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Cassius relied on his night vision to steadily exit the cave, only to find that the people hadn’t run far.

Though the battle just now was intense, it hadn’t actually taken much time.

It would take ordinary humans quite a while to escape from such a deep cave, especially in the midst of such chaos.

Gold-Fang greeted him at the cave entrance, bowing with exaggerated reverence, "Oh, my great master, your power is unmatched. Even the mightiest monster cannot withstand your flames."

The humans looked on in terror at the blood-covered red dragon emerging from the cave, their faces filled with fear.

The monster in the cave had been horrifying enough; what kind of power would the dragon that defeated it possess?

They mustered all their remaining strength to flee in panic.

Many had been devoured by the monster in the cave, and some had been crushed by falling rocks.

Out of over a hundred people who had entered, only about fifty managed to escape. The rest were forever entombed in the dark depths of the cave.

Gold-Fang sidled up obsequiously, asking, "My great master, what do you plan to do with… these wretched humans?"

A cunning glint flashed in the kobold’s eyes.

Having once been enslaved by humans, it now saw an opportunity for revenge.

"I have my own plans."

The red dragon was indifferent, struggling slightly as he flapped his wings and took to the sky, pursuing the fleeing crowd.

The people below were thrown into a frenzy, terrified, running with all their might.

But how could running compete with flight?

Soon, the shadow cast by the red dragon loomed over the panic-stricken crowd.

However, the anticipated flames, claws, or gaping jaws did not come.

"Humans, you have trespassed upon the territory of the Embers Nest."

"But the merciful red dragon is willing to forgive your transgressions."

"This time, I will punish only the instigator."

The red dragon dove down, sweeping over the ground and grabbing the most conspicuous figure in armor—Hart.

Then he flew back to the cave entrance.

Hart, who had been seized by the dragon, was thrown to the ground. Kneeling, he dared not rise, trembling as he stammered, "L-Lord Dragon, I was wrong."

"N-no, don’t eat me. I—I’m not tasty."

The once-arrogant slaver now quaked with fear.

Cassius gazed down at him, noting that Hart was actually a level three warrior. Feigning anger, he said, "Who gave you the courage—to invade the Embers Nest’s territory and steal a dragon’s gold?"

In the red dragon’s shameless proclamation, the gold mine had become his personal property.

The kobold, seeing his former master now in such a wretched state, couldn’t help but taunt him, "You’re just a lowly human, daring to invade the great dragon’s possessions, enslaving his kin. Your only fate is to be torn to pieces!"

Hearing the words "torn to pieces," Hart collapsed in terror.

His face was streaked with snot and tears, muttering repeatedly, "It wasn’t me. I—I was ordered by someone else, forced to come here."

Hearing there might be someone behind this, Cassius grew interested.

"Who?"

"Tell me the name of that thief."

Realizing there was a glimmer of hope for survival, Hart clung to it desperately, answering without hesitation.

"It’s Baron Todd!"

"Todd Luckman!"

At this, Cassius’s interest grew, and he inquired further:

"Luckman family?"

"The so-called Northern Wind Eagle, ruler of Northwind Keep?"

Hart nodded repeatedly, scrambling to answer, his tone earnest in this life-and-death situation.

"Yes, yes, Lord Dragon, it’s Luckman."

Hart knelt, cautiously lifting his head, his face full of tears.

"Lord Dragon, please, you must avenge me!"

"This Baron Todd, he used vile magic to control me, threatened my family’s lives, forced me to follow his orders, which is why I violated your property."

Given the situation, Hart abandoned any pretense of loyalty, prioritizing his life. Any blame could fall on the baron.

"How interesting."

From what Cassius knew, the Luckman family’s old duke was a vampire, and many of his offspring had become revenants or new vampires. This Baron Todd was likely a vampire as well—a potential lead for gathering intelligence on Northwind Keep.

The red dragon grinned, "This Baron Todd you mentioned, where is he now?"

Hart hesitated briefly, then quickly replied, "Lord Dragon, I can take you to him. He must compensate you for your losses."

A full-fledged turncoat.

"Very well, but we’ll wait a while first."

The red dragon grabbed the human and, flapping his wings, flew directly back to the Embers Nest.

The Embers Nest.

Cassius landed amid the welcome of his dragonkin.

However, this time, his numerous wounds drew whispers of speculation among his followers, wondering who could have injured him so badly. But no one dared voice their thoughts, fearing to anger the wounded red dragon.

Dolo, the hobgoblin chief, led a squad of warg riders to greet him, his face fawning.

The red dragon tossed Hart casually in front of Dolo, saying, "Watch this human. Don’t let him escape, and don’t let him die."

"Yes, my great master, I will fulfill your orders without fail."

Dolo agreed eagerly, snapping his whip to signal the guards.

Soon, several burly bear-goblins stepped forward with a hide stretcher, carrying the human off to the camp’s dungeon.

Having given his orders, the red dragon flew directly back to the Giant’s Maw Cave.

He headed straight to the deepest part of the cave, moving aside the stones that had previously blocked the entrance.

"I see now, no wonder I felt uneasy earlier."

"It’s time to clear the hidden threats within my nest."

Cassius muttered to himself.

He leaped into the pit.

Inside, magma splashed and white steam billowed out.

Yet the scorching magma was merely warm water to the red dragon, and the sulfurous heat made him feel at home.

Descending for a long time, plunging countless meters deep, he finally spotted another entrance—blocked by a steady flow of magma.

"Splash!"

The red dragon burst out of the magma.

Molten rock splattered, scorching the solid rock around him.

It was an incredibly narrow tunnel that stretched endlessly.

The entrance was just over four meters high, and Cassius had to retract his wings tightly to barely fit as he continued to explore forward.