The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

Although not the front-page headline, the depiction of David as the Red Dragon, his full-body tattoo seeming 'ferocious yet mocking,' occupied nearly an entire page. It was even accompanied by a shocking, bright red headline:

[Son of the Crimson Calamity—Approaching Dewensen]

"According to enthusiastic citizens of Dewensen, on the 15th of last month, an unusual red dragon was sighted on the outskirts of Dewensen City. Suspected to be the offspring of the Crimson Calamity, Pafila, all citizens are advised to exercise caution when traveling in the near future. In the unfortunate event of an encounter with the red dragon, please ensure your own safety, remain restrained and calm, and wait for Public Order Officers to provide assistance..."

"..." As Dragon Dad murmured through the headlines, David and his father, who were just about to let loose, exchanged bewildered glances. For a moment, they couldn't tell if the High Elves' intelligence was remarkably slow or surprisingly fast. After all, it had been over a year since David's 'dragon labor' demolition of Spider Nest City, and there hadn't been any rumors about it in Saeolus City back then. So much so that David, who had even hoped to be honored on the new continent's 'Top Ten Outstanding Youths List' for it, had his hopes dashed.

Yet, after all this time, he'd only just shown his face outside the city yesterday, and those Elves had already recognized him?

Fuck, could it be that they had discovered the Century Fragrant Fruit theft?

David carefully reviewed the short news piece again, less than a hundred words long, but it didn't mention that matter. Feeling a baffling sense of déjà vu, David immediately smacked his lips and said, "Okay, so they're chasing trending topics to shift the controversy, huh?"

Wasn't this just the typical tactic capitalists in his previous life used, paying for headlines to divert public attention and scrutiny?

"What?" Even though she was used to her son spouting concise yet abstract phrases, Attilicia still didn't quite understand this time.

"What are you talking about, brother?" Tania, who had been looking forward to seeing the fearful expressions on her elder brother and father's faces, was utterly disappointed. However, faced with the novel description her brother had come up with, she immediately became like a curious child, eager to absorb new knowledge.

At that moment, Shalaina, who was carrying a giant platter with a chilled, char-grilled double serving of beef, overheard the conversation. She caught sight of the newspaper page spread open in Attilicia's hands and found it somewhat amusing. Wasn't that the red dragon sketch she'd hand-drawn for the Elf Military Department last month? To think they were only using it now.

Understanding the context, she quickly grasped what David meant by 'chasing trending topics' and scoffed, explaining, "What else could it be? Lately, with the major naval drawdowns and the increasingly serious public security threats, who isn't grumbling? They just want to use the name of this Son of the Crimson Calamity to..."

Shalaina was mid-explanation when she suddenly paused, as if slow on the uptake, and murmured to herself, "Son of the Crimson Calamity?"

"Pafila's child?"

Doesn't that mean...

Isn't that also Attilicia's child???

She whipped her head around to look at David's family of three, whose expressions were as varied as a half-taken family portrait, and suddenly covered her mouth. "Sorry, Attilicia... I didn't mean to..."

Attilicia, whose attention had also been drawn to this by Shalaina, belatedly feigned a heavy and sorrowful expression and sighed, "It's fine. I've known about it for a long time. In fact, when I was in the Gloomy Region, I even encountered him. Coincidentally, if he hadn't blown up Spider Nest City in a fit of rage, I might not have even had the chance to escape."

After all, back then, hadn't he also imagined David having a Red Dragon brother, one who pulled strings from behind the scenes and plotted to steal his Formula of Sobering Potion?

The name he had registered for David at the Dewensen City Hall was David Uthos. After all, Uthos was just one of many surnames. It was like Elven names such as Elizabeth or Yevgeny; shout one out on the street, and half a dozen underage Elves might turn their heads. Dragons were the same, especially the Chromatic Dragons. Those who managed to survive to adulthood despite such a high mortality rate had usually already made a name for themselves, like Pafila's Crimson Calamity. But there were exceptions. There were once two black dragon brothers who, even into their old age, used the same 'name' and the same title, committing consecutive robberies at different times and places, leading the humans in the surrounding towns to believe they possessed some sort of Teleportation magic.

By now, Attilicia could face the issue of David's identity with such unflappable poise that it was 'as if Mount Tai were collapsing before her, yet her expression remained unchanged.'

After all, even Reveal Truth couldn't expose it. Unless a god appeared in person, who could tell?

Who the hell could have predicted it?

Attilicia couldn't have imagined it back then. And now, even Shalaina, who had been living with David for over half a month, was just as clueless. "Ah... there's that too? Then him?"

Attilicia immediately distanced herself, saying coolly, "No, he didn't know I was in the city at the time. In fact, if the Spider Queen hadn't descended then, I might have been obliterated in that Dragon God catastrophe."

"Ah?" Shalaina wasn't the only one left dumbfounded.

Beside them, Tania, also hearing this for the first time, stared at her older brother in disbelief, her expression seeming to ask, So, brother, this wasn't the first time you almost sent Dad to the Styx River, huh?

Tania instantly recalled the 'terrifying memory' of her first 'meeting' with her father, when she and her brother had nearly crushed him to death by sitting on him. Her normally cute Silver Dragon face scrunched up involuntarily, like a kitten recoiling from a pungent smell.

It was David who hastened to cut off this topic, so detrimental to family harmony. "Anyone who puts our father in such peril, I will never acknowledge as my brother! I, David Uthos, am irreconcilably opposed to him!"

"Yes, yes! Irreconcilably opposed!" Tania chimed in, looking serious and solemn. Shalaina, however, couldn't see Tania's little white belly twitching uncontrollably, almost cramping from suppressed laughter.

"Alright, let's not talk about this depressing topic anymore," Attilicia asserted with the authority of the family's Dragon Lord. "Hurry up and eat. You have homework to do later. David, you haven't finished your alchemy assignments for today either."

"Oh," David and his sister responded in unison.

Just as they were about to head to their respective large food bowls, David's peripheral vision suddenly caught a report on another page of the newspaper. The layout and text of this report were much more direct, summarizing in just a few dozen words:

Recently, cases have emerged in various Elf city-states of Drow systematically peddling 'inferior Anger Potions.' Consequently, all city-states and even Noble territories are now under strict orders to investigate and control this issue. Elf citizens are also encouraged to report such suspicious smuggling activities for a reward.

When David saw the mention of 'inferior Anger Potions,' he couldn't help but chuckle.

Could this be the stuff that Drow Alianna distributed last year?

No way, they haven't sold out yet?

Feeling a headache coming on, David pondered.

Yikes, this seemed to be his mess too.

It had seemed like the High Elves and the Drow were on the verge of war. But then, Spider Nest City was half-leveled by Tiamat—whom David had provoked—and subsequently, he and the Drow Matriarchs had scoured the place clean. As a result, the various Drow city-states were now embroiled in their own version of 'palace intrigue,' centered around the legitimate authority of their religion.

This war, it just couldn't break out anymore.

With no war, and the Anger Potion not being like the Hallucinatory Potion that could be used daily for a life of hedonistic indulgence, it was closer to munitions—useless without a battle. Surely, no one would use it just for kicks when there was no fighting?

These potions that had suddenly flooded the market...

They were indeed overstocked.

This can't go on, David realized the gravity of the situation. If this continued, all the merchandise he and his father had just produced... would be completely dead stock!

Although his father was always convinced that the High Elves might fall into strife or even civil war due to centralization, war is something unpredictable. It was possible for sides to engage in minor skirmishes for decades, with the entire populace trembling in fear, yet full-scale war never breaks out. Instead, one side might suddenly collapse one day. Alternatively, a whole nation could be celebrating, only for its leader to be assassinated, triggering a full-blown war that engulfs the continent.

Unless he was willing and capable of being the catalyst himself.

But history had proven that anyone attempting such a thing, unless they possessed an extraordinarily resilient fate, would easily be ground to dust in the clash of powers.

So David was neither willing, nor did he—now without the Wrath of Tiamat—believe he had the ability to do such a thing.

War, it should just follow its natural course.

After all, he was still a young Dragon. With his divine nature, the most important thing for him was to lay low and build his strength.

But making money was equally important!

No, I have to investigate and develop the market further, he decided.

Thinking this, David devoured the entire cow in his food bowl in a few bites, meat and bones alike.

"Dad, I just remembered that some materials in the alchemy room are running low. I'll go out and buy some," he said, as casually as if he were stepping out to buy soy sauce.

"Alright, be careful on the way," his Dragon dad replied calmly.

Just be careful not to bump into any passersby and injure them; we'd have to pay their medical expenses.

As for his son? He was a Demigod. What was there for a mere mortal Dragon like him to worry about?

Tania's eyes darted around, and she quickly finished her dinner as well. "Dad, I'm going out too, to help Brother David carry some materials."

She was about to scurry out after David, but Attilicia caught her by the scruff of her neck and hauled her back, posing a soul-searching question: "Did you finish your homework?"

"Agh! That's not fair! Brother hasn't finished his alchemy coursework either. Why are you only picking on me?"

The Dragon dad snorted coldly. As Tania wailed in misery and Shalaina watched with sympathetic eyes, he dragged her into her room.

On what grounds? Even if you're a Magic Prodigy, can you compare to your brother? Can you beat me, your dad? And can your dad stop him? Huh? Honestly. Each one more troublesome than the last.