After Becoming an Evil Dragon, I Was Entangled by the Saintess - Chapter 10

In Klein City, the capital of Red Maple Territory, an atmosphere of tension had permeated the air since the adventurers fled back. This tension intensified after the Lord and Priest abandoned their posts. Ilti had been appointed acting Lord, but the populace remained unfamiliar with this reserved noble lady and largely disregarded her authority. Red Maple Territory was already chaotic, and this crisis brought the various factions to the brink of open conflict.

The mage’s prophecy proved false: the two wyverns circled overhead during daylight hours.

Ilti had managed to persuade some of the remaining adventurers to stand with her, but when she looked up and saw the wyverns, her heart pounded with fear.

“They’re here! The dragons are here!” Screams erupted from all directions. The mere appearance of the wyverns had already terrified many. They urged Ilti to activate the Magic Tower and attack the monstrous creatures circling in the sky.

Ilti: “……” She had never been trained as an heir nor experienced such perilous situations. Though she struggled to maintain her composure, a new problem arose: lacking established authority, few listened to her orders. Before she could even issue a command, someone had already unilaterally activated the Magic Tower to attack the wyverns.

Yulxi crossed her arms and scoffed.

Ilti’s face burned with shame, her expression helpless.

“Tell me,” Flah said, brandishing her twin blades at the air, “why did we have to take on this mess?” Ten minutes after the Magic Tower activated, Ilti received news of fighting in the city. It wasn’t an attack by the Black Dragon’s Followers, but rather opportunistic looting by evil humanoids and thieves. Ilti’s soldiers, who hadn’t even engaged the Black Dragon yet, were immediately dispatched to maintain order in Klein City.

This gave Yulxi a stark reminder of the chaos plaguing the Red Maple Territory.

But all of this would soon be over.

“Damn bandits!” Ilti cursed through gritted teeth. If she weren’t burdened with her duties, she would have charged out to slaughter those vermin herself.

“They’re fleeing the city,” Veranse warned.

The “bandits” in the city had clearly come prepared. Their plan was to loot during the Black Dragon’s attack and escape in the chaos. To carry more plunder, they must have been equipped with spatial magic devices.

“Prepare crossbows and javelins,” Yulxi ordered, turning to Ilti.

The bandit leader, about to flee Klein City, was particularly arrogant. Even before the Black Dragon arrived, the entire Red Maple Territory had been terrified into a state of utter panic. They had agreed to pull off one last major heist before the dragon’s arrival, believing that by uniting their forces, they could easily break out of Klein City.

This was precisely the moment Yulxi had been waiting for.

Using the ballista against the Black Dragon? What a joke! It was meant for chaos and evil.

“But that’s—” Ilti began, “for the Black Dragon,” but Yulxi had already strode toward the ballista, shoving aside the terrified soldiers.

Ballistas were siege weapons, difficult to maneuver and aim accurately. The armor-piercing bolts were limited in number; wasting them now would leave them defenseless when the Black Dragon arrived. Ilti’s face twisted with urgency, but her anxiety was futile. She stared in stunned disbelief at the dense swarm of bolts filling the sky, her heart skipping a beat. After a few seconds, she rubbed her eyes vigorously and pinched Flah hard. When Flah cried out in pain, Ilti finally stammered, her face pale, “W-what’s happening?”

Not only Ilti but even Veranse’s expression changed, though her practiced composure allowed her to mask her shock almost instantly. She habitually traced the symbol of the sun god across her chest and murmured, “It’s magic manipulation.” Not just one, but all ten ballistae were under Yulshi’s control. A storm of bolts rained down on the bandits below, piercing through Second-Tier Practitioners and even Third-Tier ones, turning them into human pincushions. Ilti’s jaw dropped.

One of Klein City’s most notorious criminal gangs had been wiped out in a single stroke.

She looked up, but the circling wyvern had vanished.

Nearby, whispers drifted through the air: “Was that really a dragon? Or just a trick to lure them out? Maybe the Lord actually wanted to eliminate those vile bandits?”

“Y-Yulshi?” Ilti stammered.

No, isn’t Yulshi a swordsman?

Yulshi’s eyes darkened as she fixed her gaze on Ilti. The ballistae creaked ominously, the sound growing more violent, as if preparing to unleash another volley—this time aimed directly at Ilti and her companions.

“Death, or surrender,” Yulshi declared to Ilti.

A string snapped in Ilti’s mind. She stared at Yulshi, her expression still blank with confusion.

But immediately, an overwhelming wave of Dragon’s Might crashed down upon them. Ilti’s face turned deathly pale as she stumbled back a step. A chill ran through her stomach, and her heart pounded violently, sending a sharp, indescribable pain through her chest. Her breath quickened under the oppressive force of the Dragon’s Might. She managed to ask, her voice trembling, “Y-you are…?”

Yulxi leaped upward.

Her figure vanished, and in its place stood a colossal Black Dragon. Like a rising storm cloud, her outstretched wings blotted out the sunlight, while her hardened scales reflected a blinding glare. Her eyes were crimson-black, but they held no trace of madness, greed, or malice—only an icy indifference.

Black Dragons of the Fei’er Continent were intelligent beings, though far less cunning than Gold or Silver Dragons. Most Black Dragons never reached a level of communication with humans during their youth.

But the Black Dragon before them was an exception.

Dragons could assume human form, yet their innate disdain and loathing for humanity meant that few evil-aligned dragons ever bothered to disguise themselves among humans. Yet this Black Dragon—Yulshi—had concealed herself perfectly among the crowd, appearing every bit the human warrior. There was no trace of the cruelty and chaos associated with evil creatures, nor any hint of savage bestiality.

The crossbows and magic defense towers proved utterly useless against the Black Dragon. No one had anticipated that it would appear directly within the city, let alone enter as a friend of Miss Ilti, the acting Lord.

How long has she lived among humans? She’s friends with Lady Kasha—does Lady Kasha know she’s a Black Dragon? One question after another flooded Ilti’s mind, freezing her thoughts in place. A profound dread enveloped her. Yet she wasn’t alone; behind her stood thousands of her people. She gritted her teeth, determined to stand bravely. But her limbs felt paralyzed until Veranse gently patted her shoulder.

It was a light magic spell to dispel fear and restore her body’s vitality.

In Veranse’s eyes, Ilti saw fear, shock, worry, and encouragement. She turned to Flah beside her, who, despite trembling with terror, stood her ground, dual blades at the ready. Ilti’s shaken heart suddenly hardened with resolve.

“W-what do you want?” Ilti asked, forcing herself to speak.

Yulxi was a Black Dragon capable of communication. If her only intention was slaughter, she could have attacked them the moment they entered Mangshui Forest. Even if she didn’t want to get her hands dirty, she could have poisoned their food.

A Black Dragon who could cook? It was utterly absurd.

Ilti’s thoughts momentarily drifted.

This was even more absurd than discovering that Veranse, standing beside her, was actually the true Holy Maiden of Light.

Yulxi repeated, “Death, or submission.” Disliking her dragon form, she transformed back into a human.

Though the Dragon’s Might still lingered, communicating with Yulxi in human form felt far less daunting than facing the legendary, terrifying creature. Ilti secretly sighed in relief and continued, “And after we submit?”

Yulxi replied coolly, “You will work for me.”

Ilti frowned.

She was a mage lacking in courage, but serving a Black Dragon—a creature of such evil—seemed to violate her sense of justice and her faith.

Unaware of Ilti’s thoughts, Yulxi raised her hand, and a contract materialized in her palm.

Ilti accepted the contract and glanced over it, her expression shifting into one of confusion. The contract stipulated that she would become the Lord of Red Leaf Province, tasked with developing the region under Yulxi’s command. The subsequent clauses were difficult for her to understand, especially the part about constructing a Dragon God Temple for the Black Dragon… What exactly was this Black Dragon planning?

Yulxi remained unhurried, possessing the patience to wait for Ilti’s decision.

Her gaze shifted to Veranse, the Holy Maiden of the Light Church. The Holy Maiden had remained passive throughout the entire ordeal, neither producing a Legendary Scroll to summon powerful priests and knights nor displaying the selfless courage expected of a Holy Maiden of Light, willing to sacrifice herself to protect the common people.

Her presence here seemed solely for the sake of observing the spectacle.

The Chosen of God—

Was she truly chosen by the God of Light, or by some dark goddess of the night?

“Flah Galannod pledges her loyalty to the great Black Dragon,” the Elf Flara declared, sheathing her twin blades and casting aside all pretense of Ranger’s resilience. She smiled at Yulxi and added, “Compared to the rather dim-witted Ilti, wouldn’t the Elves of Moonlight Forest be of greater benefit to you, Your Highness?”

Yulxi stared at Flah. “No illiteracy.” Besides, controlling Ilti meant controlling Flah as well.

Flah’s hand flew to her sword hilt with a shing. If not for her restraint, she would have charged at Yulxi for three hundred rounds of combat.

“I accept,” Ilti said, pulling Flah behind her.

Choice? No, they had no choice at all.

Yulxi smiled, satisfied.

“Your Excellency, I have a question I would like to ask,” Veranse said, breaking the suffocating silence. The rich emotions had vanished from her face, leaving only a sweet smile that Yulxi found hollow and somewhat artificial.

“I don’t want to answer,” Yulxi refused.

Ilti and Flah were naive little lambs, while Veranse—from the very beginning, Yulxi had marked her as a dangerous figure.

Veranse pretended not to hear and continued, “Why did you reveal your identity? At least you shouldn’t have done it in front of so many people. The news will spread quickly. Soon, everyone will know that the Red Maple Territory has a Black Dragon.”

“I don’t care,” Yulxi said, a faint smile playing on her lips as she casually exposed Veranse’s true identity. “Your Holiness, shall we summon the Legendary figure of the Holy Church?”

Veranse: “……” Does this Black Dragon know too much?

She struggled to maintain her refined facade, but her expression abruptly shifted.

Her violet eyes, once beautiful and mysterious, suddenly turned as dark as ink, with faint crimson streaks flickering within.

Thick, dark clouds instantly gathered over Klein City, lightning crackling like raging dragons through the tempestuous sky. Magic Power surged wildly, as if the very fabric of reality were twisting. Then, a dragon claw tore through the clouds, threatening to rend the heavens themselves, its bl00d-red glow flickering through the rift.

Yulxi’s voice echoed again, resonating with the majestic authority of an ancient being: “I fear nothing.”