Vol 4. Chapter 103: The Agreement

“Lord Holy Dragon King, the new body we are offering you is not meant for you to deal with the Abyss Demon hordes. Nor do we need you to face that existence...”

Pressing one hand to his left shoulder, Mokaluo solemnly bowed toward the golden sphere.

He displayed the elegance expected of an archbishop of the Asumos Church to its fullest, every inch of him radiating an air of nobility and refinement.

Combined with the gentle smile that never left his face, he looked every bit like a cultured and mild-mannered scholar.

And yet,

it was precisely this completely nonthreatening appearance that caused the Holy Dragon King Mebili to become deeply wary.

The dragon pressure lingering throughout the forbidden palace, symbolizing his displeasure, showed no sign of receding. Instead, it gathered even more tightly around Mokaluo.

This guy...

Just what was he thinking?

And judging by what he had said...

Did he know why I rejected the proposal?

Did he know what happened back then?

Mebili’s heart was filled with suspicion.

“Sigh...”

However,

seeing that the Holy Dragon King’s consciousness remained full of hostility, Mokaluo merely sighed helplessly without showing the slightest dissatisfaction.

After sighing, the blond man continued explaining patiently.

“I absolutely have no intention of deceiving you, Lord Holy Dragon King. Once you obtain your new body, you will be free to do as you please. We will not force you to fight any Abyss Demons.”

“...”

“You can rest assured. On this point, I can swear in the Goddess’s name and make a soul oath.”

“...”

The moment those words were spoken,

the Holy Dragon King’s dragon head trembled sharply.

Mebili had seen every kind of grand spectacle imaginable. How could he possibly fail to understand the importance of a soul oath?

If a member of the Church swore an oath in the name of their god, then they had to fulfill that oath.

If they broke it, their soul would suffer irreversible damage.

In severe cases, their soul could even be destroyed on the spot...

“A soul oath? Is this guy serious?”

Mebili remained suspicious.

The enormous golden energy pupil narrowed slightly, its sharp gaze locking onto Mokaluo like a blade.

It was almost as if he were directly asking the archbishop:

Why should I believe you?

Understanding what the Holy Dragon King meant, Mokaluo nodded unhurriedly.

“That is fair. For me to suddenly say all of this, it is only natural that you would have doubts.”

“...”

“However, even if you do not trust me as an archbishop, surely you should trust your own people? You must already know that I, as an archbishop, have entered into a contract with the Dragon Race’s royal family—with your descendants.”

As he spoke, Mokaluo slowly raised his hand and displayed the glowing red dragon mark on the back of it before the golden dragon pupil.

The instant Mebili saw the dragon mark, a faint trace of emotion appeared in his eye.

Seeing this,

the corners of Mokaluo’s lips lifted almost imperceptibly.

“Besides, as the former Dragon King, you must also care greatly about the current state of the Dragon Race, correct? After your death, the leaderless Dragon Race completely fell apart. After experiencing both civil war and interference from outside forces, it has long since ceased to be the peak power it once was.”

“Now, the great empires and the Holy Towers are even beginning to harbor thoughts of suppressing the Dragon Race.”

“You would not want to see the Dragon Race decline, would you?”

Mokaluo spoke with deep emotion, his dark blue eyes filled with concern for the plight of the Dragon Race.

After taking in Mokaluo’s expression, Mebili seemed to understand somewhat why his descendants would sign a contract with this man.

The golden dragon pupil showed even more emotion.

Back then, his unexpected death had ultimately led to the decline of the Dragon Race.

That had always remained a knot in Mebili’s heart.

Over the many years since, he had imagined more than once that if he were still alive, the Dragon Race would never have fallen to its current state...

Therefore, the instant Mokaluo played the Dragon Race card, Mebili fell into inner conflict.

“...”

“Lord Holy Dragon King, as the greatest leader in the history of the Dragon Race, surely you also wish to regain your life and lead the Dragon Race back to its peak?”

“Surely you also do not wish to... remain here forever, serving as nothing more than a machine for the Crimson Leaf Empire and the Church to cultivate their younger generations?”

“...In truth, as far as I am concerned, a great powerhouse like you should never have your fate manipulated by the Empire and the Church.”

“They are not worthy.”

“...”

“Of course, this is a complicated matter. I will not force you to make a decision immediately.”

As he spoke, Mokaluo carefully raised his hand.

Accompanied by a steady spatial fluctuation and a surge of pale blue light, a thick bundle of documents was taken out from his spatial ring and landed in his hand.

“Lord Holy Dragon King, these are the specific contents of this proposal... including your new body and our cooperation afterward.”

“Of course, these documents also record the development of the Dragon Race across the continent over all these years.”

“They even include plans from certain major powers that intend to conquer the Dragon Race and use dragons as mounts.”

“...”

“You do not need to make a decision in a hurry.”

“You can first read through these documents, think it over, and then give me your answer.”

“I am not in a hurry.”

“Oh, right... If you need it, I can display the contents for you directly right now.”

“If you do not need it, then I will take my subordinate and leave immediately. We will not continue disturbing you.”

As he spoke, Mokaluo revealed an elegant, gentlemanly smile and adopted the etiquette of someone preparing to depart.

At the same time, the blond man thoughtfully observed the golden energy pupil from the corner of his eye.

It had fallen silent.

It was no longer releasing dragon pressure, nor was it making any other response.

Clearly,

just as Mokaluo had expected,

the Holy Dragon King’s consciousness was no longer resisting as fiercely as before.

Instead, he had fallen into deep thought.

And after an intense internal struggle,

the dragon pressure filling the hall suddenly dissipated.

The golden dragon pupil withdrew its hostility and looked at Mokaluo with a much friendlier gaze...

...

...

“Lord... Lord Holy Dragon King...?”

Meanwhile,

Vinarola, who was still firmly pinned against the stone wall by Moran, could only helplessly watch Mokaluo and the Holy Dragon King.

Because Moran’s battle aura had completely suppressed her own senses, although Vinarola was deeply concerned about the Holy Dragon King and feared that he might be deceived by that strange archbishop, she had no power to interfere with the conversation between the two.

She could only watch

as Mokaluo silently reached some kind of agreement with Lord Holy Dragon King.

While feeling both unwilling and deeply humiliated, Vinarola suddenly noticed something out of the corner of her eye that left her somewhat stunned.

When she had previously met important figures of the Asumos Church in the Divine Capital Grand Hall, Vinarola had in fact seen this somewhat gloomy Heavenly Apostle several times.

However, because the other party usually wore a hood or deliberately stayed away from crowds, Vinarola had never really had a chance to properly observe this high-end combat force of the Church.

But now,

because Moran was standing so close to her, while Vinarola searched for an opening in the girl’s defenses, she inadvertently noticed the ears hidden beneath Moran’s beautiful brown hair.

The instant she saw those pointed ears, Vinarola froze.

Those were...

“Elf ears? ...This girl is an elf?! A pure-blooded elf?!”

Vinarola’s eyes contracted sharply as she cried out inwardly in astonishment.

After all,

as far as she knew, the Elves had always been reclusive.

They rarely sent their people outside the Elven Forest and hardly communicated with external powers.

Even those Elves studying at the academy had only been sent there due to certain political necessities.

Outside the Elven Forest, even half-blooded Elves were rarely seen.

Let alone pure-blooded ones...

And yet,

this pure-blooded Elf...

was actually part of the Asumos Church?

What the hell?!

This discovery left Vinarola somewhat unable to believe her eyes.

However, as her gaze shifted, and as the Heavenly Apostle yawned, the headmistress seemed to notice something even more shocking.

Her eyes contracted sharply once again.

Her pale blue pupils locked onto Moran’s slightly opened mouth.

Just now...

What was that just now?

On her tongue...

that was...

a crimson...

crescent moon emblem?

That... wasn’t that...?!

...

Unfortunately, before Vinarola could get a clearer look, the Heavenly Apostle seemed to sense something.

She suddenly let out a cold laugh, then abruptly grabbed the old headmistress by the head.

Without another word, she violently smashed Vinarola into the sturdy stone wall!

“Boom~”

After a thunderous crash, shattered stone flew everywhere.

Vinarola immediately lost consciousness...

Moran, meanwhile, clicked her tongue disdainfully.

“If it’s something you shouldn’t see... then how about not looking? ...”

Before she had even finished speaking,

she casually tossed the unconscious Vinarola aside and threw her out of the forbidden palace...

...