[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ember-dragon":3,"chapter-ember-dragon-ember-dragon-chapter-45":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},1161861,1504,"Chapter 45: The Compelled Collaborator","ember-dragon-chapter-45",45,"\u003Cp>The dragon’s gaze was undeniably oppressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baron Todd looked up, his crimson eyes filled with fear, any trace of his former arrogance gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, he still tried to maintain his composure, clasping his hands behind his back, forcing his voice to stay steady:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the one called ‘Flying Flame,’ correct?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May I ask what brings you to my domain… Is there something important?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius sensed the fluctuation in the Weave, realizing the baron was constructing a spell, and his expression darkened slightly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Baron Todd, is this how you greet guests who travel far to visit you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With discourteous magic,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Instead of noble hospitality and courtesy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing he’d been exposed, Baron Todd’s expression changed drastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he fumbled through his robes, pulling out small vials and bat fur he’d prepared in advance, quickly casting a spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Darkness!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a puff of bat fur, a thick, dark mist spread from Baron Todd, creating a five-meter-radius sphere of darkness around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This magical darkness was impenetrable, even to creatures with dark vision, and couldn’t be dispelled by non-magical light or spells below the second tier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius merely observed, unhurriedly remarking:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An impressive spell, my lord baron.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it were an ordinary human, they’d surely be too frightened to move, left to let you drain them in the terror of darkness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone turned cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But have you forgotten that you’re facing a dragon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius suddenly turned, his massive tail sweeping through the air with immense force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black mist was torn apart, unable to resist physical attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baron Todd, still preparing his next spell within the darkness, was struck directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was sent flying several meters away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Baron Todd possessed a regenerative ability. Though this blow fractured his bones and flesh, they quickly began to mend before the naked eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coughing up blood, Baron Todd lay on the ground, struggling to retrieve a shriveled viper’s bladder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Melf’s Acid Arrow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flashing green arrow shot toward the red dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shield.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a cold smirk, the dragon conjured an invisible barrier, blocking the arrow, which exploded in a mist of acid without harming Cassius in the slightest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A spellcaster?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baron Todd’s face went pale—a dragon mage; this was the worst possible scenario.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hastily constructed another spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Misty Step!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His original position left behind a trail of silvery mist as he appeared dozens of meters away, beside a twisted vine hanging from the manor wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius followed with a leisurely flap of his wings, saying, “Baron, please, don’t waste your energy on futile struggles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your little tricks…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are inconsequential.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames danced in the dragon’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the dragon advancing, Baron Todd desperately focused, building another spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grabbed a vine, which shot upward, lifting itself vertically into the air, suspending him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the dragon closed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Todd climbed up the vine and vanished, and the vine disappeared with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rope Trick?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius observed with interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This spell was a famous mage-exclusive escape spell, enabling the caster to enter a small, extradimensional space for the spell’s duration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No attack or magic could enter or exit the space’s entrance, but the occupants could see outside through the “rope” position as if looking through a window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the spell ended, everything in the extradimensional space would fall out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the extradimensional space, Baron Todd’s pale face was tense, terrified that the dragon would notice something amiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he’d needed to breathe, he’d have been gasping by now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius murmured almost to himself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An interesting spell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But as I said earlier…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your little tricks are inconsequential to me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his words, a shimmering barrier radiated from the dragon, enveloping the entire area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Antimagic Field!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The extradimensional space shattered like glass, and the hiding Baron Todd fell, crashing to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the dragon’s open, deadly maw, Baron Todd finally collapsed, falling to his knees and pleading:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no, please don’t kill me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am the son of Duke Brad, a baron of the Lackman family, Northwind’s Eagle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spare me, and my family can give you gold, far more than you would gain by killing me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great dragon, I… I will serve you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a mage, Todd knew enough to understand a dragon’s inherent greed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon looked down at him, eyes narrowing. “You need only agree to three conditions for cooperation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I agree—I agree to everything!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Todd quickly complied, desperate to avoid being reduced to ash by this merciless, volatile dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the dragon seemed reasonably composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But who could say for sure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius nodded slightly and stated:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, I require all of your spell scrolls, remember—all of them—to compensate for your incursion into Embers Nest territory. This is the basis of our cooperation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second, I welcome trade and will even provide gold, but I need you to trade for all goods, including weapons and armor. Hart will oversee this ‘friendly trade’ caravan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third, I’ll assign some of my retainers to guard the caravan and take up residence in Sager Town to ensure the safety of you, my collaborator.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you worried I might betray this cooperation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baron Todd cautiously asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The terms seemed fair, so he hoped to secure the dragon’s trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius let out a derisive laugh and replied, “Baron, I’ve told you, we’re here to cooperate, a mutually beneficial arrangement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think about it: without trade with Embers Nest, without gold, without a strong force, you and your barony are nothing, merely a grain-producing area that could be discarded at any moment. A northern invasion alone could devastate you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think… you understand what I mean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon’s eyes gleamed, flames seemingly dancing within them.\u003C\u002Fp>",931,"2026-06-03T12:47:02.671Z","2026-06-03T12:47:06.781Z",1,"novelbin.me","8fa9cb358426bc0616972807a500276dfe8fad2be483892257b0da78ded5a0c5","ember-dragon-chapter-46","ember-dragon-chapter-44",603,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fember-dragon-cover.jpg"]