Chapter 111: Norton: He Has Given Too Much

Inside the isolated interrogation room, Norton sat on one side of the table, while members of the Cassel Academy’s Enforcement Division occupied the other. They were fully armed, holding a variety of weapons, though none were openly aimed at Norton.

The reason was simple: everyone in the Enforcement Division knew Norton to be the most ruthless and brutal monarch. Under such obvious circumstances, openly pointing guns at him could provoke a violent outburst from Norton, potentially leading to catastrophic consequences.

They had considered executing Norton outright, but doing so would mean losing the chance to expose the Dragon King hidden behind Cassel Academy. This Dragon King, concealed deep within the academy’s upper echelons, was far more dangerous than Norton—capable of orchestrating countless schemes.

Therefore, their mission was to watch over Norton with their lives, to supervise him carefully, and ideally, to capture on film the face of the Dragon King should he launch an attack on Norton—even if all they captured was a silhouette or a voice. Yet, even with this, the likelihood of obtaining concrete evidence remained slim.

“Has anyone contacted you recently?” asked one of the Enforcement Division members, sitting directly opposite Norton.

Norton glanced at him with a sour expression. He had no shame in admitting his poverty—after all, he was the concealed Dragon King, a monarch with dignity.

After a moment of thought, he said, “I’ve been wondering what to eat lately. How about you guys just get me something to eat?”

“Alright, we’ll get some more then.”

Norton fell silent for a moment, unlocking his phone to check his account balance. He realized that missing another meal wouldn’t be a big deal, but having just claimed he was hungry, not ordering anything now felt a little awkward.

Though he couldn’t yet confirm the relationship between himself and Ronald Tang, the latter at least gave off a relatively safe vibe—like an ordinary wage earner, proud but penniless.

“Okay then.”

The Enforcement officer considered this briefly, then looked up at Norton and said, “Your information is of great value to Cassel Academy. We’re willing to grant you the status of an external staff member.”

‘They have proof that I’m the Dragon King?’ Norton’s expression shifted slightly. Power surged silently within him as he prepared to overturn the table and annihilate them at any moment.

“Why are you hesitating to pay?” the team leader asked with a warm smile. He pulled out his work phone, unlocked it, and ordered from a rather upscale restaurant through a delivery app. Then he handed the phone to Norton, smiling as he said, “Thank you in advance.”

“Oh.”

Is this really the Dragon King?

Moreover, the person who had been in contact with Ronald Tang hadn’t appeared yet. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t; perhaps he was just waiting for the right moment.

The Enforcement member directly facing Norton responded swiftly and solemnly: “Brother, I understand. When carefully laid plans are inexplicably ruined by others, that frustration is something no one wants to experience. It’s not about the money—it’s about wasted time and effort. He truly deserves to die.”

Twenty minutes later, the Enforcement members and Principal Angré watched the surveillance footage in silence, observing the Dragon King Norton eating like a famished ghost returned to life. They couldn’t help but doubt—was this really the legendary brutal Dragon King Norton? The discrepancy in his demeanor was too great!

Perhaps he really wasn’t.

When the vice principal called Angré, he voiced this very suspicion. But at that moment, the vice principal’s theory hadn’t been proven: no one had attacked Norton, and Norton himself didn’t act like the Dragon King, but rather like a proud yet impoverished ordinary half-blood.

“Yeah, that’s about it.”

The Enforcement members exchanged glances. Half-bloods who made it into Cassel Academy weren’t fools. The subtext in Norton’s words was clear: he was poor, but proud—not wanting others to openly acknowledge it.

“Lancelot? I’ll remember you,” the team leader said.

Let me see what kind of place this is.

A Chinese restaurant?

“Ahem.”

Principal Angré’s face darkened as a wild thought crossed his mind. Could it be that the entire Gattuso family was a Dragon clan’s faction operating in the human world, and they simply hadn’t realized it before?

Norton felt a burning heat on his face, but thinking of his current role as an ordinary person, he relaxed a bit. With a habitually feigned gesture, he rubbed his stomach and said, “I didn’t eat after work today. Could you get me something to eat?”

“Mr. Ronald, I personally think the food from this place is quite good. You can use my phone to order. From now on, you’re one of us at Cassel Academy. As your senior, I’ll treat you to a big meal. I hope you’ll accept.”

Of course, there was also the possibility that the vice principal’s guess had been wrong from the start—Ronald Tang wasn’t Norton, and his friend was just an ordinary acquaintance, not the Dragon King they imagined.

But Norton didn’t act rashly because he knew the evidence they had might be incomplete. He still had a chance to keep hiding. As long as that chance existed, he would do his best to play the part well to avoid implicating his younger brother.

Murmuring softly to himself, Norton crossed his arms and smiled proudly. “If you ever need help, come find me. I’ll do my best to solve your problems.”

He truly couldn’t imagine that the mighty Bronze and Fire King Norton would stoop to disguising himself as a human so poor he couldn’t afford a meal. Who would believe it? Even if Norton wanted to hide his identity, would he really degrade himself this far?

“Friend, what’s your name?” Norton asked as he finished eating and looked toward the Enforcement team leader.

The Enforcement member furrowed his brow.

He seemed like a concealed glutton.

The team leader still smiled, but his mindset had shifted dramatically. He had come prepared to sacrifice himself if Norton erupted, ready to burn out to stop him with his life.

So how should I respond now?

The team leader asked cautiously, then politely added, “We’re half-bloods with stronger physiques and larger appetites than ordinary people. If you’re still hungry, feel free to order more.”

Norton replied casually. The reaction from Cassel Academy was exactly as he expected.

“Mm.”

Just then, his stomach growled mournfully. Having worked several days without a proper meal to save money for finding his brother, the Dragon King Norton wouldn’t starve to death easily, but his condition was far from ideal.

An Enforcement member answered casually.

“Noble frivolity?”

“I don’t know. His background is mysterious. Our interactions were limited to strange little notes he occasionally left, conveying various messages, including a suggestion for me to work at KFC,” Norton said.

He clenched his teeth stubbornly and looked away, “I’m just thrifty. I never spend on unnecessary things.”

In fact, he had already realized that the Cassel Academy people probably suspected his identity. This was their way of giving Norton a graceful way out—a form of soft control. They wanted to control Norton and learn what intelligence he possessed.

“Sorry, even though your conditions are good and I do hate that guy, he never showed any cracks in front of me. I don’t know who he really is, just that his behavior has a kind of noble frivolity—something like that,” Norton pondered before replying.

Now, he felt like he was doing charity, helping the suffering Ronald. He could tell Ronald had been starving for a long time.

Norton nodded and took the phone, feeling a rare comfort. Although this man was from Cassel Academy, he had invited him to eat and even paid for coffee. It was only fair to treat him a bit better in the future.

“.”

“Oh?”

“Is this enough?”

Should I resist outright?

No one at the school had attempted direct attack or assassination, which meant they couldn’t be certain of his identity. If he resisted, it would confirm their suspicions and endanger his brother. So he had to keep playing along.

Lancelot said politely.

“Lancelot.”

And so, the Enforcement members and the principal continued watching Norton eat, noticing the fleeting happiness that crossed his face as if he were experiencing something wonderful.

Norton nodded deeply to himself: When I find that guy, I’ll tear him limb from limb and make a living specimen to display in a museum.

“.”

On the other side of the microphone, Angré’s golden eyes glowed as he stared intently at the surveillance screen, muttering to himself, “Noble frivolity, and from a senior member of the school? Could that guy be Pompey Gattuso? The Pompey family is a long-standing dragon slaying lineage. If there are problems within their family…”

“I have a rich friend. He said he would buy me coffee there. I agreed, so I came straight after work, saved a seat, and ordered coffee. But I waited two hours and he never showed up. I even had to pay for it myself,” Norton clenched his fists tightly. The pain and resentment on his face didn’t seem feigned.

Norton nodded again, his regard for the Enforcement team leader rising to a new level as he started ordering continuously through the app.

Hmph, not bad. This guy really understands my tastes, and since he recommended the place, I can order with some confidence. Though the dishes here are quite expensive…

“Don’t worry about the price. Order whatever you want,” the team leader said, noticing Norton’s hesitation and smiling.

Still, caution was necessary!

“May I ask about the benefits and base salary for external staff at Cassel Academy?” Norton crossed his arms and looked at Lancelot intently.

Perhaps due to insufficient evidence or the number of people present, if Norton were to lose control here, it could cause massive casualties. So they wanted to take him away to handle the matter instead of acting immediately.

“Didn’t come?”

The team leader and another member exchanged a sharp glance. The latter seemed to realize his mistake and fell silent.

One Enforcement member suddenly asked.

“No.”

“Gulp~”

“Mm.”

A plate of boiled beef, braised spare ribs, wasabi shrimp balls, and sauerkraut fish arrived. For staples, Norton asked for his favorite white rice; vegetables and soup were ordered casually.

The Enforcement members exchanged looks, sensing something amiss. There were many reasons the contact might not have come: something urgent, anticipation of Angré’s arrangements, or perhaps they had learned of their plans and chose not to show.

For now, the priority was to send the Cassel Academy people away!

Though the contact time was brief, they seemed resigned to their fate. They did not intend to fight Norton but merely wanted to understand the person communicating with him.

If so, that person could indeed be pretending to be Norton in conversations with others.

“Order delivery, whatever you want to eat,” Norton raised an eyebrow slightly.

Their perception of Norton gradually shifted. Finally, the leader spoke: “The person you’re in contact with is very important to Cassel Academy. If you can provide concrete information about him, we’re willing to accept you as external staff. You’ll be paid for completing assignments.”

The Enforcement members exchanged glances. The team leader lightly tapped the table, trying to mask a whisper in his earpiece.

He cleared his throat twice and said, “Someone has recently been contacting me. He tricked me into a coffee shop, but he never showed up until just now. I hate people who break promises.”

Currently, Cassel Academy was basically controlled by the Gattuso family. Only with Angré’s presence could they not act arbitrarily. If the Gattuso family was connected to the dragons…

That was terrifying.

“Any other news?”

Did they suspect I was Norton’s double, with the real Norton being someone else? Or did they think the person in contact with me was another Dragon King?

“Can you tell us how you’ve been contacting that person? Why do you contact him? Do you know his true identity?” the Enforcement members pressed.

‘Would a Dragon King discuss salary and benefits with me?’

Lancelot wanted to roar inside but suppressed his urge to complain and answered, “Seven social insurances and two housing funds, at least one mission per month, additional pay based on missions, and a base salary of ten thousand dollars per month.”

At that moment, Norton’s eyes lit up.

(End of chapter)