“My spear! …Damn it, how is this possible?!” The sudden turn of events shocked everyone present.
None of them expected Mo Li to still have the strength to resist, or that he could bite through a master-crafted spear so easily.
“Ugh…!” Under the moonlight, the boy’s black hair gradually turned snow-white, like cherry blossoms dusted with snow.
Silvery strands fell to his thighs, and his body changed dramatically, shrinking down.
A pair of horns grew out, and a tail covered in smooth jade-like scales swayed behind him.
That stunning face, filled with killing intent, made the five nobles present lose focus for a moment, forgetting their current predicament.
“Grrr!” The girl’s face twisted with rage, her exquisite heterochromatic eyes burning with fury.
She pounced on the spear-wielding noble like a wild beast.
“Wha—!” As her sharp dragon fangs pierced his armor with ease, the spear noble finally realized the danger.
He tried to throw the girl off, but she pinned him down hard.
At the last second, vines shot up from the ground, binding the girl’s arms, then wrapping around her waist and legs, pinning her at a distance.
The rope noble and shield-blade noble took the chance to rescue the spear noble.
“Huff…huff…” The spear noble looked at the bound and struggling Jasmine, still shaken but regaining some courage.
“Young master Robert, what is this thing…?”
“So that’s it…” Robert narrowed his eyes, staring at the girl glaring at him under the moon.
For some reason, her face was like a drug that could make men addicted or even aroused—he couldn’t look away.
“I get it now.
This man called Mo Li… he’s not a man at all.
No, he’s not even human.” Robert seemed to have figured everything out in an instant.
“No wonder Count Norma abandoned this bastard child back then.
So this is the truth… Count Norma had a child with a non-human, and, fearing the wrath of the church, abandoned it.
But after years without an heir, he had to take this half-blood back and raise her, making her pretend to be a human male and never reveal her true identity.”
“Ohhh!”
“So that’s how it is??”
“Unbelievable.”
“As expected of young master Robert, he figured out the whole story with just a glance!” Everyone suddenly looked enlightened.
“No wonder she showed no interest in the princess.
Turns out this kid… this girl was a girl all along.”
“Your whole family’s a girl!” Jasmine cursed angrily.
“Huh? This non-human can speak human language?”
“Just as I thought, this non-human grew up in a human city-state, so it’s not strange she knows the language.” Robert looked at Jasmine with a stern gaze.
“So, young master Robert, what should we do now?”
“What else?” Robert grinned, elegantly walking up to Jasmine, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him.
“You’ve really given me a big gift.
I should thank you, young master Mo Li… oh no, Miss Mo Li?”
“Now, Count Norma is a noble of our Holy See, yet he consorted with a non-human and made his bastard child the heir.
That’s completely against doctrine.” Robert sneered coldly.
“Now that we’ve caught you red-handed, Count Norma won’t be able to keep his title.”
“You! Don’t you dare use me to frame someone else!” Jasmine gritted her teeth, wishing she could leap over and bite this scheming bastard Robert to death.
“What, feeling protective of your father?” Robert ruffled Jasmine’s hair, then grabbed her horn and yanked her closer.
“Don’t worry, Miss Mo Li.
I won’t let you die… after all, you’re the ‘evidence’.”
“The evidence of Count Norma’s crime of consorting with non-humans.”
“Don’t go too far! There’s nothing between me and Norma but cooperation!”
“Oh really? Cooperation that led you to cause chaos at the Minster exam? Cooperation that made him cheat for you without question?” Robert gave her a look that said, “Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“You idiots and your wild imaginations! …Let me go! If you’re a man, stop using your stupid plant powers and fight me one-on-one!” Jasmine shouted in her delicate voice, which only made people want to bully her more.
“A duel? Pfft, sorry Miss Mo Li, I’d accept any request from a beautiful lady, but only if she’s actually human.” Robert let go of Jasmine, giving her a contemptuous look.
“But speaking of which… young master Robert, even if she’s non-human, this girl is really pretty…” The spear noble grinned lecherously.
“She’s even prettier than the princess, right?”
“Don’t compare her to the princess.” Robert snorted.
“She’s just a lowly bastard, a filthy monster.”
“Calm down, Aiden.
If you do anything with a non-human, you’ll get excommunicated.” The rope noble rolled his eyes at the spear noble.
“I-I was just saying… but with such a beautiful woman, don’t tell me you never thought about it!”
“Even if I did, I’d never show it like you do!”
“Alright, alright, stop arguing.
Let’s hear what the young master says.”
“Young master, are we taking her with us? …If so, it might be tricky.
Non-humans are strong, she might escape if we’re not careful.” The crossbow noble analyzed.
“No, it won’t be too much trouble.” Robert turned back with a cruel smile.
“If she can still run, just make sure she can’t.
I only need her alive as evidence, and being alive doesn’t require her to be whole… Cut off her limbs.”
“W-what are you going to do?!” Jasmine struggled even harder when she heard that.
———
At that moment, outside the secret realm, a group of instructors were chatting.
Xing Luo was unusually sober, eating meat and drinking with the white-bearded Klo.
“By the way, Instructor Xing Luo, isn’t this place pretty close to your dragon clan’s territory, the City of the Sky? Is there a chance a dragon might pass by?”
“Maybe, but not necessarily.”
“Since it’s so close to the City of the Sky, what if a dragon shows up in the secret realm?” Klo joked.
“It’s not a big deal, as long as it’s not a White Feathered Dragon.” Xing Luo replied absentmindedly.
“Oh? And what if it is a White Feathered Dragon? Besides, even if it is, a juvenile White Feathered Dragon isn’t much of a threat, right?”
“Have you ever heard of dragon rage?” Xing Luo glanced at him.
“Oh, dragon rage?…”
“Our royal clan isn’t that simple.
Their anger is tied to their bloodline.
Even a young White Feathered Dragon, if their rage passes a certain threshold and their life is in danger, can unleash terrifying power… At that point, the world might just fall apart.”
“So, no matter what kind of dragon they meet, they should pray it’s not a White Feathered Dragon.”
“And if they do, they’d better not piss her off completely, or… they might not live to regret it.” With that, Xing Luo took another swig of wine.
