Chapter 367: Dragon Pact Sorcerer (Part 2)
Hearing this, Cassius slightly tilted his neck and asked, "And why do you think... I would help you?"
Misha answered seriously, "Because you're a good person."
"A good person?"
"Hahahahaha!"
Cassius burst into laughter, as if he had just heard the most absurd joke.
But Misha's tone was completely sincere.
Over the past decade, he had been called many names—Evil Dragon, Butcher, Tyrant, Destroyer, even God—but never had anyone referred to him as a "good person."
The red dragon stood, shaking his massive wings, and stared at Misha with interest as he continued, "Why do you say that?"
"Aren't you afraid I might be just like Leo Bosque?"
Misha looked flustered but still replied, "No, you're not like him."
"You... you're different from them."
"How am I different?"
Cassius pressed further.
Misha hesitated before saying, "My grandpa, Old John, once told me that you're the best lord in all of Anzeta. Even though you're a dragon, you're more of a good person than those nobles."
"Oh?"
The red dragon tilted his head.
"He often said that under the Northern nobles' rule, he couldn't get enough food and had to worry about starving or freezing to death every winter. But in your territory, he could eat his fill and even had enough to feed me."
"And, and if it weren't for you, I might've become a slave to those nobles and would've never been adopted by him."
Misha's words were simple and sincere, yet they carried a profound honesty.
The red dragon nodded, his expression becoming more nuanced.
Cassius had little sympathy for the Northern people; he had only implemented the new order because it was advantageous for consolidating power and expanding his influence.
Yet now, the benefits of his approach were evident.
Cassius took a few steps forward and said, "Misha, I admire you."
"So... what is it you desire? The power to kill Leo Bosque?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I want to kill him with my own hands."
Misha declared resolutely, firelight once again dancing in her brown eyes.
However, Cassius's next question caught her off guard.
His pale golden eyes fixed on her as he asked, "Then... what will you do afterward?"
"I, I..."
Misha froze, unsure of how to answer.
After all, she was still a child. Despite her precociousness, she hadn't seriously considered her future.
Misha fell into deep thought, memories flashing through her mind like a carousel.
—Being taught by Old John, playing in the alleys of Northwind Fortress, attending temporary schools established by the Kingdom, witnessing Old John's death in the Magur Incident, receiving Langpu's help, and now, standing before the Ember King.
She wondered: if she had truly been sold as a slave, what kind of life would she have endured? From what she knew of the nobles, it would surely have been unbearable.
Misha suddenly realized that the red dragon and his Kingdom had completely changed her life.
If Old John were still alive, he would have wanted her to make a life for herself within the Kingdom.
"May His Majesty Cassius bless us; may this trade journey be smooth..."
"May His Majesty Cassius protect us; may the war..."
"His Majesty Cassius..."
Old John's mutterings seemed to echo in her mind, along with the laughter of the caravan uncles.
She had been abandoned, sold.
Old John had been her only family, and the Kingdom was her only home.
With this realization, Misha raised her head with determination and said in a tender yet firm voice, "Your Majesty, I—I am willing to always remain loyal to the Kingdom and repay your kindness."
"For Old John's sake as well," she silently added to herself.
"Good, Misha."
Cassius nodded again, spreading his massive wings, casting a vast shadow over her.
"I do not withhold power from those loyal to the Kingdom, especially a talent like you."
He ordered softly, "Close your eyes."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Misha obediently closed her eyes.
The red dragon let out a low growl, white-hot smoke curling from his mouth.
Flames erupted from the vents along his neck and tail, and the dragon crystal in his chest radiated a dazzling light, causing the air in the hall to warp with heat.
For such a rare prodigy, Cassius was willing to pour in extraordinary power, crafting a new faction-specific subclass.
[Bloodline Blessing]
A fiery stream of energy, like a glowing thread, flowed into Misha's petite body.
The seed of ancient dragon power merged into her veins, integrating into her very bloodline and elevating her existence to a higher state of being.
This power linked her to the red dragon, creating a bond akin to a pact.
"Ah..."
Misha's face turned pale as sweat poured from her body, only to be evaporated by the heat moments later.
Even with her "Child of the Elements" physique, she struggled to withstand the searing dragon flames.
Cassius refrained from fully transforming her into a dragon. She was still a child, too fragile in both body and spirit to endure such torment.
Instead, he internalized the blessing's power, transforming her veins into magic-charged conduits and turning her heart into a blazing, life-filled dragon's heart.
As the power flowed into her, a crimson contract began to manifest on Misha's back—a natural pact formed through the magic network.
"Ah—"
Finally, the magical sigils lit up.
With a sharp cry, Misha's entire body burst into flames. The latent power within her awakened, revealing the terrifying potential of her future as the "Mad Fire Witch."
Without Cassius's control and suppression, those flames could have spread for hundreds of meters, incinerating an entire city.
The blessing lasted nearly thirty minutes. By the end, Misha had passed out, collapsing to the ground, her clothes reduced to ash.
Misha's appearance was forever marked by the red dragon's bloodline.
—Her once-brown eyes had turned into golden slits. Faint scales appeared on her forehead, and two small dragon horns sprouted from her head.
Crimson sigils adorned her back and neck, while her eye corners shimmered like firelight.
Though her essence had undergone a monumental transformation, she retained her human appearance, remaining far more human-like than the half-dragon Crimson Scaled Conquerors.
Cassius folded his wings and quietly observed the unconscious Misha.
"This feeling..."
"It's as if a pact has been formed."
[Faction subclass progression complete.]
Subclass prerequisites:
Join the [Ember Kingdom] faction and become a vassal of faction leader [Ember King - Cassius].
Possess a degree of dragon bloodline, a Sorcerer or Pact Sorcerer level of 3 or higher, and an affinity for fire elements of at least ordinary or higher.
[Please name the faction subclass—]
Cassius looked at the crimson sigils on Misha's body, feeling the power flowing through their pact.
[Name: [Dragon Pact Sorcerer]]