Chapter 4 Evil Dragon Lance, You've Raised the Bar for Becoming an Evil Dragon
If all the evil dragons in the legends were like Lance, the bar for being an Evil Dragon would simply be too high.
Any Giant Dragon who can't farm or raise a princess properly wouldn't deserve to be called an Evil Dragon.
Before seeing the fruits and vegetables Lance had grown, Lucia thought that Lance raising a princess was no different from the way ordinary evil dragons did.
It was only after seeing Lance's orchard and the fruits and vegetables he grew that she understood, Lance probably really treated the princess as a princess.
Rather than having the kidnapped princess eat raw meat, drink impure water, and consume vegetables that had been nibbled by insects and possibly some spoiled fruits.
Lance couldn't possibly want her, a princess of the Phalan Empire, to become an evil dragon like him, could he?
Impossible.....
Absolutely impossible....
She could learn how to farm, but she absolutely couldn't grow such large vegetables and fruits, let alone corn.
Apples larger than watermelons, she'd never even seen such things before, let alone eat them.
She was curious about the taste of this apple, such a large apple... It surely couldn't taste as good as a smaller one.
"Woof! Woof woof....woof....whine...chirp chirp chirp chirp....."
A dog ran out from the orchard.
Hearing the dog bark, Lucia remembered Lance mentioning that, aside from him, there was also a dog and a turtle on the island.
However, when the dog from the orchard ran up close to her, she was startled and jumped up.
The dog Lance raised was not the obedient and cute kind that sticks out its tongue as she had imagined, but a clear Hellhound!!!
There's a Hellhound in the Bestiary of Magical Beasts, a beast that symbolizes death.
Its body ablaze with fierce flames, it has two heads, and it breathes fire when it barks.
That's Hellfire.
Legend has it that the flames on a Hellhound come from hell itself.
Moreover, it's said that humans can only see a Hellhound twice in their lifetime, for the third sighting of a Hellhound—would lead to death!
This is the end of me....
She couldn't leave Lance's territory where they were staying for a short while, which meant she could run into the Two-Headed Hellhound at any time.
If what was recorded in the Bestiary of Magical Beasts was true, wouldn't she be in danger of dying under the gaze of this Two-Headed Hellhound?
"Evil... no.... Lance..... I heard that a person can only see a Hellhound twice in their lifetime, and they would die on the third sighting! Could I... could I die?"
"You're not human, what's there to be afraid of?"
How am I not human?!!!
Evil Dragon Lance, this is blasphemy against the princess of the Phalan Empire, no, against the future Emperor of Phalan!
For an evil dragon like you, you would be sent to the gallows!
"His name is Er Gouzi, he's a little short of reaching the pure blood Hellhound stage, so don't be afraid of him, you're a dragon, and if it really comes down to it, you could swallow him whole."
Lance said with a grin.
Lucia, the Amethyst Young Dragon, was a bit timid; when snatching the princess, this guy probably wouldn't even consider Griffin knights a threat.
When she's brave, she's truly brave; when she's scared, she's truly scared.
Understandable, after all, she's still a Young Dragon. Once she matures, she should become much steadier.
Er Gouzi?
That name is an insult to the Two-Headed Hellhound.
Lucia suddenly felt a bit sorry for the Two-Headed Hellhound. If it appeared in the Human World, and became a Familiar for a mage or Wizard, its entrance would certainly cause an uproar.
With Evil Dragon Lance... it could only be a gatekeeper in the orchard...
Poor little dog, rest assured, once I become the Emperor of the Phalan Empire, you can come with me. I'll feed you delicious meals and spicy drinks, and at night you'll sleep in a fluffy dog bed.
"Er Gouzi, her name is Lucia. You don't need to sound the alarm when she comes to the orchard to pick fruit."
"Woof woof."
The Two-Headed Hellhound Er Gou Zi barked twice to indicate understanding.
"Is there any fruit you'd like to eat?" Lance asked Lucia.
"There is..."
"Which kind of fruit would you like to eat?"
"All... all... all of them I'd like to taste...."
"......."
Lance chuckled as he pointed with his dragon claw at Lucia's swollen belly, "You're already round-bellied; don't be greedy. No gorging or binge eating, either. Just pick a few fruits you really crave to satisfy your curiosity. Leave the rest for this evening or tomorrow... you can come back then to pick and eat.
The orchard isn't going anywhere; you can come back to eat anytime you like."
"It's not that I'm craving... I've just never seen so many fruits that seem mutated before; it's... it's just pure curiosity."
Lucia poked at her index claws, glancing up at Evil Dragon Lance from time to time, speaking with a lack of confidence in her voice.
"Go ahead and try a few."
"Then, shall I pick some apples?"
"Go ahead."
Lucia walked towards the orchard, and from the apple trees, she picked three apples larger than watermelons and a bunch of grapes.
The grapes she picked were each as big as the apples from the Human World.
She saw the watermelons, large and round, just like her distended little belly.
Turning her head to glance behind, and seeing Evil Dragon Lance watching her, she thought it might be better to wait until the evening when Evil Dragon Lance was asleep before sneaking to the orchard to pick and eat the watermelon quietly.
If she took it now, Evil Dragon Lance would definitely think she was a big eater.
As a Princess of the Empire, she wasn't a glutton; her appetite was quite small, she could only eat a bowl of rice at a time.
She could only manage half a steak in one sitting.
And she only ate two slices of bread at a meal.
Her dining was always graceful, assuredly not like Evil Dragon Lance had previously seen, wolfing down two roasted beast legs in no time.
Picking a banana too, Lucia left the orchard and returned to Evil Dragon Lance's side, "Would you like an apple? I picked two for you."
Lucia dared not hog the food all to herself; she proactively offered the two biggest, reddest apples to Evil Dragon Lance. By doing this, she could please Evil Dragon Lance and also give him the impression that she was a polite Princess of the Empire....
Well, a polite little Young Dragon, actually.
"Thank you."
Lance didn't refuse. On their first encounter, he had to let Lucia feel his kindness.
He wiped the apple with his dragon claw and casually tossed it into his mouth. Even the apples that were larger than watermelons looked rather pitiful compared to his mouth.
Lucia shrank her neck back, realizing that Evil Dragon Lance's fierce mouth could easily snap her neck.
With such a fearsome and gaping maw, would any princess really be willing to offer her first kiss?
Did those princesses who allegedly fell for Evil Dragons in the legends really exist?
They probably didn't. Even if they did, it must have been the dragons who fell for the princesses, not the other way around.
"Come on, I'll take you to see some other places."
Lucia followed behind Evil Dragon Lance, one dragon claw holding the fruits, the other claw nibbling at them.
As they reached various locations, Evil Dragon Lance explained, and she quietly took note in her mind.
Maybe these details would come in handy if she ever needed to run away.
Gradually, Lucia felt that Evil Dragon Lance's territory was getting a bit outrageous.
Evil Dragon Lance had built a kitchen and dining room on the island.
Having a kitchen and a dining room was one thing, but there were also a workshop, a laboratory, an alchemy room.
There was even a hot spring!
Beyond these, he had a medicinal garden, a flower garden.
He even constructed a pavilion halfway up the mountain.
She saw a tea plantation as well.
The most incredible thing was that he had built an infinity pool on the mountain peak!!!
Apart from all this, Evil Dragon Lance also had his own wine cellar.
No... weren't Evil Dragons in the legends supposed to live in hardship?