Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Marina picked up a thin seaweed roll filled with minced fish and vegetables.

She took a small bite and instantly liked it.

"This one's light but really fresh," she said, offering the rest to Azurea.

The dragoness took it with a raised brow and bit into it without hesitation.

"Hmm. Not bad. Not enough spice, though."

"You want spice? Try that one," Marina pointed to another stall. "They're selling grilled manta slices with salt-crust."

Azurea was already walking there before Marina finished her sentence.

Minutes turned into hours.

Eren and his group wandered through the bustling streets of White Raven City, taking in the sights and sounds of the newly rebuilt island.

The salty breeze from the sea mixed with the scent of grilled seafood and fresh fruit. Everything felt lively, full of energy and laughter.

Suddenly, a wave of loud cheering and laughter rose from a corner nearby. Curious, Eren tilted his head and glanced at the broad main road up ahead. A large crowd had gathered, people pressing shoulder to shoulder, shouting and clapping.

Eren raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?" he asked, already walking towards the noise.

The others followed closely. As they pushed their way to the edge of the crowd, they finally saw the scene unfolding in front of them.

There, right in the middle of the wide road, was a full-grown humanoid wyvern man—completely naked—dancing awkwardly to the beat of a loud, boisterous band playing on a raised stage.

The wyvern man's face was red with shame and frustration. His dance steps were clumsy and stiff. He kept trying to cover his body with his hands, but it was hopeless. The crowd roared with laughter, clapping along to the rhythm and egging him on even more.

At the front of the crowd stood five other sea wyverns. Their faces were pale, and they looked like they wanted to sink into the ground out of embarrassment. They couldn't even meet anyone's eyes.

On the opposite side of the street was Sifrona, laughing so hard she had to clutch her stomach. She clapped wildly and shouted at the crowd, encouraging them to cheer even louder.

Eren stared at the scene, blinking slowly. He then turned to look at Marina and Azurea with a serious face.

"Well I shouldn't be the one to say this but… the dragonkind surely has some weird fetishes," he said with a long sigh.

Azurea's face turned bright red in anger and humiliation. She stomped forward, glaring at the dancing wyvern.

"Kael! What the fuck are you doing?!" she shouted, her voice booming over the music and laughter. The crowd immediately parted, giving her a clear path.

Kael froze mid-dance, his hands awkwardly covering himself. His face went even redder as he dropped to his knees.

"My– my lady," he stuttered desperately. "I… I can explain!"

Kael wanted to say he was forced to do this shameful act because Azurea and Marina had decided to change sides and support Eren. It was because of the twin dragons that he had lost his bet with Sifrona.

But Azurea didn't want to hear it. She spoke in a commanding tone, using the ancient Draconic Tongue.

"Punch yourself in the face and pass out," she said coldly. Nobody could understand the syllables and words that were being used by Azurea.

However, surprisingly, it was her voice that still conveyed the emotions behind it to a few powerful Rankers who were strong and perceptive enough to understand it.

The Draconic Tongue was a bloodline power that very few among the dragonkind could awaken. It was a very powerful ability but could only be awakened by the genius of the dragonkind or some special existence.

The use of the Draconic Tongue varied upon the user. Some used it to influence people's minds subtly while the others could empower their Skills and abilities with it.

A genius dragoness like Azurea could use this bloodline power to directly influence the actions of her opponents and subordinates. It was especially effective against subordinate dragonkind with less draconic heritage in their bloodline and Ranking Status.

Swoosh. Zoom. Punch.

Without hesitation, Kael's right fist swung up and smashed into his own face with brutal force. He dropped flat onto the street like a sack of potatoes, completely unconscious.

Thankfully, Azurea hadn't asked Kael to break his nose or injure himself while punching him. She had given him two commands using the Draconic Tongue.

First was to punch and the second was to pass out. As such, the act of passing out was triggered within his soul after the first action, sparing him the trouble of actually hurting himself to pass out.

Sifrona, who had been laughing and cheering moments ago, froze with a stiff smile on her face. She slowly turned to look at Eren and Azurea, her hands still mid-clap.

The demon beasts behind her quietly shuffled a few steps away, pretending they had nothing to do with her. Sifrona let out a nervous laugh.

"Hehe… my lord, we were just trying to have some fun," she said awkwardly.

"Miss Azurea surely has… um, weird subordinates who enjoy dancing naked. We were just trying to be supportive, that's all," she added quickly, trying to sound innocent.

The five sea wyverns behind her looked like they would explode from anger, but they dared not say anything with Azurea standing right there.

Azurea turned on her heel and walked away from the crowd without saying a word, her boots clicking sharply against the stone pavement. Her expression was one of clear dissatisfaction, her arms crossed tightly in front of her chest.

The five remaining sea wyverns tried to call out to her, their faces pleading for a chance to explain themselves. But Azurea didn't even glance back. She had already decided that whatever excuse they gave wasn't worth her time.

Marina, meanwhile, couldn't help herself. She pressed a hand against her mouth to suppress a chuckle. Her sister's fiery temper was always amusing when it wasn't directed at her. Still smiling a little, Marina hurried after Azurea, leaving the embarrassed wyverns behind.

Eren and Reen exchanged a look and shrugged their shoulders casually. Honestly, they didn't care whether Kael and the others had strange habits or not.

Everyone had their own ways of dealing with defeat and victory. And they were from Anfang anyway. They just thought that it was a custom among the rest of the Salemians.

Without stressing about it any further, they followed the twin dragonesses deeper into the city streets, blending in with the flow of people enjoying the festival.

Soon, they stumbled upon another attraction. It was a special contest set up in an open plaza, where participants were competing in a shooting challenge. Mana guns were stacked neatly on tables, and moving targets floated across the makeshift target range.

Shouts of encouragement, laughter, and the occasional thwack of a bullet hitting a target filled the square.

Azurea's eyes gleamed when she saw it. Without waiting for anyone's invitation, she walked straight to the sign-up booth and grabbed a mana gun.

Eren and Reen followed as well. Eren didn't like to use mana guns. But he never underestimated these peculiar weapons. Especially after he had seen how much Renita had grown as someone with expertise in mana guns and crossbows.

Despite using a simple illusion to slightly alter her appearance, the host of the event—an old man with a booming voice—squinted at Azurea and recognized her.

After a few moments of whispering among the event staff, he clapped his hands and shouted over the crowd.

"Everyone! A special guest has joined us today! Give a big cheer to Lady Azurea, the Dragoness of the Seas– Lady Azurea!"

The crowd erupted into loud applause and excited shouts after they saw Azurea's excellent marksmanship. Actually, she wasn't good at all. It was only that her Ranking Status as an S-Rank dragoness was too much of a cheat compared to the low-level mana practitioners.

What was considered a mediocre performance for her Ranking Status became an eye-catching display of skills for her witnesses. Some of the younger mana practitioners even whistled and cheered at the top of their lungs.

Azurea, caught a little off guard, blinked. But seeing the warm reaction, her mood lifted immediately.

She was a simple-minded dragoness. Her frustration melted away as a bright smile stretched across her face. She gave the crowd a graceful bow, her long blue hair glimmering under the sun.

Then, turning to Eren, she handed him the mana gun with a playful smirk.

"Your turn, Mr. Godkiller. Let's see if you can only sneak up on your enemies or can you actually fight," she teased, her voice light and challenging.

Eren chuckled as he accepted the mana gun, feeling its weight in his hand.

"I don't have to prove anyone here. But I wanted to try this thing anyway so I might as well," he said smoothly, stepping forward with a relaxed grin.

The crowd leaned in, eager to see how the man who had already shaken the seas of the Labh Salem would perform in a simple game of skill.

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AN: Draconic Tongue was first introduced in chapter 1375. It was acquired by Demonmir when he successfully became a dragon half-blood.