Chapter 811

【 THE RAMPAGING DRAGON 】

Outside the mine, a fully armed force had already surrounded the entire area and in addition to the regular military, there were clearly also several well-known mercenary groups. Altogether, their total numbers more or less exceeded three thousand.

Amidst the ranks of knights stood a young man clad in armor. Though he appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, he stood atop a large boulder, solemnly gazing at the castle on the hillside.

He possessed a brilliant golden hair and the emerald-green eyes that were the hallmark of the Lawson bloodline, whilst the soldiers around him treated him with the utmost respect.

Before long, a dragon’s loud roar echoed from the direction of the castle. Under his narrowed gaze, several bedraggled adventurers fled down the hillside in panic.

They had abandoned their weapons and equipment, clearly having suffered a tremendous fright.

The blond youth frowned and said to a knight beside him,

“Go and see what happened. Check whether anyone was injured, then bring the captain of the Sunshirt Mercenary Group to me.”

“Yes, Young Master Frank.”

The knight bowed respectfully.

Soon afterward, several adventurers were escorted over by the soldiers. Leading them was a tall, heavily built warrior with a muscular physique.

He bowed to the youth named Frank before speaking in a deep voice.

“Young Master Frank, our men have returned.”

“Well? Was anyone injured?” the young man asked.

“No one was injured. Everyone managed to escape before the other party attacked.”

The warrior answered.

Frank nodded before asking again,

“What exactly is inside that castle? Is it truly a golden dragon?”

Upon hearing the question, the warrior glanced at another adventurer beside him. The man’s face was still pale, his lingering fear plainly visible. He nodded respectfully, though his voice trembled with unease.

“W-Well, Young Master Frank. W… We couldn’t see it clearly…”

“You couldn’t see it clearly…?”

Frank frowned slightly.

“Y… Yes. After we entered the castle, it felt as though we had stepped into another world. But the weird thing was that every one of us saw a different scene… I saw a sea of flames, and… and a terrifying fire demon. I could’ve sworn I was almost swallowed by it…”

The adventurer spoke while trembling uncontrollably.

“Another world? Different scenes?”

Frank fell into thought.

“Was it somekind of spell? Perhaps an illusion?”

He pondered aloud.

At that moment, a stout middle-aged noble dressed in luxurious attire stepped forward.

Looking at the young man, he said excitedly,

“Young Master Frank! It’s a golden dragon! It must really be a golden dragon! I’ve already questioned the miners, and many of them saw it with their own eyes!”

“Young Master! We must eliminate that golden dragon immediately! I’ve heard that golden dragons love eating precious metals! It must have set its sights on our gold mine. If we delay any longer, all our gold will be eaten!”

At the sight of the middle-aged noble, a trace of disgust flashed across the young man’s eyes.

“Sir Paul, if it truly is a golden dragon, then it doesn’t appear to harbor any hostility toward us. Otherwise, those adventurers we sent would already been dead,” he replied calmly.

“But it’s still a dragon, Young Master Frank! A dragon! Dragons are all greedy. It has undoubtedly come for our gold! We must find a way to kill it, or at the very least drive it away!”

The middle-aged noble insisted.

At his antics, Frank’s patience began to wear thin as he glanced coldly at the fat noble and said,

“Sir Paul, we have fewer than four thousand troops. Two-thirds of them are mercenaries, and we possess only a single high-ranking expert. Do you truly believe our forces are capable enough of opposing an adult gold dragon?”

“Then let’s recruit more adventurers! Spread the news that there’s a gold dragon right here! I’m sure plenty of adventurers would be interested in slaying a dragon!”

The middle-aged noble urged anxiously.

“And who will pay the reward? Certainly not me. I don’t have that kind of money.”

The young man shook his head.

After a moment of silence, he continued,

“Gold dragons uphold justice and rarely come into conflict with humans. I believe… there may be some sort of misunderstanding. We should find a way to communicate with it first.”

“Communicate? Pssh, Young Master Frank, you’ve already sent so many people, and every attempt has failed so far. Do you still intend to keep trying? If this drags on any longer, all of our gold will be gone!”

The middle-aged noble exclaimed in exasperation.

Frank finally lost his patience. Looking at the noble with open disdain, he said,

“Baron Paul, I’ll handle this matter myself. You’d do better to mind your own affairs. I heard you’ve been withholding the wages of your miners, and even had them beaten. For that, I expect an explanation.”

“Y-Young Master Frank, they’re just a bunch of lowborn commoners! With the gold mine occupied, where am I supposed to find the money to pay them? Dealing with the dragon is what really matters!”

The middle-aged noble replied with dissatisfaction.

Frank stared at him deeply, the disgust in his eyes growing even stronger.

“Paul, they are your subjects, and they are also subjects of the Lawson Household.”

The middle-aged noble chuckled and replied,

“Ah, Young Master Frank, you’re still too young. Our subjects are the very wealth of us nobles and working for us is simply their sworn duty. Besides, times are so chaotic now. The mere fact that we give them food to eat is already an act of great kindness. While they were mining, I even provided them with meals every single day. They should be deeply grateful to me.”

As he spoke, he glanced toward the castle on the mountainside and shook his head.

“My advice is that you should focus on dealing with the gold dragon as soon as possible. The Duke places great importance on both the gold mine and the mana stones here. If anything goes wrong, even though you’re his younger brother, you’ll certainly be punished.”

Upon hearing the middle-aged noble’s words, the surrounding knights shot him indignant looks. One of Frank’s personal guard knights let out a cold laugh and said,

“Watch how you speak Sir Baron, our young master merely happened to pass through this area. He organized the mercenaries only because he was concerned that the dragon’s appearance might endanger the nearby towns. Since when did you gain the right to shift your responsibilities onto him?”

“And who are you to speak to me in such a manner? I am a baron of the Lawson House!”

The middle-aged man sneered.

Frank glanced at him and said calmly,

“He is my knight, and the heir of the House of Roland.”

The middle-aged noble froze for a moment.

The Roland House was a noble family in the Northern Territory that had long sworn allegiance to the Lawson Household. They were also a distant branch of the Lawson bloodline. Although the family had fallen into decline, they still held the rank of count.

The fat noble snorted, his arrogance noticeably diminished. After glancing at the hillside and then at the personal guards accompanying the young master, he remarked in a sarcastic tone,

“Young Master Frank, since the Duke has entrusted you with patrolling the territory, then you should shoulder the responsibility that comes with it. If you’re unable to resolve the situation at the mine, I will certainly report the matter to His Grace.”

Frank cast him an indifferent glance.

“As you wish.”

The middle-aged noble was momentarily speechless.

Narrowing his eyes, he let out a cold snort before leaving with several attendants.

Faintly, his muttered curses could still be heard.

“Hmph. He’s nothing more than a bastard who isn’t even eligible to inherit a title, yet he actually thinks he’s a young master of the Lawson Household… Tch…”

Hearing those words, Frank slowly clenched his fists.

“Young Master! He…”

The surrounding knights immediately flew into a rage.

Some even drew their swords on the spot, but Frank quickly stopped them.

“Enough. He’s nothing more than a petty man. Leave him be.”

“But he insulted you! He insulted an imperial noble!”

“A noble…?”

A trace of self-mockery crossed the young man’s face.

He shook his head and said,

“No. He was clearly deliberately trying to provoke me. In the end, what happens at the mine is his responsibility. But if I lose my temper, he’ll have an excuse to shift the blame onto me.”

“Young Master, then we should stay out of this mine’s affairs. If we remain here any longer, I’m afraid we’ll end up being unable to clear ourselves of such responsibility.”

The knight spoke in a grave tone.

After listening to his attendant, Frank sighed softly.

“But I am carrying out my duty to inspect the territory. Besides…”

He looked toward the castle before continuing,

“Even if we set the gold mine aside, a dragon occupying territory so close to a town, even a gold dragon, could still pose a danger to the local townspeople. I can’t simply ignore it.”

“Then what should we do next, Young Master? Continue trying to negotiate with the golden dragon?”

Someone asked.

Frank pondered for a moment before replying,

“Our previous attempts likely failed because no one could break through the illusion spell surrounding the place. If someone can overcome that magic, we may finally be able to meet that dragon.”

With that, he jumped down from the boulder and handed his cloak to one of the knights.

“Young Master?”

The knight looked at him in confusion.

“I’ll go myself. I’m a magic swordsman, so I have fairly strong resistance to illusion spells. Besides, I’m carrying the protective magical artifact my teacher gave me.”

Frank said.

“No! It’s far too dangerous!”

The attendants immediately protested but the young man only smiled reassuringly in response.

“Don’t worry. So many people have gone in and returned unharmed, so I think I’ll be fine as well. Besides, illusion spells often becomes more powerful the more people it affects. So if I go in alone, I may actually have a better chance of succeeding.”

“Wait here for me. I’ll be back shortly.”

With that, Frank ignored the knights’ attempts to stop him and made his way up the hillside alone.

The slope above the mine was not particularly steep.

Alternating between climbing and walking, Frank reached the castle entrance in less than ten minutes.

The castle gates stood wide open, its interior dark and unfathomable.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.

The instant he crossed the threshold, the surrounding scenery changed completely.

Frank found himself back in Lawson House’s main castle.

Seated upon the ducal throne that had only recently been reclaimed was his half-brother, Joseph von Lawson, the prodigious swordsman hailed as the greatest swordsmanship genius the Empire had seen in a century. Currently he was looking down at Frank with icy contempt.

“Seize this bastard who has tainted our House’s bloodline and shown disrespect toward the Church! Kill him without mercy!”

Joseph commanded the knights within the castle.

At his order, one Gold-rank Knight after another charged toward Frank.

Sensing the overwhelming aura emanating from them, Frank’s expression changed dramatically as an indescribable mixture of fear and anger welled up within him.

“N-No… I’m not a bastard!”

He let out a grief-stricken roar.

However, the knights were already upon him. His weapon was effortlessly knocked from his grasp, and an icy blade pierced his chest.

At that very moment, however, a badge hanging from his chest began to emit a gentle radiance. A cool, soothing power flowed throughout his entire body.

Frank’s mind instantly cleared, and the scene before his eyes shattered like broken glass.

His half-brother was gone just as the knights had also vanished.

All that remained was the dimly lit hall of an ancient castle.

Only then did Frank realize that he was drenched in cold sweat.

He gasped for breath, his face deathly pale.

Just then, an aged voice echoed throughout the castle.

“Hm? You actually managed to break through the spell I set?”

The next moment, under Frank’s astonished gaze, an enormous golden head emerged within the castle.

Majestic eyes, long golden whiskers, and gleaming golden scales.

It was a golden dragon.

However, across its imposing dragon’s head, a black rune was slowly spreading.

An immense dragon’s might enveloped the entire castle, causing the young silver-rank swordsman to tremble uncontrollably.

Suppressing the fear in his heart, he steadied himself and spoke.

“Honored Golden Dragon, my name is Frank von Lawson. I wish to speak with you.”

“Lawson? The Lawson House?”

A trace of understanding flashed through the golden dragon’s clouded eyes.

It looked at the young man, its body trembling slightly before it said in a deep voice,

“Young man, the ancient seal in here has been broken, which had corrupted the mineral deposits in this mine. I advise you to leave as soon as possible.”

“…Corrupted?”

Frank froze for a moment.

“Leave quickly, while I can still control myself.”

The golden dragon urged again.

Frank was about to speak, but the dragon’s expression suddenly twisted in agony.

Wisps of black mist began rising from its body. In the next instant, a blood-red glint flashed across its golden eyes.

“Leave… Leave this place… Quickly…”

The golden dragon growled.

Frank’s expression changed. Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and fled toward the castle entrance.

The moment he escaped outside, a deafening roar erupted behind him.

Instinctively, the young man looked back.

What greeted his eyes was an enormous golden dragon, well over a hundred meters in length, bursting through the castle.

Its sail-like wings unfurled, blotting out the sky.

Strange black patterns covered its massive body, and an overwhelming, terrifying aura radiated from it.

With a furious roar, its blood-red eyes locked onto Frank as it charged straight toward him.

Not good!

Frank’s face paled.

He immediately threw himself into a roll to evade the attack, but it was already too late.

It’s over…

A wave of despair rose within the young man’s heart.

Yet just as he was about to be swallowed by the gold dragon, a cool, emotionless voice suddenly descended from the heavens.

“Bind.”

In the next instant, countless green vines burst forth from the ground and coiled around the golden dragon.

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