Chapter 99: Chapter 30: The Drake Awakens
*Crack*
The sound of bone snapping was heard. The noble screamed out before the next few sounds echoed as bones were crushed.
"Master!"
"Wah, his knee is gone."
Sumika, who was used to the same type of injuries, did not even wince—instead looked at the way Lancelot performed her grandfather\'s disarming strike with starry eyes, wanting to fight him again for real.
"Arghhh!? My leg!!!! HELP!!!"
The Knights and Royal Guards had no choice but to wait. Their master was now on the floor bleeding, with a hole in his knee and thigh, yet the one they were planning to kill likely had a relationship with this terrifying demon and his forces, and they could see how much this man cared for the girl.
Lancelot ignored them and kissed Sumika\'s forehead.
"Be sure not to play too much, Sumika. You knew they planned to use you, right? I think that noble even had desires for your body, haha!"
"Yes, Master~! But why did you laugh?"
After the kiss, her face turned red. Her body, still held by Lancelot, squirmed happily as her cheeks flushed.
\'Damn it! How is this midget more beautiful than those mature beauties!\'
"It is nothing; how is your stomach?"
He wanted to be as discreet as possible, wondering if she was still feeling cramps or discomfort, not wishing her to fight with such distractions as he noticed her units were a group of twenty fox girls with eastern swords, all looking at him and sniffing the air, wary of the man touching their master suddenly.
\'These units are so cute... Almost as cute as Marimo and the girls!\'
Sumika blushed.
"My belly is fine! Let us fight more!"
She hopped off his arms and dashed forward, her tiny hands held up as her beautiful snow-white and dark blue battle outfit fluttered with each jump, and the two long, thin swords shimmered from the moonlight shining down into the cavern.
"You know a dragon isn\'t so easy to defeat, right?" He laughed before looking back at Meru and Lumiel, nodding, "Come, support her troops well."
"Yes, Lord!"
"I have been waiting to do more than simply assist!"
Vellan, Lumiel, Lusia, and the other units moved to aid the injured fox girls; some only suffered slight burns or cuts. Lancelot didn\'t want to take risks as he watched Sumika\'s inquisitive eyes look over his units.
"Lancelot... all your units are so sexy and have great bodies... Ah! Except for the small rabbit!"
\'Hey!\'
"Sumika... Meru is quite adorable, no? She is an excellent Knight and Frost Hare. Don\'t mistake her for a rabbit; it\'s rude."
He wanted to scold Sumika but couldn\'t help smiling as the girl rubbed Meru\'s head with affection while the other was bashful.
"Ooh... she is a pretty rabbit!"
\'... Little minx, I know what you\'re trying to do!\'
Meru\'s smile faded, and her lips turned into a slight frown.
"That is not right, Your Majesty. Meru is a Frost Hare. We are not rabbits; we have long, sharp ears."
Sumika tilted her head before a sharp pain shot from her buttocks as Lancelot spanked her for teasing Meru on purpose; the little tiger fangs showing proved that she just wanted to see the Hare get angry.
"My King, what are we to do about those people?"
Vellan, with her sexy blue skin and lovely soft hair, pointed to the knights now in a turtle formation to protect their young noble, maybe a prince who knew.
Thinking about it, Lancelot was a bit rash, and now, because Sumika\'s territory was in danger due to his actions, if she returned and he didn\'t, it would cause issues. If he lived after suffering, there would be issues...
\'If I station troops at her base, it might help or convince her to move her summoning tool into my base and become either my ally or like Guinevere, but that would limit her growth...\'
He looked at the noble, but the succubi\'s mesmerising ability wasn\'t permanent.
Lancelot moved towards Sumika and leaned close to her ear.
"Sumika, how powerful is the nation this noble comes from, and what distance from your territory is there?"
"That... I have met that man a few times. It takes like a day or two to get to me. He is a noble, called Cedric, has a big manor, is very rude and talks like he\'s the strongest."
"So, I am guessing he wants the dragon for fame in his kingdom?"
"Mmm! That is right. He also told me a few times he wanted me as a concubine... It was annoying."
"Good job for resisting the temptation and not killing him."
"Hehe~ my husband is decided."
"Oh really? Congratulations."
"Hmmph!"
Once the small chat was over, he thought that even if they went to fight the dragon, the kingdom would likely not investigate instantly...
He could craft a transport if they became allies or more.
\'As long as she is safe, we no longer need these people. They give Ether, after all.\'
Lancelot stepped forward, but the moment he was about to attack the knights, the entire cavern rumbled as a dragon roar was sounded from below; the roof and debris began to fall as cracks formed along the rocks and dirt, shaking and spreading out, making everyone fear the cave was about to collapse.
He looked at the noble, swiping his arm as the wounds healed instantly, "We need to work together to slay or tame the dragon; let\'s form a temporary truce."
\'Idiots, show me the tools you brought, then I can kill you.\'
"!!!"
The group moved as fast as possible, avoiding the debris while heading down another flight of crude stairs leading underground, where they would face their final foe.
***
The staircase led downward to another cavern that seemed to have been naturally made, a wide expanse of soil with many cracks and marks left by claws.
On the floor were several skulls and bones, yet it was empty except for the far side, where the golden, earthen scales shone under the flickering torchlight, and a large lizard-like creature slept in a nest of wood, fur, and leather.
Lancelot couldn\'t feel anything strange with the way it breathed. It was merely a massive lizard-type pseudo-dragon with thick limbs and wings.
The Knights were excited, thinking their luck was quite good since this wasn\'t an acid dragon but a black dragon and was only in the young adult form.
\'Strange... this isn\'t a false drake, but a true dragon... A female.\'
\'Hmmm, how do I know it\'s female from the scent?\'
He watched as the knights began to set up their special item; it seemed their greed surpassed the fear of him attacking.
Yet he felt a strange feeling tickling his mind and chest, unable to focus on what it was; curious, he didn\'t rush into battle or send his troops and waited as the knights set up several steel-chained ballistic.
"What the hell are those things..."
"Those are magical devices used to bind the creatures of Avalon, Your Majesty. If I\'m not mistaken, those chains and ropes will keep the dragon docile and force her to submit. If we are lucky."
"I see... is that so..."
Lancelot looked back and forth at the sleeping dragon, which seemed to sense something and stirred, awakening from her sleep. Her body shook, causing a heat and cold wave, and the ground cracked and split from the mana surge.
She stretched and yawned, her deep, soft, melodious voice echoing across the cavern, creating an earth-shattering roar that would terrify any human or knight, making him realise she was acting.
Her eyes narrowed as a pair of slit, crimson-red eyes shimmered brightly and seemed to pierce into Lancelot\'s heart and body.
"How nostalgic... The first time I meet another in a few millennia, you\'re using a humanoid form..."
"Do we know each other?"
"My King, who are you talking to, and in such a primitive language..." Lumiel looked at him with curious eyes.
He didn\'t know that the words he heard so clearly were just grunts and groans from the others, while he was almost the same when responding to her...
\'Is it related to that damn blood-\'
The moment a knight fired one of the chained bolts, Lancelot\'s sword sliced off his head; as the bolt penetrated the female dragon\'s wing, she gave out a painful cry, howling before the bolt was flung out with her flapping wings.
He felt a strange anger.
"Eh?"
"My Lord?"
"Lancelot?"
Everyone was shocked, as Lancelot himself was equally shocked, but hearing the painful cry of that female dragon made him feel a fit of anger that turned his mind red, and he killed the knight suddenly.
\'Was that magic!? Is she already enchanting me!? Impossible!\'
The knights were about to turn on him when the female dragon opened her maw and roared at him, speaking a foreign and ancient tongue.
"I like your boldness, young emperor."
She smiled and nodded with an amused grin, showing off her rows of teeth as a black flame billowed from her lips, adding a strange allure to her dangerous figure.
"Waaa, look at her cool black flames!" Sumika yelled, looking back at Lancelot with shining eyes.
"Mm. What does it matter? You don\'t belong to their human nation. It is too much of a waste. Be mine and make our young. We could easily destroy their entire human race, and then we will have this mountain all to ourselves."
\'Damn, my brain is getting a little hot. Why does that sound so reasonable? Is this dragon coming on to me? I might consider it if she was in human form. Like other dragons, can she become a small woman with big assets...\'
"Hmmmm?"
The dragon noticed the women around him before her nostrils flared with smoke, snorting as if she were above them.
\'Is this why Morgana didn\'t stop me when it was so dangerous...\'
Lancelot began to think that his bloodline was part Black Dragon Emperor...
Even if demonic, that was nothing for a true dragon\'s rare chance to meet the opposite sex of the same flight.
As the pair watched each other, the knights began to shoot their weapons rapidly while half held their shields and swords pointed towards Lancelot.
It seemed he needed to make a choice.