Chapter 58 : The Dragon’s Massacre Begins (2)

Aurina lunged forward, paying no heed to the blade already slicing across Granny Raya’s neck in the square-faced assassin’s hand.

She moved too fast for a normal person to react, but the assassin wasn’t ordinary either.

He kicked Granny Raya squarely in the rear, sending her stumbling straight into the path of the charging Aurina.

But Aurina swerved with nimble grace, cleanly sidestepping the stumbling woman.

Before her stood four of Richard’s so-called “family.”

They were still futilely trying to kick down the door.

Two of the smarter ones had already started to scatter.

The second “dad” was still rolling on the floor.

Aurina puffed out her cheeks and spat a plume of flame at the four in front of her, aiming high at their upper bodies.

She was careful not to hit the fallen Granny Raya.

One dove to the ground just in time.

Another hid behind a pillar.

A third raised his hand and cast a spell, conjuring a faint, translucent barrier to absorb the flames.

The fire pierced through the shield, engulfing the caster.

His body became a torch, wreathed in thick smoke and flickering flame.

He collapsed, screaming in agony.

He was likely moments from death.

But Aurina couldn’t care less.

Richard had a lot of family—his mother was still in the back, and the courtyard was crawling with “little siblings,” who might be his brothers, sisters, or even children.

Not to mention, his first dad was still tied up in the carriage.

Losing a second dad or a few older siblings didn’t seem like a big deal.

But before Aurina could finish calculating the headcount of Richard’s family, she caught a glimpse of a shadow disappearing behind a pillar.

Almost simultaneously, a throwing knife whistled through the air toward her face, drawing her attention.

She tried to twist away, but a blood-blistered assassin had already appeared behind her.

His eyes were bloodshot, and in his hand was a venom-laced dagger—freshly drawn from a sponge soaked in poison.

The weapon itself had been saturated with deadly toxins, and to make matters worse, it housed a venom gland inside.

The moment the blade tasted blood, the gland would compress and inject venom directly into the victim’s body.

Aurina had no room to dodge.

The blade lunged straight for her neck.

The blood-blistered assassin could already envision the moment: his blade piercing her slender throat, pumping poison into her artery, and letting the blood carry it through her body like wildfire.

As for whether killing the Red Dragon Princess would provoke fury from the higher-ups?

He had long stopped caring.

His comrades were dead or dying.

Who still had the luxury to worry about distant orders?

A burst of red light exploded, blinding his vision.

Something slammed into his legs and flung him into the air.

The weightlessness gripped him as the red glow faded.

Below, he saw a dragon—easily twice the size of a pair of bulls.

His poisoned dagger was now embedded in its neck. Compared to the dragon’s massive form, the blade looked pitiful, even laughable.

But the sting had done its job—it had enraged her.

The red dragon roared.

Her eyes flashed with fury that shattered the assassin’s courage.

But before he could even react, her tail coiled around his legs and whipped him toward the knife-thrower, slamming them both into the ground.

“Son of a—!”

With the sound of cracking ribs, the dragon lunged.

One massive claw came down like a slap, scraping off a chunk of the assassin’s face.

His upper body lifted off the ground, and his skull smashed into the wall with a thud before flopping down in spasms.

The stinging in her neck only fueled her fury.

She turned to the blood-blistered assassin, who trembled and raised his hand.

“Wait! Wait! I’m Richard’s family!”

The red dragon sank her teeth into his neck.

Wait, what had he just said?

Richard’s family?

What if killing him made Richard angry?

That little bug really cared about these people.

Aurina’s dragon instincts paused.

She thought about Richard’s iron fists.

Her rational mind told her to spare at least one.

Who knew what that powerful little bug might do if she went too far?

But… well, the bite was already in.

Might as well finish it.

The red dragon went berserk.

She pinned the assassin’s shoulders down with one paw.

Her claws dug in, almost crushing bone.

As his screams echoed, she shook her head violently, tossing the blade from her neck onto the ground.

A sickening crunch echoed—and the screaming stopped.

Thud!

The wooden door creaked open.

The last surviving family member bolted for it, sprinting as if death itself were chasing him.

Richard’s “second dad” wasn’t far behind, dragging his bloodied hips across the floor, leaving a wide trail.

Gritting through the pain in his groin, he clawed at the bloodied ground, crawling out like a determined athlete in a tragic race.

A dragon’s head poked through the doorway.

Her neck stretched, jaws clamping around the survivor’s ankle and dragging him back.

His fingers scraped trenches into the hard ground, nails bending backward with a sickening snap.

At that exact moment, a pair of riders on horseback arrived at the orphanage gates.

The man in armor was Richard.

The woman carrying a tower shield was Sophia.

“Help me!” the final survivor screamed, reaching muddy hands toward Richard as though he could leap twenty meters to grab him.

The red dragon yanked harder.

Whoosh!

The man vanished into the darkness again.

Richard’s “second dad” was still crawling, but a dragon claw landed on his shoulder and dragged him back too.

“Nooooo!”

BANG!

The wooden door slammed shut, sealing the screams inside.

Thump thump… crash crash… bang bang—

The sound from within was grim—like someone tearing the entire stone house apart.

Richard stared, horrified.

The orphanage where he had grown up… and now this?

He leapt from his horse and charged toward the scene.

As he ran, he murmured under his breath, “Granny Raya… Granny Raya… Lord, protect her…”

A carriage stood outside the stone house.

Granny Raya never allowed carriages to park there.

He raced up to the wooden door.

Even with his helmet on, he could smell the sulfur—it was Aurina’s breath.

She had been breathing fire inside.

Without hesitation, he drew his sword.

If Aurina was harming people, he’d strike her down with a righteous blow—even if it meant cursing her name.

Just as he was about to kick the door, it creaked open.

Aurina stood in front of him—red hair, white dress, bare feet soaked in blood.

In her hands, she gripped a chair, and on it sat a shaken but alive Granny Raya.

The chair bumped into Richard.

Aurina pushed again but couldn’t move him.

Her adorable head peeked around the chair and snapped, “A good bug doesn’t block the way—Richard?! Why are you here already?!”

Her dragon tail tucked inward in fright.

“Aurina!”

Startled, she let go of the chair.

Granny Raya fell backward, and Richard immediately dropped his sword to catch her.

Aurina quickly shut the door. Bang!

What now?!

What did the book say to do when your hostage’s family shows up mid-kidnap?

She slapped her thigh, remembering—Richard’s “first dad” was still tied up in the carriage.

Now with Granny Raya here too, Richard technically had both his parents accounted for.

According to the stories she’d read, a little bug hero always cared deeply about their parents.

The villain always threatened them with knives to the throat.

Richard’s “first dad” was still crawling on the ground.

Aurina’s eyes locked onto him.

At least the “dad” was still alive.

CRACK!

The door splintered.

A leg kicked through.

Aurina grabbed Richard’s “first dad” and hoisted up another half-dead assassin, putting a blade to each of their necks.

The door burst apart.

Fully armored Richard stormed inside.

Aurina shouted, “Drop your weapon, Richard! Your dad and your little brother are in my hands. Disobey, and I’ll end them both!”