The Elusive and Enigmatic Protagonist (29)

The scene of the young maiden, the black dragon, and Charles interacting in front of the royal palace was still vivid in memory. Watching the two young men fiercely exchanging blows, the High Priest inexplicably felt as though he were witnessing a grand courtship display in the jungle, with male beasts going wild before a female.

The High Priest’s lips twitched violently, banishing the disturbing image from his mind, and hurried over to the Cupbearer.

“Your Highness, what has happened? Please have them stop.”

The Cupbearer lowered her legs, glanced at the white-bearded old man, and offered a refined smile. “That’s not for me to decide.”

“Your Highness, if they continue, this hall will be torn apart. That’s one thing, but if either of them is injured, would you not be distressed?”

“Not at all.”

The High Priest nearly choked, struggling to maintain composure, though his tone could no longer sustain its usual lofty tranquility.

“The kingdom is surrounded by formidable enemies. The bone dragon, crafted at great expense and effort by the Harman Kingdom, has been destroyed by the Dragon God himself. Harman will not let this go unpunished.

In such dire times, we should not waste our strength on internal strife.

Your Highness, Charles obeys your commands, and the Dragon God holds you in high regard. If you speak, they will listen.”

The Cupbearer scoffed, “If my words mattered, would they be fighting like this?”

The system, listening to its host’s brazen untruths, thought: Isn’t it precisely because they listened to you that they’re fighting like this? What is the host up to? Has she truly given up on the mission out of anger?

But surely, there’s no need to be so upset? Looking at it another way, someone loves you enough to break through the barriers of worlds, pursuing you across realms—shouldn’t that be profoundly moving, ending in a happy ever after?

Of course, the system only grumbled inwardly. Right now, it dared not utter a word.

For this time, the host truly seemed angry—she hadn’t spoken another word to it.

The system was bitterly aggrieved.

“Still, the High Priest is quite inscrutable,” she said.

His eyelid twitched again. “Your Highness, what do you mean by that?”

“This is your first time seeing the black one's human form, yet you recognized him instantly as the Dragon God. And you seem entirely unconcerned for the Captain’s safety. For an ordinary human battling a black dragon, your confidence is rather excessive.”

The High Priest saw a sly smile appear on the maiden’s face as she said, “It’s almost as if you know exactly what Charles truly is.”

A flash of murderous intent flickered in his eyes, though his expression remained unchanged. “Aside from you, there are no black-haired, black-eyed people in the kingdom, and his eyes are quite distinctive. It’s not strange that I recognized him.

As for Sir Charles, I have no idea what Your Highness means.”

The Cupbearer smiled indifferently. “Take it as you will.”

“Your Highness, what kind of being do you think Charles is? You must have some notion?”

“No need to probe,” she replied, her smile faint. “I’m not interested in your schemes to overturn the Valenriel royal order, nor in your plans to seize the dragon’s power for immortality, High Priest Sporg Bright.”

Having her desires exposed did not surprise the High Priest.

But having her call out his name so directly, murderous intent truly stirred within him.

No sooner had the thought arisen than she drawled, “Do you intend to kill me, High Priest?”

Her words were light, her tone languid and unconcerned.

Yet almost the instant they left her lips, his expression changed. He tore open a scroll hidden in his sleeve and teleported to the far end of the hall.

In the spot where he had stood, two figures—one black, one white—now stood.

No matter how fierce their fight, neither Charles nor the black dragon had missed a single movement on the Cupbearer’s side.

Charles stepped in front of her, the tip of the black dragon’s tail wrapped around her ankle, rubbing against her as it went, though his gaze was fixed on the High Priest, ferocity blazing in his eyes.

The Cupbearer endured it, ignored the shameless tail, and lifted her head to regard the High Priest. “As you wished, High Priest. Look, they’ve stopped.”