The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL] Chapter 390: Unmasked

It wasn’t that hydras, as a whole, were useless.

But this particular one? This one was definitely useless.

To be fair, there weren’t even that many of them left, so it wasn’t exactly right to generalize. According to the MBE’s records—and even common knowledge—hydras were considered endangered. Theories about their dwindling numbers ranged from a lack of interest in procreation to the simple fact that they didn’t do well in shared environments due to how inherently dangerous they were.

Those explanations weren’t unreasonable.

But if Riley were being honest, he had a feeling that their dwindling numbers wasn’t so much due to an inability to evolve with the times, but more so because someone simply didn’t want to be reminded of their existence.

If weaker species could adapt and survive, then why not hydras?

After all, what were hydras known for?

Regeneration.

The kind that made them infamous. Cut off one head, and two more would take its place. That alone was enough to keep most people on edge.

But what many tended to overlook—because they were too focused on the spectacle of multiplying heads—was something far more dangerous.

Poison.

Like poisonous

Blood, fangs, claws, tongues. Everything.

Hydras weren’t just regenerating monsters.

They were walking, breathing sources of miasma.

And in truth, the poison was the bigger problem.

Because the heads? Those could be managed. Cauterize the wound, and the regeneration stopped.

Heck, worst case scenario, just don’t touch a head to avoid increasing the prowess of the enemy.

Simple.

At least in theory.

But for more theoretical approaches, if one could incinerate the entire hydra in one go, then regeneration would be closer to impossible.

Riley remembered the lengthy discussion they’d once had in class.

Sure, they eventually sidelined the incineration idea for technical reasons. But it still wasn’t fundamentally wrong.

Also, it wasn’t because the human race couldn’t do something as simple as roasting such ginormous creatures, but mainly because hydras weren’t just your regular reptilian beasts.

They were amphibious by nature and capable of wielding powerful water magic. Setting one on fire was already difficult. Keeping it burning was worse.

It was the same with saying that roasting fish wasn’t exactly complicated.

But roasting something that actively tried to put itself out?

That was another matter entirely. Especially when the ability to extinguish was on a whole other level.

So the idea had been set aside and the discussion went another way.

Back then, as a student who didn’t know better and in a class where the professors were intellectuals but also very human, they simply weren’t privy to the most guarded secrets of the other races.

It was the unfortunate reality about being passionate about something but ultimately not having access to pertinent information due to confidentiality.

Then again, back then, they thought they already knew enough.

How naive, really.

But as Riley Hale, who just happened to be an Iltheran and now also a Dravaryn, spared a glance at the restrained scum, he thought, well, that wasn’t the case for him now, right?

After all—

If he had flames that were almost impossible to extinguish...

Then wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity to revisit that discarded theory?

For the sake of science, of course.

Yep. Definitely.

Ah, but first he would return a few favors for the sake of fairness.

__

"What do we have here? A hydra?"

Malrik’s eyes widened at the words he couldn’t believe he was hearing.

At first, he thought he was simply imagining things. It wasn’t impossible in the face of relatively stressful but ideally manageable moments. Even for someone as powerful as him, such things could still happen.

But the repetition of the word "hydra" didn’t stop even as he acknowledged the hallucination.

No, instead it kept on going as more and more impudent beings started repeating it with their own dirty mouths.

"A hydra?"

"...What?!"

"He said there’s a hydra here!"

They kept on muttering to themselves and to each other. It was getting on Malrik’s nerves because there definitely weren’t any hydras there!

Inside his mind, he was screaming. While he didn’t want to get discovered and opted to hide the fact that he was a dragon, it was still unthinkable for him to be called

He thought about it like the disgusting word it was that had absolutely nothing to do with a prestigious dragon like him.

The desire to scratch at and pick at his body to check for any indicators of being a hydra flared up. He felt like his veins would pop because the impulse to do it was being hindered by the fact that he couldn’t move.

His skin felt like it was crawling, and he wanted nothing more than to compulsively scrub at his flesh until the accusation was gone, but his body remained a rigid, frozen statue.

Just when he thought the situation couldn't get any more irritating, an anomaly occurred within the intangible confinement. A sudden, inexplicable gust of wind swept through, a phenomenon that defied the very nature of the dragon lord's mana-infused prison. This sharp, directed breeze managed to push back the hood he wore.

A moment of stillness followed. A profound silence hung in the air, lingering just long enough for Malrik to feel the cool air caress his brow before the stark realization dawned upon him: something was gravely wrong.

His hood was gone.

The crowd's reaction was instantaneous and palpable. Those who had moments before been cowering together in fear now stared with unconcealed intensity. Some brought hands to their mouths, while others leaned forward, their hushed whispers carrying a sharp undertone. Astonishment rapidly morphed into something akin to contempt.

The sudden shift in the atmosphere felt suffocating.

Malrik’s heart hammered against his ribs. He found himself immobile, his body restrained by an unseen force. Only the most minute movements remained possible—his eyes darting, his jaw clenching—yet even these felt restricted.

By sheer instinct, he attempted to break free. He tried to raise an arm, to push the hood back into place. But it was futile. Not a single muscle responded.

And with that, the degrading sensation took root.

Piece by piece, his dignity was being dismantled before the eyes of an assembled crowd. Yet, in his deluded state, he tried to regain his composure. This… might not be entirely detrimental. Wasn't this precisely what he had desired? Hadn't he orchestrated events so that Chancellor Malrik Veyth would remain untraceable?

He reassured himself that he was merely overthinking. He shouldn't be concerned, for having concealed his draconic nature just in time, there was no logical reason for the dragon lord to personally involve himself with him. Consequently, as someone who wouldn't immediately appear as a dragon, Kael would be unable to act against him without adhering to due process, especially not with so many witnesses present.

Malrik let out an internal chuckle. Kael Dravaryn, for all his formidable power, was beholden to the law. Ultimately, power was rendered inconsequential when one allowed it to be constrained by rules. Now, Kael himself would face the repercussions.

All Malrik required was a brief window of opportunity. A single chance to escape to safety; he just needed to endure this indignity with a composed facade. That would have been a brilliant plan, indeed.

If not for that infernal human. The very same individual Malrik regarded with intense displeasure.

Perhaps it was his heightened focus, but Malrik perceived a flicker of something in the human's expression for a fleeting moment. A smile, perhaps? The proud, supposed dragon couldn't be certain, as it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Now, all that remained was shock.

Pure, theatrical shock. His eyes widened as if he had just unearthed a world-shattering secret. His hand lifted, trembling as he pointed accusingly.

"Ch-chancellor?! Isn't that Chancellor Malrik?!"