Chapter 10 Dragon Blood

"Magic is the truth of the world; the more magic you master, the clearer your understanding of the truth becomes. At the same time, the more taboos and unknowns you will see..."

"If a mage lacks strong self-control and becomes curious about the mysterious unknowns and untouchable taboos, and takes action, his thoughts and will can be terribly distorted..."

"Even if you manage to restrain your desires, you still cannot avoid the risk of falling into madness."

"In such cases, faith undoubtedly strengthens our wills, preventing our minds from being invaded by terror..."

Veronica warned Wayne not to get cocky while driving the car; his journey with magic had just begun, and there were many precautions he still needed to learn.

Perhaps it was because Wayne had obtained magic power and become part of the circle; their relationship was no longer that of strangers. Veronica's attitude toward Wayne had softened a bit.

Just a bit.

The reason was that diary. It gave the female college student a harsh lesson, and every time she thought of it, she couldn't help but grit her teeth in anger.

————

The blue sedan traveled at an average speed of fifty kilometers per hour on the highway. In an era without navigation, novice drivers were undoubtedly suffering.

It was true that Veronica could drive, but she had never taken this road before. She advanced by following road signs and maps, and several times she went the wrong way, delaying a lot of time.

As slow as a tortoise, the operation to capture and ambush like lightning had failed at the outset. The group would have to spend the night in Caforno Town.

Approaching the town, they parked the car by the roadside, ate to replenish energy, and adjusted their condition to prepare for a possible ambush from death walkers.

Wayne pulled out the potato lunch box filled with love that William had prepared for him and started wolfing it down while squatting by the side of the road. On the car ride, he had eaten plenty of compressed biscuits, made from cooked oats, flour, jam, and artificial butter, which tasted terrible and made him increasingly thirsty.

In this way, the potatoes didn't seem so bad after all.

Veronica leaned against the car, eating a sandwich little by little, very elegantly; even without a dining table, she did not forsake any table manners she was meant to follow.

In stark contrast was not Wayne, but William, who showed off a big bag of chocolate, teasing Veronica as he ate.

What's so good about sandwiches? Chocolate and beautiful girls are the dream combination!

Veronica was infuriated. It was evident that she was longing for chocolate, but to maintain her figure and avoid excessive sugar intake, she had to suppress her own desire for sweets.

"Veronica, this stuff is way better than a sandwich!"

William poked his head out with a grin, his teeth all smeared with chocolate, even his breath smelled sweet.

Playing with fire can get you burned, and provoked by William's taunting, Veronica smiled slightly at him, calmly setting down her sandwich and pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth.

William's brow furrowed, and without further ado, he turned and ran.

He hadn't run far when Veronica, who had charged at him, tripped him with a flying kick. He was just groaning when she followed up with an ankle lock that had him slapping the ground and begging for mercy.

William was two meters tall, with a broad back, developed muscles, and strong like a bear; he was a golden-haired strongman weighing over two hundred kilograms. Veronica was barefoot and one meter seventy tall, with fair skin, beauty, a slender waist, and long legs, weighing less than half what William did.

Yet every time William teased her, he was violently suppressed by Veronica, proving that the double-A ranked delicate-looking girl was not to be trifled with.

"I'm wrong, I'm wrong, Veronica, let go, my leg's going to break!"

"Hmph, dare you do it again next time?"

"Next time I dare."

"..."

"Aaaaah————"

Wayne finished his lovingly prepared lunch box, continuing to eat compressed biscuits paired with canned food, while watching how William made a mess of things, commenting, "Veronica is really awesome. Is this magic, too?"

"No, Veronica's magic power is sealed by a curse; she cannot cast strong magic and can only rely on some simple magic tools to fight. The reason she can suppress William is entirely due to her own physical fitness." Monica sauntered over to Wayne, licking her paw before starting to wash her face.

Monica avoided the eyes of the others and ate alone inside the car, not letting anyone see. Wayne suspected she had secretly stashed some dried fish.

"Physical constitution?!"

Wayne exclaimed in surprise, "Are you sure it's not magic? How did she train? Look at her arms and legs, there's no muscle at all?"

"She has dragon blood."

"Dragon... blood?"

Wayne struggled to swallow the hardtack in his mouth, and the image of a fire-breathing evil dragon appeared in his mind. He held his breath and said, "Are there giant dragons in this world?"

Such a dangerous world, yesterday it was mages, today it's giant dragons, and what about tomorrow? Will there be angels sounding the trumpet of the apocalypse?

"No."

"If there are no giant dragons, where does the dragon blood come from?"

"It's inherited from her mother."

"Her mother is a giant dragon?" Wayne was shocked; it turns out his father-in-law was a Dragon Knight.

"She's human."

"..."

Wayne: (ꐦ￣皿￣)ง

Listening to you is like, well, listening to you. What are you going on about!

Wayne rolled his eyes in exasperation and said, "The last time I heard such a constructive comment was the last time, know what, scientific research has shown that every minute people waste is like wasting sixty seconds."

The group took a break for an hour on the spot, and the blue sedan set off again. According to the map, they were still thirty kilometers from Caforno Town.

The roadside forests gradually thickened, as it was the end of winter and early spring had not yet arrived. Apart from the evergreen fir trees, the desolate woods had little greenery to speak of, with thick fallen leaves burying the lower half of the tree trunks, the air filled with a natural scent of decay.

This time, it was Wayne's turn to drive.

Veronica sat in the back seat, cradling Monica and arranging new identities; she and William were to pose as siblings, Monica remained the seemingly harmless pet cat, and Wayne was the driver. They would stop over in Caforno Town for the night and leave after refueling the next morning.

According to Veronica's plan, they would catch Bloody Mike tonight, break the curse by dawn, and drive away as soon as day broke.

All plans are perfect before they are executed; Wayne was not optimistic about this, such as Veronica's previous lightning-fast capture tactic that failed because they lost their way.

As a newcomer, Wayne had no say in the matter. Seeing that William and Monica both approved of the plan, he sensibly didn't say much.

Rumble———

A flash of brilliant light was followed by a tremendous roar. Dark thunderclouds had descended overhead without notice, casting a shadow of darkness over the entire land.

"That startled me, why did it suddenly start thundering?"

Wayne squinted, the world flashed uncertainly at the burst of lightning. Luckily, he was a civilized driver who always kept both hands on the wheel, which helped him keep the car from crashing into a tree.

Crack!

A greyish-white and semi-transparent hand climbed onto the hood, and the deformed palm left behind a glaring black and red bloodstain...

It looked like Drifting Ghost was under the car, ready to climb up and seize the steering wheel!

Wayne's eyes suddenly narrowed, cursing the car dealer under his breath, his breathing becoming much more rapid.

Damn you, you said that in honor of the Queen, this car had no Soul Ring attached!