Lord of Caldera - Chapter 283

Chapter 283: Chapter 283

I’ve already covered myself in the real scent. What’s in these pouches is nothing but snacks the black lion loves.

Second Part

Carrying a pouch of snacks into the cage, Sylas strode forward without hesitation. The baron watched in disbelief as Sylas walked in, trusting his words completely. It was so absurd that it bordered on comedic.

To think he fell for it in one move, despite my layered provocations. The baron shook his head in amusement. Sylas’s reputation as a “dragonslayer” seemed overblown. Surely, someone with such a title couldn’t show fear when the baron himself had been petting the black lion. That arrogance would be his undoing.

“Go on, give it a try. Pet the lion,” the baron urged, suppressing a smirk.

“I intend to,” Sylas replied cheerfully, stepping closer. “Hello there, lion.”

He reached out his hand toward the black lion, which suddenly froze, its eyes wide. The baron immediately retreated, confident that the lion had caught the scent of the snacks.

Now it’s over…! he thought gleefully.

But then, an unexpected sound pierced the air.

-Whimper! Whine! Whiiiine!

“…What?” The baron’s triumphant grin faded into confusion. The black lion didn’t attack Sylas. Instead, it scrambled to the far corner of the cage, trembling violently.

“What’s the matter with it?” Sylas asked, tilting his head. “A creature this large, afraid of me? Come here.”

-Whiiine! Whiiiine!

As Sylas gestured for the lion to come closer, it let out pitiful cries and retreated further. Overwhelmed by terror, it even urinated in fright. The baron was at a loss for words, watching the supposedly ferocious beast cower.

But this lion once ripped apart a troll’s neck! It wasn’t some docile pet raised in captivity. This was a predator trained with bloodshed, conditioned to be a killer.

“This lion is far too timid. Any closer, and it might defecate as well,” Sylas said with a click of his tongue, stepping back. Only then did the lion begin to calm down slightly, though it continued to tremble, casting terrified glances at Sylas.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but this lion won’t do. A creature that fears its master is of no use,” Sylas declared.

The baron flinched. He had gone to such lengths to set this trap—he couldn’t let them leave unscathed. At least one of Sylas’s knights had to die for him to avoid punishment from his lord.

“Perhaps you could leave it with one of your knights? Surely it won’t be afraid of them,” the baron suggested hastily.

“That sounds reasonable. Ray, Toby, would you care to try?” Sylas asked.

“With pleasure,” Toby replied.

“As you command,” Ray added.

The two knights approached the cage without hesitation, and for a moment, the baron sighed in relief. Surely the lion wouldn’t react the same way to them.

But once again, his expectations were shattered.

-Whimper, whimper.

“Why is it so timid? Its size is wasted,” Ray remarked.

“It’s cute, but utterly useless,” Toby added.

The lion didn’t have a full-blown panic attack like before, but it immediately rolled onto its back, exposing its belly in submission. Its behavior was so pathetic that it seemed to be begging for its life.

“At this rate, none of us can manage this lion. I’m afraid we must return your gift,” Sylas concluded.

“W-wait! What about your servant? Perhaps he could manage it?” the baron stammered.

“I’m too scared to even try,” Max declared promptly. “I’m just a humble servant, not as brave as the knights.”

His outright refusal left the baron with no further arguments. He could only stand in silence as Sylas’s group prepared to leave.

“We appreciate the thought. Perhaps next time, you can offer a different gift,” Sylas said politely before turning away.

Baron Harald stood frozen, watching Sylas and his entourage leave. The assassination attempt had failed utterly, leaving the baron with nothing but the looming prospect of punishment from his lord, Christophe.

Fear and anxiety churned within him, but more than that, a seething anger toward the White Jewel Merchant Guild began to boil over.

Those bastards played me for a fool! he thought bitterly. What’s all this nonsense about a lion that tore through trolls? It’s nothing but an oversized weasel!

The baron immediately summoned the guild’s branch manager.

“How dare you scam me! Do you take me for a fool?” he shouted.

“Excuse me? What are you talking about?” the manager asked, bewildered.

“The black lion! What’s this nonsense about it killing trolls? It’s nothing more than a cowardly pet!”

The manager looked taken aback. “A coward? That lion has killed countless monsters. Are you certain there’s been no mistake?”

“Mistake? That thing was so terrified it rolled over and begged! Explain that!”

The manager frowned. “Begged? That’s impossible. Even its trainer, who raised it from a cub, couldn’t make it do that.”

“Enough of this! Come see for yourself!” the baron snapped, dragging the manager toward the lion’s cage. Before entering, he liberally doused himself with the scented perfume. Confident, he stepped inside and glared back at the manager.

“Watch! I’ll—”

-Growl.

A low, guttural sound froze the baron in his tracks. Turning slowly, he saw the lion staring at him with a gaze he had never seen before—one of pure, unrestrained menace.

“Why… why is it acting like this? It was calm before!”

“Could it be…” the manager began hesitantly, “has its life been threatened recently?”

“Of course not!” the baron snapped.

“Think carefully! Even with the scent, if it feels its life is in danger, it won’t matter,” the manager warned.

The baron’s mind raced. Could it be… because I let Sylas and his knights into the cage? Does it see me as the one who brought predators into its territory?

The realization sent a chill down his spine. The lion’s gaze wasn’t that of a beast toward prey—it was the look of a creature confronting its mortal enemy.

“Wait! This isn’t what it looks like!” the baron stammered, retreating.

-ROAR!

The lion’s deafening roar drowned out his protests. Moments later, the baron’s screams filled the air, joined by the horrified cries of his servants.