Chapter 237 - 236 Negotiation
There’s no need to talk about what happened before the reincarnation. Back then, he was just an ordinary human, poor and aimless, struggling to make a living. Life was harsh, even the food tasted lousy. Even when his boss demanded mandatory overtime, he had to grin and bear it, desperate to keep his job and stay in the big city. Not a single complaint escaped his lips.
After being reincarnated into this world as a mighty Red Dragon, Leon’s temper grew significantly worse, and he became increasingly intolerant of being wronged. Mainly because he started figuring things out—he worked himself to death in his last life, ending up with a tragic death. He refused to live that way again in this life. One should seek peace of mind while alive, after all.
Thinking back, from hatching to becoming a teenage dragon, spanning decades, he hadn’t suffered losses often. But the few times he did were burned deeply into his memory.
Leon distinctly remembered the first time he suffered a setback—it was back when he was a baby dragon, nearly falling prey to a sneak attack by an adventurer. He only managed a counterkill thanks to a spell rewarded by his Golden Finger. The second loss came during his youth, when he encountered a small team of adventurers. Lacking any real combat experience, that fight turned out to be quite pathetic...
He originally thought that intimidating the Elves would be enough for them to submit. Worst-case scenario, showing off his skills would also suffice. But instead, he ended up being scared off by them with a single arrow—not even managing to escape properly. He fled back to the Volcanic Island, embarrassed beyond words, and didn’t dare raise his voice in front of Cecilia. Leon hated the Elves with a burning passion now.
Danalan was indeed beautiful. Leon once couldn’t bear to destroy it. But now, he wouldn’t mind wrecking it in the slightest, if it meant swallowing his pride. Even if it meant offending the Elves and earning himself the label of a Great Evil Dragon, so be it. A Red Dragon doesn’t expect to have a stellar reputation anyway.
As for the notion that the Elves now wanted peace talks, Leon found it utterly hilarious. He couldn’t help but share the joke with everyone.
"I’ve never eaten an Elf before," Salovis was eager, "I’ll go devour those Elf Envoys."
"Don’t act recklessly." Leon mocked the naïveté of the Elves, but that didn’t mean he would allow Salovis to lose her composure. He was willing to adhere to certain unwritten rules. "In war, envoys are not to be harmed."
"Then I’ll go drive them away," Cecilia interjected, seeking an opportunity to humiliate the Elf Envoys.
"No, not only am I not planning to drive them away, but I actually want to meet them," Leon said with a grin. "I want to hear what kind of lofty rhetoric they can muster."