Dragon Queen and Dragon Slayer

[Ten Minutes Later]

The palace's main gate was slammed open, and two Crimson Flame Dragon gate guards were flung inside.

"Constantine, I'm here to negotiate."

That man stood in the center of the main hall, showing no trace of fear even when surrounded by dozens of Crimson Flame Dragons.

Meanwhile, Constantine still sat calmly on the throne, looking down at Leon from above.

"I don't know what madness made you come here to bargain with me, and I don't care to know. Guards, get rid of him."

The guards rushed forward.

Leon wanted to fight back, but thinking that he truly was here to negotiate, starting a fight in someone else's "office" would surely affect the efficiency of the negotiations.

So he had no choice but to pretend to be pushed out by the other side.

———

Another minute later.

The palace gates were slammed open again.

This time, four Crimson Flame Dragon guards were flung in.

"Constantine, I really came to negotiate."

Other than with Rossweise, General Leon had never been so sincere with any other Dragon King.

But Old Con wasn't buying it.

Who knows what medicine you're hiding in that gourd.

"Get rid of him."

Another group shoved Leon out.

———

Yet another minute later.

The palace gates were slammed open again.

"Constantine, I really really came to negotiate."

"Get rid of him."

Toss him out, shut the door, slam open again.

"Constantine, I'm here to negotiate."

"Get rid of him, get rid of him."

———

"Constantine, I—"

"Your Majesty!"

On the main hall, a trusted aide with a bruised and swollen face cupped his fists with both hands, half-kneeling on the ground,

"Your Majesty, just talk to him. If this drags on any longer, the brothers can't take it anymore."

Seeing his subordinates groaning and rolling around on the ground, Constantine had no choice.

Since this guy was so persistent and didn't show any signs of starting a fight, then… might as well hear what he had to say.

Constantine stood up and walked down from the throne.

He stood in front of Leon, less than five meters between dragon and man.

Constantine waved his hand, "You all may leave for now."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The guards supported each other and left the hall.

Finally, this damn bastard was letting them negotiate.

Once everyone else had left, Constantine said coldly, "You've got guts, coming alone to my turf."

"You've got guts too, so many Dragon Kings' troops watching you outside, and you don't even move."

"Hmph! Just a bunch of weaklings. If they've got the guts to spy, why don't they have the guts to charge in?"

"Quit bluffing, Crimson Flame Dragon King."

Leon spread his hands, "If they really did all charge in at once, with the current strength of your Crimson Flame Dragons, you might not be able to hold them off."

Leon saw right through Constantine's bluff.

'Cut the crap, Old Con, you think I don't know your current level?'

The Crimson Flame Dragons had been without a leader for so many years, many outstanding clansmen and warriors either died or fled, their overall strength had long since declined.

And Constantine had only been back for how long? He didn't have enough time to reorganize.

Seeing his bluff exposed, Constantine looked a little embarrassed, but still forced himself to say, "Whether I can hold them off or not has nothing to do with you."

"Hey, how does it have nothing to do with me?"

"What does it have to do with you?"

"Do you know Alres?"

Constantine nodded.

"He was the one who proposed storming in during the Dragon King secret meeting and snatching away the Primordial Power you worked so hard to obtain."

Leon said, "Now guess, who refuted his proposal and changed the action plan to just stationing and surveillance instead of launching a war?"

Constantine narrowed his eyes. Seeing this guy's smug face, he already knew the answer.

But he refused to say it.

"Who? Odin? Morgan? Or some other old geezer?"

Since it was a secret meeting targeting him, Constantine could guess which Dragon Kings had attended.

That old man Odin and Morgan's descendants had also been at the ruins, so of course they had to go.

Leon rolled his eyes helplessly,

"It was me! I'm the one who temporarily spared your Crimson Flame Dragons from disaster, you know?"

"Casmodeous, the only reason I haven't attacked you is because I'm surprised you had the guts to come here alone. But that doesn't mean you can talk to me with this mocking tone, understand?"

"No, no, no. The reason you haven't attacked me is because you're not sure you can win," Leon stated confidently.

"..."

'Bro, are you really only in your twenties?'

'Why do you feel like some slick two-hundred-year-old schemer?'

After a few exchanges, Constantine realized that the initiative in this situation was already firmly in Leon's hands.

So there was no need to keep probing, might as well get to the point.

"So, what exactly do you want to talk about?"

"Let's talk about the Empire."

After a pause, Leon added, "More precisely, the Empire and you Dragon Kings. I want to know, why did you cooperate with the Empire? What was the goal of that cooperation?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Even if the current situation favored Leon, that didn't mean he also held the upper hand in the negotiation.

Constantine understood clearly that Leon's visit was for "personal matters," and had nothing to do with the Dragon King's secret meeting.

Seeing Constantine's tough attitude, Leon still remained unhurried, "Because the Empire is our common enemy now; because I came here without bringing a single soldier, just to have a proper talk with you; because those thousands of dragons outside haven't stormed in yet, all because I refuted Alres at the meeting."

"Of course, most importantly, the Empire tortured you into this state. After all that, do you still want to protect the Empire?"

That last point really hit home.

Constantine's expression flickered. After a moment, he slowly opened his mouth and said, "I can only briefly talk about what I know. As for things like the Far North, I had no part in it at all."

Hearing Constantine agree to talk, Leon quietly let out a sigh of relief.

'I knew it. This crazy dragon isn't really unhinged, at least he's still someone who can be reasoned with.'

"Alright, I'm all ears," Leon said.

Constantine slowly turned around and began pacing, "Around thirty years ago, that was the most intense period of the war between your humans and our dragons. It was during that time that the Empire reached a deal with a small group of Dragon Kings."

"The purpose of the cooperation was simple: to prolong the war."

Just those few words stunned Leon. He asked in disbelief, "Prolong the human-dragon war? How could that be possible?"

Years of war had increased the people's taxes, not to mention the sharp population decline, the common folk had truly suffered.

Even though every victory was a national celebration, the price paid behind the scenes was not something to ignore.

Such a war... why prolong it?

"I was shocked at the time too, but if you think about it carefully, Casmodeous, you'll realize, the benefits of war far outweigh the downsides."

"What nonsense are you talking about, Constantine? War only brings death and suffering. What benefit is there?"

"The benefit isn't for the common people, it's for those in power."

Constantine explained, "The longer the war drags on, the more manpower, wealth, and resources the people provide for the country, and the Empire's ruling class gets to enjoy all the gains."

"That's far safer than rashly reforming the country's employment or tax system."

"And when someone starts questioning or resisting the war, just stage a prearranged victory to stabilize the public's morale."

"For more than thirty years, the Empire has been using this perfectly orchestrated play to continuously squeeze your citizens. So—"

Before Constantine could continue, Leon cut him off, "How can this be... how can this be?"

He rarely got so emotional.

Because at this moment, a part of the belief in his heart was crumbling.

The honor he once defended with his life, the war he once fought with everything to end, in the end, was it all just a play?

How could he accept that?

"Then what about you Dragon Kings? What benefits do you get?", Leon asked urgently.

"We get to seize territory easily."

Constantine said, "There were many battles where your Empire's dragon-slaying army and dragon clans suffered mutual destruction. Once the dragon-slaying army retreated, it was the perfect opportunity for us to harvest, taking over land and resources with little effort."

"Of course, even the resources of a single tribe are enough to last us a long time. Otherwise, using this method too frequently would easily raise suspicion."

Leon's brows furrowed tightly, cold sweat slowly trickled down from the edge of his forehead.

He suddenly remembered, his master had once said he left the dragon-slaying army because he discovered some of the Empire's darker dealings back then.

So... had his master already glimpsed a part of the truth behind the war?

Seeing Leon's reaction, Constantine let out a snorting laugh, "I guess you're regretting coming to me for the truth now, aren't you?"

Leon quickly composed himself, his voice low, "Then why did the Empire want me dead?"

"Isn't it obvious, Casmodeous? Because you almost ruined their plan."

"What... do you mean?"

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