them with your flames?" Edwin asked. Anyone familiar with dragons knew that Red Dragons preferred charred prey, White Dragons liked their prey frozen solid, and Blue Dragons used Lightning Breath to cook their food before eating.

Leon stuck out his tongue to lick off the fresh blood and bits of meat around his mouth, for he had gotten used to eating raw. "I can't do Flame Breath... Compared to flying, doesn't Flame Breath rely on the power of magic?"

"Basivascular gland. An organ only True Dragons possess. It's attached to the heart, the center of elemental activity within a dragon's body. All the blood that flows from the heart passes through this organ before reaching the rest of the body. Before using a Spit Weapon, dragons need the basivascular gland to charge the lungs with the needed energy and then expel it," said Edwin. "Try to harness that power."

"How do I do that?" Leon asked, hopeful. He had always had two insecurities, one of not being able to fly, which had now been resolved, and the other was not being able to perform the signature Flame Breath of a Red Dragon.

"Perhaps you can try this."

Leon watched as Edwin fumbled in his waist pouch and pulled out a potion. The conical bottle shimmered with an orange liquid that flickered continuously while the part without the liquid was filled with smoke.

"What potion is this?" Leon took the potion.

"Flame Breath Potion," Edwin replied.

Leon hesitated for a moment, then pulled out the stopper, bit the conical bottle, tilted his head back, and downed it in one gulp. Moments later, unable to control the urge to spit out something, he looked toward an area without any equipment and expelled roaring flames, and after a long while, he stopped to catch his breath.

"How do you feel?" Edwin asked. "Do you feel it?"

"A little."

"Find that feeling, and you'll be able to shoot flames."

Leon said nothing, swallowed, took a deep breath, puffed up his chest, and then... nothing happened.

"No luck," Leon felt an emptiness inside.

"You'll learn," Edwin consoled.

"Hm."

Edwin thought for a moment and said, "You must be tired... After reading for so long, you should get some good rest. Perhaps when you wake up, you'll have learned it."

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Leon knew his own condition; he wasn't tired at all.

He felt that his current situation was probably merely having the body of a True Dragon, not being a True Dragon in the true sense. Thus, things that ordinary dragons could easily master might be impossible for him for a lifetime... But he had the Golden Finger as well.

Leon perked up a bit and said, "Mr. Edwin, when will you be available next time? I will come to visit again."

"Let's say three days from now," Edwin said.

"Alright. Goodbye." The baby dragon walked away without looking back, only glancing over his shoulder once when leaving through the gates of the estate.

Even though Edwin's help was due to the Mother Dragon's involvement, Leon still felt grateful.

Leon flew back, solving his meal problem along the way, and reached his den by evening. After a hard day's work, he planned to sleep well, but fate had other plans—there was an unwelcome guest in his den.

Salovis, of course, had come to pick a fight.

A gentleman may take ten years to seek revenge; a Red Dragon seeks revenge from dawn till dusk.