The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 585 - 609 Story and Reality

Chapter 585: Chapter 609: Story and Reality Chapter 585: Chapter 609: Story and Reality “If I ever decide to build a nest, I definitely won’t allow anyone to dig tunnels underneath it.”

—Pakos, the ancient Red Dragon, said this before his famous battle with Svafnir.

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The group patiently waited until noon the next day to begin their operation, as this was the time of day when Fencer Trolls were least active, allowing them to avoid unnecessary disruptions during the battle. After exiting the cave where the Teleportation Array was set up, Lancelot still had Alamir use Divine Arts to create fresh water and refreeze the entrance, even though, if all went well, they would no longer need this teleportation point.

“What do you mean ‘if’? Don’t you have one now?” Bruto curiously asked after hearing Pakos’s comment. “Didn’t you say that earning money in Mogrondale is both fast and easy? So, where did all the money go?”

“Of course, I invested it, you idiot. Money doesn’t grow on its own,” the Halfling said in a contemptuous tone to the Dwarf. “One-fifth of Mogrondale’s shops pay me rent, and half of the enterprises give me regular dividends. Robbing kingdoms and kidnapping princesses is too cliché, and full of annoying surprises.”

“Sounds like you’ve still done that sort of thing, though?” Lancelot also showed interest. “What sort of surprises? Knights wanting to come and rescue the princess?”

“Things that are likely to happen aren’t surprises, and you silly knights are quite adorable, not annoying at all,” the Halfling chuckled. “I once kidnapped a princess and demanded one-fifth of the kingdom’s treasury as a ransom from her crown-wearing dad—don’t give me that look. I am a dragon, after all, and was quite young back then. What else would I have done?”

...

“I hope the princess didn’t suffer any misfortune afterward.”

“Of course not, I wanted money, not humans who barely have any meat on them, which makes my teeth hurt,” Pakos shrugged his shoulders. “At the time, it seemed like an easy business to get done, especially since the princess was good-looking and of childbearing age. One-fifth of the treasury was a very generous price.”

“Your understanding of business seems a bit off,” Lancelot rolled his eyes. “So, what exactly went wrong? A group of Holy Warriors who would never compromise with evil?”

“No, the problem was with the king and the queen. As you know, kings often change their queens, but the children from previous queens don’t lose their right to the throne. The princess I captured was the child of a previous queen,” Pakos said with an ironic smile on his face. “The current queen had been married for five years and had only given birth to daughters, so you see my point?”

“You captured the heir to the throne?” Isa also spoke up. “And the queen was unwilling to pay the ransom?”

“Firstly, that princess had an older brother, and he was the primary heir to the throne. But the current queen… had a lot of influence. She managed to convince everyone from nobles to commoners that it was that prince’s absolute duty to rescue his sister. She then secretly sent a messenger to me, promising that if I killed both siblings, she would give me half of the treasury.”

“Did you agree?”

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“No, things got even more complicated. When the king of a neighboring country heard about it, he also sent a messenger, promising me an even larger ransom if I killed the brother but handed over the sister to him. Ha! Are you still listening?”

“It’s complicated, way too complicated,” the Dwarf shook his head, “Human inheritance law isn’t much of an issue, but they just reproduce too much, turning everything into a complete mess… So, what was your choice in the end?”

“I chose the princess. I just said she wasn’t bad-looking and was at the right age for childbearing, right? Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t force her. I even treated this member of the royal family quite well. After hearing the proposals from those ‘relatives’ and ‘suitors,’ she made me an offer I couldn’t refuse… I was young back then too.”

“Hold on, what about that princess’s brother?”

“He died. People thought I ripped up the ticket, and her brother committed suicide soon after out of grief—he shot himself in the back with a crossbow over ten times, don’t ask me how he did it. After I heard that news, the princess—who had already borne me a bunch of lovely Half-Dragon People—asked me to help her seize the throne, and I did, but I didn’t stay long after that. You know, things get boring after a while, and she did have tendencies to be a control freak.”

“I have to admit, this story isn’t quite what I expected,” Lancelot scratched his head, “but the ending isn’t too bad.”

“It wasn’t quite what I expected either, but since then, I’ve become interested in politics. I must admit, my first wife taught me quite a lot,” Pakos suddenly stopped walking, “The dragons in the lair are sleeping, I can feel it, but going any further might wake them up. If it wakes up and can’t find the source of its unrest, it will become very alert. Let that fat sheep go, let it draw all the attention, and we’ll follow quietly behind…”

“Makes sense.”

Lancelot nodded toward Bruto, who was leading a blindfolded sheep. The Dwarf pulled out a small bottle, looking unsure, and asked:

“Where should I apply this poison?”

“Anywhere is fine, since the White Dragon will freeze it into a block of ice before eating it anyway. It won’t taste anything.”

The Dwarf then poured the bottle’s pale green liquid over the sheep’s back and slapped it on the rump. The sheep bleated in fright and immediately trotted off toward the end of the tunnel.

“Now, get ready for battle,” Pakos quickly shifted his gaze away from the sheep, “Remember, I absolutely won’t make a move until Svafnir appears; otherwise, the coward might just turn around and flee midway, and I don’t want that to happen. Was I clear enough?”

Everyone nodded and followed quietly behind the sheep, soon reaching the tunnel’s exit. The blindfolded sheep lost its footing and slid off the edge of the tunnel’s end terrace, easily waking the White Dragon hanging at the top of the nest. Just as Pakos had said, the dragon almost instinctively breathed out a gust of Dragon Breath, freezing the sheep in place, then stretched its wings and flew down, swallowing the sheep.

“What did I tell you, White Dragons are really dumb,” Pakos rolled his eyes, “Lancelot, when it’s time to act, be mindful not to harm the innocents… you know what I mean?”

“Of course,” Lancelot took out the Great Sword Glacier from his Dimensional Bag, positioning himself on the edge of the terrace, “I’ll try to keep a distance from those captives.”

“Good,” the Halfling nodded, his figure gradually becoming transparent, “Good luck to you all.”