Chapter 125: The Gold Dragon’s Punishment

If Aiksuuri were an adult Giant Dragon, his word would be law, but as it was, he couldn’t win an argument with Victoria.

Aive and Sera stepped forward and worked together to flip the Black Dragon onto his back. A halo of light from Healing Magic bloomed at Victoria’s fingertips as she touched his wound.

As the wound healed, an unbearable itch caused the Black Dragon to squirm uncontrollably. His tail thrashed wildly, forcing Delaford to leap onto higher ground to avoid being knocked over.

"You don’t have to do that, really! It was so ticklish I thought I was going to die!" As Aive and Sera let go, Aiksuuri flipped back over like a cat and stretched contentedly. "But either way, it feels great to be healthy!"

"What about that Hill Giant?" Ron asked. "Was he injured?"

"Probably not. After we drove off those bandits, I didn’t see any injuries on him," Aiksuuri said. "The big guy was hostile toward me at first, but he stopped roaring at me after he saw I was helping too."

"Come to think of it, his battleaxe looked pretty familiar. Wasn’t it yours? You don’t hear many stories about grateful giants. This is something you can brag about for the rest of your lives."

"I’m guessing there’s another reason. Those people had the stink of Ming Datiss on them," Ron scoffed. "He was tricked by Ming Datiss and got a good beating from Sera for it."

"That Elf again? He’s like a bad smell that won’t go away," Aiksuuri said, plunking himself down on the hall’s threshold. "A while ago, the Kobolds found one of those Gemstones you mentioned, a fiery red one, but it was stolen by an Elf. I’m guessing it was him, too."

"That’s not good news."

"Yeah, but there was nothing to be done," the Young Dragon said, blinking. "The Kobolds couldn’t beat him and his cronies. Both of their Flame Shamans were injured—and the worst of it was their Chieftain suffered a broken arm."

"We’ll visit them in a few days. Thank you for your kindness."

"’Thank you for your kindness,’" Aiksuuri grumbled. "Good thing no other Colorful Dragons heard that, or I’d be a disgrace to my race."

"Oh, right, there’s one more thing you have to go see." The talk of dragons had suddenly reminded Aiksuuri of something the Kobolds had reported. "Far beyond the Kobold lair, they found the remains of a True Dragon. Based on the fragments they brought me, it was very likely an adult or old Green Dragon—and it’s dead."

Aiksuuri showed no sadness when he said this, and even sounded a little relieved. Black Dragons and Green Dragons often clashed due to their similar habitats. A powerful Black Dragon might take a Green Dragon rival’s heart as a precious trophy, while a Green Dragon wouldn’t hesitate to display a Black Dragon’s head prominently in its lair as a boast. If this Green Dragon had been alive, Aiksuuri likely wouldn’t have lived to be eight years old.

As for the Kobolds, they would have surely worshipped the Green Dragon as a totem instead of Aiksuuri—these small creatures with the blood of the Dragon Race had no loyalty to speak of. Whether it was a Colorful Dragon, a Metal Dragon, or even a rare Gem Dragon, they would only scramble to worship the most powerful individual they encountered.

The eight-year-old Aiksuuri had clearly lucked out.

After seeing Aiksuuri off, Zor Seymour walked over, his head bowed, awaiting Ron’s judgment.

"Benefactor, I have failed you," Seymour said in a low voice. "When Bakoyannis attacked us, I failed to organize an effective resistance. If not for the Hill Giant and Aiksuuri coming to our aid, we would have lost all of the outer villages."

"Let’s put that aside for now. Were there any casualties?" Ron asked. "I haven’t had a chance to check on the villages yet."

"There were quite a few injured, and some villagers were captured at the beginning, but we rescued them all later. No lives were lost because of it."

"That’s all thanks to Buni and Lavinia. They healed many people."

"Seymour also put in a great effort to fight them. In my opinion, we shouldn’t punish him," Lavinia said, speaking up for the Zor. "Besides, if you and Klade hadn’t moved most of the elite troops away from here, the fight wouldn’t have been so difficult."

That was true. Otherwise, Carolina wouldn’t have thought Delusional Land’s rear was vulnerable and attempted a base-trade tactic.

However, they had miscalculated one thing: the Earth Goblin Warlord didn’t need Ron’s group to hold the fort at all. His own ability was more than enough to command the legion and strike back at Carolina.

"Some form of discipline is still necessary," Silvia suggested. "Team Two is short-staffed right now anyway, so let’s just kick him over to train the militia."

Ron looked at Seymour. "What do you think of this arrangement? The villagers do need some training."

"I accept the punishment!" Seymour grinned. "No matter what, I was the one who made big promises. Now that it’s turned into this mess, I have no one to blame but myself."

In the following days, Ron’s group reorganized the nearby buildings and personnel and brought some food to the Hill Giant. And thanks to Bakoyannis’s Fireball Magic Scroll, Ron and Silvia were finally able to advance further. As Mages, they could now provide even more help to the team.

As they were preparing to explore the Green Dragon’s remains, they happened to pass by Aiksuuri’s lair. Bakoyannis came out to greet them, but her condition seemed a little strange.

"Hey! What do you think of my new body!" "Bakoyannis" greeted Ron’s group enthusiastically. "The Master’s teacher modified her, so now I can move around in a physical body for eight hours a day!"

"You’re... You?!" Ron barely managed to guess her identity from her tone. After all, the spirit was currently using Bakoyannis’s appearance and voice. "Did that golden dragon kill her?!"

’If that’s true, that would be quite a dark mark on the golden dragon’s record.’

"No, this woman is still alive, her soul just falls into a deep sleep for eight hours a day." You was clearly not yet used to having a physical form. Her Spirit Body would occasionally float out of Bakoyannis’s body, and she would have to rush to regain control before it collapsed to the ground. "Master says his teacher used a rather gentle method. I’m just ’temporarily using’ this body, and while I’m in control, this woman experiences a slight but persistent soul-stinging sensation."

"This punishment will continue until Master forgives her for the harm she caused him, or until Master’s teacher believes she has repented."

You sounded a little dissatisfied as she said this, probably because for an Undead Creature, such a short time in a physical body was far too brief.