Chapter 74: Arrival at the Imperial Capital

“Snap!”

The chubby-faced captain suddenly dropped to his knees, his fleshy face trembling.

Aurina, seizing the moment, bared her small, white shark-like teeth at the chubby-faced captain, her tiny hands framing her cheeks in a claw-like gesture. 

She let out a cute, growling roar: “Hand over everything valuable, now! Give it all to this king!”

The chubby-faced captain’s eyes stared upward, bypassing Aurina’s head.

His gaze landed on Richard’s hand, where a half-charred bird leg rested, with a small scroll of paper nestled in his palm.

The scroll was tiny.

But to the chubby-faced captain, it felt like several heavy hammers slamming into his heart.

Uncontrollably, cold sweat poured down his face, dripping from his chin.

Richard said, “I wonder if you’ve ever heard the saying: never break a sacred oath with a paladin of justice.”

The chubby-faced captain had vaguely heard something like that before.

He had assumed that Tyr’s paladins would use some divine magic to enforce contracts—perhaps striking violators dead on the spot or summoning lightning.

But when he signed the contract with Haisha Port’s commander, he swore it was just an ordinary piece of paper, with no one watching over him.

So why not make a little extra money?

But today, he understood the consequences of breaking his word.

Something had shattered his mind, leaving him in agony, overwhelmed with guilt and fear.

The last shred of his rationality told him this wasn’t normal.

He had sailed for years, seen and done all sorts of things.

Promises and contracts? 

As long as no one noticed, there was no breach.

“Gah!”

Aurina’s tail shot up with glee, her eyes glistening with excitement.

Finally, a sliver of her majestic aura had broken through the confines of her youthful, feminine form, terrifying the pig-like creature before her.

“Gah gah…” Aurina laughed eagerly, “This ship is now this king’s! And all these slaves too.”

“Aurina, don’t—” Richard began, but his words were cut off.

Aurina pointed at a passing sailor. 

“You! You! And you!”

“Aurina, you—”

“Whoever I point to, the slaves are theirs!” 

Aurina interrupted, darting forward so quickly that Richard’s attempt to grab her missed.

She pointed left and right, her red tail wildly jabbing at sailors as well.

“You you you you!”

A confused sailor pointed at his own nose, only to be targeted a dozen times by her hands and tail.

Aurina dashed to a higher spot, pointing frantically at every sailor in sight, like a Gatling gun firing off rounds.

“You you you you!”

A lookout sailor on the mast stared in shock as Aurina, legs wrapped around a rope, slid down slowly.

“You you you you!”

With her legs still gripping the rope, Aurina swung down the side of the ship, pointing wildly at the sailors who had just boarded a smaller boat.

“You you you you!”

Like a red spinning top, Aurina whirled across the deck, pointing at people in a frenzy.

Sophia, watching the chaos, quietly asked Richard, “Is she always this hyper?”

“She’s quite mischievous.”

“Did you hit her head too hard or something?”

“Trust me, darling. Her brain just… works a little differently.”

Aurina finally stopped spinning, dizzy and disoriented, her golden eyes swirling with stars.

Stumbling, she crashed into Richard’s side.

Spotting the last unpointed “bug,” she thrust her finger so close it nearly touched the chubby-faced captain’s nose.

“Piggy bug, as for you, you belong to Richard.”

Richard said, “This is the first time I’ve seen you share what you consider your spoils. I’m not sure if I should be happy about it.”

“No need to kneel and thank this king. It’s what you deserve.”

“Stop messing around, Aurina,” Richard said. “We’re not here to rob anyone.”

“Gah, we’re not?” 

Aurina counted on her fingers. 

“Isn’t it just like last time, with that black boar bug? We labeled him a bad guy, so we got to loot him big time.”

“We’re not robbing.”

“Gah, I get it!” 

Aurina exclaimed. 

“You’re upset about the split, aren’t you? Damn it, damn it, truly damn it! This is all my doing! A ninety-ten split—ten percent for you, this piggy bug, is already generous. Look at him; he’s practically oozing oil!”

Richard clenched his steel gauntlet, and Aurina instantly covered her head with both hands.

“Sophia, please explain it to her. I need to have a word with the captain. And it’s best if Aurina doesn’t climb off your shoulder again.”

Sophia smiled and leaned down. 

“Aurina, have you ever heard the teachings of my lord…?”

“Richard!!!” 

Aurina ignored her, tugging hard at Richard’s leg.

“You’re stealing my spoils again! Quick! Quick! You rotten beast of burden! If you’ve got the guts, face this king in a one-on-one duel, gah!”

Amid the commotion, Richard and the chubby-faced captain finally settled on compensation—three-quarters of the cargo.

When Richard agreed, the crushing weight on the captain’s heart vanished, and he gasped in relief.

But then, the pain of losing his cargo hit him.

He had traveled thousands of miles to bring goods to the Imperial Capital, expecting to sell them at a high price.

Olive oil and wine were in high demand; he could’ve sold them for three, no, five, maybe even eight times the usual price.

Not earning was as good as losing!

The chubby-faced captain felt like someone had carved a pound of flesh from his chest, leaving it raw and bleeding.

Nearby, Sophia’s little lecture continued.

“Do you understand the difference between robbery and breach-of-contract compensation now?”

Aurina, sporting a few lumps on her head, lowered her gaze and thought before giving her answer: “No difference, gah. Obviously, this king’s looting is the most efficient and noble, gah.”

Sophia’s smile faltered, and she complained to Richard, “You need to help. Education isn’t just a woman’s job. I’ve explained it to her seven times already.”

Richard approached, and Aurina, eyeing his gauntlet, declared firmly, “There’s a difference! A huge difference.”

The chubby-faced captain caught the scent of gold coins.

The interactions between the dragon-slaying hero, the saintess, and the young dragon princess must be beyond many people’s expectations.

If I write down every detail of my time with them and send it to Thousand Crows, they could use it for espionage, kidnapping, deception, or exploiting weaknesses—especially tricking that silly young dragon princess.

Without my information, they wouldn’t have it so easy.

I’d surely earn a hefty reward.

This opportunity is fleeting.

Once they reach the Imperial Capital, countless eyes will be on them, and this valuable intel won’t be mine alone.

He glanced at the trio’s backs, then at the sailors unloading cargo from the hold.

Greed momentarily overpowered everything else.

“By the way,” Richard turned around.

Aurina was now perched quietly on Sophia’s shoulder, no longer causing a fuss.

The chubby-faced merchant quickly swapped to a friendly, beaming expression. 

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“How about I help you move the cargo?”

“Honored dragon-slaying hero, there’s no need to trouble yourself,” the chubby-faced merchant said. 

“Just give us the address, and after unloading, the workers will deliver the goods wherever you want.”

“No, I’m doing this for your sake,” Richard said. 

“Imagine if Thousand Crows found out you didn’t sell them the information and instead gave me your cargo. While you’re still at the port, I worry they might kill you.”

“Haha,” the chubby-faced merchant laughed. 

“I’ll be very careful. Some things, I’m used to having others handle for me.”

He’s trying to figure out if I’ve seen through him.

Regardless, the chubby-faced merchant stared directly into Richard’s eyes, trying to show he wasn’t guilty.

“I don’t think Thousand Crows is so easily brushed off,” Richard said. 

“I’ve heard they once hung a captain from the bow of his own ship, leaving him to bake in the sun until he was a dried-out corpse.”

The terrifying reputation of Thousand Crows was like a bucket of cold water dousing the chubby-faced captain’s greed, dimming its flames considerably.

Right, if Thousand Crows wants to make an example of me, they could easily lure me in with promises, then send assassins to slaughter me like a pig.

The chubby-faced captain fell into a daze.

“So, do you need my help?” 

Richard extended his hand.

“I do, very much,” the chubby-faced captain said, gripping Richard’s hand tightly.

Without a doubt, the paladin before him was more trustworthy—at least he wouldn’t deceive him and chop him into mincemeat.

What’s wrong with me? 

Why do I keep thinking about pigs?

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but Aurina’s clear, childish voice echoed in his mind: “Piggy bug!”

The chubby-faced captain then ordered the sailors to quickly unload the cargo and sent men to buy supplies from the swarm of peddlers rushing toward the ship.

The small boats were loaded with all sorts of goods, descending on the docked vessel like sharks smelling blood.

Soon after, the chubby-faced captain sailed his ship out of the port, sails billowing.

Richard, Sophia, and Aurina—one man, one woman, one dragon—walked along the road.

Sophia, feeling lazy, placed Aurina on the warhorse’s back.

“Darling, you should carry Aurina on your back.”

“She’s too warm.”

“It’s better if one person carries her.”

Sophia eyed Richard suspiciously. “If you want to carry her, just say so.”

“No, you’ve misunderstood me.”

“Just sit on the horse,” Sophia said. “Aurina, how’s the horse’s back?”

“It’s fine,” Aurina said, looking around to appraise her surroundings.

 “But it’s not as good as Richard’s head.”

Sophia shot Richard a sideways glance, and he coughed awkwardly.

They stood beside a pile of cargo, watching the bustling port.

Several wagons raced toward them, competing for the right of way.

Richard said, “The Imperial Capital, we’ve finally arrived.”