Chapter 46: The Flaw in the Rose Fragrance
In the third month after spring began, Redstone Fortress welcomed its annual merchant caravan gathering.
Caravans from all over the continent flooded into this small border town, packing the streets so tightly that not a drop of water could trickle through. Furs from the north, spices from the south, silk from the east, and gemstones from the west piled high on temporary stalls. The air was thick with a cacophony of smells: the charred aroma of roasted meat, the pungency of spices, the sour stench of sweat, and the cloyingly sweet, stinging scent of cheap perfume.
The Blazing Mercenary Group took on an escort mission—ensuring the safety of a caravan from the Imperial Capital during the gathering. The pay was average, but the work was easy: no need to leave the city, no need to risk their lives. They just had to patrol near the caravan's quarters and scare off petty thieves.
Lia sat in the gatehouse of the caravan's quarters, holding a cup of freshly brewed tea while watching the crowds pass by on the street outside.
Fatty leaned in and lowered his voice. "Lady Lia, have you heard? A wealthy merchant arrived in town recently. He's terrifyingly generous with his money—he tipped a tavern owner a hundred gold coins for a single meal."
Lia remained silent.
Fatty continued, "I heard that merchant is an outsider specifically looking to buy all sorts of rare materials—dragon blood, dragon scales, dragon teeth. He's offering three times the market price."
Lia's brow twitched slightly.
"Has anyone sold anything?"
"They have! That old hunter from the east side of town sold a dragon scale fragment he'd hidden for twenty years for two thousand gold coins. He bought three houses on the spot." Fatty looked envious. "If only I had a dragon scale..."
Lia raised her teacup and took a sip.
Interesting.
Specifically buying dragon materials at three times the market price.
Such a'sucker' was either a nouveau riche with more money than sense, or someone with an ulterior motive.
She set down her teacup and asked casually, "What's this merchant's name?"
Fatty scratched his head. "I think it was... Elder? Ed? Anyway, his last name was something like 'man,' I couldn't hear it clearly."
Lia nodded and asked no more.
——————
Three days later, she met the man.
In the courtyard of the caravan quarters, a middle-aged man dressed in fine silk was talking to the caravan leader. He was in his forties, slightly plump, with a round face and a neatly trimmed goatee. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits, making him look like a kindly, wealthy merchant. He wore a silk robe with gold thread embroidered at the collar, three gemstone rings on his fingers, and a piece of jade the size of an egg hanging from his belt—he practically radiated the aura of "I am rich."
The only problem was the smell.
His perfume was too strong.
It was so strong it was pungent, so strong it felt deliberate, as if he were desperately trying to hide something.
Lia stood at the gatehouse door with her teacup, giving a light sniff.
Beneath the perfume was another scent.
Sulfur.
It was extremely faint and weak; an ordinary person would never be able to smell it.
But she was a dragon.
A dragon's sense of smell could pick up prey from three miles away and lock onto a specific scent among a hundred mixed odors. To her, this sulfur smell was as clear as if it were written on his face.
She stared at the wealthy merchant, whose face was wrinkled with smiles, her golden pupils constricting slightly.
Not human.
A demon.
——————
An Alluring Demon.
A type of demon from the middle layers of the Abyss, they specialized in disguise and deception, taking pleasure in tempting mortals into corruption. They loved transforming into forms humans favored: handsome men, beautiful women, generous merchants, or kind elders—any form would do as long as it lowered the target's guard.
The one before her had clearly chosen the "nouveau riche with more money than sense" route.
Lia watched him smile as he shook hands with the caravan leader, watched him pull out a bag of gold coins as a deposit, and watched him turn toward the gatehouse—
She looked away and lowered her head to drink her tea.
The Alluring Demon walked to the gatehouse door, stopped, and greeted her with a smile. "Miss Mage, drinking tea all by yourself?"
Lia looked up and stared at him expressionlessly.
The Alluring Demon's smile stiffened for a split second.
Just a split second.
But he quickly recovered, continuing to smile as he said, "I am Edman, a merchant from the Imperial Capital. I heard you're a mage with the Blazing Mercenary Group and that your skills are quite remarkable?"
Lia nodded but said nothing.
The Alluring Demon leaned in a step closer, sniffing the air as his smile deepened. "The perfume you're wearing is very special. Which alchemy workshop blended it? I'd like to buy a few bottles to give as gifts."
Lia looked down at herself.
She didn't use perfume.
She never had.
But there was indeed a scent on her—not perfume, but the lingering aura of the lava hot springs she had soaked in for years in her volcanic nest. That aura, mixed with sulfur, fire, and a certain scent unique to dragons, did indeed smell somewhat like an exotic perfume to human noses.
She kept a straight face. "It's a custom blend."
The Alluring Demon's eyes lit up. "A custom blend? You are truly multi-talented, Miss! I wonder if it would be convenient to share the formula? I can pay a high price—"
"It's not convenient," Lia interrupted him.
The Alluring Demon was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "You are truly a direct person, Miss! Good, good, then I won't push. If there's a chance in the future, we can chat more—I'm quite interested in magic too."
He turned and left with a light step, his back looking perfectly amiable.
Lia stared at his retreating back and took a sip of tea.
A demon wants to infiltrate the mercenary group.
Why?
——————
That night, the Alluring Demon came calling.
He brought two bottles of fine wine and knocked on the door of the mercenary group's quarters, saying he was there to visit new friends. Carlos originally didn't want to deal with such a merchant of unknown origin, but when he saw the wine—Northern Ice Wine, worth fifty gold coins a bottle—he immediately changed his tune and warmly welcomed him in.
The mercenaries gathered around the hearth, drinking and eating meat in a lively atmosphere. The Alluring Demon sat in the middle of the crowd, smiling as he toasted everyone and asked questions like an ordinary merchant brimming with curiosity.
Lia sat in the corner with her wine cup, silent.
The Alluring Demon's gaze drifted toward her from time to time, lingering on her face for a second or two before quickly darting away.
After a few rounds of drinks, he carried his cup over and sat down beside Lia.
"Miss Mage," he whispered, "it wasn't convenient to ask certain things with so many people around earlier. Now that we're alone, I'd like to ask a question."
Lia looked at him.
The Alluring Demon leaned in closer and sniffed, the smile on his face becoming somewhat strange. "That scent on you... the more I smell it, the more familiar it feels."
Lia remained unfazed. "Is that so?"
The Alluring Demon nodded. "I've smelled something similar in the Abyss. Sulfur, fire, lava—it's the scent of a Fire-Scorched Demon. But you have something more than a Fire-Scorched Demon..."
He leaned in even closer, his nose almost touching Lia's neck.
Lia didn't flinch.
The Alluring Demon took a deep breath, then suddenly jerked back, the smile on his face completely freezing.
"No." He stared at Lia, his eyes changing. "That's not perfume. That scent is coming from inside your body—it's coming from your scales."
Lia looked at him and said nothing.
The Alluring Demon took a step back, his voice dropping even lower. "You're a dragon?"
The noise in the tavern continued as before; no one noticed the conversation in the corner.
Lia set down her wine cup and stood up.
The Alluring Demon instinctively backed away another step, his hand moving to the dagger at his waist.
Lia looked at him and suddenly smiled.
The smile was faint, almost imperceptible, but the Alluring Demon saw it.
Then his vision blurred.
In the next second, he was pinned to the ground, the back of his head slamming hard against the stone floor, making him see stars. A slender but incredibly powerful hand gripped his throat, pinning him firmly. That cold, beautiful face leaned down toward him, her golden pupils reflecting his terrified expression.
"Say one more word," Lia spoke, her voice as soft as a whisper, "and I'll let you taste what lava smells like."
The Alluring Demon's mind went blank.
He was a demon.
A demon should have a demon's dignity, a demon should have a demon's backbone, a demon should rather die than submit—
But he looked down at the hand gripping his throat.
That hand was turning red.
The temperature was soaring.
He smelled his own beard being singed.
The Alluring Demon's backbone vanished instantly.
"I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong—!" he pleaded in a low voice. "I'm just passing through! I just wanted to scam some money! I haven't done anything! I haven't killed anyone! I just wanted to sneak into the mercenary group for free food and drinks!"
Lia stared at him. "Why did you want to infiltrate the mercenary group?"
The Alluring Demon wanted to cry but had no tears. "Because there are many people in a mercenary group, and many people are easy to scam. Scam them and run, run to another place and keep scamming—I've been doing this in the human world for twenty years and never got caught! Who knew I'd run into an elder like you this time..."
Lia was silent for three seconds.
Twenty years.
This demon had been surviving in the human world for twenty years just by scamming food and drinks?
"How many people have you killed?"
"Not a single one!" The Alluring Demon shook his head frantically. "I'm an Alluring Demon, not a Hezrou! Our specialty is deception, not killing! If you kill people, the Church will notice, and then you can't survive! I just scam some money and food, occasionally trick a few girls into a relationship, but I've never done anything truly evil!"
Lia stared into his eyes.
A demon's eyes had a faint red light flickering deep within the pupils, the aura of the Abyss. But there was no killing intent or madness in this demon's gaze, only fear and grievance—like a petty thief caught red-handed, desperately arguing that he only committed minor thefts and never a major crime.
She slowly released her grip.
The Alluring Demon rolled over and sat up, clutching his throat and coughing until tears came to his eyes.
"Th-thank you for sparing my life..."
Lia squatted down to look him in the eye. "You said earlier that you smelled something on me?"
The Alluring Demon nodded frantically.
"There are dragons in the Abyss too?"
The Alluring Demon was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Not many, but they exist. A few are kept in the territories of the Fire-Scorched Demons to be used as weapons of war. Their scales are a bit like yours, but their scent isn't as pure..."
He suddenly shut his mouth, realizing he had misspoken.
Lia looked at him, her gaze as calm as a pool of stagnant water. "What else?"
The Alluring Demon stammered, "A-also, there have been some rumors in the Abyss lately. They say someone is paying a high price for information on dragons, especially about a 'Red Dragon with pink-shimmering scales'—the price is said to be extremely high, and several Great Demons are looking into it."
Lia's brow twitched slightly.
"A pink-shimmering Red Dragon?"
"Yes, yes, yes." The Alluring Demon nodded frantically. "Supposedly it's a commission from a certain Red Dragon princess, named Cai... Cai something..."
"Caesar Torsayesumola."
The Alluring Demon slapped his thigh. "Right! That's the name! You know her?"
Lia didn't answer.
She stood up and looked down at the demon sitting on the ground, trembling. She remained silent for a moment.
"Go."
The Alluring Demon was stunned. "Huh?"
"Before I change my mind, get out of Redstone Fortress. Get as far away as possible."
The Alluring Demon felt as if he'd been granted a grand pardon. He scrambled to his feet and rushed out. When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and looked back.
"That..." he hesitated. "Since you didn't kill me, I owe you my life. If you ever need to find out anything, you can look for me. My name is Edman, and I'm registered with the Imperial Thieves' Guild. You can find me."
With that, he vanished into the night.
Lia stood where she was, watching the panicked, fleeing figure with an expressionless face.
"Caesar Torsayesumola."
She softly repeated the name.
That sinister, greedy, and petty little sister of hers had indeed not stayed idle after defecting to the Metallic Dragon.
Commissioning demons to find her whereabouts?
This move really fit her "I'm going to tell the teacher you didn't share your snacks with me" logic.
Lia shook her head and turned back to the wine table.
The mercenaries were still boisterously drinking and boasting; absolutely no one had noticed what had happened in the corner.
Fatty came over with his cup. "Lady Lia, why did that wealthy merchant run off? He bolted like a rabbit—"
Lia raised her wine cup and took a sip. "He said he suddenly remembered he had business at home."
Fatty scratched his head. "What kind of business could there be in the middle of the night..."
Lia ignored him.
The night outside was deep, the moon obscured by clouds, hiding everything from view.
She stared into that darkness, her golden pupils constricting slightly.
Her sister's pursuit was coming faster than she had anticipated.