How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Caenerna listened to the report of the situation again and hid her face with the sleeve of her robe. At this sight, the Northmen thought that the wizard was in despair.

“Wizard. This is not the time to sigh!”

“O. . . K. Don’t worry.”

“???”

Surprisingly, there was a slight smile mixed in the wizard’s voice. The Northmen looked at each other in bewilderment.

‘𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨?’

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

As soon as she entered the Duke’s tent, Caenerna started laughing all by herself. Johan quietly watched the red-haired wizard as if she were a mad person.

After laughing to her satisfaction, Caenerna raised her head. As her eyes met the Duke’s, Caenerna asked.

“No. . . It’s good to see you laughing. So, do you have a way to deal with the dragon?”

At Johan’s words, Caenerna twisted her hair with a troubled expression.

“It seems like there isn’t a proper one.”

“Since dragons are not common demons. . . Most of the remaining records are hard to believe, to be honest.”

Most of the records found in the monastery seemed to lack credibility. It was so much so that it made one wonder if the dragon had left because it was full, rather than being repelled.

Therefore, the records could not be used as references.

“Just in case, can you tell me what methods there were?”

“Hmm. There was one that involved selecting the three fattest people in the vicinity, stripping them naked, slathering their entire bodies with honey and spices, and then placing them where the dragon appeared. . .”

“. . . . . .”

Johan stopped listening.

“Wait. Isn’t it about offering a beautiful person as a sacrifice?”

“Duke. The dragon won’t recognize beauty. . .”

“That’s true.”

Johan was convinced. Come to think of it, Caenerna was right. It seemed that a dragon would be more interested in the meat and sauce than the facial features of a small human.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦.’

“What’s the other method?”

“There is a way to drive away the dragon by setting fire to the surrounding plains.”

“. . .Didn’t it just become a wasteland, so the dragon left?”

At Johan’s reaction, Caenerna nodded as if she had thought so too.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰.’

“I have some weapons brought from the East, so I think it will be okay to go for a long-term battle. . .”

Carefully, Caenerna checked Johan’s reaction as she spoke. In fact, the countermeasures proposed by the wizard were too simple.

“We should go for a long-term battle. It’s not a big expectation, so don’t feel burdened.”

“I shouldn’t say this as the one who brought it up, but is it really okay. . .”

“Volgarek? I don’t care if he dies or not.”

“. . . . . .”

Caenerna burst into forced laughter at the Duke’s refreshing answer. Then she nodded. Come to think of it, the Duke had always been this kind of person.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Your Highness can’t move easily, but we are different. Your Highness. I believe Your Highness will understand the burning hearts of the knights!”

“I am telling you not to go out.”

“. . . . . .”

After about three days, the northern knights, not wanting to leave the duke in a bad situation, gradually approached and asked to rescue Sir Volgarek themselves.

Although Johan felt sorry for preventing them from going, he couldn’t let them go on their own.

The knights applied three times and were rejected, and their spirits were dampened. Johan called his men and said.

“Wait outside at night and catch anyone who is trying to sneak out. If they don’t listen, you can beat them up.”

“Yes!”

The subordinates were ecstatic. When else would they get a chance to beat these knights up?

When the sun rose, the people in the camp witnessed the knights who seemed to have been beaten up a few times.

Meanwhile, the camps in front of the mountain were gradually taking shape. The disassembled siege weapons were assembled and revealed their majesty.

“Wonderful! No matter how strong the dragon is, it won’t be safe.”

“It will be able to break down even the walls of the old empire!”

“That’s not true.”

“I. . . Is that so?”

When Johan did not answer, the dragon surprisingly sent a messenger again. A goblin came down again, spitting blood and collapsing.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘳’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥?’

“What did the beast say this time?”

“The writing is so messy and toxic that I can’t read it. It’s better to burn it because you might be cursed for nothing.”

Instead of speaking, Johan tore up the letter. As a human being with pride, he could not lose in a battle of wits with a dragon.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳.’

Unfortunately, the dragon had misjudged the situation and timing. The families of the North were intertwined with each other, so they could not refuse if they were taken hostage, but it was different when someone who had nothing to do with them came as the commander.

Johan could really kill Volgarek without blinking an eye.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Hey. Goblin.”

━■?

Volgarek and his men were dragged into a dark cave with their eyes covered. It seemed like they had gone quite deep into the mountains from the Count’s ruined castle, so the location was nowhere to be found.

However, Volgarek’s men were also warriors who had gained experience as robbers, looters, and thieves. After some time had passed since they were dragged in, they began to think about how to survive.

“I think this rope is tied too tightly. Can you loosen it a little?”

━■■. ■■.

The goblins snickered in annoyance and mocked the warriors. At their laughter, the warriors forgot that they were tied up and became angry. They had never dreamed that they would be ignored by goblins in their lives.

“Did he just call us *ssholes?”

“Those bastards who should be torn apart. . .”

The mercenaries gritted their teeth and spat. Some of the mercenaries had been prisoners of war before, but this was the worst. Not only were they locked in a deep cave with no air circulation, but the only things they had to eat were rotten meat and moldy bread. The water smelled, and they couldn’t even dream of going outside for a short walk.

“Where did Sir Volgarek go?”

“The dragon took him away separately, so he must be getting treated well.”

“Do you think the dragon knows how to treat him well?”

“Haven’t you ever read a book? Haven’t you heard stories about the dragon’s castle?”

“. . .?”

The mercenary who had spoken up and was unnecessarily persecuted held back from arguing, saying, ‘𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.’ His colleague was a bit smarter. Since he knew a fair amount of letters, the story about the dragon might be true.

“Well, nobles usually get special treatment.”

“Damn it, are you saying that to us while you’re getting treated like that? Shouldn’t you at least give us proper food!?”

━■■, ■■!

The goblins threw a ball of rotten mud at the noisy mercenaries. The mercenaries shut their mouths after being hit by the mud.

‘𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳!’

While the mercenaries were suffering, Volgarek was also being treated properly by the dragon.

He had been hung between the dragon’s claws for days.

The dragon could not treat the prisoner he had captured in the manner of humans. Volgarek was the most precious hostage, so the dragon kept him pressed between his claws so that he would never be missed.

‘𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘪𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴. . .’

Volgarek struggled, but the dragon’s weight was so heavy that he didn’t budge. Volgarek tried to use more strength and then gave up. He was afraid that the dragon might wake up.

When he recalled the time he had faced the dragon, his body stiffened as fear welled up inside him again.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

When the dragon appeared, Volgarek and his men froze. Even the fiercest and bravest man did not dare to draw his weapon. The dragon must have known that, and it let out a nasty laugh. It was the arrogant laughter of the victor.

The goblin next to the dragon groped and wrote. It was the script of the ancient empire.

“. . .What, what does it say?”

“I don’t know?”

━■■■. . .

The goblins gave a look of contempt and wrote again in an easier script. It was crooked, but it was recognizable.

━𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

“I. . . I am Volgarek of the Visalfurk family.”

━𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲?

“The great family of the North. . . The emperor’s family.”

Volgarek spoke strongly, mixing pride and bluff. Although the emperor was gone, Volgarek still found it difficult to admit it. And there was also the calculation that the higher the status, the better the treatment would be.

━■■■ ■■■■■■.

━■■■■■!

“!?”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

The calculation was correct. Half correct. Wasn’t he receiving a kind of special treatment of being directly monitored by the dragon?

Then, the dragon stood up with a loud roar. Volgarek closed his eyes tightly and pretended to be asleep.

‘𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨!’

To his surprise, the dragon began to move. Volgarek was startled and closed his eyes, lost in thought. He had no idea why the one who had been quiet was moving.

The only thing he could tell was that he was quite angry.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵? 𝘐𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮? 𝘖𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦. . .?’

Volgarek pinned his hopes on the latter. Volgarek was still a great noble of the North. The people of the North would not just sit still and watch Volgarek being captured.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The cheer that only an army could make. At that sound, Volgarek came to his senses and opened his eyes wide.

Down on the plain below, countless people were gathered and surrounding this place.

“!!!”

Even in the murderous atmosphere, the dragon paid no attention. He lifted Volgarek with his claws and placed him in front of his mouth. It was an arrogant attitude, asking what these people could do about him, as he had the emperor’s bloodline here.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘥. . .!’

Volgarek glared at the dragon with eyes filled with anger. Despite being a huge, ferocious beast, he knew very well about the kingdom of men.

No matter how many soldiers gathered here, they could not attack if the dragon put up a shield like this. Who would bear the dishonor of killing the great noble of the North?

“Start the attack.”

Johan said coldly. The heralds next to him relayed the duke’s cry as a signal. The flag was waved and the sound of trumpets burst out.

With the sound of the thick ropes being released, the siege weapons began to fire. Massive boulders, burning balls of pitch, and sharp, giant arrows flew towards the dragon.

━!!!

The dragon seemed to have never expected it. He took the attack head-on and rolled backwards. Although the arrows did not pierce through because of the hard scales, the attack was so heavy that the impact was severe.

“It’s working!”

“Keep firing. Don’t stop! We have to finish him off here!”

As they had only practiced until the dragon came out, the skills of those gathered here were near perfect.

“His Highness the Duke said that he will personally reward the one who cuts off the dragon’s breath! Aim!”

“Fire it up!”

Caenerna thought to herself as she watched the siege weapons being quickly loaded and fired.

‘𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘬 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵.’

Well, Volgarek was not a person who was well-liked wherever he went.

He had looted several fiefdoms in the North (even his identity had been revealed. He had gotten off the hook because the emperor was alive), but he had been rude to other feudal lords, and he had the personality of talking bullsh*t even when he was invited to a banquet and talking bullsh*t even when he was not invited. . .

If he was really a pitiful person, one or two of the feudal lords of the North would have said, ‘𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺. . .’ but judging from the fact that no one spoke up, it seemed that he was really not pitiful. Everyone seemed grateful to the duke, who was armed with a musket.

The dragon swung Volgarek around like a madman. He was trying to somehow block the incoming attacks.

“Don’t fall for his tricks. Don’t stop attacking!”

“Sir, no one has stopped!”

When one of his men answered, a snickering laughter came from somewhere else. Johan spoke without paying any attention.

“He’s running away! Move!”

When he gained the upper hand, Johan moved without hesitation. The dragon’s weakness had to be cut off when it was revealed. Things got annoying if he ran away or hid.

“Chase him! Don’t let him get away!”

The dragon was still slow to crawl as he had not yet recovered from the shock. Some of the centaurs who were confident in their bows raised their arrows and aimed for the dragon’s eyes.

━■■■!

In the midst of the chaos, it seemed that the dragon’s vigilance had been heightened even more. He pulled back his head and covered his face. The centaurs sighed.

“He’s trying to throw the hostage!”

“What do we do!?”

Johan’s men panicked. They had attacked without paying attention until now, but they still thought they should receive it.

The duke gave the order cheerfully.

“Don’t worry about it and ignore it!”

“Yes!”

The warriors were impressed by their master’s judgment. It was a clean judgment that was refreshing.,

Caenerna listened to the report of the situation again and hid her face with the sleeve of her robe. At this sight, the Northmen thought that the wizard was in despair.

“Wizard. This is not the time to sigh!”

“O. . . K. Don’t worry.”

“???”

Surprisingly, there was a slight smile mixed in the wizard’s voice. The Northmen looked at each other in bewilderment.

‘𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨?’

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

As soon as she entered the Duke’s tent, Caenerna started laughing all by herself. Johan quietly watched the red-haired wizard as if she were a mad person.

After laughing to her satisfaction, Caenerna raised her head. As her eyes met the Duke’s, Caenerna asked.

“Is there a problem?”

“No. . . It’s good to see you laughing. So, do you have a way to deal with the dragon?”

At Johan’s words, Caenerna twisted her hair with a troubled expression.

“It seems like there isn’t a proper one.”

“Since dragons are not common demons. . . Most of the remaining records are hard to believe, to be honest.”

Most of the records found in the monastery seemed to lack credibility. It was so much so that it made one wonder if the dragon had left because it was full, rather than being repelled.

Therefore, the records could not be used as references.

“Just in case, can you tell me what methods there were?”

“Hmm. There was one that involved selecting the three fattest people in the vicinity, stripping them naked, slathering their entire bodies with honey and spices, and then placing them where the dragon appeared. . .”

“. . . . . .”

Johan stopped listening.

“Wait. Isn’t it about offering a beautiful person as a sacrifice?”

“Duke. The dragon won’t recognize beauty. . .”

“That’s true.”

Johan was convinced. Come to think of it, Caenerna was right. It seemed that a dragon would be more interested in the meat and sauce than the facial features of a small human.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦.’

“What’s the other method?”

“There is a way to drive away the dragon by setting fire to the surrounding plains.”

“. . .Didn’t it just become a wasteland, so the dragon left?”

At Johan’s reaction, Caenerna nodded as if she had thought so too.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰.’

“I have some weapons brought from the East, so I think it will be okay to go for a long-term battle. . .”

Carefully, Caenerna checked Johan’s reaction as she spoke. In fact, the countermeasures proposed by the wizard were too simple.

“We should go for a long-term battle. It’s not a big expectation, so don’t feel burdened.”

“I shouldn’t say this as the one who brought it up, but is it really okay. . .”

“Volgarek? I don’t care if he dies or not.”

“. . . . . .”

Caenerna burst into forced laughter at the Duke’s refreshing answer. Then she nodded. Come to think of it, the Duke had always been this kind of person.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Your Highness can’t move easily, but we are different. Your Highness. I believe Your Highness will understand the burning hearts of the knights!”

“I am telling you not to go out.”

“. . . . . .”

After about three days, the northern knights, not wanting to leave the duke in a bad situation, gradually approached and asked to rescue Sir Volgarek themselves.

Although Johan felt sorry for preventing them from going, he couldn’t let them go on their own.

The knights applied three times and were rejected, and their spirits were dampened. Johan called his men and said.

“Wait outside at night and catch anyone who is trying to sneak out. If they don’t listen, you can beat them up.”

“Yes!”

The subordinates were ecstatic. When else would they get a chance to beat these knights up?

When the sun rose, the people in the camp witnessed the knights who seemed to have been beaten up a few times.

Meanwhile, the camps in front of the mountain were gradually taking shape. The disassembled siege weapons were assembled and revealed their majesty.

“Wonderful! No matter how strong the dragon is, it won’t be safe.”

“It will be able to break down even the walls of the old empire!”

“That’s not true.”

“I. . . Is that so?”

When Johan did not answer, the dragon surprisingly sent a messenger again. A goblin came down again, spitting blood and collapsing.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘳’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥?’

“What did the beast say this time?”

“The writing is so messy and toxic that I can’t read it. It’s better to burn it because you might be cursed for nothing.”

Instead of speaking, Johan tore up the letter. As a human being with pride, he could not lose in a battle of wits with a dragon.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳.’

Unfortunately, the dragon had misjudged the situation and timing. The families of the North were intertwined with each other, so they could not refuse if they were taken hostage, but it was different when someone who had nothing to do with them came as the commander.

Johan could really kill Volgarek without blinking an eye.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Hey. Goblin.”

━■?

Volgarek and his men were dragged into a dark cave with their eyes covered. It seemed like they had gone quite deep into the mountains from the Count’s ruined castle, so the location was nowhere to be found.

However, Volgarek’s men were also warriors who had gained experience as robbers, looters, and thieves. After some time had passed since they were dragged in, they began to think about how to survive.

“I think this rope is tied too tightly. Can you loosen it a little?”

━■■. ■■.

The goblins snickered in annoyance and mocked the warriors. At their laughter, the warriors forgot that they were tied up and became angry. They had never dreamed that they would be ignored by goblins in their lives.

“Did he just call us *ssholes?”

“Those bastards who should be torn apart. . .”

The mercenaries gritted their teeth and spat. Some of the mercenaries had been prisoners of war before, but this was the worst. Not only were they locked in a deep cave with no air circulation, but the only things they had to eat were rotten meat and moldy bread. The water smelled, and they couldn’t even dream of going outside for a short walk.

“Where did Sir Volgarek go?”

“The dragon took him away separately, so he must be getting treated well.”

“Do you think the dragon knows how to treat him well?”

“Haven’t you ever read a book? Haven’t you heard stories about the dragon’s castle?”

“. . .?”

The mercenary who had spoken up and was unnecessarily persecuted held back from arguing, saying, ‘𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.’ His colleague was a bit smarter. Since he knew a fair amount of letters, the story about the dragon might be true.

“Well, nobles usually get special treatment.”

“Damn it, are you saying that to us while you’re getting treated like that? Shouldn’t you at least give us proper food!?”

━■■, ■■!

The goblins threw a ball of rotten mud at the noisy mercenaries. The mercenaries shut their mouths after being hit by the mud.

‘𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳!’

While the mercenaries were suffering, Volgarek was also being treated properly by the dragon.

He had been hung between the dragon’s claws for days.

The dragon could not treat the prisoner he had captured in the manner of humans. Volgarek was the most precious hostage, so the dragon kept him pressed between his claws so that he would never be missed.

‘𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘪𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴. . .’

Volgarek struggled, but the dragon’s weight was so heavy that he didn’t budge. Volgarek tried to use more strength and then gave up. He was afraid that the dragon might wake up.

When he recalled the time he had faced the dragon, his body stiffened as fear welled up inside him again.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

When the dragon appeared, Volgarek and his men froze. Even the fiercest and bravest man did not dare to draw his weapon. The dragon must have known that, and it let out a nasty laugh. It was the arrogant laughter of the victor.

The goblin next to the dragon groped and wrote. It was the script of the ancient empire.

“. . .What, what does it say?”

“I don’t know?”

━■■■. . .

The goblins gave a look of contempt and wrote again in an easier script. It was crooked, but it was recognizable.

━𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

“I. . . I am Volgarek of the Visalfurk family.”

━𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲?

“The great family of the North. . . The emperor’s family.”

Volgarek spoke strongly, mixing pride and bluff. Although the emperor was gone, Volgarek still found it difficult to admit it. And there was also the calculation that the higher the status, the better the treatment would be.

━■■■ ■■■■■■.

━■■■■■!

“!?”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

The calculation was correct. Half correct. Wasn’t he receiving a kind of special treatment of being directly monitored by the dragon?

Then, the dragon stood up with a loud roar. Volgarek closed his eyes tightly and pretended to be asleep.

‘𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨!’

To his surprise, the dragon began to move. Volgarek was startled and closed his eyes, lost in thought. He had no idea why the one who had been quiet was moving.

The only thing he could tell was that he was quite angry.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵? 𝘐𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮? 𝘖𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦. . .?’

Volgarek pinned his hopes on the latter. Volgarek was still a great noble of the North. The people of the North would not just sit still and watch Volgarek being captured.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The cheer that only an army could make. At that sound, Volgarek came to his senses and opened his eyes wide.

Down on the plain below, countless people were gathered and surrounding this place.

“!!!”

Even in the murderous atmosphere, the dragon paid no attention. He lifted Volgarek with his claws and placed him in front of his mouth. It was an arrogant attitude, asking what these people could do about him, as he had the emperor’s bloodline here.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘥. . .!’

Volgarek glared at the dragon with eyes filled with anger. Despite being a huge, ferocious beast, he knew very well about the kingdom of men.

No matter how many soldiers gathered here, they could not attack if the dragon put up a shield like this. Who would bear the dishonor of killing the great noble of the North?

“Start the attack.”

Johan said coldly. The heralds next to him relayed the duke’s cry as a signal. The flag was waved and the sound of trumpets burst out.

With the sound of the thick ropes being released, the siege weapons began to fire. Massive boulders, burning balls of pitch, and sharp, giant arrows flew towards the dragon.

━!!!

The dragon seemed to have never expected it. He took the attack head-on and rolled backwards. Although the arrows did not pierce through because of the hard scales, the attack was so heavy that the impact was severe.

“It’s working!”

“Keep firing. Don’t stop! We have to finish him off here!”

As they had only practiced until the dragon came out, the skills of those gathered here were near perfect.

“His Highness the Duke said that he will personally reward the one who cuts off the dragon’s breath! Aim!”

“Fire it up!”

Caenerna thought to herself as she watched the siege weapons being quickly loaded and fired.

‘𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘬 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵.’

Well, Volgarek was not a person who was well-liked wherever he went.

He had looted several fiefdoms in the North (even his identity had been revealed. He had gotten off the hook because the emperor was alive), but he had been rude to other feudal lords, and he had the personality of talking bullsh*t even when he was invited to a banquet and talking bullsh*t even when he was not invited. . .

If he was really a pitiful person, one or two of the feudal lords of the North would have said, ‘𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺. . .’ but judging from the fact that no one spoke up, it seemed that he was really not pitiful. Everyone seemed grateful to the duke, who was armed with a musket.

The dragon swung Volgarek around like a madman. He was trying to somehow block the incoming attacks.

“Don’t fall for his tricks. Don’t stop attacking!”

“Sir, no one has stopped!”

When one of his men answered, a snickering laughter came from somewhere else. Johan spoke without paying any attention.

“He’s running away! Move!”

When he gained the upper hand, Johan moved without hesitation. The dragon’s weakness had to be cut off when it was revealed. Things got annoying if he ran away or hid.

“Chase him! Don’t let him get away!”

The dragon was still slow to crawl as he had not yet recovered from the shock. Some of the centaurs who were confident in their bows raised their arrows and aimed for the dragon’s eyes.

━■■■!

In the midst of the chaos, it seemed that the dragon’s vigilance had been heightened even more. He pulled back his head and covered his face. The centaurs sighed.

“He’s trying to throw the hostage!”

“What do we do!?”

Johan’s men panicked. They had attacked without paying attention until now, but they still thought they should receive it.

The duke gave the order cheerfully.

“Don’t worry about it and ignore it!”

“Yes!”

The warriors were impressed by their master’s judgment. It was a clean judgment that was refreshing.