Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon's Might-Chapter 27 - : I Am Barbaric Too

Leon didn't know that the Annis Hag meant him harm; he simply harbored prejudice against hags in general, feeling that they never had anything good up their sleeves. The trade could go through, but he had to remain vigilant.

Anyway, he and the Kobold made their way back in the dark of night. Unlike the walk they had to take upon departure, Leon, who had memorized the route, could now fly. He easily scooped up the Kobold with one claw and flew back home, then they each went their separate ways.

Leon had no idea how the Annis Hag got work done, whether she used the Disguise Technique to transform into an old woman and seek out a human blacksmith to commission weapons, or if she found a middleman to assist her.

Choosing materials, forging, quenching, grinding, polishing... Every step required time and energy. Without modern equipment, crafting a non-standard greatsword would take a lot of time, which was understandable to Leon. But after a month and a half passed with no news, his patience truly began to wear thin.

Finally, nearly two months later, Leon received news that the Annis Hag had completed her task.

"Shall we go find Aunt Peggy now?" asked the Kobold. "Hawks is ready."

"Hand it over to me." Leon extended his hand toward the Kobold and, upon receiving the small mirror, gazed at the Kobold. He knew that the Annis Hag occasionally used a token to contact the Kobold. "Did Aunt Peggy ask you to inform her before we set out?"

With the arrogance of a giant dragon, others looked down upon them, not to mention creatures who weren't even dragons but merely subordinates. This was true for adult Red Dragons as well as Young Dragons and baby dragons. Dragon Sister seemed to have this attitude too, but Leon wasn't a normal Red Dragon; he insisted that it's always good to be cautious.

Hearing Leon's words, the Kobold's head shook like a spinning drum.

The way the Kobold managed its expression was laughably poor, Leon saw right through it... In truth, he was prepared to hit whether there were dates to be had or not. Kobold was, after all, not worthy of respect. Intimidated, he said, "Lies! Those are lies! Do you want to become my next meal?"

"No no, I don't want that," the Kobold said while shaking its head and backing away.

"Speak!" Leon roared, "Tell me everything! That's an order!"

"Surprise." The Kobold suddenly squatted and hugged its head. Unfortunately, it wasn't a cute loli but an ugly Kobold. There was no cuteness in the protective posture, only ridiculousness. "Aunt Peggy said she has a surprise for you and told me not to tell you, or it won't be a surprise anymore."

Thinking that a Kobold would betray a Divine was impossible, as was betraying a Dragon unless it was for another giant dragon, but there could be workarounds.

"A surprise? More like a shock," said Leon, who had never believed in the Annis Hag. His suspicions proved to be unfounded. "I'm taking this little thing... You just stay put here, and don't worry about anything else."

He needed to take the small mirror to ensure the Annis Hag couldn't contact the Kobold and cause mischief.

"Yes, yes, yes," the Kobold replied, not daring to defy Leon, nodding repeatedly on the spot.

After giving further instructions to the Kobold, Leon left. On the way back, after pondering for a moment, he spoke to the small mirror, "Aunt Peggy."

"Eh." The Annis Hag's voice quickly responded, "What made my darling remember to contact your Aunt Peggy?"

"I heard you've finished making my sword?"

"Aunt Peggy found the most fabulous Dwarf Master to forge the best sword for my sweetheart."

"Not bad," said Leon, "I'll come and get it in three days."

"Okay. Aunt Peggy will be waiting for my cutie," said the Annis Hag with extra enthusiasm, sounding just like a doting aunt, "Remember to bring back the thing I gave you."

"Of course." After finishing his conversation, Leon placed the small mirror on a tree branch but didn't throw it away.

Just in case the Annis Hag hadn't played any tricks, he would still need to return the item to her.

This time, not only did he not need to walk, but he also didn't need to be distracted by bringing along a Kobold. Leon, armed with his sword, spread his wings and soared into the air, each flap taking him over a dozen meters. In less than half an hour, he arrived in the sky above Aunt Peggy's cottage.

As soon as Leon landed, the door to Aunt Peggy's cottage swung open and a harsh, shrill voice immediately rose: "Who's trying to steal from Aunt Peggy? I'll strangle you, you little rascal."

The Annis Hag, in the guise of an old woman, emerged from the cottage and was taken aback upon seeing Leon standing there.

"You, how did you get here?" The Annis Hag could sense that the small mirror she gave him was far away. Under normal circumstances, he shouldn't be here, especially since they had just agreed on a time not long before. "Didn't you say you'd come in three days?"

"I was planning to come after three days, but I couldn't wait and came now." Leon spat out his sword, "Give me my sword."

"It's not yours yet."

"I want to inspect the merchandise first."

"Come inside." The Annis Hag's eyes swiveled, "You first enter Auntie Peggy's cottage, then Auntie Peggy will show you the sword."

"Your cottage is too small, I can't fit in."

"Then don't come in. You heartless devil."

"So, where is my sword?"

"What's the rush? You little imp." The Annis Hag turned and strode in, slamming the door with a "bang"—a moment later she threw out a sword, "Take your time inspecting the merchandise... after the inspection, Auntie Peggy still has a gift for you. Even though you don't care about Auntie Peggy, she loves you."

Leon ignored the Annis Hag, grabbed the sword, and started to inspect it.

The new sword was more than twice as long as his old one and made from superior materials; even though its length, width, and height had doubled, its weight was over eight times that of the original. Thankfully, he had grown a lot and correspondingly gained much strength, so using it exerted no pressure on him.

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Leon was busy binding the new sword, transferring his focus to it... He couldn't concentrate too much; he had to remain cautious and keep an eye on the Annis Hag.

In fact, the Annis Hag was more worried about Leon, as he had arrived unexpectedly and without any prior preparation. She was hiding in the cottage, hurrying to imbibe this and that potion, consuming potions to increase her Flame Resistance, to boost her strength, with no henchmen to call back... she truly didn't dare to waste a moment.

Leon finally finished the binding, and from then on his Sword Control Technique would be directed at the new sword.

The Annis Hag also finished her preparations, coming out of the cottage holding a faint young girl.

"Look what gift Auntie Peggy has prepared for you?" cooed the Annis Hag, "A little girl, still alive, tender and delicious."

Leon looked at the little girl, his expression twisted—I just said it casually, and you actually took it seriously?

By now, Leon was certain that the Annis Hag was planning mischief; otherwise why all the effort?

A typical Red Dragon might see the little girl and lose all self-control, dropping all guards, but Leon, who possessed a Human soul, became even more vigilant.

Auntie Peggy held the little girl close to Leon, put her on the ground, and said with a smile, "This is a delicacy specially prepared by Auntie Peggy for you, remember to eat it all up in big bites."

Leon remained motionless and said coldly, "I won't eat it."

"Why won't you eat it?" asked the Annis Hag, her hands clenched into nervous fists.

Leon extended his tongue and licked the corner of his mouth, his teeth, "I'm afraid it's poisoned."

"What poison? I don't know anything about that," the Annis Hag said with a forced laugh.

"Despicable liar, filthy thief, rotten to the core!" Suddenly, the Annis Hag screamed wildly, yanking off the kind and gentle old lady's outer garment, and in an instant transformed into a large monster, "I'm going to kill you, flay your skin off, pull out your intestines."

Leon laughed loudly, "I knew you had ill intentions."

"You're no different," the Annis Hag pointed a long claw at Leon, "Had you not tried to default from the start, refusing to pay Auntie Peggy a single penny, Auntie Peggy wouldn't have done such a thing. It's your fault, all your fault."

"Trash, rotten scum, rubbish..." the Annis Hag cursed Leon continuously, saying every vulgar insult she could muster.

"Right, rotten scum, I'm rotten scum," Leon's face twisted as he was insulted, and he didn't care whether the Annis Hag understood or not, "I'm now a Red Dragon, and I will do whatever I want."

"You won't be able to do anything, you're just going to die." Although she failed to trick him into eating the little girl with the hidden poison, in the presence of Auntie Peggy, who was fully prepared and had Flame Resistance, a mere Red Dragon Young Dragon was nothing.

Auntie Peggy was sure of her victory.