On Frostsilver’s luxurious ship, the room was deathly quiet.
Sophia, bound with golden ropes like a worm, tried to call out a few times but couldn’t make a sound.
The door was not far away, but to get there, she had to wriggle like a worm, crawl over, and knock on the door with her head or something to attract someone to open it.
But this was still that villain Frostsilver’s territory.
Sophia thought for four or five seconds, looked at the bed that originally bound Aurina, then wriggled over, lay on it, said goodnight to the motionless steel golem at the head of the bed, closed her eyes, and fell asleep in a moment.
Meanwhile, in the banquet hall, a debate was still ongoing.
The Yanting Empire emperor tried to make Richard understand that he had already lost completely and would die soon.
But Richard rejected it all on grounds of insufficient evidence.
The noise from outside brought their argument to a pause.
Richard faintly heard someone shouting, “The Hell Knight Order, the Hell Knight Order has arrived!”
His hand, which had been loosely gripping the sword hilt, suddenly tightened.
Uniform footsteps approached; Richard turned around and saw black steel blocking the entire passage.
Three Hell Knights holding swords and shields advanced shoulder to shoulder.
Behind them, three long halberds extended, their axe blades and spear tips gleaming coldly.
“Battle prayer ready.”
As soon as the words fell, a golden light flashed over the black armor and weapons.
“Awaiting attack command.”
They were orderly, moving as one, no less than the knights of Tyr’s Hand.
Richard heard footsteps and clashing swords from behind again, so he turned back to look.
In the hall, over a hundred military nobles were eager to move; though they had stopped, it was only a matter of time before they swarmed.
Even if Richard could take some down with him, as long as most of those “some” dead spots were borne by others, they wouldn’t mind risking it to chop off Richard’s head as their glory.
The Yanting Empire emperor laughed loudly, “You can go die now.”
It’s time for sacrifice.
Richard really wanted to be like the heroic martyrs he read about in books, prepared for sacrifice, heart calm as still water.
At most, muttering about the fiancée waiting for him back home or something.
But he couldn’t calm his heart like still water.
His innate “disease,” while bringing constant vigilance and desire, also filled him with aggression.
Usually, he bound it with piety, masking it with armor.
Now, thinking that he was going to die anyway, the rational strings binding his desires relaxed.
Kill them! Kill them! Kill kill kill!
Richard’s angry blood surged to his head, and he was about to swing his sword and charge into the enemy group.
Then he heard chaotic sounds from the Hell Knight Order behind him.
“Who? What is that?”
“Stop! Stop! It’s Lady Frostsilver!”
“Make way! Make way quick!”
Richard turned his head and saw the originally orderly Hell Knight Order making a path for an uninvited guest.
The Hell Knights who couldn’t make way in time were knocked over by the uninvited guest.
The scene suddenly became chaotic.
Richard saw a red, fire-like mass dragging a white lump behind it; upon closer look, it was actually Frostsilver.
Frostsilver was being dragged directly on the ground; the originally elegant and noble her now looked like a saintess in a dirty little book, dragged back to a cave by goblins to be ravaged.
On Frostsilver’s long, shapely legs, the white stockings were now tattered; knees scraped, several holes torn at the thigh roots, snow-white, elastic tender flesh slightly protruding from the holes.
Those originally expensive pure white stockings were now black in spots, gray in patches.
Her black lace-like bodice had slipped down a bit, exposing a vast white expanse.
Frostsilver’s face was red with anger like a persimmon; her pair of golden eyes glared at Richard with disdain and disgust.
Her long gloves had several holes torn, exposing slender fingers that stuffed the exposed breast flesh back into the thin bodice.
A impulse, like a heavy hammer, slammed hard from the root into Richard, staggering his so-called rationality.
Following that, an emotion called guilt surged up.
Richard, how can you be like this? You have a fiancée, you’re a paladin.
Richard’s rationality barely held the high ground.
Upon discovering the metal collar on her neck, with a chain attached, the high ground his rationality held began to teeter again.
The chain was held in Aurina’s hand; she tilted her head, looking at Richard, and said, “Gah? How are you not dead yet?”
Without waiting for Richard to answer, Aurina looked around; the emperor and military nobles had already surrounded Richard impenetrably.
The answer was self-evident.
“Little bugs are just cowards,” Aurina said.
“This king’s mount can bluff with this king’s prestige, gaga.”
A noble who had just been leering at Frostsilver immediately got angry: “Where did this little brat come from?”
Another noble said, “I’m going to cut off your little mouth, soak it in honey, to commemorate your sweet words, I swear.”
Aurina put her hands on her hips, about to speak, but Richard immediately covered Aurina’s mouth; she only let out muffled sounds: “Little bugs… noobs… like shit-eating pigs…”
Richard looked at the escalating “situation” around and said to Frostsilver, “Frostsilver, stand up.”
Frostsilver pursed her lips and glanced at the chain in Aurina’s hand.
Richard said, “I won’t let her tug.”
Only then did Frostsilver use her staff to prop herself up, standing shakily.
Aurina’s face showed a smile, playfully trying to pull the chain, but Richard immediately reached out and grabbed the chain, even trying to snatch it.
Aurina said, “That’s my thing!”
Richard coaxed, “Hurry and ride on your mount.”
Aurina then rode on Richard’s shoulders.
“Make a path!”
Richard said to the Hell Knight Order behind him.
“Otherwise, I’ll split her with one sword.”
The Hell Knights looked at each other; an officer looked at Frostsilver and said, “Lady Frostsilver…”
Frostsilver closed her eyes and nodded.
The emperor shouted, “He’s not allowed to leave!”
Richard walked through the path the Hell Knights made, carrying Aurina on his back; Aurina led Frostsilver, and they left.
They left under everyone’s gaze.
Frostsilver didn’t speak until they were outside, where the encirclement was larger, then said in a low voice, “Unlock the anti-magic collar, I’ll teleport you away, I swear on my ancient family.”
Richard put himself in her shoes: Frostsilver, the eldest daughter of an ancient family, yet under everyone’s eyes, dragged over by Aurina like a dog.
For someone so arrogant, it probably left a psychological shadow.
He guessed kindly, “Frostsilver, were you intentional?”
“Intentional about what?!”
Richard said, “Thinking of this move to rescue us?”
“Is your brain broken?”
Frostsilver mocked in a low voice.
“Staying with a dragon born with low intelligence for too long, your brain has issues too?”
“She’s not stupid, just thinks differently.”
Aurina tugged the chain; Frostsilver almost fell again: “Say more, and I’ll stuff my tail tip into your mouth, Big Whitey.”
“My name is Frostsilver.”
Frostsilver secretly swore she must skin this brother’s bastard, draw out the bones to boil soup; she turned her head and said to Richard in a low voice, “Yes, that’s right, this was all actually in my plan.”
She chose to go down the steps Richard offered.
Richard said honestly, “If it’s true, that’s great.”
Frostsilver looked up at the surrounding Hell Knights and said, “You listen to my command! Stay far from me, protect this place, then return to camp and await orders.”
Then she said quietly, “Let me go, I’ll take you away.”
“Aurina, I’ll compensate you a thousand gold coins.”
“Ah?”
Richard swung his sword at Frostsilver; a white light flashed, and Frostsilver’s golden collar became two halves, falling to the ground.
After seeing it, Aurina: “Gah!!! It became three gold coins.”
Frostsilver glanced at Richard and began casting.
As long as she teleported away herself, then Richard and Aurina would be trapped in the encirclement; she believed there were many ways on site to snipe a little dragon trying to take off.
Frostsilver cast the spell.
A blue light enveloped the three; in a blink, they returned to a room.
Frostsilver held her staff and said, “This is my spare room, my home field, like a mage returning to her mage tower; as long as I give the order—”
“Richard! Mount! You disobedient bad mount!” Aurina forcefully twisted Richard’s helmet.
“1072 gold coins are gone! You wouldn’t even pick up its remains.”
Frostsilver continued threatening: “…you’ll…”
Richard and Aurina bickered: “I said I’d compensate you a thousand gold coins.”
“Treating me like a fool?” Aurina said.
“What’s with the missing seventy-two gold coins?”
“You can do addition and subtraction above twenty-one now?” Richard pushed Aurina’s face with one hand.
“Alright, alright, I’ll compensate you the full 1072 gold coins.”
Frostsilver continued threatening: “…so now you’re prey in a cage…”
“Give it now! Give it right now!”
A green light carrying Frostsilver’s anger shone on Aurina; that was a disintegrate spell.
Aurina yelped, lowered her head, and saw only a hole torn in her clothes.
“Be good, be good,” Richard soothed.
“How about I dig out money for you while talking things over with Frostsilver?”
“Okay,” Aurina got down from Richard; Richard squatted on the ground, digging into his dimensional storage bag, digging while speaking to Frostsilver: “Go ahead, Frostsilver.”
“I signed an alliance treaty with the emperor.”
“Mm,” Richard nodded.
Frostsilver said, “You know I abide by treaties very much.”
Richard’s dimensional storage bag poured out streams of gold and silver coins, but the coin flow only lasted a moment.
“You’re so poor,” Aurina held them in both hands, dissatisfied.
“Only six hundred gold coins and three silver.”
“I’ll look; I remember there are a few valuable magic items,” Richard rummaged in the dimensional storage bag, rummaging while answering.
“Yes, any treaty you sign, you’ll abide by.”
“So…”
“The emperor will surely regret it when he discovers the trap clauses inside.”
“The premise is that I utilize the trap clauses.”
“I believe you will.”
“Why?” Frostsilver said.
“I want the dragon, you won’t give it.”
Richard looked at Aurina, who was burying her head calculating values; beside her was a segment of chain, the one that previously led Frostsilver.
Frostsilver understood: Richard knew she cared a lot about being led like a dog in front of everyone.
He also knew that making her admit she was defeated by Aurina, a young dragon, was almost impossible.
Frostsilver conceded: “My condition is simple: the Yanting Empire emperor deceived me saying the dragon-slaying sword was always with him; I believe the sword body is in his palace. This spoil must belong to me. Only then can it compensate for the price I paid to save you, this idiot.”