Duke Pendragon

As Serin continued listening to Eltuan’s stories, her gratitude toward Duke Pendragon and Isla grew larger. Naturally, her longing and love for Isla, who became ‘the one’ since their first meeting, occupied the biggest space in her heart.

“You fought in the South together with Lord Isla, right?”

“Yes. But we only actually fought together once. He brought griffons and horsemen after unifying the place known as Valvas. I had never seen such an enormous army in my life. And he was incredibly strong.”

Eltuan sighed unconsciously as she recalled Isla’s performance. He swept away the southern rebels and led the charge of Valvas’ griffon riders. He had been like an actual storm at the time. She could see why the knights and soldiers of the Pendragon Duchy praised Elkin Isla without sparing any words.

“So, if you marry the knight Isla, will you become a queen?”

Serin’s face turned red at Eltuan’s unexpected question.

“Yes? Well, I, that’s…”

“If you become queen, then…”

“Ahh!”

Neighh!

The carriage suddenly slowed down and Serin shot forward. Eltuan took Serin in her embrace and protected her.

“Are you all right?’

“Yes. Yes, I am fine.”

After checking on Serin’s status, Eltuan opened the small window that connected the carriage to the coachman’s seat. 

“What is going on?”

“I am not sure. Someone is standing in the way. They do not look like bandits or robbers…”

The knight of the 7th regiment, who was driving the carriage, spoke in a nervous voice.

“Wait here. Do not come out.”

“Yes.”

Eltuan opened the carriage door and stepped out.

She could see a figure standing in the distance, where the red sunset was dying the sky crimson. It was early summer, but the figure’s entire body was covered in a robe. Despite the fairly hot weather, they covered their face with a hood.

“I will go check it out.”

“All right.”

The knight nodded while picking up a crossbow from his side. In the case of an emergency, he would need to drive the carriage away at a moment's notice. The figure was standing motionless. Although they were relatively small, Eltuan remained tense as she spoke.

“Get out of the way.”

“.....”

But the figure did not answer.

Eltuan spoke once more.

“I do not know who you are, but get out of the way. We are busy.”

As Eltuan finished speaking, a wind blew up the road.

Whoosh!

The wind swept up dust and passed Eltuan’s body, then skimmed across the road to the mysterious figure.

Whoo!

The wind caused the long robe to flutter and pulled back the deeply-pressed hood. Long hair was revealed beneath the hood. The hair’s original color could not be seen due to the sunset, and it reflected the subtle, red glow of the dying sun.

‘A woman…?’

Eltuan’s eyes grew larger with shock. The unidentified figure raised her head after the wind passed and her hair settled down. She was certainly a woman. Moreover, she seemed to be a young maiden who was less than 20 years old.

“Who are you? Why are you blocking our way?”

“.....”

She maintained her silence. Instead of answering, she stared at Eltuan with a gloomy gaze.

“Why…”

“Heuk!”

Just as Eltuan was about to respond, the knight riding on the coachman’s seat gasped and spoke.

“Y, you… You can’t be…”

He slowly raised his trembling hands and stuttered while pointing at the figure.

“L, lady Luna Seyrod…?”

The knight on the coachman’s seat had seen Luna in the past. The girl from the Seyrod County adored the Duke of Pendragon. She died in Leus after being stabbed by an assassin in Duke Pendragon’s place. It hadn’t even been 1 year.

“What nonsense is this…?”

“Do you know her?”

“T, that’s right. Her name is Luna Seyrod. She is a lady of the territory located right next to the Pendragon Duchy. However… She definitely died last year…”

The knight spoke in a trembling voice filled with disbelief. The dead could not come back to life. In addition, her coffin was buried in the Great Territory of Seyrod after her funeral was held in Leus. It was impossible for her to be here unless she was a ghost.

“So are you saying that she is already dead? Are you sure that you are not mistaken?”

“Never. I saw her several times at the governor’s residence and I even attended her funeral. I am sure that is Luna Seyrod.”

At the words of the knight, Eltuan carefully observed the figure who was supposed to be dead. Unlike the shocked knight, she remained calm. She was more familiar with magic and sorcery compared to the humans since she was born in Red Moon Valley. In addition, she had already fought against truly incredible, magical beings in the labyrinth by Raven’s side.

As such, Eltuan was not scared of something like a ghost. She had never even met the woman before.

“It does not matter whether you are a ghost or not…”

Eltuan unsheathed her buffalo horn sword while muttering. The figure slowly started to walk towards Eltuan with the sunset dyeing her back.

“Hmm!”

The knight instinctively raised her crossbow towards her.

Wooong!

Eltuan evoked mana by reciting a protection spell of the Earth God.

It was then.

Fwoosh!

The silver hair of the deceased rose into the air like an upside-down waterfall and a burst of light exploded from her eyes.

“Kyararararara!”

Eltuan charged through the dreary, dark-green energy that filled the surroundings.

Shuaah!

The sword carrying the power of the Earth God cut through the ghost’s waist, or rather, Eltuan believed that it had. 

“Huh?”

Shock filled Eltuan’s eyes when she failed to sense what she was expecting. Although she cut through her opponent, it felt as if she had merely cut through water. The weapon had passed straight through the opponent.

That wasn’t all.

Paaat!

In an instant, the sword was engulfed in green light. It was transformed into ashes and scattered in the air.

“.....!”

Eltuan swerved around in shock, but the ominous green energy bent like a snake and wrapped around her entire body.

“Ahhhk!”

Eltuan screamed at the terrible pain inflicted on her mind. Soon, the green energy wiggled like a living creature and distanced itself from her body.

“Ugh…”

Thud!

Eltuan staggered before collapsing on the side of the road.

“Y, you monster!”

Tung!

The coachman hurriedly pulled the trigger of his crossbow at the sight.

Pst!

However, the quarrel also passed through the opponent’s body before turning into green ash and disappearing without a trace.

Flutter!

“Keugh! You damned witch!”

The knight hurriedly grabbed the reins of the horse and attempted to drive the carriage away as the figure approached them in a torrent of green. He judged that it was more important to escape from this place.

Neighh!

Although the horses were frightened, they were originally warhorses. They charged forward in a fit of madness.

Tudududududu!

When the carriage was about to collide with her, she raised her hand.

Wooong!

The green air trapped the horses and the carriage. As the energy washed over the horses, they were swept away as mere ashes without a chance to react.

“Keugh!”

The knight’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Fwoosh…

He was filed with breathtaking fear as the green energy approached him. Soon, his vision was eroded by green. That was the last thing the knight ever saw.

Whoosh…

The wind blew over the lonely carriage. The dreary energy that filled the surroundings disappeared along with the gust.

Squeak.

The carriage door opened.

Serin climbed out of the carriage while holding onto the railing with trembling hands. She managed to speak while gazing at the one who was staring back with emotionless eyes.

“You are…”

Fwoosh!

The robe dyed with red flapped, and something jumped out from within before enveloping Serin. It was as if shapeless smoke had entered her body.

“.....!”

Serin’s body shook greatly. With her mouth opened agape, her body started twisting.

Crack! Craccck!

Her arms and legs were twisted around in bizarre ways, and her pupils turned pure white. The skin that was exposed outside the dress turned green before turning back to normal.

Craackk!

Along with the last terrible noise, her body hung limply where she stood.

“.....”

After a while, Serin raised her head. Her eyes were white without any pupils. But in a moment, her original, pale blue eyes started to reappear and took shape. After her eyes were returned to normal, a creepy green light glimmered for a moment before disappearing.

Serin regained her original form after a while. She bowed her head and raised her left hand without saying anything. A light briefly flashed in her eyes as she observed the platinum ring with the elaborate carvings of a dragon and a griffon.

“Pendragon…”

A cold voice flowed out of her lips as she gently stroked the ring with her right hand. But soon, she raised her head and turned to the carriage. The knight, who had been drooping as if he was dead, slowly raised his body.

All the life had disappeared from his face, and his plaster-like appearance resembled a corpse. Awareness could not be found in his eyes, and he got off the carriage before coming to Serin’s side and kneeling on one knee.

A grotesque voice, like a crow’s cry, flowed from his blue, lifeless lips.

“Eternal loyalty… to the queen…”

Serin nodded very subtly, then gestured with her hand. An invisible force struck the carriage, and the vehicle slowly moved towards a slope before rolling down the mountain. Verifying that the carriage had completely disappeared into the forest, Serin turned to Eltuan, who had been lying on the side of the road the entire time.

The knight approached Eltuan and kicked her body.

Eltuan’s body was swallowed by the dark forest after rolling down the slope.

Rumble!

On the other side of the blazing sunset, clouds of ink were quickly filling the already darkened east with an ominous sound.

Suaaaaa…!

The rain soon visited, cooling down the remaining heat on the road. As the rain drenched the world, Serin and the knight slowly disappeared. The runoff from the heavy rain quickly formed into a small stream and tumbled down the ditch. The rough current quickly eliminated any remaining traces of the carriage’s fall.

Quaa…

The red, muddy water soaked the face of Eltuan. Her body was dirtied and she lay motionless as if she was dead.

“...Heuk!”

Eltuan suddenly gasped and stood up.

“Ugh…”

But due to the shooting pain felt throughout her entire body, Eltuan fell back on the ground.

“Heugh, heugh…!”

She crawled while struggling to breathe.

“I must… inform… Need to… Pendragon… Duchy…”

Eltuan crawled up the steep, slippery slope as the rain continued soaking the red ground.