백룡공작 팬드래건

김형준
 – STORY –

The demonic army is where the worst of the worst gather. A

man who survived for close to ten years, the illegitimate son
of the Valt family, Raven Valt, is assigned to accompany
Duke Alan Pendragon, the contractor of the white dragon,
and be his guard. But due to an unknown conspiracy he is
killed along with the duke and his dragon, Soldrake. When
he opens his eyes, he’s back seven years in the past, and even
more strangely, as Alan Pendragon…

– GENRE –

Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy

Harem Martial Arts Romance
Raven Valt dragged his weary feet along the wilderness, his back draped by the
setting sun. Every one of his footsteps was accompanied by the dripping dark-red
blood that trickled down the edges of his rusty sword.

He trudged on.

After a while, Raven paused to fix the leather strap of his bag slung over his shoulder.
The bag was filled with decapitated heads, some with their tongues sticking-out, and
others with their blood-dried eyeballs half out of their sockets.

Raven looked at the heads indifferently, fixed his bag, and continued forward with his
footsteps.

The sight of countless tents and rising white smoke came into Raven’s line of sight.
The gigantic makeshift village in the middle of the wilderness was bustling with life.

There were half-naked drunkards with upper bodies plastered with crude tattoos,
savages ripping into the morsels of unknown origins, those smirking while
sharpening the blade of their stone-made axes, and soldiers forcing fair-faced
recruits into their tents.

This anarchic group of soldiers were focused on their own matters at hand. They
were spending this evening as usual, even though no one knew if it would be their
last.

“The scouts must have come.”

“Only that damned Raven’s returned.”

The group of humans stopped what they were doing and stared at Raven, who was
silently walking past the tents.

Their gazes were filled with blatant hostility and fear.

“Damned Raven, surviving by himself again.”

“That cursed Raven’s a symbol of bad luck.”

“He is the grim reaper, I say…”

The streets were full of whispers of the crowd, but Raven still walked towards his
destination, his face seemingly devoid of any emotions.

He had no reason to give any attention to the murmurings of insects who probably
wouldn’t even survive tomorrow’s battle.

Raven came to a stop in front of a tent that was easily three or four times bigger than
the others. The two guards’ eyes came to rest on Raven’s shoulder bag full of heads,
and they hurriedly opened the entrance to the tent.

The tent was decorated with the hides of various animals, and bottles of liquor were
lying around everywhere.

“Aaah!”

“Oh, oh, oh!”

The stench of alcohol permeated the room while screams and animal-like moans
resounded within the walls of the tent. After looking around with a blank expression,
Raven walked towards the giant, bald man in the middle of the tent, who was being
served by two women at each side.

The bald man’s hands dug deep into the thighs and breasts of the women, but the
women could only flinch, unable to make even a sound.

The gazes of the two women were fixed on the lifeless figure of a woman at the
corner of the tent, and the many women that were struggling against the weight of
men pressing down on them.

Raven overlooked the sad but heated orgy with a lack of interest and stood in front
of the bald giant.

Plop.

“The brown goblins are set as the vanguard with around ten swamp ogres. All armed
and organized.”
The two women shifted back in fear as the heads dropped right in front of the bald
giant’s feet.

The giant raised his reddened head displeasingly.

“Fuck. What happened to your men?”

“As you can see, I’ve had a hard time just saving myself and bringing back a couple of
heads.”

“Or perhaps you’ve decided to kill them all?”

Raven frowned.

“It was a joke; take it easy. You did good work and we have valuable good intel. It is a
shame for the ones we lost. This information will help us greatly in tomorrow’s
battle.”

The bald giant looked back and forth between the heads and Raven, revealing his
yellow teeth in a crooked smile.

Raven looked at the giant in silence, observing the sneaky, brutal man whom he
knew didn't have an ounce of sincerity in him. Raven spoke.

“From the size of their vanguard. It is accurate to say that their main army is at least
triple the size. We do not have a good chance of victory.”

“With just 'us' that might be true. But that is why 'he' came here.”

The giant gestured with his chin.

Raven turned his head. The edge of the so-called village. No, even further away from
the outskirts. He saw a tent several times larger than the one he was in.

“Ogres, goblins or whatnot. They’re not even a close match for ‘that'.”

“There may be more to it than just ogres in their main army. We need to be especially
wary of sorcerers that may have bound griffons as their contracted creature. You
know, griffons are native to the Karon Valley.”
“You worry for nothing. Who cares if they have ten, or twenty griffons? ‘That’ will
take care of all of them. What are you worried for? Are you scared? The almighty
Raven Valt? Hahaha!”

The giant laughed in his self-amusement then suddenly stopped his cackling.

“Raven, I know you do good work even without me worrying. But you do not have to
do anything tomorrow. You’re allowed to take it easy in tomorrow’s battle.”

“What do you… mean?”

“Other than the ones who got themselves killed today, you’re the only one who’s
useful from your company anyways. Give the rest of your men to another company.
Right, that damned Isaac offered thirty men to the ogres as fucking nutrients a while
ago. His company could probably use some men.”

Raven observed the bald giant, still maintaining his silence.

If anyone else had said those words, they would’ve already been dead on the ground.

But the giant had every right to say those words. This bald giant was Baltai, the
leader of the demonic army. It was infamous, composed of all sorts of garbage not fit
to be called human.

“What. You do not want to? You just have to last one more month until you complete
your 10-year quota and take your freedom. This will likely be your last battle. You
should take care of yourself until then. Your bitches will have to find another
company after you leave anyways. Might as well send ‘em off now. It is good to get
things done, is it not?

Raven’s forehead creased.

It didn’t make sense for Baltai, known for his vicious actions and shamelessness, to
care for someone else’s well being. He must have something else planned.

“Well, the rules state that you’re not allowed to avoid battle unless severely injured…
But it seems like you only got off with small scratches today as well?”

Baltai scanned Raven’s body, his eyes resembling a snake scanning its prey.
‘This bastard… Does he… ’

Raven was inwardly startled, but he tried not to show it.

He had hidden it carefully for so long. Baltai did have good awareness and thinking,
unlike his ugly appearance, but he could not possibly know Raven’s secret. No, it
didn’t really matter even if he did.

Only one month. Only one more month in this filth. Then he would finally taste the
freedom that he’d been yearning for.

After ten years, he would finally become a free man, free from his title of traitorship.

“So anyways… I want you to be a guard for His Grace over there.”

Baltai’s eyes looked to the gigantic tent.

Raven knew that Baltai wasn’t referring to the being of “that,” which would
supposedly turn the tides of tomorrow’s battle.

“He’s a damned Duke. Well, not yet at least, but he is going to receive the title
officially after this battle. Maybe if you catch his eye, he might just make you a knight
of his duchy!”

“……”

Baltai’s bullshit didn’t even catch Raven’s ears.

Baltai had practically sent Raven’s men to die, sending them on a mission to scout
the enemy.

But Raven could only stay curious as to what made Baltai spout this nonsense.

He had no right to decline.

No matter the circumstance, Baltai was the leader of the demonic army, and Raven
had just lost all his experienced subordinates. He was now left with thirty or so inept
soldiers that would probably not make it past tomorrow’s battle.

And there was no guarantee that they would even listen to the commands of Raven,
since he would be leaving shortly.

“So, I just have to guard him?”

“Yeah. Stay by his side the whole time.”

Baltai’s yellow teeth seemed rather more chill inducing today, yet Raven had no
choice but to nod his head.

“Good, good. Then go and report to the future duke. It will make life easier for you to
build up a relationship earlier on.”

Raven stepped out of the tent, barely bothering to register Baltai’s words.

“Ah, one more thing. Give my regards to our guardian. I hope he takes good care of
the enemy and me tomorrow. Kuhahahaha. Now come here you bitches!”

Following Baltai’s bellowing, the tent was once again filled with the cries of animals.

***

The tent was even bigger up close.

It was hard to believe that one contracted creature residing within that tent could
decide the fate of tomorrow’s battle. Raven was filled with a sinking feeling of
anxiousness.

Maybe it was due to the countless flags decorated with the Pendragon coat of arms
that surrounded the tent.

For Raven, the illegitimate child of a common noble family, the duke of the empire
was like the Sun to him. More so, since Raven’s family name was dishonored and
eliminated by false accusations of treason.

“So, what…”

Raven muttered to himself. Ten years had already passed, but the sense of inferiority
and reverence towards the imperial family still burned in Raven’s unconsciousness.
Raven walked past the Pendragon family’s white crested flag without reservation.
Then as he was about to call out the name of the future Duke, whom he would guard
tomorrow…

“Who is it…?”

A hoarse voice called out from within the tent. It was almost hard to believe the voice
belonged to a human.

Raven hesitated, startled by the unexpected promptness. He immediately brought up

business.

“I am the leader of the 12th company, Raven Valt, Your Grace. I have been ordered to
serve as your guard for tomorrow’s battle. I am here to report in.”

Raven words carried some etiquette, unlike the others in the demonic army.

There was no answer.

Feeling that the silence had run its course, Raven was about to open his mouth once
again to repeat himself. Then, the voice spoke.

“No need for formalities. I will see you tomorrow when we head out. You may go
rest…”

The more Raven heard the voice, the eerier he felt at the strangeness of it. He had
been through quite a few life-or-death experiences over the last ten years, but even
so, the voice gave him chills.

Oddly enough, Raven felt a certain ‘emotion’ from its tone. He could not quite put a
name to what it was, but it was certainly something he had felt before. Pondering for
a moment, he shook his head. There was no need to concern himself over someone
whom he would have nothing to do with after the battle.

Regardless of the outcome of the battle, Raven would live to taste freedom, and the
soon-to-be Duke of Pendragon would return to his own place.

“Of course. Then I will set up my tent beside Your Grace’s. If you have any orders,
please let me know.”

“Sure…”
The short conversation ended, and no presence could be felt from the giant tent
anymore.

An eerie stillness.

The tent was quiet. One would even think that it was empty. It was definitely too
quiet to be accompanying an heir of a duchy and his vicious contracted creature.

Raven felt like he was standing in front of a mortuary of sorts. Death reeked here.

‘Hmm?’

Raven’s forehead creased with confusion. Inside the giant tent, there was only one
‘human.’ One of the most important people in the empire, the sole heir to the
Pendragon duchy, coming to aid the demonic army which was full of human scum.
He had come all ‘alone.’

Even if he did have a powerful contracted beast, there was something odd about it.

But Raven quickly threw that thought away.

‘Well… they did say that he was unconscious for ten years as a cripple. And the
Pendragon family didn’t fare well either during that time.’

He knew that it wasn’t his business. Rather, he turned his attention to setting up his
tent. Hopefully, this would be the last day he fell asleep chewing on dirt in this
damned desert.

***

It was morning.

The soldiers, who had enjoyed themselves with drinks the night before, groggily
crawled out of their tents, knowing fully well that last night’s feast could be their
last.

“Fucking 6th company bastards, hurry your ass!”

“The artillery will lead the rear! Check our carts and equipment one more time!”
“Boss! The girls we bought yesterday ran off.”

“What the fuck does that matter, you retard? They’re gonna die anyway if we lose.”

The shouting and the noise were reminiscent of a marketplace, and Raven gathered
his equipment, not heeding the noise any mind.

After packing some water and salt, Raven put his rusty seven-year-old scimitar on
his waist and decided to wear a cloak that would help block the sandy winds.

Compared to the other soldiers, it was a plain outfit, but it was enough for him.

The morning routines started to quiet down and the hundreds of tents that filled the
desert were gradually taken down.

All sorts of soldiers stood beneath their respective flags, and Raven stood far from
them, lost in thought.

Baltai walked with heavy footsteps, his steps adorned with a strange silence mixed
with anxiety and fear. On his head was a helmet made from carved out ogre bones.

Three thousand pairs of eyes followed Baltai’s footstep.

There was one tent still standing in its place after all the preparations were finished -
- the being that would decide the battle and their fate was set to reveal itself.

“Ahem!”

Baltai was unlike his usual self. He had a habit of swearing with every second word
he spoke, but today he was silent, only coughing to clear his throat.

“Your Grace Pendragon. It’s time to set off.”

The tent was motionless, devoid of any presence.

The 3000 men-strong army stood still amidst the curiosity and anticipation.

“Fucking hell…”

Baltai became a little impatient, and his face scrunched up even more.
“Pendr…”

Boom!

A massive eruption interrupted the silence and Baltai’s voice, attacking Raven’s
eardrums.
Three thousand soldiers swayed and backed up together as the dust swept up a
storm.

“Ughhh!”

Raven didn’t fare much better. The force pushed him back while he tried to cover his
face with his robe. His eardrums rang like the high pitch of angry bees.

He looked around, frowning slightly.

The giant tent that was perched a moment ago was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, the figure of a man appeared through the dust.

Raven squinted, but he could barely see anything.

“L, l, l, look!!!!”

Someone screamed.

Raven turned his head to see the soldiers look up in astonishment. It was his turn to
lift his head. What he saw made his eyes open wide in shock.

An armour of steel reflected the bright sunlight, adorned by a giant creature flapping
its wings high in the sky.

Raven’s jaw dropped.

The powerful being, fit to be called the strongest under the skies. It was a ‘dragon’.

“……!”

Everyone froze in shock, their mouths wide open. The dragon landed on the ground
with giant yet elegant flaps of its wings.
The silver armour surrounding its massive body and the three horns resting on the
top of its head was evocative of a monarch looking down on all other beings.

Its eyes shined blue and its vertical slits scanned its surroundings.

The gaze of the dragon made the soldiers feel as if their very souls were being
judged, and many instinctively stepped backwards.

It was only then that the man, who seemed to be guarded by the dragon, appeared.
All eyes shifted to the back of the dragon where he was standing.

This man’s armor was similar to the dragon’s, polished silver reflecting off the light
and a helmet adorned with dragon wings. The man spoke, unflinchingly facing the
3000 soldiers.

“I’m Alan Pendragon. Where are thy enemies?”

***

“Keaaahkk!”

The rusty scimitar pierced the waist of a brown goblin.

Raven went forward to retrieve his blade, only to lose grip and fall on his knees.

“Hua. Hua…”

He took in a rough breath while looking around.

The monsters were dominating the fight, devouring the humans everywhere.

It was chaos.

Raven found himself struggling as he had no strength to lift his arms. He wiped off
the blood that flowed down his eyes and hopelessly raised his head.

The horizon was decorated with the blood red glare of the setting sun, while a white
moon was peering up on the other side.

But Raven’s focus was not on the natural phenomenon that came every 100 years.
Instead, his eyes lay on the dragon with folded wings.

The wings were stained with numerous injuries and tainted with blood. Dozens of
spears stuck out from numerous places in its silver armor. The dragon was forced
onto the ground. Watching the hopeless situation, Raven snickered despairingly.

“That fucking retard…”

He started laughing.

The dragon was a fuckup, as was Alan Pendragon. Of course, the worse fuckup was
Raven himself, who had ignorantly trusted the two.

Cough!

The metallic taste of blood formed in his mouth, but Raven still stood up and
proceeded to walk.

Plop… plop…

Raven stepped through a pool of blood that surrounded Alan Pendragon and the
dragon. He walked until he reached Alan Pendragon’s backside.

“Oy, let me ask you one thing.”

He didn’t bother with formalities. Who cared if Alan Pendragon was going to be a
duke? He could be the damned emperor and it wouldn’t matter.

Alan Pendragon remained silent, looking at his dragon. Raven wanted to get angry,
but he couldn’t even muster up the strength to do so. He slumped on the ground and
spoke vainly.

“…What happened? Why did the dragon stop attacking? You should know, it’s your
contracted creature, isn’t it?”

One hour ago, the dragon was destroying the countless herds of griffons left and
right, then just suddenly stopped. It remained still in the air as if it had become a
stone statue and allowed giant spears, which were thrown by the ogres, to pierce its
body. The rest was history as the monsters pushed with the advantage.
“Damn it, say something. Why don’t…”

Throb. Raven didn’t finish his sentence. A flaming sensation came from his heart. He
slowly looked down. A blood-stained spearhead stuck out of his chest where his
heart was located.

“Ughhhhh……”

He lifted his shaking hands to reach for the spearhead when a new round of burning
pain was felt, and the spearhead retracted.

“Kuagh!”

Blood sprayed out of his mouth and chest, and Raven fell forward.

“One blow really isn’t enough to end your miserable life, mister reaper Raven Valt.”

Raven lifted his head at the familiar voice. Dressed in his Ogre bone helmet and
blood painted armor, Baltai stood there laughing.

“All forces, advance!”

A group of soldiers passed by Baltai’s side and swung their spears at the goblins.
These soldiers were not part of the demonic army, but rather the imperial army.
Their armors were adorned with the imperial mark of the lion. Raven turned his
eyes to Baltai in confusion and pain. When the dragon fell, Baltai had immediately
retreated to the rear.

So why was he here in this place, at this time, and with the imperial army?

“What. Are you surprised? About what? That I know your secret, or the current
situation? Maybe both? Hehe.”

Baltai cracked up, all the while swinging his halberd in the air playfully.

“Let me tell you something Raven. Everything in the world, it’s already set in stone.
There are beings that control everything about the world. People like you and I, we
are completely oblivious. We just roll around, not knowing our place.”

Swish!
Something flew into the air accompanying a menacing sound.

Plop.

“……!”

Raven starred in bewilderment as Alan Pendragon’s head fell straight into a pool of
blood.

The commander of the demonic army had just beheaded the heir to one of the five
duchies of the empire.

“Surprised again? Do not worry about it. This is something that was supposed to
happen too. The ‘beings’ were unhappy with the fact that this man was still alive.”

“You…”

Cough!

Raven tried to speak, only to hack up blood.

“Wheww. It really must be nice to be undying. You don’t die even when you are
stabbed through the heart. Let us see… it should take about 6 or 7 days for the heart
to regenerate? It took about four days for an arm, so that’s probably about right,
hmm?”

“Kugh…”

Even in the pain Raven raised his head. So Baltai knew his secret. But surely he didn’t
know about…

“But don’t you die if your head gets chopped off, hmmm?”

“…!”

“Don’t act so surprised. I knew about your arm so why wouldn’t I know about this? A
neck injury took almost over a month before right? Kuhahahaha!”

“Y… you bas…”

Cough, cough.

Perhaps due to the punctured heart, Raven couldn’t muster enough strength to stand
up.

“Kuhahaha! I feigned ignorance all this time. Just for this moment.”

Raven felt the cold touch of steel at the base of his neck. A voice colder than the blade
spoke in a low voice.

“I told you, didn’t I? You should always see things through. Damned brat, you
underestimated me too much. You think there weren’t others before you who had a
brain to think?”

Raven closed his eyes in despair. Baltai’s words were true. He had fallen for the false
hope of freedom. At the thought of taking back his family’s honor and proving their
innocence.

Well it didn’t matter anymore. It was all over.

Everything was over.

“Well, since you’ll be on your way soon, why don’t I tell you a little secret?”

Baltai leaned close and spoke softly into the ears of Raven whose head was slouched
in despair and futility.

“You know how I told you everything was already set in place? To be honest with
you… what happened to your family ten years ago, you being placed under me, and
what happened to Alan Pendragon… It’s all connected.”

“What…?”

Raven raised his head with his eyes wide open. His vision was blurred as he was
losing too much blood. He saw Baltai raise his halberd into the air.

“Well the dragon was weaker than expected, but everything else went exactly as
planned. I will see you in hell you bastard. Kuhahahaha!”

“……!!”
Raven opened his eyes in shock, but this was short lived, as he felt an electrifying
sensation on his neck and saw the world spinning.

“Kuhahaha! Now with this, I am finally a commander of the imperial army. Kuha!
Kuhahahahaha…”

The last image in Raven’s head was the yellowed eyes and the maniacal laughter of
Baltai. With that, Raven Valt died.

***

Whooosh!

The sandstorm blew, carrying debris and blood along with it

The wind swept across the battlefield. It blew past the bodies of the humans and
monsters, and soon arrived at the giant statue-like body of the dragon and remained.

In the middle of the sandstorm, the dragon’s eyes opened.

It looked to the setting sun and the silver moon, then looked down at the two
headless bodies on their knees. The two bodies seemed to face each other. The
dragon’s eyes lit up for a moment, and it lifted its head slowly.

[All of the conditions have been fulfilled…]

The dragon’s voice sounded like the screeching of metal. It was the voice of the dead
Alan Pendragon.

[The blood of a thousand men, and the blood of a thousand monsters. The blood of a
dragon and a human monarch… The day when the sun and the moon meet… Today I
fulfil my pledge…]

The thick red blood covering the battlefield rose and soared as if alive, and slowly
gathered. It grew, creating a red river that flowed towards the sky in between where
the sun and the moon stood.

Whoosh!

The dragon spread its wings. The light gathered on the three horns of its head. The
light headed towards the decapitated head and the body of Alan Pendragon. It also
reached Raven’s head, which had its eyes wide open.

In the light, Alan Pendragon’s head and body started to slowly disappear. Along with
it, Raven’s eyes started twitching, and his head disappeared as well.

The dragon, seemingly unaware of the situation, only looked towards the
disappearing Alan Pendragon.

[Now everything is up to you, flag bearer…]

The moment the sun fell below the horizon, the dragon spoke with a regretful voice,
and bent its long neck down.

***

[Hmm?]

[What is wrong?]

[Another one has passed on as well.]

[What do you mean?]

[Another one besides the dragon's flagbearer.]

[……]

[Well, what do we do?]

[Nothing for us to do really. Sol fulfilled the conditions, and we kept our promise.
What happens now is really nothing that we can interfere with. I am sure it will work
out.]

[Well… Yes, I am sure all will be fine.]

Raven forced his eyes open.

‘This is… ’

His vision blurred. He couldn’t find anything to focus on!

Craccccck!

Something in his body twisted and realigned. The sound of his spine snapping
started to spread, and his whole body felt the movement.

‘Uggh.’

Raven closed his eyes again. He wanted to scream but no sound came out. It wasn't
the first time his body had experienced something like this. He soon clenched his
teeth in anticipation and silently bore the changes that took within his body.

Craaaack! Crack!

It was the sound of bones aligning and organs reforming. He had a similar
experience before when he almost died.

Then, the sound stopped, and Raven felt a different sensation than before. In his
semiconscious state, he had a fuzzy feeling and a warmth covered his abdominal
area before spreading to his chest, neck, and shoulders.

‘Wha… What’s going on…?’

Someone was touching his body with extreme care.

“Heave-ho!”

Raven felt his body being raised, along with somebody’s voice. A sweet but
unfamiliar scented spread. Raven opened his eyes and turned his head. His vision
was still blurred and unfocused. He saw bountiful breasts resting inside white lace --
a woman.

Was this a dream? Or was he seeing things? Maybe he was already dead, and this was
heaven?

It didn’t matter which one it was. Raven couldn’t even remember the last time he
came into contact with a woman. He followed his instincts mindlessly. His hands
moved toward the white, voluptuous chest in front of him.

Squish.

“Keeaaahhhk!!!”

Slap!

Raven once again lost consciousness which was accompanied by someone’s shriek
and burning pain in his cheeks.

“Sniff sniff…”

Raven came to, this time hearing someone’s sobs.

“No… really I swear… His Grace really… me…”

He started to hear the words a bit more clearly. It also seemed like there was more
than just one person.

“What nonsense are you sprouting? How can you even say such things? Can’t you see
his condition right now?”

“No re… really I swear, miss. He really stretched his hand and touched my… my
breasts…”

“Oh how can you even say such a shameful thing? Oh my my.”

“Please wait a minute, head maid. Lindsay, you’re sure that His Grace moved?”

“Yes, yes! I swear on the heavens. I was about to clean his back when he suddenly
stuck out his arm…”
The four people in front of him slowly came into focus.

There was a meticulous-looking middle-aged woman, a middle-aged gentleman in a

black tailcoat with a well-groomed mustache, and a maid who looked to be about
eighteen with tears in her eyes. Her tear-stained cuffs were gathered in front of her
chest. Finally, an old lady with a pale face contained in an old-fashioned purple dress
stood a distance from the other three, and stared in Raven’s direction.

“Well then, how do you explain how he is now? I don’t see any differences from any
other days.”

“Th… that’s…”

“Hmm. I think it’s better to call for Sir Illaine. It’s better to be careful than to be
sorry.”

“Well, okay then. It probably is better to check up on His Grace’s condition.”

Hearing this conversation with zero context did not help with Raven’s headache and
only confused him further.

He was dead. His heart was pierced by Baltai’s halberd, and his head chopped off.

The last thing he saw was Baltai’s mocking eyes and his yellow teeth.

And…

“Keugh…!”

What Raven heard from Baltai before his death made him clench his teeth. A groan
escaped from his lips.

The middle-aged woman who was looking at Raven with worried eyes jumped in
shock.

“How can this be!?”

The gentleman also backed up several steps.

Raven struggled to open his lips and spoke to the three people who looked as if they
had seen a ghost.

“Where… where am I…? Who are you people?”

His speech was slurred and his words came out muddled gibberish. He used his
hands as support to rear himself up on the bed. Even with small movement his
breathing became ragged.

“Y… your Grace!!”

The middle-aged man exclaimed while assisting Raven.

“Ohhhhh merciful goddess. Benevolent goddess Illeyna I thank you! Thank you!!!”

The middle-aged woman turned her head to the maid and exclaimed with an ecstatic
expression, “What are you doing just standing there!? Hurry, go and get Sir Illaine!
No wait, we need to let the mistress know!”

“Yes! Yes of course!”

“Your Grace, Your Grace! How are you feeling? Do you recognize me??”

The middle-aged man said as the two women ran about in a flutter.

‘What’s… going on?’

Nothing made sense. Never mind the fact that his head was cut off, there were people
in front of him that he had never seen before in his life making a huge ruckus,
pretending they knew him.

However, he decided to satisfy his primitive needs as he didn’t feel any hostility
emanating from then.

“Some… w… water.”

“Here, here it is, Your Grace,” The middle-aged woman hurriedly poured water into a
cup and brought it to Raven’s lips.

The cool water slid down Raven’s throat and he felt it soak his dry lips. Only after
finishing the cup of water did Raven realize that he wasn’t dreaming nor in an
illusion. This was reality.

‘Then… perhaps… ’

Alive. He was alive.

‘How, how can this be…?’

The unfamiliar surroundings combined with the fact that he was somehow alive
caused him to instinctively look around. The bedroom was the biggest and the
fanciest he had ever seen. One of the walls was covered with windows larger than
the door, and elegant wooden furniture decorated with gold were placed around the
room. The golden insignia around the bed finished off the bedroom with a gorgeous
yet proper feel.

As Raven looked around the room his eyes stopped upon a particular person. It was
the old lady who had been standing in the corner of the room since he woke up, not
saying a single word.

Raven was a little taken aback by the old lady’s gaze. Her face was pale. Unnaturally
so even.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Your Grace?”

The worried voice of the middle-aged man caused Raven to turn his head towards
him. The gentleman and the woman were both looking at him with concerned looks.
Their heartfelt gaze caused Raven to lower his guard by a bit.

“Where… am I?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean where…”

“We are in your room, Your Grace, located in Conrad Castle.”

The man answered calmly, unlike the woman who seemed to be in disarray.

Raven was confused.

Conrad Castle? Your Grace?

He had no idea what they were talking about.

“Where is this Conrad Castle located? And who is Your Grace?”

“Mmm…”

“Aha!”

The man’s face darkened, and the woman’s eyes widened a little as she covered her
open mouth.

“I think His Grace is still in a daze. Well, it makes sense seeing how he was in that
condition for several years…”

“Well of course! Three years. Three whole years! He regained consciousness after a
long period of time… Well, please relax and stay still. The castle’s doctor Sir Illaine
has been called for. He will be here soon so please rest assured.”

The woman wiped the tears off her face before covering Raven with a blanket and
placing a damp cloth on his forehead. Raven was perplexed at her attitude in treating
him like a child. He was 29 this year, and he had spent 10 years fighting like a dog in
the battlefield.

His face was painted with all kinds of wounds and scars, as many times as he had
been standing on the crossroads of life and death. It probably wasn’t something a
normal person could look at with sweet smiles. Even his subordinates, who were
murderers and villains, could not stare straight into his face.

“Now now, please rest comfortably.”

Raven felt the sincerity coming from the woman’s words, and due to the fact that he
felt weak, he could only let her do as she wished. At that moment, the door burst
open and someone hurriedly ran into the room.

“My son! My son has finally woken!?”

A lady in her early thirties ran into the room, wearing a gold crown with jewels over
her shiny, blonde hair. Her face was tinted red from the running. Behind her followed
eight maids, who similarly all had red faces.
“I greet the duchess.”

“Oh my son! My son! Finally, you have…!”

As if she hadn’t heard the two people’s greetings, she ran forward towards where
Raven lay. But between her and the bed stood the old lady who had been silent all
along, and the noble lady ran, not paying the old lady any attention.

“Hey be care… hmm!?”

Raven was about to warn her when the unthinkable happened. The noble lady ran
straight through the old woman. The lady then wrapped her hands around Raven’s
bewildered face.

“My son! My beloved son…!”

He didn’t hear her words. His gaze was affixed on the old lady. He had not seen
wrong. The noble lady had passed straight through the old woman. All of a sudden,
the old woman slowly turned her head towards the window and walked towards it.

“What!?”

Raven’s eyes widened once more. The old woman had passed through the maids as
she had just done so with the noble lady. Now standing in front of the window, she
turned her head towards Raven. Their gazes met.

She slowly raised her hand and pointed a finger to the outside of the window.

“My son! Do, do you not recognize me? It’s me, your mother! Oh, my son…”

Raven raised his head at the exclamation. A noble woman who could be considered
one of the top beauties he had seen in his life was raining down kisses on his
forehead and cheeks. She then proceeded to embrace his face into her chest. He
couldn’t get a grasp on reality.

‘Wh, what is this… Am I really dead? What the hell is wrong with this woman? What
about that old woman?’

“Keugh!”
A piercing pain ran through his head once again.

“Oh, oh! What’s wrong?”

The lady who was still holding Raven’s face tightly in her chest looked at Raven’s face
with worry.

“My lady, please calm down. We do not know what condition His Grace is in right
now. I think it is better for us to let him get some rest.”

Upon hearing the middle-aged man’s words, the lady repeatedly nodded her head.

“Yes, yes, of course. Where is Sir Illaine? Is he not here yet?”

“We’ve sent Lindsay to fetch him. He’ll be here shortly ma’am.”

“Yes, yes, of course, of course.”

The noblewoman was still fidgety, clearly not knowing what to do. She kept on
staring at Raven with worried eyes.

“Sir! Sir, Sir!”

Someone opened the door and burst into the room. It was the maid that Raven first
saw when he came to.

“Lindsay! Where is Sir Illaine? Why have you come without him?” The middle-aged
woman said in a stern voice.

“N, n, no! Please! Take a look outside. Look! Look outside!”

“What is all this fuss about!? Now let’s…”

The noblewoman froze upon turning her head to look out the window, while the
middle-aged woman fell onto the floor with a dazed face. The maids did not move to
help the woman as they were all staring outside with vacant looks.

Raven also turned his head and stretched his upper body to look outside, directly
where the old lady was pointing to.
“……!!!”

Raven’s eyes widened as something came into his field of view outside the window.
Something enormous was staring in his direction with its giant wings folded.

It was a majestic white dragon covered in silver armor from head to tail.

“Soldrake…”

The name unconsciously escaped Raven’s mouth, even though it was a name that he
had never heard of before.
As if the dragon had heard him, it began to extend its neck.

“Kyeuaaaahhhhhh!!!”

A heaven-shaking roar rang throughout the castle.

Shatter!

“Ahhhk!”

Glass flew down from the windows as the shockwave pushed the noblewoman and
the middle-aged man onto the floor. Having finished its roar, the dragon spread its
wings and began to hover in the air.

“Ma’am!”

“My lady!”

The maids rushed to the noblewoman’s side and helped her up. Shards of glass were
all over the floor.

Raven’s gaze was not focusing on the mayhem happening inside the room. Instead,
he looked helplessly as the dragon was nearing him. The room gradually darkened,
covered by the dragon’s shadow. The gigantic being with wings came closer until it
was the only thing visible through the window. An ice-like blue eye peered through
the window and scanned the humans in the room.

“Ughhh…”

Everyone was frozen in fear, unable to move an inch and frightened of making eye
contact with the dragon. The glaring eye slowly darted from person to person. It
paused for a second when it saw the old woman, but then moved towards Raven.

‘It’s him… Alan Pendragon’s dragon.’

First, he had died and come back to life. Now he was facing Pendragon’s dragon.
Raven could not get a hold of himself. Furthermore, he had just spoken the name of
the dragon even though he had never heard of “Soldrake.”

‘Damn it. What the hell? What is going on with me?’

No one was there to answer his questions.

At that moment, the noblewoman shook off the maids who were helping her.

“Ma’am!”

“My lady!”

She shakily walked between the dragon and Raven. And as if trying to protect him,
she spread her arms wide open.

“Soldrake! Leave my son alone. Please, do not ruin him anymore. Please, please leave
him alone.”

Her body was shaking, but she spoke with clear determination and pleaded with the
dragon. The dragon stared back motionlessly. The noblewoman closed her eyes,
facing the sword-eyed look covered by blue flames of fury. But she did not give in.
She was not going to move aside. She stood there, ready to put her life on the line to
protect Raven’s.

The old woman who had been watching the situation unfold started to move, but
oddly no one paid her any attention except Raven. It seemed like she was not visible
to anybody else. The old woman stopped in front of the dragon. Raven saw her lips
move. She must have been speaking to the dragon, but he could not hear what she
was saying. After a bit, she turned around to look at Raven. He flinched as a thin
smile formed on the old woman’s face. Then, as if she had never been there, she
disappeared like smoke.

“Please… please just go.”

The noblewoman’s voice shook as she stuttered the words. As soon as those words
left her mouth, the room became drowned out by light.

“Aah!”
Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise. The dragon had slowly moved away from the
window as if understanding the noblewoman’s words. Soon, the dragon had
returned to its original spot looking back to the room once more. After flapping its
wings in place a few more times, the dragon turned its neck.

Whoooosh!

The dragon flew off into the distance, breaking the wind with each flap.

“Huah.”

The noblewoman collapsed as soon as the dragon was not visible anymore.

“My lady!”

“I’m okay. Rather…”

Her gaze headed towards Raven.

“Your Grace, are you alright?”

The middle-aged man hurriedly asked Raven.

Instead of speaking, Raven answered by nodding his head, still fixated to the
direction where the dragon flew.

“Go and quickly fetch Sir Illaine. Actually, I’ll fetch him myself. Head maid-nim, could
you look after His Grace and the lady?”

“Yes, yes!”

Raven stared blankly as the maids hurried to bring the noblewoman a chair, water
and fussed over her.

“My son, are you okay?”

The woman kept worrying over him, even when her own face was pale and in shock.
That reminded Raven of what she had just done.

She stared directly at the dragon, something even human scum of the demonic army
could not do. It was all done to protect him. Raven was not an idiot, but he could
guess why she would do something like that.

Furthermore, he had a hunch about where he was and who everyone was treating
him as. The situation was chaotic, sure. With the ghost-lady, seeing the dead dragon
and whatnot, he still retained his ability to think and make sound judgements.

But he could not be entirely sure. Thus, he spoke to the noblewoman.

“I am fine… But is it okay… if I ask you a question?”

“Yes, yes, of course! Ask me anything!” The lady grabbed Raven’s hand with a
worried expression.

Even though he was already sure of the answer, Raven asked the question with a
shaky voice.

“Where am I, and who… am I?”

The woman flinched. Her eyes shook and her face darkened, but she answered with a
forced smile on her face as if to reassure him.

“You are the heir to the Pendragon family that owns this castle. You are my only son.
You are Alan Pendragon.”

“……!”

Raven’s heart started beating rapidly upon hearing the answer he was expecting.

***

“Sir, no please… You have to say ‘aah’.”

“n… no, I can do it by myse…”

“N, no… Sir, please say ‘aah’.’

“……”

It had already been several days since Raven opened his eyes, but he could not get
used to this situation no matter what. His brows furrowed. Seeing this, the person
holding the spoon shrunk back, her face whitening in fear.

“I, I’m sorry, Your Grace.”

Lindsay, the first person he saw when he came to, apologize. The hand holding the
spoon was trembling, but somehow still managed not to spill any of its contents.

“P, please. Sir Illaine left a message saying that you had to have complete rest. S, so…
please open your mouth, Your Grace.”

Giant eyes were damp with small tears. It looked like she was ready to cry at any
moment. He could not even get mad at this girl who was convinced that this was
good for his own sake. Even so, it was a bit humiliating to follow the orders of this
girl who was much younger than him. Humiliation aside, it was just so awkward.

“Ah, and the head maid left a message saying that you had to chew your food really,
really thoroughly, Your Grace.”

“………”

The ‘food’ had lots of different ingredients. But in the end, it was soup. And the soup
was liquid. To tell him to chew thoroughly on SOUP. They were treating him like a
newborn. Raven Valt, the warrior who danced around death countless times,
commanded his army to victory and called the god of death. Having no choice, he
opened his mouth wide.

“Fwooh, fwoooh! Your Grace, pl, please open your mouth again. I have cooled the
soup a bit. The duchess also left a message saying that you had to finish your meal…”

“%&#@^!…”

Why the hell were they all leaving messages about the damn food? He felt his hands
and feet cringing at how they treated him. Still, he complied silently.

He had no other choice.

He, who was attended by seven maids, living in a fancy castle, and being spooned
soup, was not Raven Valt. He was Alan Pendragon, who had turned seventeen this
year -- the heir to the Pendragon family and for the last three years under coma, and
miraculously regained consciousness a few days ago.

His meal passed by quickly as he ignored the awkwardness and did what he was told.

“Thank you for your hard work, Your Grace.”

The maids who were waiting to the side got to work cleaning the plates and taking
the white napkin off Raven’s neck.

Lindsay rubbed Raven’s back, saying it helped with digestion.

He did not have to move a single finger, but Raven just could not get used to this
fancy treatment. It was awkward and baffling for him.

“We’ll help you get cleaned up while we get the medicine ready, Your Grace.”

Hearing Lindsay’s words, the maids brought forth a giant mirror.

“Please excuse us then.”

Lindsay’s face blushed as she sat near the bed and took off Raven’s shirt. She took up
a towel soaked in warm water and slowly started to wipe Raven’s body as if handling
precious jewelry. Her hands reached here and there, but Raven’s attention was
elsewhere.

“……”

He stared at the mirror with hardened eyes.

His scars and muscles were gone. What was left was the feeble, bony structure of a
young boy. His black hair, symbolic of the Valt family even though he was a bastard,
was nowhere to be seen, and long thin golden hair was in its place.

A pale face with blue eyes now replaced the gloomy gray eyes and scar-riddled face.
Raven saw a fair-looking young man, beautiful enough to be called a woman staring
back in the mirror.

“Alan Pendragon…”

Raven slowly raised his hand and touched Alan Pendragon’s… no, his own face. It
was unbelievable, he had come back to life after being killed by Baltai, and as Alan
Pendragon to boot. And then somehow he travelled back through time, seven years
before the battle and his death. The shock and confusion that he carried began to
subside. Even though he looked to be the seventeen-years-old Alan Pendragon who
had just woke from a coma, inside he was Raven Valt who had gone through all sorts
of unthinkable situations. He was able to regain his calmness and accept the
situation.

The ‘why’ was not necessary. Raven did not care for a reason.

The most important thing was that he was still alive, and he came back to life as Alan
Pendragon from seven years ago. He had another shot. He had the opportunity to
achieve what he strived towards in his ten years of endurance in the demonic army.

It was his commitment to regain the Valt family’s honour. With false accusations of
treason, Raven’s family was banished and disgraced. His family was more important
than his own life. This new life was an opportunity for him to clear his family name.

There was another important reason why he had to achieve his goal. What did Baltai
say before killing Alan Pendragon and himself? The fall of the Valt family and the
death of Alan Pendragon was a part of someone else’s ‘plan’?. This had to mean that
the Pendragon family was somehow connected to the Valt family.

“What is it? Who would do that… for what reason?”

He racked his brains for several days, but he could not even get a clue.

It really did not make sense for there to be a connection between a dukedom, one of
five most powerful families in the empire, and a helpless family of baron rank located
in an eastern village.

There had to be a connection. He just did not know what it was yet.

He would find out. That was his duty as Raven Valt, as well as Alan Pendragon.

“Umm… we’re all finished, Your Grace. Thank you for your patience.”

“Thank you for your patience.”

The maids echoed Lindsay’s words before bowing to Raven. Raven quickly broke his
train of thought and nodded his head. But Lindsay and the maids stood there, not
seeing his nod with their heads down.

‘Damn these maids… ’

Raven forcibly repressed his annoyance and said in an awkward voice.

“Good work… you may all rest now.”

“We will follow your orders, Your Grace.”

The maids, still with their heads bowed, exited the room with feather-like steps after
hearing Raven’s words. However, Lindsay stood in her place in the room unmoving.
"……”

Lindsay responded to Raven’s silent gaze by gesturing to the silver platter she was
holding.

“Um, you have to take your medicine, Your Grace.”

Atop the platter lay three small white pills. Raven took all three at once and
swallowed them down with one gulp.

“W… wa… water…”

Lindsay held up a golden goblet of water, her hands shaking as she offered it. Raven
took the cup and it sloshed over the brim, getting it all over his hands.

“Ah…”

Lindsay’s face paled. Not paying her any attention, Raven drank from the cup and
held it up for Lindsay to take it away. On the verge of tears, Lindsay hurriedly
reached for the goblet, her entire body shaking in fear. It was almost pathetic how
scared she was.

“……”

Raven knew why the maid, Lindsay, was acting like this. When he first opened his
eyes, she was the one who had been cleaning his body. And in his hazy state, he had
unknowingly touched her breasts, with a resounding slap on his cheek in return. It
was obvious how shocked she must have been when a person who had been
unmoving for three years suddenly stretched out his arms and felt her up.

However, regardless of the situation, Alan Pendragon was the person she slapped. He
was a person in a position of power, whose eyes she could not dare stare directly into
as the heir to the Pendragon Duchy. She had essentially slapped the entire
Pendragon family name in the cheek.
The offense would have been unforgivable and could have even caused harm to her
family’s reputation. She seemed to tremble in fear for the last several days, even
more so seeing that the person she hit had said nothing about the matter.

To Raven, this situation was just annoying. He did not have time to worry about a
young maid’s feelings right now.

“I will forget the matter and you should too.”

“S, sorry?”

Lindsay stuttered in disbelief.

“It was something that happened in confusion after I was unconscious for several
years. So, you should forget it. I won’t tell anybody what you did to me either.”

“Ah… yes, yes, Sir Alan.”

Lindsay bowed, deeply moved by his words. Raven was glad to have gotten rid of a
bothersome problem and was about to wave her away.

But then…

What does that mean? What is she supposed to forget? What did she do?

Raven’s brows twitched at the sudden interjection.

They had arrived. Ever since he had become Alan Pendragon, they were the most
difficult beings to deal with, and the most annoying.

***

Walking through the veil were two beautiful young girls that resembled one another.
They both had shiny blonde hair and sapphire-blue eyes. One was ten and the other
was fifteen, the age where girls started to blossom.

“I greet the ladies.”

Lindsay hastily bowed and took several steps back at the sudden appearance of the
two girls. Big blue eyes and exquisite looks, she was sure to be called a beauty when
she matured in 4, 5 years along with her older sister. The younger one nimbly ran
towards the bed.

“Hey, Mia!”

The little girl disregarded her sister’s call and jumped onto Raven’s bed, taking her
place on his lap, hugging him. Raven awkwardly put his arms around the little girl.
Looking down and playing with a rabbit doll, the little girl lay in his embrace as if the
spot was obviously hers.

‘Damn this… ’

Raven’s face reddened in embracement and discomfort, but he could not get angry.
After all, the girl on his lap was…

“That’s no-good Mia! Our older brother is still not well. I’m sorry brother.”

The girl who calmly rebuked the little girl was his, no, Alan Pendragon’s little sister.

“You look better today though brother. I’m really glad.”

She gave a big smile, seemingly glad that Raven looked healthier. She was the eldest
girl of the Pendragon family, the second child of the three siblings, Irene Pendragon.

Even though she was technically his younger sister, he had only known her for a few
days. Raven did not know how to respond to her kindness, since she thought he was
the actual Alan Pendragon. He could, at best, nod his head.

“Brother… perhaps… are you uncomfortable with us coming to visit?”

Irene’s long lashes trembled at seeing Raven’s response.

Raven really wanted nothing more to tell them how uncomfortable he was and chase
them out. But Mia Pendragon’s curious gaze and Irene’s genuine care caused him to
swallow his words.

“No…… it’s… fine…”

“Haa! What a relief! I thought that maybe you felt uncomfortable when we… I’m just
so glad.”
Irene held her hands together tightly to her chest in relief. Then she suddenly raised
her head as if something had suddenly come to her mind.

“Right. Brother. What was it that you were saying before? That you were going to
forget something…?”

Irene spoke, her eyes periodically glancing sideways at Lindsay, standing to the side.
Lindsay’s shoulders flinched. Feeling an unnecessary annoyance heading his way,
Raven quickly answered.

“It’s nothing for you to be concerned about.”

“Well… maybe it’s something that mother might be worried about…”

Raven was annoyed at how Irene kept glancing between himself and Lindsay with a
slight blush. It was obvious that this crafty little brat was making assumptions.

“It is not proper for a lady to eavesdrop on others’ conversations.”

Raven hardened his expression to be even colder.

“Oh… I am sorry. I just wanted to come see brother but couldn’t help overhear…”

Tears started welling up in Irene’s eyes like large droplets. As if on cue, Mia
Pendragon once again looked up at Raven with an indiscernible expression.

‘%&#@^! This is driving me insane.’

His chest felt stuffed, and he felt his patience running out. This type of thing was
exactly what bothered and annoyed Raven. He wanted nothing more than to scream
at the little brats to scram, but he could not. He had tried his best to learn more
about this royal family, but there was still much he did not know about the
Pendragon Duchy. During his life as Raven Valt, the Pendragon family was never
something he had cared about.

All he could gather was that they were descended from the founding emperor and
that they were a powerful family in a position to contract with a dragon. He also
knew that Gordon Pendragon, the previous duke, died and the family went into steep
decline after Alan Pendragon went into a coma.
He had only found out that he had two younger sisters a few days ago.

He only knew one thing for sure.

“…”

It was someone’s elaborate ‘conspiracy’ that had a hand involved in both Alan
Pendragon’s demise and the fall of the Pendragon family which had seemed to still
be relatively stable.

Furthermore, the whole conspiracy might have connections to the fall of the Valt
family.

Raven did not survive for ten years in the demonic army solely due to his ability to
regenerate. His intuition and ability to remain calm, to make rational decisions were
the reasons why he survived so long. That intuition which kept him alive for so long
told him that Irene and Mia Pendragon should not be treated with temper.

“It was nothing big. When I had just opened my eyes, I made a little mistake. It’s
nothing that you or the duchess should worry about.”

“A small… mistake?”

Raven once again suppressed his frustration and calmly answered.

“Yes. I was disoriented and accidentally grabbed her hand. And in shock, she shook
off my hand.”

“Y, yes, my lady.”

Lindsay eagerly looked up and chimed in.

“Ahh…! I see.”

Only then Irene’s face brightened up. She pulled her chair closer to the bed.

“Anyways I’m so glad that you seem to be getting better. Sir Illaine says that you
should be able to walk soon, and I really hope that you can. The flowers have started
to bloom in the courtyard, and I think you will really like them. The cornflowers you
planted before ought to start blooming soon. Do you remember? When…”
Irene started to chatter away softly. Listening to her stories, Raven felt the annoyance
crawl out. Not so much because of her talking, although that did contribute, but
because hearing her stories, he realized what a clown Alan Pendragon was in the
past. He preferred reading and painting over swordsmanship. Sure, that much was
acceptable. But the idiot liked to plant flowers? And he would often sulk and lock
himself in his room and hide whenever there was a guest. He acted in ways
unbefitting of an heir to a Duchy.

Well, Alan’s past had its benefits as well. Thanks to Alan Pendragon’s personality, no
one looked or cared for him except for the few maids who served him, his family, and
some important personnel in the castle. No one bothered him now. Thinking about
it, it must have been the Duchess’ orders seeing as she knew him best before he went
into a coma.

It was the ideal condition for quietly gaining more information and figuring things
out.

Irene’s endless chatter also sometimes contained great information as well.

“…And Aunt Veleroa’s carrier pigeon arrived. Apparently, Sister Luna's suitors are
getting more numerous every day. She’s glad that she can reject them without
worries now. Oh my! I got ahead of myself. Sister Luna already left to come see you. I
think in about two days…”

“Wait. Who is Aunt Veleroa, and who is Luna?”

Raven, no, Alan Pendragon had memory loss due to him being unconscious for three
years, or at least that was the story.

“Ah! I’m sorry Brother…”

Irene, who rebuked herself for not being considerate of her brother with memory
loss, spoke with a bright smile reminiscent of a summer flower.

“Aunt Veleroa is our deceased father’s only younger sister. She is married to one of
our family’s knights, Sir Seyrod. Lady Luna is Aunt Veleroa’s foster daughter and
your fiancee.”

“……”
Raven’s face, which was already pale, lost even more colour.

***

Ten warhorses and soldiers moved forward behind a flag imprinted with a crowned
red wolf on a narrow mountain path. The knights on horseback with plate armors
and lightly armed soldiers were the main pillars of the party. A slender woman
followed, wearing a dress that contrasted the rough looking men.

A knight wearing a blue cloak over his seamless armor approached the woman.

“How are you fairing, my lady? We will soon be able to see Conrad Castle so please be
patient, Lady Luna.”

The silver-haired girl, whose beauty and indifferent expression created a fairy-like
atmosphere, opened her delicate mouth that matched her high nose.

“I’m doing fine, Sir Breeden.”

Breeden could not find the words to say after the girl’s grim response. A short while
later, he spoke once again with a subtle smile on his face.

“You will meet your fiance for the first time in three years soon, how do you feel
about that?”

Luna Seyrod, who had only been looking straight ahead, finally turned her head
towards Breeden.

“What does that have to do with you, Sir Breeden?”

“Well, I…”

“I’ll be fine taking care of my own business. You need only to focus on your business.
Please don’t carelessly aggravate the Pendragon family’s knights.”

“Huuhuu! Do you think there is even anyone left in Conrad Castle that’s fit to be
called a knight? Just look at the Bellint gate. That’s what we’re going to expect at
Conrad Castle. They barely have thirty soldiers and twenty archers. They don’t even
have a commander, do they? Hahaha.”
Breeden’s face had a mocking smile, contrasting the startled expression he had
before.

“Even if Alan Pendragon’s reawakened, it’s not enough for them to regain their past
glory. Ten years? Twenty years? Even that might not be enough. There’s never been a
case in history where someone who’s failed to contract the dragon once succeeded
on their second try. “

“You seem to know very well already. Tell me, what does this all mean?”

Breeden banged his chest with pride upon seeing Luna’s apathetic expression.

“I can bring more honor to the Seyrod family than they’ve ever had. Without their
dragon, the Pendragon family is nothing. I, Sir Breeden, will be more than ever
before.”

“…”

Luna stared at Breeden silently for a moment before turning her head back to the
front. Breeden was about to say something with furrowed eyebrows when Luna
spoke.

“Sir Breeden seems to have forgotten where the Pendragon family’s bloodline stems
from.”

“Ehem…”

Breeden flinched and did not respond.

Everyone knew the deeply rooted bloodline of the Pendragon family. There may be
rises and falls in their kingdom, but they would never disappear. Because…

“But hasn’t his imperial majesty already given up on the Pendragon family? I mean
just by seeing how the engagement between Sir Alan Pendragon and Princess Ingrid
was broken when Sir Gordon Pendragon passed away…”

“Which is why I was engaged to him instead. For example, it was the chicken instead
of a pheasant.”

“I… I wasn’t trying to insult you, my lady. Well as your father has spoken, you need to
tell Alan Pendragon in person about the breaking of engagement.”

“I know, so stop mentioning it to me. The purpose of my visit is to break off the
engagement. I need some time to think by myself.”

“Yes…”

Breeden seemed to have more things he wanted to say but rode past Luna’s horse
after deliberating for a moment. The party moved up a hill with no words exchanged.
When the vanguard reached the top, the flagbearer announced in a loud voice.

“I see the castle!”

The horses all arrived at the top of the hill. They saw a river flowing next to the
village and looking past the common people, a white castle with numerous, tall
towers stood erect. The Conrad Castle was where Luna’s fiance lived.

1. Orabeonim is a formal way of addressing one’s older brother by a female. Hyung-

nim would be the male equivalent of calling their older brother.

2. Unni is a way of addressing an older female by a younger female. (The age

difference would not be too great)

3. BUUUT after translating quite a number of chapters, I decided it would be more

appropriate to get rid of the honorifics. It doesn't really fit too well with the story & I
can translate around some parts that play around it. Consider it a KOREAN 101.
“Long time no see.”

Luna remained silent after her greeting. Raven stared at his, or rather, Alan
Pendragon’s fiancee intently.

The spring wind snuck its way in through the curtains, gently lifting Luna’s silver
hair, and the sunlight gleamed to accentuate her beauty. She was as beautiful as the
rumors, no, she fared even more beautifully than what the rumors said.

Her silver hair, purple eyes, and indifferent expression created a surreal aura around
her, and her elegant features were bustling with color.

‘She’s said to be quiet and calm… ’

That was what he heard from Irene. But now that he had seen her in person, she did
not seem quiet and calm. Rather, she had no emotions at all, or at least that is what it
seemed like.

How could she be that expressionless when meeting her fiance who had been
unconscious for the last three years?

‘She is quite the unusual woman.’

Uncomfortable with the current situation, Raven turned his head towards the
windows. He just wanted her to leave. Luna’s eyes glinted when Raven turned his
head away from herself.

“You’ve changed.”

“Hm?”

Raven frowned, not able to make sense of her words.

“I heard that you’ve lost your memory. Perhaps you’ve forgotten about me as well?”
“Well… it’s as you have heard. It is not intentional, but I still would like to apologize.”

Raven responded half-heartedly and turned his gaze to the windows once more.
Luna’s expression turned.

‘His expression, how he talks… how he acts, it’s all changed.’

The Alan Pendragon from three years ago and the Alan Pendragon now seemed like
they were two different people. His facial features matured from a boy to a man in
the three years, but he still had that pretty face.

Yet, his attitude and confident composure felt completely off. The boy she knew was
not able to look people in the eyes, always anxiously avoiding those encounters.

The man in front of her had none of those previous traits.

His face carried a brisk coldness.

He, who used to stutter and scramble to find his words when responding, was now
speaking to her with ease. Most importantly, what was this treatment that he was
giving her now?

He used to avoid her eyes while stealing glances at her whenever he got the chance.
Now it seemed like he was not really interested in her and acted almost as if he
wanted her to leave.

‘This is strange. And… ’

She was annoyed.

It was like a pet dog who followed her from a young age suddenly did not recognize
its owner anymore.

‘Well… it doesn’t really matter.’

Luna calmed herself down. It was not as if she would change her mind about him
when she had no feelings for him whatsoever three years ago. Now that she came to
face him, all she had to do was tell him. For her family, and for herself.

“Um…”
“Y, your Grace.”

As Luna was about to speak the matter at hand, someone lifted the veil and walked
in. Raven and Luna turned their heads simultaneously. It was Lindsay and the other
maids.

“What do you need?”

“Well, I think you need to come to the palace. The duchess also asked that Lady
Seyrod accompany us as well.”

Raven furrowed his brows at the unexpected development.

“Why?”

“The knights that came with the lady… well, they made a bit of a… ruckus…”

Looking at Lindsay, who was at a loss, Raven turned his gaze towards Luna as if
asking for an explanation. Luna bit her lips slightly at his gaze.

‘I even told him specifically not to… ’

Breeden must’ve been responsible for the commotion.

Breeden must have been blabbering about what was going to happen with the
engagement.

The people from the Pendragon family would not be able to stand still hearing the
news of the engagement being annulled from a mere knight.

“We should probably head to the palace then.”

“…Let’s do that.”

As much as he wanted to avoid anything bothersome, Raven knew the situation was
serious from the attitude of the woman who was supposed to be his fiancee. He
nodded his head and started to prop himself up. The maids hurried to his side to
help him.

“Your Grace, please hold my arm…”

“No, it’s fine.”

“N, no, you’re still in bad condition… you… hmm?”

Lindsay fussed over Raven and was about to help him when she stopped. Lindsay,
the maids, and Luna all opened their eyes wide in wonder.

The man who should have needed four or five more days of complete rest just to sit
up propped himself up effortlessly and started to walk.

“What do I need to wear? What about this one?”

Raven walked all the way to the wardrobe amidst amazed gazes and picked up one of
the most modest-looking outerwear.

“Ooh!”

The maids finally regained their senses and swarmed Raven.

“N, no, that is a hunting vest. You need to dress in this linen tunic when you welcome
guests…”

“Give it to me, I can wear it myself.”

Raven put on a purple tunic after taking it from the maids. They always fussed over
the simplest things like putting on clothes.

“You also need to put on this belt. This crown too, as well as this bracelet…”

Lindsay put the platinum belt around Raven. The buckle was embossed with a
dragon engaging its claws. She continued to adorn Raven with a silver crown
embedded with numerous jewels and a gold bracelet.

Raven said bluntly while Lindsay was busy with putting on various accessories on
him,

“It’s not like I’m going to see anyone important…”

“……”
Luna’s expression changed slightly. She thought it was rude for him to talk that way
about the knights that accompanied her.

“Are you not going?”

It was a tone that clearly displayed his irritation.

“……”

Luna was about to say something when his words came. She was stunned but bit her
lips before getting up from her seat. It was not visible when he was lying in bed, but
the sight of Alan Pendragon dressed in proper clothing and adorned with accessories
was… quite surprising.

‘What the hell is this person… ’

The repressed annoyance slowly crept up, bringing along a peculiar curiosity with it.

***

“What do you mean by that? Breaking off the engagement?”

Conrad Castle’s general, Melborn, raised his voice.

“It is as I said. Our Lord Seyrod wishes to break off the engagement between Lady
Luna and Sir Alan Pendragon.”

Seyrod’s knight Breeden spoke with an underlying mockery in his voice.

“That’s…”

Melborn’s face hardened. The nobles of Conrad Castle who had all gathered in the
palace also stood still with restrained faces.

Their gazes soon turned to one person.

The lady in a new white dress sitting on one of the two highest chairs in the palace,
the duchess of the Pendragon family, was Elena Pendragon. Elena Pendragon sat
staring down while tightly biting her lips.
“You’re sure that this is what Count Seyrod said?”

“Yes, my lady. He also expressed his deepest regret at the matter.”

Breeden’s arrogant attitude remained unchanged as he faced the duchess of the

Pendragon family.

The few remaining knights of the Pendragon family stood silently in rage. The faded
iron armors of the Pendragon family’s knights were shabby compared to the shiny
armors of the Seyrod’s knight, and they could only stay silent and observe.

“You are breaking off an engagement with the Pendragon family. Are you prepared to
take responsibility for this matter?”

“Of course. As a sign of apology, Count Seyrod is willing to hand over complete
control of the gold and crystal mines near the boundary, as well as the two lumber
mills in the forest to the Pendragon family.”

Many people from the Pendragon family became wide-eyed and started to murmur
amongst themselves at Breeden’s words.

Although the Pendragon and the Seyrod family were allies related by blood, there
still existed some issues regarding territory.

The County of Seyrod was an independent family that received the title and
territories directly from the emperor, and not as a subordinate of the Pendragon
Duchy. Therefore, they were a family that the Pendragons did not reign over, and
hence had to show respect for.

This caused many problems regarding the gold and crystal mines that existed near
the border of the two territories, and in its current state, the Pendragon family could
not even bring up the matter of the mines due to their declination.

However, Count Seyrod said that he would hand over control ownership of the
mines, with two additional lumber mills to boot. It was quite an attractive proposal
for the Pendragon family.

But the price was steep. It was in exchange for a broken engagement.

For a renowned family with the title of duke, it was a great shame.
As if everyone had promised, all eyes headed to Duchess Elena Pendragon at the
same time.

“My lady…”

Melborn looked to Elena Pendragon for an answer. He might have been the general
of Conrad Castle who managed the entire Pendragon Territory, but Elena Pendragon
still had the final say in matters.

The muttering stopped and all eyes turned to Elena.

Elena pondered for a bit. The proposal was definitely alluring. However, no matter
how far they had fallen, Pendragon was Pendragon.

Her pride as a Pendragon did not let her son, the future duke of Pendragon, be
shamed with a broken engagement. Especially not for mere mines and mills.

Having made her decision, Elena looked down at Breeden’s proud face and opened
her lips.

“I refuse.”

“Ehem!”

Breeden’s face distorted. Sighs of relief mixed with regret could be heard from the
crowd.

“Please wait a minute.”

A voice was heard from the shadows of the courtyard. People’s gazes looked towards
where the voice came from. Soon, a person came into view as he slowly walked out
of the shadows.

“Oooohh…”

The group’s eyes widened.

Dressed in a purple tunic was a handsome, pale young man. He was skinny, but his
facial features were delicate and beautiful.
Overall, he looked a bit haggard, but no one could mistake his blue eyes and looks. He
had a faint aura of intensity around him.

“It’s His Grace, Alan Pendragon…”

“Sir! Sir Alan!”

The nobles of Conrad Castle bowed and showed their respect to the successor of the
Pendragon family. Luna Seyrod, who had accompanied him, slowly moved to the side
of the Seyrod family but no one gave her a glance.

“Ohh! Alan!”

Elena’s face that was previously full of worry, brightened and she cheerfully
welcomed her son.

“My lady.”

Her affection-filled gaze was still awkward to him, but Raven politely bowed his head
and sat in the chair next to her.

Elena Pendragon was a spectacular beauty that made people forget her age, and Alan
Pendragon’s father, Duke Gordon Pendragon, was a man who had been famous for
his looks. As Alan took his seat beside Elena, it felt as if the whole courtyard
brightened a notch.

Alan Pendragon appeared for the first time in three years in a public setting. His
presence gave a sense of stability and pride to the crowd.

On the other hand, the Seyrod family's knights, including Breeden, did not look
happy.

“Ehem! It’s been a long time, Your Grace Pendragon.”

Breeden coughed awkwardly and greeted Alan. Raven, who had no idea of knowing
who Breeden was, replied bluntly while examining him.

“Who are you?”

“Yes?”
Breeden’s face soon turned from a confused expression to that of contempt. Alan
Pendragon might have been the successor of a Duchy, but he was the vice
commander of the knights of the Seyrod family. He was not someone that a young
child could look down upon and treat carelessly.

“Sir Breeden, His Grace has no recollection of his past whatsoever. He didn’t
recognize the duchess or me when he arose…”

Melborn noticed Breeden’s hostility and stepped up.

Breeden’s expression slowly eased up.

“Oh, is that so?”

‘A memory loss? Even better.’

A smile spread on Breeden's face, but the faces of the nobles of the Conrad Castle
darkened again. It seemed that the rumor of Alan Pendragon awakening from the
three-year-long coma with no recollection of his past was true.

“That is most unfortunate, Your Grace Pendragon. Well, I should introduce myself
again, seeing as you do not remember your past. I’m Joseph Breeden, guardian
knight of the Seyrod family and the vice-commander of the Knights of the Red Moon.”

Breeden conveyed the image of a prestigious, promising young knight as he bowed

gracefully with his hand on his sword and with a beaming smile.

The crowd admired Breeden's appearance and stole small glances at where Alan
Pendragon was sitting. He was a great beauty, but it was inevitable for Alan
Pendragon to look shabby and weak compared to Breeden.

Everyone knew Alan Pendragon and his character before he fell into a coma. He was
a boy as fragile and timid as he looked.

Alan Pendragon was openly referred to as the ‘blonde girl’ by the other noble
families, as well as within Conrad Castle.

‘Well… He woke up after three years, but nothing’s changed.’

‘He’s been in bed for three years? He must be even weaker than he was before.’
‘Besides, the dragon came and left without anything happening? It’s over for him, isn’t
it… ’

The nobles of Conrad Castle sighed with such thoughts. Raven watched the crowd
and became annoyed at the absurdity. This damn knight was acting all high and
mighty in front of his family. But then there were the Pendragon family's nobles, who
only watched the situation unfold like dogs with their tails down.

He suddenly remembered his ten years on the battlefield when he suffered like a dog
for ten whole years.

These people lacked desperation.

Out there, there were people suffering, praying just to live to see the next day.

Meanwhile, these people were playing out a comedic scene regarding a mere
engagement.

It wasn’t even funny how everything was playing out. Looking at the ridiculous
situation, laughter slipped out unintentionally.

“Haha…”

‘Hmm!? He’s laughing?’

Breeden raised his eyebrows at Raven’s laughter. This little boy couldn’t even
breathe properly when he was talking to people and now he was laughing? This was
ridiculous.

“What’s so funny, Your Grace Pendragon?”

Breeden gave a friendly grin, revealing his white teeth. His face filled with contempt
and ridicule.

Poor Breeden did not know.

Raven hated these types of people who were all talk and no bite.
The person looking at Breeden was not Alan Pendragon, the little brat of the
Pendragon family, but Raven Valt. He was the reaper who had shaken the hand of
death, marching the demonic army into an endless cycle of battle.
“Why do you care that I’m laughing in my own castle? Do I need to report why I’m
laughing to you?”

“…!”

Breeden’s mouth dropped at the unexpected answer.

Raven said ‘You’. Not sir, not knight, just the word ‘you’.

Even if he was the heir to a Duchy, he dared call an elite knight of the Count, and the
vice commander of a knighthood, you, without any title.

Breeden’s eyebrows moved up and down like a tidal wave and his armor rattled.

“What? Would you like to have a bout here?”

“…”

Breeden flinched at Raven’s cold words. How could he challenge the successor of the
Pendragon family in his own castle? It didn’t make sense.

Raven felt assured at Breeden’s response. He really was all talk and no bite. This sort
of lowly provocation would never taunt skilled mercenaries and knights.

“I guess you’re not completely brainless. You said your name was Breeden? Are you
representing the Seyrod family in this matter?”

“Well… ah, no, that’s not really the case…”

“Hmm, that's what I thought. The one who can speak for the Seyrod family here is
Lady Luna. Is it not?”

Luna flinched slightly when she felt Raven’s gaze land on her, but she proceeded to
nod her head slowly.
“…That’s correct.”

“Then it would be proper for me to be talking to the representative of the Seyrod

family right now, not a measly knight.”

As if ‘you’ was not enough, Breeden was now being referred to as a ‘measly knight’.
He felt his face turn as red as a tomato.

The whole courtyard became silent. Everyone was looking at the heir to the
Pendragon family shocked and with their jaws open.

They could not believe that the young man who had just taken control over the
conversation with only a few words was the same Alan Pendragon they knew to be
weak and indecisive.

‘This is awkward… ’

Seeing the situation take a strange turn, Luna stepped forward while lightly biting
her lips.

“I would like to first make an official introduct…”

“No need. We’ve already gone over pleasantries earlier, haven’t we? Furthermore,
everyone here knows who you are Lady Seyrod. Let us continue our conversation
from earlier, shall we?”

“What would you be…”

“I heard about breaking off the engagement. Now that the concerned parties are
here, we should continue the conversation.”

“Alan.”

Breeden, the nobles of the Conrad Castle, and even Elena all turned their heads
towards Raven in bewilderment.

“This is my responsibility, and I will deal with it, my lady.”

Raven spoke to Elena calmly, then turned his head towards Breeden.
“A gold mine, a crystal mine, and two lumbermills? Good, let’s settle it with that.”

Elena could not hide her bafflement at Raven’s words. Melborn was in a similar state,
not knowing what to do.

“Y, your Grace. I think it is better to think things through once more before coming to
a decision…”

Raven turned his gaze elsewhere, away from Melborn, and spoke.

“Well, not that I have any plans to do so, but I don’t think anything we can do will
change their mind. Isn’t that right, Lady Seyrod?”

Luna recoiled at Raven’s words. But she did not give an immediate answer.

“I’m…”

She was confused. When she was with him just a short while ago, he still seemed shy
and untalkative. That was worlds away from how he was acting now.

It was as if he had turned into a new person.

A strange sense of betrayal rushed in along with a sense of pride. All she had to do
was tell his smug face that the marriage was called off.

But the words evaded her even though her purpose in coming here was to announce
the annulment of the marriage.

She had already made the decision as well. Now that Alan was asking about it, all she
had to do was give an answer and return home. Then she would go back to living a
peaceful, comforting life until she married an heir to another prestigious family to
benefit her family.

That was the best outcome for everybody.

‘But… ’

Even knowing that, Luna still could not give an answer. Besides the gnawing unrest
she felt, she did not want a situation to unfold in this manner.
Not that she wanted it or anything, but she had imagined a scenario where she
proclaimed the breakup to the weak Alan Pendragon while he begged her to
reconsider.

She had not expected this.

‘Well, I have no other choice. I have to answer.’

Luna made her decision and was about to give her answer, when Raven interjected
and spoke first.

“Well, it seems you’re having a hard time giving an answer. It’s not like what you’re
thinking is important, anyway. You do not need to give an answer. I agree with
Seyrod County’s suggestion. Let us dissolve the engagement.”

“Ah!”

“No, Alan!”

Luna’s eyes widened in shock, and Elena called out to her son in a shaky voice. Raven
turned his head towards Elena.

“Who makes the decisions in this castle, my lady?”

“A, Alan…”

“There was no ceremony because of circumstance, but I have been an adult since last
year. Is that not the case? Then I ask you again. Who is the owner of this castle, and
the head of the Pendragon family?”

Elena was astonished at Raven’s word which contrasted from how he behaved
normally. However, she soon regained composure and answered in a calm voice.

“You are. You are the master of the Pendragon Duchy.”

Raven lightly nodded his head and turned his gaze towards the courtyard.

“I speak as the head of the Pendragon family. The engagement between Alan
Pendragon and Luna Seyrod has been annulled. As well, the Pendragon family
accepts Seyrod family’s apology.”
“…!”

The courtyard was silent. The engagement had been voided. No one could find the
words when they saw Alan Pendragon as a completely changed man from before.

Raven stood up amidst the silence.

“I think that issue’s been taken care of now. Excuse me. Take care, Lady Seyrod.”

Then he walked away, not looking back even once. Everyone stared at Alan
Pendragon’s disappearing figure, still silent with shock and unease.

***

Raven walked with an evident face of distaste.

He already had a headache from having so much to think about, but all sorts of
strangers kept showing up to bother him with insignificant issues. Of course, when
he first heard about breaking off the engagement he was concerned.

He had no idea what the consequences that calling off the engagement would bring
about, especially when he had little information about the Pendragon family. But his
mind was made quickly when he heard Breeden talk.

It was not just because he did not like Breeden’s attitude. Breeden spoke of an
apology, he brought up a gold mine, a crystal mine, and two lumber mills as
compensation.

Raven had roughly grasped the disappointing financial situation of the Pendragon
family from Irene Pendragon’s chitchats over the last few days. Even though he was
the bastard son of a lowly family, he still knew the value of a gold mine and a crystal
mine.

The Count that his father served in his previous life worked tirelessly to obtain one
gold mine. He only had one lumbermill as well.

The most important thing was the crystal mine. The foundation of magic were
crystals. Mages were rare, and high-ranking mages were even rarer. Everyone
wanted to invite sorcerers, high-level mages, who researched their own magic, into
their territories, and it was not an exaggeration to say that the qualification to invite
a sorcerer was owning a crystal mine. If there were no crystals, the mages did not
come.

That was a fact.

Conveniently, the Seyrod family wanted to hand over an entire crystal mine.

In his current situation, he had no reason to turn down an offer that freed him from
an annoying relationship called marriage. Especially more so when they were
offering a crystal mine.

“Your Grace, please, wait, wait for me…”

Raven turned his head. Lindsay was hurrying after him with a reddened face. His
steps must have been a little too fast.

“My, my apologies.”

Lindsay sheepishly looked down, having slowed down his steps. Raven waved it
away, signaling that it did not matter. In that brief pause, Raven suddenly narrowed
his eyes.

‘Hm?’

Something was weird. He did not know the layout of this castle. The inner rooms of
the castle were quite a distance from the palace, and the passageways were complex.

He had been led by Lindsay on his way towards the palace and he had followed her
without paying attention to his surroundings. But now, he was finding his way
accurately without help. Furthermore…

“If I go left here, then there is definitely…”

Raven walked towards the passageway on the left with a blank expression. He came
to a stop after a few steps. A long corridor lined with giant portraits.

Strangely, Raven knew what they were. He walked down the corridor, observing the
portraits with a hollow expression.

“Do you perhaps remember, Your Grace?”

Raven silenced Lindsay by raising his hand and stopped in front of a particular
portrait. He intently stared at the picture. After standing still for a while, he spoke,
his eyes still glued to the portrait.

“Who is this?”

“Tha, that is the older sister of the duke from two generations ago, who is also your
grandfather. She is Lady Attia Pendragon, older sister of Sir Klein Pendragon.”

“Attia… Pendragon…”

Raven muttered the name in a subdued tone.

It was the…

“That’s right. That is my name.”

A whisper of a voice, sounding like it was carried by the wind, resounded in Raven’s
ears. Raven slowly turned his head. A woman stood at the end of the corridor under
the sunlight that shimmered through the stained glass. She was the old lady who was
in the portrait. She smiled while staring at him.

Raven returned to his room and sent Lindsay away. He sat at the edge of his chair
and remained silent for a moment, his eyes staring straight with concern. His dry lips
finally parted.

“So… my lady, I mean, great aunt, you are a ghost?”

“Can’t you see?”

When he looked at her closely, he could see that she was translucent, and that he
could see the wall behind her.

“But why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I’m already deceased. I cannot speak if my name is not called.”

It seemed that speaking her name out aloud earlier had made it possible for her to
speak.
“I see… So… I should call you… great aunt…”

“Isn’t it odd for you to refer to me as such? You may refer to me as Lady Attia.”

“Hmm?”

Raven’s frowned in confusion. Then Attia Pendragon’s apparition smiled

benevolently and spoke.

“You are not my great-nephew Alan Pendragon. Isn’t that so?”

“…!”

Raven’s felt his heart sink. She knew. The ghost of Attia Pendragon knew that he was
not Alan Pendragon.

“How do you… Oh! Perhaps…”

An idea popped into Raven’s head. As if reading his thoughts, Attia nodded her head.

“That’s right. Soldrake told me.”

“Sol… drake…”

That was the name of the dragon that caused the dangerous commotion when he
first woke up. But then it returned without doing anything significant.

Raven had asked around about Soldrake after the incident, but everyone he met took
a frightened expression and gave no answer. To be more exact, no one could give any
answers because no one really knew.

Even Irene Pendragon, who was the queen of jabbering, did not know much about
Soldrake. The only person who knew anything about Soldrake was Elena Pendragon.

But for some reason, whenever she heard Raven mention Soldrake she trembled and
asked him to not to speak of Soldrake.

“Then do you know who I… am?”

“No, I know not. You are not my Alan Pendragon…”

Attia paused momentarily, then continued with an even bigger grin.

“Who are you? And for what reason are you in my great-nephew’s body?”
Raven shrugged after staring at his great aunt for a moment.

“I don’t know. My head was cut off, and when I opened my eyes, I was already in this
body.”

“Hmm. Then fill me in on the details. Who you are, where you were, and what
happened exactly.”

Raven pondered for a moment.

He wasn’t sure whether he could trust her with the truth.

But then he realized that Attia was a ghost, and he was the only one capable of
holding a conversation with her. Even if he told her the truth, it would probably not
lead to any complications. More than anything, Raven needed allies. Especially
someone who could give him information about his predicament and about the
Pendragon family.

In that sense, it seemed like having Attia, a member of the Pendragon family, as an
ally would be quite useful.

“It might be hard to believe, but I fight alongside Alan Pendragon seven years in the
future on the Robstein Plains.”

“What did you say?”

Attia Pendragon frowned at the mention of coming from the future. Raven sighed
lightly before continuing his words.

“I’m saying that I’ve come against the flow of time. In the sixth month of the three
hundred twenty-first year of the imperial calendar, I died on the battlefield. Sir
Pendragon came as support along with Soldrake for our army and…”

Raven started on his lengthy explanation. All the while, Attia maintained an
expressionless face listening to Raven’s story.
“…and that’s the story. I am not sure as to why I woke up in Sir Alan Pendragon’s
body.”

Raven carefully examined Attia’s face for any reaction. Her face remained passive
even after hearing this story that he himself could not believe. After a short while,
Attia nodded her head.

“So that’s what happened. I see.”

“So… you believe my story?”

Raven was surprised at Attia’s unreserved acceptance. He had told her that he came
back to life from the dead, travelled through time, took someone else’s body, and she
had accepted it just like that.

“Well there’s nothing to be done is there? You are not my great-nephew, and I’ve
already confirmed that with Soldrake. The important thing here is that you, no, that
Alan Pendragon came back to life. This surely is as someone willed.”

“Will…?”

“That’s right. You said that the one who killed you said so? That there is a connection
between the fall of your family, my family, and my great-nephew. Then it also makes
sense to think that someone must be behind your revival in Alan’s body. Wouldn’t
you agree?”

“Hmm…”

Raven contemplated deeply. It did have its logic.

“And I don’t think you know about this, but it doesn’t make sense that my great-
nephew headed to the battlefield with Soldrake.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Attia responded to Raven with a stiff expression.

“Even for a descendant of the Pendragon family, a soul can only contract with one
soul in their lifetime. This holds true especially so for a dragon. If you fail to establish
a contract, you never get a second chance. You have to leave it to the next
generation.”

“Then that means…”

“Yes. It means that the person you saw on the battlefield was probably never my
great-nephew to begin with. The reason he fell unconscious is because he failed to
establish a contract with Soldrake.”

Thud!

Raven stared in disbelief. But Attia had not finished speaking yet.

“I don’t know how he managed to re-establish the contract with Soldrake. But that’s
not what’s important right now. I have never acknowledged that weak boy as a true
Pendragon. What happened now is probably for the better.”

Raven had no way of knowing why Attia spoke so cheerfully. Attia’s smile slowly
deepened as she slowly raised her finger and pointed straight at Raven.

“It’s the same body, but with different souls. That is why you, Raven Valt, will be
forming a new contract with Soldrake, the Pendragon family’s dragon.”

“…”

***

Raven’s jaws refused to close.

“Wooo! Huah!”

The smooth, muscular, pure white body devoid of any scars moved up and down
repeatedly.

“Y, your Grace… you shouldn’t be doing this… Ahh!”

Lindsay’s boisterous chest was even more prominent when her arms were put
together. She let out harsh breaths with a red-hot face.

“Hoowook! Huagh! Just a little more. Huuagh! Be strong.”

“W, well, if you keep doing this… Ahh!”

“It’s not like I’m doing this just for my sake, Huuah! Be a little more patient. Uaghh!”

“Ahh! Well if the head maid finds out… Ahhh!”

Lindsay fell back with a short scream. She promptly stood back up and straightened
her messy clothes.

“I’m so sorry, Your Grace.”

“No, that’s fine. This is good enough for today.”

It was a bit regrettable, but Raven lifted his body. Lindsay hurried forward and wiped
his sweating body with a cold towel. Her cheeks still burned red, but it seemed to
stem from a different reason.

“W, well, Your Grace, are you sure you’re fine? It has only been two days since you’ve
been walking. Are you sure you should be performing such vigorous exercises…?
What if…”

Raven clicked his tongue at Lindsay’s words.”

“Why would anyone call sit-ups a vigorous exercise?”

“Well still…”

Lindsay continued to steal glances at Raven’s handsome face with a worried

expression. During the three years he laid unconscious, his face had become pale like
a corpse. Recently however, color was slowly returning to his face. His facial features
had looked like an elaborate sculpture before, but now was becoming more
handsome.

Besides, it was none other than herself who took care of him and cleaned his body
every day for the last three years. She was more than familiar with his body. She
knew where every mole was, and even the private parts of men…

‘W, what am I even thinking about… ’

Lindsay lowered her beet-red face. Even though she was so used to cleaning his body,
it was different now that he was awake. It was flustering. Less than ten days had
passed since he awoke, but his physique seemed stronger than before, and that did
not help at all with Lindsay’s embarrassment.

“That’s enough. I can take care of the rest. You may go.”

“Hmm? Ah, yes…”

Lindsay broke free of her daze and stepped back, taking the wash basin and the
towel. It was somewhat disappointing that His Grace, who was like the sky to her, did
not enjoy being served anymore like he used to in the past.

Raven was now left alone. He proceeded to put on a shirt, sat in a chair, and took a
sip of water from a glass.

“She is quite a pleasant one. I have watched her for three years, and she’s never been
careless. I think it might be a good idea to take her as a concubine. Her buttocks are
large, and she has plentiful breasts. She’ll do well to bear and raise your children.”

Cough! Cough!

Water sprouted from Raven’s mouth at the words of Attia’s ghost, who had appeared
out of nowhere.

“What do you mean concubine? I have no such thoughts.”

Raven spoke bluntly as he wiped the water off the table and his mouth. Attia tilted
her head.

“Why would you say that? A nobleman must bear many offspring. My older brother
and Gordon both only had one son because they adored their wives too much. That is
why a no-good like Alan became the heir of our family. If you do not want to walk
down the same path, I suggest you make good relationships with the girls in the
castle and have some sons.”

“Don’t you think your time would be better spent telling me more about the
mausoleum (a shrine where the souls of ancestors are enshrined) and Soldrake?”

Raven quickly changed the topic. Fortunately, Attia seemed to regard regaining the
family honor as more important than bearing children. She spoke with a prudent
face.

“Yes, you’re right. So, as I’ve already told you, the most important task for you right
now is to reopen the mausoleum. The reason for our family’s current decline is
because the mausoleum is closed. You must work to reopen it.”

When Raven had first heard about the mausoleum and Soldrake a few days ago, he
had immediately come to a better understanding of the Pendragon family’s situation.

The Pendragon mausoleum was not simply a place to honor the family ancestors.
Actually, almost all the wealth and power of the Pendragon family were concentrated
in the mausoleum. The gold mine, iron mine, crystal mine, and even a magic tower
capable of arcane magic were all located in the mausoleum.

Even lower summons that were controlled by Soldrake resided in the mausoleum.

It would normally be a bad idea to concentrate all the power in one place, but there
was a good reason for it.

The Pendragon family was a force that was counted as one of the strongest in the
empire, due to their power to control the dragons. They were considered one of the
strongest on earth.

If such a family’s power dispersed in an internal strife, it would have a huge impact
on the Duchy as well as the whole empire. That was why the Pendragon family used
magic to allow only the real successor, who had contracted with Soldrake, to open
the mausoleum.

Thus, the duke of the family had sole control over the entire family over the
generations. It helped in preventing the dispersal of power by allowing only the
righteous successor to open the mausoleum.

Of course, that was also the reason why the Pendragon family was in such dire straits
currently.

“I agree with you in that we need to reclaim the mausoleum. But don’t we need an
army for that? Going as far as Bellint Gate might not be a problem, but you said the
way to the mausoleum is located in the Ancona forest. It will be filled with all sorts of
monsters and spirits. We only have three knights, and barely a hundred men. Even
then, we will need to leave some behind to defend, leaving us to take what… fifty
soldiers?! With that number, I don’t know how we will ever…”

“But we have you, don’t we?”

Attia cut off Raven’s words as he was deep into thought. Raven seemed irritated, but
then quickly regained a calm expression.

“What do you expect me to do with this body? What do you expect me to do when I
get tired after doing only fifty sit-ups?”

“Raven Valt, you may fool ghosts, but you can’t fool me. An undying body. The
remarkable rate of healing. Ten year’s worth of skills honed on the battlefield. You’ve
already regained all of that, haven’t you?”

Attia looked at Raven with a slight hint of a smile on her face. Raven shut his mouth.

‘How did this old hag figure it out? No, rather, what does she mean by ‘fool a ghost’?
She’s the damn ghost here… ’

Raven let out a sigh and spoke in a resigned voice.

“Well, if you already know that much, there’s not much for me to say. But are you
saying I should push those soldiers knowing that I will be bringing them to their
doom in the process?”

“Someone who’s done everything to survive amidst a bunch of scoundrels and

monsters is now claiming to be a saint? Turning over a new leaf now, are you? That is
something to laugh about now, isn’t it?”

Raven found nothing to say at Attia’s ridicule. They used to say that Attia was called
the Pendragon family's tigress when she was alive, and even in death, she was quite
something.

Even the reaper of the battlefield could not easily handle her.

She was the first and only woman in the history of the Pendragon family to
communicate with the dragon. That pretty much summed it up.

“Well since you’ve been reborn, I guess there’s no law that says you can’t turn over a
new leaf. Tell you what. I’ll teach you something good.”
“And what would that be?”

“There are warriors that can easily handle ten soldiers individually. If you can win
them over, then you will be able to deal with the monsters of Ancona forest and find
your way to the mausoleum.”

“Huh! I mean, why didn’t you tell me earlier if you knew such a thing?”

Raven knew after a few days of interaction with Attia that she never said anything in
vain. If there really were warriors such as that, then he could definitely open the
mausoleum. Heck, he could even go straight to his hometown and solve the secrets of
the Valt family.

As if reading his thoughts, Attia spoke with a mysterious smile.

“It would be better for you not to have other thoughts. They are those who are
entangled with the Pendragon family through old pledges. They might not recognize
you as the true successor unless you reclaim the mausoleum. Everything is up to
you.”

“…”

He kept thinking. There must be a catch to this.

There was.

The old ghost tigress carefully planned everything.

‘I guess I have no choice but to do as she tells me for the time being.’

“So, who are they? The great warriors?”

“Ancona Orcs. With their strength, you can easily pave the way to the mausoleum.”

“Orcs?!”

Raven jumped up unintentionally.

Orcs were a race of monsters. Some said that they were a race born from humans
interbreeding with demons, and others said that they were descendants of ancient
giants that were cursed by the gods.

Anyway, both explanations meant the same thing.

It meant that they were a race born for battle and slaughter. That was what an orc
was. Regardless of what tribe they belonged to, all orcs were tough and fierce, and
most especially crazed for battle.

If the devil decides to come, invite an orc for supper.

The orcs were brave. Brave enough for there to be an ancient proverb as such. But
there was another reason that Raven was stupefied right now.

“You’re saying that the orcs are going to be willing to help humans?”

The orcs were busy all year-round bickering and fighting amongst themselves. They
did not give a rat’s ass to what the humans were doing or what was happening in the
world.

Cases of orcs attacking humans were non-existent unless humans were invading
their land. Sometimes there would be stories where orcs helped lost human
travelers by giving them water and food, then pointing them along in the right
direction.

The reason for their supposed kindness was simple.

The Orcs did not care for beings that were weaker than themselves.

“It seems that you know quite a bit about orcs. Well, I’m sure being on the battlefield
for ten years helped with that.”

“I just know some basic knowledge. Anyways, are you confident that I would be able
to receive aid from orcs? The Ancona Orcs? I’ve never heard of them before…”
“It’s no wonder you’ve never heard of them. The Ancona Orcs are a tribe that dwells
in the Ancona forest. They reside there with the favor of the Pendragon family and
have never left.”

“The orcs owe us a favor? I mean, I feel that if they claimed the land to be theirs, the
Pendragon family would not be able to do anything about it.”

The orcs were not called a hundred men strong for no reason. An army of a hundred
fully grown adult orcs could rival an army of thousand-men.

What that really meant was that the weakened Pendragon family did not have the
power to control the Orcs of the Ancona forest. Heck, they had even suffered the
humiliation of being broken off from an engagement by a mere county.

“You’re making a fool of yourself. Before the orcs entered the Ancona forest, it was
the territory of Soldrake.”

“Hmm…”

Raven nodded his head while taking a seat. No matter how strong the orcs were, they
could not rival a dragon.

Soldrake was a dragon contracted with the Pendragon family.

Even if the connection were temporarily broken, there was no way the orcs would
boldly claim ownership of the forest. Because Soldrake would immediately punish
them.

“Then is it not possible for us to force them to mobilize? Maybe we could borrow
Soldrake’s power…”

“You foolish child. Soldrake already knows that you are not Alan Pendragon. Do you
think she would listen to you? And even though they live on borrowed land, the
Ancona Orcs are not ones to be easily ordered around.”

“I… That is right.”

Raven licked his lips in disappointment.

It might be different for battles within their tribes, but when battling other races, the
orcs fought until one side was annihilated. The weak died. That was the way of the
orcs. They were tough.

“So that means it is up to me to convince them.”

“That is right. It has already been ten years since we’ve last contacted them. Ever
since Gordon Pendragon died, there has never been any meetings. Anyways, this was
a task you would have undertaken anyway as the Pendragon family's successor. It
won’t be easy, but if you can win them over, I am certain they will be of big help to
reclaiming the mausoleum and maybe handling your other issues as well.”

“Can I do that?”

Raven took on a severe expression.

“If you reclaim the mausoleum and manage to contract with Soldrake, I won’t
interfere anymore in your affairs. I am sure you do not want to keep seeing me
anyway. When the mausoleum is reopened, my soul will return there. The
mausoleum is the place where a Pendragon should reside anyways.”

Raven felt a sense of sympathy and reverence at the old lady’s bitter smile. He could
feel her affection for the family.

Her aspirations were not so different from his own. One as a ghost, the other coming
back from the dead. The two people both hoped to resolve their family’s tragedy.

Maybe meeting with Attia was not a coincidence, but fate. Raven pondered but then
spoke with a calm voice.

“Alright. Give me about half a month’s time. I need to sort out some issues within the
castle first.”

“You must be talking about your keen subjects. Well, the foolish ones were probably
quaking in their shoes with the current situation. Please remember that they
endured years after Alan fell unconscious. Their loyalty seems unshaken so try to
discern the gems from the rocks. Not that it is going to be easy, of course.”

Raven stood up after listening to Attia, then replied with a smirk on his face.

“I just need to beat them up. Then I’ll get started right away.”
“…”

Attia stared at Raven’s back, not knowing what to say at his absurd words. Maybe she
had made a mistake. Maybe.

***

“I have not seen His Grace for the past few days. Do you know if something’s
happened with him?”

“The maids have been saying that weird noises are heard coming from his room.”

“Weird noises?”

The noblewomen of Conrad castle were gathered in the garden for a tea party. They
spoke to each other in hushed tones and with wide eyes full of curiosity.

One noblewoman whispered with a slight blush on her face.

“Well. They say that he only allows the girl named Lindsay into his room. And that…
whenever that child enters the room… that… weird noises come out from the
room…”

“Oh my my!”

“How vulgar!”

As if on cue, everyone raised their hands to cover their gasps, but their curiosity did
not fade.

“Already playing around with a maid girl… and so soon after the engagement’s been
broken too!… Well, I guess he is at that age though.”

“That girl named Lindsay is sly too. She's young but already trying to wriggle her way
in as a concubine…”

“Well, she does have a fair face and big breasts. His Grace Pendragon is a man after
all… Maybe he took a liking to her…”

“Who took a liking to who?”

“Huup!”

The noblewomen shut their mouths and stood up in their place after hearing the
whimsical voice. A girl of about sixteen stood there with gorgeous blonde hair and
slightly drooping eyes, which automatically evoked protective instincts.
Contrastingly, another girl, who looked intelligent and calm, walked alongside her
with a following of maids.

“We greet you, my ladies.”

“We greet you, Lady Pendragon and Lady Seyrod.”

The noblewomen curtsied in front of Irene Pendragon and Luna Seyrod. The maids
quickly brought chairs, and the two girls sat down in their seats.

“Have a seat everybody. Anyway, it seemed like you ladies were having an interesting
conversation. Could you let me join in on the fun as well?”

Irene Pendragon spoke with a smile that could charm even women. The
noblewomen all glanced at each other while silently swallowing their words.

Her sweet smile might entrance someone who saw the girl for the first time, but the
noblewomen who had lived for tens of years in Conrad castle were not fooled.

They knew how bad her temperament was and how she truly was -- meticulous and
obscene. The noblewomen had already faced this stubbornness several times.
Besides, she had Luna Seyrod by her side as well, though they really did not know
why Luna was still staying in Conrad castle after breaking off the engagement.

“Why isn’t anybody saying anything? I would a-ppre-ci-ate it if someone could tell
me.”

Irene’s smile deepened. She looked even more innocent and cute.

The noblewomen instinctively sensed the danger and fought to speak first.

“His Grace A, Alan Pendragon seems to be letting a child named Lindsay into his
bedroom often, my lady.”

“A, and we hear that whenever she enters the room, w, weird noises are heard
coming from the room.”

“Weird noises?”

Luna’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Well, that is…”

The noblewomen paused for a moment. They were not sure that it was appropriate
for a young girl to hear something like this. Then as Irene prepared to give another
chill-inducing smile, one person sputtered.

“W, well we hear that noises similar to a man and a woman making love come from
the room…”

Irene’s hand that was reaching for the teacup froze midair. Then as if nothing
happened, she calmly picked up the teacup and gave a beautiful smile that was
evocative of blooming flowers in a field.

“Sounds. Like. A. Man. And. Woman. Making. Love… I see…”

The noblewomen all froze in place.

‘She’s furious.’

‘Lady Irene is furious right now.’

‘Good Lord, what do we do?’

The noblewomen quickly picked up on Irene’s mood shift and communicated with
each other with glances.

And to make it worse, Irene Pendragon was…

“So, you are saying that my brother, who is the gentlest, most handsome, and the
most prestigious person in the world, is making l.o.v.e with a maid? With his
unhealed body?”

That was right. She had a terrible brother complex.

When the previous duke Gordon Pendragon passed, Alan Pendragon had taken care
of his two-year-old sister and had been there as Irene’s support.

Their mother, Elena Pendragon, was busy taking care of the affairs of the castle and
the territory. That was why Alan Pendragon, who liked to read and paint unlike other
boys of his age, was always by Irene’s side. To Irene Pendragon, Alan Pendragon was
a brother, a father figure, and her only friend.

So, when Alan fell into an unconscious state, the shock and despair she felt were
excruciating.

She would cry at his bedside several times a day.

That brother whom she loved so dearly had woken after three years.

Words could not describe how hot her love and obsession burned for her brother.
Even hotter than before…

“W, well, my lady… We hear that His Grace Alan is already fully recovered.
Apparently, he runs around with no problem.”

“…”

Irene paused, her bright smile still on her face.

“Running… He asked me to temporarily stop visiting him because of his condition,

but he is running around and making love with a maid… Ho, ho ho. Lady Luna, what
do you think about this?”

The noblewomen felt a chill run down their spines even though it was the middle of
summer. They turned their gaze towards Luna, who had been silent throughout the
entire conversation.

Their eyebrows shot towards the sky. Luna Seyrod was a stone statue, holding a
teacup with a blank expression.

‘S, she must be shaken.’

‘No way…?’
The women once again exchanged gazes.

“Lady Luna?”

Irene, who felt that something was off, called Luna once again with a softer voice.

“Ah…? Ah, I, I am sorry. What did you say?”

“I said that my brother is running around even though he is supposedly not feeling
well and passionately making love with a maid. I asked what you think about this,
sister Luna.”

Irene explained once more, daring to add the word ‘passionate’ this time. Luna
Seyrod’s face reddened deep like a tomato, and her shoulders shook visibly.

“Ah, I, I, don’t know…”

The noblewomen took on a toned-down, surprised expression at the sight of the

usually calm and cold girl blushing. It WAS weird that she had not gone back even
several days after the engagement’s cancellation. Something was up.

“Hm, I see. Well, now that you’re not engaged anymore, you’re only his cousin after
all.”

Strictly speaking, Luna was the foster daughter of the Seyrod family, which meant
that she did not have blood-relations with the Pendragon family. Only if she had
married Alan Pendragon, then she would have become a blood relative.

“Do you know what my brother is doing right now? Go find out for me. Even if he IS
making love…”

Irene finally turned her attention away from Luna with an off-putting smile, putting
her hands together and looking at the maids.

“Yes, my lady.”

One maid hurriedly ran down the hill they were on.

Irene smiled. The women sent each other concerning glances while Luna bit her lips,
still flustered.
Silence prevailed.

After a while, the maid returned.

“My lady, your older brother is in the courtyard.”

“The courtyard? Why?”

“He has summoned all the sirs and the knights of the castle.”

“Okay? What the hell is going on?”

Irene tilted her head. It was weird that her brother, who had locked himself in his
room for the past several days, had suddenly called a gathering in the courtyard.

“Well, my lady, that, that…”

“What. Is there anything more?”

The maid answered in an expression of disbelief.

“His Grace Alan broke, Sir Killian’s… that…”

“Broke? Broke what?”

“Well…”

The maid stuttered, her face blushed red.

“So, is this everyone?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Melborn, dressed in a sleek black tailcoat, bowed politely. It was abnormal for Alan
Pendragon to suddenly call for a meeting with all the aristocrats and knights of the
castle when he had locked himself in his room for several days. Alan’s strange
behavior had stirred quite a few rumors.

“So, the reason I’ve gathered everyone here today is because I wanted to have a
candid conversation about the future of our family, and how we should proceed
onwards.”

“Oh!”

Thoughtful emotions ran on Melborn’s face. The changes in Alan Pendragon were
quite strange, but he seemed to have taken a turn for the better to take on the role of
the family’s head.

“What exactly are you referring to when you talk about the future of the family, Your
Grace?”

A knight around 30 years old with brown hair and a spectacle mustache spoke. He
had the best physique out of the three knights that were gathered.

“What is your name, sir?”

“My name is Mark Killian, Your Grace. I taught you in the ways of swordsmanship in
the past, so I guess, strictly speaking, I could be considered your teacher, sir.”

Killian spoke with his shoulders raised proudly, as if suggesting Alan Pendragon
should be honoring his wisdom.

Raven glanced at Killian and scanned him from top to bottom. He had heard things
about this knight. Mark Killian was the head knight of the three remaining members
of Conrad Castle. Moreover, he was…

Raven’s gaze paused at Killian’s lower body.

Unlike the armor-clad upper half of the body, Killian’s only wore a poline (knee
protector), and greave-shaped boots over tight brown leather pants. His groin
protruded, a bit too much, rather disturbingly.

***

Mark Killian was renowned in the castle as being the most ‘energetic man’ around.

“Well, Sir Killian, as you already know, I’m suffering from a bit of a memory problem.”

“Of course, sir. This Killian is just glad that you are healthy again.”

Killian banged his fists on the left side of his armor twice. Raven now had a rough
sense of what type of man Killian was.

“I appreciate your concern. Let me jump right into it. I am planning to reopen the
mausoleum very soon.”

“Heuk!”

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

“Y, your Grace that is…”

Melborn spoke hurriedly. He and everyone else were surprised and confused as they
knew about Alan Pendragon’s comatose state for the past three years.

“What’s the matter, general?”

“Your body is still in a rough condition, Your Grace. You shouldn’t overexert
yourself…”

“You don’t have to worry about my body. I know my condition best.”

“But Sir Illaine said…”

“Do you still believe that quack who told me that it would take me a month to walk
again?”

“…”

Melborn shut his mouth.

It was true that none of what Sir Illaine said was true. Alan Pendragon was walking
around fine after just three or four days, and now there were even rumors that he
was relieving his sexual urges on a maid as well.

“Well, Your Grace, in order to open the mausoleum, we need to pass Bellint Gate and
Ancona Forest. I’m afraid your health and an expedition are completely different
matters.”

Killian spoke. The other knights and aristocrats nodded in agreement. Raven asked
while tapping on the armrest of his chair.

“Since we’re on this topic let me ask about this. How is the situation outside Bellint
Gate?”

“It’s not good.”

Killian spoke with a shadow over his face.

“Not to mention the monsters, there have been bandits showing up in the villages. I
have set up a vigilante group in each village. However, it’s not very effective. It’s hard
to take even a few steps outside the gate. It’s a shame, but there’s not much we can
do as monsters and bandits may storm the gate if we left with the soldiers to
subjugate the issues.”

Bellint Gate was a fortress of sorts that protected the Bellint region right where
Conrad Castle was located. Ever since the family fell into a slump, it became hard to
maintain order within the Bellint Gate. Troops were unable to be maintained and
monsters frequently showed up in the villages and farms, but nothing could be done.

Furthermore, bandits started appearing over the past few years.

“I see. But that doesn’t mean that we can just sit here and do nothing.”
“Your Grace, haven’t we accepted the Seyrod family’s mines? Why don’t we use them
first to recover our family’s situation and…”

“And where would we find troops to protect the mines?”

Raven interjected with a cold voice.

“Hmm…”

The other knights and nobles’ faces darkened as Melborn shut his mouth.

They had already discussed how they might maintain and protect the mines and the
mills given by the Seyrod family. No feasible solution had come up yet.

Some suggested hiring mercenaries and sharing the profits from the mine with
them, but the Pendragon family had never hired mercenaries in their history. In their
prime, the Pendragon family’s dragon-crested flag had stood tall above all other
family’s flags. It was even considered rude for other families to raise their flags in
front of the Pendragon family’s.

The Pendragons would never stoop so low to hire mercenaries.

“See? It seems that the only possible solution is to reopen the mausoleum. We will
set out in 15 days, leaving behind only essential troops for security.”

“15 days?! Your Grace, embarking on an expedition is not an easy matter. In the first
place, Your Grace is not accomplished in the art of war. If you leave it to me, I will try
and figure out…”

“I never said I would take you along, Sir Killian.”

“Yes? No, do you mean to say that you are going to command the soldiers directly?”

“Obviously.”

“Huh!”

Killian let out a burst of laughter, looking at Raven with a flabbergasted expression.

It was a little rude, but it made absolutely no sense for someone who used to paint
and grow flowers for fun to have any skill in commanding soldiers. A person may
change, but they could not transform into something they have never been or done.

“What. You don’t think I can?”

The reaper of the battlefield, and the elite of the demonic army, Raven Valt, gave a
hearty laugh.

Killian’s expression darkened.

“I’m not joking, Your Grace. Since you go as far as to say that, I will tell you the truth
directly. I apologize for my disrespect. The situation outside the gate is not
something a brat that likes to paint and read books can handle. Even an experienced
knight such as I might…”

“Then why don’t we have a go?’

“…!”

Everyone opened their mouths in shock. Crazy. Alan Pendragon had lost his mind
after regaining his consciousness.

“…I’m sorry, but I told you that this isn’t a joke, Your Grace.”

Killian looked at Raven as if finding the whole situation absurd.

Then a fierce expression grew in his eyes. In the past, this child would piss his pants
when Killian glared at him with daggering eyes, but as the boy stood there
unflinchingly, it seemed the boy had lost his mind.

Killian needed to put this brat in his place. Raven, who was meeting Killian’s gaze,
stood up slowly.

“Why do you speak so many words when I simply asked for a bout?”

Crack!

Raven warmed up his neck. It moved left to right before he came down from his
chair.
Everyone looked, anticipating what he would do next. Raven walked past the crowd
and stopped in front of a display with old combat equipment. Most of it was antique,
equipment that only had artistic value. Raven hesitated before reaching out his hand
towards a particular item.

A sword from a southern foreign island. It was crescent moon-shaped, and the blade
carried engraves of foreign letters. It was quite like the weapon that he used before
coming back to life as Alan Pendragon.

Yet, it was fairly rusty and dull from being unused for a long period of time.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Raven swung the blade a couple of times before turning his body towards Killian.

Killian laughed mockingly.

“What are you planning to do with that antique?”

Raven smiled as he looked at Killian, letting his arms loose in a stance.

“Antique? Not today.”

Raven flew towards Killian as soon as he finished speaking. The scimitar drew an
arc, following Raven’s movement.

“Heuuhk?”

Killian instinctively drew his blade from the scabbard at his side.

Clang!

The two blades met in the air, resounding in a clear metallic sound. Killian was
shocked at the impact that he could feel in his hands. The brat, who was a head
shorter than him, attacked with both speed and strength. Killian’s blood boiled in
shock and anger.

“Fine… you leave me no choice but to… Heuk!”

Killian tried to push the scimitar away with force but instead cried out in shock.
Raven had held his blade in a reverse-grip fashion and pretended to receive Killian’s
blow. Instead, he twirled his blade around Killian’s longsword, using Killian’s force
against him.

Kararak!

The harsh sound of metal scratching could be heard as Raven’s blade made its way to
the handle of Killian’s longsword. They were so close that to the spectators, the two
people looked like they were hugging.

“Kuuuuagh!”

Killian was shocked and felt his pride sink. He tried to shake off Raven with a loud
grunt. But at that very moment, a dull impact could be felt in his lower belly.
Something… was… broken.

“Keheuk!”

Shatter!

Killian’s longsword dropped to the floor. He looked down at his lower belly in
disbelief, drool coming down his face. Beneath the upper body wrapped in solid
armor, his most precious thing… Raven’s knee was… lodged in what he was most
proud of, the thing that he knew everyone was jealous of.

Killian’s big figure kneeled, devoid of any strength.

“……!”

The Conrad Castle palace was filled with astonishment.

“Heuuuh…”

Mark Killian, one of three knights left in the castle, the strongest knight of the
Pendragon family, was kneeling while drooling in pain. The whole situation was
unbelievable.

Moreover, the person who had caused this situation was Alan Pendragon, the weak,
timid child who had only woken from an unconscious state only ten days ago.
But this was reality.

“I’ve left one intact, so you shouldn’t have any problems seeing your family grow.”

Raven shrugged his shoulders before returning the blade to its original place and
turning his head to Melborn.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you calling that quack doctor?”

“Heuuk! S, Sir Illaine!”

Melborn rushed out of the palace. The two remaining knights helped Killian up and
Raven returned to his throne in the court.

“Well then, why don’t we get back on topic.”

At Raven’s words, the people present looked up at him, waking from their daze.

“We leave in 15 days. Killian will accompany me to Bellint Gate and help with the
wall support while the other two knights will oversee security and defenses at the
castle. The nobles and the duchess will aid in taking care of Conrad Castle. Any
concerns?”

Raven spoke while tapping on his knee that had just been used as a deadly weapon.
The two knights and the noble instinctively moved their hands to protect their
nether regions and nodded eagerly.

“N, no concerns! We will obey your orders even if it costs us our lives!”

***

Raven plopped down on his chair after returning to his chambers.

“Hoo…”

He breathed out a long sigh.

“Not bad.”

Attia, who had appeared like a ghost, spoke with a hint of acknowledgment in her
voice.

“Everything was as I expected, except that knight named Killian. He was weaker than
I had thought.”

Raven spoke while massaging his body. He was quite satisfied with how things had
turned out.

When Raven woke up as Alan Pendragon, he retained his innate characteristics, but
his muscles and bones remained the same as before. Still, he did not despair.

It did not matter if it took one year or five years. It was not a problem for him to train
and strengthen his body. He thought he died without resolving his family’s tragedy,
but he had gotten another chance.

This was already a huge blessing for him.

That is why he did not care about having to start over and begin right from the
beginning.

However, he was surprised when he started training again. The more he trained, the
more his weak body improved vastly day-by-day. Raven realized that it was not just
his soul that was transferred to Alan Pendragon’s body.

He also retained his power of immortality and regeneration from his previous life.
So, Raven trained every day and pushed to the limit each day. Even when Lindsay
was not there, he continued training by himself.

The result was a huge success.

In just six days, his body was back to the form of excellence he had in his previous
life as Raven Valt. He would practice every single night with the decorative sword
hanging in the residence.

It was perfect.

Alan Pendragon was able to perform Raven Valt’s swordsmanship, which had been
honed and built upon over ten years, with ease. His swordsmanship was on a
different playing field than those of the knights that practiced in their safe spaces. It
was practical and agile.
Thanks to his training he was able to plan and execute his actions for the long
journey ahead.

“Well now that we’ve taken care of one problem, we just need to deal with that
knight from the Seylod or Seyrod or whatever that family is called.”

Raven muttered coldly.

“I like the sound of that! Dogs that can’t recognize their owners need to be beaten up
personally.”

Attia, who compared the Seyrod family’s symbol -- a wolf -- to a mere dog, clapped
her hands in joy.

A man that was not qualified to even lick the feet of the Pendragon family had
overstepped his bounds and showed arrogance, even threatening the duchess and
the successor of the Pendragon family.

For Attia, this was unforgivable, as her commitment to the Pendragon family name
was deep.

“Why do you think they’re still here?”

“Hmmph! That sly little girl probably fell for you after noticing how you changed.
Don’t even think about taking that girl back, though. Her breasts are flat, and her
buttocks are small. It’s not ideal for producing many…”

“I do not have any intentions.”

Raven cut off the noble ghost’s words. The spirit would worry today, tomorrow, and
forever until the end of time about continuing the Pendragon family’s honor by
bearing as many children as possible.
He didn’t care much about Luna, but he had no intention of letting the arrogant
knight, Joseph Breeden, get off easy.

The more he thought about it, the more he despised Breeden. His dislike for Breeden
was a lot greater than his dislike for Killian. Besides, he had already taken care of
Killian.

And for some concealed reason, Luna Seyrod still remained in Conrad Castle with
that arrogant knight…

‘Breeden better stay on the low, if he puts even one toe out of line… ’

It wasn’t just because he disliked Breeden, though that did play a part. Now that he
had cracked down on the castle’s internal matters, he needed a whetting stone to
unite his family even further.

He needed all of Conrad Castle and the entire Pendragon Territory to be fully under
his control.

That was the first step to resolving Attia’s aspirations all while achieving his own
goals as Raven Valt.

‘He is willing to do anything it takes to achieve his goals. Hmm… I quite like that.’

Attia was convinced as she stared at Raven, who was quietly burning in
determination. She could sense that the man who took on her grand-nephew’s face
was ready to beat someone up again.

***

Rumors of Alan Pendragon ‘cracking’ down on the most energetic and active man in
the castle spread like the wildfire throughout Conrad Castle.

“So, His Grace took his knee and just slammed it into Killian’s you-know-where!”
“When it broke, you could literally hear his walnuts crack…”

The guards who witnessed the scene were giving their own testimonies, and the
listening men instinctively shifted their hands towards their nether regions with
groans on their faces.

The women, especially the maids that Killian frequently hit on and forgotten, agreed
that Killian got what he deserved for trying to seduce them.

Everyone wondered how Alan Pendragon, who was thought to be almost dead only a
short while ago, could cause that much damage to Killian. It wasn’t as if they could
ask the man himself, so most people agreed that the rumors were probably
exaggerated, or that Killian took the matter jokingly and got himself burned.

However, the most important thing now was that Alan Pendragon proved himself to
be a worthy successor to the Pendragon family.

Everyone’s eyes and ears all intently listened to the same place, Alan’s palace.

Now a girl, who had been by his side all the while, was gaining attention. She was
one of Alan’s closest confidantes. And now she was emerging as the hottest potato.

***

“So, Lindsay, everything is going well nowadays? Is there anything that might be
bothering you?”

"Yes? N, no I’m doing very well…”

Lindsay flinched and responded to Marie. Her senior maid had asked her in a soft
voice. Was this the same Marie that used to torment Lindsay whenever she had the
chance?

“Oh my, look at how fair your skin is. Well, if you come across any trouble, don’t
hesitate to let me know.”

“Huh? H, huh?”

Lindsay opened her eyes wide with confusion.

“But how is His Grace doing nowadays? When I caught a glimpse of him before, it
seemed like his complexion improved and he looked much healthier.”

Marie continued in the soft, delicate tone.

“Uh… Well, he’s improved quite a bit. He doesn’t skip out on his meals either.”

“I see, I see… Anyways… How is the ‘thing’ you’ve been doing with His Grace going?
Well, I hope?”

“What do you mean… the thing we’ve been doing?”

“Oh, you sly little thing. I know what you’ve been doing it with His Grace in the room
every day. Why don’t you tell me more about it?”

“Ah! That, how…”

Lindsay spoke with a tearful face. He had told her not to tell anyone about the
exercises, but it seemed that rumor had already spread. People already knew about
it.

“What do you mean, how do I know? I can hear the sounds come out of the room
when you two are together in the room. But how is it? Is it good? Is His Grace really
good at ‘it’?”

Other maids flocked at Marie’s question, their eyes shining with curiosity.

“Well… he is good. You would have a hard time believing that it’s his first time.”

Lindsay replied hesitantly, resigning herself to fate.

Indeed, Alan Pendragon was so good at training his body that it was unbelievable
that he had only enjoyed reading and painting in the past.

“Oh my! Oh my my goodness!!”

“And? What else?”

The maids fanned their faces with their hands, all the while leaning in closer to hear
more. Although Linsday wasn’t sure why they were obsessed with just exercise, she
answered regardless with a quiet voice.

“Well… he had a difficult time in the beginning and became tired fairly quickly, but
after two or three times, he improved extraordinarily.”

“T, two or three times! You’re saying that you did it again immediately after the first
experience?”

“Yes… The second and the third time, he was definitely more intense…”

It was a little odd that they referred to it as an experience, but Lindsay recounted
what she saw.

“I, intense!?”

“Oh! Oh my! His Grace has such a delicate and graceful appearance too. Who would
have thought…”

The maids fussed even more.

“So, so! How was it for you?”

“Me? Well, I just did what he told me to do… I’ve never really experienced anything
like that before…”

Lindsay recalled the time when she was holding onto his feet and tumbled all over
the place during the sit-ups. She bowed her head in embarrassment.

Noticing her reaction, the maids opened their eyes wide.

“It was your first experience, as well?”

“Absolutely. Besides, I only have an older sister and a younger sister, so I never had a
chance to even hear about those things.”

Lindsay worked as a maid since she was a child. She would not have any experience
helping men out with sweaty exercises.

“Whew! You lucky girl! You struck a fortune, you!”

“I see that you were a virgin.”

“I knew she would go far.”

“Well, she’s young, fair-skinned, and has big breasts…”

“I’m so envious…”

The maids surrounded and chattered away at Lindsay with excited and envious
voices.

“T, thank you.”

She thought she might have heard something weird mixed up in the chatter, but
decided to ignore the conversation altogether. It was nice to be fawned over by the
maids that always looked down on her. She wasn’t sure the reason for the change.
Nevertheless, she was thankful to Alan Pendragon.

But her happiness did not last long.

“Hey, Lindsay!”

Another maid approached Lindsay through the crowd that surrounded her. Lindsay
recognized her, remembering who she usually served, and her face immediately
turned for the worse.

“Lady Irene is looking for you.”

The ominous prediction was spot on.

***

“How many times did you do it?”

“Yes, yes? W, what do you mean, my lady?”

The words flew at her as soon as she stood in front of Irene. Lindsay raised her head
slightly at the confusing words.

It was the beaming face of Irene Pendragon. Lindsay knew just how scared she
should be facing Irene’s firm glare. On top of that, the young lady of the Seyrod family
was stealing glances. Her lips were on the tip of the tea-cup, radiating curiosity.

“I’ve already heard about it. So you were passionately going about it with my
brother? How many times did you do it?”

“Oh… Oh!? You’re talking about……”

Lindsay wasn’t sure why so many people had their interest in His Grace’s training,
but she breathed a sigh of relief and nodded her head eagerly.

“Twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. He’s been doing it
constantly without rest for the last four days. He does it even at night.”

“Day and night? W, without a break?”

Clang!

Luna’s hand slipped while she put down her cup, causing it to make a clanging noise
off the table. Irene glared intensely at Lindsay.

“Yes. I was very concerned and spoke to him several times, but he said that it wasn’t
just for his own good.”

“What! Y, y, y, y, you mean you just left him to it then?”

Irene’s voice once again changed into an agitated tone, and Lindsay hastily
apologized in fear.

“I, I’m so sorry, my lady. But… His Grace said that it was for the Pendragon family…
His will was so firm that I couldn’t say anything else after that… I’m so sorry, please
forgive me.”

Lindsay got on her knees. She could tell by Irene’s expression that the lady was
furious. If she knew that this would happen, she would’ve asked the head maid or
the manager for their opinions before…

“I’m sorry, my lady. Please forgive me. Sniff, sniff.”

Lindsay’s eyes teared up at the thought that she might be dismissed from her job.
“Ha! Ha!”

Irene stood there, fuming with a red face. She was unable to speak anymore.

Her brother, who was her best friend. How could he do something like that without
saying anything? She felt betrayed and disappointed.

But it was something that already transpired. Moreover, the girl in front of her, who
irritatingly had enormous breasts, had served her brother diligently for the past
three years, and she was supposedly a virgin.

In terms of their status, the relationship made absolutely no sense, but he was one of
the wisest and thoughtful people in the world.

He must’ve been thinking a lot about leaving behind children to continue the family.
She had no choice but to follow in her brother’s will about having a concubine. She
would let it go just this once.

“Ha… Well, I guess nothing can be done. I will tell mother about the matter, so you
just need to keep serving him. Move your residence close to the palace as well.”

“…Yes?”

Lindsay raised her head, hearing Irene’s unexpected comments.

“My brother thinks of you in that way, what can I do about it? Move your residence
immediately and keep doing that… thing with him. Keep doing it, f, for our family!
For the Pendragon family!”

Whatever Irene was thinking of caused her face to blush, and she raised her voice
which was very uncommon for her to do.

Lindsay was delighted, but she didn’t hesitate to speak her mind.

“I, I apologize, my lady. But I am wondering if it would be better for males to help
him out. I’m very inexperienced in the matter so I thought it might be better for sir
knights or esquires (training knights) to help out with it.”

There was no doubt about it. Knights or their male counterparts would be so much
more helpful in helping His Grace train his body.
“What!? Y, y, you, how dare you! How do you see my brother…”

Clang!

Irene’s whole body flushed red, and the sound of Luna putting down her teacup
could be heard. Lindsay bowed down even more and cowered.

“N, no, my lady. I will do it. I will absolutely do it. I will help him with passion and
with all that I have.”

She would help him as best she could with his training. That was the only way she
could continue supporting her family without being driven out of the castle, and
knowing so, she repeatedly bowed her head.

“I… Anyway! You may go!”

Lindsay had her head almost touching the ground, and Irene, who was even more
annoyed with the maid’s cleavage that was so clearly visible, screamed at her.

“Yes, my lady. Then I will be off.”

Lindsay quickly exited the room, afraid of angering the lady even more.

“How dare she! Who does she think she is? Scoff! I feel so offended!”

Feeling embarrassed and annoyed, Irene turned her head away from where the
doorway that Lindsay left through.

“……”

Turning her head, Irene saw Luna with her mouth hanging open. Luna’s face was left
in a stunned grotesque expression, neither laughing nor crying.

Irene felt better seeing Luna Seyrod’s stunned appearance as Luna was usually cool
and collected.

Moreover…

‘But my breasts are more… ’

Irene felt a bit better, barely.

***

“Alan.”

“My lady.”

When Elena Pendragon showed up without prior notice, Raven bowed his head
politely while wondering the purpose of her visit.

In the past, Alan Pendragon had been a friendly, smiling child, but now he had
become a completely different person. Elena sighed lightly, noticing the changes and
sitting down on a chair.

“You may leave.”

“Yes, my lady.”

At Elena’s words, the maids quietly left the room.

“No, you said your name was Lindsay? You stay.”

“Yes? Oh, yes! My lady.”

Lindsay unknowingly questioned the duchess’ word and quickly realized her
mistake, hurriedly lowering her head.

“Come over here.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Lindsay cautiously walked closer to the two most influential people in the castle.
Elena closely examined the girl’s appearance.

“So, Lindsay. How old are you turning this year?”

“I’ve just turned eighteen, my lady.”

Lindsay had been in Conrad Castle for eight years now, and Elena was someone that
she couldn’t even lift her head around. Having someone like that engage in a
conversation with her, Lindsay replied nervously.

‘She’s well-behaved. Quite pure too, unlike her appearance. Her age is appropriate as
well.”

When Irene came storming an hour ago, Elena was shocked beyond belief. She had
thought that Alan was barely able to walk, but apparently, he had gone around
destroying Killian’s private parts and even establishing ‘that’ sort of relationship
with a maid.

But the issue with Killian was caused unintentionally due to Alan bringing up the
topic of reopening the mausoleum. The relationship with the maid was also for the
sake of the family.

She was happy and very proud of him.

A highly regarded noble family’s head having dozens of concubines was fine. It was
even considered virtuous to have many children and strengthen ties with other
noble families.

Elena looked over Lindsay once more.

She had heard that this girl looked after Alan for three years without rest. Knowing
this, Elena felt relieved.

“I heard the stories. They said you’d been hard at work.”

“I, I’m flattered, my lady.”

Lindsay thought she was about to get in trouble, instead she was praised.

“Yes, keep on helping Alan with… ehem! Do your best to… brighten the future of the
Pendragon family.”

“I, I will follow your orders, my lady.”

Even though she had no idea why the duchess was ordering her to help with Alan’s
training, Linsday bowed her head.
“Yes, yes.”

Elena smiled with satisfaction. However, Raven, who was directly involved, had no
clue what the duchess was talking about.

“Um, my lady. Regarding what matter are you talking about…?”

“Hmm? What do you mean… what am I talking about? It is about the… ehem! The
thing you do with this child every day.”

“The… thing?”

Raven frowned and tilted his head at the duchess’ confounding words.

“Ehem! Pendragon’s men should always be proud. You are not thinking of making up
excuses, are you? I’ve already heard about what you do with this child every day.”

Elena’s expression and her voice became stern.

A Pendragon must always be proud.

Her deceased husband was like that, as was her father-in-law.

“Ah…”

Only then, Raven finally noticed. It seemed that people found out about Lindsay
helping him with training. Well, it did not matter if people found out since he was
almost fully recovered to his past strength, so he took on an apologetic expression
and spoke.

“I was going to tell you someday. I had no intentions of deceiving the duchess. I hope
you understand since my actions were for the future of our family.”

“Mhm. Of course. That’s my son.”

A heartwarming smile hung on Elena’s mouth.

“Anyways, since things have turned out this way, I think it’s better to keep this child
by your side. What do you think about it?”

“Hmm…”

Raven thought for a moment. He was not entirely sure why Elena thought it would be
helpful to have a maid by his side for training his body. However, the concern flashed
by his head, and he just nodded with a pleased expression.

“Let us do that then. Why don’t I take her along on my expedition as well? I think it
would be a good idea.”

“On the e, expedition…”

“Yes, there might be safety issues, so it won’t be wise to have her accompany me the
entire way. I think it would be wise to have her with me up to Bellint Gate.”

The reason Raven agreed was simple. His immortality and ability to regenerate were
more likely to be discovered with a skilled knight nearby. But it would be different
with Lindsay, who had worked as a maid and had not seen the outside world.

Not only were her actions and status under his control, she was ignorant of matters
related to battle, such as swordsmanship and other abilities.

It might be difficult for him to go completely unnoticed, but it was easier for him to
create excuses and avoid the matter with Lindsay rather than having knights help
him. He did not know why the duchess insisted Lindsay help him train his body, but
having her next to him might be helpful in tricking others’ eyes until he fully
recovered the Pendragon family’s power.

“Yes, yes. Let us do that. If you insist…”

Elena worried that her son might be too obsessed with the maid, but it was rather a
welcome change compared to Alan when he could barely meet the eyes of women.
Or rather, Elena had convinced herself that it was changing for the better.

“Let us do our best Lindsay, as we have done until now. Take care of me.”
“Leave it to me, Your Grace! I will work hard for Your Grace, and the Pendragon
family!”

“Yes. Both of you… Work h, hard.”

‘Working hard’ meant two entirely different things for the two parties, but neither
side knew about the two different connotations of ‘working hard’.

***

“Why don’t we head back to the family manor, my lady?”

“I’m doing fine, if you want to head back, then you should head back by yourself, Sir
Breeden.”

“Why are you being so stubborn? Haven’t you already achieved your purpose by
breaking off the engagement? Let us head on back, my lady.”

Even at Breeden’s plea, Luna turned her head out the window, pretending not to
have heard.

“My lady…”

Breeden was frustrated and anxious.

He had a hunch about why Luna was behaving in such a way.

“Is it because of Alan Pendragon?”

“……!”

Breeden was convinced by Luna’s subtle flinch.

“Alan Pendragon…”

Luna was staying because of that brat. A noble that looked and behaved like a girl.
Breeden grinded his teeth at the thought of Alan Pendragon. That brat only had a glib
tongue to show for himself, and he had insulted the great Breeden.

Furthermore, he had treated Luna Seyrod, whom Breeden worshipped like a

goddess, like a nobody. He did not mind it too much because he had hoped for the
engagement to be broken. He planned to go back to the manor and woo Luna Seyrod
for himself, although not just yet.

Although he was overshadowed by his brothers and was absorbed into the Seyrod
family, if the third son of the Breeden family, a middle-sized family of the empire,
became part of the Seyrod County, then it would not be bad for both sides.

He was confident that if the engagement was broken, he could make Luna Seyrod his
woman. But Luna Seyrod had not even thought of returning to her estate even after
ten days had passed.

Unfortunately, the reason seemed to be Alan Pendragon.

“Even if he changed a little bit, a man’s nature does not change easily. Did you forget?
What happened with that brat three years ago?”

Breeden’s words were bold, even though he was a guest in the castle and was owned
by the one he called a brat. This caught Luna’s attention and she leered at Breeden,
an overt feeling of contempt accompanying her gaze towards the man. But Breeden
didn’t notice her gaze and continued on his ridiculing ramble.

“He ran away with his tail between his legs when his fiancee was in danger! He even
pissed his pants, if I remember correctly. Ha! Not even a real monster, but because of
a mere boar. I don’t mean to brag, but if it wasn’t for me at the time…”

“That’s great. Good for you.”

Luna’s cold voice cut through Breeden’s monologue.

“Yes?”

“It’s great that you still remember taking care of a mere wild boar. A mere boar, not a
monster or anything. Good for you.”

“……”

Breeden’s expression distorted. However, Luna did not care and spoke with an even
colder voice.
“Do you know why I don’t like you, Sir Breeden? It is because of how you are acting
right now. You’re always so busy mocking others to make yourself look better.”

“B, but.”

“Shall I continue on now that we’re on the subject? I believe that day was His Grace
Pendragon’s fourteenth birthday, and that he had never gone on a hunt before.”

“Y… yes I believe so.”

“Is it that weird that a complete novice would be frightened of a wild boar? It was
not as if he left me behind to run away either. He went to call for help, and you, who
was secretly watching us, stepped in to kill the boar.”

“Um, t, that is…”

Breeden was shocked and humiliated at Luna Seyrod’s attitude. She always
maintained her calm and indifference, and it was beyond rare to see her so agitated.
Most of all, he had nothing to say when she exposed how he was secretly spying on
them.

“I only pretended not to know. But even then, you, sir, acted aloof. No, you went even
as far to point out how wet His Grace’s pants were.”

“……”

Breeden could not find any words to come back with.

“You asked why I’m still staying here? You ask if it is because of His Grace
Pendragon? Yes it is. It is because of Alan Pendragon.”

“This…”

Breeden’s face distorted with anger and jealousy. Luna’s unwavering gaze still looked
at Breeden with contempt.

“Even if we are no longer engaged, the Pendragon family is still our neighboring
family. Our family is related to them, and they are one of the five families that
represent the empire. Moreover, they are one of two families that are kin to the
founding imperial family by blood. A person who is set to take over that family has
become a completely different man, and he has declared that he will reclaim the
mausoleum. The only outsiders that know of the matter are us. Do you really not
understand what this means?”

“Hmm…”

Breeden was not a total idiot. He took on a serious expression.

“Although we broke off our marriage, we need to take a closer look in order to
determine if having a close relationship with the Pendragon family will be beneficial
or harmful to our family in the future. Alan Pendragon is said to set off for his
expedition soon, so we can leave with them.”

There was nothing wrong with Luna’s logic. Breeden, who was frowning like a
complete idiot, said in a disappointed voice.

“Alright. But it is only to the Bellint Gate. After that we will head straight back to our
territory. Please promise me that.”

“Sure. Now please leave, I’m a little tired.”

“Yes.”

Breeden gave a big nod, then turned his body towards the door. As he walked, an evil
grin appeared on his face. Luna wasn’t able to catch a glimpse and gave out a big sigh
as soon as the door closed.

“Why did I do that…”

What she told Breeden was not a complete lie. Her intentions in scouting out the
Pendragon family was half of the reason why she stayed behind in Conrad Castle.

But…

“Why did I take that person’s side…”

She muttered to herself, as if asking a question, but there was no answer. Maybe it
was because she was angry at Breeden. Or maybe…

“No no, what are you thinking about!”

Luna shouted loudly unintentionally, and startled at her own voice, hurriedly looked
around.

“No way… Get a grip, Luna Seyrod.”

She was frequently losing her composure as of late. She pressed hard at her chest,
reproaching herself for not being able to remain calm.

Swish

She opened the windows, and a nice, calm breeze entered the room. It seemed to
have a calming effect on her.

“Of course. It’s no big deal. Everything will be fine… everything…”

Luna muttered to herself in a vow.

But she did not know.

That every time she lost her composure, it was only when a certain person was
mentioned…

***

“They want to join me?? On my expedition?”

“Yes, brother. Your e.x-fi.an.cee wanted me to convey the message to you.”

Irene smiled at Alan, making sure to emphasize a certain word. Raven looked at her
with a frown on his face.

‘Oh, how his eyebrows are slightly curled like a cat… He is my brother but oh my he’s
extremely cute! My, my goodness! I really want to bite him when he tries to pull off his
serious look.’

Raven spoke with a serious face, completely unaware of the hidden, dangerous
thoughts of his sister.

“What’s the reason?”

“Hmm. I did not ask. Anyway, you’re going to refuse, right?”

“Hmm…”

Raven tapped the armrest of his chair with his finger. Irene, who was still smiling,
started to feel anxious. She didn’t know what unconventional decision her brother
might come to. He had been very unpredictable lately.

“Uh, brother…”

“Tell them I agree.”

“Yes?”

Irene’s smiling face froze in its place.

“There’s nothing bad about it. We’re cousins anyways, it’s probably better to see
them off.”

“But think about it, brother. You would be accompanying your e.x-f.i.a.n.c.e.e who so
ruthlessly declared that the engagement is off. And there is that bastard, I, I mean
knight named Breeden who was being very rude to…”

“Irene.”

Raven took on the coldest expression yet since meeting Irene and cut off her words.
He had let her loose until now, let her chatter on, but no more. He was about to tell
her who the master of this castle was, and who had the seniority between the two of
them. Irene’s expression changed, as if foreseeing his intentions.

“I understand where you are coming from. But Luna Seyrod is our cousin. Even
beasts know how to take care of their own, so why shouldn’t we do the same as
humans? Above all, we are Pendragons, a family that leads, a family that is part of the
empire. You are right, the Seyrod family broke off the engagement first, but it’s
important to show grace and be magnanimous in such situations as the Pendragon
family.

“Gasp!…”

Irene shuddered. Her eyes filled with tears at her brother’s solemn and cold attitude.
‘It worked.’

Raven was relieved that his cringeworthy words seemed to have an effect.

“B, brother. I, I… sob!”

Irene sprinted out the door, unable to continue her words.

“M, my lady!”

Irene’s personal maids had been waiting outside the door and ran after Irene in a
hurry. They had overheard the conversation and scurried to her side as it must have
been heartbreaking for Irene.

But it did not take long for them to find out they were mistaken.

Irene’s footsteps slowed down to a walking pace, and as soon as she turned the
corner of the hallway, she gave a big sigh.

“Whoo! That was really close.”

The maids who had been chasing after Irene stopped behind her and looked at each
other with confused expressions.

Irene stood in front of a large window, her hands held together with large tears in
her eyes.

“Oh, how determined and dignified he is. Ahhh, brother. I really wanted to stay
longer, but then I might have really not been able to hold myself back from jumping
and biting you. Please forgive your little sister for leaving without even saying
goodbye, brother Alan.”

“……”

None of the maids dared to express it, but all of them had one thought in mind.
People did not change easily.
“Whew…”

Raven gave a long sigh as soon as Irene Pendragon’s back could no longer be seen.
He had solved one troublesome problem…

“Hmmmm!”

Raven flinched.

A pair of pure innocent eyes stared up at him. Because of how light she was, he had
forgotten that he had another sister who always accompanied Irene Pendragon.

“……”

Raven looked down at Mia Pendragon with an uneasy and tense expression.

“W, well, Lady Mia, it’s time to go back to your residence.”

Lindsay spoke up, noticing Raven’s discomfort.

But Mia Pendragon continued to stare up at Raven with clear, open eyes. It was hard
to guess what she was thinking.

In the end, Raven couldn’t take the silence anymore and spoke first.

“…Do you have something to say?”

“……”

Mia still did not say anything.

“I have some work to do, so if you have nothing to say I think it might be best for you
to lea…”

Raven stopped speaking. Mia still remained mute, but she had a subtle change in
expression.

She took the doll that she always carried in her hand and stood up from Raven’s lap,
her head lowered all the while. Mia bowed her head towards Raven and started to
walk towards the doorway.

Looking at her small figure, Raven realized that Mia had never spoken a single word
to him the whole time he knew her. Nevertheless, she always bowed to him in
greeting every time she came and went.

Suddenly, he could feel the warmth disappearing from his lap that Mia sat on, and
unfamiliar feelings emerged from his chest.

He felt sorry for her.

“W, wait.”

Raven called her impetuously. She slowly turned her head towards him.

“That… Y, yes. Do you like old stories?”

‘This crazy bastard, what kind of stories for little girls do you know!?’

He belatedly regretted his words, but it was already too late. As soon as he had
spoken, Mia nodded two times and pitter-pattered her way back to Raven. She
jumped up onto his lap and once again returned to staring at him with glittering
eyes. Raven met her gaze and spoke with an awkward expression.

“Uh, that… M, monsters. What do you think about monster stories?”

Telling a ten-year-old girl monster stories…

Inside, he self-destructed. Despair and anguish overtook him, and he felt the urge to
punch himself in the mouth. But surprisingly, Mia nodded her head.

“Uh… L, long, long time ago, there was a troll king in a place called the Valley of
Agolan…”

The reaper of the battlefield desperately recalled his past adventures and reiterated
them to be appropriate for a little girl. Mia stared at Raven with her mouth open
through his storytelling with an expression that was neither laughing nor crying.

***

Time passed quickly. Killian recovered faster than expected, and the day of
expedition to reopen the mausoleum drew near. Nothing special happened except
that Luna Seyrod and her knights decided to leave together with Alan Pendragon and
his entourage.

White armor was placed onto his body, the overlapping pieces letting off metallic
sounds. With the last finishing touches, the servants adorned him with a red cape.
Raven put on a helmet ornamented with a pair of dragon wings.

“We will set out soon. You may all leave.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

At Raven’s words, the attendants left the room with their heads bowed low. He was
left alone in the room. Raven looked at the mirror. The person staring back was the
exact same person he had seen at the Robstein Plains.

He felt a little uncomfortable and bitter. Alan Pendragon was someone he had never
thought to have run into again after the battle. But now, Alan was already dead, and
Raven was living as Alan.

What would Alan say if he saw this situation? Would he get angry and demand his
life back? Or would he ask Raven to help him with his family’s tragedy? Raven slowly
shook his head. It did not matter.

“I am Alan Pendragon, and I am Raven Valt…”

He muttered in a quiet voice and pressed his helmet down.

“Good. Very good.”

Attia spoke from behind his back. She really was a ghost. Her reflection could not be
seen in the mirror.

“You’re here.”
“Yes.”

Attia spoke with a pleased expression and stroked Raven’s armor. She was proud of
him.

“My father, my brother, they all campaigned in that exact armor. Dozens of knights
and thousands of troops all kneeled in front of it and paid homage to them and
Soldrake. I can still see it so clearly…”

Raven turned solemn at the gaze of the old lady who was reliving the glories of the
past.

“It is as you say, Raven Valt. Whatever anyone says, you are a Pendragon. You must
reclaim the mausoleum as a Pendragon. Please give this old lady who wanders
without her body peace. My soul won’t be able to rest until then, so I ask of you.”

She grabbed onto his clothes, knowing well it could not be grabbed, and spoke in a
damp voice. Raven felt emotional watching the old lady asking him for help. Asking
him, he, who was just an illegitimate child of a small family. He could feel her
desperation.

“Alright. For you, for the Pendragon family, and for myself… I will reclaim the
mausoleum.”

“Yes, yes…”

Attia’s eyes finally started to tear up. The dragon knight and the old lady shared a
sympathy that transcended time.

“You must return safely.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“You must… You must…”

Raven looked at Elena as she repeated her words for the fifth time, hot tears flowing
down her face. Attia had asked him to reclaim the family honor, and in contrast,
Elena never once spoke of the family honor.

She only asked her son to come back, to come back safely. His memory brought him
back to how she protected him by standing in front of Soldrake.

Raven, whose mother had passed on early, had always been treated coldly and with
indifference. He felt touched at Elena’s words. It was the first time he had received
such overflowing care. Of course, he knew her love was directed at Alan Pendragon,
and not Raven Valt. But it did not matter. All motherly love in the world needed to be
respected.

“I will return safely, m, m, mother…”

Raven said, enduring the awkwardness.

“My son…”

With a bright, tearful smile, Elena embraced Raven. Feeling the protective love with
her scent, Raven’s face reddened slightly. After a short while, Elena let Raven go.

“Farewell.”

Raven bowed lightly, then tried to turn. But his body stopped at the sight of a small
hand grabbing onto his leg. It was Mia Pendragon. Mia Pendragon held her doll in
one hand, and his leg with the other. Tears hung on her eyes, small and delicate
water droplets. Raven looked down at her for a moment, then slowly raised his hand
to stroke her head.

“I will come back… and tell you more stories about monsters.”

Her face eagerly moved up and down several times before her hand released its grip
on Raven’s leg.

Raven moved towards the wide-open doors of the palace. Everyone from Conrad
Castle was gathered in the courtyard. A hundred spearmen, and a hundred
crossbowmen. But he could not even take half of them.

Raven did not despair.

The beginning was always the hardest.

Bang! BangI
Raven bashed Widow’s Scream, the Pendragon family’s treasured sword, onto the
ground and shouted out.

“We leave today! From today onwards, the Pendragon family will be reborn!”

“Woooahhhhhhhhhhhh!”

The shouts echoed throughout Conrad Castle. It had finally regained its true owner
after ten years of absence.

“Ahhh…”

The cheeks of someone turned bright as a rose as they watched the events unfold
from inside the palace. The maids gazed at the person who breathed heavily with a
complicated gaze.

“I want to run to you, grab you and rub my face all over you! The coolest brother in
the whole world… brother Alan…”

Irene showed her desperate yearning on her face as she watched her brother, but she
quickly turned her head.

“But, but I shouldn’t. Bashful Irene is hoping for her brother’s safe returns. Ah, ah! If I
watch any longer I think I’m going to go insane!”

Irene, the protagonist of misery, shed tears as she hurried into the palace.

‘Ha… ’

The maids sighed simultaneously in their thoughts and ran after the protagonist
with shaking heads.

***

Thud!

The door of Conrad Castle opened and the drawbridge descended over the moat. The
ornate crest of the Pendragon family, embroidered with golden thread, flew high
above the soldiers on a flag.
Raven, armed with the white armor and Widow’s Scream, crossed the drawbridge
along with a group of soldiers.

Raven rode on a black stallion. It was dressed in coordination with him -- clad with
white armor. Raven looked to his side and saw a knight drooping his shoulders while
holding his horse’s reins. The doctor had tried his best, but in the end, one egg was
permanently lost.

Killian rode alongside Raven with a dejected and depressed expression.

In addition, Killian had started to wear lower-body armor, a lesson from before
where he grotesquely displayed his lower body. He was unaccustomed to having
armor on his lower body and had trouble riding the horse. The chafing was so
uncomfortable.

“Sir Killian.”

“Y, yes, Your Grace.”

Killian raised his head at the unexpected call.

“Why don’t you stand tall? It’s quite frustrating for me to see you like this.”

“Ah, yes…”

Killian straightened his posture, feeling the cold sweat dripping down his back. But
perhaps due to the armor that he was not used to, his body kept leaning to one side.

‘Was it the one on the right that I broke…?’

Seeing the unsightly appearance of the once confident knight, correcting his posture
every few meters, was slightly regretful. He felt a very tiny bit of sympathy for
Killian.

But Raven quickly shook such thoughts away. He had heard about Killian’s predatory
engagement with the woman in the castle and his insatiable sexual desire. He had
been trying to seduce any maid he came across. Even after five years passed since he
was finally engaged, the marriage had to be postponed countlessly.

Then one of his precious eggs broke.

Not only had his sexual urges been repressed, he had been too embarrassed to show
his face in front of any women in the castle. In the end, he could only visit his fiancee.

The only unhappy one was Killian.

His fiancee was happy, the castle’s maids were relieved, and the young soldiers who
had the maids in their hearts felt encouraged.

Everyone praised Alan Pendragon, the man who had made this possible.

‘Well, at least there won’t be any issues with having a child… ’

At the sacrifice of one man, peace and happiness was returned to the castle. It was
worth it.

The soldiers finished crossing the bridge, and the bridge slowly ascended once more.
Raven led with his horse, and after a while, he finally turned his head to look back at
the castle. The outline of the white castle and its dragon statue disappeared with the
horizon as he marched on.

‘I will return, with a power that no one can look down on.’

Raven’s mind snapped back to the disgraceful memory of his family being executed
and himself being dragged out of the count’s castle like a dog…

He was dragged out with a chain around his neck, and now he was voluntarily
stepping out.

Raven paused and looked at Conrad Castle with stiff eyes. He turned his gaze to the
front.

‘I will succeed… no matter what it takes… I will see it done.”

Alan Pendragon was Raven Valt.

His eyes shone with determination as he continued forward into the unknown.
“The soldiers are coming down from the castle!”

“It’s His Grace Pendragon and the knights!”

Residents of the village called Lowpool flocked to the sides of the road upon seeing
Raven and the soldiers coming their way. Lowpool was below the castle and rumors
of Alan Pendragon’s awakening had already spread. It had even reached other
villages in the Bellint region.

In addition, many villagers had witnessed the appearance of Soldrake on the day that
Raven woke up. The dragon was the symbol of the Pendragon family and its
appearance signified the reemergence of Pendragon’s glory.

For the residents who had first-handedly experienced the fall of the family over the
last ten years, this was nothing short of a joyous miracle. None of the villagers had
ever actually seen Alan Pendragon in person, as he stayed shut in the castle most of
his life. This led to the growing curiosity as people snuck glances at him while they
kept their heads down to pay respect.

‘Damn it… ’

Raven was a little embarrassed by the gazes that poured onto him.

“Your Grace Alan, the duchess left a message saying she preferred you to take off
your helmet and wave your hand to the crowds while passing villages.”

“Hm. Alright.”

He nodded at Lindsay’s words. She had her hair tied back and wore pants which was
the attire of the men, and she rode on a pony. Raven awkwardly took his helmet off
and waved at the villagers.

“Woaaaaahhhhhhh!”

A shout of excitement arose as if they had been waiting for this moment. The men
took off their hats and waved them around in the air, the women became
mesmerized by Alan’s handsome face, and the children eagerly ran after the group,
full of admiration.

‘If I’m going to have to do this every time, I’m going to go insane… ’

Raven was unable to take his hand down and kept waving it in the air at the
unexpected reaction of the crowd.

“Hurray! Hurray to the Pendragon Duchy!”

“Glory to His Grace Alan! Glory to the Pendragon Duchy! May it last forever!”

Raven felt a strange excitement in the midst of the unending shouts.

It wasn’t just him who felt this way. The soldiers that were tense because of the
uncertainty of the expedition started to relax and sit up straight.

“McKidd! You must fight bravely!”

“Ravi! You have to help His Grace recover the mausoleum!”

“I’m believing in you, Hanson!”

Some of the soldiers’ families and friends were among the crowd that spread out
onto the streets. They were the proud soldiers of the Pendragon Duchy. To fight for
the Pendragons was to fight for their family and to bring glory.

Eventually, as the group reached the end of Lowpool, the soldier’s aura and even
their footsteps were completely changed. Even Killian seemed excited and his
depressed appearance seemed to have subsided.

But the same was not true for everyone.

‘This little brat… ’

Breeden gazed at the soldiers who had transformed since leaving the castle and
grinded his teeth. His eyes drifted to his side, and his face distorted.

‘Dammit! Shit!’
The most annoying thing was that Luna Seyrod kept looking at the back of the brat’s
head with a blank expression. Even though Breeden wasn’t quick when it came to
these matters, he could still read Luna’s expression and the yearning in her eyes.
Breeden followed Luna’s gaze onto the kid.

“Sir Killian, are you very uncomfortable?”

“N, not at all, Your Grace.”

“Hm? Your expression says otherwise. Hm, how can I make the discomfort go away…
Ah yes! If I break the other one too, then it will balance…”

“No! No, no! That’s okay!”

Breeden was surprised when he heard that the knight named Killian was beaten to
the ground and even had one of his nuts cracked. Even Luna had a shocked
expression when she heard the story.

But Breeden quickly shook his head. It didn’t make any sense.

There must have been more to the story. Either that, or there was a scheme going on
against the Seyrod family. A carefully laid plot which intended to show off the
greatness of the Pendragon family. It must have been a lie.

‘Fine, enjoy it while you can. I will show you how scary the world is really, you little
arrogant brat… ’

Breeden’s eyes had a bloody glow while staring at the back of Raven.

***

After leaving Lowpool with their hearts high, the party traveled for two days. They
went through village after village before arriving at Bellint Gate with no particular
incidents.

The soldiers of the gate, being organized as they were, were already lined up in
formation in front of the gate. The gate itself was in the shape of a small fortress with
three spires.

As Raven walked towards the soldiers with the Pendragon family’s crest held up
front, the soldiers banged their chests and knelt.

“We greet the heir to the Pendragon family!”

Raven nodded at the soldiers, impressed by their military discipline, then entered
through the gate.

“Have the soldiers rest until I give the order. Separate those from the Seyrod family
and give them another place to rest.”

Raven gave the orders to Killian.

“Yes, your Grace. Break! Go take a break!”

The soldiers who were standing in an orderly fashion scattered in groups.

“Come this way.”

Killian gestured to Breeden and the other soldiers of the Seyrod family. Luna Seyrod
dismounted her horse with the help of a soldier and paused for a moment. Alan
Pendragon had not given her a single glance over the past two days of travel.

“My lady! What are you doing?”

Breeden raised his voice.

After dismounting her horse, Luna studied the structure of Bellint Gate closely
before stopping her gaze on Alan Pendragon. Then, she proceeded to follow the rest
of the group at Breeden’s voice.

“Your Grace, please, have this.”

Lindsay brought water from the well and held it in front of her for Raven to drink.

He looked at her closely.

It must have been hard for her to ride the horse for the past two days straight.
Especially when she wasn’t used to it. She was obviously tired. Raven took a short
drink, then held it out in front of him.
‘Hm?’

Raven’s gaze headed to Lindsay’s hands as she reached out to retrieve the cup. Her
hands were full of blisters. She must have been tightly holding on to the reins while
riding her pony.

Lindsay did not rest, however, and reached into her bag that was strapped to her side
and took out a clean towel.

She soaked the towel, planning to wipe her master’s sweat. Raven knew her hands
must have been paining her, but she wringed the towel without so much a frown.

“……”

Raven’s eyes showed some concern as he looked at Lindsay. He had already noticed it
in the castle, but Lindsay was really diligent. Diligent to the degree of being foolish.

She had no soldiers to support her like Luna Seyrod, but she didn’t complain once
and always prioritized her master. In addition, she always kept herself clean, perhaps
to make sure she didn’t bring shame to his honor.

Raven had brought her as a mere decoy, but now he felt a strange feeling.

“I can take care of myself, you can go in and rest.”

“N, no, Your Grace. The duchess ordered me to always be by your side.”

Lindsay lowered her head in embarrassment. Raven saw the dust that had
accumulated in her hair and spoke bluntly.

“It’s an order. Go to the well and wash your face. You can rest in the shade over
there.”

“Yes, yes…”

Lindsay stepped back once he said it was an order, and reluctantly took off.

After making sure Lindsay was on her way to the well, Raven moved around slowly
to examine the fortress. The buildings were in poor condition, perhaps due to the
lack of maintenance. The fortress was also quite small, and it seemed that one
hundred men could fill the walls. There were around fifty men positioned at the
fortress, and it probably wasn’t being taken care of properly.

‘Two or three hundred from the demonic army could probably occupy it in two hours.’

“Sir Killian.”

Raven called Killian. He wanted someone that had experienced the decline of the
Pendragon family first-hand.

“Tell me about the supplies of the castle.”

“We have some supplies stocked up in the warehouses in case of emergency, but
usually the soldiers head to Greystone Village, that we passed around noon today, to
receive supplies. The soldiers head there once every four days or so.”

“I see.”

Raven slightly nodded his head and went up the stairs that led to the top of the castle
walls. Killian hurriedly followed him. At the sight of Alan, the soldiers straightened
their postures.

‘Their equipment is trash. How can it be worse than the demonic army…?’

Raven let out a sigh after examining all the soldiers. The soldiers wore chain armor
with broken links on top of old quilted garments. Their spear shafts were rusted,
while the spearhead and the blades had chips and breaks. He doubted the crossbows
placed in the gun’s eye (arrow hole) would even shoot properly.

Raven spoke to a soldier who had a tense expression, seemingly most seasoned out
of the bunch.

“When was the last time you received new equipment?”

“Yes, sir! Two years ago, Your Grace!”

“How about new recruits?”

“Everyone here, including me, have been guarding the gate for the past three years!”
“How about your commander? Where is your knight?”

“Th, that…”

The soldier looked towards Killian with a flustered expression.

“Ehem! Hm! T, that is…”

Killian started talking after coughing a few times in embarrassment.

“…Uh, s, so we don’t have a commander right now…”

“……”

Raven scowled as soon as Killian finished speaking.

“The knight took the soldiers and deserted? Then proceeded to go around the
villages outside the gate and steal from them? And you left them alone?”

“Well, we don’t have enough men…”

Killian spoke with his head down, embarrassed by his own answer. No matter the
case, he had no excuses as the head of the knights of the Pendragon family.

“……”

Killian slowly raised his head after a long moment of silence.

“Heuk!”

Killian’s head sank back into his neck. Alan Pendragon eye’s burned with the urge to
kill. It was the same eyes Killian saw before his precious egg was destroyed.

“What’s the… bastard’s name?”

Killian knew that the Alan Pendragon who woke up after three years didn’t care
about swearing and proper etiquette in speaking. He felt shivers up his arm hearing
the voice laden with the intent to kill, and gulped loudly.

“G, Geoffrey… Del Geoffrey, Your Grace.”

“Del Geoffrey…”

Raven muttered the name of the deserted knight, no, the leader of the thieves, and
turned his body around.

“We’re going to catch that bastard tomorrow. I will personally split and crush every
bit of his body starting from his head to toes.”

“Y, Yes!”

Just hearing Raven’s words made Killian’s intact egg feel electrified. He ran after
Raven frantically.

***

Knock Knock!

Luna frowned at the sound of the unwelcome knock. Breeden must have come again.

“I just want to rest, so please just leave.”

“Alright. I will come back later.”

Luna jumped at hearing the dull voice.

“N, no it’s okay. Come i… no, no, please give me a moment.”

Luna hurriedly looked at the copper mirror and straightened her clothes before
taking a big breath and opened the door.

Alan Pendragon stood in front of the door with his arms crossed.

“What is it?”

She tried to speak calmly, but her voice trembled for some reason.

“I have a favor to ask of you. Do you mind if I come in?”

“Ah, yes. This way…”

‘You fool.’

Luna realized her mistake of blocking the doorway and moved to the side.

“Uh, would you like some tea?”

“I’m okay with water.”

Hearing Raven’s answer, Luna gave a glance. The soldier who was guarding her room
gave a bow. Raven frowned at seeing the sight and spoke.

“Actually, I’m fine. You over there. I will call you after I finish talking with Lady
Seyrod. You may go rest until then.”

“Huh?”

The soldier opened his eyes wide, and Luna felt her face reddening.

“Do as His Grace Pendragon says.”

“Ah… Yes, my lady.”

The soldier gave a sly smile at the situation and closed the door. It seemed that they
wanted to enjoy a hot, youthful time. Luna caught the hidden meaning in the
soldier’s eyes and blushed. Still, somehow she managed to look calm and sat down
on her chair after getting a hold of her emotions.

“Anyways, this favor that you wanted to ask. Why don’t you tell me more about it?”

She spoke with an even colder voice than she intended and instantly regretted it.
Unsurprisingly, Alan frowned at the tone of her voice.

“I’m sorry for taking your time. It’s just that…”

‘Hm?’

Luna was puzzled by the man’s appearance. Alan seemed to be hesitating. Her heart
started pounding. Maybe this man…

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Luna’s heart started pounding madly.

“I was wondering if you could stay at Bellint Gate for a few more days… I was
wondering what you think about that, Lady Seyrod?”
“What do you mean by that?”

Her voice was cold once more, unlike her true feelings. It was almost reflexive at this
point, and she really couldn’t do much about it. It was natural for Luna Seyrod, who
had never once held a lively conversation with a member of the opposite sex.

“Well, it’s just that I found out there are thieves right outside the gate. I’m planning
to go take care of them tomorrow, but then that would leave the gate without enough
defenses. That’s why I was wondering if Lady Seyrod and your knights could stay for
a few more days.”

“……”

Her throbbing heart dropped in an instant, and her expression became more
disappointed than her usual expression.

‘Of course. What else would this man… ask for. He’s really asking for me to guard his
house?’

“Asking the Seyrod family to guard a fortress belonging to the Pendragon family…
Wouldn’t it be bad for public image?”

No, the actual problem was…

“Why would that be the case? We are cousins after all. It’s not like I’m asking you to
stay here permanently. It’s only for a few days. What do you think?”

“……”

Alan Pendragon asked while shrugging his shoulders. Luna silently stared at the
man. She already knew through and through how different he was now, but she
didn’t realize he was capable of making such absurd and shameless requests.

Looking at his expression, it didn’t seem like he was joking. It would’ve been weird in
the first place if he came to visit for the first time in several days just to make a joke.
That was when she realized that Alan Pendragon was completely serious, and his
reason for visit was all business.

“Well if it’s troublesome, just pretend you didn’t hear it…”

“I will do as you ask.”

“Really? That’s really good t…”

“Except, I will be accompanying you on your expedition.”

‘What the hell is this woman talking about now?’

Raven frowned at her unexpected words.

“We’re not going out for a picnic. We’re headed towards battle.”

“I know. I think you’re mistaken because I have no intentions of riding with you into
battle. I want to accompany you on the way to my family’s territory. I don’t want to
stay even one more day in this place. I will take a knight and ten soldiers, and leave
the rest behind to protect the gate for a few days. Any more will be troublesome.”

“Hmm…”

Raven sank into thought with a slight frown on his face. It made sense that she
wouldn’t want to stay any longer in Bellint Gate, which was full of burly men. She
was a lady of nobility after all. The suggestion was quite good, anyway. It wasn’t as if
he needed all the soldiers that came with Luna Seyrod.

“Let’s do it then. There will be thirty soldiers and two knights left behind guarding
the gate.”

“Yes, I will give them orders to return as soon as the expedition is over.”

“Thank you.”

“So… is that all you wanted to talk about?”

Luna asked with a slight hope, forgoing her embarrassment. But the man sitting in
front of him was a man who had spent his life on the battlefield, and had almost no
wit regarding the matters of women.

‘Is she telling me to leave? How inflexible.’

“Hm. I think I’ve taken too much of your time. Then I will be off.”

Raven stood up, gave a slight bow, then turned his back.

“Wai…”

Thud.

Luna stretched out her arm as if to grab something, but the door closed, oblivious to
her actions. She looked at the door with bleak eyes, lightly bit her lips, and turned
around.

Squeak.

At that moment, the sound of the door reopening resounded and she turned her
head with a welcoming look.

“Excuse me, Sir Pendragon said that you might have a task for me…”

She quickly changed her angst expression as the doorway opened and a soldier
appeared standing in the doorway.

“Please call Sir Breeden here.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The soldier left, and the room suddenly felt empty.

“……”

Luna tried to quickly shake herself out of it. It wasn’t time to be playing hooky. The
Pendragon family had officially started taking care of their territory.

‘If they take care of the matters regarding the territory, and if they open the
mausoleum and if… he succeeds in contracting with the dragon…?’
Just thinking about it gave chills down her back. If ‘if’ came to pass, then the
Pendragons would once again step up as one of the pillars of the empire. They would
regain their gold, iron, and crystal mines. Their subjects who lived as farmers would
be able to get better jobs in the mines. Ultimately, it would also lead to a massive
change in life for the working class.

There was no guarantee that knights or mages who roamed the world freely
wouldn’t head to the Pendragon family to swear allegiance after hearing the rumors
either.

In a few years, the Pendragon family would regain all their past glories and become a
true monarch of the land. The Seyrod family would be an ant compared to the
Pendragon family.

But for ‘if’ were to come true, there were conditions that needed to be met.

“I need to see it for myself. How capable Sir Pendragon is, how competent he is…”

Luna muttered to herself and bit her lips.

“What? A part of the soldiers are going to stay back? And you’re going with them on
the expedition?”

“Yes.”

“Even if it’s your words, the commander of the soldiers that are here is no one else
but myse…”

Breeden ranted on as if he found the whole situation ridiculous, then suddenly his
voice subsided, and he continued speaking naturally.

“…myself, but let us do as you say. I will be your guard, my lady, and I will return to
our territory alongside you, my lady.”

“No. Sir Breeden will stay behind and guard Bellint Gate with the soldiers.”

“I cannot agree. If you cannot agree to my words, then I will not allow any soldiers to
stay behind. I am the commanding officer of the troops.”

Breeden shrugged his shoulders as if saying ‘what can you do about it?’.
Luna had already expected this situation and finally nodded her head after letting
out a sigh.

“Alright then. But I beg of you, please don’t act rashly.”

“Of course, my lady. Anyways, I’m quite thirsty, could I maybe get a cup of…”

“Then we will leave tomorrow. Please let the rest of the knights and the soldiers
know.”

Luna got up from her chair and even opened the door for Breeden.

“Alright. I will see you tomorrow. Haha!”

Breeden let out a hearty laugh and walked out the door.

Thud

The door shut in his face as if it was waiting for the moment, but Breeden kept his
gaze on the door with a smile.

“I will wait a little bit more, Lady Seyrod.”

He muttered under his breath, then turned around.

“Well well, now the way back home will be pretty entertaining.”

Breeden’s smile faded away as he walked back to his quarters.

***

“Ugh…”

Killian stepped into the mess hall that could fit around fifty people and awkwardly
sat down on a chair.

“Excuse me, are you alright, Sir Killian? I… heard about ‘it’…”

A soldier carefully spoke with an expression of sympathy. Any man who heard of the
story would be filled with concern. ‘If I was in that situation… ’ The soldiers
shuddered at even the thought of it.

“I’m completely fine. Why don’t you grab me a beer.”

“Here it is, freshly brought from the village just yesterday. Please drink up.”

Killian laughed as if to assure the soldier, and the soldier brought forth a large
wooden cup of beer. Killian took the mug and chugged it down in several gulps.

“Great! Great! Give me another one. Why don’t you all have one as well.”

Killian instantly downed the beer and put forth his cup. As his mug filled up once
more, soldiers gathered around Killian.

“I see that even with one egg gone, the best drinker of Conrad Castle is still alive and
kicking, eh?”

“Eggs are eggs, beer is beer.”

“Hahahaha!”

The soldiers burst out laughing at Killian’s joke.

Killian was quite popular with the soldiers. Even though he was a bit, no, even
though he was infatuated with the girls, it wasn’t a big deal in the world of men.
Sometimes Killian acted cocky, but he did not hesitate to drink and talk with the
soldiers, unlike other knights.

“One more!”

“For me as well!”

After a few rounds, a slight blush appeared on the cheeks of Killian and the soldiers.

“So anyway, about Sir Pendragon…”

The whole place became quiet upon the mention of Alan Pendragon. The one who
spoke was a soldier from Bellint Gate. Unsure of whether to continue, he looked
around and spoke in a low voice.
“I’ve heard rumors and the stories. Even if he changed, don’t you think he changed
way too much?”

“……”

Everyone glanced at each other and didn’t speak. Killian downed another mug of
beer in one gulp and shrugged.

“He changed. He has become a completely different person.”

“Isn’t that strange? Even if he changed, to win against Sir Killian? He was a weakling
in the first place, and to do that after laying in bed for three years? Is that humanly
possible?”

“……”

The expressions of the soldiers from Conrad Castle hardened and they all glanced at
Killian. It was unspoken, but everyone had the same question. There were even
rumors that Alan Pendragon sold his soul to the devil.

Thud!

The sound of a cup striking the table caused the soldiers to flinch, and they looked
up at the face of Killian which had become serious.

“So what about it?”

“Yes, yes?”

Killian managed to remain relaxed with clear eyes unlike that of a person who had
several drinks. His calm voice resounded through the heavy atmosphere.

“I know of the rumors that stem from Conrad Castle. Let me make this clear. Truth?
Rumors? None of that really matters. The important thing is the truth that Sir Alan is
no longer the boy he was before.”

“W, what do you mean by that…?”

Killian looked around at the soldiers with a small smile on his face.
“What do you mean? What do I mean? Do you think anything’s going to be different if
you know the reason behind the change? Are you going to quit your job here and go
somewhere else? Or are you going to run to the imperial city and tell his imperial
majesty about what’s happening? Do you think that’s going to change anything?”

“……”

All the soldiers went silent. It was as Killian said. Even if they knew the truth behind
Alan Pendragon’s drastic change, it didn’t change anything. Everyone here was born
and raised in the Pendragon Duchy. Whatever the case, they could only continue
working as soldiers.

“I’m not an idiot, and neither are the people of Conrad Castle. The moment he beat
me up and personally broke off the engagement, everyone knew that the man was a
different person from the Alan Pendragon we knew in the past. But even so…”

He paused and continued in an even more serious and calm voice.

“Pendragon is Pendragon… This truth does not change.”

“……!”

The muttering of the soldiers stopped. They looked at each other in silent agreement
and nodded their heads. Their eyes were resolute. Then Killian cut through the
solemn atmosphere and spoke.

“And, even if… ehem! Even if one of my… things is gone, I prefer the current Alan
Pendragon to the past Alan Pendragon.”

Killian seemed a little embarrassed at his own speech and raised his cup up high.

“Anyways, all thanks to His Grace Alan, my charisma is slightly reduced, and that
means you punks get a chance now. Now you can have a better chance at competing
for the women!”

“Puhaha! I would rather take my things off too if I was to ever lose to a man with only
one egg!”

“Well spoken! In fact, all he did was go around and flaunt his thing, what charisma is
there to even talk about?”
“What? My thing is probably still much better than yours anyway.”

“We already heard the rumors, sir. That your thing’s shrunk to half its size…”

“Hmm? Good, good! Alright. Why don’t we measure it then?”

Killian jumped up as if he was going to dance his pants off right away.

“Oh, oh! It’s a match! True men’s contest!”

“I will take you up on that! Let’s do it!”

Whistle!

Laughter and whistling sounds sprouted up from the crowds, and the atmosphere
heated up once more. As one of the soldiers and Killian climbed up on the table to
compete for their pride…

“E, excuse me… Sir Killian…”

“Take it off! Take it off!”

“E, excuse me…!”

A sharp, high-pitched sound sliced through the noise.

“Hmm?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to the voice.

“His Grace Pendragon wants me to bring Sir Killian immediately…”

Lindsay stole glances at the top of the table with a red-hot face.

Whoosh!

Killian stopped himself, mid-dance.

“J, just me, alone?”

“Yes. Well, I, I will get going then.”

Lindsay hurriedly ran out the door.

“W, wait for me…!”

Killian ran like the wind after Lindsay’s disappearing figure.

“You’re finally here. What were you up to?”

“Yes? N, nothing…”

“Is that so? The tavern seemed oddly noisy…”

“……”

Killian shut his mouth and glanced at Lindsay. Her neck was still red as she had her
head down. It seemed like she didn’t report everything to her master.

“Well, it’s not important anyway. Why don’t you have a seat? Lindsay, you can go
now.”

Lindsay left the room and Killian carefully sat down on a chair.

“Did you have a drink?”

“Ah, yes. A few mugs of beer.”

“Beer… I miss that.”

Raven remembered the days of his past self when he would occasionally drink beer
after battles. He licked his lips at the mention of it. In Conrad Castle, all he got was a
sip or two of wine.

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Raven shook his head then immediately switched the topic.

“It’s about tomorrow. I need you to accompany me.”

“What? Then who will be here to take care of defenses at the gate?”
“The Seyrod family said that they will leave two knights and thirty soldiers for a few
days. They will protect the gate for us.”

“Hmm…”

Killian’s expression changed in careful thought.

‘As I thought… ’

At Killian’s reaction, Raven casually probed him with further comments.

“Are you not against it? Leaving Bellint Gate’s defenses to another family?”

“I don’t think we’re in any position to be against it, and the more troops we have, the
better it will be. Sir Geoffrey, I mean, that Geoffrey bastard took over twenty soldiers
when he deserted. They’ve probably gained more men by now, so it’s better that we
be prepared.”

“Good. If you think so, then it makes things a lot easier.”

Raven nodded his head. His eyes weren’t wrong after all. Killian might chase after
women, but he wasn’t dumb or narrow-minded by any means. In fact, it was seen
highly that a knight from a noble background was so flexible in their thinking.

“The thief bastards probably have a base around here right? Since they’re so bold as
to brazenly rob villages.”

“Yes. They’re using a monastery in a village called Southstone as their base of

operations.”

“I see. Tell me more about this guy named Del Geoffrey.”

“His swordsmanship is quite decent, but he is an arrogant man. After Your Grace fell
into an unconscious state, he asked for the title of baron and control over three
villages near the Bellint Gate, which the duchess rejected right away. The
atmosphere quickly took a turn for the worse and I brought soldiers here. However,
by the time I arrived, he had already heard of my coming and deserted with his men.”

“Hmm…”
It seemed that Geoffrey had more brains than he originally thought. Had they tried to
take over Bellint Gate, he would’ve had to sacrifice many, so he chose to rally his
forces outside the gates and to take action there.

That was the better choice. Raven would have done the same if given the
circumstances.

‘But… ’

Something came up on Raven’s mind, and he asked again.

“You said he deserted about a year ago?”

“Yes.”

“And in the meantime, you had to helplessly watch as he wreaked havoc outside?”

“Yes…”

Killian replied in a lifeless voice.

But the corners of Raven’s mouth rose slightly.

“So by now, he probably feels invincible? He also knows of how I was in the past?”

“Well… yes.”

Killian took on a strange expression and Raven continued in a subdued voice.

“What kind of reaction do you think he will have once he hears that helpless coward
Alan Pendragon is personally directing the troops and that both sides have similar
numbers of troops?”

“…Ah!”

Killian gasped, finally realizing Raven’s intentions.

Raven smiled deeply.

“A dog growls at a wolf in the comforts of its own house. Why? Because he proudly
thinks that he’s the strongest in his house. But when that dog comes out of the
house, it’s still a dog.”

“I agree, Your Grace.”

Killian nodded with admiration.

“Well then. Sir Killian.”

Raven spoke in a low voice, a smile still on his face.

“I will lure the dog out of its house, you take care of beating it senseless. Don’t kill it,
and bring it to me on a leash.”

“So, you’re saying…”

“I’m saying that you will be in charge of the troops. You’ve been commanding them
for years. Do you really think they’ll be obedient to me in one day? I’m not so foolish
as to think that.”

It was common sense in the art of warfare.

A commander cannot effectively control the troops overnight. Even if Alan painted
the big picture, he needed to have Killian perform his duties as a knight of the
Pendragon family.

“Y, yes! Please leave it to me! I will definitely take care of that bastard dog!”

Killian pounded his chest, deeply touched by Raven’s words. Raven nodded in
satisfaction.

“Good. We will leave early tomorrow morning, so you should go rest now.”

“Yes! Please have a good rest!”

Killian stood up and turned to leave.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes?”
Killian looked at Raven. Raven had a concerned expression on his face. It was as if…

“Well… I would like to apologize for what happened.”

“Y, your Grace…”

Any remaining knots in Killian’s heart were unraveled at that moment. An apology
from the heir to a duchy was rare as they were the ones who had power over the life
and death of their knights.

“Don’t worry about it. Well, Sir Illaine told me that there won’t be any problems
bearing children.”

Killian laughed bashfully and tapped on his thighs.

“G, good… Well I think it might be nice to hold the ceremony as soon as possible and
have children. Now that we’re on this topic, why don’t you get married right after we
return from the expedition?”

“If you say so, Your Grace, then I will do so.”

“Good. Well, it’s already so late. Go and get rest.”

“Yes!”

Thud.

The topic still took an abrupt turn at the end, but it was still a satisfying
conversation.

Day came.

All of the forces, excluding the two knights and thirty soldiers from the Seeyrod
family, gathered at the training grounds. Raven took the time in inspecting the
condition of the soldiers. Their faces were stiff, but they were properly disciplined,
and morale seemed to be high. Raven nodded satisfyingly.

‘That bastard… ’

Raven frowned when his gaze met upon one knight. A knight who positioned himself
right beside Luna Seyrod. Breeden was looking at Raven’s direction with a smirk on
his face. He had the scheming devious smile that Raven absolutely despised.

‘Go on, try something. Do some shit. I will destroy you.’

There had been countless men who tried to go against Raven during his time in the
demonic army. About half of them had come crawling to him begging for forgiveness
with bloodied faces. The rest didn’t say anything, because the dead didn’t talk.

Breeden kept smiling, not knowing the thoughts that were going through Raven’s
head.

Raven climbed onto the saddle of his horse. Lindsay walked up to him in small steps
and spoke.

“I wish for your victory and safe returns, Your Grace.”

A face full of worries. Raven felt sorry for Lindsay. She had to follow him out of the
safe castle only to suffer these drastic conditions.

“I will. It might be uncomfortable because there are only men, but please endure for
a few days. If anyone tries anything, let me know when I come back. I will destroy
both of their eggs.”

Raven emphasized the last few words for all to hear. The soldiers of the Seyrod
family flinched before turning their gazes elsewhere.

“Yes…”

Lindsay bowed her head in embarrassment.

His comment was unbefitting for a fair-skinned lady, but nevertheless, she was
thankful that her master was so considerate.

Raven gave a smirk then turned his horses to the soldiers.

“Sir Killian.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Killian turned towards the soldiers and shouted.

“Let’s go! We embark now!”

“Ohhhhhh!”

The soldiers exited the gate in order with a loud shout.

***

The late spring sky was clear and the weather was pleasant. A breeze kept the
soldiers cool and they marched. But Raven’s expression wasn’t as enthusiastic. The
situation outside of Bellint Gate was worse than what he expected.

The fields that were once full of crops and grains to be harvested were now
overgrown with weeds. Abandoned houses taken over by vines could be seen along
the way. There were no signs of life anywhere, even though they had already traveled
for an hour since departure.

Not only that, the roads were in terrible condition being left alone to the forces of
nature. Stones jutted out of the grounds and there were random pits in the ground. It
could barely allow for a man or a horse to walk, and it definitely wasn’t suitable for
wagons and carts.

“Sir Killian.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Killian rode his horse up to Raven and answered.

“How much of the Pendragon land exists outside of Bellint Gate in comparison to the
whole Duchy?”

“It is about 70% percent.”

“That much?”

Raven narrowed his eyes at Killian’s answer. The Pendragon Duchy was bigger than
he had thought.
“Are conditions like this everywhere?”

“Unfortunately… it is so. Some villages are managing to sustain themselves and fend
off enemies, but it is quite limited. They have to risk their lives just to make it to
Bellint Gate.”

Well, it made sense since even trained soldiers didn’t go outside the gate unless they
had groups of at least ten men. It would even be harder for untrained peasants.

“I see.”

Raven nodded his head quietly.

He had been focusing on reclaiming the mausoleum thus far, but it seemed like
managing the land outside the gate was equally as critical.

‘70 percent of the entire land… ’

Conrad Castle and the village of Lowpool had a population of 3,000 combined. There
were six villages within Bellint Gate, and with all the villages combined, including
Lowpool, there would be a population of less than six thousand. But that didn’t
include 70 percent of the land that was not managed properly, and people still lived
there. If he could take control and secure the rest of the duchy, he could easily secure
more than ten thousand people.

‘Hmm?’

Raven’s gaze sharpened as he spotted something moving in a house that was barely
standing.

“Sir Killian.”

Raven spoke in a low tone and used his chin to point towards the house.

“I also noticed.”

Killian nodded towards a group of soldiers and headed towards the abandoned
house along with them. As one of the soldiers opened the old door with a spear…

Ki-e-e-e-e!
A few small shadows popped up with screams, then ran crazily to the opposite side.

“Monsters!”

“It’s goblins!”

The swift movements of little shadows were goblins. Clothes barely covered their
privates, as they held small clubs embedded with thorns that swung up and down as
they ran away.

“Archers! I need the five most skilled.”

At Raven’s command, the archers stepped up and pointed their crossbows towards
the field where the goblins were fleeing.

‘The distance is around 80 yards. Let’s see your skills.’

“Shoot, but do not kill.”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As Raven signaled with his hand, arrows whistled towards the goblins. On impact,
the goblins immediately fell forward in their tracks. Seeing that they were struggling
to get up, the wounds didn’t seem critical.

“Go capture them.”

“Yes!”

Dozens of soldiers with spears and shields ran towards the field, then soon returned
with five goblins in their hands.

Kieeh!

Kyaak! Kyaak!

They struggled in the grasps of the soldiers, but they had no chance with their
injuries and their small bodies.

“Throw them in front of me.”

Goblins were tossed in front of Raven at his command.

Kieee…

The goblins had terrified gazes as they looked around to see dozens of armed
soldiers and Raven’s dragon-wing-adorned helmet. Raven opened his mouth after
seeing a particular goblin who had red skin and a feather decoration on his head.

“Who are you? Which tribe are you from?”

“Kiyi. Handsome Kazzal, no tribe. Find food with friends. Kiee.”

It seemed like he was the leader of the group. He seemed quite peculiar to call
himself in third-person and to add ‘handsome’ in front of it.

“Do you know what happens if you lie?”

Raven lightly placed his hand on Widow’s Scream that was on his waist.

“Handsome Kazzal, no lie! Really, only us five!”

The goblin named Kazzal eagerly shook his head. But Raven didn’t trust him easily.
Goblins were as sly as their ugly appearance.

“If you wanted to find food, you should’ve gone to the forest. Why are you wandering
around in a place like this?”

At Raven’s words, the goblin took on a sad expression. Raven was dumbfounded.

“Kiee… Lots of scary beings in the forest. There are harpies, wolves, and ghouls come
out at night. Harpy is the worst! Bird-heads always steal handsome Kazzal’s food!”

The goblin must have suffered quite a bit, even getting angry in front of Raven.
Although he was flabbergasted, Raven remembered that goblins were always like
this and spoke.

“Good. Do you know this area well?”

“Yes! Know very well! Handsome Kazzal live here for three years!”
“How about the village called Southstone? Have you been there?”

“Kiiehh! That place is scary! Ugly and strong humans go there with horses!”

“……”

Raven was a little annoyed at the usage of the word ‘ugly’ but Raven already knew
that the goblins had a flipped perception of beauty so he decided to ignore it.

“What about the numbers? How many of them are there?”

Kazzal eagerly started to fold his fingers one by one.

“One, two, three four…”

“……”

“Twenty and seven, twenty and eight…”

“……”

When Raven was about to open his mouth in anger, Kazaal raised his head.

“Forty-five! There are forty-five!”

“Forty-five? How do you know exactly?”

“Know. When handsome Kazzal sees, he knows.”

Kazzal lifted his head up high as if he was very proud. Raven looked up.

“Forty-five…”

“Your Grace, this is a goblin. Don’t tell me you’re going to believe what he says?”

Killian approached Raven and spoke in a low voice. Raven shook his head.

“Goblins have very good eyesight. They can see things in the far distance and are
good at throwing rocks at it. I saw before tha… I mean, I’ve read in a book that there
was a monarch in the south who tamed goblins and sent them out with
reconnaissance teams.”

The real truth was that the southern monarch was a traitor that the demonic army
took care of, but Raven made up an excuse.

“Hoh. I see…”

Raven moved his gaze from Killian, who was convinced, then stared at Kazzal once
more.

“You, Kazzal.”

Raven took on an intimidating expression.

“Kieee…”

“Do you know who I am?”

“H, handsome Kazzal doesn’t know. Kieee…”

Raven spoke in a very slow voice, making sure to emphasize each word to the
frightened Kazzal.

“I am the owner of this land, Alan Pendragon.”

“Kieeeeee!”

Kazzal and the other goblins all panicked and became frightened. The goblins, who
had been residing in the land for several years, had heard of Pendragon. But the
reason the goblins became frightened were the words that were said afterward…

“If you don’t listen to me in the future, I’m going to make sure you serve as a treat for
a dragon’s food.”

Raven purposely touched the dragon-wing-shaped helmet while speaking. The

goblins all hurried to respond.

“Listen! Will listen! Handsome Kazzal listens to Pendragon! Uglier than me for sure,
but I listen anyway!”

“…If you say the word ugly, you’re going to become dragon food.”

“No! Never say ugly!”

Kazzal begged. Only then did Raven nod with a satisfied smile on his face.

“……”

Luna, Killian, and the rest of the soldiers watched as the situation unfolded, with
dumbfounded expressions on their faces. They found the whole situation ridiculous
and absurd.

The heir to a duchy that was one of the five pillars of the empire, threatening a little
goblin…

They were starting to doubt the nature of Alan Pendragon.

***

With the help of Kazzal and the goblins, Raven and his troops were able to arrive at a
forest near the village of Southstone in a relatively quick time.

“Set up camp here. Make sure to avoid any campfires, and have black bread and
raisins for your meals.”

“Yes, Your Grace. What shall we do with the captured monsters?”

Killian asked politely.

“Hmm…”

Raven pondered for a moment, then stood up from his makeshift chair.

“Let me see them for myself first.”

“Yes, sir.”

Raven walked towards a big tree at the edge of the camp.

“Your Grace.”

The four soldiers who were stationed under the tree greeted Raven and respectfully
retreated to one side. Raven nodded at the soldiers and turned his gaze towards
beneath the tree. On one side was Kazzal and the goblins, treating their wounds with
chains tied around their limbs. On the other side, there were other monsters with
chains tied around their necks.

Kiiaaekk! Kyeak!

Their faces and bodies were that of a woman, but they had wings instead of arms
and sharp talons protruding at the end of their wings. They were harpies.

Like the goblins, they were captured by the soldiers on their way to Southstone. The
soldiers moved through a safe path that the goblins knew of, but since it had not
been maintained for such a long time, there were monsters in their path.

Of course, the monsters ran with their tail between their legs upon seeing the
soldiers. They had been running rampant after the decline of the Pendragon family,
but they weren’t as foolish as to rush into a large group of armed soldiers.
But Raven had no intentions of letting them get away, as they even dared to encroach
on human territory, and took care of them all. There was also a need to raise the
morale of the army, so Raven pursued the monsters and defeated them as they
appeared.

The result was the death of a dozen wolves and two harpies, as well as the capture of
three harpies. Raven walked towards the harpy with the most colorful feathers and
the biggest body. Upon seeing the Widow’s Scream and the helmet on top of his head,
the harpy cowered and lowered its head.

‘So it’s the same with this one as well.’

“You, do you know how to talk?”

“Kieek! K, know how to talk!?”

It was as Raven thought. The harpies weren’t as smart as the goblins, but the ones
who lived near humans knew how to speak and understood simple words.

“It looks like you lot are wandering around with a tribe, are there more of you?”

“N, no. Died earlier. Now, me, you, you, just three.”

The harpy pointed toward its companions who were quivering in fear.

“I see. Anyway, you.”

Raven lightly nodded his head and took a step forward with his hand on Widow’s
Scream. The harpy shook with fear even more and dug its head into the ground.
Raven spoke in a soft voice.

“Have you eaten human meat before?”

Raven had once seen a harpy who lived high in the mountains ambush and devour a
human before. He couldn’t forget the sight and the sounds of talons ripping into the
organs and flesh.

“Hm.”

The harpy who was shaking its head with all its might didn’t seem to be lying.
Harpies weren’t smart enough to lie anyway, unlike goblins. It must have been due to
their nature as half birds and half-humans. They were literally bird-brained.

“Good. I believe you.”

“Kieeek! T, Thank…”

“But I still can’t forgive you for stealing my subject’s sheep. What should I do with
you?”

Raven once again brought his hand to Widow’s Scream in a threatening manner.

“They steal handsome Kazzal’s food too! That guy, bad guy!”

Kazzal pointed his finger and shouted. But as soon as Raven frowned, he went silent
and took a step back. Raven spoke once more, turning his head towards the harpy.

“So that’s the case. What are you going to do?”

The harpy, who was relieved for a moment, lowered her head again.

“Master, serve! Tata, you, and you, everyone master, serve!”

“Master!”

“You master!”

The other harpies all shouted in unison at their leader’s declaration.

“Tata? You even have a name. Alright then. From today onwards I am your master.
Got it?”

“Master! You are master!”

The harpies all bowed down at Raven’s words. It seemed that the harpies
understood that the only way they could live right now was to listen to Raven’s
words.

“Yes, I, Alan Pendragon, am your master. Alan Pendragon. Got it? If you disobey me,
you will all become dragon food.”
Raven glared at the harpies and pushed his helmet forward. Any other thoughts that
the harpies might have had disappeared at that moment and their complexions
turned blue. They spoke while shuddering.

“D, Dragon! S, scary, dragon! I know. Now, P, Pendragon. Tata Master!”

As Raven had suspected, these guys were the same as the goblins.

‘Soldrake is quite helpful in this matter.’

He hadn’t contracted with the dragon yet, but everyone in the duchy was terrified of
Soldrake, and he used that to his advantage. Most of the monsters probably saw
Soldrake when the dragon flew to Conrad Castle on the day of Raven’s reawakening.
To all the monsters that existed, a dragon was truly the supreme predator. In his days
as Raven Valt, if Soldrake hadn’t suddenly stopped fighting in the last battle, the
dragon alone would have been able to slaughter the entirety of the monster army.

The dragon was incredibly powerful and a being to be feared.

“……”

Meanwhile, the soldiers watched the situation unfold with their mouths wide open.
First, it had been goblins, and now, Alan Pendragon had even subdued the harpies. It
was unthinkable to form a master-slave relationship by threatening monsters.
Monsters, beings that were generally detested and thought of as enemies to be killed.

The soldiers didn’t know, but Raven had seen a wizard tame a harpy and use it as
their contractual beast. If the harpies originated from a place with no humans, it
would surely be much harder to subdue them as they didn’t speak nor understand
the human language. However, these harpies from the Pendragon Duchy were
different.

In the first place, it was strange that these harpies casually wandered about in a land
ruled by humans, but Raven thought that maybe he could use that to his advantage. If
they could understand his words, maybe he could threaten them like he did with the
goblins.

He was spot on.

For now, he couldn’t be sure how effective it was until some time passed, but it was
good so far.

“Oi, get some food for these guys.”

“Y, yes, Your Grace!”

“Food! Food!”

“Give it to the handsome Kazzal! Handsome Kazzal helped Pendragon!”

The other goblins drooled and kowtowed at the words of Kazzal, who held his nose
up high pridefully.

“Throw them some bread.”

They were beyond shameless even though they were captives. Raven started to walk
back to his tent, but then remembered something and turned around.

“Hieek…”

The excited harpies, thinking about their food, immediately cowered once again.
Raven took out Widow’s Scream from its sheath and started to walk towards the
group. The harpies went nuts as anxiety levels shot up through the ceiling.

“Kieeeeeeeak!!!!”

Even the soldiers were nervous, thinking that Alan Pendragon changed his mind and
decided to kill the harpies. But Raven walked up to the harpy named Tata, grabbed
her by the head, and whispered something into her ear for a while.

“…okay? If you don’t listen, I’ll feed you to the dragon.”

“W, will do! Will listen to master!”

Tata nodded her head frantically.

“Good.”

Raven nodded with a satisfied face and sheathed Widow’s Scream before turning
around.
“You can all go about your business now.”

The soldiers stared with blank expressions as Alan Pendragon casually walked by
while waving his hand. The harpies were in a panic, and the goblins were eager to
eat their food.

“Is everyone gathered?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

At Raven’s words, Killian and around a dozen seasoned warriors nodded their heads.

“Why don’t you come closer, Sir Breeden. Don’t stand there by yourself so far from
the group.”

“…Yes.”

Breeden, who had his arms crossed, walked forward with a fishy smile from the
entrance of the tent. Killian turned a furious gaze on him but receded it upon Raven’s
glance, snorted, and then turned his head.

“As I already mentioned, the vanguard will leave with ten spearmen and ten archers
in the morning. The rest will follow under Sir Killian’s command behind the
vanguard. You will always maintain a distance of one mile.”

“As you command, Your Grace.”

The soldiers replied in unison.

“What should we do?”

Breeden puffed his chest and asked.

“What do you want to do?”

Breeden sank into thought at Raven’s reply for a moment then spoke with a serious
expression.

“I think we should accompany Your Grace since you have smaller numbers.”
‘Look at this guy?’

Something felt odd. Breeden wasn’t one to offer his help. Nevertheless, Raven
nodded his head.

“Good. Let’s do that then. But since Lady Seyrod might be in danger, she will be in the
second party…”

“No. The lady will be with us. I am the red wolf of the Seyrod family, my soldiers and I
are not so weak to not be able to defend our lady.”

Breeden cut off Raven’s words and spoke out. Everyone’s gazes headed towards him.
The confident face of a brave knight. There didn’t seem to be a speck of lie in his
appearance.

Even Killian nodded in agreement at Breeden’s words.

“……”

But Raven felt differently.

Everyone else was entranced by Breeden’s display, but Raven focused on the man’s
first words. Trust. That dog Breeden was putting on a show to win over people’s
trust. Something was hidden in his words. Initially, it was off-putting that Breeden
wanted to accompany Raven, but now the strangeness became clear more than ever.

‘You’re pretty clever aren’t you… All right, keep at it.’

Raven tried his best to hide the mischievous smile that came and put forth an
emotional expression.

“How reassuring! It’s all thanks to the brave knights such as yourself, Sir Breeden,
that I no longer have to worry about the Seyrod family. Please do your best for our
Pendragon family tomorrow.”

“I will do my best, Your Grace!”

Breeden pounded his chest reassuringly.

“Good! Then make sure to remind the guards on night shifts to keep watch over the
monsters. Everyone, please go and rest.”

“Yes!”

Killian and the soldiers belonging to the Pendragon family answered with vigor. But
Breeden’s gaze was still fixated on Raven.

‘It’s tomorrow. Tomorrow, you will come begging me to save you, you brat, with tears
pouring down that pretty face of yours… Hehehe… ’

‘Tomorrow I will beat some sense into a dog who doesn’t know their owner, as well as a
dog that doesn’t know its place.’

Raven hid his thoughts behind a beautiful smile.

Breeden didn’t know Raven Valt’s true nature yet.

A group of troops marched out of the woods in formation, passing through the thick,
bleak morning mist surrounding the trees.

‘This is so weird… ’

Breeden kept staring at the front of the group as he rode his horse alongside Luna
Seyrod in the middle of the group. He was deep in thought, repeatedly tilting his
head.

His gaze was fixed on the two beings next to Alan Pendragon with his white armor.
The two had completely opposite attitudes.

‘Why is he bringing a goblin and a harpy with him? No, in the first place, why are they
so compliant towards him…?’

The goblin was joyfully moving his shoulders up and down with flutter in his steps,
with the harpy, who was constantly slipping gazes at Alan Pendragon with a scared
expression. Both of them were unbound from chains, unlike yesterday. Even without
any restraints, they were obediently listening to Alan Pendragon’s words. The
terrified harpy he could understand… but that goblin… he…

“Handsome Kazzal had good breakfast! Pendragon is uglier than handsome Kazzal
but he is a good human! Hehehe!”

“…What did I say would happen if you said that word one more time?”

“Mistake! Handsome Kazzal make a mistake! Pendragon is handsome! Even more

than handsome Kazzal!”

“……”

Breeden couldn’t tell if this was a joke or not. He wasn’t sure how to react to the
goblin acting all friendly towards Alan Pendragon.

…
It wasn’t just him who felt this way.

Luna Seyrod, alongside the soldiers of the Pendragon and Seyrod family, all looked at
Alan Pendragon, riding his horse alongside the two monsters, with weird looks in
their eyes. Alan was not just a noble, but one of the highest-ranked nobility in the
entire empire.

It wouldn’t be weird for him to treat humans and other nobles with an arrogant
attitude, let alone some monsters. No one could figure out how to react to a person
of such status riding beside two monsters as if they were equals.

Besides, why did he even put a feather of the filthy harpy on his helmet? He was
definitely a huge oddball. But Breeden shook his head, scattering his thoughts.

‘That brat feels triumphant after coming out.’

That was probably the case. He wanted to showcase the monsters he captured to the
bandits he was searching for. He probably wanted to look good in front of Luna as
well.

‘Well, your moment won’t last for much longer, brat.’

Breeden gave a sly smile. But he quickly reformed his expression. He could see
Southstone in the distance.

***

“Hmm…”

Raven carefully looked over the long stone walls covered with moss and bread gaps
missing a few stones. It should’ve been a busy time of day, but he couldn’t see a trace
of human activity. It seemed that the residents had already escaped, or were taken by
the bandits as Killian had mentioned.

Rattle!

A noise came from inside the village before a figure was seen running hastily
towards the other side of the village.

“It was an ugly thief soldier! Alan Pendragon!!”

“I saw it as well.”

Raven nodded his head at Kazzal’s words. It was clearly a bandit placed on the
lookout. The troops stopped and grabbed their weapons tighter with anxiety.

“Don’t be shaken. Keep walking.”

At Raven’s low voice, the soldiers remembered back to what Raven had said before
they had set out early in the morning. They lowered their weapons before hurriedly
following after him.

Shortly after, Raven and the soldiers arrived at a small forest next to a creek on the
outskirts of the village. Raven squinted his eyes and looked towards a hill that was
seen across the stream.

Atop was a large building, surrounded by three smaller buildings and a high wooden
watchtower, this was the monastery. Long wooden fences and rope surrounded the
whole encampment and two bandits could be seen sprinting past the open entrance
of the camp. The wooden barricade was covered with sharp tips which were as tall
as a fully grown human adult. Due to the height of the fences and the distance, it was
not possible to see what was going on inside the barrier.

“Kazzal.”

“Okay, Pendragon.”

At Raven’s glance, Kazzal climbed up a tree. Soldiers licked their lips in wonder at the
sight of the goblin nimbly ascending a tree like a squirrel. After a while, Kazzal came
down from the tree while stepping on the branches.

“Ugly bandits are busy! All the girls and children went into the building. Ten humans
with bows. Other ones have spears and swords. Six bandits with horses. More than
last time.”

The goblins truly did have amazing eyesight, being able to accurately grasp the
number of the bandits from afar. Raven lightly nodded his head before asking.

“Is there anyone who is wearing armor similar to our knight?”

“Is. Three. Among the three the most handsome humans. He went up there.”
“…It’s Del Geoffrey.”

Killian had told Raven that Geoffrey was an especially grotesque person. Now that
the goblin called someone the most handsome out of a group, the one who climbed
up onto the watchtower must be Geoffrey.

He must’ve climbed up the tower to check the situation for himself after his
subordinates reported to him about the invaders. Raven turned his head towards his
soldiers that were staring at the towering monastery with nervous eyes.

“We’re heading out. All of you remember, right? Just do as I’ve told.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Raven and his troops left the forest. After crossing the shallow stream, he started to
slow his horse when he was reaching 300 yards (around 270 meters) from the
encampment. He could make out small figures in the watchtower.

“Now, put it up.”

“Yes, sir!”

At Raven’s command, a soldier came forward and finally erected a giant flagged
spear that he had been carrying. The Pendragon family’s famous dragon-shaped
symbol shone visible under the sunlight. The crest, embroidered with golden thread
on a red background, was so massive and colorful that it would be clearly visible
from afar. A scoundrel who was originally a knight of the Pendragon family would be
able to recognize the symbol, no doubt about it.

“The humans on the watchtower are surprised. The armored, handsome one is most
surprised.”

Kazzal rambled on with his hand perched on top of his forehead.

Again, it was as expected.

Raven drew closer to the wooden barrier. Having come this far, seeing that there was
no quarrel being fired, the enemy didn’t seem to possess any crossbows. That meant
that he could close the distance even more until he reached the firing range of their
longbow.
Raven, having crossed about 100 yards (90 meters), turned his head and indicated
with his eyes at one of the soldiers. The soldier came to Raven’s side as if he had
been waiting for the signal.

When Raven turned his gaze back to the monastery, he could see the people on top of
the watchtower glaring in his direction as well.

“Whoo…”

Raven took in a light breath as the tension filled the silence. He opened his mouth
wide staring at the watchtower.

“This place! is this place! The! Den of the dirty rats! That betrayed my family?”

Raven’s voice burst out loud.

“Kieeeeek!”

“Kyaaak!”

The voice was so loud that Kazzal and Tata both jumped up in fright. Even the
soldiers who already knew of the plan were surprised and flinched.

“Y, yesssshh. Sir Pen-dra-gon!! That is the place that the bunch of scoundrels who
don’t know grace are gatheredddd!!”

The soldier next to Raven was picked especially as he had the loudest voice of all the
soldiers.

“Their lair is so dirty and inferior, how befitting of mere rats! Look at them hiding in
their little holes and spying on us! What a bunch of cowards! It must be a gathering
of little girls who have no balls!! Uwahahahahaha!”

The soldiers burst out laughing at Raven’s mockery, and Luna’s face burned red.
Raven twisted the reins of his horse and turned the horse around.

“Let’s go! Since they’re so cowardly! I can come back for them after I open the
mausoleum and form a con-tract with Soldrake!”

“Well spoken, sir! Eat this, you bastards!”

A soldier pulled his pants down and shook his white buttocks towards the
monastery.

“Hahahahahaha!”

The laughter of Raven and the soldiers pierced through the silence.

***

“That damned bastard!!!”

Del Geoffery, with his torn eyes, wild nose, crooked teeth, and spots all over his face,
burst out in rage, his face burning bright red.

“I’m going to kill him! I’m going to kill that runty bastard right now!”

Not long ago, he had seen a giant dragon fly towards Conrad Castle. He and his
subordinates were scared out of their wit when they saw the sight, but the dragon
soon flew back towards the Ancona Forest after a few hours. He wasn’t sure what
was going on, but he was relieved when the dragon left.

After a while, he heard that Alan Pendragon woke up from his unconscious state. It
didn’t really matter though, because the Pendragon family without a dragon was a
tiger without its fangs.

There wasn’t much to worry about even if the Pendragon brat brought his entire
forces on an expedition outside Bellint Gate. He had the confidence to repel them
within the safety of the barrier along with sixty of his men. There were plenty of
traps around the fortress, and they had enough food in-store to last them for months.

The Pendragon family couldn’t just ignore the affairs within the gate and stow away
for several months outside the fortress. They were sure to give up and return to
where they came from. That was why Geoffery snorted when a guard reported that
soldiers, presumably from the Pendragon family, were marching towards here. Two
or three knights and thirty-ish soldiers could never hope to conquer this place.

When it came to it, all Geoffry had to do was fire a few arrows from safety, and send
some men through the back to circle and swarm the enemy.

But, the little brat who could only piss his pants must have gone insane, because the
runt made an open provocation right in front of his face. If the brat had come into the
range of the longbows, he would’ve walked away a hedgehog, but he turned around
and left after the provocation.

It was natural for Geoffrey to be beyond angry.

“N, no, boss. I mean, Sir Geoffrey, it’s a trap!”

One of Geoffrey’s subordinates hurriedly held him back from his side.

“It’s Alan Pendragon who woke up just a short while ago. It’s not possible that he
only brought that many troops with him. It must be a trap.”

“Hmm…!”

Del Geoffrey slammed his feet on the floor with a rough snort. His subordinate was
right. There was no reason to walk into such an obvious trap and exit the fortress
when there might be more soldiers lying in ambush.

“No, wait a minute!”

Del Geoffrey fervently observed the area under the watchtower as if something came
into his mind.

He couldn’t see anything out of place within a one-mile radius. There was no one but
the thirty soldiers that accompanied Alan Pendragon. Even if there were soldiers
lying in wait outside the field of view, it would take a long time for them to arrive to
help. In addition, he had twenty soldiers with horses. That meant…

“We’re going to catch them!”

Del Geoffrey hastened to descend the watchtower.

“Sorry?”

“Idiot! Did you not hear what I said? What are we going to do if that Pendragon brat
really succeeds in making an oath with the dragon? We’re really finished then.”

“W, well, yes, but…”

“Motherfucker! I’m not going to take this bullshit lying down. They only have around
twenty men anyway. Tell the men to get ready! If we can get rid of that brat then we
won’t have to worry about the dragon or whatnot anyway!”

Del Geoffrey climbed down from the watchtower and shouted at his men.

“Open the gates! Leave only ten men behind, we’re going to get those bastards!”

“Yes!”

The bandits that were on standby raised their voices.

Creaaaak! Thud!

The entrance to the fortress was opened. With Del Geoffrey in the lead, over twenty
soldiers on horses quickly passed the entrance.

“Hehe! We just need to catch that Pendragon brat. Who knows, maybe we can use
this as our chance to take over Bellint Gate? Then we’ll move onto Conrad Castle.
Then Duchess Elena will be… Hehehe… Hahahaha!”

He was elated that he would finally be able to satisfy his craving for killing after a
long time. At the thought of Elena Pendragon’s sensual body, his lower body swelled.

“The barrier door is open! Humans are coming out!”

Even without Kazzal’s warning, Raven had already grasped the situation as a veteran
of over 10 years of experience.

“Defenses, everyone!”

“Yes, sir!”

At Raven’s command, the spearmen spread out in a fan shape and erected their
shields, while archers positioned behind the defenses. Although small in number, it
was a well-practiced imperial formation.

“Sir Breeden! Send a liaison to the main army!”

Raven told Breeden, as they already discussed previously. But Breeden opened his
eyes wide as if he had no idea what Raven was talking about.

“Sorry? What are you talking about?’

“What do you mean, what am I talking about? One of your men or yourself is
supposed to act as liaison to the main group as we discussed yesterday!”

Raven raised his voice with a flustered expression.

“I have no idea what you are talking about. I’m sure I’ve already told you that the
Seyrod soldiers, including myself, will escort Lady Luna.”

“What did you say?”

Raven sharply raised his eyes. Breeden held back laughter and continued in a serious
voice.

“Well. Looking at the situation, I think we will have to take our leave now. They won’t
want to make trouble with the Seyrod family, so we shouldn’t have to worry about
being attacked. Lady Luna, let’s go.”

“S, sir Breeden! What are you talking about?”

Even Luna took on a desperate expression and tried to stop Breeden.

“We have no choice. The soldiers of the Seyrod family have to prioritize your safety
first, my lady. This place is dangerous, and we must leave immediately. Let’s go.”

As soon as he finished talking, he took out his scabbard and hit the behind of Luna’s
steed.

Neighhh!

Luna’s horse ran like the wind down the hill.

“Sir Breeden! S, sir Pendragon…!”

Luna’s voice gradually faded along with the horse. The soldiers of the Seyrod family
followed at a rapid pace.
“Then fight hard, Sir Pendragon. Be sure to survive! Khahaha!”

Breeden, who couldn’t hold back anymore, burst out laughing and rode his horse
away.

“B, Breeden!”

As he heard the desperate voice of Alan Pendragon behind his back, Breeden burst
out laughing hard. He laughed to his heart’s content, not giving a second glance
behind him.

“Puhahahahaha! This is the end, brat! Hahahahahahaha!”

But Breeden didn’t see it. Alan Pendragon, who was calling out to him with such a
desperate voice, was smiling with his eyes.
As Breeden’s figure grew barely visible, only Raven and the Pendragon family’s
soldiers were left standing near the stream with hardened expressions. Del Geoffrey
had left the fortress with his soldiers, and they were rushing down the hill toward
Raven and his group. One of Raven’s soldiers looked at Raven, unable to hide his
anxiousness.

“Y, Your Grace, what should we…”

“Kazzal, Tata.”

Raven called Kazzal and Tata who were hiding behind Raven’s horse while not even
looking at the soldier.

“It’s your turn now. You know what to do?”

“Ah, I know!”

“Go for it.”

As soon as Raven’s words fell, Kazzal immediately crawled up a tree, and Tata spread
her wings and flew up.

Woosh!

The soldiers gawked in awe at the sight of the harpy climbing dozens of feet with
every flap of her wing.

“Y, Your Grace!”

The soldiers took on a panicked expression at the sight of what seemed to be two
monsters escaping by themselves. But Raven paid their expressions no attention,
and looked around at the soldiers before giving a command.

“Archers get ready!”

“Y, yes!”

The archers pushed their crossbows through the gaps which existed between the
shields of other soldiers.

Rumble!

The sound of multiple horses galloping became louder by the minute. Moreover, the
sound of the bandits’ shouts disturbed the soldiers’ ears.

“Kiyah!”

“Kuhaha!”

The bandits were only armed with thin leather armor and rusty weapons, but their
morale was high, and their momentum was on pace.

“Handsome Kazzal, sent signal!”

“Good! Archers, fire!”

Raven gave a great shout at Kazzal’s words.

Woosh! Woosh!

Along with a blunt firing sound, quarrels (arrows for crossbows) flew towards the
bandits, slicing through the air. The arrows pierced straight through the bandits’ thin
leather armor and the muscles of the horses.

Neighh!

“Ahhhh!”

“Kuahhk!”

Four horses collapsed along with the sound of their cries and the screams of their
riders. They tumbled down the hill with the same momentum that they were rushing
towards Raven with.

“Archers reload! Infantry, get ready to maintain your defenses.”

The archers backed away a few steps to reload their crossbows at Raven’s command.
The crossbows were accurate and powerful, but the slow reloading speed held back
the full fledged force of the crossbows.

Clack!

“We will prepare for engagement! Archers, fire as soon as you finish reloading!”

After giving his command, Raven didn’t wait for any response and rushed out to the
battlefield on his steed.

“Gasp!”

The soldiers opened their eyes in shock at the sight of Raven charging headfirst into
the enemy lines.

“Goddammit!”

Del Geoffrey spat out swears at the accuracy of Raven’s archers. They were better
than he thought. But he still had around fifteen calvaries, and more soldiers
following behind. The enemy might have better equipment, but it didn’t matter in
front of overwhelming numbers.

“Go! Let’s go crush them… Hmm!?”

Del Geoffrey opened his eyes in shock. An unexpected situation had occurred. The
enemy soldiers were standing still, but the Pendragon brat had started to charge
towards them by himself.

A vicious smile crawled up on Geoffrey’s face.

“Kuhahahaha! This brat is out of his mind! Alright! I was going to quietly capture you,
but now I will personally cripple all of your limbs!”

Nobles were not to be killed carelessly, especially more so if they were an heir to a
duchy.

If the rumor spread that the only heir to the Pendragon family was killed, the nearby
lords and the soldiers from the imperial capital would march down here. No matter
the circumstances, they wouldn’t just watch from the sidelines if a blood relative of
the emperor was killed.

So he was planning to simply capture the brat, but now Geoffery began to change his
mind. It was fine as long as he was alive. Or maybe, it was better to be off with the
brat now.

There was no law that prevented him from killing Alan Pendragon and claiming the
title for himself.

“Get that brat! It’s fine as long as you don’t kill him! Kuhahaha!”

The closer the brat in white armor came, the closer Del Geoffrey seemed to grasping
his ambitions.

Clip-clop, clip-clop!

Raven’s eyes gleamed from within his helmet as he stared directly at the group of
bandits. His heart beat as fast as the horse’s hooves hit the ground. In addition, he
felt hot energy rising up from his body, causing his muscles to swell tightly.

Raven released his hands that were grasping the reins.

Then, he unsheathed Widow’s Scream, wielding it with his right hand and reaching
behind his back to grab a crescent-shaped blade with his left hand.

Woosh!

The scimitar he used to beat up Killian in Conrad Castle was no longer an antique.
Raven had the blade sharpened and its handle rewrapped. The newly restored blade
was now quite similar to the weapon Raven had used in his days in the demonic
army.

Wooong!

Pendragon family’s treasured weapon, Widow’s Scream and the scimitar, shone cold
in the sunlight, displaying their sharpness. The weapons radiated an eerie metallic
sensation.

Raven’s face was adorned with a smile that was cold and as vicious as his two
weapons.
“Let’s get warmed up, shall we!”

A man, who was once called the reaper of the battlefields, broke through the bandits’
formation.

“Sir Killian! We see the signal!”

“I see it too! All units, charge!”

Killian shouted a command after seeing the twinkling signal coming from the tree in
the distance. The soldiers of the main army rushed out from the woods that they
were hiding in.

“Charge! Charrgee! If you’re slow, then we’re gonna leave yer behind!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers who numbered around one hundred increased their speed even further.

“I, I’m here!”

Killian and the soldiers, who had crossed about 200 yards, saw something rush
towards them. It was the harpy that Alan had with him. She flew towards them,
crossing dozens of yards with each stroke of her wings.

“M, master fighting! Human girl, knight, run away! Huff, huff!”

The harpy gasped for breath, indicating how hard it had rushed towards them, even
with its stamina being better than humans.

“I, I see.”

Killian had already heard from Alan, but it really was incredulous that the goblin sent
a signal, and the harpy acted as a liaison.

“Where is His Grace right now?”

“F, follow Tata! Gasp!”

The harpy took in a deep breath, then turned around before flying back to the way it
came from.

“Let's go! Advance! Charge!”

Killian and the soldiers ran after the harpy crazily.

Slice! Swoosh!

Several bandits were rolling on the ground with their arms cut off, accompanied by
continuous screams. There were already eight bandits that were heavily injured or
dead, squirming on the ground like worms.

“Huff… Huff!”

Del Geoffrey was standing in disbelief, his armor and body entirely soaked in blood.
He took several steps back but fell in place due to his injured leg from falling off of
his horse.

Woosh!

The scimitar drew a beautiful arc before one of Geoffrey’s subordinate’s heads flew
up in the air. The dead man’s sword was nowhere close to reaching its opponent.
Geoffrey looked up at his opponent who dove into his men by himself and
slaughtered them with dull eyes.

“D, d, demon. That’s not a human. That’s a demon…”

Del Geoffrey muttered, unaware of the drool that was coming down his face. It was
hard even for a knight to wield their weapons proficiently on top of their horses. But
that demon had used both hands to wield two weapons, not even bothering to hold
onto the reins. His movements had no gaps, and it was as if he had become one with
his horse.

Clang!

That was when one of the rusty blades struck the body of the demon around the
waist area. Del Geoffrey’s eyes lit up at the sight, brimming with hope. But after an
instant, hope changed into shock and despair. Whatever material the white armor
was made up of, there wasn’t even a scratch on the bloodied armament.
“You dirty scoundrel!”

Along with rough words unfit for a duchy’s heir, Raven made a cross with the sword
he held in his right hand.

Kieeeek!

The man’s chest split open, accompanied by a sound similar to a ghost shrieking.

“Ahhhhh!”

Along with a flick of Raven’s wrist, both of the bandit’s arms rolled on the ground.
Blood gurgled in his mouth before he fell into convulsions and died on the ground.

Wooosh! Thump!

Three more bandits fell as quarrels flew in from behind and struck their targets.
Thirteen were dead. In the time it took to enjoy a cup of tea, thirteen men were killed
by just one man. Del Geoffrey got up from the ground and turned his head towards
the monastery.

“Whoo…!”

A sigh of relief escaped his mouth. Over thirty of his soldiers were rushing towards
them with spears, swords, shields, and bows.

“Come quickly, you bastards! Overwhelm them with numbers! They can’t do
anything in front of our crushing numbers!”

Geoffrey shouted crazily, spit splattering out with every spoken word.

Then, as if he had heard Geoffrey’s words, the demon in white armor stopped for a
second and faced his head towards Geoffrey. Geoffrey flinched, but regained his
composure and held up his blade in front of him.

“Today will be your last day, Pendragon brat! You are… hmm?”

Geoffrey stopped in the middle of his words. The brat had taken off his helmet to
reveal a smile underneath.
“You can’t do anything in front of overwhelming numbers? Well-spoken for a dog
who tried to bite its owner.”

“W… what?”

Del Geoffrey’s confusion did not last long.

“Kill those damned thieves! Go assist His Grace Pendragon!”

At someone’s sudden shout, Geoffrey quickly turned his head around.

“Uaaahhhhhhhhh!”

Del Geoffrey’s ugly face became distorted and wrecked to the point where people
would believe him to have taken the shape of a new type of monster.

Wooooooooooooosh!

Dozens of quarrels brushed past Geoffrey, causing the air to distort. Where the
arrows were shot from, around one hundred soldiers were rushing towards him
while holding a flag with the Pendragon coat of arms in front of them.

“There’s no greater strength than numbers. Don’t you agree?”

Raven’s smile grew deeper.

***

“Aaaaaaaaaahhh!”

A bloodcurdling scream resounded throughout the monastery. Raven was seated in

the middle of a large courtyard and coldly stared at the sight that unfolded before
him with indifferent eyes.

Dozens of bandits were tightly bound and knelt in front of him. In front of them, a
naked man was tied on a cross-shaped wooden pole. To the left and the right, there
were tens of men and women who were watching the events of the courtyard with
scared eyes. They didn’t dare stare at Raven for the fear of making eye contact with
him.
“Hueeeeek… Heeuk!”

Del Geoffrey gasped for breath, his mouth full of blood-stained froth. His hands and
feet were nailed to the cross-shaped device. Raven slowly stood up from where he
sat. The bystanders flinched and took a few steps back at his action. Raven slowly
walked towards the cross.

“Raise your head, dog which dared to bite its owner.”

Del Geoffrey raised his head in a half-conscious state.

A pure white face with no blemishes, a beautiful face that was hard to distinguish
whether it was a man or a woman. But to Geoffrey, it was a face scarier than that of a
demon’s. Under the gaze of those cold, blue eyes, Geoffrey lost control of his bladder.

“Heuuu… F, forgive…”

“Forgiveness?”

Raven mumbled quietly and turned his head. Raven’s gaze headed towards a large
pit behind the road that led to the monastery. Just moments before, soldiers had
occupied the monastery and confirmed what was inside the pit.

They made the report with horrified faces.

Raven had personally headed to the pit and looked into it. The sight of around a
hundred skeletons that were charred black made even Raven, who was called the
reaper of the battlefield, recoil at the sight. The remains belonged to the villagers of
Southstone and the area around it.

Some belonged to those caught escaping, some belonged to those that collapsed due
to the heavy labor, some belonged to those that were killed for entertainment, and
some belonged to those that were raped then killed. The bodies were all burned
beyond recognition.

“You kill my subjects and then say what, forgiveness?”

“Heuuuu. I, I’m sor… Please…”

Thud.
”Ahhhhhhhhhh!”

A scream resounded once more. The dagger thrown by Raven accurately pierced Del
Geoffrey’s lower leg.

“Huek! Keu…”

Raven turned away from Geoffrey who was gasping with pain. The residents that
were staring at Geoffrey with hatred and vengeful looks flinched and lowered their
heads. Raven slowly opened his lips amidst the mixture of hostility, tension, and fear.

“Everyone, lift your heads. Raise your head and see how Pendragon takes care of a
traitor, a traitor that is less than a wild beast. Watch, and listen.”

“……”

The residents slowly raised their heads. The appearance of Alan Pendragon with
fluttering hair and cold eyes was proud and confident. Raven spoke in a cold voice
while looking around at the residents.

“I will decide! I, Alan Pendragon, heir to the Pendragon duchy, will leave the
judgment of Del Geoffrey… to my subjects that are here.”

“……!”

The eyes of the soldiers and the residents widened, and Raven turned his body away
from the courtyard.
Step, step…

Raven walked towards the monastery and entered the building with heavy footsteps.
Watching the disappearing figure of Raven, Killian let out a sigh and turned his gaze
toward the residents.

“Did you not hear? His Grace Pendragon has spoken! Whether they live or die is up to
you now!”

Only then the residents started to murmur while looking at each other. But that only
lasted for a short while.

Thud!

“Ahk!”

A stone thrown by someone accurately hit the forehead of a bandit. That was the
signal. Soon, there were stones coming from every direction.

“Keuk!”

“Ahhhk!”

The bandits hunched over at the serenade of rocks. One person even struggled to
bring forth a large rock with their frail body and dropped it on the face of a bandit
who looked up in fear.

“Die!”

“Kill them! Die!”

The angry residents rushed to the bandits.

Rocks, fists, feet, sickle… The bodies of the bandits were torn and split in anger.
Madness, terrible noises and screams filled the monastery.
Raven sat on the frontmost pew in the sanctuary, hearing the sound of death coming
from outside.

The statue of Illeyna, the goddess of light, looked down at Raven with a benevolent,
but solemn expression. How would the goddess accept the situation that was
happening right outside, in her territory? How would she take the killing and the
viciousness that was happening in madness?

Maybe she would curse Raven as the man who was responsible for what was
happening.

But he didn’t care.

Just because he got a chance at a new life, it didn’t mean he was going to live as a
saint. He intended to be fair. Humans should be treated as humans, and despicable,
cruel murderers less than beasts should be treated accordingly. That was the
philosophy of the man named Raven Valt.

Moreover…

Raven believed that Alan would’ve made the same decision given the circumstances.

Just this once, at least.

He slowly stood up from the chair. He took out a gold coin from his gauntlet, which
he kept used as a storage from his days in the demonic army.

It was thought to bring luck. He kissed both sides of the coin, which were adorned
with the figure of the goddess, then performed a gesture.

Clang!

The coin dropped into an old wooden offering bank in front of the statue.

“This is my path. Even if you want to curse me, give me some time first.”

Raven muttered quietly, then turned his body.

Click, click, click…

The sound of lonely footsteps echoed through the chapel. Through the dust fluttering
in the sunlight coming through the window, the gaze of the goddess of light was fixed
on the back of the reborn man.

***

“I leave this in your hands. It’s a heavy responsibility, make sure to take care of it well
under the name of Pendragon. Restore this place and guard it well.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

Honet, the loud-voiced soldier who screamed alongside Raven yesterday, beat his left
chest twice and gave a military salute.

“For men, teach them how to use the crossbow and train them. After the situation
recovers, you can organize a vigilante group. However, prioritize the recovery of the
village and the residents. Don’t overwork them at any cost. These people are all my
subjects, and the people of Pendragon.”

“Yes sir!”

“Good. Now go do your work.”

“Pendragon forever! Honor to the white dragon!”

Shouting the Pendragon family’s slogan, Honet once again performed a military
salute.

Creeeeak!

As the barriers lifted up, Raven and the soldiers headed out of the entrance with two
monsters leading the way.

“Thank you! Thank you, Your Grace!”

“I will pray to the goddess of light for your safe return.”

“Oh, heir to the great Pendragon…”

The residents who were standing by the entrance bent their waist and knees,
honoring the owner of the land with all they had. Their complexions were still bad
since only a day had passed since their rescue, but their expressions had changed for
the better. Their faces gleamed with hope for a brighter future.

Raven lightly nodded as he left the village. Raven and the group of soldiers passed by
the stone wall of Southstone village, which was being reconstructed by a dozen
soldiers. Killian looked at the bowing villagers as he rode his horse up to Raven’s
side.

“Anyways, Your Grace, isn’t thirty men a bit too much?”

“No, I think it’s the perfect number. If you want to work on village restoration, you
should always have around ten men on guard duty. The others will be busy working
on the buildings and the monastery.

Besides, sooner or later, the other villages will hear of the news, and residents may
flood into Southstone. Hence, thirty is a good number of men to leave behind.”

“Well… Yes, I agree with you.”

Killian scratched his head. He was always curious as to how Alan, who was always in
his room, got his knowledge, strength, and determination. The more he learned
about Alan, the more he wondered.

“Anyway, we were very fortunate that there was a blacksmith as well as a carpenter
among the residents that were captured by the bandits.”

“Yes, we were very lucky.”

Killian gave a bright smile, to which Raven also responded with a smile.

Among the residents brought in by Del Geoffrey, there were high-level workers --
blacksmiths and carpenters. Geoffrey had not recognized their skills, and they
desperately hid their identities, causing their abilities to be wasted on fieldwork and
chores.

However, after the real master of the Pendragon family appeared and saved them,
they had no reason to hide their identities anymore. The blacksmiths and carpenters
were quite useful in restoration work and in improving military power.
For example…

“A man can learn to handle a crossbow in only a few days. The carpenter can make
crossbows, so in around a month, we should be able to supply the men here, as well
as Bellint Gate, with new crossbows.”

“Good.”

If crossbows were placed in the Southstone village’s wooden barriers, it would

bolster their defenses immensely. The only downsides with crossbows were their
reloading times. If crossbows were placed all around the walls of a castle in the gun’s
eye, then it would multiply their defenses. The same would hold true for Bellint Gate.

“I have gained so much from this campaign, Your Grace. I am ashamed that I was
opposed to your plan in the beginning.”

Killian spoke in embarrassment.

Raven was a little apologetic.

The “so much” that Killian spoke of was the things gained by the Pendragon family,
and Killian, instead lost “one precious thing”. Even so, he still rejoiced at the
Pendragon family’s fortune.

“In that sense, I, Mark Killian, will faithfully guard Your Grace until we reach the
mausoleum, so that I may not be ashamed of myself any longer! Please leave it to me!
Haha, hahahaha!”

Killian laughed brilliantly as he touched his finely grown mustache with his finger.

Raven had a new thought.

Maybe this knight who was next to him, whose sideburns were cut off by half after
yesterday’s battle, would become a ‘real knight’ that he longed to be so much.

A real knight that would take his own losses and fight in the vanguard more bravely
than anyone else for the sake of his lord and family. Maybe Mark Killian, who served
the Pendragon family for nearly 10 years, would be that ‘real knight’.

“Ehem! Hmm!”
Raven felt a little awkward at his thoughts that hastened his heartbeats with passion
and turned his head.

“Kazzal, go up that tree and look around the area.”

“Yes, master Pendragon. Handsome Kazzal will look around!”

Handsome Kazzal, who was now completely integrated into the Pendragon forces,
leaped joyfully towards a tree in the distance. In contrast, Tata still glanced at Raven
with fearful eyes.

Killian, noticing the sight, walked up to Raven and asked.

“By the way, Your Grace. Why is this harpy so obedient to you? She could’ve probably
escaped yesterday as well.”

Raven smirked and pulled out one of Tata’s feathers from his helmet.

“It’s because of this.”

“What?”

Killian tilted his head in confusion, and Raven replied, his smile still on his face.

“I told her that I would give this feather to Soldrake if she didn’t obey my orders.
That Soldrake would find her wherever she went and eat her.”

“Ha…!”

Killian let out an exclamation in enlightenment.

He had wondered why the harpy had come to him to act as a liaison, but now he
knew the real reason behind her obedience.

“Uh, then… the conversation you had with her… last night…”

Killian spoke cautiously, recalling the words of one of the soldiers that spoke to him
the night before about Alan Pendragon’s ‘eccentricity’. Unsurprisingly, Alan
Pendragon nodded his head as if it was obvious.
“What conversation? I just threatened her.”

“…Yes.”

Killian didn’t know whether to blame the stupid harpy or Alan Pendragon’s
wickedness(?) for the matter.

“Master Pendragon! Master Pendragon!”

At that moment, Kazzal, who had been scouting on top of the tree, came running
towards Raven, his face painted red from running.

“What is it? Did you see anything?”

“H, handsome Kazzal saw! I saw! A human woman and an ugly knight that escaped
yesterday!”

“Hoh…”

Raven narrowed his brows at Kazzal’s words that referred to Luna Seyrod and
Breeden.

He had expected Breeden to betray him, but he didn’t think that Breeden would turn
his back on him so blatantly. Luna left with a perplexed expression, so it must have
been planned by Breeden himself.

Well, now that he thought about it one more time, Breeden’s attitude during the
operation meeting in the forest hinted at something.

Raven just didn’t expect that ‘something’ to be the dumbest and shallowest plan
Breeden could come up with.

‘You imbecile… ’

Raven flashed a fishy smile.

If he had been Breeden, he would have found a way to partner up with Del Geoffrey.

- Eliminate those designated as enemies by any means.

That was one of Raven’s philosophies. In that respect, Breeden didn’t quite live up to
Raven’s standards in terms of being thorough and cold.

Anyway, Raven was planning to teach Breeden a good lesson when he ran into him,
so it was good timing.

“Where? Let’s go that way.”

“Kieeeeek! N, no! We can’t go that way! Never!”

Kazzal shook his hands rapidly in fear.

“Hmm?”

Raven grabbed the horse’s reins and looked at Kazzal with a sharp gaze. But Kazzal,
unphased, still shook his head while facing Raven’s death-glare. Then he spoke, still
flopping and spitting.

“O, orcs! Handsome, cool orc warriors! There is also a scary druid with a stone hat
with them!”

“……!”

Raven and Killian opened their eyes wide at the same time and shared a gaze.

“Surely…”

“Ancona… Is it Ancona Orcs?”

Killian nodded at Raven’s words, putting on his helmet tightly.

“That is very likely. The entrance to Ancona Forest is only about half a day’s ride
from here. It’s a bit strange that they’ve ventured outside of the forest, but the only
orcs that reside in the Pendragon Duchy are the Ancona Orcs.”

“This is great. We were planning to meet them anyway.”

“Correct, but the fact that the Seyrod soldiers are with them is bothering me. Even
though they don’t mind regular humans, the Ancona Orcs hate armed human
soldiers.”
Raven replied with a bloody smile at Killian’s worried words.

“What kind of orc isn’t like that? Well, they still shouldn’t dare act rashly in my
territory. Kazzal, lead the way.”

“Kieee… handsome Kazzal is scared. Handsome, cool orc warriors. They don’t like
goblins who are more handsome and cooler than them like Kazzal…”

“Dragon food.”

“I go! This way! This way, master Pendragon!”

Kazzal leapt away with a changed expression, leading Alan and the soldiers. Tata also
took on a terrified expression, even though the words weren’t directed at her. It
seemed that she didn’t need any more convincing to get her to follow him.

“Let’s go, Sir Killian. Let's put them in their place.”

“Y, yes?”

Raven stared at Killian, who had wide eyes, and spoke in a loud voice.

“This is my land, the land of the Pendragons. How dare they act rashly living on
borrowed land. I need to put them in their place. Let’s go!”

“…!”

Killian’s startled face started to brighten up little by little.

“Yes! Of course! This master of this land is Pendragon! Hahaha! Let’s go boys!”

“Yes!”

Pendragon’s soldiers got busy once again.

“We are close to the territory border. We can finally say goodbye to this accursed
Pendragon land.”

Breeden looked towards the tall mountains with their peaks wrapped in clouds.

“……”

“Anyway, I wonder how His Grace Pendragon is doing. Well, the bandits probably
want to get a good price in exchange for him. They must be treating him pretty
fairly.”

“……”

Luna, who was only staring straight ahead until now, finally turned her head.

“How can you even say such a thing?”

“Why, am I not supposed to?”

Breeden responded with a sly smile, which caused Luna’s expression to harden even
more.

“Are you not ashamed as a knight? His Grace Pendragon needed our help. You
couldn’t even spare them a liaison?”

“I’ve already told you several times that the most important duty for the soldiers and
I is keeping my lady safe. We made the best decision at the time. It was an obvious
choice for me, my lady.”

“Even so…”

“Phew, anyways, who would’ve thought that those bandits would actually come out
rushing at us. Good thing we were already prepared. They could have placed my lady
in danger. Hahaha!”
Breeden shrugged his shoulders and let out a loose laugh.

“Ha…”

Luna was lost for words at Breeden’s incredulous actions.

Breeden wasn’t completely in the wrong, however. The reason she brought a
company of men along with Breeden was because the Pendragon Duchy was in such
dangerous conditions. It was to protect her from danger.

Noticing Luna’s silence, Breeden pulled up his horse right next to hers.

She didn’t even spare a glance at him, but Breeden examined Luna’s delicate features
with lustful eyes, scanning down her body.

He stared at Luna’s cleavage that was slightly revealed in her outdoor summer dress,
and his eyes filled with desire.

“Anyway, now that you’ve broken off the engagement, don’t you think you need to
look for a new prospective husband?”

Breeden spoke with a worried voice.

“That’s for Count Seyrod to decide.”

“Hoh? That means you are willing to follow his will no matter who he decides?”

“……”

Luna turned her head. A slight smile hung on the face of Breeden, his eyes full of
contempt.

“That means I have a chance as well. I see. Well, I will send a messenger to the count,
if that’s the case.”

“You… How… you’re such… Ah!”

Luna couldn’t hold it in anymore and let out a short outburst. Then her eyes shook
slightly.
“Oh! Finally, you’re accepting my lov…”

Breeden couldn’t finish his words. Luna had stopped her horse.

Breeden and the soldiers followed suit, stopping their movements.

“What’s wrong?”

Luna didn’t respond to Breeden’s comment and shakily raised her hand at
something. Breeden’s gaze headed towards where Luna was pointing.

“Heuk?!”

Breeden’s eyes widened in shock.

In the distance, he could see a dozen figures running towards him from the foot of
Mt. Silvernan, scurrying through the greenery.

The figures were taller than humans by two or three heads, had magnificent bodies
that were as big as two men standing side-by-side and reddish skin that could be
seen from a distance.

“O, orc! It’s orcs!”

Breeden gave a scream-like shout at the sight of the monsters.

“Everyone prepare for battle! N, no. Everyone retreat. Retreaaaat!”

The soldiers scurried about in confusion. Breeden said to retreat, but where were
they to retreat towards?

Even in the midst of the confusion, the orcs did not slow down and ran as fast as the
wind. They ran through the tall grass with no sign of hindrance.

Their muscles seemingly ready to burst, the orcs’ fierce eyes became more visible as
they drew near the group.

“R, run! Everyone, run!”

Breeden spat out his words and turned his horse back towards the path he came
from. However, the orcs split into several groups and blocked the roads that the
Seyrod soldiers took.

Neeiiiigh!

“Whoa!”

The horse reared, and Breeden grabbed tightly onto his reins. Barely having avoided
falling off the horse, Breeden turned around once more.

“Ughhh…”

Breeden groaned with a desperate face. More than twenty orcs had surrounded Luna
Seyrod and the soldiers.

The soldiers had their spears and shields raised, but they weren’t able to conceal
their terrified expressions. With their current forces, it would be difficult to face even
one orc warrior. But now, there was not one, but dozens of orcs warriors
surrounding them. It was a miracle to be able to stand upright in front of them.

Shink!

“S, s, s, stay back, you fiends!”

Breeden unsheathed his sword. At his words, all of the orcs suddenly turned their
heads toward him.

Gasp!

Humans become terrified to the point of unconsciousness in front of beasts such as

lions.

Hence one could only imagine the type of fear that was instilled by dozens of orcs
when they stared at you simultaneously. Each one of the monstering figures could
easily rival dozens of wild beasts.

Breeden unknowingly leaned back on his saddle.

“Stay back? A scarecrow like you is telling us to stay back?”

A thick, rough voice that was reminiscent of a big barrel of alcohol.

A large, long shadow painted the ground behind the orc. Breeden and the soldiers
looked at the shadow, then slowly gazed up towards the towering figure of an orc.

“……!”

The humans’ eyes and mouths opened wide. Among the orcs, an orc warrior, a whole
head taller than the others, smiled with his enormous fangs exposed.

He slowly brushed past the other orcs, which was evocative of a moving, large brown
pagoda.

“Ugghhh…!”

The soldiers' faces turned white when they saw the weapon in the giant orc
warrior’s hand.

Thud!

Dozens of bones decorated a huge wooden stick that was the size of a human body. It
was hard to tell what creatures the bones belonged to, whether they were humans,
monsters, or animals. The bones were carefully sharpened and placed in the head of
the wooden club.

“Hey, scarecrow. What are you going to do if I don’t stay back?”

The muscles around the neck squirmed with every word it spoke.

“Hick!”

Breeden hiccupped, facing the dark red eyes that seemed like flowing lava. The size
of the orc warrior was even more overwhelming upfront. Breeden was barely at eye
level with the orc when he rode on the back of his horse.

“Sniff sniff! I smell something.”

The nostrils of the orc warrior squirmed, then he proceeded to gaze at Breeden from
head to toe, before stopping his gaze at a certain place.
“I knew there was the smell of boiling, tasteless corn. Scarecrow, you pissed?”

“Kokekekeket!”

The orcs burst into grotesque laughter at the warrior’s words.

Boom!

The giant orc warrior withdrew his weapon from the ground and Breeden’s face
became paler and his hiccupping became more rapid.

“Hiccup! Hiccup!

The orc warrior smirked at Breeden and started taking large steps. It was towards
Luna.

Neeeiiigh!

The horse reared in fear.

“Ah!”

Luna was unsure of what to do with the horse, but someone ran out of the crowd and
stood in front of Luna and the horses.

Unlike other orcs, this particular orc had his head adorned with a feathered
headdress and carried a staff.

The orc started to mutter incomprehensive words, pressing the horse’s nape with his
big hands. A blue light was emitted from the tip of the staff, and the rampaging horse
immediately calmed down.

“D, druid…”

Luna recognized the orc’s identity even amidst the chaos.

“The scarecrow lady has a good eye. Hehe.”

The orc druid stepped back. Luna was surprised at the orc’s behavior but was able to
catch on that there was something more. She looked around at the orcs with anxious
eyes, then spoke to the big warrior.

“D, do you want something from us?”

“Ho-oh, the scarecrow lady is quite smart, hmm?”

The big orc warrior smiled and glanced at Breeden while licking his lips.

“I was going to have a round but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Your flesh looks
soft, but we don’t touch the weak.”

“Heuk!”

Breeden did not respond to the orc’s words, which could be considered most
offensive to knights. If he had retorted, it seemed like the giant club would come
smashing towards him and crush his skull.

“Well by the way, actually…”

“Karuta, more scarecrows are coming.”

The orc druid pointed towards a distance with his staff.

The large orc warrior called Karuta turned his head. He saw soldiers running with a
large red-golden crest in the front. Karuta looked intently at the crest-bearing flag,
then gave a big grin.

“The earth god is giving Karuta good fortune today to celebrate coming out of the
forest. Good! Very, very good!”

***

“Hmm.”

Raven narrowed his eyes when he saw a horde of orcs besieging the forces of the
Seyrod family. The appearance of over thirty orc warriors was enough to arouse
tension even for Raven. In particular, the orc warrior standing right in front of Luna
Seyrod was overwhelming in size even from a distance.

‘But… ’
Raven’s gaze turned calm. He had fought and won against the Troll King, who was
much bigger and more terrifying than the orc standing there.

Of course, he had spent his entire stock of luck in winning that fight.

Shortly after, the troops of the Pendragon family came face-to-face with the group of
orcs with Raven in the lead.

“Formation!”

Thud, thud, thud!

Even though they had come a long distance, the Pendragon troops acted without
hesitation at Killian’s orders.

Shields were erected into a long wall, and sharp spears protruded from the gaps,
which made the formation look like a hedgehog. The archers lined up and knelt on
one knee, aiming at the orcs through the shields.

Kazzal and Tata hid behind the soldiers in fear.

“Growl!”

The orc warriors exposed their yellow fangs and their red eyes contained murderous
intent. They curled up their muscular bodies in preparation for a battle.

Raven knew that the orc warriors were now ready for battle. As soon as the leader
gave orders, the warriors would spring and attack with speeds faster than beasts.
Moreover, orcs would not fall because of a few quarrels unless it pierced their heads.

Orcs were berserkers who became more vicious at the sight of blood. Raven had seen
an orc warrior be hit by more than ten arrows and still charge into soldiers before
slaughtering them.

Even so, Raven kept driving his horse forward to the orcs.

Woosh!

The murderous intent rushed out all at once from the thirty-ish orcs.
“Ugh!”

Although invisible, the force was clearly transmitted to the soldiers, and the
Pendragon soldiers’ shields shook in their place.

“Heup!”

Killian instinctively placed his hand on his hilt at the suffocating feeling.

‘Is, is this Orc Fear…!?”

Orc Fear, a skill unique to the orcs that could cause humans and even some monsters
to freeze in their place for a short while.

However, it seemed that Orc Fear had no effect on one particular human.

Tap, tap…

“Your Grace…!”

Killian called out at Alan Pendragon, who was walking straight into the source of Orc
Fear without any hesitation.

Killian received the effects from a distance, but he still felt his breathing become
rapid and thoughts become hazy.

Raven kept on walking towards the orcs with one hand raised in front of him. After
narrowing the distance, Raven briefly glanced at the orc group that was still
radiating Orc Fear, and jumped off of his horse.

Gasp!

Killian and soldiers were looking at Raven with nervous expressions and opened
their mouths wide in shock.

Alan Pendragon had gotten off the horse and started to walk towards the orcs. Even
more shockingly, he had left Widow’s Scream in its sheath.

“Hmm?”
Karuta’s eyes gleamed watching Raven walk up to him. He glanced around and
gestured to the orcs with his chin.

Growl…

Raven finally stopped in front of Karuta. ‘Small’ was not enough to describe the
difference in size between Raven and Karuta.

No one, including Killian and Luna, could hide their anxiety at the sight of the two
creatures facing off. It was as if a ten-year-old child was facing off a healthy strong
giant.
Raven raised his head as he arrived in front of Karuta. Karuta was even bigger when
Raven saw him up close.

“Are you from the Ancona Forest?”

“And if I am?”

Karuta gave a smirk as he tapped on his shoulders with his giant wooden stick.
Raven slowly took off his helmet and spoke in a cold voice while looking up at
Karuta.

“I’m Alan Pendragon.”

“……”

Karuta stopped his movement. His club, which was embedded with bones as big as
children’s arms, came down slowly from his shoulders and hit the ground.

Thud!

The hearts of the humans sank along with the illusion of the earth ringing. Karuta
slowly brought his head down and placed his big, ferocious head right in front of
Raven’s face before opening his mouth.

“So what?”

“……”

Raven didn’t reply and gave a beautiful smile instead.

“You…”

As Karuta was about to speak…

Bang!
“Kuek!”

A sound of pig squealing was heard, as expected from an orc, and Karuta’s bottom
smashed straight into the ground.

“Oh!”

“Huh!?”

Everyone stared in unbelief. Alan Pendragon had headbutted straight into the orc
warrior’s nose.

“T, this is a huge problem. All forces, get read… Hmm?”

Killian stopped in the middle of giving an attack order. The same was true for
soldiers who were prepared to run out to fight, knowing very well the day might be
their last.

“Hmm…?”

Even though their leader was attacked, the orcs had not moved. They seemed
surprised, but they stared at Alan Pendragon, who was rubbing his forehead, and
Karuta, who got up from the ground, with interest in their eyes.

“Uggh…”

Karuta had gotten up from the ground, then stood up with one hand over his nose.
He frowned and let go of his nose.

His hand was smothered in blood. He was having a nosebleed.

“Ah…”

All the humans had their mouths open in shock.

A giant orc warrior was bleeding from both nostrils after one headbutt from Alan
Pendragon. But the other orcs were just watching… No, they weren’t just watching.

“Kuhehehehehe! Karuta got a nosebleed!”

The orc druid fell over, grabbing his stomach while laughing.

“Kukakaka! He got a blow done in by a scarecrow!”

“Strong! It’s a strong scarecrow! Kekeke!”

The other orcs were openly enjoying the sight while clapping their hands.

“……”

The humans were unsure of how to respond to this unrealistic sight.

Swish!

Karuta shook his head several times before staring directly into Raven’s eyes and
tossing his weapon behind his back. An orc received the weapon as if it had been
promptly waiting for the moment.

Krackk!

Karuta cracked his fingers which were as big as wooden branches.

“A mere scarecrow knows the orc’s law. Alright, let’s have a round.”

“Oh I know very well. But I wasn’t asking for a match just now.”

“What?”

Karuta squinted his eyes.

“I was just saying hello to a shameless guy who feigns ignorance even when the
landlord comes to visit.”

“Just saying hello…?”

The intense intent to kill radiated from Karuta.

But Raven continued speaking in a low tone, not caring for Karuta’s threat.

“Those that lived on my land for several generations were thinking of attacking even
when they saw the symbol of my family. I thought you were just stupid like your
appearance, so I told you my name. But you pretend to not know? What would you
do in my situation? Do the Ancona Orcs not show basic courtesy to those who lend
them land?”

Karuta quietly withdrew Orc Fear.

It was the first time in the history of the tribe that they had left the forest, and Karuta
had gotten ahead of himself in excitement. Moreover, the second scarecrow he ran
into after leaving the forest was Alan Pendragon.

He thought himself lucky, but it seemed he had stepped on crap instead.

‘Damn it! Let the earth be broken. The earth god has given Karuta a trial to suffer from,
not a lucky encounter.’

On top of everything else, the young, skinny scarecrow knew of the law of the orcs
that stated that if the opponent challenged you unarmed, you had to respond in kind.

Karuta had planned on giving the boy a light beating and threatening him to dissolve
the pact between the Ancona Orcs and the Pendragons. But before he could take
action, the boy had headbutted him.

“If you came from the Ancona Forest you must know of your pact with the
Pendragons, right? You have already broken your part of the agreement by coming
out of the forest. Do you have anything to say?”

When the oath was mentioned, Karuta snorted and responded with a glint in his
eyes.

“Kuhmm! The side that broke the oath was you scarecrows. Karuta and the Ancona
Orcs saw the guardian deity of the forest returning!”

“Guardian deity? Are you referring to Soldrake?”

“Not only us orcs, but everyone knows that the guardian deity abandoned the
Pendragon scarecrow. Harpies, centaurs, and of course, the griffons that serve the
guardian deity.”

“Hmmm…”
Raven was surprised that there were so many different races within the Ancona
Forest, but he didn’t let it show.

“And besides, I know that if you can’t make an oath with the guardian deity, the
power of the Pendragon scarecrows will diminish. Is that not true?”

“……”

Raven silently stared at Karuta, who was talking in a mocking manner.

Their gazes met in the air, and invisible sparks could be felt. Karuta wiped the smile
off of his face and scowled at Raven.

“That’s why we came out. To officially revoke the pact. Thanks to you weak
scarecrows we haven’t tasted blood in over ten years. Orcs were made to fight. An
orc that does not fight is worthless, even worse than swine.”

“Does that mean you want to come out from Ancona Forest?”

Karuta snorted and smacked his thick chest at Raven’s question.

“Kuhmm! We will first subjugate all the races of Ancona Forest. Then we will take the
abandoned sawmill and iron mines in the forest after receiving the guardian deity’s
permission. After that, we will leave the forest. Orcs will become several times
stronger with iron and wood. Now we only need you, Pendragon scarecrow, to get
rid of the agreement.”

Raven now understood the reason why the orcs left the forest. But the orc who called
himself Karuta didn’t seem to be aware of the most important thing.

“You really are as dumb as you look. Ancona Forest, and everything within it, belongs
to the Pendragon family. Soldrake isn’t the owner of the forest. No, you probably
don’t even know why Soldrake lives in the forest in the first place, hmm?”

“Kuhmm…”

Karuta’s scowl deepened, causing his face to look even more distorted. He turned his
head and called out.

“Kratul!”
The orc druid slowly walked forward from where he was standing.

“You heard what the Pendragon scarecrow said, right? What do you know about
this?”

“Kratul does not know.”

“How about the beasts you control? You haven’t heard anything from them?”

“Is Karuta an idiot? Kratul’s beasts can’t go into the territory of the guardian deity.
They can’t even go to the ruins of the old quarry. Pets die, and Kratul dies too.”

The orc druid spoke with a trembling body and repeatedly shook his head.

“The land split!”

Karuta spat out orc swear words before turning his head towards the other
members of his tribe.

But everyone he looked at shook or scratched their heads.

Although they lived in Ancona Forest for decades, no one had any idea why the
guardian deity stayed in the deep regions of the forest. None of them had ever seen
or dared approach the guardian deity’s territory within the forest.

It was considered taboo to talk about the guardian deity, and even the elders were
reluctant to speak up.

“I will teach you.”

Raven’s voice pierced through the silence, and the eyes of Karuta and the orcs turned
towards him. Amidst the attentive gazes, Raven hid his true intentions and gave a
subtle smile.

“In addition, I could teach you a way to come out from the forest and to fight to your
heart’s content…”

Gasp!

The orc’s eyes widened in shock.

 ***

“Then take care, Lady Seyrod.”

“……”

Luna paused and turned her head. The beautiful face of Alan Pendragon had no
expression on it. It was clear that he spoke out of courtesy, and nothing more.

“I’ve sent a messenger, so the rest of the Seyrod troops should follow along in a few
days. Then farewell…”

Alan Pendragon gave a slight bow, before turning his horse around.

“Ah…”

Luna opened her mouth as if to say something, but then bowed her head in shame,
unable to call out to him.

Her embarrassment was not surprising. The Seyrod family had abandoned the
Pendragons but then received help from them instead. She didn’t have the audacity
to call out to him after breaking off the marriage, then abandoning him.

“Hey.”

Luna raised her head at the sudden voice of Alan. Alan Pendragon was looking
directly at Breeden with one side of his mouth curled up in a smile.

“Are your pants all dry now?”

“…”

Breeden’s face burned with shame, and he silently avoided Alan’s gaze.

“Next time you come to my territory, make sure to have a diaper handy. Have a safe
trip then.”

Breeden was bombarded with shameful words, but he stayed unreactive and
restlessly stole glances towards Alan as he left. Luna’s gaze also followed suit.
Over a hundred soldiers and thirty orc warriors were waiting for him between the
fork in the road.

The biggest orc warrior, named Karuta, burst into laughter staring in their direction.

“Don’t worry about it, you can come without it! Karuta will generously gift the
scarecrow with a diaper! We have plenty of suitable leaves in our forest that we
usually use to wipe our ass. Ah, and next time someone tries to ask for direction,
maybe don’t pull out your sword first! Well, I guess it has no real uses anyway.”

“Kuhehehehehehe!”

“Kekeke!”

The orc warriors shrieked and grabbed their stomachs in laughter. The Pendragon
family’s soldiers and even the Seyrod family’s soldiers silently snickered, though
most of Breeden’s soldiers looked at him with disappointed or angry eyes.

Breeden was startled at Karuta’s voice, and could only lower his head.

‘It’s over… ’

Luna instinctively knew. Breeden’s days as a knight were over.

Instead of fighting, he tried to run away. On top of that, he even pissed his own pants.

No soldiers would ever respect or treat him as a knight. The orcs were only trying to
ask for directions, but Breeden had overreacted in fear and drew his blade. If Alan
Pendragon had not shown up, they might have all been killed.

The stories would spread rapidly throughout the territory, and everyone would
know as soon as they returned home. Alan Pendragon’s heroic deeds would spread,
and everyone would end up comparing Alan with Breeden.

“Ha…”

Luna let out a sigh, then returned her gaze to Alan Pendragon.

“Anyway. Pendragon scarecrow, we need to have a proper match soon, hmm?”

“Scarecrow? I think I need to teach you a lesson by giving you another double
nosebleed.”

“Kuhem! If only I was vigilant then…”

“Your mouth will keep on blabbering even after your head’s been cut off due to your
carelessness.”

“Kuhehehe! Alan Pendragon is a funny scarecrow, no human. I’ve never seen a

human more humorous than Kratul!”

“Alan Pendragon is not funny. He is a scary human.”

“I’ve been wondering since a while ago, where did you pick up this ugly goblin?”

“Kihiek! Handsome Kazzal was not picked up! Handsome Kazzal was captured! You
can not say whatever you want because you are a little bit more handsome than me!”

“What is this little rat-like goblin saying? Handsome? With that half-shaped face?”

“Ah, everyone shut up already! You’re making my head ring!”

The man who was walking alongside an orc and a goblin, quarreling with them, was
none other than the official heir to the Pendragon Duchy, Alan Pendragon.

The man people doubted could even make it past Bellint Gate, had a goblin as his
wayfinder, and thirty orc warriors as his subordinates.

Now, he was walking towards Ancona Forest, where the Pendragon family’s
mausoleum was located, and where the nest of the most powerful creature on earth
was.

“Alan… Pendragon.”

Thump!

Luna’s heart beat loudly. It wasn’t just due to the power that he had and might have
in the future. Or that’s what Luna thought as she carefully watched Alan Pendragon
and his companions stride boldly into the dark forest.
“Fire!”

Whoosh!

Dozens of quarrels flew at Raven’s command.

“Kieeeeee!”

Snakeflies, winged snakes that were as big as a human child, fell from the sky like the
rain while letting out horrible shrieks. It was reminiscent of a green rainfall.

“Is it snake meat again today? I’m getting sick of it. Sick of it I say!”

Karuta and the orcs jumped from rock to rock, hitting the snakeflies with their
wooden clubs.

Some even took a bite at the snakeflies, instantly killing them with their teeth. The
whole world was coloured with the remnants of snakeflies and green blood. The
snakeflies, almost a hundred in numbers, turned into green clots on the rocky valley.

“Report any damages or casualties!”

Soldiers brought in reports at Killian’s command. Fortunately, no one had suffered

from a major injury and there were no fatalities. A few soldiers had light injuries
from the snakeflies’ bites, but the creatures’ teeth had not even penetrated the
soldiers’ armors in most cases.

“Here you are. Kuhehe!”

The orc druid Kratul giggled while applying a reddish-brown paste over the wounds
of a soldier.

The sticky plaster smelled like it had come from a rotting sewer, but the soldier
didn’t flinch at the sight of the paste or at the touch of the bizarre-looking orc druid.
The lack of appalment was due to the effectiveness of the orc druid’s medicine. Over
ten soldiers had quickly recovered from their wounds thanks to the druid’s
medicine, and full recovery only took two or three days.

Raven, who was watching Kratul heal the soldiers, turned to the other two who
always naturally came up to him after a battle.

“Where are we?”

“The wet valley. If you go up a little and take the side road, you will find the ruins of
the abandoned quarry. Orcs don’t know what exists after that. The only thing I can
tell you is that the cave that leads to the guardian deity is near that area of the
forest.”

“Hmm.”

Raven sank his head in thought.

Karuta’s words aligned with what Attia had told Raven regarding the path to the
mausoleum.

“So how much longer is ‘a little’. Tell me in human standards.”

“Weak scarecrows. With orc’s steps it would take about the time to eat. Scarecrow
steps, it would take half a day.”

“I see. Sir Killian, how are the conditions of our soldiers?”

“They are a bit tired, but they should be able to endure for half a day. The only
concern I have is if another battle was to occur during that time…”

Killian left his words hanging with a worried expression.

No one had died yet, but there were over ten injured in one day.

Of course, half of the injured were able to fully recover in a couple of days thanks to
the strange power of the orc druid, but if they were to keep on marching while taking
care of the injured, there might be more damage than anticipated.

“Karuta, what about your forces?”

“Ha! This isn’t even a battle. We haven’t even warmed up our bodies yet, of course,
we don’t have any injured! Kuhem!”

Karuta gave a prideful snort, to which Raven slightly nodded. Killian licked his lips
with an awkward expression.

Well, if it weren’t for Karuta and the orc warriors, they would not have been able to
make it thus far. There were many different types of monsters in Ancona Forest.
Beside the snakeflies, there were mud lizards the size of goats that hid in the ground,
two-headed wolves, and others.

However, it didn’t matter to the orc warriors. They utterly destroyed anything that
was in front of them as if they were beating up common mutts.

Last night, hundreds of giant tree spiders had ambushed their camp. The spiders
were known to completely devour all living creatures, and the soldiers, watching the
horrific sight of spiders the size of a child crawling towards them at a rapid speed,
were perplexed and became disorganized.

But the orc warriors, who were still half-asleep, whacked away at the spiders while
letting out yawns. They slaughtered the spiders by stepping on them, slapping them,
and clobbering them with bone-embedded clubs…

Even though orcs had terrible vision at night, they used their astounding senses of
smelling and hearing to completely annihilate their foe.

If the orcs were not accompanying them, the Pendragon soldiers might have been
wiped out at the previous night’s happenings.

After spending five days with the orcs, Raven and Killian could only acknowledge the
superior power of Karuta and the orc warriors.

“Any dangers until we reach the quarry?”

“No, no. This valley is the border between the orcs and the horseheads. Any creature
with half a brain avoids the place. The snakeflies are here because of its proximity to
water.”

“Good, then we will set out for the quarry. We’ll spend the night there, then search
for the path that leads to Soldrake. Have Kazzal scout ahead by climbing a tree first.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”

Killian left and headed towards where the soldiers were camped.

“So what kind of place is the quarry?”

“Not sure. Old orcs say that goblins used to mine stones. Now, there aren’t any.
Nothing comes out in the morning, and we don’t venture there at night because of
our poor vision.”

Karuta shrugged his shoulders.

“Hmm…”

Raven had a bad premonition hearing that the quarry was a place where even the
orcs avoided. But it was necessary to head towards the quarry in order to find the
path to Soldrake, so Raven got on his horse and moved forward.

***

The ruins of the quarry was reminiscent of an ancient wall that was carved long ago.
The atmosphere created by the quarry was spooky and ominous.

Swooosh!

The winds from the mountain range coalesced in the quarry and collided against the
sharp edges of the chasm, reverberating creepy sounds throughout the area.

The soldiers and the orcs entered the quarry with Raven at the head. The quarry had
tall rocks and short rocks, which intertwined to create a complex terrain similar to a
maze.

Even though it was early summer, the sun set early in the mountain range. But
thanks to having experience with setting up camp, the soldiers competently
prepared the tents. The camp was divided into four sections with Raven and Killian
situated in the center. Large bonfires propped up here and there, causing smoke to
rise up high into the air.

The orcs also prepared to rest, not caring about the off gazes of the soldiers. Besides,
the soldiers now knew how reassuring it was to have the orcs as allies. Even though
the orcs didn’t specifically camp in a formation, they were ready to fight at a
moment’s notice.

“Tomorrow morning, we will set out to find the path as soon as the sun rises. Get
some good rest tonight.”

Soon, the darkness of the night spread over the valley, and the soldiers and the orcs
fell into sleep except for those on night watch.

Woooooooosh!

As the night became deeper, the piercing sounds of the winds became louder. Raven,
who was lying at an angle in his private tent, was unable to sleep because of the
wind.

‘I have a bad feeling about this… ’

Even though he had the body of Alan Pendragon, the intuition of Raven, the reaper of
the battlefield, was still retained. That intuition, which had saved his life on so many
occasions, was sending him warning signals. Raven was still wearing the white
dragon armor.

‘Where did the goblin miners disappear off to? No, in the first place, goblins were
working in a quarry, and not a mine?’

When Raven asked Kazzal, Kazzal had shaken his head. Goblins liked caves by
nature. Although they had their differences amongst the tribes, goblins were
creatures that lived in hiding in iron or gold mines where they stole and harassed
humans for pleasure. It was extremely rare for goblins to work in groups at a quarry.

And that ‘extremely rare’ case only had one possible explanation.

“Someone must have been controlling the goblins…”

Raven muttered to himself. Additionally, It was strange that all of them disappeared
together. From what Karuta had told him, Raven found out that the time of
disappearance coincided with when Gordon Pendragon, the former Duke, formed an
oath with Soldrake.

“There is something. Definitely…”

It was then. As soon as Raven finished muttering to himself, a shout was heard
coming from outside.

“Enemy ambush! It’s the enemy!”

“Dammit. Of course, this would happen.”

Raven quickly pressed his helmet and ran out of the tent with Widow’s Scream and
the scimitar.

Bonfires and torches shone brightly in all directions, and the soldiers were hurriedly
getting into formations, while the orcs crouched, ready for battle.

“Sir Killian! Where are the enemies!?”

“Your Grace! O, over there…”

Raven turned his head towards the direction that Killian pointed at.

Kikikikik! Kakaakik! Kikik!

An uncomfortable noise echoed in the quarry, twisting and intertwining with the
sound of the wind. A black wave was slowly headed towards the camp.

At that moment, the dark clouds cleared, and the surroundings lit up. It wasn’t
purely due to the moonlight.

“That is…”

Raven’s eyes sank.

The things that were shining white, reflecting the light of the fire as well as the
moonlight. Those that filled the quarry, and slowly made their way towards the
camp. They were…

“S, skeleton…”

Killian spoke in a barely audible voice, and the legion of skeletons, composed of
creatures small and large, slowly approached them.
“Defensive formation! Shield spearmen, form a defensive formation! Archers!
Triangular formation!”

Raven let out a thunderous roar which woke the soldiers from their daze. The
soldiers hurriedly got into their respective formations.

“Karuta! Take charge of the orcs!”

“You don’t have to tell me!”

The orcs spread out among the soldiers.

Growl…!I

Orc Fear rose like a wildfire and headed for the skeleton legion, but it had no effect
against the undead.

The legion, composed of the skeletons of humans, goblins, and even twin-headed
wolves, moved as if it was alive.

Swish!

“Javelins! Lift up your shields!”

Spears made of bones soared from the corps of skeletons, covering the dark night
sky and dying it in pure white. The javelin struck the soldiers.

Thud! Thwaack!

“Agghhh!!”

“Kwahhk!”

Some spears made their way between the gaps in the shields and the stricken
soldiers let out screams. But the shield formation held strong. The javelins were
made of bone, and they couldn’t pierce shields which were reinforced with steel and
wood.

“Good! They can’t pierce our shields! Fire! Fire at will! Return fire!”
Raven blocked the bombardment by deflecting them with his weapons, then shouted
at the soldiers.

A quarrel flew through the air and crushed the skulls of two skeleton soldiers with
one blow. Following suit, the second, the third, and many more quarrels were fired
from the crossbows.

Smash! Thud!

Skulls were helplessly crumbling and being destroyed. However, the skeletons were
rushing in, and the loading speed of the crossbows could not keep up with the
advancement of the numerous skeletons. Besides, each archer only had 30 quarrels
each.

“Karuta!”

Raven shouted urgently.

“Orrrrccccc!”

Karuta let out a shout that caused the entire quarry to tremble, and the orc warriors
who had spread widely spurred into action simultaneously.

“Roaaaaaaaar!”

Over thirty beasts broke into the side of the skeleton region, their red eyes gleaming
under the moonlight with madness and frenzy.

With every swing of the wooden clubs, bone fragments sprang up and sprinkled the
air with white powder. However, the thirty orc warriors could not hold back the
entire legion by themselves, and the distance between the soldiers and the skeletons
was gradually narrowing.

“Everyone, get ready for battle!”

The soldiers grasped their spears tighter and pointed it towards the enemy at
Raven’s command. At that moment, a brown light appeared from behind the soldiers.

“Hmm!?”
Raven immediately turned his head, then widened his eyes in wonder.

“Kuhehehehehe!”

Swoosh!

The brown light originated from the orc druid, Kratul, and it made its way from his
staff into the ground.

Ruuuuumble…!

The soldiers swayed at the sudden movement of the earth. Dozens of brown vine
broke out from the earth and made their way towards the legion.

“Huh?”

The vines made their way past the surprised soldiers, slithering between their legs
to avoid them. The vines instantly stretched out and paused for a moment in front of
the skeletons after narrowing the distance of 100 yards.

Then, they struck, wrapping around the feet of each skeleton, as if they were alive.

“The earth god says that those who are already dead can continue to stay in the
ground!”

Kratul pulled back his staff like a fishing rod. The skeletons who had their feet bound
fell, causing the skeletons behind them to also get caught up.

“Kuhehehehe! The earth god will be pleased that I’m giving him so many sacrifices.
Kuhehe! Hehe!”

Kratul fell back after casting his spell, his forehead dripping with reddish sweat
peculiar to orcs.

Raven regained his focus and turned his body.

“Crossbows, fire as soon as you are able to reload!”

Thanks to Kratul’s spell, the advancement of the skeleton legion was temporarily
halted, and the archers were able to reload their crossbows in the meantime.
‘There must be someone who is controlling these skeletons… Where. Where are
you?’

Admist the confusion, Raven carefully examined his surroundings as orc warriors
went on a rampage and the skeletons poured in.
Lich, a shaman that controlled dead monsters like skeletons as their summons. A lich
was a sorcerer who sealed their own soul in exchange for immortality, and they were
labeled as ‘evil’ by the empire even though the empire was generally tolerant of
various fields of magic.

There were no reasons for a magician who sacrificed their own soul to serve others.
Except for extremely rare cases where the lich was forced into their half-dead state,
almost all liches used any means or methods to achieve their goals.

Therefore, the empire always sent armies to regions that liches were active in to
completely eradicate them. The demonic army was considered disposable by the
empire, so they were usually the ones sent to deal with the liches. This also meant
that Raven had faced off against a lich twice before.

‘Seeing as there are only skeletons, it’s not an overly strong one. They must be
controlling the skeletons from somewhere nearby… ’

Powerful liches could control zombies, ghouls, or even dark spirits and ghosts to do
their bidding. Raven knew from the absence of the powerful summons that the lich
this time around was relatively weak.

“Hmm?”

A strange red light flashed from a section of a giant rock that was shaped like a fan.

‘Over there!’

“Killian! Take command over the soldiers!”

“Yes!”

“Giddy up!”

Raven moved to the side of the wall of shields created by the soldiers and rushed
towards the skeletons with Widow’s Scream and a scimitar in each of his hands.
Boom! Whack!

Every time the two swords left behind a trail of light, bone fragments flew up into
the air along with the sounds of wailing ghosts. Bone javelins flew at him from here
and there, but Raven evaded them with his near-perfect horse riding or by deflecting
them with his weapons.

A few javelins managed to strike him, but they couldn’t get through the White
Dragon Armor.

Thud! Crack!

However, Raven still felt the shock being transmitted when he was hit by the javelins.

“Keuk!”

Raven gritted his teeth and continued to swing his swords while riding his horse. He
could see an orc warrior going berserk among an army of skeletons near the source
of the red light.

It was clear at first glance that the enormous orc was Karuta. A small mound of
bones had already piled up around him.

“Kuahhhhhh!”

Every time Karuta swung his club, three or four skeletons broke apart. However, the
number of skeletons was overwhelming, and over ten skeletons attacked Karuta’s
limbs and back at the same time.

Thump!

A bone sword and several javelins pierced through Karuta’s body.

“Kuu…”

But Karuta growled like a beast and pulled out the various weapons that were
embedded in his body. His muscles, which were several times harder and thicker
than humans, wriggled, unable to contain the overwhelming force. Having seen
blood, Karuta’s eyes turned even ominously red with thick bloodlust and madness.
Gwaahh!

With a wild roar, Karuta rushed towards the dozens of skeletons.

Raven cried out aloud.

“Karuta!”

In the midst of smashing the skeletons in frenzy, Karuta heard the voice and turned
his head around. Raven dismounted the horse and sprinted towards Karuta after
striking the horse’s ass to make it run away.

“The lich is up there!”

Raven broke the skulls of two skeleton warriors with the scimitar after pointing
Widow’s Scream towards the giant rock. Karuta glanced towards the cliff that Raven
pointed at and shouted, continuously smashing the skeletons that approached him.

“Come!”

“Eyyyyaaaaaaah!”

Raven ran to where Karuta was standing, knocking down the skeletons.

He jumped off the ground with force. Raven’s feet touched the palm of Karuta’s large
hands.

“Kuaaaaaah!”

With a mighty roar, Karuta’s bulging arm, which was swelling with dark red muscles,
contracted before shooting forward, throwing Raven far into the sky.

Woosh!

Raven’s body was flung towards the sky, instantly lifting him 10 meters above the
ground. Raven’s red cape spread out like wings under the dazzling White Dragon
Armor.

However, it seemed his momentum was insufficient to reach the top of the cliff.
“Heeup!”

Raven pushed the scimitar as hard as he could towards the cliff.

Clang!

The curved blade slid into a crack in the rocks. Then, he kicked off the cliff walls with
his feet, using the blade to hold him in place. Raven’s body flipped backward which
drove his body up the cliff, and he pulled out the blade at the same instant.

With a series of acrobatic moves, Raven stepped onto the top of the cliff.

“……”

Raven narrowed his eyes while looking around the rocky mountain. A figure wearing
a torn, old red robe stood about thirty steps from Raven. The hood was pressed
deeply, and nothing could be seen underneath except a bluish glow emanating from
the darkness.

“Lich…”

Kiaaaak!

As if responding to Raven’s words, a scream came from inside of the dark, formless
hood and the Lich raised its staff. The staff drew a bizarre curve, and an unmatched
dark red glow radiated from its tip.

“Hmm?”

Raven felt a chill run down his back, and he immediately raised both of his weapons
in a cross-shape.

Rustle!

The dark glow that overflowed from the staff quickly took form. Simultaneously,
Widow’s Scream quivered lightly, and a faint light was emitted from the jewel
encrusted in the sword.

“What the…!”
Raven was momentarily dazed at Widow’s Scream, then quickly fixed gaze on the
lich. Against the backdrop of the night sky above the Lich’s shoulders, two
translucent shadows swayed in the air, taking on the shape of a dark red scythe.

They were wraiths, the cursed ghost of death.

“Huh!”

Raven let out an astonished gasp when he saw the creatures that he had only heard
stories about. However, his shock wasn’t entirely due to the presence of wraiths.
Rather, he was shocked because he could ‘see’ the wraiths.

Unlike skeletons, zombies, and ghouls, which were created from the flesh of
creatures that were once alive, wraiths were spiritual creatures. They were invisible
to the humans’ naked eye.

That was what made wraiths so terrifying. They attacked from the shadows, and one
couldn’t see where or how they attacked.

If one was struck by the giant scythe, the ‘death’ of the wraith was transferred to the
person and they died.

That’s why in the past, when subjugating a lich, magicians or shamans always
accompanied the demonic army. They were able to see spiritual creatures like
wraiths or dark spirits.

The same reason applied to the presence of Soldrake and Alan Pendragon on the
Plains of Robstein. Dragons had the power to see through everything, whether they
be spirits or other creatures of the immaterial plane.

Kieeeeeeeeh!

The two wraiths let out shrieks and hovered in the air. Raven narrowed his eyes.

They were not attacking him immediately, which probably meant that they were
ignorant of Raven’s ability to see them. Raven stole a glance at the two wraiths
before fixing his gaze on the lich.

He was sure. The lich didn’t know that the wraiths were visible to Raven.
“Ёп Фчыђ Гж Џӟ…”

The lich muttered in an incomprehensible language, and the end of its staff lit up
with a black light.

“…!”

Raven went on full alert. He knew too well what that black light was. The black glow
at the tip of the staff quickly turned into several shapes, and Raven spurred his feet
and jumped towards the lich at full speed.

Boom!

The black spheres that originated from the staff rose high above the sky and fell
vertically towards Raven, following behind his movements.

Bang! Boooom!

Every time a black sphere made contact with the ground, black flames rose high
above the ground. At the same time, the wraiths that were silently hovering in the air
made their moves and rushed towards Raven with big scythes raised.

“Is that so!”

Avoiding the falling orb with quick steps, Raven drew a large arc with Widow’s
Scream.

Slash!

Widow’s Scream passed through the wraiths, and the silvery light that surrounded
the blade exploded.

Woooosh!

Kiiiiieeeeeeeek!

The wraiths were swallowed by the silver glow and screamed in pain.

But Raven didn’t give the wraiths a second glance and pushed his sword straight
through towards the lich. The tip of a light-soaked sword pushed deep into the lich’s
hood.

A dull sensation was passed along Raven’s arm.

At that moment.

Clang!

Accompanied by the sound of breaking glass, a light burst from inside the lich’s hood.

Kuaaaaaah!

A scream burst from the shapeless face of the lich and echoed throughout the night
sky.

Fwoosh!

The moment the echo disappeared, the robe that the lich was wearing crumpled
without any strength and caught on the blade of Widow’s Scream. It was as if the
being inside the robe vaporized into thin air.

Raven slowly lowered his weapon with surprised eyes.

Thump.

“What the hell…?”

Raven shook his hand as he watched the robes slid off of the blade and fell to the
floor.

Then, a small beam of light flickered from the placid robe. The light flickered
dangerously, then quickly flew towards a crack in between the rocks and the cliffs,
before ultimately disappearing into a faraway cliff.

Raven followed the light with a cold gaze until it disappeared, then moved to the
edge of the cliff that he was standing on. The entire quarry came into Raven’s view.

The skeletons, which had been swarming the quarry like a swarm of bees, had
completely stopped all movements and stood still in their place. The soldiers and the
orc warriors were looking around with confused expressions.
The wind from the mountains came down and blew through the entire quarry.

An amazing sight unfolded.

Swaaash!

Thousands of skeletons collapsed and turned into white powder.

It was a spectacular sight to see the bone powder being swept up by the wind to
form a huge river of light, reflecting the moonlight in the dark night sky. Both orcs
and humans watched the sight with wonder.

The pure white powder soon disappeared as if seeping into the night.

“……”

The gazes that were blankly staring at the sky slowly gathered towards one place.

A warrior atop a cliff, wearing pure white armor and holding two swords with his
cloak fluttering in the wind. The soldiers shook in excitement before bursting out
onto a shout of triumph.

“Ohhhhhhhhhhh!”

“We won! Long live Alan Pendragon!”

“Hurray to Pendragon. Pendragon forever!”

The shout soon turned into an applause.

“Kuwaaaaaaaah!”

Even the orcs screamed in excitement from the battle.

The night of the crisis was over.

***

“Kuhem! I don’t like this feeling…”

Karuta snorted while looking at the area between two sharp cliffs.

“Koowoo. Kratul thinks the same. There isn’t even a goblin dung’s worth of life
energy coming from that place.”

“Kieee…”

Kazzal couldn’t even make a comment and trembled while hiding behind another
person.

Raven calmly inspected the cave between the cliffs. Orcs and goblins, who had much
greater instinct than humans, were acting like this. That was proof enough of how
dangerous the place was.

But Raven clearly saw.

The beam of light from the defeated lich had disappeared into the darkness of this
particular cave. Moreover, the path to the mausoleum and Soldrake was supposed to
be located near this area.

‘I’m certain. This is the path to the mausoleum.’

There was an uneasy feeling, but Raven was certain that the cave in front of him was
the only way forward.

“We are going to go through there. It seems to be the only path that leads to Soldrake.
Ready the warriors.”

“Kuhem… Well, we’ve come this far anyway, to go back would be to stain shit on the
honor of the orcs.”

Karuta licked his lips and shrugged his shoulders.

Raven lightly nodded at Karuta’s words and turned his body to head towards where
the soldiers were waiting. Over twenty soldiers had suffered various injuries from
yesterday’s battle.

Kratul had given emergency treatment, but it seemed difficult to continue forwards
while taking care of the injured.
“Kazzal, you stay back here and look for my horse. Take care of it. You know the
consequences if I come back and don’t see my horse, right?”

“I find it! I take care of it!”

Raven nodded at Kazzal’s enthusiastic response.

“The wounded and ten guards will stay behind and wait here. Sir Killian, pick out ten
troops to stay behind.”

“Yes.”

The injured soldiers showed hesitation at Raven’s words and looked around at each
other. Then, a soldier with bandages on one arm cautiously spoke up.

“We will go with you, Your Grace.”

“…What?”

Raven frowned and turned his head towards the soldier. The young soldier flinched
but spoke up louder while banging on his chest with his uninjured arm.

“We are the soldiers of Pendragon. Even in death, we will accompany Your Grace.”

“I am able to walk too! Let me go with you as well!”

“I don’t know about hand-to-hand combat, but I can shoot a crossbow! Take me with
you!”

The wounded soldiers started to cry out one by one.

“……”

Raven glanced at the soldiers with cold eyes. However, unlike his outer appearance,
Raven was in a state of shock.

He couldn’t understand. The fiends of the demonic army always utilized whatever
means possible to get out of a battle. They struggled to live for one more day and
valued their lives above all else.
So why were these soldiers intentionally choosing a path that might lead to their
demise?

“Your life is precious. Live so that you can get what you desire and protect what you
value.”

Raven intentionally hardened his face further and spoke in a frigid voice. The soldier
who had been the first one to speak responded to Raven.

“What we desire, and what we want to protect is all in Pendragon.”

The young soldier's face was covered with rough patches of beard from being unable
to shave the past few days. However, unlike his shabby appearance, his eyes were
filled with firm determination.

“……”

Raven’s eyes quivered as he met the soldiers’ eyes.

Raven realized that these men were just like him.

To live, and to live for the glory of the family, to redeem their families from the
unfortunate situations they were in.

They were just like Raven Valt, who took every step in order to restore his family to
greatness.

Their eyes displayed keenness, an urge to move forward to achieve their goals.
Injured or uninjured, all the soldiers showed the same determination. Raven turned
his eyes to the young soldier once more.

“You, what is your name?”

“McKidd. Ridley McKidd, Your Grace.”

Raven gave a slight nod then straightened his back. He spoke to the soldiers in a
voice that was neither loud nor quiet, making emphasis on every word.

“There is no law that states you have to die in Pendragon land because you were
born in it. I, Alan Pendragon, promise you this. I will show you the world. I will
reclaim the mausoleum and when I raise the banner of Pendragon high above
everything else in front of the world, I will have all of you here with me, standing at
the vanguard.”

“……!”

The eyes of the soldiers trembled.

Thud! Thud!

Someone started to rhythmically pound on the chest area of the hard, metal, plate
armor. Then, the soldier beside him joined in.

One by one, the soldiers joined in on the monotonic symphony.

The orcs also looked at each other, then followed Karuta as he joined in the chorus
by smashing his wooden club into the ground.

Thud!!! Thud!!! Thud!!! Thud!!! Thud!!!

A louder roar resonated throughout the entire valley, causing the ground of the
quarry to shake.
The orc warriors led the way through the dark cave with dozens of torches in their
hands with Karuta in the lead. The entrance was narrow but soon widened into a
space that could accommodate six people walking side by side. The dark, damp cave
was complex like a maze, and it seemed like one could easily get lost in it.

This didn’t seem troubling to the orcs as they were born with heightened hearing
and a sense of smell. They were able to detect the smell of water or the flow of air to
find their way through the cave without hesitation.

“Kueh? W, wait.”

It must have been several hours after they started walking. Kratul, who was standing
in lead with Raven and Karuta, suddenly stopped.

“What? What is it?”

“I feel the energy of life… Kueee… Kuet! Spirit, it’s a spirit!”

Kratul busily moved his nostrils with his eyes closed, then opened his mouth wide.

“This way.”

Kratul started to move, following his senses. After a while of walking, a faint sound of
flowing water could be heard, and Kratul stopped in his tracks.

“There.”

Kratul pointed at a fairly large spring from which a small waterfall was flowing. It
was a fairly decently-sized waterfall, as tall as the average human. Raven stepped
forward past Kratul and narrowed his eyes. Something was faintly flickering from
inside the waterfall.

“Dangerous. There is a smell of a water spirit coming from there.”

Kratul hastily stopped Raven. Raven frowned.

“Water spirit? Are water spirits dangerous?”

“Not originally. But this cave has no feeling of life, which means the protection of the
earth god is not here. A spirit that resides in a place like this can’t be normal. I’m sure
that it is a cursed spirit.”

“Hmmm…”

Raven stroked his chin while taking turns looking at Kratul and Karuta.

“Which way is the exit? Don’t we have to pass through there?”

“Kuhem, the wind is coming from that direction…”

“Kuuwuu… Karuta is right. We have to get past that to get to the exit.”

Kratul added on to Karuta’s comments with an uncomfortable expression. Hearing

the orcs’ words, Raven stood still and observed the waterfall for a little while longer
before narrowing his eyes.

The faintly flickering glow coming from inside the waterfall seemed suspicious.

“So what is that?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

Karuta and Kratul frowned and looked in the direction that Raven was pointing
towards. Unfortunately, it was impossible for orcs, who had terrible eyesight, to be
able to see the light.

“There’s something flickering, a light, inside the waterfall. It’s shaped… like a plank
or a board…”

“Kuek!”

Kratul let out a squeal similar to a pig, and Raven frowned.

“What? What is it all of a sudden?”

“F, f, flickering lights shaped like a plank is coming from inside the waterfall? It’s
shaped like a plank?”

Kratul, the orc druid, who had always maintained a relaxed atmosphere and talked
smoothly, stuttered at the mention of the light.

“Well yes, but is it something weird? If it is dangerous…”

“This is wondrous news! It’s the earth god’s blessing!”

Kratul shouted in a loud voice that caused the cave to rattle and everyone to cover
their ears.

“What is it? What do you mean by that?”

Raven asked in an angry voice to which Kratul responded, unable to hide his
excitement.

“Water spirits like precious things! Expensive! Shiny things! Kuek! It was strange in
the first place that a water spirit would be residing in such a weird place devoid of
any life energy whatsoever! Pendragon! This is really marvelous! Having run into the
blessing of the earth god as a mere scarecrow… Kuek!”

Bang!

Karuta smacked the top of Kratul’s head with a big fist.

“You little monkey-like orc! Talk a bit slower so we can understand what you’re
gibbering about!”

“Kuee… There is no life energy here. That means that the water spirit is residing here
for a certain reason, it means that the spirit is protecting something. Something
precious.”

“Something precious? Okay, so?”

Raven’s eyes lit up at the mention of something precious and he hurriedly asked
back.

Kratul continued his words while stroking the feathers of his headdress.
“Water is the source of life along with the earth. The precious thing that the water
spirit is protecting should be related to life. It’s an item that has most likely been
collecting all the life energy of this place over a period of time.”

“An item related to life…”

Raven couldn’t really get a sense of what kind of item it was.

But he soon took large strides towards the waterfall.

“Kuek? I, it’s dangerous, Pendragon! The water spirit…”

Kabooooosh!

Before Kratul finished his sentence, something jumped out and made its appearance
from behind the waterfall with a large splash. Raven quickly avoided the pouring
water, and promptly pointed the Widow’s Scream at the entity before speaking.

“Are you the water spirit? I’m sorry but you need to hand over what you’ve been
hoarding, and get out of the way.”

A turtle made of water, that was easily three times larger than Karuta, opened its
jaws wide open as if to devour Raven.

***

Raven, Karuta, and Kratul took the lead going up a pile of stone that resembled steps.

The sound of the wind became louder as they climbed higher, and the surroundings
became brighter. Kratul, who was busily walking up behind Raven and Karuta, kept
stealing glances at Raven.

Rather, to be precise, he was looking at an object hanging behind Raven’s back.

There was a shield that hadn’t been there only a short while ago dangling on Raven’s
back. Even at first glance, the cool blue shield didn’t seem to be an ordinary object.

Naturally, a shield that the water spirit had been protecting and concentrating life
energy into for years could not possibly be ordinary.
Recalling the events that unfolded just moments ago, Karutal carefully walked to
Raven’s side and asked.

“By the way, Pendragon. What you did, did you do it knowingly?”

“What? Oh, this? Well, the odds were half and half.”

Raven grinned as he glanced behind his back.

Kratul shook his head.

“I don’t know about any odds, but Pendragon is amazing. It was the first time Kratul
saw a water spirit act so docile.”

“It’s nothing.”

Raven shrugged, and Karuta snorted in response.

“Hmm! What’s so great about it. It’s all thanks to the power of the guardian deity
anyway.”

“But you never thought of it, and I did. Soldrake made an oath with my family, not
yours. Isn’t that already amazing enough?”

“Keeung! Hmm!”

Karuta had no words to retort with, and could only simply snort his nose. It was
ridiculous what the Pendragon scarecrow did when he thought about it, but it was
still amazing.

When the giant turtle water spirit opened its jaws, Karuta thought that the
Pendragon scarecrow would be swallowed whole. Everyone else must have had the
same thought as well.

However, the giant turtle water spirit that resided in the cave for tens of years,
flopped down on its belly and kowtowed towards Raven. Everyone became drenched
thanks to the giant body splashing water everywhere, but what happened afterward
was even more spectacular.

The giant spirit acted completely different than what was expected from its large
size. It trembled its entire body in fear, and splashed water droplets and blew
bubbles…

It was ridiculous, but also natural.

The spirit had succumbed to the aura contained within the sword of the Pendragon
brat. Unsurprisingly, the aura belonged to the guardian deity of the forest, the being
whose name Karuta dared not speak, the great dragon Soldrake.

For the spirit who lived in a cave directly connected to the resting place of the
guardian deity, the aura of the Pendragon scarecrow was basically god itself.

The sword that contained the aura was pointed towards it, which caused the spirit to
lose its mind and go insane. That’s why with only a few words from Raven, it handed
over its most prized possession and opened the way for the group.

“But that really is amazing. It really is rejuvenating the soldiers over there, and
myself as well.”

Karuta glanced at the soldiers who were following behind them. The injured soldiers
who needed help walking just a few hours ago all seemed mostly healed. Those who
suffered from major injuries were still limping slightly, but they were incomparablely
better compared to how they were in the morning.

“Well, it’s an artifact, hmm? An artifact.”

Raven gave a satisfied smile and tapped on the shield.

Even he hadn’t thought the shield would have such fantastical abilities. Although it
was incomparable to his own ability of immortality and regeneration, the power
contained in the shield could be counted among the top ten in the entire empire. It
was a tremendous power.

Just having the shield in possession healed creatures that were in a 50-yard radius…

Of course, the shield didn’t provide complete regeneration, but it improved the
natural healing speed by several times. Just this ability alone made it completely
adequate to be called an artifact.

“I think we’re almost there. Just a little bit more, everybody.”

“Yes!”

The soldiers who walked uphill for several hours felt no fatigue and gave a vigorous
reply to Raven. Karuta looked towards Raven and the human soldiers, then shrugged
his shoulders.

‘A mere scarecrow is really receiving the divine blessing of the earth god… Pendragon…
’

Karuta swiftly climbed the stone stairs. He knew that if his guesses were correct,
then he should unconditionally stick next to the feeble-looking scarecrow.

Whoosh!

As they reached the end of the staircase which led to the outside world, a strong
wind rushed to greet the party.

Raven squinted his eyes. After the wind had calmed down, he observed the
surroundings.

Flat land formed from soil and gravel spread out around him, and pointed mountain
peaks formed from rocks stood in the far distance, looking like spearheads
challenging the sky.

“That’s…”

Raven’s eyes slowly widened. Even though it was early summer, naked trees were
scattered across the land.

A grey building was erected upright at the end of the flat ground, surrounded by the
rock cliffs in an arc. The building was created by stacking elaborately carved rocks
together. Its appearance was similar to a huge ancient altar Raven had seen at the
edge of a desert during his days in the demonic army.

Even from a far distance, its size was massive, at least twice as big as Bellint Gate.

Woooong!

Widow’s Scream let out a cry while shuddering. With that, Raven was convinced. The
grey building was the mausoleum of the Pendragon Duchy.
“Let’s go.”

Raven walked towards the mausoleum without hesitation. The soldiers and the orc
warriors who were staring at the building with blank expressions hurriedly followed
behind Raven.

***

The road to the mausoleum was eerily quiet. Only the occasional wind made any
noise, and no living creatures could be felt in its vicinity. Soon, the surroundings
became darker, and a bright yellow moon peeked out from behind the mausoleum.
Perhaps because they were on top of a mountain, the moon looked to be several
times larger than usual. The soldiers surveyed the surroundings with anxious eyes.
They had never experienced a strange environment like this before.

Growl…

Even the orc warriors, as ferocious as they were, seemed to be on the edge.

Finally, the troops arrived in front of the mausoleum with Raven in the lead.

Large statues of dragons, easily three times the height of a person, lined the entrance
to the mausoleum. The statues glared intensely at the uninvited visitors.

Raven suddenly looked down.

Woooong! Woooong!

As he got closer to the mausoleum, the treasured blade vibrated more intensely.

Step. Step…

Leaving the soldiers behind, Raven slowly walked towards the entrance.

Wooooooong!!!

The vibration became even stronger, and Widow’s Scream caused its sheath to
tremble as well.

Shink.
Raven drew the sword.

A white light decorated the length of the long blade. Its appearance was similar to
when he had fought the lich the night before.

It was then.

Ruuuuuumble!

Along with a loud roar, the ground trembled and kicked up dust in the area across
from the dragon statue.

“Kuek!”

Raven took several steps back and glared at the mausoleum.

“Gasp!”

T, that’s…!”

Those who stood behind Raven were also shocked.

Thud, thud, thud!

A horse was running from the mausoleum, breaking through the dirt and raising
dust above the gray sky. The translucent horse was surrounded by a strange blue
glow, and a knight sat on the saddle with his sword unsheathed…

“……!”

Everybody’s bodies quickly froze, regardless of whether they were humans or orcs.

The knight, whose whole body flared as if wrapped in a deep, blue flame, was
wearing the same armor and wielding the same sword as the man who had led them
here thus far.

The two people who knew the identity of the knight, Killian, and Karuta, spoke
simultaneously.

“Duke Gor…”
But one person who was unfamiliar with the knight unknowingly spoke his name
faster than the two.

“Duke Gordon Pendragon…”

“Duke Gordon Pendragon…”

No one had told Raven the identity of the knight, but Raven unknowingly called out
the name of Alan Pendragon’s father, the previous Duke of the Pendragon family,
Gordon Pendragon.

Neeeiigh!

The horse that Gordon Pendragon was riding on gave a cry.

“……!”

Everybody awoke to their senses at the cry of the horse. At the same time, everybody
opened their eyes wider in order to see the figure on the horse clearly. The dust
settled down with the cry, and a huge shadow was cast against the now fully
revealed moon.

The shadow was cast over the mausoleum, Raven, and the dragon statues, as well as
over the hundred soldiers and thirty orcs.

In an instant, the whole world darkened by a notch.

Raven looked up with a blank expression to see the master of the shadow that was
cast over both heaven and earth.

A majestic creature of pure white with a silver armor adorned over its entire body.
Three horns stemmed from its head as a symbol of a monarch, and it looked down at
the world and all the living things within it.

It was Soldrake, the dragon of the Pendragon family.

Shhhhhhh…

The dust settled. However, those who were standing with their two feet planted on
the ground found themselves not able to move even a single step.
All beings quietly looked up at Soldrake in stillness.

[Who… are you…]

A voice resounded in Raven’s ears. A voice that was so strange, yet familiar. It caused
Raven to have goosebumps all over his body.

Raven looked down. The voice came from the ghost knight of Gordon Pendragon.

It was the same as then.

The situation and the voice was the same as when Raven first met Alan Pendragon at
the final battle on the Plains of Robstein.

This made it clear.

Back then, and now. The person talking wasn’t Alan Pendragon in the Robstein
Plains, and it wasn’t Gordon Pendragon’s ghost now.

Soldrake.

The dragon of the Pendragon family was speaking to him.

[Who… are you…]

Soldrake spoke once more through Gordon Pendragon.

Raven shouted while clenching his teeth.

“I, I am Alan Pendragon!”

Whooooosh!

Soldrake stretched his long neck towards the entrance.

“Kueeeek!”

“Ahh!”

The orc warriors and soldiers backed away in fear.

Soldrake’s giant head stopped right behind Gordon Pendragon. Now the dragon was
close enough to be able to swallow Raven in one bite.

But Raven Valt, who was now standing there as Alan Pendragon, desperately
repressed his instincts to run away and clenched his teeth while standing his ground.

[You are not Alan pendragon… This Queen already knew from the castle…]

“……!”

Raven could no longer differentiate the voice between Gordon Pendragon and
Soldrake, and his heart rattled at the dragon’s words. As Attia Pendragon mentioned,
Soldrake already knew that he was not Alan Pendragon.

[I will ask once again… Who are you…]

Soldrake’s blue eyes had vertical irises stood tall like a sword. The gaze of the dragon
seemed to pierce straight through Raven, seeing through his entire soul.

At that moment, things passed through Raven’s mind. Events of the future past – they
all rapidly flashed by Raven’s mind.

A scene where his father and brother were beheaded right before his eyes.

A scene where he was tortured by heretical judges who came with the empire’s
knights.

A scene where his body was dragged to the demonic army and he was chained at the
neck like a dog.

Scenes of fighting and fighting for ten years in various battles. A scene of entering
battle and escorting Alan Pendragon in the Plains of Robstein…

Finally, a scene where Baltai stood looking down at him with the head of Alan
Pendragon…

All of those scenes passed by Raven’s eyes like magic.

However, it wasn’t because Raven wanted to recall the scenes.

It was the power of Soldrake. The dragon had the authority of dragons, the power to
see through the truth.

“I… I…”

Raven’s eyes loosened and saliva overflowed from his mouth. Soldrake pushed its big
head even closer. The vertically erect sapphire eyes exploded into light and entered
Raven’s mind.

[Tell me… Who are you…]

“I, I…”

Then, something flickered in Raven’s view that was covered by a deep blue.

Someone was holding him.

A blonde man and a woman. Two truly beautiful and handsome people…

He was playing with the knights in a wide courtyard.

Then someone with a terrifying expression scolded him.

But soon, the small baby wriggled his hands while giggling. The blonde man and
woman chuckled happily next to him.

He was reading a book in a dark room lit by a candle. He stood beside a golden cradle
with a small girl with tinted cheeks.

He was reading books together with this girl who was growing up little by little.

He drew together with her, and he planted flowers with her.

Then, there was another baby.

Immediately after, the man, who was always looking over him with worried eyes,
was lying in bed. His eyes slowly closed, his expression tinted with worry.

It was dark.
I kept reading and painting in a dark, dark room.

The darkness got bigger and bigger.

Whooooosh!

In an instance, sharp blue eyes pierced through the darkness like a blade and
suddenly drew close.

“Keugh!”

Raven coughed up blood.

[Who are you… Tell me… Tell me your name…]

The shrill, metallic voice pierced through Raven’s ears.

Having seen both Raven Valt and Alan Pendragon’s memories, the young man was in
a chaotic juncture of memories.

He slowly opened his blood-stained lips.

“I’m… Raven Va…”

Beyond his messy memories, he saw something in the distance, something floating
like a mirage.

A young girl’s shy and admirable face as she wiped down his body, a noble lady who
shed tears with a face mixed with concern and passion, a blonde girl who was always
full of trust and goodwill, the tears of a girl who held tightly onto his pants…

“I… I… I am…!”

Watching those people overlap into one image, Raven shouted with all of his might.

“I am the heir to the Duke!!! I am Alan Pendragon!”

Crack!

All the sights that were unfolded before him broke apart like glass.
“Keeeeeugh!”

Raven knelt onto the ground without any strength, holding onto Widow’s Scream to
support himself. Blood dripped along his white chin and dropped onto the dirt floor.

“Your Graaace!”

“Pendragon!”

Killian and Karuta’s shouts resonated.

Raven wiped the blood off his chin and slowly raised his head.

Where Gordon Pendragon had disappeared without a trace, only Soldrake was left,
looking down at him.

“Heuk… Ugh!”

Breathing wildly, Raven straightened his knees and stood up.

Swooooooosh!

Soldrake opened its gigantic wings, splitting the moon, and elongated its neck.

Roooooaaaaaaaaaar!

A ferocious thunder broke out from the open mouth of Soldrake. The sound waves
exploded, creating a hemispherical transparent shockwave for an instant.

“Heuk!”

Both humans and orcs blocked their ears at the roar that threatened to burst their
eardrums. However, Raven kept his blank gaze fixated on Soldrake, and the dragon
returned the gaze.

To others, it sounded like a dragon roar, but it was not the same to Raven. Raven
heard clearly.

Soldrake, the Pendragon’s dragon, spoke.

[The pledge has been made. Alan Pendragon, and Raven Valt…]

Soldrake’s voice had changed. It no longer sounded bizarre like screeching metal, but
a soft, cold, but pleasant voice.

Raven realized.

He was the only one who could hear the dragon’s voice. This signified that he had
become the true master of the Pendragon Duchy.

“Y, Your Grace!”

“Pendragon! Pendragon are you okay!?”

Killian and Karuta called out Raven’s name crazily. Not only the two, but the soldiers
and orc warriors prepared to come running at a moment’s notice.

Kaaaaaah!

A strange sound came from somewhere in the sky, which broke the tension and
caused everybody to raise their heads.

“Uh…… uh…!”

“Kuwuh…”

Everyone, orcs and humans alike groaned with their mouths wide open. Beyond the
night sky with a yellow moon, countless winged creatures were flying towards them.

Kyaaaah! Kyaaaaaahk!

The creatures were as big as bulls and had the body of a lion with the head of an
eagle. They flapped their pure white wings and bore through the sky.

They were griffons.

Hundreds of griffons crossed the night sky and hovered over the mausoleum,
encircling the compound.

Soldrake spread her wings wide.

The griffons grouped together and then settled on the ground, surrounding the
mausoleum.

“Ugh…”

“Kureuk! Kureuk!”

The soldiers were horrified, and the orc warriors radiated Orc Fear as they looked
around at the hundreds of griffons who radiated strength.

But soon, everyone’s eyes turned to the two figures who were responsible for
creating this ridiculous and enormous situation.

“Y, Your Grace Alan…”

What the hell was he doing? Killian called out to Alan Pendragon. Even in such a
situation, he was silently staring up at the dragon. Raven took off his helmet and
slowly turned around.

Everyone was startled.

A smile hung on the white face of Alan Pendragon.

“These guys are Soldrake’s servants. And from today… they also belong to me.”

“Gasp! So, y, you mean…”

“Yes. I’ve succeeded in making an oath with Soldrake.”

“Ah…!”

Killian’s face lit up with joy for a moment, and tears as big as cabbages fell from the
eyes of the full-bearded knight.

“Uhhehhuhuh! Uhhhug!”

Killian shed huge tears and stared back at the soldiers.

“His grace has succeeded in forming an oath! Sob. He’s reopened the mausoleum too!
Now, now our Pendragon family…”
“Uawaaaaaahhhhhhh!”

A thunderous shout burst out before Killian finished speaking his words. The
soldiers embraced each other and rejoiced.

“P, P, Pendragon. So these birdheads are your subordinates now too?”

Karuta walked up to Raven in a restrained matter, stealing glances at Soldrake in fear.

“Well, something like that. From today onwards, Soldrake and I have entered into a
relationship where we share everything. The oath remains active until the day I die.”

“Kuuuek? T, Then, P, Pendragon is protecting the forest?”

Raven tilted his head and threw his gaze at Soldrake for a moment, before turning to
Karuta and speaking.

“She says the Ancona Forest, as well as the territory around it, all belongs to her, so I
can do whatever I want with it.”

“……”

Karuta had his mouth open, but couldn’t find any words to come out.

That meant… that from now on, he had to follow the words of the Pendragon brat
unconditionally…

Pat pat.

Raven poked Karuta’s sides and the orc lowered his head with his mouth hanging
open.

Raven took on a serious expression and spoke to the orc.

“You said you wanted to prove to the world of Ancona Orc’s power as the strongest
orc? I will keep my promises. I give you my word in the name of Pendragon and
Soldrake.”

“Kruuuuu…”
Karuta’s ugly face distorted even further. But Raven could see that it was an
expression of joy. Raven patted the orc’s back once more before turning his head
towards Soldrake.

“So just the griffons are your direct servants?”

[That is so. But it seems other guests may be coming soon.]

“Guests?”

It was not easy to guess the identity of something that a dragon would refer to as
‘guests’.

[They seem to be coming now.]

Soldrake stretched her neck towards the sky. Raven’s eyes naturally followed. In the
far distance of the starlit sky, a few flickering black lights were headed towards them.

“What is that you would call a guest…… Heup!?”

Raven, who was staring at the sky with narrowed eyes, unconsciously held his
breath.

Little by little, the lights became larger.

The lights crossed the high rocky peaks and fully revealed their majestic forms.

“D, dragon…”

Six giant dragons, each a different color, were flying with their giant wings toward
the Pendragon family mausoleum.
Humans, orcs, and griffons… All the living beings surrounding the mausoleum
quickly fell silent.

Six beings orbited the building around the mausoleum with their wings spread open.

Blazing.

Noble.

Upright.

Gentle.

Restless.

Solemn…

A spectrum of colors spread out from the six pairs of wings and embraced the night
sky. It was as if the northern lights that unfolded in the deep north were brought
onto the skies of the mausoleum.

Raven wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or if the sight in front of him was just an
illusion. He stared at the six dragons slowly descending towards the mausoleum
with an inscrutable expression.

“……”

No one dared to speak.

The six exalted creatures landed on the ground centering around Soldrake, each with
their wings folded. The sight was so incredible that it seemed to blur the line
between reality and imagination.

One couldn’t take in all six dragons within their line of sight because they were so
massive.
The soldiers and orcs could do nothing but simply blankly stare up at one or two
dragons.

[Is this the Queen’s new companion?]

A voice bellowed from one of the dragons and struck Raven’s ear. Raven shook
himself back into reality and turned his head towards whom he thought had spoken.

A solemn black dragon, whose scales were colored darker than night itself, was
looking down straight at him.

[That’s correct, Amuhalt. However, for what reason have the six guests come to my
land uninvited? The pledge between the Pendragons and I should have nothing to do
with all of you.]

[Of course, the Queen’s situation has nothing to do with us. But it is a little different
this time. We didn’t choose to come. We had to come. Don’t tell me you don’t know
the reason why.]

A turquoise dragon, who was emitting a subtle greenish hue, responded to the words
of Soldrake.

Soldrake’s head turned to the turquoise dragon.

[Do I need to explain myself to you, Ellagrian?]

The turquoise dragon folded his long neck and receded to the gaze of Soldrake under
the bright moonlight.

[…You do not.]

[What does everybody else think? Is there a reason why I should continue to be
hospitable to those who have intruded upon my land without an invitation and
folded their wings on the mausoleum of the Pendragons? Why should I continue my
hospitality to the insolence?]

Soldrake’s gaze moved on from the Ellagrian, the turquoise dragon, and passed the
six dragons.

Each of the dragons folded their necks and avoided Soldrake’s gaze. But the dragon
who had spoken first, Amuhalt, reacted differently.

[I apologize for our rudeness. But Queen, it is not just your energy that is being felt
from this man. The Dragon God and the Demon God’s energies also…]

Swoosh!

Suddenly, Soldrake spread her wings wide open. Another hemispherical shockwave
was emitted like a storm and a roar filled the night sky, all in a split second.

“Ugh!”

“Kueeek!”

Humans and orcs fell flat onto the ground, and hundreds of griffons covered their
heads with their wings, kneeling to the ground.

Even the six giant dragons staggered in their enormous bodies.

Only one person, Raven, was unaffected by the gesture.

Raven looked up at Soldrake. The majestic white dragon had caused even some of
the other dragons to retreat with one flap of her wings.

Raven gulped and felt an unfamiliar sensation when he looked up at the dragon. The
appearance of Soldrake with her wings out free was massively enchanting and
beautiful.

[I will not tolerate any more than this. In the name of the Dragon Queen, I order the
uninvited guests to leave my land.]

‘Dragon Queen?’

Raven narrowed his eyes.

The six dragons stepped back with their wings folded at the words of Soldrake, who
called herself the Dragon Queen. They looked among themselves, communicating
through gazes, then slowly lifted off the ground.

Five dragons did not dare to look at Soldrake, but the black dragon Amuhalt opened
his mouth and spoke, staring at Soldrake and Raven with his dark, obsidian-like eyes.

[I will go back today, but this is not the end. Someday, Pendragon will leave this land
and cross into our territory. Today’s questioning will continue.]

[……]

Soldrake maintained her silence, and Amuhalt shared one last gaze with the Queen
before flapping his wings and lifting off the ground.

With that as a signal, all the other dragons flew up and away from the night sky,
leaving the mausoleum behind.

In the blink of an eye, the shapes of six gigantic dragons disappeared over the
horizon and over the mountain peaks. Their departure left the mausoleum
enveloped in silence.

The griffons remained low on the ground with their wings folded, and the orcs and
the soldiers all stared at the ground, unable to shake off the fear.

Raven broke the silence.

“What they were talking about just now…?”

Soldrake rested her gaze where the six dragons disappeared, and twisted her neck at
Raven’s words.

“I think I need to know a little bit more… No, before that.”

Raven, who paused his words, twisted his neck left and right and continued
speaking.

“My neck hurts so much because I have to keep looking up. Can you lower your
posture?”

[……]

“…hm?”

Raven frowned and squinted at an unusual sight. He could see that the ends of
Soldrake’s mouth were slightly raised. She was clearly smiling. The fearful
momentum and atmosphere created by her that sent six dragons flying away with
their tails between their legs was gone, as if it never had happened.

[There’s a much better way than lowering my posture, companion.]

“A good way? What is it?”

[We are equal, so we just have to face each other on equal ground when talking.]

“…What?”

Raven tilted his head at Soldrake’s thickened smile.

At that moment, a faint light started to shine from the three horns that rose above
Soldrake’s head. Raven’s eyes felt the blinding light grow bigger, and he raised his
hand to cover his eyes.

The cold, clean white glow that originated from the horns covered Soldrake’s entire
body and flickered like the stars in the night sky.

Raven, as well as the others that were present, looked up at Soldrake in wonder. Her
appearance started to fade as the light flickered on.

Shoosh!

The light burst into a small explosion, causing a luminance too powerful for
everyone’s retinas.

“Ugh!”

Everyone closed their eyes and turned their heads simultaneously. Even with their
eyes closed, the blinding light persisted, evoking the image of a midday sun.

After a while, the light faded. Raven raised his head as he turned back to Soldrake
with a surprised frown on his face.

“What?”

The place where Soldrake’s massive body should be standing was now empty, as if
nothing had ever been there.

“What the hell…?”

Raven looked around everywhere in the night sky with a startled expression. But
Soldrake was nowhere to be seen.

It was then.

[Where are you looking at? I am right here.]

For some reason, the voice that spoke to him was clearer than before. He slowly
lowered his head from the sky.

Gasp!

Raven’s eyes shook in astonishment.

The ‘woman’ had cold, silver hair like a first winter snowfall, and deep blue eyes
reminiscent of the quiet, distant seas. Her bottomless eyes were staring straight at
Raven.

In addition, her pure, precious pale skin and luscious red lips were so vivid and
elegant that they could only be described as protruding from a master’s painting.

But Raven wasn’t only surprised at her beauty.

‘She’ had three jewels protruding from her white forehead, exposed out in the gentle
wind. She wore a breastplate made from the clear material similar to Raven’s own
dragon armor, on top of an old-fashioned dress that harmonized blue and white into
elegance. On her back, there were ‘wings’ folded behind her straight shoulders.

Raven looked at the woman whom he could hardly describe as human with
unbelieving eyes.

“Sol… drake…?”

[Who else would it be? Raven Valt, and Alan Pendragon, my companion seems to be
quite a fool.]
The human version of Sodrake walked towards Raven, answering his question with
an expressionless face.

“Oh! That…”

Raven retreated a few steps in surprise as Soldrake walked towards him.

He had the body of Alan Pendragon, and he was not considered short by any means,
but Soldrake was quite tall. She could look at Raven’s eyes directly, and she was
almost the same height as him.

She had stood in front of him, the three sapphires on her forehead reflecting the
moonlight, and her deep blue eyes staring into Raven’s eyes. They were in such close
proximity that their noses were practically touching.

Since becoming Alan Pendragon, Raven had never been this flustered before.
Soldrake maintained eye contact with Raven and opened her lips.

[Now, shall we continue our conversation?]

***

“Hmm…”

A day had passed since the group left Ancona Forest, but Killian’s gaze was still fixed
on one place. The same held true for the orc warrior Karuta, who naturally took his
place beside Killian. However, Karuta didn’t blatantly stare at the place, and only
stole small glances every so often with a shriveled posture.

“Ah, it’s so hot, why don’t you get off me a little and walk.”

Killian frowned as he glanced at Karuta who walked in extreme closeness to Killian’s

horse. Karuta’s eyes quickly regained their fire.

“What, are you picking a fight with me, scarecrow?”

“No, I’m not picking a fight… It’s so hot that I might die, but you’re sticking to my side
like an ownerless dog. If you’re so curious, go closer to them and look, or just ask His
Grace about it.”
Killian had become familiar with Karuta through their last journey and talked in a
casual voice. Karuta suddenly curled up.

“Say something that makes sense, scarecrow. The Ancona Orcs cannot go close to the
guardian of the forest without permission.”

“Well… it’s not like we can understand what they’re talking about even if we go close
to them.”

Killian licked his lips. Even before Soldrake took on human form, no one could
understand Soldrake.

Every time Soldrake talked, no one could hear her, nor Alan Pendragon’s voice. When
anyone neared them, their ears became plugged and they were unable to listen in on
the conversation.

“If you can understand, then Killian would be Pendragon. Kuhuhu!”

Killian shrugged his shoulders in embarrassment at Karuta’s laughter. Well, the only
person who could communicate with the dragon was Alan Pendragon.

Anyone besides him could not even directly look at, lest hold a conversation with the
dragons. Only Alan Pendragon had heard the conversation between the six dragons
that took place a few days back.

“Hmm…”

Killian remembered the incident and trembled. Gordon Pendragon appearing as an

apparition – that was understandable, as it was the mausoleum of the Pendragon
family.

But hundreds of griffons, as well as six dragons.

Six dragons! Not one, not two, but half a dozen dragons gathered in one place! He
never imagined that he would ever see such a sight in his lifetime. Just thinking
about it made his legs flutter and back wriggle.

‘But… ’

Killian’s gaze naturally headed to the front again.

The most astonishing fact was that Soldrake, the Pendragon family’s contracted
dragon, turned into a ‘person’. Moreover, the woman was an incredible beauty that
made it hard to place your eyes anywhere else. No one knew that Soldrake could
transform, not even those who directly served the Pendragon family for decades.

It was natural.

No one had ever seen Soldrake with a human appearance.

“Sigh…”

Killian shook his head with a long sigh as he observed Soldrake walk alongside Alan
Pendragon. Even though she had a gorgeous appearance, it was difficult to consider a
woman who had strangely shaped jewels on her forehead and wings behind her back
as a regular ‘human’.

Aside from her overwhelming beauty, wherever her deep sea-like eyes headed,
everyone hurriedly bowed their heads, suppressed by the power of her incredible
aura.

Even with a human appearance, a dragon was still a dragon.

“Hey, Killian scarecrow. Can’t you go and ask?”

Karuta still glanced at Alan Pendragon and Soldrake whenever he got the chance and
poked at Killian’s sides.

“Ugh!”

Killian’s waists bent due to the orc’s constant poking. Even without any added
strength, an orc’s power was not to be underestimated. Killian groaned and created
distance between Karuta and himself.

“Don’t sprout nonsense. How would I, a mere knight, interfere in the conversation
between His Grace and his dragon. Besides, Soldrake is terrify… I mean, I just don’t
feel like it…”

“Damn it, dig at the ground.”

In the end, Killian and Karuta had no choice but to return their gazes upfront and
lick their lips in frustration.

Unlike the two creature’s expectations, Raven did not have many conversations with
Soldrake since leaving Ancona Forest.

“……”

He had heard everything he needed to know immediately after leaving the forest, so
now he was calmly thinking things through.

Having completed the oath with Soldrake and reopening the mausoleum, the
Pendragon family reclaimed all the mines in the estate that had been magically
sealed for over 10 years.

‘Two iron mines, and three gold mines. Even two crystal mines… I guess the title of
duchy isn’t just for show.’

He was calm and collected now, but he was still in disbelief when he first heard
about it. On top of those mines, the Seyrod family would hand over a gold and a
crystal mine, as well as two lumber mills.

‘This is basically the wealth of a small kingdom… ’

Disregarding everything else, receiving the mines was a huge deal. Even if the quality
of the ingots and crystals were subpar, one could become one of the five wealthiest
estates in the empire by working the mines for two to three years.

Another problem that Raven found troubling had solved itself. He was worried about
the troops, but now he had around three hundred griffons he could summon through
Soldrake from the Ancona Forest, as well as over thirty orc warriors who
accompanied him to Conrad Castle.

With this force alone, he could capture quite a few estates within one month.

However, he hadn’t just received good news.

The lich that he encountered in the abandoned quarry that led the skeleton army
and the ghost knight of Gordon Pendragon that suddenly emerged from the
mausoleum, they were…
[What are you thinking about so intently?]

A monotonic voice caused Raven to turn his head. He had gotten more used to
Soldrake’s blue eyes, which were truly encaptivating and evasive of any attempts to
read them.

“I was thinking about the things you gave me… So, the thing I received.”

Soldrake lightly shook her head while gazing at Raven.

[Everything originally belonged to Pendragon. It is not received.]

“Hmm. Is that so…”

Raven agreed with Soldrake’s words but soon spoke once more after meeting
Soldrake’s gaze.

“No, but I definitely received one new thing. And you gained it as well.”

[What do you mean by that?]

A hint of curiosity gleamed in the eyes of the strongest creature who took on a
woman’s form. Raven laughed and replied, enjoying seeing the expression on
Soldrake’s face.

“You. I received you, and you received I.”

[……]

Suddenly, Soldrake halted her steps.

Then, Raven stopped as well, and the march of the troops that followed far behind
the troops also came to a stop.

In front of everyone’s eyes, Soldrake walked up to Raven, just as she had done when
she first transformed into her human figure. When Raven felt a little awkward at her
stare and proximity, Soldrake spoke in a soft, low voice that only Raven could hear,
then proceeded back to walking.

[Sol. You can just call me Sol from now on.]

“Heave-ho!”

With her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, Lindsay eagerly drew water from the well.
She lowered the wooden bucket several times right until the wooden barrel was
filled to the brim. She then stood up to grasp the handle of the heavy barrel.

“Huup!”

Lindsay lifted the handle with both hands and in a crab-like manner scurried
towards the nearby building. Her face turned as red as a tomato as she exerted
herself to the physical limits. Right then, two soldiers coming down from the stone
wall spotted Lindsay’s struggle and ran toward her.

“Hey, miss Lindsay, you can leave hard work like this to us.”

“Now now, I can take it from here.”

“Oh, no… that’s okay…”

The soldiers took on the bucket of water from Lindsay, almost half-forcefully.
Looking at her empty hands, Lindsay was confused, not knowing what to do next.

“Um, it’s really fine. It’s something I used to do every day in Conrad Castle. I can take
that.”

“No, no. We’re in a position where we rely on you for our meals anyways. I wouldn’t
have any face left if I didn’t help you with even something like this. Now, come on,
let’s go.”

The two soldiers each grabbed a side of the handle and hastily headed towards the
back of the kitchen building.

“Ah, no, ummm…”

Lindsay watched as the soldiers scurried away and hurriedly followed after them.
“Good day, lady Lindsay.”

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

“Oh, by the way, what is the menu for dinner today? Obviously, everything you make
is scrumptious, but I’m curious!”

“Well, I think I’m going to roast a pig…”

“Have any of the Seyrod guys harassed you? If they touch even a hair on you, let me
know. I will…”

“N, no! There weren't any problems.”

Everyone she passed engaged in eager dialogue with her, and she replied to each of
them before finally making her way into the kitchen.

“Oh my, lady Lindsay is here!”

“We’ve already prepared all the ingredients.”

Lindsay was reminded of when she had first met the women. They were thin, scruffy,
and had poor complexions.

Now there was life in their faces.

“Ah, yes… Oh! I can do that…”

“No, no. It must have been tiring for you to work since morning. Take a small break.”

“Oh no, but I can still…”

“Now, now, don’t make us repeat ourselves. We’ll take care of it so you take a break.”

The ladies sat Lindsay down on a chair to the side of the kitchen and resumed their
work, displaying their experienced familiarity of the surroundings.

Lindsay had never had this kind of treatment in Conrad Castle. For ten days she had
been receiving this warm hospitality, but Lindsay still felt uneasy. All she could do
was repeatedly stand up from her place in search of something to do, shortly before
giving up and sitting back down.

She had not been treated with such kindness during the first few days when the
Seyrod family’s soldiers came. Even though Alan Pendragon had made a declaration
of goodwill towards her before he left, the soldiers ignored her and treated her as if
she was invisible.

But she was used to such treatment from Conrad Castle, so it didn’t bother her.

However, exactly after four days, a large group of residents with a dozen Pendragon
soldiers returned in successful triumph.

Everything seemed to change from that moment onwards.

Those who came from outside Bellint Gate brought news that the immediate area
around the gate had become safe and free of bandits. Once the news dispersed, both
residents and soldiers began treating her with kindness.

No, it almost felt like they looked at Lindsay with admiration sometimes.

She had only followed her lord to help train his physical strength, so why did
everyone call her ‘lady’ and treat her nicely? She was nothing more than just another
common maid from the castle.

‘Was helping him train his body such an important task? Well, I still like to work as a
maid and I think it suits me more… ’

Even though she was less physically strained from not having to cook, Lindsay felt
emotionally burdened and uncomfortable, causing her to look down. But after a
short while, the loud sound of ringing bells rang throughout the entire gate, and
Lindsay’s expression quickly shifted.

“His Grace is coming! His Grace, Alan Pendragon is heading towards the gate!!!”

“Ah!”

Eighteen years old -- A prime age for falling in love. A wide smile spread on Lindsay’s
face like a midsummer flower.

Her smile did not last long.

 ***

“……”

The faces of the residents that were enthusiastically welcoming Alan Pendragon and
the soldiers froze. They stood dumbfounded in their place. They watched the sight
that unfolded before them with disbelief.

A woman walked alongside Alan Pendragon. A woman with otherworldly beauty

with an enchanting atmosphere. She appeared transcendental, and everyone who
saw her face froze on the spot with their jaws wide open.

However, their momentary stun was short-lived.

As soon as the residents saw the beings that walked behind the soldiers, their silence
and admiration turned into shock and fear.

“O, o, orcs!”

“Ahhhhhh!”

“Help!!!”

Chaos ensued, and those that saw the orcs started to run for their lives. But they
were the ones who had the courage to run away. Most of the people stood there
unmoving, or lost the strength in their legs and flopped down onto the ground.

Raven gave a light sigh and shouted out.

“Everyone rest assured! These orcs are from the Ancona Forest. They are the allies of
Pendragon!”

“You idiots! Put your weapons down!”

“…!”

The trembling soldiers were equipped with crossbows aimed towards the orcs. At
Killian’s shout of anger, they flinched and took several steps back.

Even with Raven’s reassurance, the fear of orcs did not subside easily, and most of
the residents were still sprawled on the ground with tears and runny noses.

“Oi.”

At Raven’s glance, Karuta slowly crept up towards him, looking at Soldrake all the
while with terrified eyes.

“You know what we talked about before, right? Do it.”

After seeing the guardian deity give a nod, Karuta stood next to Raven, then bent his
knees to match Raven’s height.

“Uh… how is everyone doing? Karuta is… uh… an orc that lives in Ancona Forest.
Erm… Pendragon has an oath with us… and…”

At the awkward, even embarrassing words of Karuta, Raven ‘accidentally’ struck

down with his sheath on top of Karuta’s foot.

“Ugh! Ow! A, anyways, Karuta and the orcs don’t touch weak scarecrows! We don’t
hurt you! We don’t eat you! Oi! Warriors!”

At Karuta’s urging, the orc warriors lined up quietly behind the Pendragon soldiers.

The residents lowered their guards when they saw the humongous orcs behave in
such a manner. They walked back towards the group, but they still maintained
caution and moved very slowly.

Raven climbed the stone steps and reached the second floor of the biggest building
in the area.

Soldrake stood right beside him.

Raven took one step forward and spoke.

“As you can see, I’ve taken in the Ancona Orcs under the Pendragon family as our
comrades. Moreover, the Ancona Orcs know honor and will never hurt anyone who
lives on my land. Isn’t that right, Karuta?”

“Of course! Karuta and the Orcs of Ancona Forest are friends of Pendragon. I swear
by the law of the orcs and by my blood!”
The largest orc spoke, and the villagers looked around and murmured. Their faces
were still full of worries, but it had improved vastly from before.

“Now that you know, everyone can resume their work.”

Raven turned around after speaking those words. Killian, who stood right below
Raven, shouted towards the soldiers and the residents.

“All the wounded over here! Empty the annex for our friends from Ancona Forest to
stay in. After taking care of your equipment…”

The soldiers moved to their respective places at Killian’s orders, and the residents
returned to their place, though their eyes were still full of fear towards the orcs.

“…Ah! I must be losing it.”

Lindsay was staring at the 2nd floor where Raven gave his speech, the second floor
where Raven stood together with an unknown winged ‘lady’. She gazed at the
building with perplexed eyes, then shook her head before moving her feet.

“I have to go look after His Grace.”

Lindsay was just as surprised by the appearance of the orcs as other people, but she
didn’t realize that her gaze had never left Alan Pendragon and the mysterious lady
that stood at his side.

“Y, Your Grace!”

“Hm? Oh, it’s you, Lindsay. Yes, how have you been?”

Lindsay’s cheeks were peach red from running, and Raven walked up to her with a
cheerful face.

Raven came to a realization that he had been smiling quite frequently. This caused
his expression to turn awkward and his steps grew to a halt.

“I’m doing fine. Y, Your Grace! Let me wipe your…”

Lindsay hurriedly ran in front of Alan and tried to wipe Raven’s face with a wet
towel. But she stopped when she felt someone’s gaze on her back. Lindsay slowly
turned her head and became breathless.

Silver hair that reflected the warm sunlight, three jewels that decorated the white
forehead, and deep blue eyes that stared straight into her soul. Lindsay could swear
she heard the rushing sea waves she saw as a child.

Even though it was only a gaze, her chest became tight and her knees started
shaking.

Raven stepped up.

“T, this child is…”

Woong!

Lindsay suddenly lost her hearing and she couldn’t hear her beloved master’s voice.
She stared at the two people in front of her with an expression of fear and confusion.

Suddenly, her heart pounded.

The scene that was spread out in front of her was something out of a fairytale. A
young nobleman and a winged lady lit by a window that reflected the warm sunlight.
It was similar to the romance books she used to secretly read at night.

She was always the most thrilled imagining the scene where a brave, handsome
knight swore to devote himself to the beautiful, fragile girl.

Except the beautiful girl from the novel wasn’t herself. She wasn’t the one standing
beside Alan Pendragon. Lindsay’s heart suddenly throbbed.

‘Huh?’

Lindsay was surprised and embarrassed by the feeling that was slowly becoming
more intense. She had never felt this way even when His Grace was with Lady
Seyrod. She pressed down on her chest and took a few steps back at the unfamiliar
pain.

‘What? What is this?’

Raven turned his head.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Ahh! N, nothing!”

Lindsay bowed her head in surprise.

But the pain didn’t disappear, and she wanted to burst into tears for some reason.

“Is that so? Hm, anyways, let me introduce you. This is…”

“Y, yes!”

It didn’t seem like she was a human, but Lindsay knew that she was of extraordinary
origin to be able to stand by His Grace’s side. In order to avoid impoliteness, Lindsay
raised her head.

“Soldrake. The dragon of the Pendragon family, Soldrake.”

“……!”

Lindsay’s light green eyes slowly grew bigger in bewilderment. She stared at the
silver-haired lady in awe. Soldrake’s hair glimmered in the sunlight, and only then
Lindsay noticed Soldrake’s armor was similar to Alan Pendragon’s.

***

[Is the girl from a little while ago my companion’s concubine? Having a large chest
and buttocks will allow her to bear and raise many children.]

Raven spewed his drink out at the Soldrake’s words.

It sounded awfully familiar, as if he had heard something similar before.

“No, absolutely not. She’s just a child who I brought along due to circumstances. N,
no, anyways, you are a dragon. How do you know of human matters?”

[My companion is stupid after all. How long do you think the Pendragon family has
been with me?]

“Ah…”
Raven nodded with his mouth open, surprised at his lack of thought.

[Gordon, Klein, Shade, James. All of them spent their lives with me until their soul’s
pledge was over. I was there when James saw Shade, when Shade saw Klein, and
when Klein saw Gordon. I was there. Every time a Pendragon woman gave birth to a
Pendragon, I saw the soul of Pendragon enter the infant’s body.]

“……”

Soldrake’s words were strange yet spiritual. Her words seemed to stop the nearby
air from flowing.

Raven quietly peered into her eyes.

He no longer felt awkward every time Soldrake peered straight into his eyes when
she spoke.

[So when my new companion, Raven Valt and Alan Pendragon, sees a new
Pendragon, I will be there by your side.]

“T, thank you for that. Well, by the way. I thought it would be nice if we had
something to call each other by… I know it’s just the two of us talking, but calling me
Raven Valt and Alan Pendragon every time we hold a conversation is…”

[Something to call each other by? But my companion is Raven Valt at the same time
he is Alan Pendragon.]

“Yes, I know that. But that title is a bit too long, isn’t it? Well, you can call me
whatever you would like, but something shorter would be better.”

[……]

Soldrake quietly gazed at Raven before slowly opening her mouth.

[Ray. I will call you Ray.]

Raven jolted his shoulders. Ray, that was a nostalgic name.

Everyone else called him a bastard, unlucky crow, or reaper of the battlefield, but
one person had called him something else.
It was a person who was born from a different stomach but still took care of Raven
even at their own expense.

His dead brother always looked after Raven, and had always called him Ray.

“…Yes, Ray would be nice. Thank you, Sol. Anyways, I think I need to get some rest
now. What will you do? I don’t mind that you would be standing outside but do you
really not need any sleep?”

Raven asked, recalling the fact that Soldrake had never slept on the way here. Even
when everyone else was fast asleep, she was always protecting his side with open
eyes.

[Dragons need no sleep. If Ray wants, I will go outside.]

“What? N, no you don’t need to do that.”

Raven hastily held back Soldrake who started to walk towards the door. By now, the
identity of Soldrake must have been communicated to everyone in Bellint Gate. The
soldiers would have made sure of that in their blabberings.

Of course, no one would dare come up and speak to the dragon, and no one had the
ability to talk to the dragon besides himself, so he wasn’t overly worried. No one
would be foolish enough to annoy a dragon.

However, Raven was unable to leave her alone. He felt like she was isolated from the
world and faced it all by herself as a lone sovereign.
[Do you mean to keep conversing?]

Soldrake tilted her head towards Raven’s direction.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I just… Why don’t… Why don’t you stay here? You can
rest.”

It wasn’t a strange thing to say, but Raven felt a little flustered.

[Ray is… definitely a peculiar Pendragon.]

Soldrake silently gazed at Raven for a moment before nodding.

[Then I will do that.]

“Okay. You can rest comfortably… Uhhh uh! W, w, what are you doing?”

Raven sprung up in shock.

The armor and dress she was wearing had disappeared, leaving only a thin layer of
clothing on her. She gently folded her wings over her body and slid into the large bed
as if it was the most obvious thing to do.

[I’m resting, just as Ray suggested.]

“No, then how do I…”

[You and I are companions connected to each other by the pledge of the soul. You can
rest comfortably beside me.]

“Well…”

No foreign feelings could be felt from the words of Soldrake, and Raven looked at the
bed with troubled eyes.
‘Well, I don’t know anymore.’

“Well, okay…”

He awkwardly climbed onto the bed.

The bed was so big that their bodies were far from touching. However, Raven was
feeling far too tense, even tenser compared to the countless battles he had been in.
He glanced at Soldrake who was quietly lying on one the other side of the bed.

‘Lying and sleeping on the same bed as a dragon… Huh! What a day… ’

Raven’s head was crowded with such thoughts, but his breathing soon calmed into
slow, quiet respiration.

After he fell deep into his sleep, Soldrake slowly moved her body. She stared at Raven
with her deep, soft blue eyes. She reached out her white hand that was covered in a
thin, transparent scale towards Raven and gently swept over his head.

A deep, sweet slumber, better than any sleep he had before, descended on Raven,
softening his stiff expression.

***

Rumors about Alan Pendragon spread like wildfire throughout the villages. There
was a saying that arrows travelled three hundred meters, but words travelled thirty
thousand meters overnight.

The rate at which Alan Pendragon’s rumors spread was unbelievably fast and it
completely overshadowed any other rumors.

Word was passed that the bandits outside Bellint Gate were all annihilated, monsters
were thrown to the dragon as food, and the terrifying orcs were now trustworthy
allies.

It did feel like the appearance of monsters have been decreasing recently, but most of
the villagers were doubtful. They struggled long and hard to maintain their lives over
the years.

To a village that had endured the constant attacks and hardships for over 10 years, a
rumor of the newly revived Pendragon family was just that, a rumor. Moreover, they
already knew of Alan Pendragon’s unconscious state, which made the rumors seem
even less credible.

The reality was soon to be revealed as the villages outside Bellint Gate were visited
by soldiers carrying the flag of the Pendragon family.

“I, Alan Pendragon, speak to the residents of the land! Your land is now safe! I have
reopened the mausoleum of our family, and the dragon is once again by the side of
the Pendragon Duchy! So I, Alan Pendragon, declare…”

Hearing the soldier recite words from a scroll, the residents threw open the village’s
wooden barriers and rushed out rejoicing. The sounds of weeping, shouting, and
cheering overwhelmed the soldier’s speech.

The residents crowded the soldiers standing in formation and took their hands,
leading them into the village.

In less than ten days, the seven villages outside the Bellint Gate had the flag of the
Pendragon family hoisted on the village entrances, and atop of the halls. The mayors
and all the heads of each village received the urging message of a mandatory
meeting that was to be held at the Conrad Castle and they headed towards Bellint
Gate following the soldiers.

Unfortunately, not all of the villages followed the will of the Pendragon Duchy. With
10 years of self-reliance, some villages had already systemized into their own city-
estates. They looked at the resurgence of the Pendragon family with suspicion.

But, they knew that if the Pendragon family were to send soldiers to their villages, a
huge conflict could arise, hence they left for Conrad Castle with quivering hearts full
of worries.

Nevertheless, the joyful news of the Pendragon family’s resurgence after 10 years
reached Bellint Gate and the villages, including the village of Lowpool, and finally
arrived at Conrad Castle.

“Alas! I, is that really true? Are you sure, completely sure, that Alan succeeded in
reopening the mausoleum and making an oath with Soldrake?”

“Yes, my lady! I saw with my own two eyes! I saw His Grace Alan taking Soldrake as
his companion and taking hundreds of griffons under his command.”

A soldier was kneeling on one knee, his clothing earthed and worn out from the long
journey. He was one of the soldiers who had accompanied Raven on his long
campaign.

“Oh! Goddess Illeyna! Thank you! Thank you…”

Elena Pendragon, the duchess of the Pendragon, gave a gesture towards the goddess
while shedding tears. General Melborn, who stood at the foot of the throne, also
wiped his teary eyes and bowed his head.

“Glory to the Family of Pendragon! Honor to the White Dragon!”

One of the nobles that was lined up on the sides of the palace cried out aloud. As if on
cue, everyone in the palace raised their voices to praise the family and the dragon.

Elena looked down at the nobles and the knights with tears still in her eyes. They
had been there for the last ten years, unchanging in their loyalty. They were
definitely lacking in numbers, but looking at their joyful faces reminded her of the
ten years of hardship in which they endured.

As the excited cheers subsided, Elena pressed down on her throbbing chest and
spoke to the soldiers once more.

“So where is Alan now? When is he set to arrive?”

“He spent last night in the village of Grant, so it seems that he is likely to arrive at
Conrad Castle by noon tomorrow.”

“I see…”

She let out a sigh. She had a deep desire to see and hold her son as soon as possible.
The soldier raised his head and continued.

“But, my lady. There is something that His Grace wanted me to convey to you.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

The soldier took a moment to organize the words in his head, and spoke in a louder
and more confident voice than before.

“His Grace Alan Pendragon also took in the orcs from the Ancona Forest as his
friends and companions, and they are accompanying His Grace on his way to the
castle. Furthermore, he has taken in a handful of goblins and harpies from outside
the gate as his subordinates.”

Gasp!

“O, orcs!”

“Goblins? Harpies?”

The eyes of the nobles widened, and Elena Pendragon jumped up from her throne.

“N, nevermind the harpies and the goblins. Orcs from the Ancona forest… Aren’t they
the ones that the late Duke Klein had a friendship with? Are you sure? They are
really, really with Alan?”

“Yes! The ones accompanying His Grace to the castle are thirty of the strongest and
fiercest warriors of the Ancona Orcs. The hundred or so orcs that are still in the
forest are composed of children, women and the elderly. His Grace wants to share all
rights to the Ancona Forest with the orcs until the title of Duke passes onto the next
generation. He wanted me to ask for your opinion, my lady.”

“Oohh…”

The person with the right to decide was her son. She knew that, and Alan knew so
too. As such, it had been him who decided on breaking off the marriage with the
Seyrod family. Even so, he still asked for her opinion.

Even if it was a formality, and her input wouldn’t be the deciding factor, she was
touched by her son’s consideration.

She was overwhelmed with joy.

“It is the will of my son, and of the official heir of the Pendragon family. How would I
have any other thoughts? Wouldn’t you agree, sirs?”

The wise duchess looked around at the nobles. Raven’s respect was passed onto the
duchess, and further onto the nobles, the pillars of Conrad Castle.

“We follow the will of the duchess!”

The nobles all bowed and spoke in a unified voice. There was no reason to object
from allying with the orcs, who were said to have power rivalling a hundred men
each.

Furthermore, even if anyone was opposed, they weren’t foolish enough to voice it on
a day of celebration and joy.

“Excellent. Do you have anything more to report?”

Elena spoke, looking down at the palace with satisfied eyes. Then, the soldier’s
expression took a strange turn. It was as if he was laughing, but crying at the same
time.

He spoke with an awkward expression.

“Well… it’s about the white dragon…”

“W… what about Soldrake?”

Elena was the most knowledgeable person regarding Soldrake in the room. She
recalled her own memories of Soldrake which she did not share with anyone else,
and her eyes turned slightly grim.

“Soldrake… has taken on a human form.”

“……!”

Elena’s face turned as white as paper.

The nobles were in shock and alternated looking at the duchess and the soldier.
Elena silently stood in her place, her appearance frozen like a glistening statue for a
moment before regaining her expression.

She spoke with renewed determination.

“Alright. Thank you.”

She gave a nod, and spoke while scanning the crowd.

“Prepare to greet the brave warriors who gave it all for the family. Tomorrow, I will
personally make my way down to the village of Lowpool and greet the duke,
warriors, and the guardian of the family.”

“We follow the will of the duchess!”

***

The village of Lowpool was located in the vicinity of Conrad Castle and had been
bustling with life since dawn.

The news of Alan Pendragon’s success in the mausoleum and the Ancona Forest had
already permeated through the village. Everyone knew of his accomplishments with
Soldrake and the Ancona Orcs.

Apparently, the duchess herself was coming out to greet His Grace, and the minister
of Conrad Castle had distributed one hundred gold coins to all the pubs and the
restaurants to provide free meals for everybody.

Five differently colored flowers were sprinkled on the main road, and three
thousand residents, regardless of age or gender, gathered to talk about Alan
Pendragon and his expedition.

When the sun was situated right in the middle of the sky, the duchess and her two
daughters came down from the castle with an escort of knights and soldiers. They
rode in a roofless carriage, and they casually waved their hands at the crowd.

“Whooooooaaaaaaa!”

Even though she was in her mid thirties, Elena’s noble and elegant beauty was still
evident in her face, and her two daughters had inherited the good looks. The
residents went wild and cheered at the passing duchess and her two daughters.

As usual, Irene Pendragon waved shyly at the crowd with a pure smile, while Mia
Pendragon hung her face low and hugged her rabbit doll, her face blushing red with
embarrassment at the people’s gaze.

“Mia, wave to the people of our land.”

“……”

Irene spoke to Mia encouragingly, but Mia was still hesitant to raise her face.

She was always kind to Mia, Raven, and their mother even though she was rather
arrogant and tricky towards others. It was hard for Mia to even make this trip
outside of the castle.

Even in the castle, she rarely left the palace unless she was accompanied by her
brother or sister. This trip was a great challenge for her.

Nevertheless, she prepared herself and made the trip, holding onto one reason, and
one reason only.

Ring! Ring!

Then…

Mia Pendragon’s ‘reason’ was about to reveal himself amidst the deafening cheers.

A gate, located in the middle of the high outer walls, slowly fell down.

Boom!

The wide-spread bridge settled down on the ground, and a colourful dragon emblem
slowly emerged from the other side. Elena and Irene Pendragon stared at the
emblem, no, they stared at what was beyond the emblem, with trembling eyes.

Even Mia poked her head out of the carriage despite the embarrassment. The gazes
of the three ladies and the crowd all fixated in one place.

From the shadows of the gate, a figure in a white armor grew closer and closer,
riding on the back of a stallion.

But it wasn’t just one person on the back of the horse.

The man was still the same as when he had left, proudly standing upright in his
white armor. But another person was accompanying him, a woman with an
appearance that was exquisite and marvelous. Her beauty was indescribable.
Whoosh!

“……!”

The brief silence turned into awe.

A dazzling pair of silver-white wings unfolded behind the person who rode with Alan
Pendragon. The ‘being’ floated off the ground and hovered beside the horse, her
wings shimmering with silvery lights.

In the silence, Raven took off his helmet and met the gazes of the three ladies. Elena
shakily gave a reaffirming nod to Raven, to which he responded in kind, and then
looked around at his subjects.

He began to exclaim to the people.

“Look and see! Pendragon has emerged victorious! The white dragon is once again
with Pendragon!”

A white-silvery light started to gather around the mysterious woman, growing larger
by the second. The light started to grow and slowly rose into the air. All eyes were on
it.

Whoosh!

Intense light was radiated from the figure, and all the humans quickly flinched. They
were quick to cover their eyes from the blinding light.

Once they opened their eyes once more, they could make out a large, overwhelming
presence in the sky. It started to slowly spread open its wings, casting a dark shadow
on the entire village of Lowpool.

“Sol… drake…”

Elena spoke the name of the supernatural being that wielded control of the light and
the dark. The most powerful being on earth, the guardian deity that was contracted
to the Pendragon family. The humans looked up in awe and shouted in elation.

“Whooooaaaa!!!!”
It was the return of Pendragon and Soldrake.
The long, arduous expedition of the Pendragon family ended in success. It wasn’t just
a good win; it was a great win.

Decades had passed since the White Dragon last spread her wings over the skies of
Conrad Castle. All those present sent their worship and enthusiasm towards Alan
Pendragon, who had found a way to pledge with the dragon.

But the festivities lasted only one day. Even though the numbers were smaller than
expected, there were at least a dozen fallen soldiers to honor.

People assumed that the soldiers’ families would be compensated with some gold
coins, but they were wrong.

“…Thus, I will bestow thirty coins to the bereaved family of Rick Bowman. In
addition, Rick Bowman’s direct descendants will receive priority when applying for a
business run by the duchy and will be exempt from taxes for three years. Finally, they
will be receiving 50% off of their taxes for two years afterward. I promise these
things in the name of Pendragon.”

“Thank you. Thank you!”

Thirty women stood in a line, repeatedly bowing their heads. Small children who
stood beside their mothers followed their gestures with sniffling noses. The people
who were around the women also bowed their heads with tear-filled eyes.

The Duchy promised not only gold coins for the deceased soldiers’ families but also
jobs and tax exemption.

And…

“If you want a job in my castle, I am willing to offer you a position right away.”

Alan Pendragon, the master and the ruler of the land, had come directly to console
the grieving families of these fallen knights and soldiers.
“T, thank you. Thank you, Your Grace! May the goddess protect you and all your
family. Sob!”

One woman continued to nod her head up and down, tears trickling from her eyes.

When she first heard of her husband’s death, it seemed as if the sky was falling. It
was something she had always prepared herself for, as the wife of a soldier, but when
she actually heard that her husband was gone, her knees buckled and she wallowed
in despair.

The love and longing burned for her husband who passed on before her. The reality
of having to raise a family by herself and rear her young children struck her
mercilessly.

She had been crying every night, and she could not find rest at night, swallowed by
despair and hopelessness. She knew the castle would compensate her with some
gold coins, but there was no way it would be enough to last her and her young
children for two years.

Thus, when she heard that soldiers were coming down from the castle in the early
morning, she walked out the door without any hope.

But when she saw the identity of the young man who dismounted his horse and
walked towards her, her body froze and she forgot to even kneel. She stared blankly
at the young man.

“Rick Bowman was a proud warrior of the Pendragon family.”

The young man started with these words which brought her to her knees and broke
down the barriers in her heart to allow for a torrent of tears to fall.

Seeing their mother weep, the children followed along, and all the neighbors came
out of their homes at the sound, before being shocked by the young man and bowing
their heads.

And now, endless respect filled the eyes of the woman and the residents who were
looking at the young man as he climbed back onto his horse.

“Glory to Pendragon! Honor to the white dragon!”

“Hurrah! Glory to His Grace Pendragon!”

Embarrassed by the cheers of the people, Raven slightly raised his hand before
rushing his horse out of the area. It had been his idea to personally visit the families
of the fallen soldiers to pay his respect. The task was usually left up to senior
soldiers or knights, but Raven was insistent on personally carrying out the task.

He didn’t do it to gain loyalty from the soldiers or to leave a good impression on the
deceased soldiers’ families.

To a Duchy that was close to royalty, regular soldiers and the common people were
nothing more than possessions or property.

During the early days of the expedition, Raven had expected many of his soldiers to
desert in the face of oncoming death.

But there had not been a single deserter.

On the contrary, the soldiers braced forward as they faced the uncertain situation,
and accompanied Raven through the Ancona Forest all the way to the mausoleum.
The injured had marched along as well.

For Raven, who always prioritized his own life, the actions of the Pendragon soldiers
were truly a wonder. They were true heroes, incomparable to the scums of the
demonic army, and Raven intended to give them the treatment they deserved.

That was why he had been out since early morning to visit the families. He still felt
the awkwardness and was embarrassed by the atmosphere when he gave
condolences to the families.

Noticing Raven’s sincerity and awkwardness, Killian gave a warm smile while
glancing at Raven.

Noticing Killian’s eyes glint with respect, Raven coughed stiffly.

“Ehem! Anyways, where are we headed to next?”

“Roy Barnett on Vint Street, sir.”

“We have around ten more, so let’s hurry it up.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

Including Killian, the soldiers saw their master personally take care of their
deceased comrades and they felt appreciative and proud to be serving such a master.

***

After an afternoon of consolation, a banquet was held in the courtyard of Conrad

Castle.

Trees and flowers bloomed around a large, colorful tent that was set up in the
central area of the courtyard. Knights and nobles cheerfully chattered, and all kinds
of foods and drinks made by the chefs of the castle entertained their mouths.

Bards sang songs and read poems of the heroic deeds that past adventurers and
champions pursued, stimulating the ears of the audience.

Jesters dressed in colorful clothes showing off their acrobatics and techniques,
captivating the eyes.

However, even as people enjoyed the atmosphere and the various distractions, their
eyes glanced towards one place from time to time.

In the middle of the banquet, a tent was decorated with golden embroideries and
with the Pendragon flag. Two ladies and the duchess sat inside.

There was a specific reason why people kept stealing glances at the tent where the
three ladies were perched.

At that moment, the song “The Dragon and the Lion of Alsain” started playing. The
classic song described Alex Pendragon, the progenitor of the Pendragon family, and
his adventures with the first emperor in defeating monsters.

“Wings of the White Dragon” followed after, a song symbolizing the Pendragon family
that was well-known throughout the empire. It started playing with an elegant
melody.

Everyone got up from their seats and turned their heads to one place simultaneously.

Thud!
The guards standing on both sides of an altar raised their halberds into the air. A
blonde man wearing a blood-red and silver-white tunic as well as a headband-like
golden crown came down the stairs at a dignified pace.

“Oh…!”

People’s faces were filled with joy and reverence as they saw the appearance of Alan
Pendragon.

He was the protagonist of today. However, at the sight of ‘some people’ who followed
right behind him, people’s faces instinctively changed to fear.

Thirty armor-clad orc warriors came down, their bodies towering over the humans.
Though they were adorned with brown capes embroidered with golden strings,
which lessened the fear in people’s eyes, their sheer size and ferocious appearances
made people gasp in terror.

“My lady.”

“Come, come this way. I’ve already heard of your troubles.”

Elena became more pleased and proud at the sight of her son.

“Welcome back, brother.”

“Yes.”

Raven made his way to Irene’s side, who was standing with red cheeks, and looked
over the crowd. The participants were looking towards him with eyes full of tension.

“Everyone, please have an enjoyable time.”

That was all he said before sitting down on his chair. People looked at Raven with
absurdity, and even the three ladies looked at him with ludicrous expressions.

But such reactions only applied to the humans.

The non-humans eagerly headed towards the food and the drinks as if they had been
waiting for Alan to finish speaking.
“Kukukuket! Delicious! Pendragon food is the best!”

“What the hell is this made of? Why is this so good? Kuoow!”

“Is there no beer? Beer! Orcs don’t drink wine! Beer is the true blessing of the earth
god!”

It was absolute chaos.

The way they chugged down the food -- it could not possibly be called ‘eating’.
Devouring, or absorbing, seemed to be a better term for it. Meat, wine, and
everything went into the warriors’ mouth.

“Oi, Mckidd. You scarecrow, have a drink! Eat, eat!”

In addition, the orcs patted the shoulders of the soldiers, offering food and drinks to
those who fought with them in the battles. The soldiers responded in kindness,
laughing and sharing their meals with the orc warriors.

“……”

Those who saw the scene suddenly lost strength in their legs and plopped back into
their chairs. No one had ever seen, or even imagined a scene where orcs and humans
would mingle in the same place.

In the first place, when people heard that orcs were going to attend the banquet,
everyone was worried about how scary and awkward it was going to be, but now
they felt relieved as if they worried for nothing.

The banquet continued with the sound of joy and laughter, and the atmosphere
returned to being pleasant and amicable. Raven looked around the banquet with a
satisfied look. Then suddenly, he narrowed his eyes.

One person who should’ve been present was not visible.

“Excuse me, brother? You must’ve had a tough time going to each of the fallen
soldiers’ homes and consoling them…”

Raven ignored Irene, who was shyly trying to engage in a conversation with him.
Instead, he turned to the maid who was waiting for him behind the tent.
“Where is Lindsay?”

“Yes? Ah, Lindsay is Your Grace’s personal maid, so she should be on standby over
there…”

Raven turned his head to where the maid was pointing towards and cut off her
words with a cold voice.

“Head maid, are you out of your mind? Have you gone senile or something?”

“Y, yes, yes?”

“It was a difficult trip even for the soldiers, who were all trained for years. Moreover,
that child took care of feeding the refugees and the soldiers in Bellint Gate. Yet, on a
scorching day like this, you let her stay out there to wait on me?”

Technically, it wasn’t just Lindsay who was forced to stand out in the sun. While the
personal maids of Raven, Elena, and the two girls were all positioned under the
shade in the tent, Lindsay was among those standing in the sun due to her lower
standing.

“I, I apologize, Your Grace. I really am sorry.”

The head maid bowed her head, her pale face taking on a terrified expression.

Even though Lindsay received special treatment and favor from His Grace, it wasn’t
possible to give her preferential treatment unless she was officially one of his
concubines.

Thus, the head maid had acted as such, but she was still surprised to see that Lindsay
was placed among the maids who were sweating in the sun…

“That child worked hard and aided both the Pendragon family and I greatly. There’s
no reason for her to be treated like that even if she does stem from a low status. I’m
disappointed. I’m greatly disappointed in you, head maid.”

“Yes, Your Grace. I apologize.”

Furthermore, they had apparently kept up their relationship during the whole
expedition. It was no wonder His Grace was so angry.
‘Regardless of the situation, how could they let that child just stand there in the sun?’

Raven saw Lindsay’s face beaten red from heat and the sweat that profusely poured
out from the back of her neck. She was just standing there, unable to even move her
hands to wipe the sweat. Raven began to feel emotional as he looked at Lindsay's
struggle.

Her appearance overlapped with Raven Valt of the past. Whenever there was a huge
event held by the County that the Valt family served, Raven had always stood guard
with the soldiers in the smoldering sun due to his identity as a bastard son.

“I, I will correct it right away, Your Grace.”

The head maid felt the growing anger of Alan Pendragon and held her dress up
before running towards the group of maids. Soon, Lindsay entered the palace with
the head maid and two others, and Raven finally loosened his expression.

‘I’m so proud of you. You’ve become so wise.’

Elena silently stared at the side of Raven’s face, her eyes full of contentment. In
addition to the soldiers who died in battle, he rewarded even a lowly maid with
appropriate compensation.

Of course, it was obvious that their relationship also played a part, but even so, it was
a fitting action for the master of the Pendragon family.

Moreover, even though it was a little harsh, she was proud of him for being able to
scold his subordinates for their wrongdoings when it was necessary.

Completely contrasting to Elena’s face, Irene Pendragon glanced at her brother’s side
with a desperate face that looked to be on the verge of tears.

‘Oh my god, I can’t believe his cold-hearted expression. It’s so vulgar that he doesn’t
even spare me a glance… Oh brother, you’re so gorgeous! Ahh!’

‘E, excuse me… I feel a little under the weather. I’m going to go and rest for a bit…”

Irene, who had been acting restless, could not stand it any longer and left. Her
personal maids, who were already used to their lady’s state of mind and her
obsession with her brother, let out a deep sigh before following Irene with quick
steps.

‘What’s wrong with that child again? I really can’t figure her out… ’

Raven watched Irene disappear into the distance, shrugged once, and turned his
head before he flinched and stopped short.

The chair where Irene Pendragon was sitting just a short while ago was now
occupied by his youngest sister, Mia Pendragon. She looked up at him with eyes that
were hard to read.

When Raven met her eyes, she quickly looked down and fiddled with her doll.

Looking at her shy behavior, he had a hunch that he would regret it if he didn’t make
conversation with her. He forced an awkward start to a conversation.

“Um… How have you been? I couldn’t talk to you very much because I was very busy.”

Mia slowly raised her head at Raven’s words. Then, to his surprise, she gave a
gigantic smile before nodding her head. Mia Pendragon rarely displayed emotion,
even to her family.

“Oh…”

Not only Mia’s personal maids, but even Elena Pendragon was surprised at her show
of emotion. But it wasn’t as strange for Raven because he had seen the very same
smile on the day he left on his expedition.

Raven felt even more awkward, but he forced himself to smile and stroke her hair.

“Oh, so… The monster stories… I will make sure to tell you more… When I have
time…”

“……”

He could tell that Mia’s eyes filled with tears when the words ‘next time’ were
brought up. He hurriedly changed his words.

“…And instead, I am going to tell you stories about my expedition this time around.
Yes, do you remember that goblin named Kazzal we saw yesterday? Well, so I caught
him by…”

‘Damn it. I would rather have a fistfight with Karuta… ’

Even though he was dismayed at the situation, he could only continue his stories
because he felt obligated to not let the little girl, who looked up to him with
adoration and affection, feel disappointed and cry.
As time passed, the banquet became even louder and rowdier.

It wasn’t completely in line with the grandiose of a Duchy, but Raven didn’t give
much thought to it. He rather liked the atmosphere.

It was painful to sit still and chat quietly with Elena, his sisters, and a few nobles
while the party was going on. Thankfully, something happened that caught Raven’s
attention.

“Excuse me, your grace. I’ve brought Lindsay.”

The head maid slowly approached Raven and spoke carefully.

“Hmm?”

He had thought Lindsay had gone to rest at the palace, so he was rather puzzled to
see Lindsay make her appearance.

“Ohhhh…”

A sound of admiration escaped the mouths of the nobles as they turned their heads
along with Raven to look at Lindsay.

Lindsay had changed out of her maid outfit and was now wearing a summer dress
with white and green colours. Her looks were both fresh and sexy. Her cleavage was
more visible now that she wore a dress that fit her tightly, and her hair that was
always in a bun was now let loose, which gave her a youthful look.

A simple but cute butterfly-shaped pin adorned her head, and a matching brooch
decorated the side of her dress. She looked beautiful and elegant. Moreover, her
shyness only added to the enchanting feeling, and Raven mindlessly gazed at Lindsay
for a moment without realizing it.

He was dazed by her appearance, but more so at the fact that people were able to
change so much.
But he quickly turned his head. He had achieved a lot, but he still had long ways to
go.

He had neither the time nor room right now in his life for a relationship with a
woman. No, he wouldn’t have the leisure for the short imaginable future.

‘But why did they dress her up like that? That’s very strange.’

He was confused.

Meanwhile, Lindsay stood in her place with a bright red face, embarrassed by the
stares of her lord, and all the attendants of the banquet. She thought she was about
to get into big trouble when two senior maids and the head maid dragged her
somewhere.

But what in the world? They bathed her and washed her hair before putting on a
beautiful, expensive dress and makeup on her. The head maid then brought out a
matching set of a hairpin and a brooch, one of the prettiest accessories she had seen
in her life.

Ignorant of why this was happening to her, Lindsay felt more scared rather than
happy, but she couldn’t muster up the courage to ask the head maid. She just did as
she was told.

But now that she stood in front of everybody, she was embarrassed, and her heart
was wildly pounding.

She felt electrified when Alan Pendragon glanced at her, and his gaze stayed on her
for a while. But she felt that he was a bit cruel when he turned his head away.

‘W, what am I thinking?’

How could she possibly think poorly of her master? He was like the sky to her, a
presence whom she could only look up to. Even though his engagement was now
broken off, his fiancee was a high-ranking noble whom she could never compare to.

Moreover, the fiancee that he had before Lady Seyrod was from the royal family. An
imperial princess. A real princess like those she only read about in the stories.

Finally, the lady who guarded His Grace’s side since his return was a personified
‘dragon’. Her mysteriousness and beauty made people’s hearts tremble at the mere
mention of it.

They were women who all possessed immeasurably greater status than her own.
The difference was even beyond that of heaven and earth. Lindsay was just a normal
girl, the second daughter of a commoner’s family. It was thanks to her father, who
retired after serving the Pendragon family as a soldier, that she had the privilege to
work as a maid in the castle. Otherwise, she would be doing farm work in her
hometown.

‘You need to snap out of it… ’

She didn’t know the reasons behind the current situation, but everything she
imagined and all that was occurring was no different from a simple dream from a
midsummer’s night.

In a little while, it would all blow away and disappear like a mirage, and she would
return to working as a regular maid as she had done so all these years.

It was only natural. It was her destiny, but she still felt a little heartbroken.

“There, go behind His Grace, and take a seat.”

“Y, yes. Head maid-nim.”

Lindsay carefully grabbed the hem of her skirt and stepped towards the place where
all the important personnel of the Pendragon Duchy were seated. As she took her
place and sat behind Raven, Elena looked at her with a satisfied expression and
nodded her head. This girl named Lindsay was quite pleasing to the eye when she
was dolled up, and she was careful in her behaviour which Elena found quite
likeable.

“Anyways, Alan.”

“Yes, Duchess.”

“Don’t you think you need to officialize that child’s place with you?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean her place… with me?”

Raven tilted his head at the sudden remark. Her place? Her place that she was sitting
in right now?

“Didn’t you say so just a while ago? That during the whole trip that you’ve been
doing… Ehem! Doing big things for the family?”

“I did say that, but I am unsure as to what that has to do with this child’s place with
me.”

“No, that’s not quite right. She put in so much effort during the whole trip. I think it’s
a good time. Why don’t we make an official announcement regarding this?”

“Yes? No, I have no idea what you are talking about…?”

As Elena kept speaking nonsensical words, Raven’s face scrunched up in confusion.

Elena responded to Raven’s expression with a grim expression on her face.

“You can’t possibly… Even if she is of low status, she cared for you so long and had a
deep relationship with you. You can’t possibly have treated the whole affair as
nothing more than just fooling around?”

“Hmmm?? What do you mean ‘fooling around’?”

Raven's eyes shot wide open. When was he ‘fooling around’ with Lindsay? When all
she did was help him train his body and act as a decoy in hiding his true skills?

‘Heuk! Don’t tell me… ’

A thought struck his head.

“You are of an appropriate age so even if you take in a concubine, no one will see it in
a bad light. No matter if it is a concubine or a wife, it is a good thing for a family to be
able to see a son. A son of a concubine of the Pendragon family will have the title of a
baron as a knight of the Duchy. It will be good to consecrate empty land as territory
for your son to manage, and to promote the peace of the Duchy in the future.”

“……”

It became clear.
Elena Pendragon thought that Lindsay had an amorous relationship with him. Only
now he realized why Elena did not object to him taking Lindsay along the trip, why
Elena relocated Lindsay’s quarters closer to him, and why Lindsay was brought back
to the banquet all dressed up.

Everything fit into place.

‘This is driving me crazy… ’

Raven let out a deep sight and turned his head slightly. His gaze met Lindsay’s eyes,
and she quickly looked down at the ground. It seemed that the child also had no idea
regarding this huge misunderstanding.

He looked at Lindsay with calm eyes.

It was her that he first saw when he woke up as Alan Pendragon. He remembered
how gentle and meticulous she was in cleaning his body. He also remembered how
she struggled to help him with his training, sweating all the while. She also didn’t
complain about the trip even once and did her best in taking care of her master and
all the soldiers, doing all sorts of difficult labours at Bellint Gate.

Instead of wanting compensation, she had cried and rejoiced when he returned
safely.

Raven suddenly felt sorry. Strictly speaking, all this misunderstanding was caused
because he tried to use her to fool others’ eyes.

But what would happen if he told Elena the truth right now?

It didn’t seem like it was just Elena Pendragon who was involved in the
misunderstanding. The head maid, as well as everyone else in the banquet, seemed
to treat Lindsay as his concubine.

If the truth were to come out, Lindsay would immediately return to her original
place as a lowly maid and suffer all sorts of hardships. There was no way that those
around her would leave her be. Just by seeing the jealous expressions of the other
maids and how they were glaring at her with envious eyes, he could foresee
Lindsay’s unfortunate future.

‘I guess I have no choice.’

Raven made up his mind. The misunderstanding was caused by his actions, so it was
only natural for him to take responsibility.

“I will do as you say, Duchess. I will take Lindsay as my wif… I mean as my

concubine.”

He had frequently wondered if he would ever get married, but now he suddenly had
a concubine. Even thinking about it made his head throb, but he was determined to
not let others suffer.

“Oh! Yes, of course, you should do that! Well, we should make an announcement right
now.”

Plus, it was nice seeing Elena Pendragon in high spirits, so maybe it wasn’t such a
bad thing after all…

‘No, but who knows what Lindsay might think about this?’

“Oh, Duchess. Before that, I would like to talk with Lindsay privately. It’s a bit sudden,
so I think she needs some time to prepare her heart as well. I don’t think there’s a
need to rush things so suddenly, don’t you think?”

“Hmm. If that’s what you wish for, then so be it.”

With Elena’s permission, Raven stood up from his chair and approached Lindsay.

“Ah…”

Lindsay’s heart beat rapidly when she saw her master have a serious conversation
with the duchess before standing up and walking her way. The conversation seemed
to have something to do with why the head maid had dressed her in such fashion.

“Lindsay.”

“Yes, your grace.”

Lindsay hurriedly rose up and bowed her head with her hands gathered.

“Well, so…”
“…”

Now that he was standing in front of her, Raven couldn’t get the words out easily. An
awkward atmosphere was erected, and Lindsay kept bowing her head, her heart
wanting to burst out of her body.

Raven spoke already knowing that the situation was out of his control.

“You, you need to be my girl.”

‘You crazy son of a bitch… ’

He had never spoken to women regarding the matter of relationships, so he had spat
out whatever words came to his mind.

The end result was disastrous and cringe-worthy.

Raven hurriedly added an explanation.

“Well, the truth is. The duchess has misunderstood your act in helping me train my
body. No, not just the duchess, but the whole castle including the head maid and
others now think that…”

Raven was speaking with a cold expression, but he was embarrassed. Mentally, all of
his sweat that he accumulated over his two lives were profusely pouring out of his
body. Lindsay looked at the man in front of her, looking possessed. A man whom she
thought she could never reach and never touch.

“…And so I need you to be my concubine. I know you may not like it, but there aren’t
any other choices, so…”

“I do not mind it.”

“Hmm?”

A quiet voice stopped Raven from speaking.

“I, I don’t hate it! I like it, your grace!”

Lindsay raised her voice and spoke, unknowingly raising her voice. However, she
became conscious of the gazes of people around her, and once again blushed before
lowering her head.

“I, I do not hate it… I… I’m happy with it…”

Raven was overcome with strange feelings in Lindsay’s words. She made sure to
speak her thoughts even in a situation like this.

However, Raven was unfamiliar with such emotions and hurriedly turned his head.

“Then keep that in mind. I will give you a statement later through the head maid.”

“Yes…”

Raven returned to his seat after hearing Lindsay’s shy answer. He felt distressed at
Elena’s joyful expression… and he felt chills run down his back as if someone was
looking at him.

Suddenly feeling thirsty, he emptied the glass of wine in front of him.

***

The banquet drew to a climax as the sunlight disappeared into the horizon, and the
sky was dyed with various shades of red and purple.

Drunk soldiers banded together with their shoulders crossed and sang their songs,
and smoky gazes were exchanged here and there between men and women that
were of marriageable age.

Someone’s laughter shook the banquet hall.

“Kuhehehehe! Good, good! But what’s with this tune? It sounds like a damn mosquito
buzzing around.”

People’s gazes headed toward the source of the loud voice.

The biggest orc was walking towards the musicians, his face red-hot from the
alcohol. He held a pig’s hind leg in one of his hands.

It was Karuta.
Melborn started to take steps forward with concern in his eyes, but Raven lightly
shook his head to deter him. Realizing Raven’s message, Melborn signalled at the
musicians, and they left with their instruments still in their place. Karuta flung the
meat behind his back and turned to the orc warriors who were still drinking and
eating since the beginning of the banquet.

“Hey, you orcs! A few of you come out! Let’s show these scarecrows what real music
is!”

“Kueeehehehe!”

“Orcs!!!”

Five or six orcs rushed out as if they had been waiting.

“Let’s have some fun!”

Karuta walked up to a big drum, rolled up his sleeves and raised the drumstick. His
forearm muscles, which were the size of logs, were revealed and he smashed the
drumstick onto the drums.

Boom! Boom! Daboom! Boom!

Heavy drumming rang throughout the courtyard. The sound was incomparable to
the music that was playing before. Orc warriors took out different types of horn
trumpets and placed the instruments on their thick lips.

A majestic harmony resonated with the beat of the big drum. One by one, people
became enamoured with the music of the orcs that were not easily heard.

Although it was a crude piece with only a few different notes, the orcs’ performance
stimulated something primitive in the hearts of the audience. One by one, people
started to move their feet to the orcs’ performance.

“Orrrrrrrrcccc!”

Karuta roared jubilantly as he smashed the drum.

Then the orc warriors, who were watching from the side, rushed to the center of the
courtyard and started to clap their hands and stomp their feet to the loud sound of
the drums.

Boom! Boom! Daboom!

The orc warriors’ dance was domineering.

Every time their log-like hands clapped and their large feet stomped, the entire
courtyard seemed to vibrate.

The naturally spreading Orc Fear, the heat of the music, and the orcs naturally
mingled with the humans. A wild atmosphere engulfed the middle of Conrad Castle.
The orc druid Kratul stepped forward.

“Kuhehehet!”

Kratul waved his staff in the air, red sweat coming out of his pores, and a brown light
spread out into the air. The light itself drew some to be in awe, but what came next
grabbed everyone’s attention…

“Look at that!”

“Ohhhh!”

A flock of birds and all sorts of animals, both large and small, approached the
courtyard under the last light of the setting sun. Seemingly unafraid of the humans
and orcs, the animals freely roamed around the courtyard and affectionately walked
up towards those present.

Everyone was amused. Among them, Mia Pendragon seemed to be the happiest. A
rabbit that had a similar appearance to her favourite doll walked up to Mia and tilted
its head, and Mia’s face broke into a wide smile.

Then, Kratul, who felt sluggish after his tiresome spell, stumbled towards Mia.

“Kueeek! Kueh!”

Kratul had a unique appearance, even among the orc race. Several people flinched
and backed away at the sight of the orc druid. After finally reaching her, Kratul
flopped down in front of Mia Pendragon.

Surprisingly, Mia Pendragon didn’t react at the sight of Kratul’s terrifying face and
large stature. Instead, she stared up at him like a curious rabbit. Rather, Kratul was
the one who flinched after meeting Mia Pendragon's locked gaze as he panted with
sweat dripping down his face.

“Pendragon human! You look like the Pendragon human, but also very soft like a
rabbit. Who is this little scarecrow?”

Raven gave a slight smile at Kratul’s orcish description of Mia.

“It’s my… youngest sister.”

“Kuhehe! So she is a little Pendragon? Little Pendragon, are you not afraid of me?”

Kratul purposefully smiled to reveal his sharp canines as he asked. It was indubitably
like a scene where the dangerous beast was threatening a young girl.

Amazingly, the girl shook her head left and right, constantly maintaining her gaze
with the orc.

“Kuek? Really? That’s weird! Both adult and kid Pendragon are all weird. They are
weirder than Kratul and weirder than Karuta.”

“It’s not weird… It’s because…”

Raven tried to defend Mia, but instead, shut his mouth. Come to think of it, it was
certainly strange for a young girl like Mia to like ‘monster stories.’ It explained why
she wasn’t afraid of Kratul, who had a horrifying appearance.

“Kuhehehet! Little miss Pendragon is funny. Good! Kratul will show you something
nice. Hey! You ugly goblin, come over here!”

Kratul seemed to have taken a liking to Mia, and he called over Kazzal, who was
devouring food atop of a tree since the beginning of the banquet.

“Kiek! Handsome Kazzal is not ugly! Much more handsome than stupid orc druid!”

“Stop talking pig crap and crawl down.”

“Kieee…”

Kazzal slowly crawled down from the tree at Kratul’s fierce gaze.

“Stand next to the rabbit.”

Mia Pendragon looked on with interest as the small goblin approached with caution
in his eyes. Contrasting to the goblin, Mia’s eyes shone with curiosity.

“Hehe! Little Miss Pendragon, the show is about to start.”

Kratul lowered and pointed his staff towards the rabbit. Raven and Elena also
noticed the commotion, observing the scene with curious eyes as well. Then all of a
sudden, the rabbit opened its eyes wide, then headbutted Kazzal’s buttocks.

“Kiiieeekk!”

Kazzal jumped up and rapidly turned his head with a startled expression. He bared
his small, sharp fangs at the rabbit.

“Crazy rabbit! I’m going to roast you! I’m going to eat you alive!”

Normally, the rabbit would have run away at the sight of Kazzal’s threatening stance.
But this time, the rabbit had already assimilated with Kratul’s will, and once again
slammed its head into Kazzal’s buttocks.

“Kuhehe!”

Kratul burst out into laughter. Raven and Elena also turned their heads to hide the
smile that crept onto their faces. They also wanted to see how Mia would react.

“Oh…”

The two people’s eyes grew bigger. Mia’s face, which rarely displayed emotions, had
a bright, cheery smile on it.

“Kieeeek! Handsome Kazzal can’t take it anymore! I’m gonna eat this crazy rabbit
alive!”

Kazzal shouted ferociously, trying to live up to his standards as a monster. But his
small act of defiance was immediately quenched by Raven’s short words.

“Dragon food.”

“Handsome Kazzal has a strong butt!”

As soon as the short conversation concluded, the rabbit’s attacks continued, and
Kazzal ran back and forth trying to escape the beast’s attacks with a tearful face.
Mia’s smile grew even bigger watching the fierce battle, and she soon began to run
after the two creatures.

“Kieeek! Kiek! Handsome Kazzal really can’t do this anym…”

“Dragon food.”

“Patience is a strong suit of the goblins!”

Thud! Thud!

The unlikely, but harmonious combination of a ferocious orc druid, fierce goblin, and
a cute, little girl astonished the participants of the banquet.

***

Raven left behind the heat of the banquet and returned to the palace. The guards and
his maids followed behind as the master of the castle left the banquet. He thought
about dismissing them out of a desire to be left alone but soon disregarded the
thoughts.

They were faithfully serving the Pendragon family and Conrad Castle, and he was no
longer Raven Valt, but Alan Pendragon. As long as he was Alan Pendragon, it was
only right to respect his circumstances, which meant letting the guards and the
maids do their jobs.

Nevertheless, Raven briefly walked towards the end of the palace, then turned his
head towards the followers.

“Wait here for a bit. I would like to sit alone for a minute.”

“Yes, your grace.”

The guards and the maids split up into two groups and stood to the sides of the
walls. Raven walked to the end of the palace. The dragon throne placed at the end of
the stairs was dyed red with the dying colors of a setting sun. The dragon statue,
which held a knife in its mouth, decorated the back of the chair. It was so lifelike and
seemed like it could start moving any second.
Someone stood next to the throne, which only the monarchs of the Pendragon family
could sit on. Raven didn’t pay heed to the figure and climbed up eight steps before
plopping down on the dragon throne. Then he turned his head to the person who
was staring at him and smiled.

“Why haven’t you gone back yet? The mausoleum has already been reopened.”

“I will go when it is my time, I wanted to see the successor of the Pendragon family
one last time before leaving.”

Attia was still wearing the same dress that she had been wearing when Raven first
opened his eyes as Alan Pendragon. But there was a slight difference in her
appearance compared to before. Attia was still translucent, but now there was a faint
glow of color on her cheeks, and brilliant light shone from her necklace and the
jewels of her earrings.

“I didn’t know Lady Attia was this beautiful.”

The antique, yet elegant and dignified appearance of Attia Pendragon caused Raven
to make a joke, which was unlike his usual self. Attia was a special existence to
Raven.

“You sly dog. You just took in a pretty concubine, but you’re already flirting with
other women?”

“No, that was very circumstantial…”

He knew that she was joking, but Raven still felt obliged to explain himself. He
scratched his cheeks in embarrassment.

“I know. But regardless of circumstance, you took her in. Wife or concubine, she is
still a lady of the Pendragon from now on. Remember that a lady of the Pendragon
should be treated with respect anytime, anywhere. Don’t forget that how people look
at her will also reflect on you as well.”

“I will try my best.”

It was as Attia said.

Although it started as a misunderstanding and proceeded out of concern and

sympathy, it could not continue with the same intentions. Attia was reminding him
that Lindsay was already a part of the family, regardless of whether he liked it or not,
and that she would share in the destiny of the family as well.

Raven was pleased that Attia showed care for him and gave him advice.

“By the way, have you met Gordon at the mausoleum?”

Raven’s expression darkened slightly.

“Yes. But I didn’t get a chance to hold a conversation with him, he had already lost
sense of himself, and only acted as an intermediary for Soldrake’s words.”

“That figures… Gordon closed his eyes without having a successor open the
mausoleum… I’m just glad he didn’t become a lich or anything of the kind.”

“Yes, Duke Gordon’s soul was intact, but there still was a lich present. It used wraiths
as its summonings to attack me. It could have ended far worse than it did.”

“They didn’t know you could see spirits, did they? Since you already died once…”

“That’s accurate.”

That’s right. The reason Raven was able to see the wraiths and deal with them was
that he had already died once before resurrecting. The reasoning held the same for
why he could see the ghost of Attia Pendragon as well.

Of course, the lich had been unaware of the fact and was ultimately defeated by
Raven, forced to retreat to where its soul was kept.

“Someone purposefully placed the lich on the path to the mausoleum. Soldrake
couldn’t do anything about it because she had to protect the souls of the Pendragon
family. It seemed like the lich gained power when Soldrake left her place to come to
Conrad Castle last time.”

“I see. Did Soldrake mention anything else?

“Nothing else, except that time would show me the answer. But I heard the other
dragons’ conversation.”
“Are you saying that other dragons came?”

Attia looked surprised, which was rare for her who always remained calm and
collected.

“Yes, six other dragons. Soldrake called the black dragon [Amuhalt], and the green
dragon [Ellagrian]. I am unsure as to the other dragons.”

“Amuhalt? That’s the first time I’ve heard of that name. Ellagrian is the master of
Mount Niels.”

“Yes.”

Ellagrian was a name that was familiar to Raven as well. A dragon had claimed itself
to be the guardian of the Niels Mountain where the Niels Elves resided. This helped
in the elves staying autonomous from the empire and keeping themselves free from
the empire’s meddling.

“The black dragon, Amuhalt, mentioned something about a Dragon God and a Demon
God before leaving. I asked Soldrake about it, but she didn’t give me a clear answer.
Do you have any insights?”

“Dragon God and Demon God… I don’t have any ideas either.”

“Hmm…”

Raven lowered his head in somber silence. It was also the first time that Raven heard
of Demon God and Dragon God. He knew of the goddess of light, the god of darkness,
and other gods such as the god of war and the god of earth, but he had never heard
about a Dragon God and a Demon God.

“Dragon God and Demon God… Hmm, it might be possible that the existence of those
gods has something to do with those who drove your family into the ground and
disrespected the Pendragon family.”

“I think the same way.”

Baltai had said so.

That the fall of the Pendragon family and the Valt family were all a part of someone’s
intricate plans. That meant that the lich he ran into on his expedition was also likely
to be involved in the scheme.

Everything was connected.

“Anyways, as Soldrake said, things will start to make sense in time. I think it’s better
to not pry too deep into the matter for the time being. Everything has its order, and
we should be focusing on other things right now.”

Raven slowly rose from his throne, speaking in a solemn voice. The golden hair
glowed in the sunset, and his blue eyes were filled with passion.

Attia looked at Raven with satisfied eyes.

“Good. That’s exactly what I want to see. So, what are you planning on doing next?”

“It’s imperative to have all the villages and the mines under our family’s control. I’m
sure some people have ulterior motives.”

“I’m sure there are, living all these years without a master. Are you planning on
personally looking after the matter?”

“It is my job to get them under control, but of course I can’t do everything by myself.
As you know, I’ve spent most of my life on the battlefield. Wouldn’t you agree that
people should wear their shoes and work in their fields?”

“Hmm? So that means…”

“People will flood to our territory once the rumors start spreading. All sorts of
people will come from all over the empire. I will need to sift through them to
differentiate the good ones from the bad ones.”

Raven had already experienced the future.

That meant he knew of the hidden gems, who would spread their fame in their
respective fields in the future. This would serve as a huge advantage for him.

“Good, very good. That is a good plan. You have the qualities of a monarch.”

Attia clasped Raven’s hands in joy.

He couldn’t feel the touch of a ghost, but he still felt warm in his heart, as her
emotions were conveyed to him.

“You’re being too generous. I am just glad that you are content, my lady.”

Attia shook her head with tear-soaked eyes.

“No, no. Keep going forward. As a human of the Pendragon family, I must return to
my grave. But I will come back whenever you need me to. Raven Valt, no, my great-
nephew, Alan Pendragon…”

Her sincerity and desperation were conveyed in her words. But somehow her wet
eyes and soft smile seemed to be blurring. Raven had a hunch that it was time.

“Please do so. I will achieve our will.”

“Yes, yes…”

Attia’s figure slowly disappeared into the setting sunset. Raven reached out his hand
with regret and spoke words that came from Raven Valt, and Alan Pendragon’s
hearts.

“Great aunt Attia…”

Attia’s mouth drew a deep, warm smile at Raven’s words.

“Keep moving forward, soon to be Duke of Pendragon. My great-nephew…”

Woosh.

Leaving behind her last smile, Attia Pendragon completely disappeared. Particles of
light sifted through Raven’s outstretched hand and soon permeated into the sunset.
Raven silently gazed into the empty space for a while, before turning around.

He looked at the dragon throne with hardened eyes, then turned his body to climb
down the stairs. He spoke to the soldiers who were waiting for him.

“I will meet the representatives of each village tomorrow. Bring them to me as soon
as they arrive, one by one. Also, send a message to the centaur chief of the Ancona
Forest that Alan Pendragon will visit soon.”
“We obey your words!”

This was the beginning of a new journey.

Lowpool saw an increase in the number of visitors.

A large stream of people flowed in, which caused its original population of 3,000 to
increase exponentially. It was a stark contrast to the condition of the town three
years ago when it only saw people coming and going from within Bellint Gate.

The whole situation had taken a 180 degree turn a few days ago.

Although it wasn’t perfect, the law and order of the Pendragon Duchy were restored.
Everyone was relieved to hear that the bandit group led by Del Geoffrey was snuffed
out and the monsters that were active over the past three years went back into
hiding after sensing Soldrake’s threatening presence. They hid in the deep
mountains and lakes, places where human hands could not reach.

As the mountains, villages, and the roads became safer, villagers opened their gates
and set out from Bellint Gate to travel far and wide. The villages that Alan Pendragon
personally visited were the first to venture out, and other neighboring villages soon
followed suit.

A good number of residents who had previously fled from their villages in fear of
bandits and monsters finally returned home. The number was so great, that it
exceeded 1,000 people in less than ten days.

A mass movement of the peoples had begun.

However, it took a lot of time and effort to rebuild civilization from its ruins. To re-
plant and grow crops, farming tools were needed, as well as seeds and farmhouses.

Tools, lumber, and bricks were required to rebuild the villages.

A food shortage was to be expected as a problem in the future.

To resolve these issues, the returning residents picked some people to bring the
issues to the ‘only person’ that had the power to make changes. That was all they
could do.
Moreover, the residents of the existing villages who managed to keep afloat for the
past three years also sent their representatives to visit the same ‘someone’ that
could solve their issues.

That ‘someone’ was Alan Pendragon, and that ‘someplace’ was where Alan
Pendragon resided, Conrad Castle.

***

“Wow! This is really Lowpool? It’s a lot more than I thought!”

“It used to be even bigger and livelier. On the market days, the streets of Lowpool
were filled with all sorts of stalls. Many merchants came from across the land, and it
was hard to find an inn with an empty room. Well, since the old family grave’s been
opened, I’m sure it will return to its former glory soon…”

Bilbo spoke in reminiscence of the old days. He was a man who had traveled to and
from Lowpool when Duke Gordon Pendragon was still alive years ago. He looked at
the village with a nostalgic look.

“Still! I think it’s at least five times bigger than our village. Wow! Look over there!
Soldiers of the Pendragon family! Look, Chief Bilbo!”

The young man’s eyes shone with awe as he looked at the passing soldiers that were
armed with spears and shields and walked in orderly formation. He had already seen
soldiers when he passed Bellint Gate, but it was a different experience seeing elite
soldiers. He felt admiration and jealousy at the sight of the soldiers.

“Do you think all of those soldiers accompanied His Grace on the trip to reclaim the
mausoleum? I heard that each of the soldiers defeated over twenty monsters and
even won the battle against a hideous black mage that controlled a skeleton army!
Maybe I can try to become a sold… Ouch!”

Bilbo smacked the head of the excited young man and blared in his ears.

“You scoundrel! We have enough to worry about with our village, become a soldier
my ass! Stop spouting nonsense and keep walking!”

“Yes…”
The other members of the party burst out laughing at the conversation between
Bilbo and the young man. After being scolded by Bilbo, the young man trudged
forward while pouting.

After walking for a while along the main road of Lowpool, the spires of Conrad Castle
became visible in the far distance.

Whistle!

“Wow!”

Bilbo and his accomplices were taken aback. They had already seen Conrad Castle
from afar before they entered Lowpool, but its size was even larger upfront.

Of course, its appearance was also beautiful and dominated the buildings around it.

It was only natural that it was so grand as it was the castle of a duchy, one of the five
in the entire empire.

The party slowly crossed the drawbridge of the castle. Even though it was early in
the morning, a line had formed on top of the bridge.

“Next.”

Bilbo walked forward under the direction of the guard and took off his hat.

“Your name, and your business in the castle.”

“Bilbo, Sam Bilbo. I’m here from Riverbelt.”

“Riverbelt? Oh, have you started rebuilding the town there?”

“Yes, we only have about forty people right now, but we’ve been building our houses
and keeping maintenance of the village since fifteen days ago.”

“I see. Well, you can report the specifics to either His Grace Alan or the general.
Next.”

“Yes, yes. Then take care.”

Bilbo and his party entered through the gates of the castle with their heads bowed.
There were already quite a few people gathered in the courtyard of Conrad Castle.

Bilbo slowly glanced at the faces of the people.

They were mostly representatives of the villages that existed outside of the gate, and
they carried mixed expressions of hopes and worry. Their hopes stemmed from the
desperation they had in coming to seek His Grace Alan’s aid, and their worry was
due to the concern of whether they would be able to receive help.

“Huh?”

Bilbo’s expression changed.

Among the people, there was a group with discontent faces. Bilbo recognized one of
those people and slowly approached him.

“Hello there, Chief Robinson.”

“Hmm? Oh, if it isn’t Bilbo? You’re here too?”

Bilbo extended his greetings, and Robinson, the village chief of Pala Village,
responded in kind. Bilbo had resided in the town of Pala for a few years.

“Yes I was summoned, and we also need some help in rebuilding our town.”

“Ah, your hometown is Riverbelt, am I correct? So, how many people have gathered
there?”

“Around 40 people. I’m assuming we’ve welcomed some more newcomers during the
time I traveled here. Everyone’s very enthusiastic about rebuilding the village.”

“That’s great news. Hmph! But I don’t know if it’ll keep on going well.”

“Yes? What do you mean by that…?”

Robinson spoke in a low voice, and Bilbo tilted his head in confusion. Robinson
looked around at the guards standing in the courtyard and spoke in an even lower
voice.
“I’m afraid that they are going to rob us of our things on the pretense of helping us.”

“Hmm.”

Bilbo’s face dimmed at Robinson’s words. He could understand where Robinson was
coming from.

“As you know very well, the duchy has done nothing for us in the past three years,
wouldn’t you agree? The Village of Pala was erected by our own hands. We were the
ones who created the shared farmland. We were the ones who protected our village
by training our men. And now they send soldiers to our villages and what are they
going to do? Probably rob us of everything we have, under the pretense of
compensation for protecting our villages. We can’t just let them do whatever they
want.”

“W, what do you mean we can’t let them do what they want? What are you planning
to do?”

Bilbo asked in a worried voice while glancing at the soldiers.

“I’ve already talked with two other villages. The Bearville and Setin Village chiefs
decided to support me on this. Including our village, we have a population of over
one thousand. Even the duchy shouldn’t be able to take us lightly with that number.
What do you think? You have a small number, but why don’t you take our hand on
this?”

“Well…”

Bilbo hesitated at Robinson’s words. He was worried. Although the mausoleum was
reopened, if there were no workers, then all was for naught. The duchy would
require a huge number of workers, and if the three villages united against them, it
would cause quite a headache. If Bilbo decided to throw in his lots with them, then it
could result in a handsome benefit for Riverbelt.

But Bilbo quickly shook his head.

“We won’t be joining you on this. We are small in number, and we need a lot of
requests immediately.”

“Is that so? Well, do as you see fit.”

Robinson shrugged and turned his head. Riverbelt wouldn’t be a huge addition
anyway, as their population wouldn’t be much more than a hundred with all the
returnees.

‘Huh! He used to be such a nice guy… ’

Though he felt bitter inside, Bilbo decided to trust in his instincts. Moreover,
according to the story of a soldier he met in Bellint Gate, His Grace Alan Pendragon…

At that moment, the door of the palace opened and a servant came out.

“The representatives of Pala, Bearville, Setin, and Riverbelt, come in.”

“What? All at once?”

The representatives had entered one by one until now, but suddenly they were
asking four different villages to come in at once. Robinson tilted his head in
confusion.

Furthermore, the village representatives that had gone in earlier had not come out
yet.

“His Grace Pendragon doesn’t have much time, and the four villages are all located
near each other. He wants to see you all together. Bring in everyone you brought here
as well.”

“Y, yes. Let’s go in everybody.”

At Robinson’s words, around twenty people walked into the palace.

The great palace of Conrad Castle was truly beautiful. To call it splendid did not do it
justice. Eight large pillars supported the high ceiling of the palace, and a magnificent
chandelier hung, emitting a golden glow and lighting up the entire palace.

Guards stood on both sides of the palace which had a red carpet laid down on the
middle of the floor. The atmosphere of these soldiers were on a completely different
level from the soldiers that were seen patrolling around the streets.

The twenty people walked cautiously behind the servant, led by Robinson and Bilbo
in the front. They had to forcefully resist the urge to look around here and there,
completely intimidated by the soldiers who were holding halberds.

At that moment, the other village representatives that entered prior to them passed
by.

“Huh?”

Bilbo narrowed his eyes as he glanced sideways at the faces of the other
representatives. For some reason, their expressions were pale.

“Excuse me, chief.”

“Hm? Oh, I’m sorry.”

Bilbo hurried his steps at someone’s words.

“The blood relative of the great emperor, ruler of the glorious land of Pendragon, the
receiver of the White Dragon’s protecti…”

“Why don’t you stop with that now?”

A cold voice cut off the servant’s introduction. Bilbo and the other representatives
instinctively knew who the voice belonged to.

“Y, yes.”

The servant carefully moved to the side of the palace.

“Why don’t you all raise your heads.”

Bilbo and the three other representatives carefully raised their heads at Alan
Pendragon’s command.

‘Huh!’

Their eyes were bathed in surprise. It was clear that the young man, who was sitting
on the high throne and looking down at them with arrogant eyes, was the rumored
Alan Pendragon.

His appearance was more handsome and elegant than they had imagined. But Bilbo
quickly bowed his head again unlike the others who were staring at Alan Pendragon
in awe.

‘He is not a normal man… ’

It was only for a short period, but he felt it when their eyes met. This man could
decide the fate of the four villages with a wave of his finger. Alan Pendragon’s eyes
and temperament did not belong to a regular 17-year-old boy.

He also noted the faces of the other representatives who were exiting the palace
after meeting with the son of the duke…

“Pala and Bearville and Setin have come at my calling. Riverbelt came of their own
accord.”

“Yes, your grace.”

A middle-aged man, who was standing below the throne and slightly to the side,
answered. They recognized General Melborn, who was in charge of the duchy’s
affairs. The representatives had seen him several years ago. Of course, it wasn’t any
less stressful to raise their heads in front of a General Melborn, who was a Baron, as
they were only ordinary citizens.

“I have summoned you all here today for a reason. As you well know, the mausoleum
has been opened, and everything has started to return to normal. Therefore, we are
going to be adjusting and maintaining everything, including your taxes.”

“Yes, your grace.”

“I’ve heard that the original tax was 50 percent. It must have been a hard time
struggling with this for the past three years, so I’ve decided to reduce it to 30 percent
for the next three years. Besides, if anyone works at a mine or a mill, they will receive
the same payment as before, and I will evenly distribute 10 percent of the profits
gained to the villages. You can create as much farmland as you wish, but half of the
crops will be taken as tax. Seeds will be provided free of charge. If you have any
complaints or other thoughts regarding the matter, please feel free to tell me.”

Alan Pendragon’s voice was calm and gentle.

The offered conditions were quite good. They could make a living from the old
conditions, but now they were offered lower taxes and 10% of the production from
the mines and the mills.

They could wave goodbye to the worries of not having enough food or feeling unsafe.
Thus, Bilbo kept his head lowered and didn’t come forward.

But Robinson shared a few glances with two other village heads and slowly raised
his head.

“I would like to once again congratulate you on your success with the White Dragon,
and I would like to offer a word as Chief of Pala.”

“Go ahead.”

“For the past three years, Pala has been living as an independent community without
any aid from the duchy. We have formed vigilantes to drive off bandits and monsters.
I beg you to consider our hardships and be more generous.”

“Generous… Yes, so what is this generosity you speak of?”

He still maintained a soft, calm voice.

Three years was a long time. Long enough to dilute the significance of the duchy.

Moreover, Alan Pendragon’s pretty face made him look like a pushover. Perhaps due
to this, Robinson smiled and raised his face.

“I hope you will extend the tax cut to five years, and raise the residents’ wages in the
mines and the mills to twenty percent. Also, if you distribute 20% of the production
to the villages, I think all the residents will be motivated to work even harder. It was
three long years of worrying about our lives. Please give us consideration.”

“Please consider!”

Robinson and the two village chiefs bowed their heads.

“Hmm…”

The voice of Alan Pendragon seemed to be contemplating his proposal.

A cold smile formed on his face as he looked down at the representatives of the three
villages and their groups.
A moment of silence passed.

Alan Pendragon’s voice was then heard once more.

“What does the chief of Riverbelt think?”

“Yes, Ah, well, we’re fine. I will follow the will of the Pendragon family.”

Bilbo answered with great anxiousness.

“Is that so? I see. Well, it seems Bearville and Setin Village share the same thoughts
as Pala. But I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do those things… What are you
planning to do then?”

Robinson gave a slight flinch before slowly raising his head.

“Then we ask you just for the tax reduction and give autonomy to our three villages.
We don’t have enough people to build joint farms, so we will set up our farmland and
pay you thirty percent taxes for three years.”

“……”

Pendragon remained silent. Bilbo gulped and looked around at the situation.

Unless one was a fool, it was evident that the village heads were threatening Alan
Pendragon with the labor that their villages could supply.

‘Heehee. What can you do? You’ll have no choice but to agree to our request. It’s not like
you can kill us all because you don’t want to comply.’

Robinson and the two heads gave a sly grin, their heads still bowed low. Alan
Pendragon was still a mere child and he wouldn’t be able to turn down their requests
so easily.

Even if the mills and the mines were reopened, they had no use if there weren’t any
workers to run them. It didn’t matter if Alan Pendragon didn’t agree with their initial
request. All they had to do was adjust the compromise to the level they wanted from
this conversation and…

“Let’s do that then.”

“H, huh?”

The three men raised their heads at the unexpected answer. As they looked up, they
recoiled at what they saw, a smile on the face of the man that sat on the dragon
throne. It was a smile that was so cold that it didn’t match with the gentle, calm voice
of Alan Pendragon.

“Thirty percent for three years, then back to regular rates afterward. Let’s do that.”

“Is that truly your will…”

“How pretentious! How dare you doubt the words of the master of the Pendragons!”

“Heuk!”

Robinson’s neck shrank in like a turtle at the scolding words of Melborn. But Alan
Pendragon waved his hand at the sight.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. People can make mistakes when they’re surprised. Anyway,
I’ll keep going so raise your heads.”

All the residents in the palace slowly raised their heads.

“I accept your demands. I will grant you autonomy. Just run your farms on your own
and pay taxes on time. But…”

He stopped his words for a moment.

Struck with ominous feelings, the three village heads loudly gulped. Alan Pendragon
continued his words with a bright, beautiful smile.

“You know who's the owner of the land outside your village, right? Every time you
step on my land, you will pay one gold coin each. One person, one step, one gold coin.
Do you understand?”
“……!”

Robinson’s body stiffened up with a shocked expression.

“Of course, I won’t interfere with anything that goes on inside the villages. You can
play king and do as you wish! Ah, before I forget, since it’s my land, I won’t place any
soldiers near your village. You said you’ve been keeping order with vigilantes for
three years, right? Well, I’m sure they will be delighted to keep up the same task. You
three may leave now.”

Robinson and the two village heads stayed frozen in their place with stunned
expressions. It was written autonomy, but read imprisonment.

Besides, they were to protect the towns on their own? If the rumors reached the
hidden bandits, it was obvious where they would target to loot and steal from.

“What are you still doing here? I don’t have time.”

The guards started to approach the three men at Alan Pendragon’s apathetic words.

“Y, y, y, your grace!”

Reality had struck Robinson with the predicament he was in. He flopped down, his
face touching the ground.

“I, I will do everything that your grace commanded me to the first time you spoke!
Taxes, payment, production! I’ll do everything as you say! Please, show us
generosity!”

“Ah, p, please show us generosity!”

Two other representatives and their residents all knelt simultaneously. But Alan
Pendragon was silent. Amid the breathless silence, he rose from his dragon throne.

“You! Do you think the Pendragon family is powerless?”

“Heuk! N, not at all.”

“Or are you commanding me, the master of the Pendragons, to revoke my decision?”
Even though it was early summer, the voice of Alan Pendragon sent chills down the
backs of everyone present. Those kneeling on the ground were shocked and could
not return any words. They shook with fear and sweat poured down their faces as if
it was raining. Bilbo and the residents of the Riverbelt village also shivered in their
place.

“Well, since it’s the first time, I’ll be generous to you.”

“Ah…”

Robinson raised his head as if to greet angels descending from heaven.

“I, Alan Pendragon, master of the Pendragon Duchy, command the villages of
Bearville, Setin, and Pala. Taxes will be the same as before. Salary for the mines and
mills will remain the same. You will offer up the same amount of grain. Your three
villages will not receive any of the produced goods from the mines and the mills for
one year. If you don’t like these terms, feel free to make your living inside your
villages with autonomy.”

“……”

Robinson and the village heads remained silent, shaking in their place. Guards
walked up to them and raised them from their place, before escorting them out of
the palace. Bilbo’s face turned pale at the sight of three men being accompanied out
of the palace. It was the same scene he saw when he was entering the palace.

“Let me see, so only Riverbelt is left?”

Bilbo was watching the three men be taken away and jumped at the voice of Alan
Pendragon.

“Yes, your grace.”

“Riverbelt will be held to the first policy. I heard you were rebuilding the town, so
you probably require a lot of things. Tell me, what do you need?”

“Y, yes! We are short of seeds for the fields and farming equipment. A, and we need
things to rebuild the hou…”

“You’ll need tools and materials such as wood. General Melborn, provide them with
the required materials immediately, and set the interest at ten percent per year for
loaning them the materials for five years.”

“Yes, your grace.”

Melborn smiled and bowed his head.

“How’s your situation with food?”

“Um, w, we have some food, but now that we have more people returning to our
village…”

“Two months’ worth of wheat for a hundred people, five pigs, and ten sheep. I will
give you this, think of it as a present. Riverbelt is right next to Elsen River, right? For
the remaining year, one mile upriver and downriver from your village will belong to
Riverbelt village. Also, I will not charge any tariffs on goods coming from your village
for the next year. What do you say? Is this enough?”

“Ah…”

Bilbo was speechless and stood in his place with his mouth hanging open. The scene
was similar to how Robinson had reacted, except the connotations of the actions
were completely different.

“Hm? What, do you need anything else?”

“N, no… that is enough, no it is more than enough that I… Sob.”

Eventually, thick tears started flowing from the eyes of Chief Bilbo.

The meetings with the representatives of each village proceeded smoothly. After a
while, Raven met with all eighteen representatives when the clock passed noon. He
stood up from his throne, moving his head left and right to ease his stiff neck.

“I would rather set out on another expedition. That was arduous.”

“You did very well, your grace. I, Melborn, was truly inspired today.”

Melborn bowed his head with a bright expression. His demeanor was in complete
contrast with how he had been acting during the meetings.
“Don’t mention it. It was all thanks to you, General Melborn. I just acted as you told
me to.”

“No, no, your grace. Even if I told you the basics, not anyone can appropriately utilize
the carrot and the stick according to the situation. You were excellent, your grace.”

“It’s nothing…”

Raven came down from his throne feeling humbled and yet awkward. Melborn had
informed him of all required information regarding the different villages, their
characteristics, and what to watch out for during the meetings. Melborn had served
as General of Conrad Castle for decades, and he knew everything about the duchy
inside and out. Raven had sought his advice after talking with Elena Pendragon
about his worries.

From the locations of the villages to their population, specialty products, and
geography, there was nothing that Melborn didn’t know. Even the tax and grain tax
rates had been advised by Melborn. He had advised in such a way that the burden on
the people would be minimized, while the duchy could benefit as much as possible.

Of course, it was Raven’s judgment when he showed kindness to those who obeyed
him and gave no mercy to those who dared defy him. But ultimately, the meetings
with the representatives would not have gone as smoothly as it had without the help
of Melborn.

“General Melborn, in the future, please take care of all issues regarding our territory,
especially the mines. Just make sure to give me reports.”

The middle-aged man’s ability was crucial to Raven who only excelled in battle.
Raven knew this fact, which was why he decided to leave the affairs of the duchy in
Melborn’s hands.

“Huh? N, no, how could you say that. I am glad that you trust me to that degree, but I
think I am better suited to take care of the matters of Conrad Cas…”

“This is an order. Until I say otherwise, please take care of our territory.”

“……”

Melborn closed his mouth and made eye contact with Raven. The gaze of a middle-
aged administrator and a battle-worn warrior clashed in the air. Melborn spoke in a
low voice, breaking the awkward silence.

“You cannot trust anyone that easily, your grace, even if they are your subordinates.”

“You aren’t just anyone.”

“What if I were to steal the duchy’s wealth? Besides, how can you say such things
with ease when you aren’t completely aware of my abilities?”

Raven was surprised by Melborn’s attitude. The atmosphere surrounding him was
incredibly sharp, unlike his usual self. It became even clearer that not just anyone
could become the General of a duchy. But Raven burst into laughter after staring at
Melborn for a moment.

“Then let me ask you one question. How many years was I in bed for?”

“Three years. Why do you ask?”

“Then what have you been doing for the past three years?”

“Excuse me?”

Melborn was unable to comprehend Raven’s words and frowned. However, the
middle-aged man’s eyes sparkled as if he noticed the hidden meaning of Raven’s
words.

“According to what you say, isn’t it only normal that you should’ve taken over the
duchy in the three years when I was unable to take action? If it was me, I would’ve
been able to do it in only one year. But instead of taking over, I heard business went
on as normal during my absence, all thanks to a certain someone. Hm, I don’t know
whether I would call this someone intelligent or foolish… Well, anyway…”

Raven patted Melborn’s shoulders twice before turning his body.

“I think that someone is competent and loyal enough to continue his good work in
running the duchy. Then, I leave it to you, general.”

“……”
Melborn blankly stared at the young man’s shrinking back.

“Haha, I think this old man is about to get busy soon. Hahaha…”

The self-claimed ‘old man’ had a bright smile, like that of a young man, spread over
his mouth.

***

“I’ve already heard the stories. You did a great job.”

“I shouldn’t take credit, it was all thanks to General Melborn’s efforts. Anyways, I was
thinking of assigning General Melborn to oversee the entire Pendragon territory and
the matters of the mines as well.”

Raven and Elena sat facing each other. It was the first in a long time since the two
had gathered together to have tea.

“I agree. General Melborn is a huge cornerstone of our family. It must have been
frustrating for him to only take care of Conrad Castle. This will be a nice change of
pace for him. I think this is a great decision. I’m proud to have you as my son.”

“E, ehem!”

Raven felt awkwardly embarrassed by Elena’s eyes that were full of affection and
trust. It caused him to turn his head and cough in vain.

“A, anyway, I think we should be able to reopen the gold mine, iron mine, and the
lumbermill in about fifteen days and get them working again. Since the crystal mine
is located further away, I think it’ll be better for me to personally visit it with
soldiers.”

“You’re going to head there personally?”

Elena’s expression darkened at Raven’s words.

“Yes. I need to look over the mine and the lumbermill we received from the Seyrod
family as well. I’ll also be able to meet the leader of the centaurs on my way there as
well.”
Elena took on an even grimmer expression.

“Hm. The Ancona Orcs reside in the forest due to their friendship with Duke Klein,
but the centaurs are…”

“I know that they are difficult to talk to, those elf-copying bastards.”

Centaurs.

Half-horse, half-human. Similar to orcs and goblins, they were intelligent and could
speak the human language. Instead of being called monsters, they were called demi-
humans.

Centaurs lived in deep forests or on top of large mountains in big groups. They
detested other races, especially humans and orcs, but were fond of elves.

Their reasoning was fair.

Elves were a race that claimed themselves to be the guardian of the forest, just like
the centaurs. As humans and orcs recklessly cut down the trees and destroyed the
forest for their benefit, it was only natural for the elves to loathe them.

The same held true for the centaurs that resided in Ancona Forest.
“Are you sure you’re going to be alright? They lived in the Ancona Forest far before
our family settled down here. They could be furious if they found out their territory
is encroached on…”

“Ancona Forest is Soldrake’s domain. Now that I’ve entered into a pledge with
Soldrake, those horse-heads… I mean, those centaurs are living on someone else’s
land.”

“Mm.”

With the oath in place, the successor of the Pendragon family and Soldrake shared
everything. This meant that any creature residing in Ancona Forest were technically
residents of the Pendragon Duchy. However, even so, the previous dukes didn’t touch
the centaurs.

Since they bore a hatred toward humans and were a warlike species, it was better to
leave them alone and avoid interactions with them.

Now that her son wanted to meet with the centaurs, Elena could not help but
become worried. However, Elena believed in her son.

“Perhaps… Do you have other intentions in meeting with them?”

“Yes. I would’ve left them alone otherwise, but due to certain circumstances, I need
to borrow their strength.”

“I see. Well, what more could I say if you say so. You are the master of Pendragon,
and I’m sure you will act in the best interest of the family.”

Elena gave a delighted smile, expressing her trust in her son, the master of the
Pendragon family.

“Yes, well… I’ll do my best.”

Raven was still unaccustomed to Elena’s unwavering affection and trust in him. This
held even truer because of her seniority and because he had never received such
kind of love. Feeling restless, Raven slowly sat up from his seat.

“I think I’ll be going now, then.”

“No, why don’t you sit for a little while longer? Ah! No, look at me. Of course, you’re
at an age where you… No no, yes I understand. Don’t exhaust yourself too much and
treat her well.”

“……”

He felt like a victim of injustice, but he maintained his composure and walked out of
the room, feeling the weight of heavy expectations of bearing a successor.

***

“Your grace, you’re here.”

Lindsay gave a small bow towards Raven. She was dressed in a dress with spring
colors.

“Everything is fine?”

“Yes, I’ll take your coat.”

Lindsay shyly lowered her eyes while taking Raven’s coat. Raven looked at Lindsay
with dreary eyes. Even though she had a change of title, nothing else had changed.
She still woke up early to take care of him and greet him, and personally looked after
him in getting dressed and grooming himself. She was careful to treat her previous
colleagues with respect, which made her popular amongst the maids of the castle.

He couldn’t find a single fault with her.

If there one was just one thing it…

“Excuse me, your grace.”

He knew it was time for ‘that’ once again, and he flinched at her words.

“The head maid said that… if we miss today, then c, conception…”

Raven felt a stream of cold sweat run down his back at Lindsay’s words. She had
turned bright red from head to her toes, and she blurred her words.

“I need time to think about something. Could you please leave for a moment? All of
you as well.”

“…Yes. Then please have a restful time, your grace…”

Lindsay left the room with a voice filled with an unknown regret and
embarrassment. Finally left alone, Raven leaned back on a chair with a long sigh.

“I’m going to go insane…”

Everything was fine, even taking Lindsay as his concubine.

There was just one problem. Even though a week hadn’t passed since the
announcement, all he heard was talk of having a successor. Night and day,
everywhere he went, he was bombarded with subtle hints and direct advice
regarding the matter. Having Elena bother him was enough, but now the head maid
and even Lindsay kept openly bringing up the nightlife.

He had many things he had to take care of, so he felt more restless about the issue.
He couldn’t openly say no, because it would let everyone down.

He might have disregarded other people’s feelings in the past, but now he felt a sense
of responsibility as the sole successor of the Pendragon Duchy.

“I need to leave the castle as quickly as possible. That’s the only way…”

Raven quietly kindled his resolve.

[When are you leaving?]

“Ahh!”

Raven jumped up from his chair at the unexpected reply. But after recognizing the
identity of the voice, he once again sat down in his chair.

“Why don’t you make yourself known when you’re in the room?”
[Ray and I are companions of the soul. If you focus, you should be able to know
where I am.]

Soldrake had somehow silently entered the room through the open window and
stood beside Raven.

“Were you staying in your lair?”

Soldrake responded by nodding her head.

“You’re not bored? It’s okay for you to stay in my room.”

[That’s fine. It’s all the same to me. Even if I’m there or here, I can talk to you all the
same.]

Soldrake’s voice did not contain any hint of loneliness. It might have been due to the
long years she spent by herself, but Raven felt sympathy for her grave voice. He
hadn’t had a chance to talk to Soldrake because he had been so busy lately with
work.

No one could talk to Soldrake unless they were the successor of the Pendragon
family, which in this case, was him. Moreover, dragons hardly visited each other. It
had been almost one hundred years since Soldrake last confronted another dragon
before Amuhalt and the other dragons recently showed up.

“Sol, stay in my room from now on, or please accompany me wherever I go.”

[……]

Soldrake silently gazed at Raven, then suddenly stretched out her hand and struck
Raven’s hair. He was a little nervous but didn’t avoid Soldrake’s touch.

[Ray is different from both Gordon and Klein.]

“Different…?”

[Gordon and Klein didn’t like me staying by their side. They didn’t appreciate it when
I showed up like this. I had to respect the will of my companion; hence I stayed in my
lair.]
Soldrake’s lair was right behind Conrad Castle, where a dragon statue was carved
into a huge cliff. The large stone statue was as big as Conrad Castle, and a cave
system stretched inside the statue. For generations, when Soldarke entered into a
contract with the new successor, she would leave Ancona Forest and reside in the
cave.

“Then you didn’t talk much with Duke Gordon Pendragon?”

[Yes. Unless something special happened, I was always in my lair. The Pendragons
wanted it that way too.]

“……”

Raven was lost for words at Soldrake’s quiet statement. For two generations, for time
stretching out into a century, Soldrake had braved the world alone without anyone to
talk to.

Raven gently raised his hand and held Soldrake’s hand that was still stroking his hair.
It was a different sensation from a human’s hand, but Raven didn’t mind it. He placed
her hand on the table and folded his own hands over hers. Then, a small glint shone
in the eyes of Soldrake who had always remained emotionless.

“You are my companion of the soul. From now on, stay by my side even if there aren’t
any special occasions. Whatever anyone says, continue to do whatever you want to
do.”

[…Ray is a really peculiar Pendragon.]

Soldrake’s voice remained apathetic. But Raven could tell. The dragon, who had
spent hundreds of years in isolation, was feeling a little happy. Realizing it had been
quite some time, he awkwardly took his hands off Soldrake’s hand.

“Ehem! Anyways, I think I’ll have to leave the castle soon, why don’t you accompany
me?”

[I will go wherever Ray goes. Where are you planning to go?]

“I’m going to inspect the crystal mines and then meet the centaurs in the forest.
Depending on the situation, I might have to venture outside our territory.”
The mine and the lumber mill that the Seyrod family handed over were near the
border, which meant that he might have to venture outside of his territory.

[The centaurs? Why are you planning to meet with those children?]

The centaurs rivaled orcs in terms of belligerence, and yet Soldrake still referred to
them as children. Raven replied with a smirk.

“Sol, you probably don’t know this as well. There’s a reason why Duke Klein
Pendragon allowed orcs to reside in the Ancona Forest.”

Soldrake blinked her large eyes, and Raven continued.

“Ancona Forest marks the edge of the Pendragon territory. We have one of the largest
borders in the empire, and it would take a lot of manpower and materials to build a
fortress and guard the border. That’s why Duke Klein invited the orcs to Ancona
Forest. No one in their right mind would send their troops to attack you when there
are orc warriors in the way.”

Ten years on the battlefield. He had learned a lot during his battles. Raven had
figured out Duke Klein’s intentions as soon as he observed the map of his territory.

“But now those orc warriors have left the forest. Our lines of defense are gone.
Besides, do you think the centaurs will stay still? They were at odds with the orcs in
taking the initiative in the forest. I think I need to go settle things down.”

[Do you want me to try and convince them? Well, the centaurs won’t listen to my
words anyway. I’ll have no choice but to kill them all]

It was a fearsome declaration of a dragon to wipe out an entire tribe. Raven knew
she wasn’t speaking empty words.

Centaurs were an eccentric and warlike race. It was highly likely that they wouldn’t
listen to a dragon’s words. The whole tribe would probably raise their arms and fight
to the death.

“Of course, it is my job, so you’ll have to help out. But if the centaurs disappear from
the forest, an even bigger issue will arise. I’m going to try and persuade. I…”

A cold smile hung around Raven’s face.

“Well, I’ll decide after meeting them. I’m tired, so I’m going to take a rest.”

Raven stretched his arms, then dove into his bed.

Woosh!

Once again, Soldrake’s armor magically disappeared, and she proceeded to lay down
on the bed.

“Hmm?”

Raven recoiled. He had previously seen her do the same thing at Bellint Gate, so he
wasn’t surprised by her actions. It was just that Soldrake had lied down right beside
him on a bed that was large enough to fit loads of people.

“Um, aren’t you uncomfortable? You don’t have to be this close.”

Soldrake turned her head and gave a casual glance at Raven.

Her enchanting eyes were right in front of him.

[Is Ray uncomfortable?]

Every time she spoke, the breath from her red lips tickled Raven’s face.

“N, no. Well, if you’re not uncomfortable, then I’m f, fine too.”

Raven blushed and quickly turned his gaze towards the ceiling.

Silence.

Raven was still staring at the ceiling, but he could feel Soldrake’s peering eyes fixated
on him.

It was truly an uncomfortable time.

But strangely, Raven suddenly felt comfortable and relaxed as he stole glances at
Soldrake from his gaze on the ceiling and saw large blue eyes staring back. His eyes
slowly closed, and after a while, constant, deep breaths were heard from the room.
[……]

Soldrake observed Raven’s sleeping figure for a while before stretching out her hand.
The white hand brushed past Raven’s hair, forehead, nose, lips before reaching his
chin.

[Partner, my soul’s companion… Alex, I think your promise will be finally fulfilled…]

Soldrake spoke her words and slightly moved her body. Putting Raven’s arms on top
of her head, Soldrake, the white dragon, closed her eyes for the first time in several
hundred years to slumber in human form.

***

The next day, Alan Pendragon declared a second expedition to sort out any
remaining issues on the territory. However, he announced that he would only be
accompanied by the orcs and Soldrake, which disappointed Killian and the knights.

However, the knights' disappointment soon turned into a shout of cheer and a
promise of greater loyalty to the son of the duke, Alan Pendragon.

An order of knights!

When the word came down to form a knight order which would be headed by Killian,
the knight shed tears and snots of happiness while thumping his chest.

The two other knights were also promoted. Sir Jade was appointed as the
commander of Bellint Gate, and Sir Campbell would take over Killian’s duties and
title as the defense commander of Conrad Castle. Both knights shed tears and swore
eternal loyalty when presented with the news.

At the same time, large-scale recruitment posters for workers in the mine and
lumbermills were posted on the walls of Lowpool and the other villages. Eager men
flocked from all over the land, and Melborn and the knights were flooded with
various tasks to complete

Alan Pendragon’s plans were completed one by one and steadily continued as the
day of the second expedition came.

And…
Everything that had happened after Alan Pendragon’s miraculous recovery spread to
other territories, and throughout the vast regions of the entire empire.
“What! Is this true?”

The man who looked to be about forty, sprang on his feet. He was dressed in a red
silk tunic decorated with colorful embroidery and a crown of pure silver on his head.

“Yes, my lord. The royal tomb of the Pendragon family has been reopened. It seems
that His Grace Alan Pendragon has succeeded in contracting with the White Dragon.
Moreover, the residents of the village located near the border reported seeing
dragons flying towards the Ancona Forest. The reported number was s, six dragons.”

“Six… six dragons…”

The middle-aged aristocrat muttered dejectedly, then flopped back down onto his
chair.

“What in the world is going on? Not only did he succeed in contracting the White
Dragon, but six other dragons flew into the Pendragon territory?… Huh!”

He let out a burst of laughter in disbelief and looked around to see anyone agree with
him. But the people standing on his left and right stayed silent, trading glances with
each other.

“This happens as soon as we decide to break off the marriage with them… Everyone,
don’t just stand there like fools and say something! Do something!”

Everyone withdrew at the shouts of the middle-aged man.

“We cannot do anything, My Lord Seyrod.”

A soft, calm voice caught the attention of the nobleman. Everyone’s gazes turned
towards the voice.

“Luna…”

Count Seyrod’s face fell when he saw his foster daughter, the precious little gem he
had raised. It was none other than himself who had urged the breakup between the
two families.

“Even if we have broken off the marriage, we are still a relative of the Pendragon
Duchy. No harm will come to us. We just have to cooperate with them and keep a
strong relationship. It’s not like they are going to invade our territory or anything of
the sort.”

“Hm…”

Luna spoke the truth. Even so, Count Seyrod and the aristocrats shared an
uncomfortable, nervous gaze.

“That’s not necessarily the case.”

Someone else had stepped up. Turning her head towards the source of the voice,
Luna frowned and responded.

“What do you mean, Sir Breeden?”

The other nobles’ expressions were similar to Luna’s surprised face. Everyone knew
of the happenings in the Pendragon Duchy and Breeden’s shameful actions.

‘Damn it… ’

As Breeden had returned to the territory, he had done his best to lay low and avoid
people, but not anymore. The judgemental looks of the people enraged him. Holding
his nerves, Breeden swallowed his disdain and spoke nonchalantly.

“Didn’t you say that His Grace Pendragon set out on another expedition? What do
you think his purpose is? It’s to look around the mines and the mills that the Seyrod
family handed over. This means that the soldiers of the Pendragon family could cross
the territorial borders.”

“Hm!”

“Well, the Lindel gold mine is right on the border…”

The nobles began to whisper amongst themselves.

‘Hehe. Good, it worked.’

Breeden rejoiced inwardly and spoke to Count Seyrod, who was tapping his chair’s
armrest with a serious expression.

“My lord, even though the Pendragon Duchy is a relative of the Seyrod family, we
don’t know what might happen if they become more powerful. Furthermore, His
Grace Alan Pendragon is not some innocent man. He is ambitious and cunning, one
who is willing to stand together with monsters like orcs if it will help him achieve his
goals.”

“Hmm…”

Count Seyrod’s face turned even darker. Luna lightly bit her lips at the sight and
stepped out.

“But His Grace Pendragon helped us. If it wasn’t for him, we don’t know what might
have happened. All thanks to a certain someone.”

“Dammit…”

Breeden’s forehead wriggled at Luna’s cold words and gaze.

However, he continued with an indifferent expression, changing his voice to a

worried tone.

“I admit I have done my share of mistakes. But now that I think about it, perhaps the
unfortunate meeting with the orcs was rather a part of His Grace Pendragon’s…”

“Sir Breeden! Aren’t you going too far?”

Luna couldn’t stand the nonsense and interjected in the middle of his words.

“I’m sorry, my lady. I was just considering the possibilities.”

Breeden lightly bowed his head and stepped back. Luna caught the sly smile that
hung on his lips and spoke with an even icier voice.

“Considering the possibilities? Are you saying that His Grace Pendragon…”
“Ah, wait.”

Count Seyrod cut off Luna’s words.

“I don’t think we can ignore Sir Breeden’s words. Didn’t you also tell me that His
Grace Pendragon changed from how he used to behave?”

“That’s true, but this is completely different. His Grace Pendragon is…”

Count Seyrod once again interrupted.

“No, it sounds no different to me. You also told me that His Grace Pendragon
accepted the rejection of the marriage, almost as if he was waiting for it. This would
have never happened in the past. I think the least we can do is prepare ourselves for
the worst scenarios.”

“Father…”

Luna called out in a desperate voice.

“Enough.”

Count Seyrod shook his head at Luna, then turned to face the nobles.

“If Alan Pendragon crosses the border, we shall give him a warning. If you have any
good ideas, please let me know.”

Breeden sneakily spoke up once again while the other nobles looked around in
silence.

“The mine we handed over the Pendragons was originally managed by Baron Noel
on your behalf. Even though we adjusted the gold and tax rates as a token of
consolation, I’m sure he’s not happy about the changes. Why don’t you ask Baron
Noel to pressure the duchy and see how they react?”

The Noel family was one of the three subordinate families of the Seyrod County and
their territory was located between the borders of the Pendragon Duchy and the
Seyrod County. They had managed the mine that was handed over to the Pendragons
for two generations, which had contributed largely to their wealth. Now, with the
transfer of ownership, they would take severe losses and would not be too happy
with the decision.

“Hmm, that’s a good idea. They should know that the Noel Barony is a subordinate
family to our county. The Pendragon soldiers shouldn’t attack them recklessly. Let
Baron Noel know of our situation.”

Having Baron Noel put pressure on Alan Pendragon on the border would serve to
give a stern warning and would also allow the barony to vent their anger. As small
disputes near the border were not uncommon, this event would not be considered a
big deal, and they would smooth over it without any problems.

Breeden held back a shout of triumph seeing his chance for revenge arise, and spoke
in a gentle voice.

“Yes, sir… But just in case, why don’t I personally take some of my knights as
backup?”

“You will go personally?”

“Yes. Out of everyone present, I know Alan Pendragon the best. Of course, the leader
of the order is Sir John, but I think I might be able to handle the situation with better
flexibility based on my experience with His Grace.”

“Hmm. What is your opinion on this, Sir John?”

Count Seyrod’s gaze rested on a knight to his left. The knight was mid-to-late 40’s,
and his hair and beard were turning grey, though he still looked good for his age.

“I agree with Sir Breeden’s suggestion. If I personally take action, the Pendragons
might decide to raise the severity of the issue.”

“That’s true too. All right. Take twenty knights and my handwritten letter to Baron
Noel. Do your best and try to avoid any mistakes.”

“Yes, my lord. This Joseph Breeden will give my all to complete the task you have
given me.”

Breeden thumped his chest with a look of determination, then moved forward. As he
walked out, his eyes briefly glanced at Luna, who was biting her lips in worry. Their
gazes met.
‘That man… ’

Luna looked at Breeden’s back with distressed eyes.

A malicious smile had decorated his face.

***

It was early morning, and a hazy mist encircled Conrad Castle. Raven, who was
dressed in his White Dragon Armour, crossed the drawbridge of Conrad Castle
alongside Soldrake.

A procession of thirty orc soldiers, Kazzal and Tata, followed behind Raven’s back
with Karuta at the front.

‘Good, very good.”

Raven glanced behind him, then nodded with a pleased smile. Karuta and the orc
warriors were prepared a lot differently from when he had first met them. Instead of
crude armor made from animal skins and skulls, Conrad Castle’s blacksmiths had
forged heavy metal armor to protect the orc warriors’ thick shoulders and chests.
Instead of wooden sticks embedded with sharp bones, the orcs held morning stars
that were as tall and thick as an average adult male.

It would be a nightmare for whoever was unlucky to face these warriors.

[Ray, there’s someone over there.]

Soldrake pointed into the mist as they were almost across the drawbridge.

“Hm?”

Raven narrowed his eyes. He was able to see a blurry image of someone riding on a
horse. Raven raised his voice and unsheathed his sword.

“Announce yourself! Who dares interrupt the Pendragon’s expedi… Huh?”

Raven’s eyes grew bigger when the figure neared, and the person’s identity was
revealed.
“I, it’s… me, Your Grace.”

“Killian? What the hell are you doing here? No, more importantly… Ha!”

“Uh, w, well. It’s just…”

Raven burst into laughter as Killian mumbled his words.

Killian usually dressed in a breastplate and small armor pieces to cover his joints,
but now, he was wearing a full-plate mail armor. In addition, he held a long spear
decorated with the dragon symbol, a shield, a morning star, and even a crossbow that
hung on the side of the saddle. He was armed to the teeth and could be easily
mistaken for setting out for war.

Raven’s expression turned cold as he observed the knight, who had secretly packed
his belongings and stood waiting in front of the drawbridge.

“I asked why you’re here at this time, dressed like that, Sir Killian.”

“I, I would like to accompany you on this trip, Your Grace!”

Killian hurriedly answered at Raven’s icy voice.

“What? Shouldn’t you be busy recruiting people for the knight order? I’m sure what I
gave you was clear.”

“Yes, of course. But Your Grace, a knight order can’t be created in just a day or two.
Most of the soldiers in Conrad Castle are not proficient in horse riding. They don’t
have much experience as well, except for the most recent expedition. That’s why…
uh, I thought it might be better to recruit soldiers from Bellint Gate or knights who
would come to the duchy and…”

“So you want to gather free knights and create an order, is that it?”

“Yes, yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying!”

Killian nodded eagerly at Raven’s question.

“Hmm…”
Killian’s words certainly made sense. There was a huge difference between simple
horse riding, and being able to battle on horseback. A soldier had different
equipment from a horse-riding knight, and it would not be possible to train and arm
them appropriately within a short period of time.

However, as Killian said, free knights were different.

They were proficient in horseback battles, and most of them stemmed from noble
backgrounds, which made them familiar with military tactics. With a few months’
training, they would be able to form a useful knight order.

“Good. You will come with us then.”

“Yes! I will work my bones to dust!”

Killian answered Raven with a bright face and followed behind him, while being
careful not to disturb Soldrake.

It was then that someone crept up to Killian’s side.

“Your body is not well, why didn’t you just take a rest?”

Killian turned his head and frowned. Surely enough, it was Karuta.

“No, what do you mean I’m not feeling well? I am a knight who is always prepared to
follow his master!”

Karuta’s expression turned strange at Killian’s words. He dropped his gaze with a
pitiful look.

“Well… I heard everything. Sniff! So far, Karuta has been a little rough, and I
apologize. I wasn’t aware that you were an eggless scarecrow as well as a weakling.”

“W, what do you mean. I still have one left!”

“Yes, yes. I got it. It’s all thanks to the earth god’s protection, yes.”

Karuta nodded as if he truly understood Killian’s pain.

However, his gaze remained below Killian’s waist, and his eyes that were usually
frenzied were filled with sympathy.

“……”

“When we go into the forest, I’ll have Kratul dig up some herbs that are good for
vitality.”

“Thank you… Well, this is somehow making me feel worse.”

“Kratul guarantees the effects. Killian scarecrow is the friend of the Ancona Orcs.
Ancona Orcs know loyalty. Kratul doesn’t know how to make egg… regrow, but I will
do whatever I can.”

Kratul joined in on the conversation and his gaze alternated between Killian’s face
and groin with pitiful eyes.

“Cheer up, Killian scarecrow. You will not die because you are eggless.”

“Yes! The earth god does not discriminate based on how many eggs you have.”

Kratul and Karuta patted Killian’s shoulders before passing by him. Killian stared at
the two with a dumbfounded expression.

Then, Kazzal, who was following the two orc warriors, looked up at Killian.

Their gazes met.

A heartbroken smile hung on the face of Kazzal. He nodded twice at Killian as if to

signal that he understood everything.

“……”

Whoosh…

A warm breeze passed by the knight. The knight had just received sympathy from
orcs and goblins.
Raven, Soldrake, and the orc warriors arrived at Bellint Gate without a hitch.

The soldiers of Bellint Gate were more surprised at the orcs’ change of attire more
than anything, perhaps because they were somewhat familiar with the orcs due to
their previous encounter. They weren’t as scared as before as they came face to face
with the orc warriors. Rather, they had gleefully prepared pigs and sheep in advance
to feed the ravenous orcs.

However, the new recruits glimpsed at the orc warriors and the winged beauty with
a mixture of fear and awe in their eyes.

“L, look over there.”

“She’s so pretty… So out of this world.”

“Of course it’s out of this world, she’s not a human. It’s a dragon, a dragon.”

Although they were told in advance by their seniors, it was still a surreal experience
to see orc warriors and a dragon in real life.

Raven told Karuta and the orcs to rest, then walked to the top of the castle walls with
Soldrake. Killian and the castle’s highest-ranked soldier hurriedly followed behind
them.

“How is the situation outside of the gate?”

Raven said as he looked below at the castle walls which were undergoing major
renovations.

“There are no signs of any bandits or monsters within a ten-mile radius of the gate,
including the roads and the villages.”

“Ten miles? Are you saying this situation is different past that distance?”

The soldier gave a hasty nod at Raven’s sharp gaze.

“We are short of troops, so it is hard to patrol beyond a ten-mile radius, Your Grace.
We are recruiting new soldiers, but they mostly stem from farming work, so we need
to start by teaching them the basics of how to hold their spears properly.”

“How many recruits have applied?”

“Twenty-four. I think we’ll be able to expand our numbers by fifty in another month.”

“I see. What about the supply of crossbows?”

“We’ve placed crossbows all around the walls of the gate and the spires. The new
weapons have better range and accuracy compared to the previous ones.”

After listening to the soldier’s report, Raven sank deep into thought. Killian and the
soldier quietly waited.

Strangely, the sight of Alan Pendragon pondering in thought evoked strange curiosity
and excitement for the men.

“Okay!”

After a while, Raven raised his head. Then, he started pouring out words to the
startled men.

“In a month, Sir Jade, who will be the new commander of Bellint Gate, will arrive
with supplies and soldiers. Until then, train all recruits with the crossbows and place
them onto gate defense. Pick five elite crossbowmen to train the recruits. Then, if we
form groups of ten soldiers from the remaining soldiers, we should be able to secure
a distance of twenty miles from the gate.”

“Y, yes!”

The senior soldiers carefully listened to Raven’s command then nodded hurriedly.

“There shouldn’t be any problems. And also gather ten soldiers who are proficient
with their swords and know how to ride a horse. Send them to Sir Killian.”

“Yes!”

“Sir Killian, you know what to do, right? Do as you see fit.”
“Yes! I got it.”

“Good. Then go do your work.”

Raven gave an affirming nod at the two soldiers and moved down from the wall
alongside Soldrake. The senior soldier looked at Raven’s back in a daze, then shook
his head with his tongue stuck out like a dog.

“Wow! Now, when did His Grace learn such tactics? I had also wondered before if we
should train the soldiers in using the crossbow since it took such a long time for
them to learn swordsmanship. And if we organize the rest of the soldiers in groups
of ten, we should be able to secure up to twenty miles.”

“How would I know? But I’m sure if you follow His Grace’s orders then you should
have no problems defending the gate until Sir Jade arrives, and you’ll also be able to
secure a good distance. Anyways, gather up some men who can ride horses for me.”

“Yes.”

Killian and the senior soldier walked down to the training ground. Soon, the soldier
gathered, and after hearing the two men speak, they started to busily move around.

“Is there anyone here that’s ever swung a spear or a sword on while riding a horse?”

“……”

Ten soldiers looked around at each other with bamboozled expressions. Killian
sighed inwardly, then asked another question.

“Then who here can ride a horse without holding onto the reins?”

“I can.”

“I, I can as well.”

“Me too…”

Killian opened his eyes in shock. Six soldiers had raised their hands. Riding a horse
without holding onto its reins was an advanced horse riding technique. Moreover, it
was an essential skill for knights and cavalry to have, as they fought on horseback.
Killian was surprised that spearmen and crossbowmen would know such an
advanced technique.

“Where did you learn?”

“Well, I worked as a liaison at the gate and…”

“I worked in a stable ever since I was a kid…”

“In our village, we herd sheep on the back of horses…”

The reasons were all over the place.

Anyways, the important thing was that the soldiers already met the most crucial
condition in order to become a knight or a part of the cavalry. He nodded his head
with a bright expression.

“Good. I have gathered all of you here today because our Pendragon Duchy is forming
a knighthood.”

Gasp!

“A k, k, k, knighthood!?”

“Yes. Of course, you won’t be selected to become knights right away. You will first be
trained as cavalrymen and learn to fight on horseback. Those that display excellent
prowess will be hired as knights by the Pendragon family. You will become a ‘sir’ that
stands at the head of the cavalry. Of course, if you succeed in becoming a cavalryman
you will be provided with a horse, armor, and equipment by the duchy and receive
two gold coins each month as your wage.”

“Whoooooaa!”

The soldiers exclaimed in awe.

Once they became a cavalryman, their incomes would double. More importantly, a
knight and a soldier were fundamentally different in their status and appearance.
Every man who lived off their swords dreamed of becoming a knight in their lifetime.

“What do you say, are you up for the challenge?”

“Yes, of course!”

“I’ll do it!”

The soldiers cried out at Killian’s subtle voice with enthusiasm and excitement.
Killian’s smile intensified.

“Really? It might be a little difficult…”

“Oh, what are you saying? Two gold coins a month! We can do anything!”

“We have a chance at knighthood! I will risk my life for it!”

The soldiers’ will was great. But the more eager they seemed, Killian’s smile grew
even deeper and wicked.

“Good. Shall we get started?”

“Yes!”

A roaring cry of soldiers united with a solid will echoed in the training ground.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhh!”

“Keeahhhh… Ahh…”

Grotesque groans of pain resounded from all over the place. The sound was
reminiscent of a dying man breathing his last, painful breaths.

The soldiers wore a worn-out plate mail weighing about 20 kilograms and large
rocks the size of human heads hung from their arms and legs. It had been an hour
since they started, and they were given no time to rest from riding on their horses
with the extra weights. They looked on the verge of passing out.

Some of them were sprawled up in their saddle which made them seem like dead
bodies. However, they wriggled every time Killian gave a shout which indicated that
they were not yet dead.

“You bastards! Aren’t you afraid to call yourselves men!? You ride a horse for one
hour and become all sprawled up? On the battlefield, you have to fight on your horse
for two, three hours at the least! What is it that you said about knights? Knights my
ass! Anyone that falls from their saddle should be prepared to eat horse shit! Got it?”

“Ahh!”

“Ueaaghh!”

It had been a while since their answers had become barely recognizable in the form
of a scream. The young soldiers who dreamt of knighthood were forced into hellish
training on this day of early summer.

“Rest!”

Killian shouted while observing his hourglass. The soldiers came down from their
saddles, no, the soldiers fell from their saddles.

‘Haha! You bastards, this is just the start.’

A smile crept onto Killian’s face as he looked at the soldiers crawl towards the shade
after collapsing on the ground. The soldiers shuddered at Killian’s smile.

‘D, devil… ’

‘He’s the one-egged devil… that devil.’

From then on, Killian gained the title of ‘one-egged devil.’ At that moment, a soldier
from the top of the gate’s watchtower shouted towards Killian.

“Sir Killian! A small group of armed forces are coming towards the gate!”

“What? What do you mean by that? Do they have any flags or emblems?”

Many people passed through Bellint Gate. Most were residents of the Pendragon
Duchy, but there were cases where nobles accompanied by soldiers passed through
the gate. They would usually bear their coat of arms in such cases.

“There are three people, but they don’t have a crest or a flag! I think they are free
knights!”

“Huh! Free knights…?”

Killian’s face hardened in surprise.

Free knights.

They were knights who roamed the world freely with a spear or a sword as their
only companion.

Some wandered in search of a master to share their ambition with, some wandered
to practice true chivalry, some wandered to boast of their abilities to the world, and
others roamed to be free like the wind…

Their purposes were all different, but they all wandered regardless, weathered by
harsh winds and sleeping on morning dew. They were free knights.

Thus, they never settled down in one place, and they didn’t travel in groups.

There were times when such free knights gathered together. It was when a major
noble held a large scale horse-riding or swordsmanship competition, or when a
rumor circulated that a high-ranking noble family might recruit knights.

‘This is just the beginning.’

Before he set out, Killian had heard that free knights were likely to visit the
Pendragon Duchy. He could sense that the time was drawing near.

“Report this to His Grace. I will come to see them first.”

“Yes, sir.”

The gates were always opened during the week without a special event, so Killian
left the training ground and rode his horse towards the gate.

***

“Is this Bellint Gate?”

A knight spoke. He appeared to be in his thirties and had a full beard.

“It’s bigger than I thought… The topography is quite exquisite. It might be hard to
break through with a half-baked army.”
A bald knight with two axes hanging from his sides responded to the bearded
knight’s words. He looked around the gate and nodded his head.

“I wonder how many knights there are…?”

“I’ve heard that there are less than five. The family has been on the decline for years,
and they don’t have any subordinate families either.”

“Hmm. Less than five knights on a land so vast that it might be considered a vast
kingdom? If we’re lucky, then we might get a title and ownership of some land.”

The bald knight spoke with a grin.

“What about you? It wouldn’t be a bad deal to be made lord at such a young age.”

The bearded knight also followed the bald knight’s gaze and turned his head to look
at the man who silently followed behind them.

“……”

It was a young man who was tall with broad shoulders and unblemished dark skin.
He had short, curly dark hair, and remained speechless even at the other knights’
words.

He silently stared at Bellint Gate with his dark, blue eyes.

‘You cheeky bastard… I’ll show you not to be arrogant soon.’

The bearded man shrugged his shoulders and burst into a hearty laugh, hiding his
innermost thoughts.

“Haha! Well, you’re still young and inexperienced, so you might not know. A great
nobility like the Pendragon Duchy can confer the title of nobility on their knights and
give them their land. I don’t know why they don’t have any subordinate families but
if they want to recruit skilled knights like us, it’s only natural that they give us some
soldiers and a bit of land. Don’t you agree, Sir Lutton?”

“Of course, Sir Pollack. Even the great Pendragon family should know of our stories
of slaying over twenty bandits in Denvera. I would be disappointed if they didn’t
treat us accordingly. Hahahaha!”
“Hahaha! It’s an honor to hear such words from the man they call ‘Bloodthirsty
Double Axe.’ Haha!”

The two men burst out laughing as they gave each other childish compliments.
Nevertheless, the dark-haired young man stared silently at the gate with an
unwavering gaze without a word.

The residents moved out of the three men’s paths seeing their equipment and
horses.

The two knights acted arrogantly as they entered, while the young man stayed silent
the entire time.

“Stop for a moment.”

A loud, thick voice hollered.

A check was required for any armed men at gates, hence the three knights pulled on
their horses’ reins to stop and lowered their gaze.

A tall, muscular man with sleekly combed brown hair and a stylish mustache was
smiling at them.

“I am Mark Killian, a knight from the Pendragon Duchy. Where are you sirs coming
from?”

Moreover, he was perfectly polite. Pollack and Lutton exchanged glances with a wry
smile.

‘Not a big deal at all.’

‘This is going to be easier than I thought.’

The two knights held a silent conversation with their gazes, and turned their eyes
onto Mark Killian, the head knight of the Pendragon Duchy.
“Reed Pollack, knight of Evandel. I’ve been wandering the world for five years in
search of a worthy master to serve.”

“Barrio Lutton. I was part of the Grey Mercenaries for a while. I go wherever there is
a worthy opponent.”

The two knights looked down at Killian and spoke in an arrogant tone while tapping
their weapons. Killian nodded while maintaining his smile.

“Sir Pollack and Sir Lutton… I see. How about you sir…?”

Killian’s eyes turned to the dark-haired young man. The young man briefly gazed at
Killian before opening his lips.

“I am a Cavalier of Valvas. I do not allow those except the ones I slay, the one who will
take my life, and the one I will serve and his lady to know my name.”

His accent was as distinctive as his appearance.

“A knight of Valvas…!”

Killian was a little surprised. The young man did have a peculiar appearance, and it
seemed he came from the far south. Furthermore, he stemmed from Valvas, which
was in constant turmoil due to its shared borders with countless territories.

‘It figures… ’

Killian nodded his head at the young man’s appearance. Unlike the knights of the
central and northern regions, he wore a vest-type light armor which was made from
thin sheets of metal on top of the leather. A rather thin long sword and two daggers
hung from his waist on each side.

At first glance, one might presume the young man to be an inexperienced warrior
who only cared about his looks, but a mace, shield, and a crossbow hung from his
saddle which showed that he was an experienced warrior who was capable of
adapting to many situations.

“Okay. Well, anyway, what is the purpose of this visit?”

“We heard rumors that His Grace Pendragon succeeded in entering a pact with the
White Dragon, but I hear that there aren’t many proper knights… I am confident that
I can become the sword that pierces through the duchy’s enemies.”

“Same with me. My axes are ready to rip off whatever enemy may come. I will
become a part of the family’s knight order and fulfill the duchy’s need for powerful
knights.”

“……”

Killian and the soldiers all frowned at the two knights’ haughty words.

But Killian didn’t look down on the two knights.

Their weapons were worn from numerous battles and scars, both large and small,
decorated their chest plates. The fact that they were able to wander around the
world for several years as free knights already proved their capabilities.

“Wow, your confidence is shooting through the skies.”

A cold voice suddenly rang from behind and caused everyone’s gaze to turn. A
slender young man dressed in a loose linen shirt with a strangely bent sword on his
waist was standing there with a smile.

“Ha!”

“What did you say?”

The faces of the two knights crumpled. However, the brown-haired young man’s eyes
narrowed at the sight of the scimitar that was hanging from the man’s waist.

“We greet Your Grace Pendragon!”

“Glory to Pendragon!”

Raven raised his hand to greet the soldiers while leisurely walking towards the
knights. The knights stopped their words short and shared a look.

‘That brat seems to be the son of the duke, Alan Pendragon?’

‘I’m very lucky.’

It was a good start to meet the master of the land at the gate. Moreover, he was a brat
who looked to be less than twenty. They were confident that they could snatch a
good spot in the duchy.

“Your Grace.”

Killian took a step backward and bowed towards Raven before speaking to the two
knights.

“This is the master of the Pendragon Duchy. Dismount your horses and give your
formal greetings.”

Killian confirmed their suspicions, and they awkwardly dismounted their horses.

“The knight of Evandel, Reed Pollack greets…”

“Forget the formalities. You want to be a knight in my family?”

Raven cut short Pollack’s greetings.

‘This brat… ’

Pollack held back his expression from contorting. In any case, his opponent was the
heir to the duchy, who would soon become his master.

Pollack bowed his head in courtesy.

“That is so. It’s been five years since I roamed without a master. I’ve proved my
ability by defeating the blades of countless warriors, and now I search for a worthy
master. If you can see the true value of my sword, I will serve you until my last
breath.”

“If you give me the proper treatment, I will split open anything you want me to with
my axes.”
Lutton added on and grinned to display his yellow teeth.

“Hmm…”

Raven stared at the two knights with his arms folded. Others might think poorly of
their attitude, but he was different.

Free knights made their living off their swords. If they had the skills, then their
attitude wasn’t an issue. But the important thing was ‘skill’.

Raven’s gaze turned from the two men to the young knight.

‘A rapier and a dagger… ’

During his days in the demonic army, he had seen similarly armed warriors in the
southern expedition. All of them were born in the south called “Valvas” and were
practiced in unique swordsmanship involving a rapier and a dagger in each hand.
But that was the case when the opponents were monsters with weak defenses or
other Valvas Knights. When they fought against forces armed with heavy armor, they
used a mace or a spear, and they were proficient with the said weapons as well.

“Good. So why don’t we find out the true values of your swords?”

Raven cracked his neck.

“Yes…?”

“Why are you so surprised? You said if I could recognize the value of your sword then
you would serve me with your life, didn’t you? It’s time to see the value.”

Raven took out his scimitar and put it on his shoulder with a big smile. The soldiers
moved back at the signal and created a large circle.

“Huh…”

Impolitely, the two knights gazed at each other and gave a short laugh as if
dumbfounded. Killian’s gaze turned strange at the sight of the two knights.

Suddenly, one side of his groin ached.

It was already healed, but the memory of it being cracked open was still vivid in his
mind. At that time, he had the same kind of laughter as the two knights.

Killian strode forward.

“I would like to test their true values myself. Please allow me, Your Grace.”

“Hm?”

Raven was delighted at the chance to stretch his body after a long time and frowned
at Killian, but soon nodded. Killian’s skills were considerable. In the past, Killian had
lost bitterly because he underestimated Raven’s skills.

Since then, Killian had desperately trained his body and technique and took a step
further as a knight. The expedition had helped with his experience as well.

“Well, do as you wish. Then I…”

Raven relaxed his arms and turned his head. Dark blue eyes that were as deep as a
lake were headed in his direction.

“What do you say? It seems you’re here because you want to become a knight in my
family as well?”

“…I don’t have any intentions to fight.”

The dark-haired young man shook his head. The two other free knights snorted at
him.

“Hah! There’s no use. We asked about several times, but he avoided every single one
of them. Well, we’re pretty tough so it makes sense, but to think he would be a
young… Ehem!”

Realizing his slip of the tongue, Pollack blurted out his words with an awkward
cough. His pride was hurt, and he had retaliated unknowingly to the young man, who
might just become his future master. But Raven just smiled and spoke to the two
knights.

“Of course he didn’t fight with you.”

“…Yes?”

Raven slowly moved his gaze from the two knights to the young man and raised his
scimitar directly at him.

“The Knights of Valvas always see it through to the end when they pull out their
weapons. They don’t mess around with their swords in childish play… Especially
more so if their opponents are some silly little young masters. Don’t you think?”

“……!”

The dark blue eyes which were calm until now shone with a small glimmer. Killian
and the two knights gazed at the young knight. The young knight slowly moved his
hand towards his waist.

Woong…

Two swords, one long and one short appeared with a shrill sound of iron. The two
knights finally realized the truth and their faces turned ugly.

“So until now he…”

“Let’s stop talking about useless things and see if we can get to know each other.”

Killian cut off the knight’s words and stepped forward.

“Huh? So are you trying to deal with both of us at the same time?”

Killian grinned and nodded his head.

“Well, I realized some time ago that I like things in pairs. Everything seems better in
twos.”

“Keuk!”

Several soldiers that made up the circle burst into uncontrollable laughter.

But the two knights didn’t understand Killian’s reference and their gazes turned
fierce. They held their weapons and spread out.
“Another weak knight from the Pendragon family will disappear today.”

“Well, that’s not bad either. As I already said, two is better than one!”

Killian rushed in like an angry beast.

***

“……”

The ripples in the young man’s eyes had already disappeared, and he once again
regained his calm eyes. He crossed the two swords into a rosero, which was the
symbol of the goddess of light.

“I am Alan Pendragon.”

“The Cavalier of Valvas…”

“Doesn’t tell anyone his name except the ones he kills, one he is killed by, and the
lord he will serve?”

“……”

The young man gave a slight nod.

Raven smiled and continued.

“Then I will hear your name later. Whatever the case, I will fall into one of the three
categories.”

Once again, the young man’s calm eyes rippled with shock. It was surprising that the
young Alan Pendragon knew of the customs of Cavaliers of Valvas. He knew that the
act of pointing one’s weapon directly at the opponent’s head established a life-or-
death duel.

Also, the strangely shaped weapon.

The young man who was the heir to a duchy, which numbered only five in the entire
empire, used a weapon which was native to the warriors of Aslan, the desert land.
Moreover, the young man wasn’t using a scimitar just for the looks.
He could tell by the way the opponent held his weapon and in how he approached
without hesitation. But the opponent was young, barely old enough to be counted as
an adult by Valvas standards.

“You can have the first mo…”

“Well, thanks for that!”

Before the knight finished speaking, Raven jumped up and slashed down with the
scimitar at his opponent.

Whoosh!

The young knight moved his swords which were still held in a cross formation, to his
shoulders at the sound of cutting the air.

Clash!

A clear metallic sound. The young knight used the guard of his rapier to push the
scimitar away and stabbed straight with his dagger.

Rip!

Something tore, and the opponent’s body became blurred. The young knight
instinctively moved back and swung his weapons mercilessly.

Several metallic clangs rang out. Then Raven suddenly sidestepped before swinging
his blade at the young knight’s sides.

Whoosh

The two men fell apart.

“……”

The young knight’s gaze headed downwards. The side of his leather armor had
ripped about a finger’s width. It was the identity of the sound he heard before. If he
was a little late, his sides would have been cut open. The young man fixated his eyes
on the opponent again.
The identity of his opponent didn’t matter anymore. His cold smile, beautiful face, it
had no meaning. Alan Pendragon, the man was a ‘warrior’ before he was a noble.

And a warrior needed to be treated as such. That was the way and the honor of the
Valvas Cavaliers.

Raven realized the opponent’s atmosphere changed and grinned.

“You’re strong.”

“You as well…”

Raven didn’t care for the lack of formalities. The Knights of Valvas never bowed their
heads to anyone except their masters. Even the emperor could not force their heads
down.

“You’ve killed a lot of people.”

“You as well…”

“But I don’t think you killed just anyone. Did you fight to survive?”

“……!”

For the first time, the young knight’s eyes showed visible shock. Raven recognized
that his guess was right, and spoke in a voice that was audible to only two of them.

“How did I know? I was the same.”

“You… as… well…”

He repeated the same words, but they had a different meaning. A faint smile
appeared on the young knight’s face. Raven smiled as well.

“Good. If you want to survive once more, do your best.”

“You too!”

With a thunderous roar, the two blades clashed in the air.

“……”

The soldiers’ jaws dropped in shock.

“Dieeeee!”

“No, you can go to hell!”

Clang, clang! Boom!

The battle between the two knights was almost over. They were yelling out
ridiculous shouts as they each swung a longsword and axes. The bearded knight’s
nose was broken when it was hit by Killian’s sword handle, and his ankle was also in
poor shape. It had been a while since he was knocked to the ground and unable to
fight.

The axe-wielding bald knight was holding on with sheer power, but Killian was also
renowned for his incredible strength.

As time went by, Killian held the clear lead. It seemed that his overwhelming virility
was also reflected in his strength. Losing one egg might have affected his potency,
but it didn’t change his power.

But the soldiers’ gazes were not headed towards the fight between Killian and the
two knights.

Rather, they were hypnotized by the confrontation between two men who were
rather slender and lean to be called knights.

However, the swordsmanship and body movements of the two were extraordinary.

Clash! Clang!

The blades moved at speeds invisible to the naked eye, metallic rings resounding
every time the two weapons met.
Block, stab, slash…

The series of movements flowed smoothly like water. Their actions were so fluid and
fast that even watching it was suffocating. Moreover, the two weren’t just sharing in
flashy swordsmanship. Whenever there was a chance, they threw out punches,
elbows, and even knees and kicks.

They went even as far as to spray dirt and gravel on the opponent’s face after
pretending to fall.

More accurately, ‘they’ referred to Alan Pendragon. It was more surprising that he
was resorting to such methods. A great noble who was considered one of the most
important people in the entire empire was resorting to tactics that lowly
mercenaries might use. But the soldiers didn’t belittle or criticize his actions.

They had already experienced life-or-death situations on the expedition. The battle
between Alan Pendragon and the knight reminded the soldiers of their past
experiences.

There was no mercy on the battlefield.

You had to survive regardless of the method.

That was the truth that the soldiers from Bellint Gate realized on their most recent
expedition. And now, their lord was personally reminding them of that very truth
through an intense duel.

“Gulp…”

It was a dangerous battle that could result in the death of Alan Pendragon, but the
soldiers looked on with anxious eyes and didn’t take any action. The reason was
simple.

Since the beginning of the battle, the young knight and Alan Pendragon were smiling.
The two were attacking each other’s vital points with an expression of boundless joy.

Clang! Bang!

“Accck!”
The sound of iron and a heavy blow resounded consecutively, and someone’s scream
rang out. The bald knight had been dealt a blow by Killian’s headbutt and stumbled
backward.

Whoooosh!

Killian didn’t miss his chance and thrust his longsword at the bald knight.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

The chest area of the bald knight’s armor was crushed like a piece of paper, and he
stumbled backward onto the ground. It was sure to have broken at least a few ribs.

Killian breathed heavily as he watched the two knights who were lying on the
ground.

“Hoo! I knew that two would look better than just one! It looks much more stable
too.”

The soldiers confirmed Killian’s victory and all of their gazes turned back to one
place. The battle between Alan Pendragon and the Knight of Valvas was nearing its
end as well.

Clang!

The dagger that shakily blocked the scimitar had finally broken. The knight
unhesitatingly threw his broken dagger at his opponent before thrusting his long,
thin rapier forward.

“Huah!”

The knight stabbed at Alan’s chest, sides, and lower abdomen in rapid succession,
but Alan dodged all of the attacks by simply moving his upper body.

“Huh!”

“Woo-ah!”
The soldiers hurled shouts of awe at the perfect movement which seemed like it was
prearranged. Then, Alan Pendragon took a large step forward and slashed down with
his scimitar at the knight’s shoulder.

Woosh!

The scimitar allowed fast, strong attacks with small movements. The knight
attempted to block the slash by lifting his rapier, but at that moment the scimitar
curved at a strange angle like a snake.

“…!”

The knight reflexively moved his arms at the sound of air bending.

Clang! Kakakak!

A sound of grinding iron was heard, and red blood sprinkled into the air.

Gasp…!

Everyone held their breath and opened their eyes wide. Everyone stopped in their
place including the soldiers, Killian, and even the two men that were duelling. The
young knight’s sword was held above Alan Pendragon’s shoulders with blood
dripping down from it. But the soldiers’ gazes were on something else. The scimitar,
which was bent like a crescent moon, was held precisely against the knight’s neck.

“……”

The young Knight of Valvas laughed no more. He stared into the face of his opponent,
who was still showing his teeth in the tense silence.

“……”

The knight weakly lowered the hand that was holding onto the blade and backed
away. He had been cut slightly on the neck by the scimitar, but he disregarded it and
knelt on one knee after sticking his sword in the ground.

“Cavalier Elkin Isla of Valvas. I accept my defeat. Do with me as you wish.”

The young man’s eyes once again regained their ocean-like calm. Raven stared deep
into the knight’s eyes. Now that he had conceded and accepted his defeat, the Knight
of Valvas would accept whatever fate awaited him. All the warriors of Valvas Raven
saw on the battlefields acted the same.

“Yes, I won. But if I… W, wait, what did you say your name was?”

Raven nodded, then suddenly raised his eyes and approached the young knight.

“Isla. Elkin Isla.”

The young man was a little apprehensive about Raven’s actions, but he still answered
once more.

“Elkin… Isla…”

Raven repeated Isla’s name and stared at the young knight’s face with a bewitched
expression. Killian and the soldiers looked at each other in confusion.

“Is he famous? Sir Killian, have you heard of him?”

“No, it’s the first time I’ve heard of that name…”

Killian knew of many famous knights, but he hadn’t heard of this name before. But it
seemed Alan Pendragon already knew of the Valvas Knight named Elkin Isla.

Killian’s predictions were right.

Of course, the Elkin Isla that Raven knew of existed in the future, as Elkin Isla was
someone who would spread their name throughout the entire empire in a few years.

‘E, Elkin Isla…! Why is the Stormbringer of the Great Archipelago here?’

Unlike his dazed expression, Raven’s heart was pounding madly.

Elkin Isla.

Nicknamed Stormbringer, the strongest Valvas Knight of his time.

He was an elite knight of the Arangis Duchy, located in the far southern sea. The
Arangis Duchy was one of the five duchies of the empire, and the duke held the title
of “Ocean King.” Elkin Isla contributed greatly to the conquest of the Morte Islands,
which made him famous throughout the southern region and the empire.

He was regarded as one of the top ten swords of the empire, but that wasn’t what
made him famous. His swordsmanship was superb, but his archery skills were even
beyond that. The reason he received the nickname ‘Stormbringer’ was because…

Raven calmed his rapidly beating heart and approached Isla.

“Gasp!”

“W, what…”

The soldiers became lost for words at the sight that unfolded before them.

The master of Pendragon had kneeled on one knee in front of the unknown knight
and met his gaze.

“……”

Raven looked directly into the confused, blue eyes of Isla and ordered.

“Elkin Isla, become my knight.”

“…Please kill me. The Cavaliers of Valvas…”

Cutting off Isla’s words, Raven continued calmly.

“No, I spoke wrongly. I’ll make your dream come true. Griffon rider, isn’t that what
you want?”

“……!”

Elkin Isla.

Originally, he should go on to become the captain of the Ocean Griffon Knights who
would command one hundred griffons and knights. He was ‘Stormbringer,’ the
strongest griffon rider. Isla’s eyes shook uncontrollably.

***
“Give your greetings. This is the guardian of the Pendr… No, this is my companion,
Soldrake.”

“……”

Isla was surprised at the appearance of Soldrake, who was clearly not human. Killian
snorted inwardly at the sight. No human being with the exception of Alan Pendragon
dared to even stare at Soldrake directly.

Moreover, a young brat who chanced upon a lucky encounter and became a knight of
the duchy couldn’t possibly…

“Hmm?”

Killian’s eyes widened in shock.

Isla had slowly approached Soldrake before kneeling in front of her. That wasn’t the
end.

“W, wha…!”

Soldrake had given him her hand, and he had kissed the back of her hand. The entire
scene was so natural that Killian doubted his eyes. Raven was also quite surprised.

Unlike other humans who feared Soldrake, Isla didn’t seem to show any signs of
repulsion in approaching Soldrake. Soldrake also acted naturally in front of Isla,
which was another surprise.

“Elkin Isla greets the great White Dragon. As a knight of Pendragon, I swear eternal
loyalty to you, my master’s soul companion.”

Soldrake nodded lightly at his words. They couldn’t communicate with words, but
the intentions were conveyed through his eyes and actions.

“What’s going on? Do you know this child?”

[No. But I feel the energy of griffons from this human. Griffons are the creation of the
Dragon God; they are the dragon’s familiar. That’s why he can withstand my spirit
and stand before me.]
“I see…”

Raven nodded and turned his gaze towards Isla. Isla couldn’t understand the
conversation between Soldrake and Raven, just like everyone else. Raven asked a
question.

“Does your family have a relationship with griffons?”

“…We served for generations as griffons riders for the Eraran County, but…”

Isla hesitated to speak and had a disheveled expression. Raven sensed that Isla had a
backstory. There had to be a reason that a young man from a family of griffon knights
was roaming around the world as a free knight. But whatever the reason, it wasn’t
important to Raven right now.

It was significant that Elkin Isla, the man titled Stormbringer, became a knight of the
Pendragon family.

“I see. Well, you will be in command of the Pendragon family’s griffon army.”

“Yes. Pardon my disrespect, but I would like to ask a question.”

“Ask away.”

“Shouldn’t it be called griffon knights? Not griffon army.”

Isla knew that the Pendragon family had a history with the white dragon, but he had
never heard of anything relating to griffons. There was no reason a prestigious young
master of the Pendragon family would lie to him, so it was likely that there might be
a few griffons that were kept as pets or for showing off.

Or maybe they might have as many as twenty griffons with the help of the white
dragon.

“Griffon Knights? I don’t really care too much about the name, but I have no intention
of creating a knight order with griffons.”

“……”

Isla’s eyes narrowed. Why was this person changing his words? He had said
previously that he would make him a griffon rider.

Raven smiled at Isla’s change of expression.

“Don’t worry, I have no reason to fool you. I want you, as my knight, to… Ah, just in
time.”

Raven stopped his words and turned his head, to which Isla followed along.

However, nothing was out of the ordinary in the fields or the road that leads up to
Bellint Gate. Isla’s face turned even grimmer. Raven’s smile grew deeper, and he
pointed towards the sky.

“Where are you looking? Look at the sky.”

Isla slowly raised his gaze.

“……!”

His eyes slowly grew larger in astonishment.

Kyaaaaah! Kyak!

An uncountable number of griffons were descending through the clouds from the
sky.

“What do you think? We could create an army, right? Command of all griffons,
training of griffon riders. I leave it all up to you. I will give you six months; give me a
useful army.”

“……!”

Isla clenched both of his fists and looked at the griffons that numbered over three
hundred. He turned his head.

“Elkin Isla will follow the orders of my lord. I will form the greatest griffon regiment
in the entire empire.”

The young knight’s eyes shone with determination. Now, he would no longer be a
knight of Arangis, but the Stormbringer of the Pendragon Duchy.
[Open.]

A brief word from Soldrake caused a white glow to be emitted from a pillar that she
was touching. The light expanded to wrap the entire pillar before stretching out to
the entrance of the giant cave.

Rummmmble!

With a roar, the sealed entrance was opened. The cave rested behind a giant dragon
statue and was usually sealed magically.

The white light spread along the walls and the floor of the cave, while subtle blue
light, which was unique to crystals, slowly brightened the dark cave.

Raven turned around.

A dozen soldiers and around fifty workers gazed at him in shock.

“Is that bright enough?”

“Yes. We will examine the layouts of the cave and start mining right away.”

“Good. If you require more workers, consult with the captain and recruit more at
your discretion.”

“I’ll do as you say, Your Grace. Come on, boys! Let’s go in.”

An old laborer bowed to Raven before entering the cave with the other workers. The
mine had been closed for more than a decade with magic hence it posed little danger.
Raven confirmed the other workers and soldiers working on repairing the wooden
barriers that surrounded the mine, then left. He didn’t forget to place two griffons as
messengers for emergencies.

***
“Now we only need to see the mines and the sawmills that the Seyrod family gave
us.”

The place that they just left was the last crystal mine left in the Pendragon territory.

“Khung? Aren’t we going to stop in the woods first? We don’t know what those
arrogant horse-heads might do.”

With most of the orc warriors not present in the forest, Karuta was worried about
his tribe.

But Raven shook his head.

“We’re still okay. Griffons are patrolling the border between the centaurs and orcs
twice a day. There have been cases where a few of them show up near the valley, but
there haven’t been any major issues.”

“Hmm. We don’t know what might happen, so let’s hurry up and finish things and
head to the forests. The arms and legs of the orcs are becoming stiff like an old tree.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Raven patted Karuta on the arm, then turned his head. The orc warriors had been
silently following along, but their expressions reeked of boredom. There was an
absurd saying within the orcs that if they didn’t get to fight for more than a day, their
arms and legs would become old trees. The orc warriors had to follow Raven without
anything exciting happening, so they were becoming frustrated.

Raven moved his eyes back a little further back.

Thirty griffons as big as oxen were following behind the orc warriors. They were
calm compared to the orcs. Isla’s excellent handling played a role, but in the first
place, they were Soldrake’s subordinate creatures and obeyed orders thoroughly.

The strength and aggressiveness of the griffons allowed them to face a dozen
soldiers each, but when they were combined with a rider with a crossbow, they
became invincible. Furthermore, they were useful as scouts and messengers.

“How is it? Do these griffons follow orders well?”

Isla nodded. He was riding on the back of the biggest griffon.

“Yes. They have smaller wings than those that live onshore cliffs, but they are
stronger. Also, thanks to Soldrake, they are gentle. They’re not stupid, so they will be
able to understand orders soon enough. The key is the ability and the efforts of the
soldiers who will become their riders.”

“I see. Anyways, you’re far more informed about the griffons than I am, so you will be
in command of them if a battle breaks out.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The thirty griffons were brought along at the request of Isla. Each of them would be
trained in advance to become leaders and experience battle and group training. They
would help the training of other griffons by showcasing their learnings later.

Isla had personally picked one griffon and now it was following Isla’s commands
flawlessly. Even if they were Soldrake’s familiars, it was incredible that Isla was able
to train them to behave like warhorses in just a few days.

‘Well, I guess that’s why you were called the Stormbringer and the strongest griffon
rider in history… ’

Raven nodded his head with a satisfied look. Isla had become the captain of the
Pendragon family’s griffon corps and the two knights who had lost to Killian were to
become a part of the knight order led by Killian. Pollack and Lutton had repeatedly
bowed their heads in gratitude when Raven took them under his wing after treating
them with his “shield of healing”.

In a chance of fate, Raven gained a great knight by the name of Elkin Isla and two
others. This happened as soon as he left the castle, so maybe there would be other
fortunate encounters waiting in the future. No, Raven thought it might be wiser to go
search for soon-to-be-famous people out in the world.

Dorean, a young merchant in the free city of Ovilla. He was suspected to have as
much wealth as the royal family.

Jean Oberon, the eccentric magician who lived by himself in the tower in the great
forest of Assia south of Valvas. He was said to create all different sorts of magical
devices.
Red wolf Ivan Zitter, who had united hundreds of northern mercenaries and swept
through the entire region…

‘The world is wide, and there are many undiscovered talents. Many of them are still
unknown right now… ’

Whoever was able to attract them first was the winner. Thinking so, Raven smiled
inwardly.

[Ray, I feel an insidious energy.]

Gasp!

Raven hurriedly closed his mouth and looked at Soldrake with an embarrassed
expression. She was floating next to him with an odd expression.

“Hey, don’t carelessly read people’s minds.”

[I didn’t read anything. It was transmitted. Ray and I are com…]

“Yes, yes. Companions of the soul.”

Raven grinned and gently rested his hand on top of Soldrake’s head. However, he felt
the gazes of Isla and Karuta which caused him to hurriedly withdraw his hand.

“Ehem, hem.”

[It’s fine with me. There is no need to be embarrassed.]

“W, when was I ever embarrassed.”

[Ray and I are companions of the sou…]

“All right, all right.”

Raven let out a deep sigh and slowly shook his head.

“……”

Karuta observed the two individuals even though he couldn’t hear their
conversation. He proceeded to slowly shake his head as well as if he could read the
situation just from their actions.

Sniff! Sniff!

Kratul suddenly started to sniff at the air. Karuta also followed along and opened his
nostrils wide.

“It smells like water.”

“Karuta knows. Hey, Pendragon. We’re close to Silvunnen River.”

It was close tonight, but it seemed like the orcs sensed the river water through their
superior sense of smell and hearing.

“There’s a river over there, Master Pendragon!”

Kazzal quickly climbed up a tree, then gave specific directions.

“Really? We should hurry. We need to cross the river before sunset.”

The orcs and the griffons picked up their pace at Raven’s words.

***

“This is strange…”

A man tilted his head. He was a knight in his mid-30s. His head was adorned with
laurel, and he wore armor with a swan decoration.

Other knights who were standing beside him also looked across the bridge that was
laid out under a mountain. It was approximately 40 yards long and wide enough to
fit two carriages side by side. Only merchants and commoners were visible walking
across the bridge.

“This is very weird. I feel shitty too. Damn it!”

The knight took out his anger by thrusting his blade into the ground while frowning.
The other knights flinched and looked at him with anxiousness in their eyes. They
didn’t want to imagine themselves in his shoes either.
Firstly, more people were crossing the bridge to the other side compared to those
that were coming from. Moreover, the people who were coming were mostly
merchants, while those crossing consisted of merchants, free knights, nobles,…
basically all sorts of people.

But it wasn’t as if he could block the bridge and prevent people from coming and
going. Because across from the bridge was…

“Damn it! Why are so many people gathering in the Pendragon Duchy! I counted over
one hundred today!”

The identity of the knight was Baron Noel, who was the head of one of Seyrod
County’s three subordinate families. He expressed his anger by kicking the ground
then turned his body around.

However, all of the knights avoided his furious gaze. How would a mere baron and
his knight prevent people from heading to a duchy, especially more so when the
duchy held the bloodline of the royal family?

“Whoa, let’s calm down, Lord Noel. Everything will be fine after you make an
example out of the Pendragon’s expedition force when they cross the bridge. Don’t
you agree?”

“I know, I know. But we need them to be here for us to do anything anyway. That
Pendragon brat, I mean, Alan Pendragon, are you certain he’s going to be crossing
this bridge, Sir Breeden?”

Breeden nodded with a knowing smile at Baron Noel’s concerns.

“Isn’t that obvious? He would have to waste more than ten days if he chooses to cross
Middlestone Bridge instead of here. And even if he does make that decision, there
are soldiers placed in Middlestone Bridge. We should be able to catch up within two
days if he crosses there.”

“Well, if you say so… But you’re sure that there will be less than one hundred
soldiers accompanying Alan Pendragon, right?”

“Haha! Don’t worry about that. There will be probably about two knights and fifty
soldiers accompanying him at most. He won’t have any spare units with restoring
security in the territory. He wouldn’t possibly bring orcs to someone else’s territory
anyway.”

“Hmm…”

Baron Noel nodded. Breeden had a point, and it was convincing enough.

It might be a different story if he was traveling within his territory, but he wouldn’t
dare bring orcs to accompany him into someone else’s territory. Even if they weren’t
usually a large threat to humans, orcs were terrifying monsters to most humans.

Bringing monsters into other people’s territory in broad daylight?

That was the same as declaring war.

“It wouldn’t matter if the orcs came. We have enough soldiers to deal with thirty
orcs.”

Breeden spoke in confidence and turned around to look at the soldiers

More than 300 soldiers filled his sights. 200 infantrymen from the Noel Barony and
100 archers from the Seyrod County were present. Furthermore, 20 proud knights
from the Knights of the Red Wolf were in attendance by Breeden’s suggestion.

Even though the orcs were a terrifying force to be reckoned with, they would be
hard-pressed against more than 300 trained soldiers. They would become riddled
with numerous holes before they could even take a step.

“Well! I guess I was a little too worried.”

‘Of course, you would be scared. You’ve never even fought in a real battle before… ’

“Haha! No no. Isn’t it natural for a lord to consider many different aspects? I rather
admire your meticulousness and caring heart.”

Breeden hid his true thoughts and laughed boisterously. Baron Noel also responded
in kind with an awkward smile.

‘Anyway, where in the world is he? I need to deal him a blow… ’

Breeden couldn’t completely dispel his doubts even while smiling. But he soon shook
his head. Aside from the rough currents that made it difficult to sail, the areas that
the bridge connected were sharp cliffs. There was no dragon in sight, and they
wouldn’t be able to cross the bridge unless they flew above it.

Yes… As long as they couldn’t fly, they could never cross the bridge.

As long as they couldn’t fly…

***

The sun was about to set, and Raven and the others finally reached Silvunnen River.
The river was about 20 yards wide, and its edges dropped off in a sharp cliff.
Silvunnen River originated from the Silvunnen Mountains and its currents were
turbulent, perhaps because it was upstream and flowed down.

“We will cross the river as planned.”

“R, really? Kuhem…”

Karuta smacked his lips with a grudging expression.

“What are you doing?”

“I, I got it.”

Raven spoke with an annoyed voice at Karuta’s inaction. Karuta hastily turned his
head around. The orc warriors all stood behind him with the same expression of
awkward fear. They were all looking around at each other with strange expressions.

“Orcs! G, get on! Mount!”

“Yesh…”

The orcs moved with awkward steps.

The griffons were twice as big as the orcs, and they greeted the orcs with sharp
gazes. The orcs carefully climbed onto the backs of the winged creatures.

Even though they were under Soldrake’s dominion, the orcs had never imagined a
day when they would climb onto the backs of griffons, creatures that were
considered one of their mortal enemies alongside centaurs…

Orcs had a strong faith in the earth god, and they took pride in walking on the
ground that their god had dominion over. To ‘fly in the sky’ was quite heretical and
even sacrilegious to the orcs.

Woosh!

“Kueeeeck!”

“Kuwek!”

The griffons opened their wings and leaped into the air from all over the place. Every
time a griffon flew up, a sound similar to a pig’s squeal resounded along with it.

“Those pathetic bastards…”

Even though Karuta clicked his tongue at the sight of his fellow orcs, his expression
didn’t fare much better as he climbed onto a griffon.

But what could he do? The Pendragon scarecrow was looking at him with indifferent
eyes. Karuta could infer the meaning behind Pendragon scarecrow’s gaze, he was
saying…

“If you don’t hurry up, I’m going to get Soldrake to personally throw you across the
river.”

“I, I’m going! Karuta is going!”

Karuta rushed up onto the griffon’s back at Raven’s words.

The griffon gave a giant flap of its wings and soared into the air.

“Kweeeeeeeeeeeeeeecckkkk!!”

The resounding screech was the loudest scream of any orc thus far.
“Good.”

After confirming that all the orcs had crossed the river, Raven nodded his head with
satisfaction. There was a reason why he had chosen to avoid the bridges and only
brought orcs and griffons instead of human soldiers.

Two bridges connected the Pendragon Duchy and the Seyrod County.

One was upstream, and the other was about seven miles downriver, at the beginning
of the midstream.

When Luna Seyrod came to the duchy, she utilized Ronan Bridge, the one that was
located upstream. The mines he had received from them were quite close to the
bridge. Thus, everyone would assume that he would cross the Ronan Bridge.

But that was exactly why Raven decided not to cross Ronan Bridge.

‘If I were Count Seyrod, I would have something planned on the other side of the
bridge… ’

With even free knights gathering, it was natural that the events of Pendragon Duchy
had already spread far and wide.

No matter how vital the Pendragon Duchy was to the empire in terms of bloodline
and the power it once possessed, no one would find it favorable to see their
neighboring family’s power soar.

This held especially true for Seyrod County as they had grown considerably over the
past ten years with the decline of Pendragon Duchy.

The Pendragons had miraculously started to regain their past glories, and the Seyrod
County had to hand over an essential asset in the forms of mines and lumber mills.
They would try to plot something against him.

So Raven chose not to cross the bridge.

He wasn’t afraid of the Seyrod family. If possible, he wanted to warn them and
announce ‘if you touch me, I’ll slaughter you all.’

But he couldn’t be the one to initiate anything. The most important thing in the
world was ‘justification’. Whether it be war or territorial disputes, ‘justification’ was
always the most crucial thing.

‘I’ll take control over the mines and the mills without anyone knowing. Then I’ll take
the bridge to go back over into my territory. When that happens… ’

Count Seyrod’s forces would be compelled to make the first move, as they would lose
their composure at the unexpected events. When a man was put into a situation that
they have no control over or when they were faced with a surprise, they were bound
to lose their heads and become impatient.

That was what he would wait for.

When that happened, he would show the Seyrod County and the nobles of the
western empire the Pendragon family’s true power and character.

Raven once again laughed without realizing his schemes.

[Ray, I feel another insidious energy. Are you thinking about that concubine? The one
that seems well-prepared to bear a child.]

“…Sol, not you as well.”

Raven limply shook his head and spoke once more.

“Anyways, we’re the only ones left…”

All the members of the expedition had already crossed the river. Even his horse was
put in a calm state by Kratul’s spell and carried over by a griffon’s talons.

Now he would probably cross the river by Soldrake’s magic.

[We’ll go as well now.]

“Yes. Huh? W, w, what, what are you doing!”

Raven was shocked, more so than any other times he spent with Soldrake. Soldrake
had boldly walked towards him and wrapped one of her arms around his shoulders.

[Shouldn’t we cross the river?]

“N, no, forget about crossing the river. This is…”

Raven blushed. Apart from her beautiful face, she also let off a mysterious sweet
scent that struck his senses.

[I’ll carry you in my arms.]

“W, what?? H, hey!”

Throwing Karuta across the river didn’t seem to have been a joke.

Soldrake had incredible strength and put one of her arms beneath Raven’s knees and
the other around his shoulders. She lifted him off the ground and floated across the
raging currents.

“……”

He had been ‘princess carried’ by Soldrake.

Raven Valt, who was called ‘the reaper of the battlefield’ at age 27, was carried
across a river by a woman in a weak and embarrassing position.

His face turned as red as a tomato, and he could only stay still with his mouth gaping
open.

But after a brief moment, Soldrake stepped down onto the other side of the river. The
eyes of those who arrived earlier turned to their two companions.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Isla, Karuta, Kratul, and even Kazzal…

No one spoke a single word, and they looked at Raven, who had obediently stayed in
Soldrake’s arms.

Then, Raven saw.

It was the face of Isla who had turned his head to hide the smile that crept onto his
face.

Karuta, Kratul, and Kazzal turned their heads at the same time to hold back their
laughter.

It was humiliating.

“I think you can let me down now…”

[You don’t have to be embarrassed. But Ray is lighter than I thought.]

With a finishing blow, Soldrake let down the ‘reaper of the battlefield’ who was
already despairing. Raven purposefully held back his shoulders from drooping and
walked towards the group.

“Ehem! Hmm!”

In the awkward silence, Isla and the orcs turned their heads away after seeing Raven.
Raven met Karuta’s eyes and spoke as he saw Karuta’s mouth twitch.

“Don’t say it.”

“Kuhem! What would I say…”

“I already know. Just don’t say it.”

After a lengthy sigh, Raven climbed onto the horse.

“Let’s go…”

He continued his journey with a weak voice.

***
“From here on is Seyrod territory…”

Raven looked around with cold, calculating eyes. The environment was still similar,
but now they had crossed into an unknown area. Before he crossed the river, it didn’t
matter if he was in an unfamiliar place because it was still his territory.

But here, anything could happen. He had to be extra careful from now on.

A fork appeared in front of the group after they had been walking for a while along
the river. An old, wooden sign was placed in the middle of the fork. There was an
emblem of a red wolf and a white swan was drawn on the board. The red wolf was
the Seyrod family’s crest, and the white swan was the symbol of the Noel family.

Raven had heard about the Noel family from Melborn before departure. They were a
family that was bestowed with the title of barony from the Seyrod family.

From here onwards, it was officially a land that belonged to others.

Raven took the left path and looked back at his group.

“I’ve told you this before, but from here on out, you should never be frivolous. Ignore
any provocations, and follow my orders thoroughly.”

[……]

“Y, yes.”

Soldrake looked at the group with an indifferent gaze along with Raven’s words, and
Karuta and Kratul hurriedly nodded their heads.

After some time, the group ran into a monastery that was on the verge of collapse.

“We will stay here tonight. Sir Isla, command the griffons to hunt for food.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Although griffons had no trouble going for three or four days without food, orc
warriors were gluttons that needed meat every day. Griffons have excellent sight, as
they had the heads of eagles.
Therefore, they would return in a few hours with an excellent game.

After eating and resting for a few hours in the monastery, the group set off once
more under the cold glint of the moonlight.

They were wandering around in foreign territory, so they couldn’t just walk around
in broad daylight with orcs and griffons. Instead, they chose to rest during the day
and travel under the moon, at least until they reached the mines.

It would have been a tough schedule for human soldiers, but orcs could maintain a
rapid pace with only a few hours of rest each day. Before the sun rose, they traveled
into a deep forest to maintain their cover and rested before resumed their steps after
the sunset.

Two more days passed.

It was dawn.

Finally, the old mines were visible to the eyes. The lumbermill was right next to the
mine, and there were no signs of workers present. It was expected as the Seyrod
family wouldn’t hand over laborers along with the production facilities. There were
sure to be more schemes in the future in regards to the control of the mine and the
mill, but Raven wasn’t bothered.

“Sol.”

Soldrake nodded and silently stood in front of the entrance to the mine. Soon, a
subtle light started to glow from her hand.

[……]

A flock of light spread out to all of the entrances to the mine. The entry was now
blocked by magic, similar to all of the other mines belonging to the Pendragons. No
one could enter the mine without Alan Pendragon or Soldrake’s permission.

“Sir Isla.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Isla was waiting beside his griffon with something in his hand. At Raven’s words, he
walked up to the entrance and boldly struck something into the ground.

Woosh!

A timely gust of wind blew, and the object fluttered open. It was a flag of the
Pendragon family.

It was just in time.

The sun started to rise from the horizon and shone on the flag, illuminating it. Raven
gazed at the flag with satisfied eyes and turned his head. His gaze headed towards
the orc warriors and he spoke in a loud voice.

“As I promised! Everything that comes from this mine and mill will be shared
between the Ancona Orcs and the Pendragons! I know well that the Ancona Orcs do
not covet wealth as is the teaching of the earth god. But this is a token of friendship,
gifted from the Pendragon family to the Ancona Orcs! Please accept it!”

“Orrrrrrrc!”

Karuta and the orcs let out a fierce shout. And so, the relationship between the
Pendragon family and the Ancona Orcs was solidified even further.

***

Yawn!

Baron Noel’s soldiers kept watching over Ronan Bridge like any other day. It had
already been five days since the entire army from the Noel Barony headed over to
the bridge, leaving behind only essential defenses. In the meantime, there were no
signs of any Pendragon soldiers, and the only change observable was in the number
of merchants and refugees who crossed over to the other side.

“Oi, look over there.”

“Hmm? Oh…… again?”

The soldier frowned. Another man who had radiated the identity of a free knight was
crossing the bridge on a horse.
“That’s over twenty so far. Maybe the Pendragon Duchy really will create an order of
knights?”

“You’re crazy. Do you think order can be created so simply? Money is a major issue,
but disregarding that, how would you possibly unite those bunch of nasty guys? It’s
obvious that they will all try to flaunt their strength, and ask for things like land,
titles, and such.”

“Well, that figures. I mean, just look at us, right?”

The gazes of the two soldiers simultaneously turned to the encampment, specifically
at the two largest tents in the middle. One was decorated with the symbol of the red
wolf, and the other with a swan wearing a laurel. Two knights exited their tents at
the same time, and their gazes met.

“Hmph!”

“Ptui!”

Each snorted and spat at the ground before turning their heads away from each
other.

“Isn’t that pathetic? Why are they acting like that when we’re allies?”

“No, what are you talking about? The knights from Seyrod are at fault here. Even if
they come from a family that we’re subordinated to, they can’t come into someone
else’s land like that and act so condescending.”

Even though their knights always mistreated them and ignored them, they still
supported their own in the face of a common enemy. When they saw the Seyrod
knights look at the Noel knights with a look of disdain, they felt angry and annoyed.
Of course, the Noel knights responded in kind and always taunted their opponents
which wasn’t any better.

“H, h, hey. O, over there…”

A soldier’s voice.

“Why are you acting up again? Is it another free knight?”

“I get it, so stop it.”

The two soldiers told off the owner of the voice while sitting on the ground.

“N, no, that’s not it… C, come quickly!”

“Oh, what is it?”

The voice turned more urgent, and the two soldiers begrudgingly stood up from
their place and walked towards it.

“Why are you acting like that? There’s nothing to see.”

The soldier’s response had a hint of irritation. As usual, a carriage and a few people
were crossing the bridge.

“N. No. Not there… Look, look over there…”

The soldier who had called for them pointed not at the river or the bridge, but at
their own territory.

“Ah, what is… Ahk!”

The soldier jumped back in shock when he turned his head around. An emblem of
golden embroidery on a red background, and what followed behind was…

The soldiers stared at the bottom of the mountain with incredulous looks and their
mouths gaped open with shock at the same time.

“O, Orcs!!!! The orcs have appeared!”

“Gri, griffons!!!”

Shouts of confusion and fear penetrated the ears of the Noel soldiers and the Seyrod
knights.
“W, what? Why is that, why is that coming from there! Why are they coming from our
territory!?”

Seeing the procession of orcs and griffons following behind the Pendragon family’s
flag, Baron Noel fell into a panicked state. The knights and soldiers, too, were all
flabbergasted at the situation.

“I, I asked why those guys from the Pendragon family are coming from my territory!”

“I, I don’t really…”

Breeden was shocked as well. It was weird that they had not shown up at the bridge
for such a long time, so how did they get behind them without anyone knowing?

“T, this isn’t the time to be bickering! We need to head to the bridge and block their
way quickly.”

“Right, right! Charge! No, I mean, everyone goes down to the bridge!”

“Archers, stand by! Aim at those Pendragon bastards! All knights, follow me!”

The troops finally began to stumble around at Baron Noel and Breeden’s commands.

Rumble!

Breeden and Baron Noel rode down the trail to Ronan Bridge along with twenty
knights on their horses. Soldiers hurriedly ran behind them.

“Everybody! Standby. But keep your weapons aimed at them!”

At their commander’s cry, the Seyrod family’s archers aimed their crossbows down
the slope. However, their eyes went all over the place as they scanned the dozens of
griffons and a group of orcs equipped with full plated armor.

***
“Argh!”

“S, somebody save me!”

Those who saw the group suddenly appear on the road after breaking through tall
grass scattered in confusion. Ordinary people were easily intimidated by regular
soldiers and knights, so the orc warriors were basically demons, with their large
fangs and metal maces.

“Heeehuu! Hu…”

Some collapsed onto the ground, paralyzed by their fear, and slowly squirmed away
with all fours. Their pants were wet with urine.

The fear escalated as the orcs drew near. For the villagers, it looked like the orcs
were coming to crush their heads open with their maces to drink their brain juices.

“Mom… mommy…”

“I, it’s okay. M, mom will…”

A woman had fallen in the middle of the road and was tightly hugging onto a crying
child. A huge shadow suddenly befell the two, and their surroundings darkened. The
woman slowly raised her head. Bulging, terrifying red eyes were staring at her as if
she was prey.

“…Hiccupp!”

The woman started hiccuping uncontrollably.

An arm, wrapped with bulging muscles and as big as a large tree, slowly stretched
out towards her. At the same time, the monster opened its mouth wide to reveal two
sharp fangs.

She knew that her time had come. She closed her eyes and hugged her child even
tighter.

“P, please… Spare the child. Just the child, please…”

“What are you talking about, you scarecrow woman? Stop blocking the way and go
over there.”

Karuta lifted the woman and the child and placed them gently on the side of the
road. The woman continued sobbing uncontrollably as he turned his gaze away.

“Damned be the earth… How the hell have the other orcs been acting for the humans
to act like this just from seeing us?”

“There was a case before where orcs living in the south fought with the armies of the
nobles. The armies had invaded their land and so some tribes retaliated by invading
the nobles’ territories. They slaughtered the soldiers and knights and kicked out all
of the citizens. Of course, any rebellious residents were killed.”

Isla spoke in a low voice while riding on top of his griffon.

“What? So they didn’t initiate the fight, and they didn’t touch the weak scarecrows.
So why are they acting like such idiots?”

“The rumors must have spread all the way here. And orcs and humans have never
had the best of relations since the olden days.”

“I’ll be damned. But anyway, you scarecrow bastard. Why do I feel like you’re talking
down to me?”

“My lord and his soul companion as well as his lady are the only people I respect. I
have no reason to respect anyone else besides them.”

“What did you say? You fishy dog scarecrow…”

Isla’s eyebrows wriggled at Karuta’s words.

To be exact, Isla’s appearance was more like a fluffy, sleek brown shepherd’s dog
rather than a ‘fishy dog scarecrow.’

However, unbeknownst to anyone else, Isla was unhappy with his appearance and
treated it as a flaw.

“You simple, ignorant orc. All you do is blabber your mouth.”

“This bastard’s really…”

“Stop, Karuta. Hostile soldiers are approaching.”

“Khung?”

Karuta let out a snort and turned his head around.

Dozens of horses and hundreds of soldiers ran down the slope leading to the bridge,
raising a large cloud of dust behind them. Raven squinted his eyes to make out the
two flags that were flown in front of the soldiers.

‘A red wolf and a swan wearing laurels.’

They were soldiers from the Seyrod and Noel families.

“Remember. Don’t attack unless they engage first.”

Raven warned his soldiers in a low tone. Karuta and Isla nodded in unison. As
several carriages and dozens of people frantically crossed the bridge, the two
families’ knights stood in front of the bridge to block the way.

The momentum and techniques of the knights were quite impressive. Contrastingly,
the soldiers were a mess. There were more soldiers equipped with worn-out leather
armors than those that had chainmail, and the weapons they carried were also all
over the place.

‘More than half of them aren’t official soldiers.’

They must have mobilized vigilantes from the different villages in their territory. A
mere local barony wouldn’t be rich enough to properly arm hundreds of soldiers
anyway. And even if they could, they never would. They probably feared a possible
rebellion, and they did not need a large army to acquire the residents’ obedience.

Raven looked over the knights and the soldiers before turning his eyes to the slope
they came down from. He could see around 100 archers pointing their crossbows
directly at his army. The same flag with a red wolf was raised behind the archers —
the Seyrod family’s soldiers. The distance was approximately 300 yards. It wasn’t
close enough for the quarrels to pierce through armor.

After eyeing the distance, Raven raised his hand. The orcs and the griffons stopped in
their place immediately.
“Sir Isla.”

“Yes.”

Isla followed behind Raven to the front of the knights.

“Ehem…!”

The Seyrod and Noel families’ knights were startled when two people came up to
them on a horse and a griffon.

It was clear from the shining silver armor and the Pendragon emblem that the
person riding on the horse was Alan Pendragon, but they could not tell who the
other individual was. He was wearing leather, gold plated armor and had a rapier
and dagger on his waists.

Also, ‘he’ was riding a griffon.

They were terrified to see the man sitting on a griffon’s back. He was sitting
nonchalantly on top of a winged monster that had the head of an eagle. Breeden and
Baron Noel reluctantly rode forward in an attempt to get control of the situation.

“Y, you must be Lord Alan Pendragon?”

The tension in the voice was evident, even from a distance. Raven replied with a grin.

“I am Alan Pendragon. And who might you be, sir, that you would block my way?”

“I am Chris Noel, Lord of Verad. And w, what are you doing in my territory? S, sir?”

Baron Noel held a cautious attitude in dealing with the son of a duke, whose veins
contained royal blood.

‘This fucking idiot… ’

Breeden stepped up, unavailable to watch his companion talk any longer.

“Long time no see, Your Grace Alan Pendragon.”

“Ho? If it isn’t Sir Joseph Breeden. Good, so did you come prepared today?”
“Yes? What… do you mean?”

Raven tilted his head and patted his buttocks.

“This thing. This. You seem to soil it pretty often. You should always be careful.”

“I…”

Breeden’s face glowed red with embarrassment. He wasn’t a fool, and he understood
exactly what Alan was referring to.

“Anyways, Lord Noel, was it? You asked what I was doing just now? I’m afraid that’s
my line, so what should I do?”

“Y, yes?”

Raven smiled at the bewildered face of Baron Noel, then repeated himself with a
stern look on his face.

“I, Alan Pendragon, am heading to my territory. I asked what the hell you’re doing,
Baron Noel of Verad.”

“……!”

Baron Noel flinched at Raven’s icy stare and maintained his silence. Breeden once
again cursed in his mind and stepped up.

“Even if Your Grace is headed back to what you own, this is Baron Noel’s land. How
could you bring such monsters into someone else’s land? Are you trying to start a
war?

Boom!

An earth-shaking noise suddenly burst out.

Neiiiigh!

“Ugh!”

Everyone’s eyes turned to the source of the loud sound.

“Hey, you pissy scarecrow. What did you just say? What? Monster?”

Karuta had excellent hearing. He spoke with a harsh voice as he pulled up his iron
mace from the ground.

The ground had caved in about a knee’s length. Karuta’s eyes were like a blazing
torch, and Breeden suddenly felt fear staring into the creature’s gaze, and his legs
started to shake.

“Wait.”

Raven stopped Karuta from taking action and turned his head back to the two men.
Raven had a cold smile as he spoke to the men.

“Do you need a reason for my presence? I have come to receive the mines and the
lumber mills that the Seyrod family promised me. You, Joseph Breeden, told me
personally that I could come whenever to take control over them. So I went and took
control over them, and now I am headed back. So what is the problem?”

“Gasp!”

“W, when the hell did you…”

Baron Noel let out a surprised sound, and Breeden unknowingly spoke his true
intentions. Raven’s smile grew more profound.

“What? Was I supposed to report to you when I would head over? I, Alan
Pendragon?”

“Um…”

Baron Noel could only swallow his saliva, ignorant of any actions he could take.

The royal family had no obligation to notify anyone of their actions in advance.

The entire empire belonged to the emperor, and the nobles were bestowed their
titles by the emperor and lorded over their territories only by the emperor’s grace.
Of course, the autonomy of the lords was recognized, and they held the real power in
their lands, but they could not openly deny the emperor and the empire.
If they did, they would be accused of treason, and 30,000 soldiers of the imperial
army would be knocking on their doors the next day. Of course, the entirety of the
30,000 army wouldn’t all participate.

A single legion consisting of 3,000 troops was enough to obliterate the entire Seyrod
territory, and every single High Lord, those who controlled their territory, knew of
the empire’s power.

They also knew that the five duchies had authority equivalent to the royal family.
Hence, no one had the right to be briefed on the royal family’s actions and the five
duchies' — no one, except for the emperor and the crown prince.

That was the reason why Baron Noel had to patiently wait for the Pendragon family
in front of Ronan Bridge. They had no right to inquire about the other party’s
whereabouts.

“If you understand, get out of the way. Let’s go!”

At Raven’s beckoning, Karuta and the orc warriors, as well as Isla and the griffons, all
started to move. Baron Noel awkwardly moved his horse to the side of the bridge.
But Breeden glared at Raven and stood still in the middle of the bridge.

‘How dare this brat… ’

He remembered the little Pendragon brat couldn’t make eye contact or even breathe
properly in front of him back then. That same brat was looking down on him now.
Even though he was of lower status, he had previously believed that he would always
be above the brat as a man. But now, he had lost even in that regard.

Clop, clop.

Raven’s horse walked straight towards Breeden. Their horses would clash if neither
of them took action. Even so, Breeden stared at Raven while breathing roughly. When
they were only a short distance away, Breeden was finally forced to pull on his reins.
But his bloodshot gaze was still fixed on one person.

“Oh yeah.”

Raven turned his head slightly as he passed by Breeden.

“You know when you pissed your pants? Don’t worry about it. I didn’t tell anyone
from my territory about it.”

Raven quietly whispered to Breeden and gave him a small wink before passing by
him.

“……!”

Breeden shook visibly with anger.

Like a kettle reaching its boiling point, his temper exploded.

“You littleee bastard! You dog shit bastard!!”

With a beastly cry, Breeden swung his sword at Raven.

Clang!

An intense sound of clashing metal resounded before anyone could react.

“……!”

Surprise slowly flooded their eyes as everyone needed a brief moment to grasp the
sudden situation. A knight from the Seyrod family had unscrupulously attacked Alan
Pendragon’s unguarded back.

But Alan was safe, and Breeden’s long sword broke off and fell from the horse.

And the one who blocked and broke the sword…

“Hmm?”

“Gasp!”

The soldiers and the knights belonging to the two noble families showed an
expression of astonishment. Their eyes were open wide with surprise and their jaws
were hanging down. A small gust of wind brushed her hair, and the face that
appeared was pure yet sexy.

Indifferent eyes gazed calmly under her long eyelashes and the jewels that were
encrusted on her forehead, which added to the mysteriousness. But her most
striking feature was the silver-white wings that sparkled under the sun. They spread
out from behind her armor which resembled Alan Pendragon’s armor. And the object
she carried was…

A sword. A sword made of light.

Wooong…

The sword of light emitting from the woman’s hand disappeared without any trace
along with a sound similar to sweeping sand. But no one noticed the sword, as
everyone’s eyes were fixated on the winged female knight. She slowly turned her
head.

“Mmm…!”

As soon as her eyes glanced over the group, the humans all dropped their heads to
the ground as if they had been enchanted. The same thing happened with the last
person to receive her gaze.

No, it was a little different in his case.

“Gasp!”

Soldrake’s eyes were ablaze like a blue flame. The eyes seemed to penetrate through
all things. It was indifferent and cold, but at the same time contained a wave of
burning anger full of killing intent. Breeden met her gaze for a split second before
falling to the ground. His legs and arms flailed as he backed up and pulled himself
away from her.

[……]

Soldrake spoke, but it wasn’t audible to Breeden. At that moment, fear and the will to
live took over his entire body.

Breeden shouted out instinctively.

“S, shoot! Shoot! All of you, shot! Archers, fire! Fire!”

Breeden’s hoarse scream was heard by the archers that were standing by. However,
no one readily pulled the trigger of their crossbows. But at that moment, the orc
warriors and griffons started to move as if they were about to attack.

“W, what should we…”

An archer turned to the unit’s commander for orders. The knight clenched his teeth
and gave orders. The man with the highest authority here was Breeden after all.

“F, fire! All units, fire at will!”

Woosh!
A hundred quarrels left their barrel simultaneously. Almost immediately, a long
whistle was blown by Isla, to which the griffons rose into the air.

Whish!

A rain of arrows started to fall near the bridge, and Isla’s whistling resounded once
more. Around thirty griffons spread open their wings, which spanned around 20
feet, and gave a large flap.

A powerful wind was generated from their action, and it pushed back the arrows
that were aimed at the orcs and the griffons. A hundred arrows swerved in the air
and crashed straight down into the ground as if they had been pushed down by an
invisible hand. Isla flew his griffon to the front of his pack and whistled once more.
His sounds closely resembled the cry of griffons.

“Beeeep!”

The griffons followed Isla’s lead and flew towards the top of the slope where the
Seyrod archers were.

***

“W, wha…

“Gasp!”

The knights and the soldiers turned pale at the sight of griffons flying their way after
blocking all the arrows with a single flap of their wings. Nevertheless, they stood in
their place and jittered sloppily. Baron Noel stayed silent and watched the whole
ordeal unfold as the soldiers and the knights were not under his command.

“Kill them! Attack! What are you doing!?”

Breeden screamed like a madman at the soldiers. Baron Noel, his knights, and
soldiers were all at a loss, looking around the rapidly developing scene. However, the
Knights of the Red Wolf were different.

Neigh!

“Wooooooo!”
Twenty soldiers charged with a warlike cry. Their spears were directed towards the
orc warriors and Alan Pendragon.

“Do as you wish.”

Karuta let out a mighty roar at Raven’s command as if he had been waiting.

“Argghhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Orrrrcccccc!”

Orc warriors armed with metal armor and iron maces sprang out like wild beasts.
Some of them held the weapon with their mouth and ran on all four limbs, which
made them seem like giant predators.

“Kewuhhhhh!”

Their wild roars initiated Orc Fear, and the knights and their horses received the full
brunt of the orc’s special skill.

Neighhh!

The horses stopped their charge in fear and reared onto their hind legs. This caused
a few knights to fall off their horses. The orc warriors were as fast as horses when
moving short distances, and they jumped into the fray with red eyes stained with
bloodlust.

Boom! Boom!

Knights were flung away with their chest plates dented in by the orcs’ fearsome
blows.

“Aghh!”

The orcs warriors’ power was so terrifying that the knights were unable to retaliate
and rolled on the ground. The twenty proud Knights of the Red Wolf were decimated
in a few short breaths.

“Krrr…”
The orc warriors’ eyes gleamed with excitement after seeing blood. Then their gazes
all shifted to one place. There were still prey left to satiate their thirst for battle.

“Heuk!”

“Ugh…”

Baron Noel and his troops took several steps back at the fearsome gazes of the orcs.

What the hell had they witnessed just now?

Battle? No, this couldn’t be called a battle. How could it be called a battle when
dozens of fully armed knights were made to roll on the ground in utter defeat within
the time it took to drink a cup of tea?

They didn’t even want to think about the fates of the archers on the slope.

This was not a battle, it was a massacre.

“K… kill him… Kill that brat. Kill Pendragon…”

Breeden kept muttering on the floor with drool coming out of his mouth.

Slice.

A chilling sound resounded in Breeden’s ear.

“Uh…”

Breeden felt a little sting on his neck and raised his hand to his neck before bringing
it in front of his face. A thin red line was stamped on his palm. He slowly raised his
head, but contrary to his intentions, his gaze tilted sideways.

“Why don’t you die, you stupid coward.”

Breeden’s sight turned red as he heard the cold voice.

Gasp!

Baron Noel became frightened at the sight of Breeden’s head being cut off, but it was
even more terrifying to see the monsters who killed Breeden walking towards him.

“Ue… Uhh…”

Disregarding his dignity, Baron Noel dropped the knife in his hand and leaned back
in his saddle. Someone walked out from among the orcs.

“Stand by.”

Raven shook the blood off of the edge of his curved blade and walked forward after
speaking to the orcs. Baron Noel and his knights all gulped loudly at the sight of Alan
Pendragon. The image was evocative of a silver-white light parting and piercing
through a sea of blazing red flames.

Raven finally arrived in front of Baron Noel and his knights and took off his helmet. A
thin white face was revealed, but the baron and the knights did not dare show any
reaction. They had a hunch that their fates would be determined by the words of the
beautiful young man.

Raven’s lips slowly parted.

“Since when was a mere baron able to stand on the same eye level as a Pendragon?”

“Y, yes!”

Baron Noel and his knights hurried off their horses.

“Tell Count Seyrod. Pendragon does not kill unless we are attacked. But if you do
engage us…”

Baron Noel’s gaze followed Raven’s gaze, which was headed towards the body of
Breeden that was lying without ahead. Baron Noel wildly shook his head and
stepped aside. The knights bowed their heads and stepped to the side, and soldiers
followed along.

Clop, clop…

A horse slowly advanced across the bridge in the stifling silence. Soldrake also
floated off the ground and moved to Raven’s side. The pair crossed the bridge that
was now devoid of all creatures, and the orcs followed behind them silently.
Dozens of griffons left the slope they were on and shrieked as they landed beside
Raven and Soldrake.

Baron Noel finally let out a long sigh and flopped down onto the ground. His eyes
looked across the bridge at the Pendragon family’s territory and his eyes were filled
with unspeakable fear.

***

“They’ve all been taken care of.”

Isla put his fist on his left chest and bowed his head.

“Any damage?”

“A few of them were hit by arrows, but it’s comparable to a slight scratch for
humans.”

“I see. Good work, Sir Isla.”

“All I did was fulfill my duty as your knight.”

Isla spoke in a calm voice then stepped aside. Raven turned his sight onto Karuta and
the orcs. It was the first battle they experienced after a long time, but they still
seemed to be unsatisfied. Sure enough, Karuta sneaked his way forward and spoke
carefully while cautiously taking note of Soldrake.

“Hey, Pendragon. There’s still a lot of them left, so can’t we just destroy them all”

Raven grinned while driving his horse forward.

“I know how you feel, but this is enough for today. Hang in there.”

“Keung? Do you have something in mind?”

“All the men who attacked first are dead, but the ones who didn’t are still alive.”

“That’s right.”

“The men who attacked first were from Count Seyrod’s family, and those who
remained were from Baron Noel’s.”

“Keuhmm…”

Karuta tilted his head, unable to comprehend the hidden meaning in Raven’s words.
Then Isla, who was riding next to Raven, spoke in a blunt voice.

“When today’s news spreads, the Seyrod family as well as their subordinate families
will all be in shock. The superior family attacked first and were decimated, but their
subordinate family remained still and were left untouched. There will be a division
in the Seyrod family’s territory.”

“Superior? Subordinate? Division? What, what the hell are you talking about?”

“I would rather take care of the griffons than to try to explain things to an ignorant
orc. At least griffons listen well.”

Isla responded coldly and flew his griffon towards the rest of the pack.

“T, that doglike scarecrow…!”

“Stop it.”

Raven spoke to Karuta, who was on the verge of exploding, and said once more.

“To put it simply, they won’t be able to trust each other. The Seyrod family won’t be
fine with the fact that their knights and soldiers were all killed while their
subordinate family’s knights and soldiers were left untouched. Baron Noel will be
anxious that the Seyrod family’s forces were annihilated while he was left alone.”

“Hmm… I don’t understand. Why are scarecrows so weird in their thinking? You
don’t have to worry about anything if you’re strong, hmph.”

“Well, that’s just how humans are. Well, we shouldn’t be bothered by them for some
time.”

Raven smiled contentedly. The death of their knights and soldiers should have a
large impact, and they should be busy trying to sort out internal matters in the near
future. Furthermore, the power of the orc warriors and griffons should spread out
through Baron Noel’s soldiers to the nearby territories.
It was obvious that other nobility would not cooperate with the Seyrod family in the
future when they tried to scheme against the Pendragon family.

In other words, Raven gained control over the mine and the mill without any effort
and also succeeded in throwing a potential enemy territory into chaos. As an added
bonus, he had the chance to take care of a dog who didn’t know its place.

‘Throw a stone and catch two birds, I really outdid myself.’

[Ray, I feel the insidious energy.]

“…Okay, I get it. Anyways, Sol, thank you for earlier.”

They had planned beforehand for Soldrake to block Breeden’s attack.

[Ray wanted it, so I did it.]

Soldrake shook her head in indifference. But Raven could tell that she was a little
happy. Just as Soldrake was able to feel Raven’s emotions, Raven could also share in
some of Soldrake’s emotions as well. And when Soldrake was in a good mood, it also
affected the spirits of those around her, even though they couldn’t even look at her
normally.

“So, Pendragon scarecrow. Are we headed to the forest now?”

“Yes. We can take care of the horse-heads, and also work on your town as well. I’m
thinking of expanding your territory just a little, what do you think?”

“Ooooh! Good! Very good!”

“Kuhehe! I was waiting! Kratul is happy! Earth god will be pleased!”

Kratul and Karuta opened their mouths wide.

“Good! We’ll destroy all the enemies of Pendragon and the Ancona Orcs! Kuhehehe!”

“Trust me, there’s still a lot left to destroy. Very much so.”

Looking at the delighted orc warriors, Raven continued to murmur softly.

Bang!

Count Seyrod struck the armrest of his jade throne and then collapsed into the chair.

“Hu…… huhuhuh…”

He blankly stared into space before bursting out into a chortle. The other nobles
gathered in the palace all had similar expressions.

One hundred trained crossbowmen from Count Seyrod’s family were slaughtered.
Also, Joseph Breeden, the promising young knight, was killed. Out of the twenty
knights from the Order of Red Wolf, six were dead, and the rest sustained grave
injuries that would leave them in a bed for half a year. Even though there remained
twenty knights and five hundred soldiers, the price was steep.

The crossbow was extremely rare because of the precise engineering that was
required to complete its parts. The empire strictly controlled the craftsmen who
could produce such weapons. Hence, it was expensive.

The Seyrod family had acquired the crossbows by purchasing them from the
imperial family, as they did not have any craftsmen capable of producing crossbows.
Some blacksmiths from the territory attempted to dismember and learn the crafting
methods, but they gave up due to the preciseness of the parts contained within. They
were only capable of simple repairs.

Moreover, the knights who were equipped with full plates of armor and warhorses
had been cut down to half of their original forces.

What was intended to be light intimidation had turned into a disaster and cost them
a fortune in terms of money and military power. With a weaker army, it would be
difficult to maintain security which could ultimately reduce the economic activities
and the quality of life for residents.

Bandits and monsters would storm villages that were without soldiers or knights.
“What is… what in the world… huh, haha…”

Count Seyrod had one hand wrapped around his head and kept letting out bursts of
bitter laughter. The knights and the nobles were unable to find the right words to say.

“Why don’t we gather our troops and attack the Pendragons right now! We must
avenge Sir Breeden and our other colleagues!”

A young knight raised his voice, thumping his chest. Whispers of agreement soon
grew louder and echoed throughout the room.

“I agree!”

“That’s right! They’ve practically started a war with us!”

“My lord, if you give me a hundred men then I’ll…”

A voice cut off the angry knights’ shouts.

“You mean you’re going to deal with orc warriors with 100 soldiers? Well, okay then,
what about the griffons? They’ve already reported thirty griffons, and they allegedly
follow the orders of the new knight that Alan Pendragon recruited.”

“Um…”

The knight immediately stopped talking. The person was telling the truth, and he
had to consider her identity as well.

“Luna…”

Seyrod sighed and called out the name of his foster daughter. She was the only one
who had opposed the trip, and in the end, the trip ended in a disaster just as she
predicted.

“My lord, above all else, we cannot hold the Pendragon Duchy responsible. It was Sir
Breeden and our archers who initiated the fight, and the Duke and his soldiers only
fought back.”

“Hm…”
Count Seyrod’s face turned a shade darker.

It was as Luna said.

Worse yet, three free knights who were headed towards the Pendragon territory
witnessed the scene and testified at the nearest temple of the goddess of light the
day after. The temple they headed to was located in Baron Noel’s territory, so they
couldn’t question the legitimacy of the testimonies either.

“B, but the Pendragon family invaded our territory at their whim. With monsters to
boot. We can’t just leave this matter hanging and…”

“And they’ve already given us 400 gold coins as a token of regret. Besides, during the
period they roamed Baron Noel’s estate, not a single hair on any of the residents
were harmed. They just came and left. In this situation, do we stand to gain anything
by trying to hold the Pendragon family responsible?”

“……”

Sighs were heard throughout, then the entire palace became silent.

Luna was right once more.

Even if they forced the blame onto the Pendragon family, all they had to do was
express their regret once more. Even if this matter became known to the imperial
capital and to the nobles, who would stand with the Seyrod family?

No one would want to stand opposed to the Pendragon family who had just renewed
their covenant with the dragon. Likely, the Pendragon family would soon visit the
capital to assert their power.

Even if the families of the dead knights gathered together, they could not speak a
word against the Pendragons. In the end, they belonged to lesser nobility, and the
duchy had inherited royal blood. They would rather honor the knights as passing
while fighting bravely in battle than to risk it all. It might ultimately be detrimental if
they were to tell the truth of how the battle ensued and how the knights of the
Seyrod family acted to the families.

“Huh… Then what should we do? At this rate, our territory will…”
“We must apologize to His Grace Alan Pendragon, my lord.”

“W, what?”

They had suffered massive casualties with the deceased knights and soldiers, but
Luna was instead asking them to apologize. The eyes of Count Seyrod and the nobles
widened in shock.

But Luna calmly resumed her words.

“You must apologize to His Grace Alan Pendragon and focus on our internal matters.
How do you think Baron Noel will act after witnessing the slaughter first-hand? And
do you think he would stay silent about the matter and not say anything to the other
subordinate families?”

“Ah!”

Count Seyrod jumped up from his seat, finally realizing the crux of the matter. The
Noel Barony was the only family subordinated to the Seyrod County that had no
blood relations to them.

That was why they have bestowed the territory that was at the border with the
Pendragon Duchy. In case of a dispute between the two families, the Noel Barony
would buy the Seyrod County time to prepare. That was their role.

Through this incident, Noel Barony would have realized this truth. Even though they
had sworn fealty for two generations, no one, including Count Seyrod, believed that
they were completely loyal to the county.

The bigger problem existed with the other two subordinate families. They were both
distant relatives to the Seyrod family, and so they were quite loyal and had strong
bonds with the Seyrod family.

However, their relationship with each other was problematic. The two vassals, Baron
Alfred and Viscount Macbride, were like oil and water. The two had kept it to small
disputes for decades due to the Seyrod family’s intervention, but when they found
out that the Seyrod family had weakened…

“Oh god, territorial war…”

Count Seyrod’s face turned white.

“Yes. There’s no guarantee that there won’t be a war between the two. So, you must
manage our internal matters. It’s too dangerous and rash to start a war with the
Pendragon family in our situation. Sir, please, please think about this once more.”

Luna’s voice was calm but sincere. Count Seyrod nodded at her words.

“Yes. You’re right. My momentary judgment lost us valuable soldiers and knights, and
now I almost made the same mistake once more which would have put the entire
territory in danger.”

“My lord…”

Count Seyrod gently smiled at Luna before turning his eyes to the nobles in the
palace. Some were displaying looks of relief, while others still held discontented and
worried gazes.

“I will apologize to the Pendragon Duchy. As you just heard, this incident could
escalate into a major issue in our territory. We won’t loosen our vigilance. But
apologies and being vigilant are separate matters. I will send an envoy to convey our
apologies to the Pendragon family, but I will also send someone to the capital.”

“Hmm!”

“C, capital?”

The capital. The heart of the empire and the place where the empire’s residence
existed. The walls surrounding the huge city spanned over 20 miles, and the
population was around 100,000.

But the capital that Count Seyrod was referring to wasn’t the city itself.

The most spectacular and secretive place in the empire…

The place where the emperor and the imperial family as well as thousands of nobles
that moved the empire resided. He was referring to the Royal Batallium, the royal
residence of the emperor.

“Capital… Perhaps, you are going to…?”

Except for Luna, everyone that was present in the palace narrowed their eyes. This
included Sir Jonjo, who was one of the closest aids to Count Seyrod. He was
knowledgeable regarding the situation in the imperial capital.

Count Seyrod nodded with a stiff expression.

“Yes. I think the only person who can help us right now is Prince Ian.”

“Ohhhh!”

The faces of the nobles, which were full of concern and dissatisfaction, lit up at the
mention of Prince Ian.

Prince Ian was the second son of the emperor and one of three direct descendants of
the emperor. The siblings consisted of two sons and one daughter.

He was the most powerful candidate after the crown prince, and he was titled the
Black Lion General. He commanded three legions of the empire which consisted of
over 10,000 troops.

Moreover, he was…

“Prince Ian was the one who urged His Grace Alan Pendragon and Princess Ingrid to
break off their engagement. He will try to keep His Grace Pendragon in check,
especially now that His Grace Pendragon has succeeded in making an oath with the
white dragon. He will help us, I’m sure of this. I will send an envoy right now to the
Royal Batallium.”

“We follow your will!”

Loud voices rang out in the palace.

But one person didn’t duplicate the shout. Luna bit her lips in a state of intense
anxiety as images of Alan Pendragon and Princess Ingrid filled her head.

***

“Seyrod? Where is that?”

The expression of the young man with long, deep blonde hair was carefree and
apathetic. But the knight kneeling on one knee with his helm at the side answered
him in a most sincere and disciplined matter.

“It’s a great territory located in the Lontile region. They have three subordinate
families, and they came to be when his majesty Karl, the great golden lion, fought in
the creation war with…”

“Oh, I remember. Why didn’t you just say it then? That they are located right beside
that dirty worm.”

“I, I apologize, Your Highness.”

Ian Aragon.

He was one of over ten princes of the empire, but also one of two princes that were
birthed from the empress.

At his voice, the knight hurriedly bowed his head.

Ian Aragon turned 26 this year. A crown embedded with various jewels decorated his
head, and he swept his flowing hair upwards over the crown before resting his hand
on his chin.

“No, wait. Is it because the dirty worm gained a dragon recently?”

“Well, I’m not sure about that, but they’ve sent this letter…”

The knight politely extended the letter that was wrapped with a red string. A
beautiful woman who was smoking a water pipe while lying beside the prince stood
up and received the letter. She placed the letter on a golden plate then brought it to
the prince on her knees.

Ian opened the letter without looking at the seal, and carefully examined its
contents. As his eyes read the contents, a strange current started to overflow from
his half-naked upper body.

The beautiful woman and the knight’s face turned blue at the sight of the energy. It
was the manifestation of the Spirit of the Emperor that could crush most kinds of
magic and give control over people’s thoughts.
The entire room was covered with the energy, which was only passed down to the
direct descendants of the founding emperor. But as soon as Ian removed his gaze
from the letter, the energy vanished without a trace, and the knights and the woman
gasped for breath.

“This is hilarious. The dirty worm got the dragon, but he’s also changed? And thirty
ignorant orcs… Besides…”

Ian stood up slowly, his voice as cold as his eyes. His tall muscular limbs stretched
out, and his figure was revealed. He had the perfect body to wield a sword.

“The dragon… Soldrake turned into a human figure? This is hilarious, hilarious.
Haha… Hahahahaha!”

His cackle turned into full-blown laughter. But the knight and the woman’s faces
turned blue once more.

They knew too well that when Ian laughed like that, something would happen soon
that would shake the Batallium, as well as the whole imperial capital.

***

Raven recoiled. As he was passing through a dark forest, he trembled unknowingly.

[What’s wrong, Ray?]

“No, it’s… I just got goosebumps all of a sudden.”

[I see. Tell me if you’re not feeling well. I will hug you again.]

“I, I’m fine. I feel fine, nothing hurts.”

The bitter(?) memories of crossing the river between the two territories resurfaced
in Raven’s mind and he hurriedly shook his head.

Then he coincidentally met Isla’s eyes, who was riding his griffon besides Raven.
Isla’s expressionless face seemed to be thinking of something.

“…I didn’t say anything, my lord.”

“…I haven’t asked anything either. How suspicious.”

“……”

Isla sneakily turned his gaze and asked in a serious voice.

“Karuta, in your view, which do you think is stronger? Centaurs, or griffons?”

“What? Of course, the orcs are the strongest. No, by the way, you doglike scarecrow.
You’re talking down to me in that bitchy voice again…”

“So centaurs are no big deal. Got it.”

Raven was at a loss for words as well.

It was quite shocking that the “Stormbreaker”, whose name was known throughout
the empire in the future, was such a naughty human being.

Killian was rather naïve and Raven enjoyed making fun of him, but with Isla it was
different. Raven was the one forced to go on the defensive and worried that Isla
might make fun of him.

But Isla’s deep loyalty was beyond doubt. A Cavalier of Valvas died on the same day
as their master. That was the proverb about the Valvas Knights, and it was also the
‘truth’ that Raven had experienced.

“By the way, is there still a long way to go?”

“Kuhehe! Dog scarecrow must be bored. We’re almost here.”

The enemy of my enemy is my ally. Kratul stuck true to this principle and took a
liking to Isla, who treated Karuta nonchalantly and made fun of him. Kratul gave a
loud grin and responded to Isla.

Flutter.

The grass on the other side of the road shuffled.

“Hmm!”
Isla pulled out his rapier and pulled tight on the reins, which caused the griffon to
soar forward like the wind. But Karuta snorted at Isla while picking his nose with his
giant fingers.

“Kuku… Look at that scared dog scarecrow. It’s just our kids coming out to greet us,
so put that flappy blade away?”

“……”

“Greet us?”

Isla stepped back embarrassingly and Raven showed interest. Karuta laughed and
threw a few fist-sized stones into the grass.

“Hey, you! Earthworms! Stop fooling around and crawl out of there!”

“Kuek!”

Raven heard the sound of squealing pigs. But it was a little different from the sounds
he was used to. If he had to put it into words…

“Kueee…”

Raven opened his mouth in shock when he saw the small figures come out from the
grass.

A pouty, chubby tummy. A little, snotty nose. Small, cute fangs that were all over the
place. Moreover, as soon as they saw Soldrake and Raven, they twisted their bodies
in embarrassment.

To put everything together, the creatures could be defined by the word ‘cute’. These
life forms pattered towards them.

“Dada!!!”

“Dad!??”

The two men, Raven and Isla, spat out the same word simultaneously in shock.
The colony of Ancona Orcs was located in the middle of the forest.

It was very quaint.

First of all, unlike human villages or settlements, there were no wooden fences or
walls. Instead, giant roots rose aboveground and surrounded the entire village,
which seemed to be around 2 miles long. Furthermore, the back of the village was
protected by a high, rugged cliff that had a waterfall running down it.

It appeared to be a fortress created by nature. But the eyes of Raven and Isla were
directed somewhere other than the buildings of the colony.

“Kue! Kwe!”

“Kueeek! You little runty orcs! Your father’s beard is going to fall off!”

The little creatures could be perfectly described as cute little pigs with arms and
legs. The orc warrior was smiling and laughing with tiny little creatures on his head
and shoulders…

It was Kratul.

Five young orcs had come to greet them earlier, but it turned out that they were all
children of Kratul. They seemed to have smelled their father and came out to see
him.

“Kiee! Go away! Ugly little orcs!”

The young orcs were fascinated by Kazzal because of their similar size. Kazzal
shouted in a loud voice, then quickly escaped up a tree. Then, the young orc who had
been following Kazzal looked at Raven with curious eyes then slowly walked up to
stand next to him.

“Um…”
Raven had never liked children, and he had previously experienced the ‘power’ of the
little ones like he had with Mia Pendragon. He flinched and hastened his steps. But
the little orc worked hard on his short legs to catch up with Raven’s steps.

“Kuhehehe! The little orc seems to have taken a liking to Pendragon.”

Karuta was walking with a little orc dangling from his arm. He gave a hearty laugh at
the sight of a little orc following Raven.

“Hm?”

Karuta tilted his head.

For some reason, Isla had dismounted his griffon and was walking closer to Raven.
And he was continually stealing gazes at the young orc instead of his master. But as
soon as the little orc saw Isla, he became frightened and clung tighter to Raven. The
expression that flashed by Isla’s face who was usually emotionless…

“Hmmmm?”

Karuta was not slow-witted. He noticed something from Isla’s attitude and snaked
up to him.

“Hey, cheeky scarecrow. What about it? Do you want to try holding them?”

With those words, Karuta grabbed the nape of the young orc on his arm and thrust
the child towards Isla.

Flinch.

Isla jerked his head away with a detached expression, but his gaze remained on the
young orc that Karuta had thrust forward, and the little orc flailed in the air, scared
by Isla’s cold gaze.

“Kue! Kwe!”

“……!”

Isla subconsciously thrust his hands forward at the little orc. But simultaneously,
Karuta pulled the baby back into his arms.
“……”

Arms stretched out into the empty air.

“Whooowee! My cute baby orc. Cu-choo-choo!”

Karuta resumed cuddling the baby as if nothing happened and moved on after
placing the young orc on his shoulder.

“…Sir Isla.”

Raven watched the whole event unfold. He called out to Isla.

Flinch.

Isla turned slowly. Raven glanced at Isla’s face while stroking the young orc’s head.

Again, flinch.

It was certain.

The young Valvas Knight, who always maintained his calm and coldness, had a soft
spot towards things that were ‘small and cute’. Suddenly, Raven was reminded of an
event that conspired several days ago with Soldrake. He smiled and spoke.

“You better not be saying anything. Right?”

“…Yeah.”

Isla nodded helplessly. Raven had finally grasped one of Isla’s weaknesses.

***

“Our brothers and Pendragon are here!”

A door woven from large logs was raised, and the orc, who had spoken, jumped off
the tree he was keeping watch from.

“Orccccc!”
The orcs welcomed back their colleagues who had been gone for a long time with
their unique greetings of hitting each other's’ fists or jumping up and bumping their
chests together. Then some of the orc’s eyes naturally turned to Raven, Isla, and
Soldrake.

The orcs were not surprised to see the humans, as they had already received the
news.

But it was different for Soldrake.

“The keepers of Ancona Forest greet the guardian god!”

The orcs bowed politely to Soldrake with their backs folded. They couldn’t
communicate, but Soldrake responded to their welcome by lightly nodding her head.

“Isla.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Raven ordered Isla to have the griffons guard the village in the orcs’ stead and moved
his steps towards the center of the colony.

The orcs’ village was similar yet different from a human village. Most of the buildings
were made from uncarpeted wood and unrefined rocks. The only exception was the
smithy which was a large building woven with several large boulders. Gray smoke
rose from its chimneys.

Raven was quite impressed with the colony and asked Karuta a question.

“Were the buildings always here? Or did you guys have to build them?”

“We used our strength, but we were also helped by the earth god. Over there is the
house of the Ancona Orc.”

Karuta pointed towards the middle of the village.

“Hoo…”

Raven’s eyes widened.

An indescribably large tree stood in the place where Karuta pointed towards. From a
distance, Raven thought that a forest was placed in the middle of the village, but now
he could see that it was just one humongous tree.

The bottom of the giant tree was comparable to a small hill. It was so enormous that
even dozens of orcs could not fully embrace the tree even if they held each other’s’
hands. The branches were brimming with leaves, and they grew high into the air to
about 150 feet before spreading out in all directions.

Karuta let out a proud snort as he looked up at the giant tree that had its leaves
spread out as far as the eyes could see.

“Kuhung! It’s a divine tree that our tribe found in the forest. It is the blessing of the
earth god for our tribe. Ancona Orcs all reside there.”

“Kue!”

As soon as Karuta finished speaking, the young orcs ran to the base of the colossal
tree. Other orcs began to come out one by one from the holes in the wood. They all
looked terrifying, but it was apparent that they were the females and the elderly.

The dozen or so orcs bowed down to the ground as soon as they saw Soldrake.

“Guardian god…”

The orcs’ attitude towards Soldrake almost reached the level of worship. Soldrake
gave a slight nod towards the orcs and turned to Raven.

[These children are annoying. I’m going to go rest.]

Then Soldrake flew up to the top of the enormous, sacred tree.

The orcs finally raised their heads after Soldrake disappeared.

Soldrake’s consideration touched Raven. She had left because she knew the
atmosphere would be challenging if she had remained. As the mood became
somewhat more comfortable, the female orcs and their youngling greeted the orc
warriors.

Even though they were non-humans, their actions were no different from humans.
But Raven noticed an oddity and tilted his head. Everyone was being greeted by their
families, but one orc awkwardly stood in his place.

“What are you doing?

“W, what do you mean! I’m going to take Pendragon to the elder.”

Karuta raised his voice in an attempt to appear calm. But Raven had already noticed.
That only Karuta had no female orc come out to greet him.

“You… Are you still single?”

“……”

A grim but melancholic expression surfaced. Karuta straightened his chest.

“Kuhung! A true orc warrior doesn’t need a woman! I, Karuta…”

“True orc warrior, my ass. It’s because the next chief can’t marry from the same
tribe.”

Raven turned his head at the voice that was reminiscent of a rolling boulder. The
voice belonged to an old silver orc who was bigger than an average human but only
half of the other orcs. He had a dark grey beard covering almost half of his face and
held a cane similar to Kratul’s staff.

“E, elder.”

Karuta suddenly became obedient. This was the first time Raven had seen Karuta act
so timid except for when he was in front of Soldrake.

“So why don’t you go beat up the other orcs and bring some females back home.”

“Well, it’s not that easy…”

Karuta scratched his head. Raven noticed something from how Karuta was acting
and frowned.

“The next chief cannot marry from the same tribe?”

“Well, yes… It’s an orc’s destiny to fight for everything, whether it be women or
riches. It may not apply to the other orcs, but the chief of the tribe is the orcs’ pride
and law. He must fight other tribes to win over his woman.”

Karuta replied in a sullen voice.

“I see. Hmm? Wait. So the reason you kept wanting to go outside of my territory…”

“Ker! Kuhum! No, not necessarily, but…”

Karuta scratched his head in shame.

“Ha…”

Raven looked up at Karuta with dumbfounded eyes. Whenever he had the chance,
Karuta had blabbered on about fighting other orcs outside of their territory. His
reasoning was that it was the fate of a true warrior to achieve glory by fighting
others, but to think that the true reason was because he wanted to get married…

“Please understand. This ugly orc has never gotten the chance to use his ‘thing’ for
the thirty years of his life.”

The orc elder explained to Raven, but Raven still looked at Karuta with a piteous
expression.

Then, a thought passed into Raven’s head, and he smacked Karuta’s arm with a smile.

“I understand, of course. A man must get married. But so does that mean… you’re
still a bachelor? Oh my, no wonder you bullied Killian so much…”

“Kuhum!? N, no! That’s not true…”

Raven looked at the leaping Karuta with pitiful eyes and cut him off.

“No, I understand everything. Tsk! What is the use of having both eggs when you
can't use them? Don’t lose hope though. I read somewhere that even an orc can use
magic when they don’t have any experience with women until the age of 30.” [1]

“Kueee…”
The already red face of Karuta heated up even more at Raven’s words. But it seemed
he couldn’t get angry in front of the orc elder who seemed to be the oldest in the
colony. Karuta kept on letting out angry snorts.

‘Today is a lucky day. Isla, this guy, I’ve got all of their weaknesses.’

Raven hid his innermost thoughts and patted Karuta a couple more times on the
waist in an understanding manner.

“Isn’t it awesome? Orc grand sorcerer.”

“Kuuu…”

At that time, Kratul, who had entered into the tree, came out with his family and
introduced the orc elder.

“Pendragon, this old orc is my father.”

Raven had thought the cane resembled Kratul’s staff, and now it was revealed that
they were father and son. Then, the old orc’s identity had to be a druid like Kratul.

“I’m Alan Pendragon.”

Although their races were different, Raven still gave a polite greeting, taking into
consideration the seniority of the other party. Besides, they had given him new
insight.

The old orc silently gazed at Raven before opening his mouth.

“I’m Tarutul. Are you the son of Lord Gordon?”

“That’s correct.”

Tarutul included the honorifics when addressing Gordon Pendragon, demonstrating

his expertise in the laws of man.

“You look more like Mrs. Elena than Sir Gordon. Why don’t we go inside first.”

Raven entered the large tree at Tarutul’s guidance.

The interior was surprisingly cozy, unlike how he imagined an orc’s residence would
be. However, the large furniture and objects hinted at the residents’ identity.

“Drink.”

The tea that Tarutul brought was very fragrant.

“Thank you.”

Raven had never known that orcs drank tea. He took a light sip of the tea and spoke
to Tarutul.

“You seem to have something to say. Why don’t you speak your mind?”

“You seem to have keen senses. I guess you take after Mrs. Elena in that aspect as
well.”

Tarutul wiped the tea off his damaged fangs with his fingers, then continued his
words.

“A few days ago, a dozen armed humans visited the forest.”

“What? Armed humans?”

Raven frowned at the unexpected words.

1. There is a common Korean reference for people who have never dated in their life.
Depending on how old they are, they are said to become ‘magicians’.
Tarutul downed the tea in his hand which was contained in a cup practically the size
of a beer mug.

“Yes. They were looking for the horse heads.”

“Hmm…”

Before his departure, Raven had ordered his soldiers to fire an arrow with the letter
attached announcing his planned visit from the orc’s territory. Since then, he hadn’t
ordered anyone into the centaur’s territory.

That meant…

“Outsider…”

“Yes. There was a sorcerer with them too. They erased their presence before heading
into the centaur’s land. That’s why I was only able to realize when they were exiting
the forest.”

“Mm…”

This was a serious situation, and Raven’s forehead creased in thought. The two races
that controlled the Ancona Forest were the orcs and the centaurs. That’s why Raven
had the griffons flying around as scouts outside the forest in case of unexpected
visitors, while the orc warriors were with him. But the griffons never reported
anything suspicious, and Tarutul, a druid, had not been aware of their presence until
the end. An armed force had snuck in and out of Ancona Forest.

“Did they wear any symbols? Or perhaps anything to identify them by?”

“Not at all, with the exception of the sorcerer. Their equipment was all very different
too. Only…”

Tarutul paused, as if remembering something, then emptied his tea before

continuing.
“The big man who was leading the group was wearing a helmet made from the skull
of an ogre.”

“……!”

Raven jolted at Tarutul’s words.

“I, Tarutul, went from place to place before we settled down in Ancona Forest, but
this is the first time I saw a human wearing a helmet made from an ogre’s skull…”

Raven jumped up from his seat. He couldn’t hear Tarutul’s words anymore. His arms
and legs started shaking. His fingernails dug into the palm of his hands in his tightly
clenched fists. He stared into the air with his eyes wide open. The name that he
hadn’t forgotten since the day he was reborn as Alan Pendragon. The name that he
swore to face one day, every night before he slept. The name of the human whom
Raven Valt saw moments before his death as blood-soaked his body.

“Bal… tai…”

It was certain.

There was only one person in the world who had a helmet made from ogre’s bones.
It was Baltai, the leader of the demonic army. He had visited the Pendragon territory,
the Ancona Forest.

Fury and murderous will emitted from Raven. The spirit of the dragon materialized
above the shoulder and the head of the man who was both Raven Valt and Alan
Pendragon.

The large table and the teacups rattled in their place.

“Kuuuu…!”

Karuta and Kratul crouched with their huge frames. Even Tarutul shuddered at the
formidable spirit that was emanating from the human who was much smaller than
he was.

Perhaps feeling the momentum, Soldrake, who was supposed to be on top of the tree,
silently came into the room. The orcs rose from their seats in great haste to greet
their guardian god of the forest. But Raven was unable to take in his surroundings
and he was unaware of Soldrake’s arrival. His eyes were consistently emitting a blue
glow.

[Ray.]

A low, calm voice penetrated Raven’s ear.

Raven flinched. Soldrake stretched her hand towards his cheek and gently caressed
it. Cool energy coiled around Raven’s face with a refreshing aroma.

Raven’s wildly thrashing heart slowly calmed down, and insane draconic energy that
was taking control of his heart and body disappeared without a trace.

“Ha…”

Raven let out a deep breath similar to a sigh, then slumped back into his chair.

“Kuheuk!”

Karuta and Kratul let out a deep sigh of relief and collapsed on the floor.

[Ray, are you all right?]

“Ha… I think I’m okay.”

Soldrake’s hand didn’t move from its place even after Raven responded to her
question. Soldrake was heartlessly cold towards others, but her gaze was
exceedingly warm with Raven.

She spoke in a slow voice.

[Ray, you can’t let a moment’s anger take control of your soul and body.
Uncontrollable anger might trap Ray’s mind in the Demon God’s abyss. Ray is special.
Above all, you are special to me. I just want Ray to remain… the person who he is
right now.]

Soldrake’s words were exceedingly sincere and warm.

Raven clasped her hand that was on his cheek.

“Thank you, Sol…”

Soldrake’s hand slowly fell from his cheek. Feeling a little embarrassed, Raven
silently withdrew his own hands. At that moment, someone rushed into the room.

“My lord, I think you should come outside.

Raven tilted his head at Isla’s words.

“What is it?”

“A group of centaurs are headed towards this village. All armed.”

“Kuha?”

Karuta and Kratul sprang to their feet. They seemed ready to run out of town to
crush the centaurs. Raven would have normally stopped the two, but it was different
this time.

“Sol, did you know?”

[Yes. But Ray is more important than some nobodies, so I didn’t bother mentioning
it.]

Orcs or centaurs, none of them were important enough to catch Soldrake’s attention.
She only had one interest – Raven.

“I see. Then could you stay out of this matter?”

[If that’s what Ray wants. But if they threaten Ray…]

Crack.

Raven twisted his neck side to side, then spoke in a chilling voice.

“No, that won’t happen.”

He turned his head.

“Change of plans. Karuta, Isla. Leave one alive. It’s fine as long as they can talk. As of
today, the centaurs can be erased from Ancona Forest.”

“As you wish.”

“Kuwooh!”

An indifferent answer and a vigorous affirmation were heard simultaneously.

***

The Ancona Orcs moved about busily. The female orcs were much stronger than
average adult males. They climbed up branches and the root barriers to aim their
crossbows. The warriors, who were armed with full plate armors and iron maces,
went into formation behind the wooden entrance.

The forest was not an unsuitable location for aerial attacks, so Isla and the griffons
were on standby on top of the large tree.

Of course, Kazzal had already been scared into hiding somewhere.

Boom.

The wooden door opened, and Raven rode out of town on a horse. Soldrake stayed
on guard by floating above him.

The earth-shaking clatter became louder. Soon, dozens of centaurs rushed out from
the forest, knocking down short trees and bushes. Centaurs had the upper body of a
human and the lower body of a horse. They were relatively large. Raven’s steed was
quite large, but compared to the centaurs, it seemed like a foal.

But Raven was already exposed to the inhuman sizes of orc warriors and the
griffons, hence he was neither surprised nor intimidated by the centaurs even
though it was his first time seeing them. The only thing that mattered to Raven now
was the fact that the group of half-man, half-horse in front of him that were holding
javelins and longbows, had something to do with Baltai.

All of the centaurs were brown, except for one individual.

One centaur had a shiny black mane that differentiated from the others. He slowly
came forward. He held a golden longbow made from an unknown material and also
had four large javelins the size of humans on his two muscular front legs. His ears
were pointed and his facial features were very masculine.

The black-maned centaur took on a stunned expression at the sight of Raven and
Soldrake.

But perhaps due to their nature as a militant race, the centaur only gave a light salute
to Soldrake.

“Arios. The protector of Ancona Forest greets the guardian god of the forest.”

Unlike his masculine appearance, his vocal tone was high and clear. But Soldrake,
who couldn’t understand the centaur’s words, stared at Arios with indifferent eyes. It
seemed Arios already knew that he couldn’t communicate with Soldrake and turned
his gaze onto Raven, who was standing next to Soldrake.

“Young human, are you the Pendragon of this generation?”

His attitude was arrogant compared to when he was speaking to Soldrake. Bitter
enmity stained Arios’ voice.

“Ha…!”

After breathing heavily, Raven looked straight at Arios and opened his lips.

“This weak horse bastard must have gone insane from eating so much hay.”

“W, what…?”

Arios’ forehead scrunched up. But Raven wasn’t finished yet.

“You, horseshit. Did you forget whose land it is that you’re walking on? Even
birdbrains know, but you don’t? It’s me. I, Alan Pendragon, am the owner of this land.
The only ones who can reside in Ancona are those that have my permission. That
means right now, only the Ancona Orcs are allowed here. But whose permission have
you gotten that you’re spouting bullshit… no, horseshit in front of me?”

“……!”

Regardless of race, it seemed that everyone’s mind stopped working when they were
hit too hard. Raven’s words caused Arios and the other centaurs to stand speechless
in their place. But that was only for a short duration.

“Neiiiiigh! This arrogant human bastard!”

A sound similar to a horse’s cry resounded.

“This forest is ours! Before the guardian god came, and long before you Pendragons
came, this land belonged to us, the worshippers of the earth god! You dare claim this
land as your own, but you brought orcs onto this land! You Pendragons! Moreover,
how dare you compare us to those lowly orcs in front of the earth god’s holy tree?”

Regardless of race, being too absorbed in religion seemed to drive people out of their
minds.

“What did you say, you horse son of a bitch?”

“Kuwuhhhhhh!”

Arios’s words triggered an intense reaction from the orcs. The enraged orcs who
were standing on the walls and behind the wooden door expelled Orc Fear like
wildfire.

“Neiiiiigh!”

“Kuuuuuek!”

The horse neighs and squeals resembling a pig resounded throughout the forest. The
two races were just as militant and warlike. Neither side was unrelenting as they
faced each other in a fierce standoff. Raven unsheathed Widow’s Scream and raised
it high into the air.

Shiiiiing!

A frosty swarm of light emitted from the blade, and a bone-chilling sound penetrated
through the two tribe’s furious energy. Both tribes retreated at the cry of the sword,
which also contained traces of draconic energy. Raven pointed his blade at Arios and
spoke in a frigid voice.

“You, horse bastard. What did you just say? The Pendragons brought the orcs here?
Then let me ask you a question. Who were the ones that brought humans into
Ancona Forest, the land of the Pendragons, without my permission?”

Gasp…!

Arios took on a bewildered expression.

“Why? Have you lost your tongue? Why don’t I tell you something else? A man was
wearing a helmet made from an ogre’s skull in the group, right? Do you know his
identity?”

“T, that…”

Arios became even more flustered. The Pendragon human knew that humans had
entered the forest, but also knew each of their unique appearances. This meant…

“The imperial army’s garbageman. Commander of the demonic army, Toban Baltai.
Am I wrong? And the javelin that you have on you, it’s the work of a human
blacksmith. The crossbows that the ones behind you are holding are from the
imperial army. Isn’t that right?”

“……”

Arios became utterly silent. Centaurs were a proud race, and they did not lie. Even if
they tried, it would be useless in front of a dragon who had the power to see through
everything.

Raven slowly lowered the sword that was pointed at Arios.

“Ha…”

He let out a light breath. A cold, cruel smile had formed around Raven’s mouth.
Everything became clear.

For whatever reason, a group of humans led by Baltai came into Pendragon territory
and spurred the centaurs.

And they had handed over expensive crossbows and metal javelins to centaurs who
were less armed than the orcs, and the horses had accepted it.

The battlefield was a forest and not a meadow, which was favorable to the orcs as the
trees acted as obstacles. Moreover, the centaurs were smaller in number.

That’s why they needed greater strength.

Moreover, the orcs had re-established a relationship with the Pendragon Duchy’s
heir. The centaurs had no choice but to accept human assistance to contend with the
Ancona Orcs.

But that was a huge mistake.

At least, it was a mistake to do that in front of the man named Raven Valt and Alan
Pendragon…

Raven’s smile deepened.

“I’ll hear the rest in a little while.”

Woosh!

Storm-like energy was unleashed against the centaurs.

***

Whoosh! Thud!

A javelin flew like thunder and smashed into the Shield of Healing. It bounced off, but
the strength of the centaurs was so great that it caused his arms to feel jittery.

But that didn’t phase Raven. His strength, vision, and reflexes had continued to
improve after contracting with Soldrake. He slightly changed the angle of his shield
to deflect a few more javelins that flew his way. Even the centaur’s arrows, which
were as accurate as of the elves’, were futile in front of Raven as he managed to
dodge or block all of them.

There were occasional hits, but none of them managed to penetrate his treasured
armor. Of course, a regular knight would have broken a bone due to the arrow’s
impact, but Raven was no regular knight.

“Neiigh! W, what? What is that human?”

Arios and the centaurs burst out in shouts of astonishment. They fired dozens of
arrows and javelins at the human who was heading towards them on a horse, but
most of them were blocked or avoided, and even the ones that landed their mark
didn’t seem to have much effect.

The distance narrowed in an instant.

The blue flame-like energy emitted from the eyes cradled within the dragon-winged
helmet, it was the energy of the world’s strongest creature, a dragon.

“Neiiigh!”

Centaurs reared up in a panic. They could not take advantage of their strength
because they were situated in a narrow forest road.

“Spears! Raise your spears!”

The centaurs raised their spears at the command of Arios.

Raven placed his shield on the saddle and quickly pulled out his scimitar and
wielded his two swords like lightning while delving into the middle of the centaurs.

The sounds of spears and bones breaking, as well as muscles and limbs being sliced
apart resounded from all over the place. It was a nightmare for the centaurs.

“Kieaaaahkkk!”
Grotesque screams echoed which added to the terror of the nightmare. Raven
exclaimed loudly amid slaughter.

“All forces, attack!”

“Kuwuhhhh!”

The orcs and the griffons were waiting on trees, atop of the wooden barriers, and
behind the wide-open wooden gate. At Raven’s command, they rushed out towards
the centaurs on the ground and from the air.

The centaurs fell into chaos and jumped from place to place, crazily firing their
arrows and swinging their spears. But their attacks couldn’t overcome the griffon’s
flapping, nor the orcs that were armed with armor provided by Alan Pendragon.

Thud! Thuud!

“Kuwuuuh”

Arrows hit some orc warriors, and they began to rampage as the sight of blood
caused their blood to boil.

The orcs did not care for broken bones or pierced flesh and kept swinging their iron
maces at their opponents.

The centaurs despised iron and fire which hurt the forest which they called home.

That was why they couldn’t have smithies and blacksmiths, in which the two
despised elements coexisted. This led to their weapons and defenses being infinitely
poor compared to their counterparts who had Raven’s support.

“Kuhwak!”

“Neeiiigh!”

Screams reverberated from place to place.

Griffons flew above the canopy and pierced through the thick branches like lightning
to attack the centaurs. Even though centaurs had good vision, they couldn’t see
through the dense canopy covering the area above them.
Isla had thought of a way to use the terrain to his advantage in attacking his
opponents, and it was working incredibly well.

The storm-like battle of killing and enmity drew to a close with dark red blood
staining the ground. Centaurs were lying on the ground dead or heavily injured, and
Raven stood in front of Arios who was trying to stand up with a broken knee.

Arios raised his head as the cold-blooded sword aimed at his head. But his eyes
showed no traces of fear, and in its place was anger and hostility.

“Why? Do you feel it’s unfair?”

“The creation of the earth god does not beg for our lives, Pendragon human. We’re
just going back to the earth where we came from. But, I feel ashamed of my clan and
the earth god for making a mistake…”

Raven smirked while looking at Arios who was gasping with anger and pain.

“At least you know to be ashamed.”

Raven sheathed his scimitar and pulled out his Shield of Healing. As soon as he
focused his mind, faint light radiated from the shield and wrapped around Arios’
wound.

“W, what is this…”

Slowly, the blood stopped flowing, bones started to mend, and the skin started to
heal. The radiant light expanded to cover the centaurs who were lying all over the
place. Although not complete, their wounds began to heal as well and they regained
energy.

“Gasp!”

Raven was breathing hard as the power contained in the Shield of Healing expended
the user’s energy. Soldrake, who had not intervened throughout the battle, spread
her wings and came down from a tree to embrace Raven’s body from behind.

Soldrake’s energy flowed to the only possible recipient of her power. The energy
slowly permeated Raven’s body, rejuvenating it.
“Thank you, Sol.”

[……]

Soldrake wordlessly shook her head then smiled faintly at her soul’s companion.
Raven turned his head back to Arios and the surviving centaurs.

“If you call yourselves warriors, you won’t have any complaints about those that
were killed in battle.”

“……”

As losers, they couldn’t say anything in response.

Above all, Arios was curious as to the reason behind why Raven let them live, rather
than the fact that they were allowed to live. Thus, Arios nodded his head solemnly.

“Then, shall we have an earnest conversation?”

***

“And that’s what happened.”

Arios finished telling his long story. Raven stroked his chin with a calm expression.
But contrary to his expression, a fire burned inside his heart.

‘If they kept the Ancona Orcs in check, they’ll take over the forest within a year? And
with the demonic army coming here in person?’

It was something Baltai had said so that it wouldn’t have been empty promises.

But it was strange.

In his original life, Raven would have been forced into the demonic army three years
ago. At that time, the demonic army should have been in the far south, waging a war
against a group of trolls.

He remembered that for whatever reason, the Troll King had assembled around 50
swamp trolls and managed to wipe out almost half of the entire demonic army.
He had acquired the power of immortality and healing by defeating the Troll King,
but it had cost him an entire lifetime’s worth of luck.

However, Baltai, the leader of the demonic forces who should be fighting trolls in the
south, suddenly visited Ancona Forest in the Pendragon territory.

‘What about the battle of the great forest? What happened to the Troll King? No, why
did the demonic army head to the great forest in the first place?’

Raven never had such thoughts when he was in the army. All that mattered was
survival.

Come to think of it, it was weird.

The demonic army hardly ever crossed the sea, and they had no reason to travel for
several months to the great forest and fight a battle that had little to do with the
empire’s main territory.

It would have been enough for the confederate army of the southern territories and
the Sea Griffon Corps of the Ocean King to defeat the trolls.

“Then… Someone planned it out. Then, and even now…”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Raven’s fingers started to tap on his sheathe faster. At the same time, some questions
started to be resolved thanks to his lucky encounter.

“It’s all someone’s plan! Kuhahahaha!”

Raven remembered Baltai’s maniacal laugh he heard moments before his death.

Someone’s plan…

It was clear. Everything was related.

‘Well, then what I have to do is… ’

When his fingers stopped tapping, everyone gazed at Raven with anxious eyes in
silence.
In particular, Arios started to sweat, which was unbefitting for his size, as he caught
Raven’s sharp gaze.

“I command you as the victor and as the master of Pendragon. The centaur’s
territory will be reduced to three miles inside the valley from what it used to be
before. I won’t interfere in your matters inside your land. Isn’t that right, Karuta?”

“Pendragon is Ancona Orc’s friend. Ancona Orcs keep their friends’ words by the
oath of blood.”

Karuta stepped out while thumping his chest.

“Mm…”

Arios bowed his head gloomily.

Parts of their territory had been taken away from them, but he couldn’t say anything.
On the contrary, they should be grateful for their lives, and their guaranteed
autonomy within their land.

“Also, over the next decade, the Pendragon family will support you. If you need
anything, we will do our best to help. However, those who are here now need to help
me, Alan Pendragon.”

“By help you mean…”

“Unless you’re stupid, you should already know that Baltai and the one who
commanded him used you. This situation wasn’t caused purely due to your stupidity.
The ones who are responsible are the ones who utilized your stupidity. So, I’m going
to find them and hold them accountable. At that time, I want you to stand by me.”

“……”

Arios’ blood-soaked mane trembled.

The human in front of him, Alan Pendragon, was different.

He was completely different from the humans who coaxed him with disguised
threats. Alan Pendragon had distinguished between what he offered and what he
wanted. Even if they refused, they could continue to live peacefully in their reduced
land.

But that would be continuing to live as a foolish loser. Arios, the leader of the
centaurs, made a resolve.

“From now on, us centaurs, who are born from the soils and the trees of Ancona
Forest, are an ally of the Pendragons. We will stand behind the White Dragon, the
guardian of the forest. I swear on the name of the earth god that for the next ten
years, enemies of Pendragon and enemies of the White Dragon are enemies of the
centaurs.”

Starting with Arios, about a dozen surviving centaurs bowed their heads and bent
their knees.

“……”

Raven looked at the centaurs then raised his head.

He had won over the centaurs. But this was nothing more than finding the end of a
tangled thread.

The next thing he needed to unravel this mystery was…

‘Home, I need to go back to my hometown.’

Raven finally decided to return after ten years.

The Great Territory of Sisak.

The land he left behind after experiencing his relatives’ death and disgrace.

Raven, no, Alan Pendragon, the master of the Pendragons, knew that the answer
would be waiting in his past hometown.
“Let’s go.”

“No.”

“I said, let’s go?”

“I already told you I will not.”

“Oh come on, won’t you come with me? That dirty worm’s changed, aren’t you
curious?”

“The ties of the past are already no longer. No matter the situation, it is unlawful for
me to meet His Grace Alan Pendragon again. Please don’t try to force me or push me
any further.”

“Force? If he comes to the castle later this year, you’ll see him anyway. What’s wrong
with seeing him before that happens?”

“Yes, I will indeed see him within the year. Therefore, there is no reason for me to
visit him before that.”

The girl was sitting against a chair with her back straightened, but without her back
actually touching the chair. She answered quietly, then raised her cup of tea in a slow,
leisurely gesture.

The girl’s hair was braided so finely that it was comparable to a work of art, and her
gestures and speech were as elegant and dignified as her appearance. However, the
young man facing her had a disheveled appearance as if he had just come out of bed.

The girl put down her teacup without it making any sound and spoke in a clear,
polite way. It seemed that she didn’t care much about his appearance.

“Ultimately, this girl has no reason to play along with your jokes, brother.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Are you aware of the prince of Ills and Veramun visiting? I’m sure you’re aware that
it’s not my sole duty to entertain the princes of the kingdoms that are loyal to the
emperor.”

“Others can deal with small fry like that. Isn’t this place crawling with princes and
princesses?”

The man grinned and emptied his tea at once, chugging it like alcohol.

The girl’s eyes sank.

“You go too far, Brother Ian. They are still your brothers who share the emperor’s
blood.”

“They may be siblings to you. The only siblings I have are Lanshio and you, Ingrid.”

“……”

At the man’s word, Ingrid de Maxwell Aragon, the first princess of the empire, stared
at her brother in silence. Her brother Ian was the second son of three children and
the one whose looks were most similar to the emperor.

“What? Are you touched by your brother’s words? I would be put in an awkward
position if you fell in love with me though, you know.”

A smile spread on Ingrid’s face at Ian’s joking words. Even though everyone was
scared of him and was very stubborn, she couldn’t hate her brother.

“Good. See? You’re so beautiful when you smile like that.”

“I already know that I am beautiful, so you don’t have to say something so obvious.”

“I… ha…”

This time, Ian burst out laughing as if he had lost. This was the reason he adored his
little sister who was nine years younger than him.

The daughters of noble families or other princess dared not talk back to him. Either
that or they tried to seduce him.
“I’ve already notified them that you will be accompanying me, so listen to me this
time. Think of it as a summer vacation.”

“Summer vacation is in another month. And I am supposed to go with the other

siblings to…”

“It’ll probably take one month to get there. It’s in the middle of nowhere. Besides, do
you really want to go anywhere with those bums?”

Ingrid gave a long sigh at Ian’s playful expression.

“I really don’t know what to do with you. I understand. I will come with you.”

“Good!”

“But.”

Ian, who had jumped up with a grin on his face, paused.

“Promise me that you won’t cause any trouble.”

“Trouble? What trouble?”

Ian shrugged his shoulders, feigning ignorance at Ingrid’s words. But she was still
adamant.

“Promise me.”

“All right, all right.”

Ian helplessly nodded his head. Ingrid spoke once more.

“And if you break your promise with me, I won’t speak a single word to you until this
year is over.”

“……”

She was a girl of her word. She had never gone against her own words before.

Ian knew at that moment that he wouldn’t be free to act as he wanted during the trip.
But he still didn’t want to go alone. Notably, the emperor and the empress would not
allow him on the trip if he was going alone.

“Okay. I will do my best to keep boundaries.”

Ian answered, then slightly raised a closed fist.

“Okay, I believe you.”

Ingrid gave a big smile, then raised her small fist before lightly bumping it into her
brother’s fist. It was a gesture between the three siblings that signified a promise.

“Oh, right. You promise me one thing too.”

Ian started to walk away with a satisfied expression, then suddenly turned his head.

“What kind of promise?”

Ian spoke with a serious expression to her sister, who had tilted her head in
question.

“No matter how much that Pendragon worm changed, you cannot, ever, look at him
or consider him as a man. Okay?”

“Ah…”

The maids who were waiting on Ingrid became dazed for a short moment at Ingrid’s
charming, dazzling smile.

She answered.

“That will never happen.”

***

“What?”

Raven asked with a scrunched-up forehead. The nobleman bowed his head, feeling
somewhat proud of his reaction. Alan Pendragon wasn’t one to react in such
manners regularly.
“Their royal highness Prince Ian and Princess Ingrid have left for the Seyrod
territory, and because of it, the high society and the Royal Batallium are in a frenzy.
There are different opinions on why Count Seyrod, who doesn’t have a connection to
the royal family, invited the Prince, and why the Prince accepted the invitation.”

“But you said it has something to do with me?”

“Yes. I’m sure it’s because Princess Ingrid was… Your Grace’s…”

Raven spoke nonchalantly on behalf of the nobleman who was having trouble saying
the next words.

“Because she was my ex-fiancee? And that Ian, or whatever his name was, took the
lead in breaking the engagement?”

“Yes, yes. I thought that it was perhaps related…”

The nobleman became anxious and started sweating. This man in front of him talked
about his own engagement’s failure without any restraint and even dared to call the
prince of the empire as ‘whatever his name was’.

Raven decided to stay patient.

Alan Pendragon would soon officially become a duke of the empire. In terms of
status, he was equal to Prince Ian. He only had to bow his head in front of two people
in the entire empire, the emperor and the crown prince.

“But has that guy ever seen me?”

“Yes. He visited when the late Duke Gordon Pendragon ruled the land. Prince Ian
personally brought the documents to break off the engagement.”

Melborn kindly reminded Alan, as he knew that Alan had lost all of his memories
before he regained consciousness.

“I see. So my former, former fiancee is coming to town along with the one who took
lead in breaking the engagement, and you think it has something to do with me?”

“Yes. To my understanding, Count Seyrod and Prince Ian have little connection, and
there haven’t been any visitations between them previously.”
“Hmm…”

Raven furrowed his brow. For some reason, he had an ominous, foreboding feeling
that something troublesome was headed towards him. And unfortunately, such
premonitions were rarely wrong.

“I thought that I could finally go home, but… tsk.”

His expression turned for worse once more. A month had already passed since he
resolved the issue in Ancona Forest with centaurs. In the meantime, Raven had been
extremely busy.

Melborn took care of any issues regarding the influx of merchants, laborers, and
refugees, so all Raven had to do was receive the reports.

But it was a different story with his specialty, the art of war.

In particular, Raven had to personally check the free knights who aspired to go under
the Pendragon family. Killian and Isla were enough to test their martial prowess and
different skills, but he had to personally sift through the knights to acknowledge any
‘hidden gems’ he knew from the future.

Unfortunately, there were no figures of the same caliber as Isla the Stormbreaker, but
he had found a dozen who were quite capable out of twenty-three free knights. All of
them had the skills to become a company leader in the demonic army which meant
that they would be useful in the future.

Moreover, they did not ask for a title or any land because they were decimated by
Killian, Isla, and Alan himself. Instead, they kept their profiles low and became more
reserved after their respective beatings.

Only fools would think themselves entitled to more than what they were worth, and
so the knights were satisfied with high-quality armor, weapons, residence in the
castle, and a gold coin as their monthly salary.

Besides, their positions were only temporary. If they proved themselves in battle,
they were eligible to receive a title and a small chunk of territory, so they had
nothing to complain about.

If they were placed in the griffon unit, Isla would take care of most matters as he was
an expert on griffons. All they needed to do was follow their orders well.

Anyhow, they had already spent a month planning, recruiting, and training knights to
lead the cavalry, and join the cavalry themselves. Now, they finally had room to
breathe, and Raven was thinking of visiting his hometown located in the Great
Territory of Sisak…

“I should leave before anything annoying happens.”

“What? Where are you going?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Even though he was old, Melborn still managed to overhear the smallest of things.
Raven roughly blurred over his words.

The master of a duchy had a lot of work to do.

It was absurd to go on a trip at will.

However, summer vacation was an annual ritual for the duchy, in which all the family
left together. Raven was thinking of visiting the territory of Sisak during that time.

Among the various lands owned by the Pendragons, it was fortunate that they also
owned a villa on a beach not too far from the Great Territory of Sisak.

But this wasn’t something he could tell anyone other than Soldrake.

“By the way, I think Prince Ian and Princess Ingrid will have arrived at the Seyrod
territory by now.”

“What? This fast?”

Raven was shocked.

“Didn’t you say Prince Ian’s party left the imperial capital a month ago, Sir Lindel?”

“Yes, yes. That’s right.”

The nobleman who had made the report nodded his head.
“Then they must have arrived by now. It seems like he’ll arrive at our territory in a
few days. Maybe we should postpone the vacation for a little while, my lord.”

“We can’t help it if a prince is coming… But is there any reason why I have to greet
him?”

“Of course you have to. With all due respect, the crown prince’s health is…”

Melborn blurted out the end of his words.

It was an open secret that the crown prince’s health was in poor condition. But even
if they were in Conrad Castle, mentioning such things was frowned upon, and one
had to step carefully.

Fortunately, Raven was quick to pick up on things other than matters of relationships
between a man and a woman.

“So if something were to happen, that Ian guy is the strongest candidate?”

“Yes, you could even consider it as a fact.”

“I see… Then… Hmm?”

Boom!

Raven stopped in the middle of nodding and his expression froze. A new emperor
was crowned in the eighth year of Raven’s time in the demonic army. A special treat
was given with their meal for the first time, and they were able to rest for four days
under the order of the new emperor.

The name of the new emperor was Geoffrey Eden Aragon.

At least, his name was Geoffrey Aragon when he was a prince.

In other words, the future emperor was not the same person whom Melborn spoke
of. The most powerful crown prince candidate in the current time was not the
future’s emperor.

“Are you sure his name is Ian? It’s not Geoffrey?”

“What is the name of the current crown prince?”

“His Highness the crown prince is Shio Aragon.”

“Hm…”

Neither. It meant that neither the current crown prince, who was in poor health, nor
the strongest candidate, would become emperor in the future.

Raven asked with a frown on his face.

“Do you know anything about a prince named Geoffrey?”

“I, I’m not sure…”

Melborn shook his head and turned to the other nobles. But the many nobles all
shook their heads in unfamiliarity.

“Hm…”

Raven stroked his chin. When he was Raven Valt, it didn’t matter who the emperor
was, but things were different for Alan Pendragon who would soon become a duke of
the empire.

Suddenly, meeting the two guests from the imperial city seemed a lot more dire.
“Your Grace.”

As soon as Raven walked into his residence, Lindsay, who was waiting with the
maids, quickly came forward. Raven gave a firm nod and spoke.

“Yes, is everything fine?”

It had already been more than 15 days since the announcement, so Raven had gotten
used to the whole situation. He took off his thin summer cape and naturally handed
it to Lindsay.

“Yes.”

Lindsay shyly lowered her eyes and accepted the cape.

Letting out a deep breath, Raven walked to the table by the windows and sat down
on the chair, as was his usual routine. An ice-cold beverage was served and the
fanning started.

“Hmm?”

Raven raised his face with a curious expression.

Today, it wasn’t the maids who brought the drinks or fanned him.

“I, it’s cold. Go ahead and drink it, Your Grace.”

The maids had disappeared somewhere, and only Lindsay was left in the room,
gently fanning him.

Moreover, the drink wasn’t the usual cold beer.

It was wine with honey. It was a drink that was stronger than beer if taken in the
same quantities. Raven suddenly felt a rush of anxiety, and carefully examined
Lindsay while drinking the wine.
“Here, let me wipe your sweat…”

Raven thought she would only fan him, but now she had put down the fan and came
closer to him with a cold, damp towel.

“Um…”

Even though it was summer, Raven was still troubled by the dress that revealed a lot
of skin. Her cleavage seemed even more visible today. He was afraid.

Perfume? No, the fragrance was too soft for it to be perfume.”

This was certainly…

‘I can’t believe she’s using musk… ’

It was used by women to outright seduce men.

Musk, wine that was good to get drunk off, revealing clothes, and no maids.

Soldrake was away as well to help Isla train the griffons.

“Um, Your Grace…”

Lindsay’s provocative eyes grew closer and closer as she spoke with a fluttering
breath. Unless one was a fool, anyone could see that Lindsay was resolved today.

Gulp…

Raven finally understood his current situation.

It was a crisis. But at the same time, it was an opportunity. Raven Valt was as
inexperienced with women as Karuta. Raven’s hand started to reach out to Lindsay.

Lindsay flinched, then slowly closed her eyes, prepared for what was to come.

As Raven’s hand reached Lindsay’s blushing cheeks…

“Brother Alan!”
Woosh!

Raven took his hand off Lindsay and stood up at a speed he had never displayed
before, even in all of his battles. He was literally a lightning bolt.

“Hmm? Why are you standing?”

“I, it’s nothing. I opened the window because it was too hot. Whoo! I feel better now.”

Raven slowly sat down on his chair while fanning his face.

“Ah. Is that sooo…?”

Irene Pendragon was the quickest in the entire castle to pick up on things. Her eyes
narrowed to a squint and her eyes started to sweep across the whole room.

The smell of sweet wine.

Her brother was awkwardly fanning himself with his hands when there was a fan
right next to him. Lindsay was also acting awkward with her heads down.

It should have been Lindsay who was opening the windows, and Lindsay who was
fanning her brother. Something was fishy.

Besides, why were their necks burning red?

It was obvious what was about to happen.

But even so, under broad daylight…

She felt irritated, but she put on her trademark smile and walked to the table. She
didn’t forget to sit in the chair between Raven and Lindsay, despite there being many
other empty seats.

“Ehem! So, what brings you here?”

“Oh! Look at me, brother, is it true that Princess Ingrid is coming to our territory?
Did you know about this as well?”

Recalling her reason for visit, Irene spoke in a slightly excited tone.
“Well, apparently so. Prince Ian’s supposed to come along.”

“What? Do you not care about it?”

Irene’s eyes opened wide at her brother’s unexpected reaction.

“Hmm? Well, I don’t particularly care…”

“W, what…! You can’t say that. Your ex-ex-fiancee and the deliverer of the news are
coming together. What reason would they have to come to visit our duchy now?”

Raven answered with a shrug.

“Well, it’s probably because we’ve been doing quite well lately.”

“Ah…”

Raven had answered so naturally that Irene forgot to continue her words.

Raven took a sip of wine before he continued to respond to his sister. She was a little
strange and wild, but always nice and warm to family.

“We don’t have to concern ourselves with matters of the past. It’s not like our
Pendragon family suffered a lot of damage because of the break-off.”

“B, but what would the other noble families think of us…”

“Since when did Pendragon care about other people’s gazes? Regardless of the
situation, Pendragon is Pendragon.”

Raven repeated the words that Attia Pendragon spoke to him before she returned to
the mausoleum.

“Ah…”

Irene’s eyes trembled. She couldn’t believe how confident and relaxed her brother
looked.

She wanted nothing more than to run up to him and rub her cheeks on him like she
did when she was younger. Then, her nice brother would pat her head while gently
smiling.

But…

Irene glanced at Lindsay and pressed down on her bursting heart.

“Irene is a good sister, so I will do as you say, Brother Alan. Then, I have to take my
leave.”

“Hm? Ah, well, alright.”

Raven was surprised by her unusual response. She usually ran out of the room with a
look of tears on her face every time she held a conversation with him, but this time
she had not done so.

Either way, he rather preferred not to see his strange sister too often.

“Ah, by the way.”

Irene turned her head as she was heading out with soft steps. Her gaze was not on
Raven, but Lindsay who had not spoken thus far.

“I have something to talk to you about. Can I see you for a bit, L.a.d.y Lindsay?”

Although she had now become a concubine to Alan Pendragon, Irene Pendragon was
still a scary existence. Or rather, Irene Pendragon was an even scarier existence now.

“…so Lady Lindsay has to be ‘good’.”

“W, well my lady, I…”

“Do you want to lose my brother to another woman? Especially to a woman who is
his ex ex-fiancee?”

“But… if such an exalted person really wants His Grace back… Then how dare would
I…”

Lindsay lowered her head. She was already content with what she had, and wanting
any more seemed to be greedy.
“So I’ll take care of it, and you, I, I mean Lady Lindsay just has to stay still. Okay?”

Lindsay was once a maid, but now a concubine of the duchy. Hence, Irene tried to be
considerate of Lindsay. Seemingly touched by Irene, Lindsay kept sniffling while
nodding her head.

“Yes, yes. I’ll do as you say, my lady.”

“Good! Hmph! It’s obvious that Sister Luna will be coming as well. They’re both so
shameless. An ex-fiancee and an ex-ex-fiancee were the ones to propose the breaking
of the engagement. And now they come crawling back and what are they trying to
achieve? I’m already so bothered that Soldrake turned into a woman… Hmph! Isn’t
that right?”

“What? Oh, yes, yes…”

Lindsay hurriedly bowed her head and murmured in agreement. But inwardly, she
could understand Irene.

When the duchy was going through hardship or when Alan was in a bad condition,
they had ignored them, but now they came back and…

“How detestable… Ah!”

She had unconsciously spat out the words that she was harbouring inside her.
Lindsay hurriedly covered her mouth in shock.

“Hmm…”

Irene’s expression changed strangely.

“Good. Anyway, the only one that I approve of as my brother’s partner is Miss
Lindsay so far. Let’s do our best.”

“Yes, yes…”

The two ladies stared at each other with eyes of firm determination.

***
Two days later, news of an ‘imperial delegation’ including Princess Ingrid, Prince Ian,
and Luna Seyrod, crossing Ronan Bridge and heading towards Bellint Gate was
delivered to Conrad Castle. The number of envoys, including the guards and maids,
was 300.

In the wake of visitation from the highest-ranking figures, composed of the largest
group of people since Alan Pendragon’s reawakening, the Pendragon Duchy
prepared to greet them from Bellint Gate which was still undergoing fortifications.

A large number of troops led by fortress commander Sir Jade, Sir Killian and 10
knights as well as 50 griffons and Sir Isla were dispatched hurriedly to welcome the
royal envoys to Conrad Castle.

The Pendragon family’s griffon army boasted as much prestige as the griffon unit of
the royal guard which consisted of 500 mountain griffons and their riders. The
knights from the imperial city were quite impressed by their appearance.

Furthermore, unlike the royal guard griffons who failed to follow their riders’ orders
several times a year and made mistakes, the Pendragon’s griffons strictly adhered to
the words of just one person, which was shocking.

But the most surprising thing happened after they arrived at Lowpool, the town
located directly under the castle.

Whooooosh…

The White Dragon made its appearance, standing on top of the walls surrounding the
village with its giant wings spread. It put everyone in awe. The 300 envoys were all
struck by fear and respect for the most powerful creature.

But one person…

He, who had not shown his face even once since coming from the Seyrod territory, he
was different.

The carriage door opened, and the frightened servant standing next to the carriage
came to his senses and fell on the ground with fear.

A young man with blond hair and unusually long limbs stepped on the back of the
servant and got off the carriage.
“Hmm…”

The young man looked up indifferently, where no one else dared to look. The eyes of
the young man and the White Dragon met in the air.

“Haha…”

The young man’s lips curled up. A human had smiled at a dragon.

The dragon’s eyes shone with a conspicuous gleam, and the young man started to
emit energy that rose from his shoulders. It was the Spirit of the Emperor, a
manifestation that could only be produced by blood descendants of the first
emperor, Byron Aragon.

Bluish energy shot up towards the White Dragon.

At that moment, someone started walking out from inside the wide-open gates. The
beam of light that was headed for the dragon changed direction rapidly.

But before it reached the body of the man who walked out of the gate, it scattered in
the air as if an invisible shield blocked it.

“Hmm…?”

Prince Ian frowned as he was half-forced to withdraw his power. A rather slender
young man wearing casual clothes with light silver-blonde hair approached.

The man stood before Ian.

Without saying anything, the two briefly stared at each other. Ian started to raise the
Spirit of the Emperor slowly and opened his mouth first.

“You’ve grown up quite a bit, huh? Pendragon brat. But your head seems a little
stiff?”

The second prince of the empire had the power to demand respect from anyone in
the empire, even from the 10 strongest noble families. He could one day become the
owner of the vast empire.

But the young man, Raven, had already experienced unparalleled power before,
which was perhaps even greater than the Spirit of the Emperor.

Raven silently stared at Ian who was staring back with arrogant eyes.

‘I wouldn’t have dared to look at him in the past… ’

Perhaps the man standing in front of him had something to do with the tragic history
of the Valt family that fell under the stigma of treason.

Whoooosh…

Raven had finally gained full control over the White Dragon’s energy. He exerted it
and it climbed up his body before facing Ian’s Spirit of the Emperor. Amid the violent
encounter of spirit that was invisible to the average man, Raven replied with a smile
on his face.

“Do I need to bow my head to someone who is not the crown prince? And…”

Whooooosh!

The spirit of the dragon stretched out like a blade, pushing the Spirit of the Emperor
away.

“Argh!”

For the first time in his life, Ian took a half step back in front of someone that wasn’t
the emperor or the crown prince. He could see the smile on the brat’s face grow even
deeper.

“Since when did I say you could speak to me so informally?”

“……!”

Ian Aragon, the man who could become the next crown prince, took on a shocked
expression as he faced Alan Pendragon, the one who would definitely become the
Duke of Pendragon.
“I think it would be better for the both of you to stop now.”

A soft, calm voice interrupted the escalating altercation between Alan and Ian.

Raven turned to find two women, no, two younger ladies who had walked out of the
carriage. He recognized one of them to be Luna Seyrod, but it was his first time
seeing the lady next to her.

“Ingrid.”

Even without Ian’s words, Raven could tell who she was.

“It’s nice to meet you, Your Grace Pendragon. This girl is Ingrid.”

Ingrid wore a crown on top of her headband-shaped braids. She lightly bent one
knee and bowed her head towards Raven.

Raven was a little taken aback. It was a typical greeting, but one that was full of
dignity and grace.

“That must be Lord Soldrake, the sworn guardian to the Pendragon family. Ingrid
Aragon greets the great one.”

Ingrid showed off a smile at Soldrake, who was leaning narrowly at the end of the
spire.

‘Hm?’

Raven became more surprised. Even though Soldrake was not spitting off Dragon
Fear, it was undoubtedly a daunting task for a young lady to not show fear in front of
a dragon. Soldrake looked down at Ingrid’s greeting and then abruptly flew off
toward Conrad Castle.

Soldrake had done everything she had been asked.

“Long time no see, Your Grace Pendragon.”

Luna, who was standing beside Ingrid, greeted Alan belatedly. If one were to
consider Luna as a cold, passionate beauty, Ingrid de Aragon conveyed a dynastic,
elegant beauty in her neatness.

However, having been alongside Soldrake for quite some time, Raven was
accustomed to an entirely different level of beauty.

“Nice to meet you. I am Alan Pendragon. Long time no see, Lady Seyrod.”

“……”

Luna had already gotten used to it, but Ingrid’s eyes grew slightly with shock.

She thought that Alan Pendragon would have the courtesy like any other knight or
noble to kiss her on the hand, but he only nodded, acknowledging their presence.

After all, it was Alan Pendragon. He was of equal status to her as the successor to one
of the empire’s five duchies.

He might still be carrying the bitterness in his heart from the broken engagement ten
years ago. Furthermore, even with her warning, her brother almost caused an
incident just a few moments ago.

“Ingrid, why have you come out? I can take care of something like this…”

“If you are visiting someone else’s home, it would be rude not to greet the owner
first. Moreover, it would be disrespectful to try and pick a fight with the host as well.”

“Um…”

Ian’s mouth shut tightly.

“Hmmm?”

Raven saw the situation unfold and narrowed his eyes.

That monkey-like prince who didn’t act his age seemed to be soft towards his sister.
“I feel a little weary from traveling a long way. Your Grace Pendragon, would you be
so kind as to…?”

“Uh, well… Let us do that. Come in.”

She was so well-mannered that he couldn’t show spite even if he wanted to. Raven
shrugged and turned around.

Just before he stepped forward, Ingrid’s voice caught him in his place.

“Your Grace Pendragon, would you give us the pleasure of being shown around by
the master of the place?”

“No, Ingrid, what are you saying…?”

Ian gave a deep frown, but Ingrid overpowered him with a glance and continued to
speak.

“Please, it’s shabby, but I would appreciate it if you could ride together with us in our
carriage.”

“…Let’s do that.”

“Oh, thank you very much!”

Raven realized something as he saw Ingrid, who smiled brightly and even opened the
carriage door for him.

Maybe the one to be wary of was Ingrid, rather than Ian…

***

The residents of Lowpool all flocked to the roadside to catch a glimpse of the royal
family, as most of them had never experienced such a grand event before. The
carriage slowly climbed up to Conrad Castle after passing through the grand
welcome.

Unlike Ian, who frowned and glared at Raven throughout the entire trip, Ingrid
responded to the residents’ welcome by waving her hand out from the window from
time to time.
When the knights harshly drove away residents who came too close, she dissuaded
them with a gentle voice.

Raven gazed at Ingrid. She was quite admirable.

She was a little different, no, quite different from what he had imagined. It was even
more surprising that she didn’t seem to be putting on an act. She didn’t pause to
think about every little action, like most other women. She exercised such behaviors
and attitudes without contemplation, just like a man would drink water or breathe
instinctively. It was ingrained in her.

If he had to say it…

‘She’s similar to the duchess.’

That was it.

From birth, such a person’s every word and action was embellished with elegance
and grace. Indeed, Duchess Elena Pendragon was the sister of the emperor and was a
royal princess herself, which could explain their similarities.

“I’ve seen it even from outside the gate, but it seems to me that the Pendragon Duchy
is quite a leisurely and plentiful place. Surely it is all thanks to the late Duke Gordon
Pendragon and you, my grace.”

“No, well… thank you.”

At Ingrid’s praise, Raven stroked his chin. She continued the conversation.

“I’ve heard that you are the same age as me, but your tone is very polite.”

Raven was a little dumbfounded.

“I don’t think you should be the one to say that… Do all princesses talk like that?”

“You? How dare he address her as ‘you’…No, you bastard, stop pretending to be close
to her…”

“Not necessarily. As you can see, even someone like this resides in the imperial
palace.”
Ingrid once again subdued Ian with her words.

“Uh, Ingrid. Aren’t you a little too harsh? I am your older brother.”

Ian couldn’t stand it any longer and frowned while responding. Ingrid stared straight
into Ian’s eyes and said.

“Brother Ian, no, Your Highness Ian. I feel like you are getting further and further
away from keeping your promise. If you keep acting like this, then maybe this year I
won’t…”

“No, no. Never mind.”

Ian hurriedly waved his hand as soon as Ingrid referred to him as ‘Your Highness’.

He muttered to himself, then returned to giving Raven a death glare as if to say, ‘this
is all your fault’.

Ingrid ignored Ian and stared at Raven with a joyous expression. Raven felt
embarrassed by her gaze and turned his head slightly. Then he met Luna’s eyes.

‘Huh?’

As soon as they made eye contact, Luna jerked her head away. Raven tilted his head.
She looked like she had seen something that she shouldn’t have seen. But Raven
thought that it was reasonable for her to act like that and nodded his head.

‘Well, I guess… ’

Her family’s knights and soldiers had been mercilessly killed because of him. She
must have been overflowing with rage and resentment.

Even though they were relatives, blood demanded a hefty price.

Meanwhile, the carriage finally passed the drawbridge and arrived at Conrad Castle’s
courtyard. When the door opened, Raven, who was sitting closest to the door, came
out from the carriage first. Ian followed, then Ingrid came out.

“Your Grace Pendragon?”

“Hmm? Why…”

Raven was about to ask why his name was called when he stopped in his place.
Raven wasn’t aware of what Ingrid was gesturing for. She held the handle of the
carriage in one hand and slightly put the other out.

‘This is so exhausting.’

Raven wasn’t a savage who would ignore a princess’s hand. He stepped forward to
grab her hand. But then, Ian walked in front of Raven with a menacing expression
and smiled as he reached out to Ingrid.

“Here here, why don’t you take my hand?”

With a low sigh, Ingrid shook her head, then took her brother’s hand as if it couldn’t
be helped. After helping Ingrid as well as Luna exit the carriage, Ian turned back to
Raven. With an expression that seemed to scream, ‘Did you see? I won’.

But Raven smirked nonchalantly and turned his gaze away.

“……!”

“Welcome, Prince Ian, Princess Ingrid.”

There was only one person who could address them in such a manner. Ian and Ingrid
turned their heads towards the source of the voice.

“Ingrid greets the Duchess.”

“Ian Aragon greets Duchess Elena Pendragon.”

Even if they were the current prince and princess of the empire, they couldn’t take
Duchess Elena lightly. She was the youngest sister of the emperor and it was well
known that the previous emperor had cared for her dearly.

Elena smiled brightly and approached the two people. She suddenly grabbed Ingrid’s
two hands together.

“You’ve grown up to be so pretty, Princess Ingrid. Do you remember me?”

“I have a vague recollection. When I was around four, I remember that you visited the
Royal Batallium with the late Duke Gordon Pendragon.”

“Oh my, you’re quite brilliant. Prince Ian, by the way, seems to have become even
more dignified. This is great news. This is good news for the empire.”

Elena turned her head and extended her hand to Ian.

“You speak too highly of me. Rather, the duchess still seems to be healthy and
beautiful.”

Ian answered back with courtesy and gently kissed the back of Elena’s hand.

“Oh, by the way, say hello. Prince Ian must have seen them more than ten years ago,
right? They are my daughters.”

“Yes. Pendragon’s ladies. Ian Ar…”

Unlike his attitude towards Elena, Ian started to greet the ladies with a disinterested
expression. Then, his eyes grew wide.

There was a girl, as pretty as a fairy.

She was small and modest in manner, but her glistening eyes were full of confidence
and dignity. Her gentle smile, which she made without avoiding his gaze, was
different from the smiles full of subtle temptations that he had seen on many other
noble families’ ladies.

“Prince Ian?”

“Oh, excuse my behavior. How do you do, ladies? I am Ian Aragon.”

Ian became startled and then strode up to the girl. But the girl resumed smiling,
showing no surprise, and greeted Ian by slightly bending her knees.

“Nice to meet you, your royal highness. I am Irene, the eldest daughter of the
Pendragon family.”

“Hmm. I see. Come to think of it, I think I saw you more than ten years ag…”
“Brother Alan, you’ve returned.”

Irene walked right past Ian and approached Raven with gentle steps.

“……”

Ian’s body froze in its place.

This was the first time in his life. A girl who was around his age had ignored him.
Suddenly, he felt a rattling sensation on one side of his chest.

It wasn’t that he was angry. The sensation was different from that…

Ian’s eyes turned downward.

A little girl, who looked very much like Irene with a reddish face, bowed her head.
Ian reciprocated the bow with the most spectacular smile he could muster.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ian Ara…”

But once again, he wasn’t able to finish his sentence.

As soon as the little girl met his eyes, she hid behind someone’s leg.

A young knight with glossy, curly hair stood restlessly as he looked down at the little
girl, who was holding onto his legs tightly with a blush.

Ian’s expression turned fierce again.

“What are you?”

As he had stayed in the carriage the whole ride, he had no idea who the man in front
of him was, even though Isla had led the griffon army to greet them.

“……”

Isla raised his head wordlessly and gazed at Ian.

“Huh?”
Ian raised one eyebrow. The young knight's expression had changed completely, and
now he had a face that was indifferent and expressionless.

“Elkin Isla. A knight of Pendragon.”

“Ha! A common knight dares to act like this in front of m…”

“Sir Isla was born in Valvas, Your Highness. Please excuse his attitude.”

Irene had returned without anyone knowing and gently approached and stood
beside Ian. Ian’s face blushed, and he nodded while resting his expression.

“Ehem. Well, if it is a knight of Valvas… I will forgive him this one time for you, Irene.”

Ian’s attitude surprised the imperial knights, who had been watching the situation
unfold with their heads tilted.

Ian Aragon, whom they served, was known as the worst rascal of the Royal
Batallium. He was renowned for his horrible personality as well as his erratic
behaviors.

Anyone who acted arrogant in front of him, except for the emperor and the crown
prince, had always ended up shedding tears and being humiliated.

Such a man had come to Conrad Castle, belonging to the Pendragon Duchy, and
started to act in ways that he had never seen before.

Even though Princess Ingrid was accompanying him, his behavior had undergone a
sudden shift. Surely even his love for his sister wasn’t enough to warrant such a
change.

“Anyways, it’s scorching hot today. Why don’t we head into the palace, Your
Highness? I’ve prepared a cool white wine for you.”

“L, let’s do that. Ehem!”

Irene led Ian, who was walking behind her with large steps, into the palace with a
bright smile. She then lightly turned her head and winked at Raven.

He was rather proud of his younger sister today, even though she had her unique
moments. Raven looked at Ian’s back in a dumbfounded manner before speaking to
the two ladies.

“What are you all doing? Let us go in.”

“Yes? Oh, yes. Lady Seyrod? I think we should head inside as well.”

“Ah, yes. Princess Ingrid.

It was the first time Princess Ingrid visited Conrad Castle and the second time for
Luna…

Conrad Castle… It was a strange place in many ways.