Evil Red Dragon

Chapter 84 Betrayal

Alekto stood behind Andrei, nodding in agreement, completely unaware of Andrei's increasingly grim expression.

Until Andrei squeezed out through gritted teeth, "I said—why were you behind me!"

He then whirled around, pointing at the trolls and orcs hiding behind the Holy Light Shield: "What's going on with them? Didn't we agree to go our separate ways?"

Alexo, however, patted Andrei on the shoulder as if they were old friends: "Don't be so stingy, it's okay to brush against the shield a little. That's how cooperation is, mutually beneficial!"

Andrei's face gradually darkened, turning as black as charcoal. He slapped away the incessantly chattering Alecto: "Enough! Keep going!"

Alector wasn't annoyed when Andrei slapped him away.

He withdrew his hand, his mind racing.

From their brief encounter, he knew that the guy in front of him was only level six.

Andrei has reached the pinnacle of level six, just one step away from level seven.

But that line is an insurmountable barrier.

So how could this paladin, who was only level six, dare to continue advancing after hearing about a necromancer who was at the peak of level seven or even higher?

What gives him such confidence?

Holy Light does have a restraining effect on the undead, but when the level difference exceeds one level, the restraining effect will be greatly reduced.

Alecto swept his gaze across the entire Holy Light Knights Order.

One hundred heavily armored knights without mounts were well-trained and coordinated, but this was not enough to make up for the difference in their levels.

A level 7 peak necromancer is fully capable of drowning this hundred-man group with a sea of ​​undead, and then slowly wearing down Andrei.

unless----

Unless Andrei possesses some kind of sacred object that can transcend class limitations.

With a history spanning millennia and profound heritage, it's not impossible for the Church to possess several artifacts that can temporarily boost combat power and allow them to fight against high-level undead.

"interesting."

A slight smile curved Alecto's lips.

If the church truly has such a trump card, then this cooperation is even more valuable.

He could observe the power of the relics in the chaos, assess the true strength of the church, and ensure the safe evacuation of his own followers.

More importantly, if the relic enters a period of weakness after use, then he might be able to—

Greedy thoughts grew wildly like weeds, but Alecto immediately suppressed them.

Now is not the time.

His task was to protect his family and relatives amidst the chaos of battle, while acquiring as much treasure as possible.

"Stay close, don't fall behind."

Alecto whispered to his retinue behind him, "Once the battle begins, prioritize your own safety. If anything seems amiss, retreat immediately."

Gru and Goron nodded simultaneously, a serious look flashing in their eyes.

After Andrei slapped Alecto's hand away, the Holy Knights regrouped and continued their advance deeper into the territory.

The ghouls' attacks grew increasingly fierce, and the lowly undead seemed endless, pouring out from cracks in the rock walls and holes in the ground.

The undead's attack power is also increasing.

Skeleton warriors clad in tattered armor began to mingle among the ghouls, wielding rusted swords and moving with the fighting skills they had acquired in life.

Occasionally, floating vengeful spirits would leap out of the shadows, attempting to penetrate the holy light shield and attack the soul directly.

The Holy Knights remained calm and composed in their response.

Andrei stood at the very front of the formation, each swing of his greatsword unleashing waves of holy light that purified hordes of ghouls and skeletons.

The knights behind him formed a wedge formation, their towers and shields fitting together like a moving city wall, their spears thrusting out from the gaps in the shields, precisely piercing the skulls of the undead.

"As expected of the Holy Knights."

Linus stood in the center of the formation, his scepter continuously radiating holy light, providing buffs and purification to the entire team.

His gaze, however, kept glancing at Alecto.

This red dragon is too quiet.

Since proposing the cooperation, Alecto has truly kept his promise, only clearing out the undead who slipped through the net, and never initiating any provocation.

Even when the paladins occasionally get too close to the dragonborn due to positioning issues, Alecto will proactively have his followers step back to avoid conflict.

This is not in line with the nature of the red dragon.

Greed, irritability, and arrogance are traits etched into the bloodline of the Five-Colored Dragon.

Although Alector was sharp-tongued, he was unusually restrained in his actions.

"He's observing us."

Linus's inner alarm bells were ringing.

But with the threat of the undead looming ahead, he couldn't afford to break the newly reached cooperation agreement based on mere suspicion.

Moreover—Alector's analysis of the mastermind behind the scenes is indeed reasonable.

"You're a bishop, aren't you?"

Alecto's voice suddenly rang out beside Linus.

Linus was startled; he hadn't noticed the red dragon approaching at all.

Turning my head, I saw a red-haired young man grinning, revealing a set of white teeth.

"What's up?"

Linus remained calm, his scepter tilted slightly forward, ready to activate the protective spell at any moment.

"Don't be nervous, I just want to talk."

Alecto waved his hand, his light sweeping across the fiercely battling paladins ahead: "See, we're cooperating quite well, aren't we? These undead are troublesome, but they're no match for the Holy Light."

Linus did not respond, waiting for what would follow.

Alecto continued, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, "Actually, I've been to Greystone Town before."

These words caused Linus's pupils to contract sharply.

"You've been to Graystone Town? When?"

"Just a few months ago."

Alecto said casually, "I used shapeshifting to disguise myself as a human, went in and bought some things, sold some materials, and even hired a few craftsmen. I'm a law-abiding citizen; I even paid the entry fee—one silver coin."

Linus stared at Alecto, silently activating his Word of Truth spell.

The divine magic feedback was clear; the red dragon was not lying.

"What are you going to Graystone Town for?"

Linus pressed for an answer.

"Replenish supplies."

Alecto shrugged. "My territory is newly established and lacks many things. Craftsmen, tools, maps—Greystone Town is the closest human settlement to me. Where else can I go?"

The truth has been confirmed once again.

"Then why did you leave?"

Linus's question became increasingly pointed: "With your strength, you could easily have stayed in Graystone Town much longer."

Alecto's expression suddenly turned somewhat unpleasant.

"Because I've run into trouble."

He lowered his voice: "I ran into people from the Witches' Guild, and they've got their eyes on me."

"Witches?"

Linus's breath hitched.

This name is considered a high-level warning within the church.

The group of female spellcasters who possess forbidden knowledge are elusive and their motives are unknown, but every time they appear, they bring disaster.

"Yes, a woman named Helena."

Alecto's voice was filled with annoyance: "I was inquiring about materials at the potions shop when she suddenly appeared and tried to grab me without saying a word. I barely managed to escape."

0

The feedback from the Word of Truth came like a tidal wave; Alecto was telling the truth.

Linus's brain was working at lightning speed.

Is there a witch in Graystone Town?

This is no small matter.

He recognized the name Helena; she was marked as a high-risk target in the church's intelligence network, skilled in mental magic, and her whereabouts were a mystery.

If what Alector said is true, then what is the purpose of the Witches' Guild?

Is it targeting the Red Dragon? Or is there another motive?

Alecto watched Linus's ever-changing expression and sneered inwardly.

While the art of truth-telling can indeed determine the truthfulness of words, it can never see through people's hearts or distinguish between truthful statements used to deliberately lead others to incorrect conclusions.

"Helena————"

Linus repeated the name softly, the holy light on his scepter pulsating slightly: "Is she still in Graystone Town?"

"I don't know, I ran away."

Alecto shrugged: "Oh, right, she also has a partnership with that thirteenth princess named Elena. She even said that all the members are going to Twin Moon City."

"The Thirteenth Princess—Elena—"

The air pressure around Linus dropped instantly, and the fingers on the scepter clenched, turning white at the knuckles.

The Truth Word spell confirmed once again that Alector was not lying.

At least it's true that Elena and Helena collaborated.

And this is precisely the most fatal truth.

What does it mean that members of the royal family are colluding with witches?

This means that the situation in Twin Moon City is far worse than the Church anticipated, and the Thirteenth Princess may not have been a pawn of the royal family from the beginning, but rather a puppet of the Witch's Guild, or even a high-ranking member.

Linus's mind was filled with countless fragments of information.

The recent purge of nobles in Twin Moon City has led Bishop Raphael to increasingly frequent appeals for help.

These previously scattered clues, once revealed that Elena was a witch, instantly connected to form a complete conspiracy network.

"They definitely have bigger plans in Twin Moon City."

Alecto added a sentence at the opportune moment, his tone resolute.

Linus remained silent for several seconds.

The paladins were still fighting the undead ahead, holy light and black mist intertwined and collided, and rubble fell.

A few dozen seconds later, Linus completed a complete reassessment of the situation in his mind.

Why didn't you say so sooner?

The bishop finally spoke, his voice hoarse.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Alexoth scoffed: "If I, a red dragon, ran up to the church entrance and shouted that your princess was a member of the Witch's Guild, do you think you would believe me? Or would you purify me first?"

Linus was speechless.

Indeed, if it had been a few days earlier, when Alexo rashly revealed this information, the Church's first reaction would not have been to believe it, but rather to suspect that the Red Dragon was sowing discord.

But now it's different.

The cooperative relationship in the face of the undead threat, though fragile, did give Alecto a certain degree of credibility.

The repeated verification of truths by the Word of Truth forced Linus to confront these facts.

The timing is even more important.

If Alexoth had said these things before the cooperation began, Linus might have suspected that it was just an excuse the Red Dragon had made up to secure the partnership.

However, Alector's decision to bring it up only after the cooperation had already been established makes it seem more like a spur-of-the-moment idea during a battle, less calculated and more genuine.

All of this was Alecto's meticulous design.

He wanted the Church of Light to tear the Witch Society apart, ideally to fight to the death so that neither side could care about the other, while he secretly developed his own power.

Why are you telling me this?

Linus asked the most crucial question.

Alecto's expression turned serious.

"Because I don't want to be at odds with the church."

He said, half-jokingly, "I just want a stable territory to raise my family and collect my treasure. Attacking human towns? That's too much trouble, and the risks far outweigh the rewards."

Alecto really didn't want to attack human towns, for the time being.

He pointed into the darkness: "Necromancers like these are the real threat. They disrupt the balance, create death, and turn peaceful lands into ghost towns."

"In comparison, I'm just a red dragon who likes gold coins, and I abide by the law, so I'm much less of a threat, aren't I?"

The spell of Truth confirmed once again that this was Alector's true thought.

Linus remained silent.

Red Dragon's words are filled with typical egoistic logic, but that is precisely why they seem credible.

Alecto was not advocating justice or his goodness, but rather calculating gains and losses.

His calculations showed that cooperating with the church now was more worthwhile than confronting it.

"Go on."

Linus said.

A glint flashed in Alecto's eyes; he knew the other side had taken the bait.

"We can reach an agreement."

His offer was tempting: "If you don't deal with me, I won't attack Graystone Town. Not only that, I can also help you clear out the monsters around Graystone Town."

With me here, Warcraft is no problem at all. And of course, all the loot is mine.

"My territory can also serve as an outpost for Graystone Town, and we can even trade with each other."

He paused, observing Linus's reaction.

Linus's heart raced instantly.

Alector's proposal hit the nail on the head regarding his most fundamental needs.

Greystone Town needs stability now.

The city-building plan was a key bargaining chip for Linus's advancement within the church.

If he can successfully develop Greystone from a small outpost into a major city in the North, his status in the Cardinal Council will be greatly enhanced, and he may even be able to compete for the next Archbishop.

But the biggest obstacle to building a city is security.

Graystone Town is located near the Endless Mountains, where a large number of high-level magical beasts roam. If they were to come over, Graystone Town would be powerless to resist them.

This is why he asked the Holy Light Knights to help with the cleanup, but the Knights cannot stay in Graystone Town forever.

If a red dragon were willing to act as a watchdog —

"What makes you think I should believe you?"

Linus asked, his tone no longer as cold as it had been at the beginning.

"Based on self-interest."

Alecto answered very bluntly: "I'll help you stabilize your territory, and you'll let me live in peace."

"What we need is non-aggression, not friendship. This kind of relationship is actually stronger because if it breaks down, both sides will suffer heavy losses."

He added, "And wouldn't it be better if I looted more—cough, collected more gold coins?"

The spell of Truth is activated; it speaks only the truth.

Linus took a deep breath.

He had to admit that Alecto's offer was very attractive.

A red dragon that is willing to remain neutral or even wants to cooperate with him is much easier to deal with than a hostile red dragon.

Moreover, as he said, the red dragon indeed had no interest in ruling humanity; the nature of dragons was to hoard wealth, not to manage territory.

"I need to think about it."

Linus concluded, "And the priority now is dealing with the necromancer."

"certainly."

Alecto smiled broadly: "So, shall we continue our cooperation in the future?"

"----continue."

The conversation ended there; Alecto retreated to his retinue, leaving Linus alone in thought.

Cyril leaned closer and transmitted his voice in Dragon Language: "Master, are you really planning to cooperate with the Church?"

Why not?

Alecto countered, "Greystone Town has many things I need: artisans, technology, and magical items. A forced attack would be too costly and could attract the kingdom's army, but cooperating with them would allow me to trade openly and legitimately."

"But the church is not to be trusted."

Cyril offered a reminder.

"I don't trust them either."

Alecto grinned and said, "That's why it's a perfect collaboration."

"We both know that the other party could betray us at any time, so we will abide by the agreement until the other party has no benefit left."

He looked at Andrei, who was still fighting ahead: "And now, the church needs my help to deal with the monsters, and I need the church to be my shield. It's a win-win situation."

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