Chapter 614: Bone Dragon!

Chapter 614: The Bone Dragon!

Miss Dana reached out and clutched her handkerchief, gritting her teeth as she wiped her face fiercely several times. However, because Karen had slammed her face-down onto the floor and walls multiple times, her face was already injured; wiping it with such force immediately brought out a nosebleed, leaving two streaks of crimson.

"Heh... hehe."

The scene was simply too ludicrous. Even Karen could not help but chuckle.

Miss Dana took a deep breath, staring at the laughing Karen. She did not continue to rage, but instead raised her hand, intending to condense a healing spell. Yet, because her previous mental assault had been shattered by Karen, the spiritual power within her body remained in absolute disarray. She tried the simple healing spell several consecutive times, but failed every time.

"Sigh."

Karen sighed and squatted down in front of her. He spread his palm, condensing a healing spell that enveloped her entirely.

Miss Dana pouted, her eyes darting toward Karen from time to time. A shred of stubbornness remained, but she was also slightly moved.

Yet very quickly, along with Karen's next words, that newly arisen warmth vanished in an instant.

"If you don't know how to fight, learn to restrain your temper. No matter how well the people outside protect you, some things ultimately require your own ability to handle. For instance, throwing a tantrum; only when you possess the competence and the backing does throwing a temper tantrum truly feel gratifying."

"Can you stop lecturing me? I'm already sick of hearing these educational lectures at home."

"That is because you never truly listened to them."

"I understood these principles long ago."

"This only proves you still do not understand. True principles are meant to be savored over and over to taste their different flavors, not swallowed whole in a single bite."

"How did you manage to become so formidable?" Miss Dana was clearly more concerned with this point. "Is it because you didn't have anyone around to protect you?"

"No, I have always been protected very well. In fact, exceptionally well."

"Then you..."

"If you want to step out and see the scenery, you must walk on your own two feet. Otherwise, the roadside scenery does not belong to you."

Miss Dana turned her face away.

"Alright." Karen withdrew his hand. "The injuries aren't severe. The event starts tomorrow, right? Just apply some makeup after you go back, and it won't be noticeable."

Karen had not used lethal force during the fight. Although the young girl had looked utterly wretched each time, it was all superficial trauma.

"I don't know how to do makeup. Do you?" Dana sneered. "If it's not covered up properly, believe it or not, once word of my injury spreads, someone will come to hold you accountable."

"You hate him, and you feel he is your cage, but deep down, you actually quite enjoy the protection that comes from this cage."

Miss Dana said, "I find that your talent for speaking is even more formidable than your talent for fighting."

"Mm, perhaps. If you can't handle it, go find my business assistant." Karen stood up and clapped his hands. "Alright, Miss, you may go back and rest now."

Miss Dana scrambled up from the ground, asking curiously, "Why did you come here?"

"Isn't it the same as you, to participate in the Selection Assembly event?"

"My rank is high. What about yours?"

"It shouldn't be as high as yours, but it won't be too low either."

After all, the application form had been attached to Wolfrun's suicide note; the old Chief was giving him one last boost.

"If you are willing to say some nice things to me now and beg me, I might be able to help you apply for a qualification of the same rank as mine."

Karen stared at her, his gaze amused.

Miss Dana realized what she had said and laughed at herself. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. You're right. I have no right to complain about this cage, because I truly do enjoy it."

"There is no need to care so much. Enjoy what you ought to enjoy with peace of mind. The very first sign of maturity for the vast majority of young people is when they realize that before they have decoupled from the financial support of their parents and elders, it feels rather embarrassing to lose their temper with them."

"Next time I will ask Sister Augie to take action. I look forward to her tearing apart that mouth of yours that loves to lecture people."

"Perhaps Lord Augie wants to face me least of all right now."

"Do you just have to speak to me this way? I am truly curious. Since you clearly know Augie, you should understand how great the benefits of flattering me would be. Or, are you playing a reverse strategy, intentionally provoking me to deepen my impression of you?"

"You are overthinking it. I am purely..."

"Purely what?"

"Quite annoyed by you."

Miss Dana left in a huff, shutting the "door" heavily with a loud bang.

Purr rode over on Kevin's back and said, "To be honest, I actually see a shadow of my past self in this young girl."

Thinking back to the days before the Allen family fell into ruin, she, Purr Allen, had also been a spoiled young lady.

Karen smiled faintly. "But you were a genius, weren't you?"

Purr blinked, accepting Karen's compliment first, and then spoke from a rational perspective. "She isn't bad either. It's just that compared to a freak like you, she appears ordinary."

"I plan to take a bath. Do you want to wash up?"

"Oh, of course, meow."

"Ashely, take Purr to your room for a bath."

"Yes, Minister."

Kevin stuck out his tongue, revealing a simple and honest smile as he ran toward the room behind Karen.

Karen stopped his footsteps, looked at it, and said, "Isn't there a fountain pool in the hotel? Go rinse yourself there. Remember to carry the room card in your mouth, otherwise you will definitely be chased away."

Kevin: "..."

...

Night fell.

Outside the window, the brightness of the crystals above the subterranean world dimmed. Aside from the occasional "ghostly wails and wolf howls" drifting from afar, it was generally very quiet.

Miss Dana lay on the bed, holding a thick stack of documents in her hands. This was an investigation report she had messaged her people to gather and send over this afternoon.

With her status, contacting a secretary beside a certain uncle to ask for a small favor was the simplest matter imaginable.

"My goodness, an orphan can actually be this formidable. He really is a genius."

After reading through the documents, Miss Dana felt her understanding of Karen had deepened by another layer. Moreover, judging from the records, the most dazzling trait of that guy, who was roughly her own age, was not his innate talent or strength; yet even so, his talent and strength still utterly crushed her own.

One had to know that she had been training in the Knight Order all along. Among the Knight Order reserves of the same age, she was considered an excellent one, but she had truly been beaten like a child by him.

"However, 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 finished handling it?"

"It is handled. I altered a portion of the memory, and now I can recall it normally."

"For instance, that guy named Karen next door?"

"Karen. Last time in York City, he coveted my beauty. In a room at the crime scene, he said he liked a voluptuous body like mine, praising the desire inspired by me over and over again; then, he stroked my thighs and my buttocks for a very long time. If it weren't for the fact that I knew the Hand-Wielder seemed to think he was an interesting young man, I would never have endured it. I would have smashed him to pieces with a single punch long ago."

Miss Dana blinked her eyes. She felt that this fabricated memory of Sister Augie's... was truly a bit too fabricated.

Inside a small room within the home of the freshly assassinated Grand Bishop, a dragon like you was subjected to fondling, all while the Whip-Bearer and a flock of high dignitaries waited just outside, forcing you to endure it all without uttering a sound.

Miss Dena could not help but marvel in her heart: Are a dragon's proclivities truly so twisted?

"That is why I am going to find him right now, give him a proper thrashing, and settle this score once and for all!"

"Sister Augie, do not be reckless. I crossed blades with him this afternoon."

"Is that so? Have you already settled the account on my behalf, Miss Dena?"

"No, Sister Augie, you have only acquired yet another debt."

"Uh, by the way, you are no match for him."

"You know I cannot best him?"

"I do not know the specifics, but I can sense it. In my memory, his physical constitution is formidable... There is no concrete proof, but perhaps I have observed and sensed it before. In any case, it is only natural that you could not defeat him. So, it still requires my personal intervention."

"Sister Augie, I advise you against going, lest you be struck by lightning again. His memory seal is unlike yours; he can tease you right at the edge of that sealed memory, shattering your defenses."

Augie fell silent.

"What is the matter, Sister Augie?"

"It is only natural. He is a Cleric of Order, and an exceptional youth within the Church of Order at that, while I am merely a dragon... a dragon regarded as a servant."

"Oh, Sister Augie, are you about to indulge in sorrow?"

"I have never concealed my yearning for freedom from you, it is simply that the right time and conditions have never arisen. After the last incident, the Whip-Bearer even reinforced my seal."

"Perhaps you could share a few more details with me? For instance, that man named Karen—he only laid hands on you in that room, and did nothing else?"

To divert the dragon's attention away from her grief, Miss Dena could only choose the most convenient topic at hand.

Upon hearing those words,

Lady Augie turned her body aside, lowered her head, extended two fingers, and a look of sheer disgust washed over her face.

Miss Dena understood the implication perfectly;

She immediately overlapped this "Karen" with the very same Karen who had thrashed her and lectured her earlier that day. Unable to contain herself any longer, she burst into laughter:

"Hahahahahahaha!"

"You can actually laugh? You have no idea just how nauseating it truly was for me at the time."

"So, Sister Augie, do you feel as though you were insulted?"

"Being insulted would almost be a mercy. To think I was handled by an ant—it is quite literally an insult to my entire race!"

The "ant" in Lady Augie's mouth referred solely to the disparity in physical size. She would never preach her doctrine of dragon supremacy in front of Dena; besides, she was acutely aware that she was a servant dragon.

Sometimes, when two female friends whisper secrets together, the depth of their topics far exceeds anything men might imagine.

Furthermore, the intensity of the dragon race's desires in these matters was inherently incomparable to that of other races;

The two established impressions bestowed upon them in mythology—greed and lust—were truly not a deliberate attempt to slander them.

By now, Miss Dena's curiosity had also been piqued by the very topic she had introduced, and she actively joined in:

"Did he speak to you, warning you, advising you, lecturing you?"

"Yes, he said to me: 'Lady Augie, you wouldn't want the Whip-Bearer and the others outside to know what is happening in here, would you?'"

...

Karen had absolutely no inkling of what a depraved role he had been cast into by the two women next door the previous night;

He slept soundly and sweetly, without the slightest hint of trouble adjusting to a strange bed. Thus, a moderate thrashing administered at the right time did indeed help alleviate mental pressure and bring pleasure to body and soul.

For breakfast, the hotel of the Church of the Caves prepared and delivered two portions of delicacies. One was standard fare, while the other consisted of local specialties, which unexpectedly included a raw marinade of some unknown species of writhing, edible monstrous beast.

"My, what remarkably fresh food," Purr uttered an exclamation of praise. "This reminds me of the times during my past adventures when resources were completely depleted and food was finally found after great difficulty."

"Are you going to eat it?" Karen inquired.

"Only on the premise that resources are depleted. Who would eat this when normal food is available? Stupid dog, do you want it?"

The stupid dog nodded enthusiastically.

In the end, that entire portion of local specialty was given to Kevin, who devoured it with absolute delight.

Purr issued a stern warning: "You must brush your teeth after eating, otherwise I will not sit on your back, meow!"

After breakfast came a slightly tedious period of waiting. Karen sat on the sofa, basking in the crystal light filtering through the window while reading a travelogue provided in the hotel room.

Purr, meanwhile, called out to Iceley, "Oh, little Iceley, hurry up and summon Sindy to come play with us."

Iceley naturally would not refuse; after all, summoning Sindy carried almost no burden for her:

"My dearest friend Sindy, I require your descent now to accompany us in our play!"

"Little Iceley, do you really need to chant such a lengthy incantation just to summon her now?"

"I was worried she might be frightened and refuse to come out."

At last, Sindy appeared, immediately displaying an air of extreme caution.

Then, upon confirming that it was indeed just "play," it happily joined Purr and Kevin in a game of chase.

Shortly after nine in the morning, the hotel manager knocked on Karen's room door:

"My lord, in another fifteen minutes, you may proceed to the hotel lobby to prepare for departure."

"Very well, thank you."

Iceley recalled Sindy. When Sindy returned, its eyes were glistening with tears of gratitude; it was a rare occasion where it was recalled normally after being summoned, rather than having its phantom form battered to pieces.

Karen packed his things briefly and prepared to head downstairs. Iceley held Kevin with her left hand and carried a handbag in her right, which contained tea leaves and a thermos filled with ice cubes.

Purr sat upon Karen's shoulder and asked, "Aren't you going to say goodbye to the willful young lady next door?"

"Knowing she is willful, and yet I should still go say goodbye?"

"I find that this sort of young girl, starved of affection and harboring a bit of a father complex, is actually quite easy to deceive, is she not?"

"Easy to deceive?"

"Ah, it would be highly difficult for anyone else, 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 would have to construct a bed ten meters by ten meters just to accommodate your women."

"Woof, woof!"

"Damn it, shut up, stupid dog! Are you looking for a beating!"

Purr looked back at Karen, only to find a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"You understand his speech?"

"I do not, but I guessed it."

"I don't believe you."

"Shall I recount what I guessed, then?"

"No, there is no need. Still, do you truly not intend to give it a try? For instance, transferring that father complex elsewhere—aren't you highly adept at that?"

"How about you stay behind to watch the house?"

"No!"

Stepping into the elevator as it descended, Karen caught sight of the giant python’s eyes once more, seemingly staring at the passengers riding within its own carcass.

Aisli asked with genuine curiosity, "When Lord Augie rides the elevator, does it frighten the creature to death?"

"Unlikely," Purr replied. "This python was bred specifically to serve as an elevator. In truth, only its living flesh remains; its soul was largely erased long ago. It is nothing more than a mindless beast now."

Hearing this, Aisli sighed with soft melancholy, "Oh, how pitiful."

Exiting into the lobby, Karen noticed some twenty Order clergymen seated upon the sofas, all of them strikingly young.

They had been conversing, but as Karen approached in his matching robes of the Order, their eyes naturally drifted toward him, and the sharpest among them quickly discerned the unique insignia upon his vestments.

"Good heavens, what rank is that?"

"Looks like the Whip of Order..."

"Damn! It’s a Department Head!"

In an instant, every clergyman present rose to their feet, facing Karen with solemn reverence as they bowed.

"Greetings, My Lord Department Head!"

"Greetings, My Lord Department Head!"

"Yes, good day to you all," Karen murmured, offering a polite nod.

This group likely hailed from affluent families, securing their spots here to select their companions, though their low standing meant they would struggle to attract truly exceptional partners.

After all, entering what was essentially a master-servant bond required a staggering price; otherwise, no one would willingly submit to it.

"My Lord."

A middle-aged female priest stepped forward, the leader of the contingent and seemingly the organizer of the event.

Given Karen's stature, he had no need to check in with her or follow her directives, which explained why, despite spending an entire day here, this was his first time meeting her.

"When do we depart?" Karen inquired.

"My Lord, a private carriage has been prepared for you."

"Ah, is that so," Karen replied with a nod.

Just then, a massive ladybug manifested outside the hotel.

The lead priest immediately called out, "Everyone, board the carriage."

The crowd filed out and climbed the ladder onto the ladybug's back, but the creature soon began to tremble slightly as an even larger Earth Dragon pulled up beside it.

Strictly speaking, the Earth Dragon did not belong to the true dragon race; it was merely a sub-species carrying a fraction of dragon blood, yet to other magical beasts, its presence was profoundly majestic.

"I wondered if you might have overslept, and I even knocked on your door," Miss Dana said, appearing behind Karen.

Karen offered a polite smile. "We waited outside your door for quite some time before departing, but we refrained from knocking for fear of disturbing your rest, descending only when the hour arrived."

"Oh, is that so." Miss Dana pointed toward the Earth Dragon. "Let us ride together."

Karen scanned the area but saw no sign of his designated private carriage, leaving him to reply, "Very well, thank you."

Lord Augie stepped forward, casting a single glance at the Earth Dragon. The beast, which had been so arrogant before the ladybug, instantly lowered its head and let out a soft, bleating sound like a sheep.

Ascending the steps lining its flank, Karen deliberately chose the very last row, where only backless stools were available.

To his surprise, despite seeking the isolation of the rear row, Miss Dana and Lord Augie followed him back. Miss Dana seated herself diagonally ahead of him, while Lord Augie sat directly in front of him.

The space between the stools was narrow, and with Lord Augie standing at well over seven feet tall alongside her voluptuous frame, the moment she sat down, her full figure nearly pressed against Karen's face.

This remained true only because Karen intentionally leaned back; had he sat normally, he would have been utterly enveloped by her gown.

Purr, however, boldly extended a paw and swiped at Lord Augie's backside.

To the cat, stroking a dragon’s rear was a thoroughly amusing endeavor.

Lord Augie whipped her head around instantly, snapping, "Ha! Caught you in the act, you actually dared—"

When she realized it was merely a cat making free with her, she fell silent. She had intended to trap a culprit, only to reel in a feline.

Karen stood up, leaving his original seat to find a spot further ahead.

Miss Dana rose and followed him, asking, "Do you know why I have come here?"

"Are we not heading to that very gathering?"

"No, what truly draws me is an item there that I have already reserved. Not long ago, a scandal erupted within the Crypt Church; a lunatic reanimated a bone dragon inside the dragon cemetery. They intended to destroy it as a heresy.

However, our Church learned of this and demanded it be placed in the Selection Assembly, where I claimed it. I am merely here to complete the formalities and take my little bone dragon home to be my playmate."

Karen smiled softly. "Congratulations, I wish you every success."

"Rest assured, there will be plenty of high-grade options this time. Because the Crypt Church spared this rebellious bone dragon under our pressure, our Church relented, allowing them to invite outsiders to the assembly. Thus, premium choices that usually remain hidden will be available for mutual selection."

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"I reviewed your file last night. You will be quite popular, believe me."

"Are you encouraging me, Miss Dana?"

"Naturally. If you fancy any beast and it refuses, I shall have Sister Augie go down and persuade it. Sister Augie holds immense sway here."

"Thank you."

"Think nothing of it. So, if any catch your eye, simply tell me," Miss Dana said, patting Karen's shoulder in a strained attempt to project adulthood.

Karen nodded.

Alas,

the one I have my eye on,

happens to be the very bone dragon you have reserved.