Chapter 8: The Temptation of the Dragon

Leclerc couldn’t help but widen his eyes. What was this woman talking about? Did she not realize what her own mouth was saying? Give it to me? Did she think the position of head of the knight order was as simple as being a squad leader?

Studying this carefree and alluring female general closely, Leclerc shook his head. Even if she were Comer’s favored mistress, she couldn’t make such a hasty decision on Comer’s behalf. Of course, Leclerc also didn’t think Comer’s taste could have become so poor. The Three Wolves of Cyprus were infamous in Cyprus, but their aesthetic views still seemed similar to those of ordinary people. Among the common girls in Cyprus who had been abused and degraded, none had ever been as unconventional as this woman before.

“Miss Shatima, I must remind you that you have no right to say such things. I believe you don’t even understand the legal procedures of our kingdom. You probably spoke without thinking at all. I don’t know where you’re from, but if you’re from the Kingdom of Nicosia, you should know that the position of head of the knight order must be granted through the recommendation of a lord and approved by the kingdom. It seems you’ve completely ignored these factors.”

It would be a lie to say that Shatima’s casual words didn’t touch Leclerc at all. No noble knight wanted to live in seclusion for life, but pride and dignity forced them to live in humiliation under the shadow of failure. Giving up on oneself was also a form of self-exile and self-negation. Leclerc could certainly understand the despair and frustration of his former subordinates, which was also the main reason he had avoided getting involved. After all, he himself had been immersed in depression for a long time. How much more so for those knights who regarded loyalty to the Philip family as their lifelong honor? Now everyone knew that the Philip family had completely declined. Not only the kingdom’s royal court but even the Romanov family had recognized Comer’s sovereignty over Homer. In other words, legally, Comer had officially become the lord of Homer, and no one could overturn that anymore.

Countless examples had shown Leclerc that the loyal supporters of former lords would gradually fade from the new lord’s inner circle, and the same applied to knights. If they could humbly beg for the new lord’s forgiveness, they might be able to maintain their previous lives, but for knights, such humiliation was tantamount to suicide. As the leader of a knightly order, no new lord would trust him, and he was already quite satisfied to simply make it through the rest of his life peacefully.

Shatima seemed unfazed by Leclerc’s blunt and even insulting words. She didn’t seem to realize the contempt and disdain in his remarks, but that didn’t affect her understanding of their meaning.

“Knight Leclerc, do you think I’m bluffing? Or that I’m making empty promises? Let me tell you the same thing—we dragons…” She almost blurted it out before forcing herself to stop, pausing briefly before continuing, “I always keep my word. I have a good impression of you. Compared to Vladkov and that Sorenberg, you’re really quite good. I’ll make you the leader of the Homer and even the Caucasus Knightly Orders.”

Shatima made no attempt to hide her fondness for Leclerc. Compared to the quiet Sorenberg and the stern Vladkov, this Leclerc, though slightly older, at least lacked the unpleasant gloominess. In short, he better matched Shatima’s ideal of a knight.

Seeing Shatima’s serious declarations, Leclerc was truly surprised. Could it be that this woman really had an affair with Komer? He examined her again carefully. Aside from her decent face, larger breasts, and better figure, he couldn’t see anything in her that met the nobles’ standards of beauty. Especially with her rude behavior and inappropriate speech, how could Komer be attracted to such a woman? Had spending two years in that barbaric land of the Caucasus, living among barbarians, changed his taste in women to resemble theirs?

“Miss Shatima, you needn’t use such tactics to tempt me. I have my own principles. I may have lost this confrontation, but I’ll do my best to help you deal with the trouble caused by those knights. I’ll persuade them to abide by the law, but whether it will work depends not on me.” Leclerc seemed quite calm. “I don’t want to deny my attachment to my past life as a knight leader, but I won’t resort to despicable methods to please anyone. I hope you won’t try to test me with such words again.”

With Leclerc stepping in, order was quickly restored in Cyprus City. There were far fewer knights in the taverns, and those who were there behaved in a restrained and rational manner. Yet the gloomy expressions on their faces grew deeper. Many knights were so drunk that they had to be supported by their companions as they staggered home.

Leclerc didn’t demand anything specifically; he merely asked the knights to calmly accept reality. Even the Royal Star Court and members of the Romanov family had acknowledged the transfer of Lord Homer’s sovereignty. As part of the kingdom and as role models for law-abiding behavior, the knights should obey the law even more strictly than ordinary citizens.

Seeing the pitiful condition of his former companions, Leclerc was deeply moved. At times, he even remembered the words that rude woman had said. What if, what if what she said was true? Maybe… Leclerc couldn’t help but engage in self-mocking thoughts. It seemed even he couldn’t escape this tendency—his desire for honor and glory seemed hard to suppress with willpower. Sometimes, he couldn’t help imagining that maybe Kommer was truly twisted and liked that rude woman, and that Kommer might listen to her words. The words of noble mistresses often carried more weight than those of subjects.

“You mean having Mr. Leclerc help me reform the Homer Knights?” Kommer picked up a glass and handed one to Fran, as well as one to Shatima. That beautiful dragon woman always tried to catch his eye—her overly full breasts protruded prominently, and with her extremely revealing bell-shaped dress, her deep cleavage swayed right in front of him. Her fair, soft breasts seemed so plump they could seem to yield juice, forcing Kommer to use chilled gin to calm his agitated heart.

“Yes, Komer. I think it’s a good idea. That guy is extremely eager for the position of knight leader; I can tell.” Shatima trusted her intuition greatly. Her bell-shaped dress was tight around her slightly plump figure, but she knew that men seemed to really like her curvy shape, especially during close contact—seemingly reducing their intelligence significantly. She pretended to take a sip of wine, pouted, blinked twice before saying, “And his combat skills are quite strong, not inferior to Vladkov at all. I think he’s more than capable.”
“Fran, do you think so too?” Komer swallowed hard, his mouth filled with wine, and spoke with difficulty. The charm of this beautiful dragon was growing stronger. To someone as thirsty as he was, it was like fine wine filled with raging fire—consuming it might bring momentary pleasure, but it could also leave one severely burned.
“Shatima has some point. Leclerc is a very qualified knight leader. Although the Homer Knights were defeated by us, it’s not his fault. To be honest, the Homer Knights also caused us a lot of trouble, largely due to Leclerc’s outstanding leadership skills.” Fran also held high regard for this former rival. “He has great prestige among the Homer Knights. Aside from loyalty issues, if we really want to form a knight order, he would be the most suitable candidate for leader.”
“Loyalty issues?” Komer tilted his head and thought for a moment. “Do you think, under these circumstances, those knights would still be loyal to Philip?”
“Theoretically, no. But my lord, you should know that knights can sometimes be terrifyingly stubborn. They take pride in it and even consider it a knightly principle. If they decide you’re an usurper, you’ll never win their loyalty.” Fran shrugged and downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.
“No, no, General Fran. I don’t think Leclerc is that kind of rigid person. There’s a flame in his eyes. When I suggested seeking the position of knight leader for him, that flame burned even brighter. Though he pretended to remain calm on the surface, he couldn’t hide his true feelings from me.” Shatima shook her head repeatedly. “Please trust my intuition.”
Komer’s gaze fell on Shatima’s face—her fair skin was round and smooth, paired with her plump bare shoulders and deep cleavage. She was truly a beauty capable of arousing endless desire.

Faran’s gaze had already drifted elsewhere. He didn’t understand why his master was hesitating in front of this woman. As Komer, there seemed to be no need to hesitate at all. Wasn’t this woman acting in such a way in front of Komer simply to flirt? Going to bed seemed like the obvious next step, yet Komer appeared more hesitant than ever, as if afraid or worried about something, which left Faran utterly puzzled. Of course, he had no idea what Komer was actually worried about.