Translator: AnubisTL
After ending his communication with the Ironforged King, Earl Mills abruptly threw open the oak window shutters.
The harsh afternoon sunlight flooded into the study, causing him to squint.
He took several deep breaths of the rose-scented air from the garden, his chest heaving as he tried to dispel the frustration and humiliation brought on by the negotiation.
Slowly, his mind settled, and he regained his usual composure.
Perhaps... I should have redeemed Charles.
As his emotions calmed and he re-evaluated the negotiation with the evil dragon, a wave of regret seized him.
Earl Mills realized that the decision he had made at the last moment had been driven by emotion, not reason.
The Flower Knight had indeed become a cripple, losing his former value.
But with the Albert Family's immense wealth and influence, taking care of one more cripple was no trouble at all.
More importantly...
This act could serve as an excellent example for all other adventurers—Look, if you serve the Albert Family, even if you are unfortunately crippled and left in a miserable state, the family will mercifully take responsibility to the end and never abandon you.
Once such a reputation spread, the Albert Family would surely reap the gratitude and loyalty of more adventurers, making those hot-blooded fools even more willing to throw their lives away for the family.
Setting aside old ties and moral obligations, from the pure perspective of family interest, ransoming Charles was clearly the superior choice.
However...
During the long, drawn-out negotiations with that greedy, cunning, and insufferably petty red-iron dragon—
After the repeated humiliation of being reminded of the family's failure, forced to cede trade routes, and pay astronomical reparations—
Earl Mills's patience had been worn thin. His mounting frustration, like molten lava, continuously battered the levees of his reason.
Finally, the accumulated negative emotions completely overwhelmed his calm deliberation, leading him to make a rash decision driven by a momentary need for emotional release.
Of course, the decision wasn't entirely without its own small comfort.
By abandoning Charles, he at least prevented that hateful dragon from clawing another single gold coin from his grasp!
The thought of the dragon's disappointed or enraged expression brought a flicker of satisfaction to Earl Mills's heart, easing his mood slightly.
"Should I contact that evil dragon again, renegotiate, and buy Charles back?"
He hesitated, his gaze falling back upon the crystal communication device on the table, which had just gone silent.
But after only a few seconds of thought, he gently shook his head, abandoning the idea.
"Forget it. In the end, he's not a figure of any real importance to the grand scheme of things."
"Ransoming him back would, at best, be a minor embellishment to the family's reputation. Besides, changing my mind and renegotiating now would inevitably give that cunning dragon an opening to extort another own fortune from us."
The pride and dignity of his noble birth also made Earl Mills unwilling to easily backtrack or show weakness before his enemy.
The Earl paced slowly in his study, which was covered in a thick carpet.
The lingering annoyance in his eyes was gradually replaced by a cold sharpness.
Having suffered such a colossal loss, one that brought unprecedented shame and ruin upon his family, he, Mills Albert, could never simply let this matter rest.
Otherwise, the Albert Family's reputation would be utterly dragged through the mud in noble circles, leaving them a laughingstock.
"The most urgent task is to ensure the deal with the Ironforged Tribe goes smoothly. We must keep them satisfied and first redeem our core pillars—Rhode and Sienna—safely."
"As long as these pillars of the family remain, our foundation will not be shaken."
Once he had calmed down, Earl Mills's train of thought was crystal clear.
After this... will be the time for a true reckoning.
As for why he had to fight the Ironforged Tribe—who held the advantage of terrain in the distant wilderness—to the bitter end?
The reasons were all too simple.
First, a noble's pride was worth more than gold.
He could either swallow this bitter pill of humiliation, enduring the endless mockery and opportunistic attacks of other nobles.
Or he could go all out, fight to the end, and wash away the shame with the blood of his enemies to restore his family's prestige.
Second, and more pragmatically, the Albert Family had already invested a massive amount of resources into this matter. The sunk cost was enormous.
Only a complete subjugation of those dragons—dead or alive—would bring incalculable value. The dragons themselves and their familiars would be enough to compensate for all the family's previous losses, and perhaps even yield a greater profit.
Meanwhile, in the Sierre Wilderness.
An evil dragon successfully corrupts a righteous knight, and the cunning noble, whose hypocrisy is exposed, will ultimately die by the sword of the very knight he once deceived.
Such a story is far more interesting than those cliché tales of a hero slaying a dragon.
A gleam of delight shone in Garos's eyes as he whispered silently to himself.
He even mused with genuine interest whether he should create a dedicated chapter on the Art of Manipulation within his dragon heritage memories.
Often, the very first sentence of a conversation—or even a person's posture before they even speak—is enough to reveal their true character.
Earl Mills was undoubtedly an extremely calm and calculating opponent. From the disastrous defeat of his entire army to being forced into a humiliating negotiation with a powerful enemy, he had swiftly suppressed his emotions throughout the ordeal. He maintained a cool, rational demeanor, eschewing useless threats of anger or uncontrolled rages... Such composure was far beyond that of any ordinary noble.
Precisely for this reason, Garos had abandoned his usual straightforward approach in this negotiation.
Instead, he chose the most tedious and grueling method, haggling over every single gold coin and repeatedly emphasizing the Albert Family's failure and impotence. Like a dull knife carving flesh, he relentlessly chipped away at Earl Mills' patience, provoking his irritation and ultimately causing him to lose his characteristic composure.
In the end, events unfolded exactly as Garos had intended.
Earl Mills would pay a price far more grievous than he could have ever imagined for his momentary lapse in composure at the negotiating table.
When brute force alone failed to resolve a problem, Garos often displayed a formidable intellect—one that stood in stark contrast to his massive frame and ferocious appearance.
Who could have ever guessed?
This red-iron dragon, a towering incarnation of fury and destruction, could manipulate the human heart with such terrifying skill.
(End of the Chapter)
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