CHAPTER 458: CHAPTER 272: UTTER DEFEAT

"What? The Claw of Justice?"

Even Serisilis, a native of Dragon Island, couldn’t help but be alarmed at the mention of this title.

She had thought it was because of Attilicia’s return that the creditors had gone so far as to deploy an ’army’ to collect their debts. Her husband, Ronatas, was an Internal Affairs Officer in the Dragon Court; consequently, they had quite a few creditors within the Claw of Justice. For this reason, Serisilis hadn’t even entertained the thought of urging David and the others to flee. With the Claw of Justice mobilized, escape was impossible!

In contrast to the two panic-stricken local dragons, David and his little family seemed to have been prepared for this all along. The father and son exchanged glances before crawling out of the Dragon Nest one after the other.

Indeed, just as Shalaina had said, at least two squads of the Claw of Justice had arrived. Each squad, consisting of twelve dragons, was stationed on the snowy, craggy peaks surrounding the Dragon Nest. Those two loafers from the customs office were now only fit to watch from a distance and eat dust.

David narrowed his eyes slightly. This was his first time seeing so many Metal Dragons, especially these legendary elite forces of the Claw of Justice, which originated in the Age of Great Dragons.

The mobilization of the Claw of Justice had even alerted the dragon nests on neighboring peaks. Some dragons watched from outside their nests, while others hovered in mid-air to observe the spectacle. Shalaina’s family was among them.

Shalaina spotted her father’s figure and quickly retreated, tucking herself back into the nest in shock. If Father discovers I secretly met Attilicia after her return, violating our agreement, and—even worse—finds out Attilicia even has a grandchild now! It won’t just be a simple beating then; I might even be exiled from the Dragon Nest!

The leading young Silver Dragon from the Claw of Justice guard stepped forward from the ranks. He took a deep look at David and asked routinely, "David Euthyphro Sed Ponga?"

"I am," David replied nonchalantly, lifting his neck slightly. Metal Dragons and Chromatic Dragons really are different, aren’t they? At least their bearing and temperament are clearly on another level. It shows a rich and cultured upbringing, unlike us Chromatic Dragons, who are forced to brave the societal melting pot by age five. If Metal Dragons had ventured to the Old Continent alone, they’d probably have started fighting at the slightest disagreement by now. Just like Dragon Father and Dragon Mother back then.

"Darcles, Claw of Justice," the young Silver Dragon introduced himself, then continued, "As a Chromatic Dragon, you landed on Dragon Island without any prior notification or application. This has severely disrupted the order and stability of Dragon Island itself. Do you have any defense for this?"

"None," David said. "But I came to Dragon Island with an important mission. According to my understanding of Dragon Island’s laws, such rules about prior applications and notifications can be deferred, especially in emergencies that could potentially endanger Dragon Island itself."

David said this, looking playfully at the two cowering Silver Dragon guards. "I did consider notifying them temporarily. Before I could even utter a word, those two Dragon Whelps got scared off."

The two named Silver Dragon guards immediately grew frantic. They instinctively wanted to offer a defense or refutation but were silenced by a look from a Gold Dragon guard—one that mixed pity for their misfortune with anger at their lack of spirit. They bowed their heads and dared not make a peep. Our positions are likely gone! they thought.

Darcles shifted his gaze back to David. "Indeed, this represents a significant dereliction of duty on the part of our Dragon Island guards. However, you mentioned an ’emergency special matter’ that could endanger Dragon Island. What is it? And what is this important mission you speak of?"

This time, David only smiled and did not speak.

Darcles understood immediately. My rank isn’t high enough to be told such things.

Yet, Darcles showed not the slightest hint of anger. Instead, he regarded David even more seriously. "You wish to seek an audience with His Majesty the Silver Dragon King?"

"Indeed. Please notify him."

[Arrogance]

Darcles’s expression immediately showed he had expected as much. "Notifying His Majesty the Silver Dragon King is a certainty and part of my duties," he stated. "However, I must inform you that His Majesty is currently in slumber. Until he awakens, you will have to wait in line for an audience like all other visitors. Given your special status, please accompany me to the Claw of Justice Holy Temple in the meantime."

Against someone who could summon the ’Wrath of Tiamat,’ one could never be too cautious, Darcles reasoned. Especially at this critical juncture when prayers to the Platinum Dragon God yielded no definitive response. When unable to discern the other party’s true intentions, maintaining physical distance is a relatively sound decision.

David, however, lacked the patience. He was also getting a firsthand taste of the rigidity of Dragon Island that Attilicia had mentioned. He flicked his tail in irritation. "Tsk, so the reality falls short of the reputation. Is a young Red Dragon like me, bringing his entire family, still not enough to dispel your prejudices and wariness against Chromatic Dragons? Even news about Bahamut isn’t enough to make your Silver Dragon King, who apparently does nothing but sleep, open a single eye?"

"What?" For the first time, Darcles, who had been calm and composed, showed anger.

A host of Claw of Justice guards bared their teeth menacingly at David, their expressions reflecting the fierce loyalty of ’an insult to the master is death to the servant.’