All parties announced that the much-anticipated court session would open the day after tomorrow.
At that time, the Emperor of the Empire and the dragon-slaying hero Richard would face off in court.
People from all walks of society breathed a sigh of relief; literary fights were always better than martial ones.
Though in this world and this country, wars and deaths were not rare.
From time to time, one heard of a merchant caravan wiped out on the road, bodies not even recoverable.
Or someone from a family dying on road patrol to monsters or bandits.
But those all happened outside safe city walls, even the recent hottest news of the dragon-slaying hero Richard night-raiding the manor happened outside the walls.
Casualties were few, more injuries from chaos rather than swords and flames, impact not great.
The capital’s last siege was twenty-eight years ago, everyone hoped for safety inside the walls, the safer the better.
At least no street battles with armies causing chaos.
Chaos brings rogue soldiers, looting even escalating to city massacre.
Upon hearing the confirmed court news, everyone finally didn’t need to eat and sleep on edge.
Began discussing why the emperor sued Richard, talking about the emperor’s reason for suing Richard—a foreign relative the emperor had never met but felt deep affection for, died under Richard’s public trial.
Some said this was theocracy challenging imperial power, so the emperor was furious.
Others said nobles secretly kept large groups of beautiful slave girls, many semi-public underground auction houses, fallen noble girls and young widows, dark-skinned girls, and the indispensable finale auction item elf female slaves, described vividly, even guide prices came out.
Supposedly the finale elf female slave, guide price over ten thousand gold coins, priceless, still needed legendary artifacts to exchange.
“How possible?”
Richard said: “The infamous Black Beast Mercenary Group, all war spoils not worth that much. Though life and freedom priceless, but only to oneself,once sold it quickly becomes cheap. Nobles no matter how rich to show off, only invest in their armor patterns. By the way, why ask this?”
“Just asking.”
The visitor lowered his voice: “The knight order arrived.”
“The Royal Knight Order?”
“Yes.”
The visitor said: “They are only a few days’ journey.”
“Later than expected.”
“Their discipline won’t be better than the Hand of Tyr Knight Order.”
“So the Hand of Tyr Knight Order is arriving?”
“Yes, soon.”
A smile appeared on the visitor’s face: “You did well, we heard your heroic deeds on the road, didn’t expect Thousand-Crow Eye to fall to you. The captain had me ride fast horse,”
“It was Aurina.”
“The daughter of the Dragon of Terror?”
“Yes.”
Richard said: “Though the noise was loud, her fire visible even in the city, but helped us greatly. Without her, our best outcome probably retreat, then the situation would be very passive.”
“Nothing inspires the hearts of the kind more than making an evil dragon turn to good and join the cause of justice, Brother Richard.”
He smiled: “May I see the legendary daughter of the Dragon of Terror?”
“Don’t mention the Dragon of Terror again.”
Richard said lowly: “Sophia can’t hear its name, that dragon-slaying left her severe psychological trauma.”
“Sorry, may her Lord grant her grace.”
The visitor glanced at Sophia teaching a little girl not far away.
The little girl already had the beauty of a woman initially, that slightly chubby melon-seed face, a pair of fleshy legs, contrasting sharply with the childishness on her face.
She was very naughty, sitting on a high chair swinging her stockinged feet, occasionally using her tail to grab a passing orange cat into her arms.
And occasionally jumping off the chair, running two or three circles then sitting back.
They seemed to be tackling a very difficult math problem, but Sophia still looked calm, full of patience.
In a trance, it was like seeing a warm family, mother teaching her daughter, while father talking business with oneself.
The visitor sighed: “Brother Richard, this is the secular life you yearn for. By the way, is the dragon’s daughter on the roof?”
Richard said: “No, you should have seen her.”
The visitor asked: “Not in the stables, right.”
“It’s her.” Richard pointed at Aurina squatting with an orange cat on her head: “She is called Aurina.”
“Ah?”
The visitor was stunned: “I thought it was my kin.”
The visitor also had two horns.
“Your tail has no scales, brother.”
“Who knows which demon ancestor?”
The visitor said: “This is your stereotype of us half-demons, Brother Richard.”
“Richard.”
Sophia turned her head, showing a face on the verge of collapse, expression dazed asking: “Is the largest number in mathematics twenty-one?”
“No.”
Aurina with a fat orange cat on her head, confidently extended her finger, index finger enlarging before Sophia’s eyes: “No doubt, it’s twenty-one.”
“I’m going to collapse, Richard are you done? Come teach her properly.”
Before Richard could speak, Sophia stood up, “I’m going to evening prayer.”
Richard stood up: “Alright.”
The visitor looked surprised, also leaned over to see.
Richard walked beside Aurina, she was writing and drawing in a thick notebook, Richard’s gaze about to fall on her notebook.
The orange cat on Aurina’s head hissed at Richard: “Meow!”, Aurina immediately closed the notebook, bang sound.
Turned her head, little face showing a proud smile, began to laugh slyly: “Gagaga… Little—still too young.”
With that, stuffed the notebook in her hand into her mouth like treasure.
Richard stepped forward, the day before yesterday because of little bug’s racial discrimination words, he had knocked her head, by experience.
At most three days she would forget.
“Meow! Meow!”
Several cats appeared somehow, at Aurina’s feet, hissing at Richard.
Their fur colors mixed, clearly street strays, bodies dirty.
“Cats?” Richard asked: “You raising cats now?”
“Oh, this king now discovered.”
Aurina bent down from the high chair, her waist showing amazing flexibility, almost U-shaped, hands hugging a dirty stray cat. She opened her mouth, spat flame at the cat.
The visitor’s mouth gaped, Richard looked calm. But Aurina’s flame engulfed the stray cat, the cat comfortably squinted its eyes, emitting purring sounds.
Aurina shook the fire-washed stray cat in the air, a puff of ashes fell, the cat immediately became clean, as if carefully scrubbed with water.
The visitor looked at Richard asking: “This… what’s going on?”
Richard said: “She can use fire to clean.”
“What principle?”
“Dragon magic, I guess.” Richard said: “I never thought of such a thing.”
“Too surprising.”
The visitor said: “I never thought the dragon’s daughter could be so cute and beautiful, and so magical.”
Richard calmly said: “Spend more time together, you’ll get used to it.”
With that, Richard asked Aurina: “The cat on your head, if I remember right, did you rob or take it from the market?”
“Now it’s this king’s.”
Aurina said: “Because it willingly follows this ancestor, right? Orange Dragon Ultimate Champion.”
Orange Dragon Ultimate Champion: “Meow meow meow.”
“Ancestor?”
“Hmph hmph, you wouldn’t know.”
Aurina leaped up, standing on the tabletop, one hand on hip one hand pointing at Richard, fingerprints on the finger clearly visible: “Cats are actually dragon descendants!”
The visitor wanted to be surprised, but thinking of Richard’s dragon magic.
But the visitor saw Richard looking surprised: “How possible? What relation do cats and dragons have?”
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