Chapter 202: Path of Dragon Knight

"Communicating with a wild dragon? Are you trying to get me killed..." Rynar was utterly dumbfounded. 

Did Caslow not realize how bad-tempered wild dragons were? To most dragons, humans were nothing more than ants. Only sixth-tier professionals and dragon knights were worthy of their attention.

"Of course! How else would you form a dragon rider contract without communicating with a wild dragon? You don't seriously think these dragons are like domesticated horses, just waiting to be tamed, do you?" Caslow sighed, exasperated.

Indeed, aside from the Zaltarion Empire, which at its peak had its own tamed dragon fleet, all dragon knights throughout history had formed their contracts through sheer luck and chance encounters with dragons.

"This is a headache..." Rynar felt like his skull was about to split. Negotiating with a wild dragon to form a dragon rider contract was no different from playing with death. A dragon's unpredictable temper could result in him being torn to shreds at any moment.

"There's no other way. Otherwise, you could contract a wyvern and try to evolve it into a true dragon. But I must be honest, wyverns have highly mixed bloodlines. Even though they are technically part of the true dragon species, they are at the lowest tier. 

Even the strongest four-legged wyvern king, if evolved into a true dragon, would still be weaker than a naturally born one," Caslow explained. He knew this well—after all, Kaldor had successfully evolved into a true dragon using the blood of a wind dragon. 

Yet, despite his battlefield dominance, Kaldor would still be outmatched by a celestial dragon like Skye or even a young blue drake. The purity of one's bloodline was not something that could easily be altered.

Why were dragons so powerful? Because everything they possessed was inherited through their bloodline. The purer the lineage, the greater the strength.

"Ugh, forget it then..." Rynar had originally entertained the idea of raising a four-legged wyvern into a dragon, but after hearing Caslow's explanation, he immediately abandoned the thought.

"So, your only option is to negotiate with a true dragon! I will be there to protect you!" Caslow declared solemnly. 

It was tradition for a veteran dragon knight to safeguard a potential dragon knight during their contract formation, to prevent unnecessary tragedies. Of course, the tragedy mostly applied to the human...

"Oh, thank you so much... But the real issue is that we don't even know where to find a dragon! We haven't heard any news about true dragons along the way—oh, except for one fake dragon: Smaug!" Rynar grumbled as he absentmindedly whittled at his fingernails with a small knife.

"Maybe... the system could provide a dragon? After all, it gave me the blue drake!" Rynar mused. Though drake dragons weren't large enough to ride—adults were only slightly bigger than warhorses—riding one was out of the question; the wind might just blow him right off.

"Regardless, as the King of Zaltarion and the future Emperor, you must learn the dragon language! Even if you never become a dragon knight, dragon speech is a symbol of the royal family! 

Every legitimate ruler of Zaltarion must be fluent in dragon tongue! It is our heritage! 

We were once a kingdom of dragons! And now, I carry on that legacy!

I hope that one day, we may once again be known as the land of dragons!" Caslow declared, his voice filled with reverence and humility.

"You're right! Well then... let's begin!" Rynar sighed, unfolding the dragon language manual before him—its indecipherable scribbles breaking his heart.

"Where has His Highness gone?" As night fell, Nyx, who had gone on an afternoon outing, anxiously awaited her beloved's return in the tent. Yet, as time passed, her worry grew. Eventually, she called for her maids.

"Duchess, His Majesty left early this morning and has yet to return," the two maids answered, equally puzzled. 

They were only responsible for taking care of Rynar's daily needs; they never concerned themselves with where he went.

"Hmph..." Nyx curled up on the bed, feeling a growing sense of grievance. Since they had been together, Rynar had never returned this late without sending a message.

Even if he was occupied with urgent matters, he would always have someone inform her.

"Could he have been seduced by some beautiful woman and stayed the night at her place?!" A terrifying thought struck Nyx like lightning. 

Middle-earth's nobility, though not entirely depraved, still had their fair share of decadent habits. The infamous 'right of the first night' was no baseless rumor! 

Though she trusted Rynar's love, she wasn't convinced he could remain loyal to only her forever.

"..." As the thought spiraled in her mind, her beautiful eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"How is it, Your Highness? Have you learned these few phrases? 

These are just the basic conversational terms in dragon language. At the very least, they'll allow you to greet a wild dragon," Caslow said carefully, choosing his words.

"Oh, thank you for your great encouragement, honorable dragon knight general!" Rynar rolled his eyes in frustration.

"Oh! By the Dragon God! It's already this late?! I'm doomed!" Rynar, glancing out the window, suddenly realized the sky had turned completely black. 

The reason he hadn't noticed the passage of time was simple—Caslow's house was equipped with magical crystal lamps crafted by Dylan, illuminating the interior as brightly as day.

"Where have you been?" As soon as Rynar stepped into the inner chamber of the tent, he was met with Nyx's red-rimmed eyes, staring at him with a tearful voice full of accusation.

"I... I was at Caslow's place," Rynar stammered, nervously rubbing the cover of the dragon language manual in his hands.

"Oh, really? Or were you out having fun with some little mistress? Men are all unfaithful scoundrels! What's that in your hand? A love token? How elegant!" Nyx sneered coldly.

"Oh no... this is a misunderstanding..." Rynar's face turned into a bitter grimace.

"No, listen to my explanation—I mean, let me clarify! I really was at Caslow's! Dylan gave me the royal inheritance manual for dragon language! 

I went to Caslow's to learn it! I want to become a dragon knight too!" Rynar quickly defended himself.

"Really?" Nyx eyed him suspiciously, flipping through the dragon language manual. After a moment, she nodded thoughtfully.

"So, how much have you learned?" She now resembled a wife interrogating her husband after a long night away.

"Eh, it's going okay. Those scribbles are really hard to read..." Rynar shrugged helplessly.

"So, you really were learning dragon speech? Not fooling around?" Nyx pressed.

"I swear upon the Dragon God, I wasn't! Besides, who in Riverguard could possibly compare to my lovely, gorgeous, graceful, charming, kind, and gentle Nyx?" 

Rynar pulled out every single compliment he could think of—sixteen years of singlehood had taught him how to survive such situations.

"Hmm... no unfamiliar scent on you..." Nyx leaned in, sniffing his clothes like a cat, before nodding in satisfaction.

"Fine, you pass! Now come to bed! You had me worried sick staying out this late!" Nyx grumbled, yet as she spoke, she curled up in the soft bed like a contented feline.

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