Even shaking kitties to try squeezing out gold coins; the greedy red dragon, yet drove a carriage full of treasures to come.
Use all treasures, to “buy” him.
Richard didn’t dare believe: “What?”
“This king wants to buy you!”
With that, she pounced at Richard; Richard subconsciously hugged her; Aurina one hand around his neck, extended tongue licked on Richard’s face.
The tongue warm and wet licked over Richard’s cheek; dragon saliva fragrance hit his face; Richard opened his eyes, saw Aurina’s pair of molten gold-like golden pupils, almost pasted on his eyes; she in an unquestionable command tone: “You’re mine now; I licked you.”
Dragon saliva taste rushed straight to the head; undoubtedly telling him, it was real; everything was real.
Slay dragon save princess yet trapped owing fifty thousand gold coins.
Fiancée slacked off sleeping; he still had to endure sorrow to comfort.
Back home people discussed if he was pedophile.
All around no one believed he raised dragon to guide her to good.
Just “repaid” fifty thousand debt; turned around father-in-law made him bear fifteen thousand debt; even Granny Raya disliked his sponsorship gold too little.
And all this fiancée just watched; let her father haggle beside, squeeze dry all his wealth.
Deny his motive of raising Aurina to guide her to good; force him to abandon her.
Full of pain, could only confide to a horse.
Everyone was taking, making him responsible, to squeeze dry all his value.
Only Aurina, in the way he least expected, with a carriage of gold to buy him.
Richard’s eyes moistened; tears welled out, big drops falling down his cheeks.
He suddenly hugged Aurina tightly, as if a drowning man hugging the last driftwood, choked: “Good.”
“Mount!” Aurina in his arms: “You’re almost strangling me to death.”
Sophia shouted: “Dear, what’s wrong with you?”
Richard turned his head; face full of tears, full of joy.
Like a person sunk in deep sea hugging driftwood floating to surface, breathing the first fresh air.
He said: “The fifteen thousand debt I owe you is cleared. Owe your childhood companionship, owe your wall-climbing to see me, owe you adventuring with me to slay dragon, owe you going to capital with me; all debts, all cleared.”
Sophia said: “Don’t joke; that’s bride price not debt.”
Toward the end, she was a bit guilty.
Because Richard really with her and her father, signed a fifty-year repayment contract.
Richard said: “I’ve sold to Aurina.”
“Gaga!” Aurina laughed: “Hurry, carry this king.”
Richard said: “Yes.”
Ignoring the crowd’s eyes widened to almost falling, Richard lowered his head to Aurina; Aurina climbed up smoothly; a pair of legs tightly clamped Richard’s neck and head.
Her little butt sat on the familiar throne, raised her chin, despised the church crowd.
Sophia’s mouth already O-shaped: “What joke is this!”
Richard turned his head, looked at her.
Aurina still clamped her legs, kneaded Richard’s cheek.
“I’m serious.”
“Gaga.” Aurina laughed: “Mount is mine; trade skill great success!”
Sophia in urgency: “What logic is this? I don’t accept these gold; where’s such logic. Richard! Are you not fulfilling the marriage contract?”
“Marriage contract?” Richard barely suppressed laughter. “Right, what marriage, what bullshit; I’m not marrying.”
The priest pointed at him roaring: “You’re blaspheming god.”
Outside seemed to explode thunder; the whole church trembled; the gods angered at Richard’s oath-breaking.
Richard only felt chest sharp pain; it was Tyr’s holy symbol heating; because he broke oath, not only broke oath, but publicly challenged order; he endured pain, forcefully pulled Tyr’s holy symbol from chest.
Paladin’s power came from sacred oaths.
Sophia’s eyes reddened, couldn’t help: “Are you really a pedophile?”
This accusation made Richard hesitate slightly; that was moral pressure from childhood moral training, pressing on his heart.
Right, in society, in everyone’s eyes, him liking, loving Aurina, only three words to explain—pedophile.
Richard let out strange laughter: “Right, right, right!”
That expression on face, Sophia never seen; in an instant Richard like changed person, now he extremely unfamiliar.
Richard forcefully, tore off Tyr holy symbol.
Forcefully smashed on ground; that wooden plain holy symbol shattered like ceramic.
If loving Aurina is pedophile, then he is.
Richard scanned around roaring: “I am pe! do! phile!”
In that instant, all pressure vanished.
But as he finished shouting, ceramic shattering sound echoed around him; outside boomed.
Church’s colorful glass roof shattered; multicolored glass shards fell, into the crowd.
Sophia screamed: “No!” She reached out, wanting to retain Richard.
Slap!
Richard waved hand, knocked away Sophia’s hand; pained her to tears.
Richard looked at surrounding people’s horrified expressions; Granny Raya looked at him shocked.
The church threshold not far; a voice echoed in his ear.
Step out, completely can’t come back.
A mysterious force dispersed all anger and irrationality in his heart.
Richard stopped steps; heart rose a fear, that was after a life of conformity, fear of social death.
But he looked outside the church; outside vast sea and sky; even social death so what? World big enough to hold him and Aurina.
Aurina patted his head, pointed outside shouting: “Richard, we go.”
Someone accompanying him.
Richard walked to threshold.
“You this !”
Sophia’s father angrily limped in front of him; pipe in mouth, raised finger pointing Richard’s face.
Richard punched aside his hand; Sophia’s father’s pipe fell; Richard raised foot stomped breaking his prosthetic leg, another hand grabbed his collar, forcefully threw.
Sophia’s father like a doll, flew smashing toward Sophia behind Richard; she was trying to stop Richard.
Sophia’s father smashed straight into his daughter’s arms, smashed dazed.
Now he realized, Richard dragon-slaying hero title’s violence content.
He could easily kill anyone present; just order bound violence, made him gentle and polite.
But now the oath binding him, he smashed with his own hands.
Richard stepped over the Tyr holy symbol shards that accompanied him ten years; no one dared block his way.
He carried Aurina, stepped over church threshold; at that moment all sacred oaths on him shattered disappeared; but he raised head looking blue sky and sea, only felt world extremely vast.
Red glimmer emerged from his eyes; this moment he became oathbreaker.
Fear aura centered on him, radiating crowd; crowd looking at him, all felt fear, dared not stop him.
Richard smoothly walked to his warhorse, mounted, about to whip away.
Behind came Sophia’s retention: “Dear! You still have chance to turn back; the lord will forgive you!”
Richard head not back, forcefully whipped horse butt; warhorse galloped, with Aurina’s happy laughter; he left his wedding scene, directly back to Sophia’s mansion, one foot kicked open door, back to room.
Richard said: “Aurina, help me armor; Hand of Tyr knight order will surely stop me.”
Famous dragon-slaying paladin Richard fallen oathbreaker; surely make them lose face; they would surely try hard to block.
“Good.” Aurina jumped down from Richard’s head, helped him put on plate armor.
Richard fully armed, hung greatsword on horse, mounted horse galloping toward city gate.
He fast, but Hand of Tyr knight order not slow; city gate already down.
Richard dismounted, directly leaped up, jumped on city wall; city guards terrified used weapons aiming him.
Richard barehanded knocked them over, crashed them away, came to wall pulled up city gate, mounted horse galloped away, toward wilderness.
One person one dragon one sword one horse; everyone penniless, but Richard only felt he got the whole world.
“Richard.” Aurina riding on Richard’s head, patted this fallen paladin, pointed not far.
“So many white shell little bugs.” Aurina said.
Richard followed Aurina’s finger; saw about twenty Hand of Tyr knights, riding warhorses draped in white horse cloth, galloping from side path, trying to surround him; horse hooves dust rolling.
If accelerate, might escape encirclement.
But Richard reined in.
“Mount?” Aurina asked: “Why not go?”
“I don’t want to escape.” Richard said: “Might as well solve the pursuers now.”
“Good.” Aurina happy: “You now smarter; spoils we nine one split; now no gold at all.”
“See situation.” Richard said: “If they insist on crashing on my sword.”
Richard one hand held greatsword, looking at approaching Hand of Tyr knight order.
They saw Richard stop, then lined up in a row, like a wall.
Acting commander loud: “Richard, can still call you brother?”
Richard looking familiar faces: “Cannot, former brothers.”
They drew swords, raised lances: “You betrayed Tyr’s teachings.”
Richard countered: “So what law I broke, for you to fight with lives?”
Acting commander: “One who teaches dragon to good, instead falls; we cannot allow; only wash sin with blood or repentance.”
“I owed fifteen thousand for marriage; dragon used a carriage gold to redeem me.”
Richard holding greatsword: “So you use lives to stop me? Former brothers, I don’t want to see you die, but I won’t hold back.”
Ground will lie twenty corpses; people might regret, but when roadside troll attacks travelers, smashes innocent with big club, they will say, where are the dutiful Hand of Tyr paladins?
“They will say, where did our donated alms go? Where did donated lands manors go? Oh, turned out used on a person not wanting marriage; though that fallen paladin didn’t want to kill, but they successively crashed dead on sword. They betrayed their duties, let innocent to protect die. You think you are twenty heroes? And I am to slaughter city?”
“Sophistry!”
Richard’s greatsword blade emitted blood-like light; he said: “You know too; though I betrayed sacred oath, yet not lost power. We all know each other’s strength well, former brothers.”
Magic greatsword’s red light, reminded Hand of Tyr knights; Richard capable to fulfill his words.
Acting commander pondered: “I will never yield way.”
“Whatever.” Richard said: “I don’t care.”
All Hand of Tyr knights, gripped sword hilts, tensely looking at the unfamiliar brother before them.
Richard directly pulled reins, off dirt road, bypassed these twenty Hand of Tyr knights, continued on road galloping.
Throughout acting commander didn’t issue attack order; very disciplined Hand of Tyr knights, then watched Richard, riding warhorse, carrying Aurina, galloping on road.
“Wow!” Aurina facing wind: “Mount, you now so smart.”
“I’ve always been good at talking.”
Before eyes twisted blue light exploded; in blue light appeared Frostsilver’s figure; Richard reined: “So many blocking road today.”
Frostsilver glanced at red light in Richard’s eyes: “Not unexpected.”
Heh, just like her father; Aurina really a wedding-snatching expert.
“If you mention that custody contract witnessed by Tyr.”
Richard said: “I now betrayed Him; I don’t recognize that contract.”
“Aurina buy your money, part is mine.”
Richard said: “Carriage in wedding church; money too; go claim.”
Frostsilver took out amethyst-like phone, tossed to Richard: “You keep it.”
That was the phone she recycled for three hundred gold.
Richard subconsciously caught; Frostsilver disappeared in twisted blue light.
Afterward, no one blocked Richard and Aurina’s road to the world.