The person crouched beside the unconscious young dragon, breathed a sigh of relief after checking its breath, and removed Jasmine’s cloak, revealing the unusual dragon horns under the moonlight.
She really isn’t just a simple human… The black-robed man’s expression was somewhat complicated.
The person was none other than Count Norma’s personal guard, Rocco. He had been ordered by Count Norma to check on Mo Li’s condition, and unexpectedly stumbled upon this scene. Jasmine had been in the forest all day, and Rocco himself had been hanging in the trees all day, witnessing all of Jasmine’s actions.
Of course, others couldn’t see the world inside the ring, so Mo Li’s actions today seemed like a series of confusing behaviors to Rocco. As a member of the Pope’s personal guard, who had fought many battles and encountered various rare beasts, Rocco had dealt with many, including some he had fought against. With his experience, the suspicious horns and the lizard-like scaly tail suggested that Mo Li’s true form was likely a young dragon.
Why would a dragon appear in the Papal State? And why was his own Count so concerned about her? Did he know this girl’s secret? Rocco suppressed his confusion and curiosity, knowing these were things he shouldn’t ask or know. However, in the human kingdom, harboring dangerous non-humans was a serious crime, and dragons, being a mythical species, were certainly considered dangerous. If discovered without identification, they would be treated as illegal immigrants. Given the human prejudice against non-humans, Count Norma, despite his noble title, might not only lose his status but also drag himself down.
Rocco sighed. Serving one master without plotting for another, now that he belonged to Norma, it was only natural to conceal part of the truth for him.
Indeed, genuine dragon horns. After hesitating for a moment, Rocco tried rubbing Jasmine’s dragon horns and concluded that, with his extensive experience, this wasn’t the first time he had touched such a creature’s horns. Dragon horns felt very different from those of deer or some magical creatures. An outsider might not notice, but Rocco, who had long dealt with exotic creatures, could immediately tell the difference.
Jasmine murmured something softly. Rocco couldn’t hear clearly from a distance, but when he got closer, he heard, “Hungry, food…”
So she fainted from hunger? Rocco’s mouth twitched. He finally understood why Mo Li could eat the equivalent of ten pigs in one meal. The young dragon was growing, and nutrition was essential.
He decided to take her back first. Although this forest on the outskirts of the city was secluded, there might still be passersby. Fortunately, he had come along; otherwise, this dragon girl might have spent the night lying in the forest.
“Who’s there? Come out.” Rocco’s expression tensed, and his tone turned cold as he made a move.
There was movement in the bushes.
“Peeping is a bad habit. Come out voluntarily, and there might be a chance to correct it.” Despite his words, the short knife in Rocco’s hand had already been drawn from its sheath.
He wasn’t sure if the peeper had seen Jasmine’s appearance, and regardless of whether they had, he couldn’t let them go easily. If they refused to comply, he would resort to force.
The bushes rustled, and a few squeaky sounds like those of mice emerged, followed by a group of green goblins with pointed ears and monkey-like faces, looking sinister and cunning.
“Goblins?” Rocco raised an eyebrow, pondering why this group of goblins, lurking outside Fran City, had decided to show themselves. A glance at the unconscious Jasmine made it clear.
These little devils probably caught the scent of a different species. But was it worth them coming out in full force?
Speaking of which, this girl was really careless, going out with just a cloak. Her heart was big…
The goblin imps got excited, their eyes gleaming, as if they wanted to pierce through Rocco, who was blocking their way.
In a way, he had saved this dragon lady’s life. If he hadn’t come today, she might have ended up in a goblin lair, her body in tatters.
“Unlucky.” Rocco toyed with the knife in his hand, glancing at the goblins surrounding him.
There were at least twenty or thirty of them, hard to imagine so many goblins residing just outside the small city of Fran.
It wasn’t that he was afraid, just that it was troublesome. Rocco usually faced enemies like magic apes or fierce lions, strong and tough big beasts. He had never dealt with goblins before.
Such matters were usually handled by town guards or militia, not someone like him, a member of the Pope’s personal guard.
However, he had heard that these little devils were cunning, knew how to use tools, and had a certain level of intelligence, making them difficult to deal with.
Sure enough, after a simple exchange of glances, the goblins started chattering, some wielding iron swords of unknown origin, others with crudely made wooden clubs, and even some with forks, all shouting incessantly at his side.
They were well-coordinated. The goblins in front distracted Rocco with their shrill cries, while those on the flanks seized the opportunity to pounce, executing a feint.
An unsuspecting adventurer might be successfully ambushed and overwhelmed by the little devils, but unfortunately, they had chosen the wrong opponent this time.
The moment the chattering goblins launched their ambush, Rocco was already in motion. A battle-hardened veteran, he had developed a keen sense of warfare and muscle memory. Against enemies of this level, ambushes were clearly ineffective.
The short blade sliced through, flesh and blood flying, leaving the ground littered with the goblins’ severed limbs.
Goblins were known for being troublesome due to their cruel and cunning nature. Even the death of their companions didn’t extinguish their hope, instead using it as an opportunity to launch a pursuit.
The goblins with bows didn’t remain idle either, hiding behind trees and trying to find an angle to deliver a fatal blow to Rocco while he dealt with their companions.
A seemingly ordinary short blade in Rocco’s hand transformed into the scythe of death, painting the air with blood. In wide, sweeping motions, he forced the goblins to retreat repeatedly, filled with fear.
Flicking off the blood from the blade, he casually intercepted an arrow flying towards the back of his head.
The goblin archer, attempting a sneak attack from afar, was dumbfounded. It only then realized they had encountered a tough opponent.
Just as it was about to flee, it felt a sharp pain in its back. An arrow pierced through it from behind, the very one it had shot earlier.
The dying goblin archer turned its head with difficulty, seeing its companions all wiped out, leaving only the green chunks on the ground as evidence of their existence.
