After Becoming an Evil Dragon, I Was Entangled by the Saintess - Chapter 39

The commotion in the goblin camp wasn’t solely caused by Lucian; it resembled a pre-planned escape, with Lucian merely seizing the opportunity. The sizable goblin patrol sent after her demonstrated the goblins’ high regard for their captive. Yet none of this posed a challenge for Yulxi, who wielded her longsword with the ferocity of a tempest.

While goblins possessed considerable strength, they were no match for the Black Dragon, like ants trying to topple a giant tree. The clash of weapons against her sword produced sharp, ringing sounds. Yulxi deflected a goblin’s spiked mace, thrust her sword forward, and decapitated the creature, its face frozen in terror.

The chaos in the goblin camp persisted. Yulxi had annihilated the entire goblin patrol sent to capture Lucian, leaving no survivors to report back.

Yulxi frowned, watching the bl00d drip from her sword, her expression as cold as frost. This goblin camp was indeed connected to the Creationist Society. In their final moments, some goblins had consumed potions and transformed into grotesque monsters, their stench and filth accumulating in the narrow tunnels.

Noticing Yulxi’s disgusted expression, Veranse abandoned the half-dead Lucian and wasted Magic Power casting a Water Orb Spell to wash the bl00d from Yulxi’s blade. She smiled brightly and said, “Lord Yulshi, while the goblins are in a panicked frenzy, this is still a dangerous place. We shouldn’t linger.”

Yulxi nodded.

Lucian was a Fourth-Tier Swordsman, and her strength was being suppressed by a spell. This couldn’t have been the goblins’ doing. They were merely guards. Whoever captured Lucian must have been at least a Fourth-Tier mage, or higher. Yulxi wasn’t afraid of high-level mages, but she didn’t want to act rashly until she learned more about the situation in the Underdark from Lucian.

Yulxi lifted the dazed Lucian with one hand. Instead of letting Veranse cast a spell, she poured a Magic Potion into Lucian’s mouth to restore her stamina and slightly alleviate her injuries.

Veranse pulled out paper and a brush, scribbling rapidly. When Yulxi’s gaze fell on her, she smiled faintly. “I know your generosity, but Magic Potions are the property of the Red Maple Territory. Our impoverished territory must conserve every gold coin.” As she spoke, she tucked the torn-off paper into Lucian’s chest.

“Though we lack a formal contract to witness this exchange, I trust you won’t refuse a fair trade, will you?” Veranse winked at Lucian.

Lucian, whose consciousness hadn’t completely faded, was momentarily disoriented. She had glimpsed the Holy Maiden and believed someone from the Royal Capital had finally come to rescue her. But after hearing those words, she couldn’t help but doubt her own perception. Red Maple Territory? What did that mean?

For Lucian, who was in such a dire state, the Magic Potion needed time to take effect. Yulxi, unwilling to wait, dragged Lucian through the tunnels like a tattered sack, skillfully avoiding patrolling Goblin squads. Her memory served her well; she had carefully observed the goblin camp during their approach, searching for potential hiding places.

The temporary refuge she chose was a mushroom forest within a cave. This was the Myconid Kingdom, its surroundings emitting a faint, ethereal glow from the unusual fungi that thrived here. Myconids, one of the subterranean races, resembled mushrooms and were wary of outsiders. However, they wouldn’t attack visitors unless the unwelcome guests brandished weapons.

Yulxi selected a cave at the edge of the mushroom forest. Venturing deeper would likely overstay their welcome with the Myconids.

“Who are you?” Yulxi asked as she set Lucian down, even though her True Dragon’s Eye had already revealed Lucian’s identity.

Veranse watched Lucian with keen interest, but her attention soon shifted to the colorful mushrooms growing in the cave’s corners. As a mage, she possessed a certain discernment, at least enough to avoid collecting poisonous varieties like Ilti and Flah had. She silently calculated, planning to have Lucian gather them once she regained her strength.

“Lucian, Guild Master of the Star Merchant Guild,” Lucian rasped, pulling an emblem of her position from her robes.

Yulxi turned to Veranse.

Veranse’s interest in the Star Merchant Guild had indeed been piqued. She tossed her golden hair and smiled, “Though this may be devastating news for you, I believe you deserve to know the truth. You are no longer the Guild Master of the Star Merchant Guild.”

Veranse studied Lucian, finally recognizing a flicker of familiarity in her gaunt, emaciated face. Lucian, who often came to the Holy See to pray… Though she was a follower of the Third Prince, who disregarded the authority of the Light Church, the Pope had always welcomed her warmly. After all, she was remarkably generous, far more endearing than those nobles who constantly invoked “Lord God” but never opened their purses.

“What do you mean?” Lucian’s face paled, her vacant eyes darting around.

“The missing Lucian… Well, after your disappearance, the person you served immediately seized control of your assets. The Star Merchant Guild was once the Montan Empire’s First Merchant Guild, but after those incompetent fools took over, it became synonymous with counterfeit and shoddy goods. Some nobles still praise the guild out of habit, but as you know, anyone genuinely interested in business avoids it like the plague.”

“Building up an empire takes generations of effort, but its collapse can happen overnight.”

Lucian had been the Third Prince’s most capable financial advisor, but in the Royal Capital, especially among the princes, there was no shortage of disposable talent. The Third Prince had long resented Lucian’s devout faith in the Light Church. Was it easier to find the missing Guild Master of the Star Merchant Guild, or to seize the guild’s assets and make them his own? A visionary would have chosen the former to secure loyalty. But the men of the Lanster Family, the imperial family, were notorious for their idiocy.

Lucian gave a bitter smile, but her expression didn’t darken further. She wasn’t particularly disappointed. Her people had escaped to the Royal Capital to report her capture long ago. If anyone intended to rescue her, they would have come by now. Why would they wait three years? Composing herself, she thanked Veranse.

“If you truly wish to thank me, could you help me gather some mushrooms?” Veranse’s voice chimed like silver bells. She winked at Lucian, her eyes pleading. “Please?”

“With pleasure,” Lucian nodded.

“Wait,” Yulxi frowned, her disapproving gaze fixed on Veranse. As expected, Veranse pretended not to notice, maintaining her innocent facade. Yulxi had no interest in the political machinations of the Royal Capital; she wanted answers Lucian had consistently avoided. “How did you become a Goblin prisoner?” she demanded, her voice low and stern.

The word “prisoner” stung the proud Warrior, a stain on her honor. Lucian exhaled heavily. “I was traveling with a Caravan to Red Maple Territory for trade when we were ambushed. When I awoke, I was already in the Underdark.” She paused, then added, “The attacker was a mage, not a Goblin.”

Lucian hadn’t been defeated by those disgusting green-skinned creatures.

Yulxi said calmly, “The resources of the Red Maple Territory aren’t enough to make the Guild Master of the First Guild personally risk his life.” She didn’t suspect Lucian of colluding with the Sain Auction House; after reviewing the ledgers, she found no records of transactions between them. Moreover, Veranse had referred to the “First Merchant Guild” without a hint of sarcasm, suggesting the title was genuine.

Veranse casually draped her arm over Yulxi’s shoulder, leaned in, and flashed Lucian a radiant smile. “By the Lord God, a valiant warrior should never resort to lies.”

“To the creatures of the Underdark, a defiant human warrior like you holds little value,” Yulxi continued. “Yet you were held captive in a goblin camp for three years. What did the goblins—no, the mage—want from you?”

Lucian’s heart sank. She met Yulxi’s dark eyes, hesitated, and said, “You saved me. It’s only right that I offer you my sincerity. But after three years, I can’t be certain if things have changed.”

She had kept this secret even from her closest confidantes, intending to investigate its truth before taking further action. But before she could act, she had become the mage’s prisoner. She didn’t know how he had learned of her knowledge. She could only thank the chaos of the Underdark for allowing her to breathe and escape being magically altered by the mage.

Yulxi stared intently at Lucian. “Speak.”

Lucian, ever pragmatic, glanced around before lowering her voice. “News of mithril.”

Even Veranse’s face registered surprise, let alone Yulxi’s. Mithril was a top-tier material on the Fei’er Continent, its silvery sheen resembling flowing moonlight. Harder than the finest steel yet as light as a feather, it possessed exceptional magical affinity, making it indispensable for crafting powerful magical artifacts.

Lucian’s arrival at Red Maple Territory with news of mithril suggested the territory might possess a mithril mine. Yulxi’s eyes darkened with determination to claim this precious resource for herself.

“Our journey hasn’t been in vain after all,” Veranse murmured, propping his chin in his hand as he gazed at Yulxi. “Lord Yulshi, shall we return to the surface?”

“No,” Yulxi replied firmly, shaking her head. “If we don’t resolve the issues in the Underdark, even possessing mithril won’t guarantee Red Maple Territory’s safety. The Underdark’s powerful Archmages and Great Dragons remain a grave threat.”

Instead of pressing Lucian for the mithril’s location, Yulxi abruptly shifted the conversation. “Who are the mage’s enemies?”

Lucian’s eyes flickered with a shadowy light as she spat out a single sentence: “Green Dragons and Drow.”

“So, you’re saying the Green Dragon and the Drow have joined forces?” Veranse raised an eyebrow.

Green Dragons were among the most formidable of the Five-Colored Dragons, second only to Red Dragons in combat prowess among their age group. Known for their volatile temper and treacherous nature, they would attack unprovoked. The Drow, shadow elves of the Underdark, were equally proud and malevolent. How could they possibly serve as familiars to a Green Dragon? Without the possibility of servitude, their encounter could only lead to war.

“He’s a high-level mage named Lingler,” Lucian said, her face paling slightly as she spoke the name. “He belongs to the Creationist Order. Most of the races near Blay City have become his followers, and even the Green Dragon’s former familiars now serve as his pawns. He’s concocted a potion called ‘Holy Potion’ that can transform dying monsters into grotesque, undead creatures, forcing them to continue fighting.”

“The Creationist Order is universally reviled on the surface. Are they trying to expand their influence in the Underdark?” Veranse asked, a faint smile playing on her lips, her eyes showing no trace of disgust for the evil she described.

“The mage likely came for the Green Dragon,” Lucian replied.

The destructive power of a Great Dragon was unparalleled. If a mage could enslave such a formidable creature, they would become immune to most threats.