Duke Pendragon

“…..”

It was only the addition of seven extra figures, but the palace was filled with suffocating tension and silence.

Dragons were absolute beings. Each one could easily decimate an entire country. The eyes of the seven dragons each glowed in different colors as they looked down at the nobles and the officials. Although they maintained a human form, they could not possibly be humans.

The natural spirit that concentrated around the seven figures made it impossible to tell whether they were the masters of the palace or the one who was climbing down the stairs towards them.

As the officials and nobles stood fixated in their place, the emperor finally climbed down the entire staircase.

The Monarch of Humans and the Lord of Dragons finally came to face each other.

There was a gleam swirling in the emperor’s eyes. It wasn’t purposeful, but the Spirit of the Emperor had been evoked in response to the Spirit of the Dragon.

The emperor soon opened his lips.

“I am Aragon. It is an honor to meet the lord of the olden brothers of the gods, the lord of the noblest race on earth.”

The emperor spoke before lightly bowing. Stifled cries erupted from the palace. To think that the master of the great empire would bow his head.

But what could they do?

They were against dragons, and the one who stood in front of the emperor was their Queen, the one who accompanied all the dragons in existence.

She was the monarch of the greatest, the strongest race on earth. She was truly an absolute being. Soldrake responded to the emperor’s greeting with a single nod, then started moving her mouth.

But it was impossible for her to communicate with any humans except for her soul’s companion, so Amuhalt spoke on her behalf.

[The queen thanks you for your hospitality. She also asks for understanding for the sudden visit.]

“Naturally. But for what reason have the members of the great tribe come to find me?”

[The Queen and us, her knights, have come to you because of the death of a human southern monarch called Arangis.]

The palace was shaken by Amuhalt’s words. What did the death of Arangis have anything to do with dragons? Amuhalt continued as the humans gulped loudly.

[The human monarch named Arangis was killed by the spell of a sorcerer called the Nameless Necromancer. This is…]

“…..!”

Everyone became wide-eyed at Amuhalt’s shocking words.

Was it true what Duke Pendragon said just a moment ago?

But why were dragons speaking of the matter after coming all this way?

The people were shocked with confusion and doubt. At that moment, someone shouted.

“I cannot believe it!”

Attention was instantly drawn to the person who dared interrupt a dragon’s remarks. His face was dyed red and he raised his voice. It was Jamie Roxan, the one who always remained confident and calm until now.

“The White Dragon Soldrake is the Queen of you dragons! And she is the companion of Duke Pendragon! How are we to tell if she is lying on his behalf? And perhaps you are obeying the orders of your queen to…”

Fwoooosh!!!

A jet-black spirit erupted from Amuhalt’s figure and washed towards Jamie Roxan like a gigantic wave.

“Keugh…!”

He himself was capable of handling the spirit, and he was considered one of the three strongest warriors in Paleon, but a human being could not stand up to the spirit of a dragon.

Jamie Roxan faltered backwards with trembling shoulders.

[Human. She is definitely our Queen. But all of us are olden brothers of the gods. She cannot force us.]

Amuhalt continued with his speech while looking around the palace with his obsidian eyes.

[Hear. All dragons stand alone and watch, and we do not lie. I, Amuhalt, came to this place following only my conviction, and my conviction alone.]

Nobles and officials shuddered as Amuhalt declared. Humans did not consider the will of trifling creatures. What man would ask a crawling insect for their opinion?

For dragons, humans were such beings.

Therefore, the act of greeting and speaking to such humans was tantamount to proving the authenticity of their words. If they so wished, they could blow away the imperial castle with a single blow. They would have no other reason to have a conversation with the humans.

“I apologize for my vassal’s slip of the tongue. May the Queen’s Knight continue to speak.”

The emperor came forward and apologized to Amuhalt. After withdrawing his spirit, Amuhalt nodded and continued.

[The one without a name. He existed even before the founding of your empire. Does the human lord know of Elsaroa of Alcantia?]

“Hmm…!”

“Uagh!”

“El, elsaroa!”

The emperor flinched for the first time, and the officials and nobles openly displayed their shock. Everyone present knew of the Queen of Death, the greatest witch who once terrorized the entire world.

It was because the founding of the Aragon Empire was closely related to her.

[The Nameless One is the sorcerer responsible for inciting Elsaroa at the time to throw the world into chaos. He is the messenger and servant of the Death God Çarcas. He is an extremely dangerous being who can embody Çarcas’s power on earth…]

The shock only increased as Amuhalt’s story continued. The only church banned in the Aragon Empire was the Death God’s church. The Death God’s authority to manipulate the dead to revive creatures into monsters such as zombies and ghouls could never coexist with Illeyna, the Goddess of Light.

Above all, most of the dark chapters in the empire’s history were deeply related to dark magic. All those gathered here were well aware of the facts as nobles, the backbone of the Aragon Empire. As such, they could not help but be shocked as Amuhalt continued talking. Even the emperor was stunned.

[…That is all the Queen and us brother can say. But here me, Lord of Humans, you must prepare for the Nameless One. He will lead your empire to the path of sin and bring all humans to despair.]

Amuhalt finished talking.

“…..”

Befitting his status as the empire’s master, the emperor had already regained his composure. He spoke to Amuhalt, Soldrake, and the other dragons from the bottom of his heart.

“Aragon thanks the great dragons for the advice and the warning. However, I have one curiosity.”

[What is it?]

“The servant of the Death God. Where is the Nameless One now?”

Amuhalt shared a gaze with Soldrake before shaking his head.

[That is not known to us either.]

“Hmm…!”

The emperor’s expression darkened. Others were also dismayed at the fact that even dragons were unaware of his whereabouts. A major threat to the empire was hidden in the shadows.

Then, a calm voice penetrated throughout the tense atmosphere.

“I do not know about the whereabouts of the Nameless One, but I have a guess as to what he is planning.”

“Hmm!?”

The emperor, hundreds of nobles throughout the palace, and the seven dragons turned their heads towards the voice.

Tap. Tap.

Duke of the White Dragon, Alan Pendragon, walked towards the bottom of the stairs, where the emperor and the Queen of the Dragons stood.

“Duke Pendragon…”

Some people were taken aback. They had forgotten about him with the entrance of the dragons. No matter what anyone said, he was the most crucial person in this place.

[Ray.]

Raven responded to Soldarke with a gentle look before coming before the emperor.

“Duke Pendragon. Is what you just said true?”

“That is correct, Your Majesty. He has maintained a hostile relationship with me and the Pendragon Duchy for a long time. Several years ago, when I failed to establish a contract with Soldrake, the monster armies of the Troll King in the South, and Duke Arangis’ rebellious plan – all of it was a part of his plan.”

“Hmm…!”

“How could this be!”

The nobles reacted with shock, and the emperor responded in a serious tone.

“I ask, Duke Pendragon. Then why did the nameless sorcerer kill Arangis?”

“His purpose is to create chaos in the empire. Duke Arangis was killed in the presence of me and the second prince. And right now, judging from even the atmosphere of the Royal Batallium, would it not be safe to assume that his intentions were half successful so far?”

Raven spoke coldly while looking around at the gathered nobles.

Many of the great nobles and officials avoided his gaze. Raven turned back towards the emperor while continuing.

“But he is a necromancer who follows the Death God Çarcas. Political turmoil alone cannot help him achieve his purpose. In the end, if he wants to achieve his real goal, then…”

“It must be war.”

The emperor received Raven’s words in a low voice.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Both the second prince and I feel the same way. Just as he did in the South… He must be trying to start a war.”

“Heuk!”

“A w, war…!?”

“On the mainland!?”

The nobles inhaled sharply while trembling. Territorial disputes, both big and small, were natural processes. Armed clashes with other countries at the border were also frequent.

However, there had been no major wars on the imperial mainland in the past hundreds of years.

“Is it the border…?”

The emperor recalled the northern border of the empire. Conflicts with the barbarians were almost an everyday occurrence.

But Raven shook his head.

“I do not believe so. The northern barbarians are divided into different tribes, so it will be hard to unify them. Also, if a war breaks out with them, our empire will unite around you, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm.”

It was true. War against external forces would only bring the nation together, not create confusion.

“Well, if so…”

The emperor suddenly raised his head, as if remembering something. The tense eyes of the nobles were also drawn to Raven.

Raven spoke with renewed vigor.

“Yes. I believe that the Nameless One was involved in the movement of the army of Alice towards the Pendragon Duchy.”

“…..!”

The emperor’s straight brows wriggled with agitation.

*** 

“Well…”

Jody’s expression was dark.

Kwaaah…

Across the wide, strong river, Ronan Bridge was filled with chariots carrying the flag of the Great Territory of Alice. Behind them stood thousands of mounted horses, soldiers, and mercenaries. They stood at the entrance of the bridge, waiting for orders.

“How grand…”

Although he participated in quite a few battles while serving as a mercenary, Jody had never seen such a large army before. He looked quite nervous.

But the figure crouching next to him only snorted in response.

“Keheung! In the South, we fought against much greater enemies. They’re nothing.”

Karuta was restless, as if he was itching for a fight.

“H, hold still, please. What are you going to do if we get caught?’

Jody, Karuta, and the two elven warriors were currently situated in the middle of a mountain located a distance from Ronan Bridge.

Since they were quite far from the troops, they would avoid detection by humans in the shade of the forest. However, the griffons of Alice’s army were constantly flying around in the sky, so they needed to keep low to stay hidden.

“Anyhow, is Sir Isla still preparing…?”

Jody murmured anxiously while looking around the griffons coming and going near the bridge. As soon as the group arrived in the early morning, Isla and Eltuan headed to a place where wild griffons frequently appeared.

He stated that he would fly back to the place immediately and give a signal as soon as he succeeded in taming a griffon. But that was already hours ago, and if the forces of Alice started crossing the bridge, the operation would be rendered useless.

“Be careful. A griffon’s flying close.”

An elven warrior jumped down from a tall tree and spoke.

“Eek!”

Jody fell to the floor, worried about being detected.

Kiyaaaaahk!

Soon, a handsome, tan griffon flew towards them with rough strokes, then neared where the group was hiding.

“Ah!”

Jody burst into an exclamation after seeing the griffon.

Two people had been riding on the wild griffon. It was Isla and Eltuan.

The griffon circled over the group twice, then flew back towards the back of the mountain.

‘Is it finally beginning…?’

Jody licked his lips and swallowed loudly, then looked back towards Karuta and the two elven warriors.

“Let’s go.”

Krr…

Red glow emitted from Karuta’s eyes, and the elven warriors also grabbed their weapons with determined expressions.

That was how the four figures’ charge, which would be recorded as a legend of Ronan Bridge in the future, began.