[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ember-dragon":3,"chapter-ember-dragon-ember-dragon-chapter-35":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Ember Dragon",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1161851,1504,"Chapter 35: Northern Wind's Eagle Guard (Part Six)","ember-dragon-chapter-35",35,"\u003Cp>Alger was blindfolded, winding through twists and turns in the passageway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the cloth was removed, he stood before a cavernous expanse, with the red dragon resting atop a massive rock in the center, eyes half-closed as if dozing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bugbear shoved Alger forward, forcing him to kneel before bowing respectfully, saying, “Master, I’ve brought the human.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon lazily opened its eyes and casually said, “Well done. You may go now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alger could feel the sulfuric heat from the dragon’s breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bugbear withdrew respectfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Struggling to rise from the ground, Alger gritted his teeth and declared, “Wretched dragon, whatever scheme you have, I won’t let you succeed—not even if it means my death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shut his eyes, standing tall, prepared to face the dragon’s wrath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether he would be met with searing flames or razor-sharp claws, he was fearless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to his surprise, the dragon’s tone wasn’t angry; it merely asked, “Why did Brad Lackman send you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alger kept his eyes closed, refusing to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Observing Alger’s reaction, coupled with the timing, Cassius deduced the mission’s purpose: the infamously brutal “Tiefling Camp Massacre” of his previous life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hundreds of Eagle Guards would scour the area, slaughtering any Tiefling they encountered, sparing no one—young or old, burning the site and obliterating all witnesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The operation was meant to be swift and clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately for them, they encountered the Ember Nest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eyeing Alger’s silence, Cassius mockingly asked, “Alger Yoman, do you know how your parents died?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Alger’s expression shifted drastically, as a hidden wound was ripped open. He couldn’t help but open his eyes and shout:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s impossible!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do you know?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon unhurriedly replied, “You don’t need to know how I know—just answer truthfully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius repeated:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So tell me, how did your parents die?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They were…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alger didn’t notice the faint red glow flickering in the dragon’s pupils—nor the same light reflecting in his own eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They were sacrificed to devils by those damned Tiefling scum!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes turned red as he recalled the traumatic memories, his voice seething with hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius indifferently asked, “And who told you that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was…it was…the Duke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why is it, I know otherwise?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know that your beloved Duke, in his quest for eternal life, in his desire to become an undead bloodsucker, sacrificed thousands from the city…among them—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—were your parents.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon loomed over him, like a demon from hell, weaving words that chipped away at Alger’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No…no, that’s impossible!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re lying!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alger’s voice shook with desperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Cassius’s persistent questions forced him to confront the terrifying possibility—that his benefactor, his godfather, his Duke, was also his greatest enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius pressed on, spreading his wings to cast a shadow over Alger, gazing down at him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think carefully. Has your beloved Duke ever left his fortress?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has he ever stood in the sunlight, outside the shadows—even while delivering his noble speeches?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With your keen senses, have you ever heard the cries of victims from the Lackman fortress’s backyard, or smelled the stench of blood mixed in the soil?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you slaughtered innocents, did you realize they would be sacrificial offerings for the Duke’s quest for immortality?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius’s words triggered images of blazing fires, crying children, and mothers clutching their babies flashing before Alger’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no, I didn’t…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alger staggered back, shaking his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind was reeling, his head throbbing, memories once blurred now painfully clear, as though all the pieces fit this horrifying truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re lying, trying to manipulate me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I refuse to believe you, the Duke…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alger sank to the ground, mumbling, his eyes clouded with shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, clarity returned briefly to his eyes, and he stammered, “Dragon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What…what did you do to me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius looked down at him coldly, replying, “Just a little trick to help you accept the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, after all you’ve done, do you think you’re in any position to call me a ‘wretched dragon’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I don’t believe it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This must be part of your scheme!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re deceiving me, aren’t you? You bewitched me! I…I won’t believe your lies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your tricks mean nothing against the loyalty of the Northern Wind Eagle Guard!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alger forced himself to his feet, trying to suppress the terrifying thoughts, but his denials sounded hollow and desperate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have no reason to deceive you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And…you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius didn’t argue further; he merely lay back down, calling the bugbear at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take him back to the dungeon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three burly bugbears approached, dragging the struggling Alger away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they lifted him to carry him out, he continued to shout, voice choked with anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dragon, you won’t fool me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ll never slander the Duke!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re in league with devils!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Years of loyalty training had instilled an unbreakable sense of duty; he was just one of the family’s blades, a weapon without morality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His task was simply to execute orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what his old instructor used to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, as a dutiful Eagle Guard, Alger had learned to clear his mind, refusing to think about right or wrong, habitually deceiving himself—especially during massacres, especially when facing defenseless refugees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, for once, Alger found himself questioning it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now that he had begun to question, his defenses showed cracks—just a little more, and they’d crumble entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius had achieved his goal.\u003C\u002Fp>",906,"2026-06-03T12:47:02.671Z","2026-06-03T12:47:06.781Z",1,"novelbin.me","b3d763743d35079005a9871922c88e5d96c1a5aa78e2e41127e255011aeaf831","ember-dragon-chapter-36","ember-dragon-chapter-34",603,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fember-dragon-cover.jpg"]