This Bastard is Too Competent

Chapter 63: I Tried To Bring It Back Fresh

“There’s a better way.” 

After saying so, Ian only did one thing.

He first headed toward the broken bridge. 

Then. 

[I wish to keep my promise.]

Touching the red dragon’s inscription on his shoulder, he uttered the phrase the dragon left before leaving. 

It was the moment when less than five minutes had passed. 

Whoosh! 

A gust of wind blew hard in the air. And a black shadow loomed over Ian.

The dragon that Ian had caught arrived. 

The dragon smirked with his eyes gleaming.

[You are already asking for the fulfillment of the pledge. Very well. So, who is my enemy?]

The dragon flew with two wings spread wide and spoke in a solemn voice. 

But he didn’t look cool at all. 

‘It’s rather pitiful.’ 

Ian couldn’t help but think so. 

Thanks to Kanhel’s punch to bring him back to his senses, his whole body was ragged with wounds littered here and there. 

But Ian said without expressing those thoughts. 

“What else, just to get the tail you promised.”

[What?] 

The dragon couldn’t believe his ears.  

How could this human use a pledge for such a thing? 

As the dragon was about to boast how great and meaningful their pledge was.

Ian continued with a smile. 

“I didn’t use the pledge. You were supposed to give me the tail, but you just went, hence I called you.” 

[This… this young human?]

The dragon was speechless, but Ian wasn’t wrong. 

Come to think of it, he had decided to give Ian a tail, and then he saw Kanhel off, but he just forgot about it.

The dragon frowned helplessly. 

[Yes. Dragon’s promise is sacred anyway. I’ll give you the tail as promised.]

Then he put his tail forward as if telling Ian to cut it on his own. 

But then. 

“Oh, stop, stop. That’s not it. If we cut it here, it’ll be a hassle for us only to carry it.” 

[?!] 

Ian smiled at the bewildered dragon. 

“Can’t you include the delivery service while you’re at it?”

[What?] 

“I want to eat it fresh.” 

[…] 

The dragon was speechless. 

However, he could not refuse what the little boy asked for. It was because Kanhel had firmly told him before leaving. 

[Be sure to keep your promise to that human kid. Never show shame as a dragon.]

Grit.

He didn’t understand why Kanhel said that, but he couldn’t say no.  

[Alright then. This is the first and last time this happened.] 

“Okay. Oh! And while you’re at it, can you bring that wagon with you? That guy, too?” 

The guy Ian pointed to was none other than Galon. 

Galon shook his head violently as if he didn’t like the idea. 

Grasp! 

The dragon grabbed the wagon and Galon altogether. 

[Okay, I’m off then.]

“Oh, what, you’re holding them with one hand? Then let’s take them, too.” 

Ian pointed to Fiosen and Nathan. When the dragon turned around, the two knights were unusually freaked out. 

“N, no, wait, Prince!” 

“P-Prince! We’ll follow you slowly…!” 

Not caring about their thoughts, the dragon kidnapped the second son of a marquis and the firstborn of a duke.

And then, in an instant, the dragon soared to the sky.

*** 

The dragon’s speed was truly astonishing. Probably not comparable to any beast.  

And at this rate, it would take less than an hour to get to the palace.  

Of course, the dragon took them with his mouth pouted. 

[I’m not a means of transportation…] 

On the contrary, he was not only victimized by humans but even told that he would get his tail cut off. He only felt ashamed as a member of the Dragon clan. 

[…If it wasn’t for Kanhel-nim’s request. Hmm…] 

Right then. 

“Oh, what did Kanhel-nim ask you to do?” 

[Wh… What!]

The sudden voice made the dragon’s body shake violently. 

“It’s dangerous!” 

[Uh-oh!]

Of course, it was.

They were up in the sky with clouds drifting below. 

However, Ian was naturally sitting on the dragon’s head. 

The dragon cried out in surprise.

[How did you come all the way here? You’ll fall!]

“Oh, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

Ian smiled at the cloak flapping from his back.  

He only came up using his cloak and shoes.  

“So, what was Kanhel-nim’s request?”

[I am under no obligation to tell you that. How dare I let human beings know what he said. Huh!]

The dragon ignored Ian and tried to shake him off, but Ian quietly avoided it and asked. 

“So, what’s your name?”

[Do you think I will give my name to a human being?]

“Okay. It’s enough to call you Salamander, then.”

[…Rio Banzaim.]

The dragon, who was grinding his teeth, glanced at Ian and said.  

[More than that, are you really going to eat my tail?] 

“Why?” 

[No matter how, cutting off the tail hurts… No, my fighting power also drops… No, it hurts more than anything…]

The dragon blurted out unexpected words, seemingly begging for his life.

[Because eating our meat is not very good for humans.]

“Why? Because there is poison in your blood and flesh?” 

[Yeah! There is poison! So…]

“It’s okay. Humans know how to get rid of dragon poison the same way we remove puffer fish poison.”

In the end, the dragon sweated bullets. It was a secret, but he felt like he had to talk about it. 

[If humans eat dragon meat, it can cause problems in their life.] 

“Will it be shortened?” 

[No, rather the opposite. Because it is great nourishing food, the lifespan of any race increases excessively. There’s additional power as well. But that wouldn’t be a blessing for humans. Most of them will become bloodthirsty and die soon.]

Ian found this quite interesting. 

So, did the stories of hunters in ancient times aiming for dragons always show up for this reason?

Dragons knew that and thus fished with their tails?

[Dragons are affected by the magic from their hearts, so their blood is also engraved with magic. The same goes for the tail, which is far from the heart. Unlike my butt, there is a lot of blood in my tail. It’s like the Lesser Dragon class, so it’s weak, so it doesn’t have any effect… and above all, it hurts… No! No tail makes it difficult to balance, difficult to walk and fly! My strength also weakens…!]

Ian laughed when he heard it. 

In other words, if he served it to the envoy, he would only be doing good things for the western empire, right?

Soon Ian smiled insidiously at what he had in mind.  

“You don’t want to give me the tail, do you? Do you want me to change it to something else?”

[What?] 

“Never mind if you don’t like it.”

[N… no! Wait a minute! Speak properly, human!]

Ian whispered with a faint smile at his reaction. 

“Great. Well, it’s a bit awkward to call this a replacement of your tail.”

Ian soon asked for a deal that any dragon could not get away from. 

And even though the dragon didn’t want to get entangled with this kid, the deal was tempting. 

It was such an attractive condition. 

[Very well. I’ll do that for you.] 

The excited Rio Banzaim put strength on his wings and began to fly vigorously. 

As a result. 

“Ahhhhhhh!” 

The knights fainted at the breakneck speed.  

*** 

And at the present. 

The dragon had arrived in the sky above the royal castle.

People with weak hearts screamed in fright at the sight. 

“D… Dragon!” 

From people who saw dragons for the first time in their lives to people who didn’t.

The people of the royal castle were about to faint at the sight of the gigantic monster. 

Of course, some came to their senses immediately and raised their spears, but they soon became dizzy.  

It’s a dragon, after all!

‘Who can fight that!’

To begin with, it was different in size from the Lesser Dragon class.  

But there was more to freak them out. 

“Wait! There’s someone on the dragon!” 

“Is that a kid?” 

“…Red hair? No way!” 

Red was not a common hair color. Moreover, it was such a clear and vivid color as if it was a fire. 

Eventually, the nobles who realized what it signified turned ashen. 

“N-no way, His Highness the Seventh Prince!”

“Come to think of it, the Seventh Prince went to get dragon meat…” 

“Don’t tell me he’s been kidnapped…!” 

But then, the kid in the spotlight waved his hand as if showing he was safe.

At the sight, the elderly aristocrats had no choice but to open their eyes wide. 

The founder of Kaistein suddenly came to their mind. 

“Unbelievable. The First King was certainly said to make a pledge with a dragon and establish the country…”

“Look, it’s not just a legend!” 

It was such an old record. 

There was a legend about the First King and his seven vassals who made a pledge with a dragon.  

And yet Ian was riding a dragon like that. It was as if the heyday when Kaistein was an empire was brought back. 

It was natural for some to look at Ian expectantly. 

Of course, there were those who didn’t. 

‘Really? He brought the dragon with him?’

The First and Second Princesses were shocked and rooted on the spot. 

It made no sense for Ian to appear with the dragon in the first place, let alone show up above the dragon’s head.

‘What the hell… Did he bring the dragon with him or was he kidnapped?’

It was a good thing anyway.  

Either way, it would become really dangerous if they left the situation as it was. 

The First Princess gave a hint to the Second Princess, who was as stunned. 

‘What are you gawking at?!’ 

She had no choice but to be impatient. 

Others might not know, but there was a very special knight among the knights that the Second Princess was proud of. Unlike knights in general, his main weapon was a bow.

With his excellent skills, even if it was a dragon in the sky, he could aim for the vital point at once. 

‘We can pretend to attack the dragon and put that kid in danger.’

Now that a monster had broken into the castle, everything was an enemy! 

In fact, the nobles even shouted.

“I think he went to catch the dragon and got caught!” 

“What are you talking about? He was waving his hand!” 

“Do you see that waving? It could be a dead body fluttering!” 

“What? This guy only spouts nonsense!”

A disagreement broke out among themselves. The very moment the opinions between saving Ian and waiting were about to blow off. 

The job of the royal guards was set. 

And in that instance, the Second Princess also read the First Princess’s true intentions.

‘Sir Antaniel!’

The Second Princess turned her eyes on her most loyal knight.

Everyone was already surprised by the appearance of the dragon and raised their weapons. 

Antaniel also had a bow with its string taut. And the guardian knight of the Second Princess did not delay any longer. 

Shii—iik! 

Under Oath, he began to draw his bow with all his strength. 

He threatened the dragon, and Ian was also going to drop.

But right then. 

“Glory to Kaistein’s one and only sun!” 

“!!” 

The royal guard at the entrance was doing his part.

King Eloin had arrived. He looked at the dragon with a rare look of surprise.  

“What in the world is going on?” 

“Your Majesty! That’s, Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince brought the dragon…” 

“Ian?” 

The king was taken aback, but soon he heard a sound. 

“Ugh. Help me…”

“The motion sickness… keck…”

The sound came from the grasp of the dragon. And the identity of the sound was none other than Ian’s knights.  

They were almost half-dead because they were not used to the dragon’s extreme flight. 

And the dragon gaped his mouth to the knights who took up arms against him. 

Having judged the situation, the king exclaimed.

“What are the guards doing not saving them!” 

“Yes, yes!” 

It was the moment when the royal guards were finally about to step up. 

Thud! 

Something red fell to the ground. 

That’s none other than Ian! 

“Y-Your Highness! 

“His Highness has fallen!” 

However, Ian did not fall to the ground to the point his figure was unrecognizable. 

He knelt on one knee and lowered one arm toward King Eloin. 

As everyone was speechless at the neat appearance. 

Ian, unhurt after the fall thanks to the power of his cloak, slowly raised his head and said. 

“Forgive me for being late, Your Majesty. I tried to bring it to you fresh.”

“What?” 

King Eloin had no time to be surprised.

Behind Ian. 

Whoosh! 

The gigantic dragon spread his wings and descended to the castle as if following Ian.

*** 

King Eloin was dumbfounded. 

‘What’s going on right now?’ 

He couldn’t believe his eyes.

Of course, he didn’t care much until his daughters greeted the envoy, which should have been the Seventh Prince’s duty. 

That was understandable since the First Princess and the envoy had a close relationship.

Not to mention, the Second Princess lacked power compared to other factions. Therefore, he let it go because it was cute of them to reach out to a foreign envoy. 

Rather, as he knew well the purpose the envoy was coming for, he decided that it was an appropriate place to test the abilities of the successors.  

Due to this, he even thought of having a word with Ian, who was deprived of his work. 

‘I thought he kicked away the chance he barely got.’ 

But look at the situation now. 

Kraaaa!!

The dragon Ian brought roared with his wings spread in a dignified manner. All the royal family members gathered in the Opal Palace to see the magnificent figure. 

There was no room to step in this spacious reception room to receive the envoy. 

The other successors to the throne were not any different, of course. 

“Your Majesty, is it really a dragon?” 

“Yes, Queen. That boy came with a dragon.” 

Even his wife, the queen, was staring at the dragon with surprised eyes. 

It was a gathering of all Kaisteins. 

It was only natural for King Eloin to be stupefied at the scene of everyone busy gawking at the dragon in wonder. 

The envoy was so scared witless that he became completely frozen by the sight of the dragon he saw for the first time. 

He even plopped down at the dragon’s roar.

However, Eloin looked at Ian with eyes gleaming.  

After the First Prince incident in the past, he became a little estranged with the nobles and thought he would no longer have such an outstanding successor like him.  

Because of this, he was forced to start the succession war. 

‘What is his limit? I’m really curious how far he can go.’ 

As the king was musing for quite some time. 

Ian’s dish arrived in front of King Eloin and the envoy.

“Well, the dish is ready. Please try it.” 

With a wicked smile plastered on Ian’s face. 

The lid of the bowl containing the food was opened.