Chapter 377: ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ-๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ (21)
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.
โWizard. This is not the time to sigh!โ
โO. . . K. Donโt worry.โ
โ???โ
Surprisingly, there was a slight smile mixed in the wizardโs voice. The Northmen looked at each other in bewilderment.
โ๐๐ช๐ฅ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐ช๐ต ๐ธ๐ณ
๐ธ๐ธ
As soon as she entered the Dukeโs 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 Dukeโs, Caenerna asked.
โIs there a problem?โโNo. . . Itโs good to see you laughing. So, do you have a way to deal with the dragon?โ
At Johanโs words, Caenerna twisted her hair with a troubled expression.
โIt seems like there isnโt a proper one.โ
โSince dragons are not common demons. . . Most of the remaining records are hard to believe, to be honest.โ
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.
โJust in case, can you tell me what methods there were?โ
โHmm. 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. . .โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Johan stopped listening.
โWait. Isnโt it about offering a beautiful person as a sacrifice?โ
โDuke. The dragon wonโt recognize beauty. . .โ
โThatโs true.โ
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. ๏ฟฝ
โ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ช๐ต, ๐ช๐ต ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ
โWhatโs the other method?โ
โThere is a way to drive away the dragon by setting fire to the surrounding plains.โ
โ. . .Didnโt it just become a wasteland, so the dragon left?โ
At Johanโs reaction, Caenerna nodded as if she had thought so too.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ง๐ฆ๏ฟฝ
โI have some weapons brought from the East, so I think it will be okay to go for a long-term battle. . .โ
Carefully, Caenerna checked Johanโs reaction as she spoke. In fact, the countermeasures proposed by the wizard were too simple.
โWe should go for a long-term battle. Itโs not a big expectation, so donโt feel burdened.โ
โI shouldnโt say this as the one who brought it up, but is it really okay. . .โ
โVolgarek? I donโt care if he dies or not.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Caenerna burst into forced laughter at the Dukeโs refreshing answer. Then she nodded. Come to think of it, the Duke had always been this kind of person.
๐ธ๐ธ
โYour Highness canโt move easily, but we are different. Your Highness. I believe Your Highness will understand the burning hearts of the knights!โ
โI am telling you not to go out.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
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 couldnโt 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.
โWait outside at night and catch anyone who is trying to sneak out. If they donโt listen, you can beat them up.โ
โYes!โ
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.
โWonderful! No matter how strong the dragon is, it wonโt be safe.โ
โIt will be able to break down even the walls of the old empire!โ
โThatโs not true.โ
โI. . . Is that so?โ
When Johan did not answer, the dragon surprisingly sent a messenger again. A goblin came down again, spitting blood and collapsing.
โ๐๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฏ, ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ณโ๐ด ๐ค๐ฉ
โWhat did the beast say this time?โ
โThe writing is so messy and toxic that I canโt read it. Itโs better to burn it because you might be cursed for nothing.โ
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.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ตโ๐ด ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ. ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ข๐ต๐ฆ, ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ
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.
๐ธ๐ธ
โHey. Goblin.โ
โโ ?
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 Countโs ruined castle, so the location was nowhere to be found.
However, Volgarekโs 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.
โI think this rope is tied too tightly. Can you loosen it a little?โ
โโ โ . โ โ .
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.
โDid he just call us *ssholes?โ
โThose bastards who should be torn apart. . .โ
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 couldnโt even dream of going outside for a short walk.
โWhere did Sir Volgarek go?โ
โThe dragon took him away separately, so he must be getting treated well.โ
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โDo you think the dragon knows how to treat him well?โ
โHavenโt you ever read a book? Havenโt you heard stories about the dragonโs castle?โ
โ. . .?โ
The mercenary who had spoken up and was unnecessarily persecuted held back from arguing, saying, โ๐๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ข ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ.โ His colleague was a bit smarter. Since he knew a fair amount of letters, the story about the dragon might be true.
โWell, nobles usually get special treatment.โ
โDamn it, are you saying that to us while youโre getting treated like that? Shouldnโt you at least give us proper food!?โ
The goblins threw a ball of rotten mud at the noisy mercenaries. The mercenaries shut their mouths after being hit by the mud.
โ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด
While the mercenaries were suffering, Volgarek was also being treated properly by the dragon.
He had been hung between the dragonโs 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.
โ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ต, ๐ช๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ถ
Volgarek struggled, but the dragonโs weight was so heavy that he didnโt 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.
๐ธ๐ธ
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.
โ. . .What, what does it say?โ
โI donโt know?โ
โโ โ โ . . .
The goblins gave a look of contempt and wrote again in an easier script. It was crooked, but it was recognizable.
โ๐๐ก๐จ ๐๐ซ๐
โI. . . I am Volgarek of the Visalfurk family.โ
โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๏ฟฝ
โThe great family of the North. . . The emperorโs family.โ
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.
โโ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ .
โ!?โ
๐ธ๐ธ
The calculation was correct. Half correct. Wasnโt 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.
โ๐๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ท
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.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ช๐ต? ๐๐ด ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ? ๐๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ข๐บ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๏ฟฝ
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.
โ!!!โ
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 emperorโs bloodline here.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฃ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๏ฟฝ
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?
โStart the attack.โ
Johan said coldly. The heralds next to him relayed the dukeโs 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.
โ!!!
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.
โItโs working!โ
โKeep firing. Donโt stop! We have to finish him off here!โ
As they had only practiced until the dragon came out, the skills of those gathered here were near perfect.
โHis Highness the Duke said that he will personally reward the one who cuts off the dragonโs breath! Aim!โ
โFire it up!โ
Caenerna thought to herself as she watched the siege weapons being quickly loaded and fired.
โ๐๐ต ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐จ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ
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, โ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด, ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ค๐บ. . .โ 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.
โDonโt fall for his tricks. Donโt stop attacking!โ
โSir, no one has stopped!โ
When one of his men answered, a snickering laughter came from somewhere else. Johan spoke without paying any attention.
โHeโs running away! Move!โ
When he gained the upper hand, Johan moved without hesitation. The dragonโs weakness had to be cut off when it was revealed. Things got annoying if he ran away or hid.
โChase him! Donโt let him get away!โ
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 dragonโs eyes.
In the midst of the chaos, it seemed that the dragonโs vigilance had been heightened even more. He pulled back his head and covered his face. The centaurs sighed.
โHeโs trying to throw the hostage!โ
โWhat do we do!?โ
Johanโs men panicked. They had attacked without paying attention until now, but they still thought they should receive it.
The duke gave the order cheerfully.
โDonโt worry about it and ignore it!โ
โYes!โ
The warriors were impressed by their masterโs 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.
โWizard. This is not the time to sigh!โ
โO. . . K. Donโt worry.โ
โ???โ
Surprisingly, there was a slight smile mixed in the wizardโs voice. The Northmen looked at each other in bewilderment.
โ๐๐ช๐ฅ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐ช๐ต ๐ธ๐ณ
๐ธ๐ธ
As soon as she entered the Dukeโs 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 Dukeโs, Caenerna asked.
โIs there a problem?โ
โNo. . . Itโs good to see you laughing. So, do you have a way to deal with the dragon?โ
At Johanโs words, Caenerna twisted her hair with a troubled expression.
โIt seems like there isnโt a proper one.โ
โSince dragons are not common demons. . . Most of the remaining records are hard to believe, to be honest.โ
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.
โJust in case, can you tell me what methods there were?โ
โHmm. 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. . .โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Johan stopped listening.
โWait. Isnโt it about offering a beautiful person as a sacrifice?โ
โDuke. The dragon wonโt recognize beauty. . .โ
โThatโs true.โ
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.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ช๐ต, ๐ช๐ต ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ
โWhatโs the other method?โ
โThere is a way to drive away the dragon by setting fire to the surrounding plains.โ
โ. . .Didnโt it just become a wasteland, so the dragon left?โ
At Johanโs reaction, Caenerna nodded as if she had thought so too.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ง๐ฆ๏ฟฝ
โI have some weapons brought from the East, so I think it will be okay to go for a long-term battle. . .โ
Carefully, Caenerna checked Johanโs reaction as she spoke. In fact, the countermeasures proposed by the wizard were too simple.
โWe should go for a long-term battle. Itโs not a big expectation, so donโt feel burdened.โ
โI shouldnโt say this as the one who brought it up, but is it really okay. . .โ
โVolgarek? I donโt care if he dies or not.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Caenerna burst into forced laughter at the Dukeโs refreshing answer. Then she nodded. Come to think of it, the Duke had always been this kind of person.
๐ธ๐ธ
โYour Highness canโt move easily, but we are different. Your Highness. I believe Your Highness will understand the burning hearts of the knights!โ
โI am telling you not to go out.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
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 couldnโt 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.
โWait outside at night and catch anyone who is trying to sneak out. If they donโt listen, you can beat them up.โ
โYes!โ
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.
โWonderful! No matter how strong the dragon is, it wonโt be safe.โ
โIt will be able to break down even the walls of the old empire!โ
โThatโs not true.โ
โI. . . Is that so?โ
When Johan did not answer, the dragon surprisingly sent a messenger again. A goblin came down again, spitting blood and collapsing.
โ๐๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฏ, ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ณโ๐ด ๐ค๐ฉ
โWhat did the beast say this time?โ
โThe writing is so messy and toxic that I canโt read it. Itโs better to burn it because you might be cursed for nothing.โ
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.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ตโ๐ด ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ. ๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ข๐ต๐ฆ, ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ
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.
๐ธ๐ธ
โHey. Goblin.โ
โโ ?
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 Countโs ruined castle, so the location was nowhere to be found.
However, Volgarekโs 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.
โI think this rope is tied too tightly. Can you loosen it a little?โ
โโ โ . โ โ .
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.
โDid he just call us *ssholes?โ
โThose bastards who should be torn apart. . .โ
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 couldnโt even dream of going outside for a short walk.
โWhere did Sir Volgarek go?โ
โThe dragon took him away separately, so he must be getting treated well.โ
โDo you think the dragon knows how to treat him well?โ
โHavenโt you ever read a book? Havenโt you heard stories about the dragonโs castle?โ
โ. . .?โ
The mercenary who had spoken up and was unnecessarily persecuted held back from arguing, saying, โ๐๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ข ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ.โ His colleague was a bit smarter. Since he knew a fair amount of letters, the story about the dragon might be true.
โWell, nobles usually get special treatment.โ
โDamn it, are you saying that to us while youโre getting treated like that? Shouldnโt you at least give us proper food!?โ
The goblins threw a ball of rotten mud at the noisy mercenaries. The mercenaries shut their mouths after being hit by the mud.
โ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด
While the mercenaries were suffering, Volgarek was also being treated properly by the dragon.
He had been hung between the dragonโs 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.
โ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ต, ๐ช๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ถ
Volgarek struggled, but the dragonโs weight was so heavy that he didnโt 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.
๐ธ๐ธ
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.
โ. . .What, what does it say?โ
โI donโt know?โ
โโ โ โ . . .
The goblins gave a look of contempt and wrote again in an easier script. It was crooked, but it was recognizable.
โ๐๐ก๐จ ๐๐ซ๐
โI. . . I am Volgarek of the Visalfurk family.โ
โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๏ฟฝ
โThe great family of the North. . . The emperorโs family.โ
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.
โโ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ .
โ!?โ
๐ธ๐ธ
The calculation was correct. Half correct. Wasnโt 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.
โ๐๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ท
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.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ช๐ต? ๐๐ด ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ? ๐๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ข๐บ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๏ฟฝ
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.
โ!!!โ
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 emperorโs bloodline here.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฃ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๏ฟฝ
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?
โStart the attack.โ
Johan said coldly. The heralds next to him relayed the dukeโs 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.
โ!!!
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.
โItโs working!โ
โKeep firing. Donโt stop! We have to finish him off here!โ
As they had only practiced until the dragon came out, the skills of those gathered here were near perfect.
โHis Highness the Duke said that he will personally reward the one who cuts off the dragonโs breath! Aim!โ
โFire it up!โ
Caenerna thought to herself as she watched the siege weapons being quickly loaded and fired.
โ๐๐ต ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐จ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ
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, โ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด, ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ค๐บ. . .โ 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.
โDonโt fall for his tricks. Donโt stop attacking!โ
โSir, no one has stopped!โ
When one of his men answered, a snickering laughter came from somewhere else. Johan spoke without paying any attention.
โHeโs running away! Move!โ
When he gained the upper hand, Johan moved without hesitation. The dragonโs weakness had to be cut off when it was revealed. Things got annoying if he ran away or hid.
โChase him! Donโt let him get away!โ
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 dragonโs eyes.
In the midst of the chaos, it seemed that the dragonโs vigilance had been heightened even more. He pulled back his head and covered his face. The centaurs sighed.
โHeโs trying to throw the hostage!โ
โWhat do we do!?โ
Johanโs men panicked. They had attacked without paying attention until now, but they still thought they should receive it.
The duke gave the order cheerfully.
โDonโt worry about it and ignore it!โ
โYes!โ
The warriors were impressed by their masterโs judgment. It was a clean judgment that was refreshing.