The dragon's harem

Chapter 871: Iron Snake Lake

The carriages kept moving through the night as the jungle was too dangerous to camp in safely, the drivers alternated while Arad and Merlin allegedly spent the night awake, in reality, he remained awake and she went to sleep. Out of everyone here, he alone didnʼt need much sleep.

Thanks to everyone being sleeping and relaxed, Arad had managed to thinly spread his aura around the caravan and scare most of the predators, the remaining fools ended up as his late- night snack.

The caravan reached Matildaʼs village the next day, the place was called the Iron Snake Lake due to the countless rivers pouring their iron-rich water into their lake. Everywhere were the rivers turned, beast people gathered to collect iron sand to forge their weapons with.

As the caravan approached the villageʼs gate, the tigers blocked their path and roared, ”Outsiders! State your names!” The largest of tigers jumped forward, thrusting his long steel spear into the ground.

”Gorarin, itʼs me, calm down.” Zara rode forward with his horse, ”Iʼve come back.”

”That was quick... and who are all of those?” He pointed at the caravan, ”Matildaʼs classmates, they are here on a learning trip or something...the carriages were provided by the humanʼs princess Isdis, sheʼs here on diplomatic business.”

Gorarin looked at the carriages, ”Human politics, I donʼt like that. But theyʼre fine, itʼs not for us to kick them out, itʼs the lionsʼ job.”

”Youʼre right.” Zara turned around and waved his hand, ”Go in! But youʼll have to camp in your carriages for the night.”

”How is Matilda? Itʼs been a while; did she make any friends over there? Unlike here.” Gorarin tapped Zaraʼs shoulder.

”Itʼs a bit complicated, she did make a lot of friends, and one of them is something else.” He scratched his head, ”You must...” As Zara was talking, he noticed Gorarinʼs face paling and twisting.

Gorarin pointed spear forward and yelled, ”Who are you!?” He roared at the top of his lungs the moment he saw Arad walk out of the carriage, glaring straight at him.

Arad giggled, ”Who am I?” He started slowly walking toward it until he reached the spearʼs head. None of the students had yet walked out of the carriages. ”Iʼm the one to ask that. If weʼre already allowed inside.” Arad kept walking, pushing the spear with his chest until it snapped.

Arad glared down at Gorarin, ”What are those bowmen doing all around the caravan? Do you expect me to let everyone out under bow points?”

”Gorarin? There are snipers around?” Zara cried, ”Tell them to stand down, you donʼt want to fight him.”

”Iʼve already sent them the message, they are several hundred meters away. Itʼll take a while.” Gorarin glared at Arad, ”Who are you?”

”Aron, the caravanʼs guard.” Arad replied with a smile.

”Heʼs Aron, this is the one I told you about among Matildaʼs friends, the special one.” Zara tapped Aradʼs shoulder, ”He strangled a damned death jaw with his bare hands.” He laughed. He didnʼt understand a word of what Zara was saying due to his brain refusing to believe a word of what Zara said. Gorarin waved his hand, ”The snipers should be down by now, get into the village if youʼre happy. Weʼll talk later.”

The students slowly walked out of the carriages to stretch and looked around, unlike the jungle, this place was actually guarded by beast people, mainly tigers but they could spot some lion traders and wolf people drinking in what looked like an outdoor tavern.

”Youʼre the second humans that went by in the past year.” Gorarin smiled, ”Your kind are a rare sight here, is it the same for beast people in your land.”

”Yeah... you rarely see our kind there.” Matilda was the one to reply, she was walking with Arad, Selina, Mira, and Tina behind Arad who carried Serin and was followed by Ignis. The tigers seemed to try their best to ignore the red wyrmling.

”Matildaʼs close friends would be staying at my house, for the rest, we donʼt have any place to house them so theyʼll camp anywhere thatʼs empty.” Zara looked at Gorarin, ”Is that okay?”

”Why ask me? Talk to the chieftain, I doubt heʼll mind, but itʼs best to in from him first.” Gorarin smiled.

”You said another human came...” Arad looked at Gorarin, ”Do you know who he was?”

”Never asked his name, came in one day, traded some beasts that he hunted, and disappeared into the forest. He had one peculiar-smelling woman, stank like a wet dog.” Gorarin laughed, ”Compared to her, you guys smell nice, except you, and that little one.” He pointed at Arad and Ignis.

”She smells of pumice and sulfur...burned. You on the other hand donʼt smell at all, strange.” Gorarin pointed at Arad and Matilda nodded, ”Heʼs right, you rarely smell.”

Arad looked at his arms, ”Ah! I forget it...” With a single wave of his hand, he pulled a ceramic jar filled with oil reeking of pine.

”Whatʼs that?!” Matilda, Zara, and Gorarin closed their noses as the smell was too strong.

Arad pushed his whole hand in the jaw and waved it around him. What oil had stuck to his hand suddenly disappeared and he started to faintly smell like pine trees. He had applied that across his entire draconic body, which made it almost unnoticeable.

”I sensed magic...and where did all of that oil go?” Gorarin scratched his head, ”Peculiar, this is what you mean, Zara.”

”See? Heʼs one odd cub.” Zara giggled.

”I donʼt know why, but I usually donʼt smell like anything.” Arad stored the jar, ”I do need to use some perfumes.”

”That isnʼt a perfume, itʼs just pine...” Gorarin waved his hand to fan the smell, ”Too strong for us tigers. But better than nothing, itʼs extremely weird to us if you donʼt smell like anything. Imagine an invisible man, creepy, right?”

Quickly after that they reached Zaraʼs house, ”Iʼll leave you alone from here, weʼll talk later when you all have settled down.” Gorarin left and Zara waved to him.

”Letʼs go inside.” He reached toward the door to knock, but a shadow immediately lunged out of the window, latching onto Matildaʼs head, ”Sister! Youʼre back!” It was Matildaʼs little

sister.

Matilda cried as her sisterʼs claws dug into her head, ”Let me...breath...”

Arad grabbed the little sister by the shirt and lifted her up like a tiny kitten, ”Sister? This one?” He shook her a bit.

”Ahhh...” Matilda rubbed the back of her head, she was already bleeding a bit. ”Sheʼs still too young to know how to use her claw...her name is Sara.”

Sara looked between Arad and Matilda several times and quickly bit his hand like a feral cat, as he dropped her, she ran back home screaming, ”Sister brought a mate! Sister brought a mate,

MOM! MOM!”

”You little!” Matilda growled, rushing after her.

Mira approached Arad, ”She bit you and you dropped her, did you get hurt?”

”No...I let her go. If she bites me, she mustʼve wanted me to put her down.” He showed Mira his hand, not a single scratch.

Zara looked back at everyone with a tired face, ”Those two were always like this. Sara used to make fun of Matilda for not finding a mate, but she cried a lot when she left to study abroad... She just didnʼt want to be separated from her sister.”

Matildaʼs mother opened the door and looked at the window, ”Ara...did she get inside through there?” She looked at Zara with closed eyes, ”Who are the guests?” She smiled, ”Is that the one Sara referred to as Matildaʼs mate?”

”Wait...calm down...he isnʼt her mate...she didnʼt find anyone...” Zara seemed to start panicking the moment he saw her smile.

”But...heʼs quite the interesting one.” She dried her hands on a small towel she had hanging

by the door and opened one eye, her purple glowing eyes stared straight at Arad, ”Heʼs a big

one, isnʼt he?”

In the blink of an eye, Arad felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and when he blinked, he was already flying over the jungle. He growled and glared to the side, seeing Matildaʼs mother flying after him. ”What is another of your kind doing here?” she asked with a passive face, clenching a fist engulfed in black lightning. ”By Maharajaʼs name, Iʼve sworn to skin your kind if they dared come back to haunt my family.”

Arad gasped as he immediately shifted into his half-dragon form. That woman was dangerous, and the magic he was sensing from her, he wasnʼt mistaken. Void magic, ”You

arenʼt a dragon, are you?”

”Iʼm a black tiger, just like my daughter that you know...you could say...weʼve got the same blood.” She jumped in the air and flew at him, punching him again with her black lightning. As the smoke cleared, Arad caught her fist, ”A sorceress, void dragon bloodline...” Arad grabbed her by the wrist, ”Sadly Iʼm not...” He threw her to the ground...

CRACK! She landed on her legs, shattering the ground.

BAM! Arad landed behind her, his muscles expanding as the ground beneath his feet shattered. He clenched a fist, ”...a fake one.” He threw a punch at her face, and she could see

the whole dragon inside him.

Arad stopped his fist right before hitting her, sending her flying back just from the sheer

impact.

Using her claws, she grabbed a tree and stopped, staring at him, ”A half-dragon...no, a true dragon. You werenʼt serious one bit.” She sighed.

Arad stood, sucking his wings back into his back, ”Iʼm not even using a tenth of my power normally, donʼt punch me like that, it hurts.” He walked toward her, ”Unlike Matilda, you

seem to know about your own bloodline.”

”My grandfatherʼs father was a void dragon...itʼs been almost a century since he disappeared.” She looked at Arad, ”Why did another void dragon come to us?” ”Not a particular reason, I just happened to be studying with your daughter...” Arad scratched

his head, ”AH, keep this a secret, itʼll cause a lot of trouble.”

She giggled, ”Is that youʼre worried about? Donʼt worry...”