Ashen Dragon

Chapter 235: Chapter 161 Harpist Alliance (1)

Looking at the twelve newly appointed Dragon Sanctuary Holy Knights below, Cassius exhaled a puff of sulfur-smelling smoke and casually praised:

“Frederick, you have a good eye.”

After all, as mortals, to accept the frenzied bloodline of a Red Dragon without bursting apart, they were undoubtedly among the best of the best, and the complete success of all twelve candidates far exceeded his expectations.

Frederick bowed his head and responded calmly, “It is my honor to receive your praise.”

He was very clear that his only task was to find and nurture the Dragonsworn Holy Warriors for Cassius. As a former “Black Lion Knight” who served the enemy and lacked the deep ties of benefit like Mezulash, even with absolute bloodline suppression, Cassius would never trust him with all the power of the Hall of Dragon Oath to become the direct controller.

So Frederick was very sensible, even voluntarily surrendering his power to the kingdom, deliberately downplaying his influence, and focused wholeheartedly on training candidates.

Cassius nodded slightly in satisfaction and then turned his gaze to Anthony.

“You will become the ‘Twelve Dragon Guards’ of the Hall of Dragon Oath.”

“Anthony, I appreciate you. Being able to maintain your sanity after transformation is a testament to your courage and willpower. As a reward, you will lead the Dragon Guard Knights and… you can choose your own honorific title.”

This young man, who had walked out of the basement, had now completely overcome his inner demons and became a staunch supporter of the kingdom’s order.

“Master, I would like to be ‘Judgment,’ to enforce the kingdom’s order with an iron fist and to burn all enemies who attempt to disrupt it with flames.”

He knelt on one knee, his expression filled with emotion, his eyes blazing like scorching flames.

“I permit it.”

Cassius said calmly and then looked at Frederick.

Frederick immediately understood, stepping forward respectfully, he said, “Master, I am ready to take them to the Hall of Dragon Oath for their duties. We will not disturb you any further and will now take our leave.”

The Red Dragon nodded slightly.

Frederick then left with Anthony, each carrying two unconscious Dragonsworn Holy Knights, looking rather comical. Obeying their orders, the Tiefling attendants also entered the hall to assist in moving the unconscious.

Cassius squinted his eyes, watching their departing backs with some amusement, thinking:

“Judgment… quite an appetite.”

These twelve young people, personally granted by Cassius, would become future leaders of the Hall of Dragon Oath, nurturing more Dragonsworn Holy Knights for the Ashen Kingdom.

The seeds of the Red Dragon’s bloodline within their bodies could also be used to transform Dragon Vein Descendants, granting mortals gifts proactively, though the effects were far less potent than those personally bestowed by Cassius, and the bloodline would be relatively thin after transformation.

Given a few years, with them as the source, hundreds or thousands of Dragon Sanctuary Holy Knights could be derived, becoming a significant force in the Ashen Kingdom.

Compared to the Red Scale Conqueror, who operated primarily with reconnaissance and aerial strikes akin to aerial scouts, the Dragon Sanctuary Holy Knights were more like heavy infantry, capable of playing a larger role in frontal warfare.

When a legion of Dragon Sanctuary Holy Knights appeared on the battlefield, advancing like indestructible moving fortresses, with countless protective auras and flame auras intertwining, the scene would undoubtedly be a nightmare no enemy wished to face.

Cassius studied spells for a while longer but finally couldn’t resist the sleepiness in his heart.

“Now I can finally get some good sleep.”

“Notify Ramp to ensure the spell protections are in place. It’s time for the next slumber.”

Yawning again, magma-like ripples flowed over his body, the sulfur smell growing stronger.

Suddenly, Cassius’s expression froze, the scales above his golden eyes furrowing slightly.

As a magician capable of impacting reality with his will, the Red Dragon clearly felt a subtle disturbance in the Magic Web, as if an invisible eye was spying on him, an unsettling feeling.

“Divination spell again?”

“Heh, truly… reckless.”

Cassius laughed in anger, feeling quite annoyed, with a strong impulse to burn the intruder disturbing his rest to ashes.@@novelbin@@

Though the spell’s influence was almost undetectable, the kingdom domain’s authority allowed him to clearly perceive everything, even faintly trace the source of the spell—to the deep mountain forests outside the royal palace, just a few miles away.

A sinister smile appeared on the Red Dragon’s face as his wings slowly spread open.

“Then let me personally see—who dares to disturb my dream?”

…

In the Kaleb Forest outside the royal palace.

Due to its close proximity to the Steel Dragonwing Palace and once serving as a gathering place for rebels, a hiding spot for Northern Nobility fleeing Northwind Castle, this forest had become the royal garden, frequently patrolled by wyverns and great goblins, searching for unidentified intruders.

At this moment, rustling noises and low whispers could be heard in the forest.

A pointed-ear female elf in a green cloak whispered softly, “Richard, be careful, don’t use the spell to scry anymore. According to the Alliance’s intel, that’s a high-tier spellcaster.”

The man called “Richard” turned around, patting the elf on the shoulder with a relaxed expression.

You could see his ears were unusual, his features somewhat delicate, a clear sign of being a half-elf.

“Abis, you’re being overly cautious, I know what I’m doing.

“A magician is just a spellcaster barbarian. This spell scroll was crafted by Master Kavina, even the evil Red Robe Mages can’t detect it, so a muscle-brained Red Dragon? Ha, needless to say.”

He then focused on the spell scrying again.

His name was Richard Siege, a renowned ranger within the Empire of Fadlan, blessed by a supreme fairy as the “Fairy Wanderer,” and a veteran member of the Harpist Alliance.

He accepted a mission from the Alliance, labeled “extremely dangerous,” to investigate the rising evil force of the Ashen Kingdom in the North with the elf assassin, Abis.

“I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling. Trust me, it’s an assassin’s intuition.”

Abis said, her expression serious.

“Wait—”

Richard turned again, alarm in his eyes.

“That Red Dragon… seems to have found us.”

Abir urged, “Then what are you waiting for? Use your magic to get us out of here! Our mission is to gather intelligence, not dragon slaying!”

Richard sighed with a wry smile, “Sorry, maybe I was wrong.”

“Abir, don’t you see? The Magic Web here is slowly being locked down, we… might not get away.”

“Idiot! (in Elvish)”

Abir gripped her dagger tightly, cursing through gritted teeth.