Shadow Dragon

Until she left the Imperial Palace, Selina hadn’t fully recovered from that “I’m going to explode from awesomeness” state.

Just recalling the Dragon King’s face, which was blacker than black coal when she glanced back before leaving, made the girl want to laugh.

Since becoming a girl, she had increasingly enjoyed seeing the frustrated expressions of others when they wanted to get angry but dared not.

To describe it in one word, it would be “scummy.”

‘Yes, I’ve become a girl, and I’ve also become scummy.’

“So, you just revealed your identity in front of others. Did you think about the consequences?”

Hestia’s sudden reminder in her mind made the smile on the girl’s face freeze.

“Uh… He shouldn’t be able to connect the dots, right?”

The expression on Selina’s face was somewhat sheepish, her words still clinging to a bit of luck.

“That Dragon King isn’t a fool. The details of your guarding the White Dragon Saintess all the way should have been reported completely, word for word, by that White Dragon who carried out the mission to the Dragon King…”

“As long as that Dragon King is even slightly clever, the connection between you and Conde will become instantly clear.”

Hestia mercilessly added another blow.

“Ah, this…”

The girl’s face showed embarrassment. At this moment, she somewhat regretted her impulsive behavior just now.

‘Damn it, wasn’t I just putting on a little act in front of the Dragon King? Why does it feel like I dug a big pit for myself?’

“Well, the problem shouldn’t be too big. Aurelia’s relationship with the Dragon King is poor. Even if the Dragon King knows, he might not tell the little dragon girl. And even more so, the little dragon girl wouldn’t actively ask about these things—that little…”

Selina still insisted on maintaining the stubborn principle of a dead duck.

Hestia sighed softly in her mind. She had a feeling that this, her only believer, her only Saintess,’s relationships with the women she met on the road were all eerily similar to her own current situation.

‘Hopefully things won’t develop to that troublesome stage…’

But now didn’t seem to be the time to dwell on these things. In the crowd, the smile on Selina’s face gradually disappeared. She glanced vigilantly behind her, as if sensing something.

“Another expert?”

The girl murmured softly, her slightly narrowed eyes showing a hint of alertness.

Until the girl’s figure separated from the crowd and the main flow, walking alone into that secluded alley. Though it was only a few meters away, the noise and clamor from the outside seemed to be blocked at the alley’s entrance.

The girl stopped, standing in this quiet dead end, turning her head to look at the shadows concealed by the wall.

“No need to continue. With such following, such hints, aren’t you just seeking a quiet, private environment?”

Selina spoke coldly towards the empty shadows.

A breeze blew past, and the shadows gently swayed.

Then, those seemingly fixed shadows underwent imperceptible distortion. The shadows seemed to be imbued with life, flowing like liquid, until the power belonging to the shadows stacked and merged. In the shadows, a pair of slightly dim golden pupils manifested.

“How truly stealthy…”

The girl said mockingly, crossing her arms and staring intently at the figure covered in shadows.

“Although I had expected that the Imperial City would be watched by hundreds of eyes, to have me, a foreigner, targeted the moment I left the Imperial Palace, your Great Dragon Divine Dynasty’s hospitality is truly… special~”

“You carry the aura of the Dragon God Scale. It seems you are the key person I’ve been waiting for.”

The dragon shadow, wrapped in the power of shadows, spoke slowly after a moment of daze.

His voice was hoarse and blurred, like deliberately distorted mechanical audio from a previous life.

“The key person? I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I can roughly guess your identity.”

Hidden in shadows, elusive, and also possessing the Dragon Tribe’s unique characteristic of golden pupils, all of these traits, taken together, made the identity of the dragon before her easily discernible.

Shadow Dragon Tribe.

This was some Dragon Tribe knowledge that Hestia had specially shared with her last night. She didn’t expect to use it here today.

This was a special type of dragon. The Shadow Dragon Tribe was a symbol of stealth. Under normal circumstances, they could use the power of shadows to project the appearance of any type of dragon. But what remained unchanged was their control over the power of shadows.

“Reveal your identity, Shadow Dragon Tribe, or don’t blame me for being impolite.”

The girl’s tone was cold. In the blink of an eye, her right hand had drawn the Crystal Saber from her waist, pointing it directly at the shadows before her.

“Cough, cough, naturally…”

That clump of shadows coughed twice, sounding very weak. Then, the power of shadows on his body peeled away like snake skin, until an elderly man with white hair and beard appeared before her.

“You are?”

Selina frowned, her tone carrying some confusion.

“As you can see, I am the Archbishop of the Dragon God Cult, formerly known as Hodmogh.”

“Archbishop of the Dragon God Cult? His appearance is the same, but why do I feel like he’s different from the one in the cathedral yesterday?”

As a human, Hodmogh had cultivated the skill of keen intuition to the highest level. Having become an Elf, the Elf Tribe’s inherent high sensitivity further enhanced this ability. Selina’s intuitive perception of a person was very sharp.

And this old man, who claimed to be the Archbishop of the Dragon God Cult before her, was obviously different from the one she had seen yesterday. Although she couldn’t say what the difference was, Selina was certain that there was a reason for it.

“Cough, cough, allow me to apologize for my unsightly appearance, elegant Moon Elf lady.”

The old man coughed weakly, his dim golden eyes carrying a hint of self-deprecation.

“You’re right. The Archbishop in the cathedral looks exactly like me, but it’s not me. I was ambushed, and my identity was replaced.”

“Currently, the one serving as Archbishop in the cathedral is a demon.”

Recalling everything that had happened that night, Hodmogh didn’t feel any alarm, because it had all been a setup of his own making.

“The Demon Tribe has infiltrated the upper echelons of the Dragon Tribe. This is an unavoidable fact, and if they wanted to overthrow the current Saintess, the power of the Archbishop within the Dragon God Cult was indispensable. My position was certain to be targeted.”

“The scheme the Demon Tribe had set up required a great deal of blood and time.”

“Even though I had sensed it, I still had no way to break the situation. Not to mention breaking it, even escaping was extremely difficult.”

“Countless eyes were watching this Archbishop. Even the Head Sister, who assisted me from within and without, had been replaced. Wanting to operate under the noses of the enemy at this time required paying a price.”

“Fortunately, this legendary dragon, resembling a living fossil, was old, but he still retained some unknown trump cards. His identity as a Shadow Dragon Tribe member was one of them.”

“Firstly, the number of Shadow Dragon Tribe members in the entire Dragon Tribe was small. Most Shadow Dragon Tribe members, due to their ability characteristics and talent ceilings, were generally assigned to positions such as secret guards. No one would believe that the dignified Archbishop of the Dragon God Cult was actually a Shadow Dragon Tribe member with mediocre bloodline.”

“The Shadow Dragon Tribe’s appearance could be projected into other Dragon Tribe members through the power of shadows. In the minds of outsiders, Hodmogh, as the Archbishop, had always been a White Dragon with a noble bloodline.”

“Since you said you were assassinated by the Demon Tribe, how did you deceive them?”

The matter involved the Demon Tribe, which did not allow Selina much room to hesitate. She immediately realized the severity of the entire event, and her tone became serious.

The Demon Tribe was not foolish. Gaining a cicada’s empty shell sounded clever, but in practical application, it was mostly riddled with flaws.

After an assassination, the Demon Tribe would definitely examine and cremate the body. If anything was slightly off, it would arouse the enemy’s attention and alertness.

Yet this Archbishop was able to retreat unscathed, appearing to be merely physically weak, without even the scent of blood or wounds on his body.

Sensing the girl’s puzzled gaze, Hodmog gave a wry chuckle, shook his head, and explained.

“This touches upon the core secret of my Shadow Dragon Clan…”

“All the power of the Shadow Dragon Clan stems from our shadows. To us,our shadows are even more precious than life itself. Once a Shadow Dragon the Super-Rank, the shadow behind them undergoes a metamorphosis. At that point, the shadow and the physical body become indistinguishable—it’s as if we possess two lives…”

“That night, the demonic spy killed my true physical body; the one standing before you now is my shadow, which still lives.”