Chapter 378: ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ-๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ (22)
Despite ignoring the hostage, it wasnโt easy to catch up with the dragon. The dragon was even increasing its speed. As it began to trudge up the foothills with loud rumbles, the thick trees hid the dragonโs body.
โWhat will we do?โ
โWe continue chasing. At the very least, we have to figure out where it is.โ
The dragon must not have been unscathed during this clash. Although it was running away, pretending to be unfazed, Johan was certain that it was quite badly injured.
Then, there was a high probability that the dragon was running away to its lair to recover from its wounds. That was what all monsters did.
A chase full of distance began. It was a chase where not a single arrow was fired, only the sound of heavy breathing quietly echoing, but it was filled with intense tension. Johanโs subordinates were even holding arrows in their mouths, ready to shoot the dragon if it stopped and turned its head.
Although it was a steep mountain ridge, those who had come this far were either confident in their horse riding skills or were Centaurs. And one advantage of chasing the dragon was that the opponent was very easy to chase.
No matter how hard you try to hide, you can be seen from afar, leaving traces.
โItโs been a long time coming.โ
โDonโt worry. It will get tired first. It wonโt be able to move around like that with that body for long.โGalambos said so while glaring at the dragon. The words of an Eastern Ranger were always trustworthy. Even the Centaurs nodded.
. . .However, the dragon suddenly disappeared.
โ?!โ
As they rode up the steep path and reached the ridge, the dragon that should have been clearly visible was gone. The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment, as if they had been possessed by a malevolent spirit.
โGalambos, you rascal! I thought you said it canโt move for long!โ
โI-I meant It canโt move for long. I didnโt mean I canโt move fast . . .โ
In his bewilderment, Galambos had forgotten that the dragon, if it had indeed descended the slope quickly, would have left a trail. Johan quelled the rising tumult of his subordinates.
โThere are no traces. That means he must have escaped somewhere around here. Find him.โ
โ. . .Yes! Thatโs exactly what I was thinking, sir!โ
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ง
The subordinates regained their composure and began the search. It was not Galambos, but Karamaf, who found him first. Galambos froze when he saw Karamaf sniffing and pawing the ground with his large front paws.
โ. . .Maybe I shouldnโt say I found him . . .?โ
Krrrrrrr!
As if he found it ridiculous, Karamaf ignored him and let out a resounding bark. The soldiers rushed in at the sound.
๐ธ๐ธ
โYouโre saying the dragon disappeared underground?โ
The northern feudal lords were surprised by the unexpected news. Johan nodded and continued his explanation.
โAccording to the reports of those who entered, it seems to be the old ruins of the empire. It was a fairly large space.โ
It was ruins located in a huge underground cavity, not just underground. The sight of the collapsed castle, passageways, and inner castle dimly lit in the darkness was magnificent. ศ
โPerhaps because it was the ruins from the era of the empire, the size was extraordinary. Even the passageways inside the castle were wide enough for several wagons to pass through. . .โ
โA dragon can also pass through.โ
The northern knight who spoke with an excited voice at Johanโs words let out a dry cough. He was overly excited because of the unexpected discovery.
At Johanโs news, the northern knights went down the hole one after the other without a word. It was truly an amazing sight.
โPerhaps because the dragon is a long-lived monster, it may have known about the place. It might be hiding somewhere in the ruins and recovering from its wounds.โ
โThen. . .โ
โIsnโt it a good thing? Since itโs badly injured, wonโt it avoid coming out of fear?โ
The northern feudal lords said hesitantly. Their expressions were as if they wanted the dragon to fall into a deep sleep once and reappear after a few hundred years.
โWhat are you talking about, count!? If we donโt catch it this time, we might not be able to catch it forever!โ
โThatโs right! Your Highness the duke barely managed to injure it. . .!โ
The northern knights were taken aback and stepped forward. For them, letting go of a monster that was almost caught was something that should never happen.
However, the northern feudal lords were not doing this because they didnโt want to catch the dragon. Would they want to leave a monster that could appear at any time in the north?
โ๐๐ง ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ณ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต. ๐๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ
โ๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ง ๐ช๐ตโ๐ด ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ, ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ต. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ด. ๐๐ง ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ, ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๏ฟฝ
The northern feudal lords were now watching the expressions of the guests who had come from afar. They were people who had already spent a lot of gold coins for this hunt.
If they agreed with the ignorant northern knights who said they would catch the dragon, the atmosphere could turn cold.
โLetโs catch it. If we donโt catch it this time, it will be able to fly again in a few years.โ
โ. . .!โ
That was why Johanโs words were surprising. The northern feudal lords looked at Johan with bewildered expressions. They didnโt think he would go this far, even though he didnโt have any grudge against the dragon.
โI knew Your Highness would say that!โ
The knights exclaimed with moved expressions. Fortunately, unlike the feudal lords, the duke was on their side.
โ๐๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ ๐ช๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ธ
Unlike what the northern feudal lords thought, Johan had his own intentions. He had the intention of definitely catching the dragon in the northern lands and leaving.
Johan didnโt care if the dragon woke up again after he grew old and died, but what if it came out before that?
โNorthern brave knights who want to defeat the dragon, volunteer. I will distribute weapons.โ
At the dukeโs words, the knights tried to rush forward one after another. If they remained still after hearing those words, they wouldnโt be able to call themselves knights. Even if there were knights who didnโt want to step forward, they had no choice but to do so now, watching the atmosphere.
As the atmosphere heated up, Johan suddenly remembered and asked.
โCome to think of it, what happened to Sir Volgarek?โ
โ. . . . . .โ
โ. . . . . .โ
The knights who had been cheering with heated hearts paused. They didnโt know because they werenโt particularly interested.
๐ธ๐ธ
As expected of a veteran knight, Sir Volgarek was alive. He had a few broken bones, but that was a very mild condition, considering that he had escaped from the dragonโs palm.
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However, Volgarekโs heart was boiling like a hot volcano. Of course, he was caught by the dragon, and the attack began on its own.
โ๐๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ
Of course, if you think rationally, it was right to attack rather than falling for the dragonโs hostage drama. In fact, he managed to save his life because of that. Otherwise, he would have died long ago.
However, no one who had witnessed a house-sized rock and a thick wooden skewer flying in front of them could remain rational. And Volgarekโs original nature was far from rational.
โ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐บ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ณ! ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ
He resented the northern feudal lords even more than the duke. As fellow northerners, they didnโt try to dissuade him, but agreed with him. Perhaps the bastards had instigated it out of resentment for their defeat in the civil war. The fact that they didnโt even come to the tent made him think so even more.
โA guest has arrived, Sir Volgarek.โ
โ!โ
At those words from the servant that a guest had arrived, Volgarekโs eyes widened. It seemed that the northern feudal lords had finally come to apologize. He had no intention of forgiving them, but he thought his anger would subside a little if he spat out curses at their shameless faces.
โThese shameless. . .โ
โ?โ
โ. . .?!โ
However, it wasnโt the northern feudal lords who came in, but the young duke. Despite not having met Johan very often, Volgarek could guess who Johan was at a glance. How many people in the vicinity could walk around with that kind of dignity at that age?
That dignity only twisted Volgarekโs heart even more. Volgarek said in a fierce voice,
โWhat brings you here? What about the other feudal lords?โ
โWhy are you asking me about the other feudal lords? Ask them yourself. Iโm here to ask you about the dragon. You must have some information since you were caught by the dragon. Will you tell me in detail so we can subdue it?โ
Volgarek blinked at Johanโs words and then smiled bitterly. It was the smile he often showed when looking for someone to plunder.
โVery well, duke. Since youโre going to kill that dragon, I, as a northern man, canโt help but cooperate. Even though you came from a foreign land, you are braver than the feudal lords here.โ
โI appreciate it.โ
โBut I have a condition.โ
โWhat is it? Do you want a better bed?โ
โ. . .Make the northern feudal lords kneel before me! I feel like I can only help if I make those despicable bastards rub their faces on the dirt floor!โ
โ??โ
Johan tilted his head at Volgarekโs words. Volgarek decided to elaborate more, seeing the dukeโs attitude as if he didnโt understand the situation.
โOh benevolent duke, you may not know this, but I donโt let those who snub me go! The northern feudal lords betrayed me and acted so insolently that they need to pay the price for it. Summon them quickly! If they have any shame, they will not refuse!
โAh. It seems like you misunderstood something. The reason I was taken aback is. . . Iโm wondering why youโre trying to negotiate so strongly in that condition.โ
Johan was taken aback because Volgarek failed to grasp the subject.
What kind of guts did he have to make a fuss when he didnโt have a fiefdom, subordinates, or popularity, and all he had was grudges?
Volegarekโs face turned red as he realized what Johan meant. Volgarek said through gritted teeth,
โDonโt insult me, duke! Even in this condition, I can kill two or three soldiers. Furthermore, what if I keep my mouth shut?
โIโll make you open your mouth.โ
โI said Iโll keep my mouth shut! What the hell are you talking about!โ
โGerdolf. Come in.โ
The large knight who had been guarding the entrance to the tent came inside. He was a knight who exuded a completely different, barbaric atmosphere from the duke. Volgarek instinctively felt goosebumps at his appearance. He could occasionally see such a man among the mercenaries.
โPer. . .โ
โMake him talk. Can you do it?โ
โOf course.โ
โGood. Iโll leave it to you.โ
Johan patted Gerdolf on the shoulder and went out. Volgarek screamed in horror.
โThis is ridiculous! I am Volgarek of the Visalfurk family, you canโt just torture me like this. . .โ
Volegarek couldnโt finish his words. Gerdolfโs sinister hands grabbed Volgarek. Gerdolf didnโt care at all that his opponent had broken bones or other injuries.
The servants outside made eye contact with Johan as he came out. Johan nodded. The servants also nodded.
After about thirty minutes, Gerdolf came out and said,
โHeโll talk.โ
โExcellent. Your skills are always great.โ
โIt is an honor.โ
Gerdolf nodded, his face flushed. However, the flushed face was not very noticeable because it was covered in so much blood.
๐ธ๐ธ
โJudging from the fact that there was no sound of rocks hitting each other, itโs likely that the place where the dragon is staying is deep in the ruins.โ
All the knights of the north seemed to have come down. There were so many torches that it was as bright as daytime despite being underground.
โHe must be hiding somewhere, badly injured, waiting for an opportunity. If you find him, donโt rush in first and send a signal! If you covet glory and put the north in danger, it will be a dishonorable act!โ
The old knights said it over and over again. Among the knights here, not many worked under the feudal lords. Small knight families who worked independently, or wandering knights who didnโt even have a town, or even mercenaries, were all gathered here.
Their loyalty to the north was loyalty, but their ambition and desire for honor to stab the dragon with a sword were even greater. It wasnโt for nothing that the old knights were worried.
โHowever. . . wouldnโt it be dishonorable if the knights from other places cut off the dragonโs windpipe?โ
โ. . .Let me say it again. Now. If you find the dragon. . .โ
No matter how much the old knights talked, there was a limit. Johan didnโt expect much from the knights here in the first place.
โ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ญ, ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ญ. ๐โ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ.
โI heard a rumor that if you make a great achievement here, His Highness the duke will make you a vassal. Do you think thatโs true?โ
โHmm. Itโs possible. Itโs a dragon, after all.โ
If they dealt with other monsters well, their reputation would be enough for the feudal lords to call them, but in the case of a dragon, there was no need to say more.
โHey, that knight over there, isnโt he His Highness the dukeโs knight? Heโs walking like that, bare-handed. . .โ
โHe must have that much courage.โ
The centaurs on the other side looked at the conversation between the northern knights as if they were looking at a crazy person.
The eastern rangers were walking around without their armor on, trying not to make any noise, but what kind of misunderstanding. . .,
Despite ignoring the hostage, it wasnโt easy to catch up with the dragon. The dragon was even increasing its speed. As it began to trudge up the foothills with loud rumbles, the thick trees hid the dragonโs body.
โWhat will we do?โ
โWe continue chasing. At the very least, we have to figure out where it is.โ
The dragon must not have been unscathed during this clash. Although it was running away, pretending to be unfazed, Johan was certain that it was quite badly injured.
Then, there was a high probability that the dragon was running away to its lair to recover from its wounds. That was what all monsters did.
A chase full of distance began. It was a chase where not a single arrow was fired, only the sound of heavy breathing quietly echoing, but it was filled with intense tension. Johanโs subordinates were even holding arrows in their mouths, ready to shoot the dragon if it stopped and turned its head.
Although it was a steep mountain ridge, those who had come this far were either confident in their horse riding skills or were Centaurs. And one advantage of chasing the dragon was that the opponent was very easy to chase.
No matter how hard you try to hide, you can be seen from afar, leaving traces.
โItโs been a long time coming.โ
โDonโt worry. It will get tired first. It wonโt be able to move around like that with that body for long.โ
Galambos said so while glaring at the dragon. The words of an Eastern Ranger were always trustworthy. Even the Centaurs nodded.
. . .However, the dragon suddenly disappeared.
โ?!โ
As they rode up the steep path and reached the ridge, the dragon that should have been clearly visible was gone. The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment, as if they had been possessed by a malevolent spirit.
โGalambos, you rascal! I thought you said it canโt move for long!โ
โI-I meant It canโt move for long. I didnโt mean I canโt move fast . . .โ
In his bewilderment, Galambos had forgotten that the dragon, if it had indeed descended the slope quickly, would have left a trail. Johan quelled the rising tumult of his subordinates.
โThere are no traces. That means he must have escaped somewhere around here. Find him.โ
โ. . .Yes! Thatโs exactly what I was thinking, sir!โ
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ง
The subordinates regained their composure and began the search. It was not Galambos, but Karamaf, who found him first. Galambos froze when he saw Karamaf sniffing and pawing the ground with his large front paws.
โ. . .Maybe I shouldnโt say I found him . . .?โ
Krrrrrrr!
As if he found it ridiculous, Karamaf ignored him and let out a resounding bark. The soldiers rushed in at the sound.
๐ธ๐ธ
โYouโre saying the dragon disappeared underground?โ
The northern feudal lords were surprised by the unexpected news. Johan nodded and continued his explanation.
โAccording to the reports of those who entered, it seems to be the old ruins of the empire. It was a fairly large space.โ
It was ruins located in a huge underground cavity, not just underground. The sight of the collapsed castle, passageways, and inner castle dimly lit in the darkness was magnificent.
โPerhaps because it was the ruins from the era of the empire, the size was extraordinary. Even the passageways inside the castle were wide enough for several wagons to pass through. . .โ
โA dragon can also pass through.โ
The northern knight who spoke with an excited voice at Johanโs words let out a dry cough. He was overly excited because of the unexpected discovery.
At Johanโs news, the northern knights went down the hole one after the other without a word. It was truly an amazing sight.
โPerhaps because the dragon is a long-lived monster, it may have known about the place. It might be hiding somewhere in the ruins and recovering from its wounds.โ
โThen. . .โ
โIsnโt it a good thing? Since itโs badly injured, wonโt it avoid coming out of fear?โ
The northern feudal lords said hesitantly. Their expressions were as if they wanted the dragon to fall into a deep sleep once and reappear after a few hundred years.
โWhat are you talking about, count!? If we donโt catch it this time, we might not be able to catch it forever!โ
โThatโs right! Your Highness the duke barely managed to injure it. . .!โ
The northern knights were taken aback and stepped forward. For them, letting go of a monster that was almost caught was something that should never happen.
However, the northern feudal lords were not doing this because they didnโt want to catch the dragon. Would they want to leave a monster that could appear at any time in the north?
โ๐๐ง ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ณ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต. ๐๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ
โ๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ง ๐ช๐ตโ๐ด ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ, ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ต. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ด. ๐๐ง ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ, ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๏ฟฝ
The northern feudal lords were now watching the expressions of the guests who had come from afar. They were people who had already spent a lot of gold coins for this hunt.
If they agreed with the ignorant northern knights who said they would catch the dragon, the atmosphere could turn cold.
โLetโs catch it. If we donโt catch it this time, it will be able to fly again in a few years.โ
โ. . .!โ
That was why Johanโs words were surprising. The northern feudal lords looked at Johan with bewildered expressions. They didnโt think he would go this far, even though he didnโt have any grudge against the dragon.
โI knew Your Highness would say that!โ
The knights exclaimed with moved expressions. Fortunately, unlike the feudal lords, the duke was on their side.
โ๐๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ ๐ช๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ธ
Unlike what the northern feudal lords thought, Johan had his own intentions. He had the intention of definitely catching the dragon in the northern lands and leaving.
Johan didnโt care if the dragon woke up again after he grew old and died, but what if it came out before that?
โNorthern brave knights who want to defeat the dragon, volunteer. I will distribute weapons.โ
At the dukeโs words, the knights tried to rush forward one after another. If they remained still after hearing those words, they wouldnโt be able to call themselves knights. Even if there were knights who didnโt want to step forward, they had no choice but to do so now, watching the atmosphere.
As the atmosphere heated up, Johan suddenly remembered and asked.
โCome to think of it, what happened to Sir Volgarek?โ
โ. . . . . .โ
โ. . . . . .โ
The knights who had been cheering with heated hearts paused. They didnโt know because they werenโt particularly interested.
๐ธ๐ธ
As expected of a veteran knight, Sir Volgarek was alive. He had a few broken bones, but that was a very mild condition, considering that he had escaped from the dragonโs palm.
However, Volgarekโs heart was boiling like a hot volcano. Of course, he was caught by the dragon, and the attack began on its own.
โ๐๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ
Of course, if you think rationally, it was right to attack rather than falling for the dragonโs hostage drama. In fact, he managed to save his life because of that. Otherwise, he would have died long ago.
However, no one who had witnessed a house-sized rock and a thick wooden skewer flying in front of them could remain rational. And Volgarekโs original nature was far from rational.
โ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐บ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ณ! ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ
He resented the northern feudal lords even more than the duke. As fellow northerners, they didnโt try to dissuade him, but agreed with him. Perhaps the bastards had instigated it out of resentment for their defeat in the civil war. The fact that they didnโt even come to the tent made him think so even more.
โA guest has arrived, Sir Volgarek.โ
โ!โ
At those words from the servant that a guest had arrived, Volgarekโs eyes widened. It seemed that the northern feudal lords had finally come to apologize. He had no intention of forgiving them, but he thought his anger would subside a little if he spat out curses at their shameless faces.
โThese shameless. . .โ
โ?โ
โ. . .?!โ
However, it wasnโt the northern feudal lords who came in, but the young duke. Despite not having met Johan very often, Volgarek could guess who Johan was at a glance. How many people in the vicinity could walk around with that kind of dignity at that age?
That dignity only twisted Volgarekโs heart even more. Volgarek said in a fierce voice,
โWhat brings you here? What about the other feudal lords?โ
โWhy are you asking me about the other feudal lords? Ask them yourself. Iโm here to ask you about the dragon. You must have some information since you were caught by the dragon. Will you tell me in detail so we can subdue it?โ
Volgarek blinked at Johanโs words and then smiled bitterly. It was the smile he often showed when looking for someone to plunder.
โVery well, duke. Since youโre going to kill that dragon, I, as a northern man, canโt help but cooperate. Even though you came from a foreign land, you are braver than the feudal lords here.โ
โI appreciate it.โ
โBut I have a condition.โ
โWhat is it? Do you want a better bed?โ
โ. . .Make the northern feudal lords kneel before me! I feel like I can only help if I make those despicable bastards rub their faces on the dirt floor!โ
โ??โ
Johan tilted his head at Volgarekโs words. Volgarek decided to elaborate more, seeing the dukeโs attitude as if he didnโt understand the situation.
โOh benevolent duke, you may not know this, but I donโt let those who snub me go! The northern feudal lords betrayed me and acted so insolently that they need to pay the price for it. Summon them quickly! If they have any shame, they will not refuse!
โAh. It seems like you misunderstood something. The reason I was taken aback is. . . Iโm wondering why youโre trying to negotiate so strongly in that condition.โ
Johan was taken aback because Volgarek failed to grasp the subject.
What kind of guts did he have to make a fuss when he didnโt have a fiefdom, subordinates, or popularity, and all he had was grudges?
Volegarekโs face turned red as he realized what Johan meant. Volgarek said through gritted teeth,
โDonโt insult me, duke! Even in this condition, I can kill two or three soldiers. Furthermore, what if I keep my mouth shut?
โIโll make you open your mouth.โ
โI said Iโll keep my mouth shut! What the hell are you talking about!โ
โGerdolf. Come in.โ
The large knight who had been guarding the entrance to the tent came inside. He was a knight who exuded a completely different, barbaric atmosphere from the duke. Volgarek instinctively felt goosebumps at his appearance. He could occasionally see such a man among the mercenaries.
โPer. . .โ
โMake him talk. Can you do it?โ
โOf course.โ
โGood. Iโll leave it to you.โ
Johan patted Gerdolf on the shoulder and went out. Volgarek screamed in horror.
โThis is ridiculous! I am Volgarek of the Visalfurk family, you canโt just torture me like this. . .โ
Volegarek couldnโt finish his words. Gerdolfโs sinister hands grabbed Volgarek. Gerdolf didnโt care at all that his opponent had broken bones or other injuries.
The servants outside made eye contact with Johan as he came out. Johan nodded. The servants also nodded.
After about thirty minutes, Gerdolf came out and said,
โHeโll talk.โ
โExcellent. Your skills are always great.โ
โIt is an honor.โ
Gerdolf nodded, his face flushed. However, the flushed face was not very noticeable because it was covered in so much blood.
๐ธ๐ธ
โJudging from the fact that there was no sound of rocks hitting each other, itโs likely that the place where the dragon is staying is deep in the ruins.โ
All the knights of the north seemed to have come down. There were so many torches that it was as bright as daytime despite being underground.
โHe must be hiding somewhere, badly injured, waiting for an opportunity. If you find him, donโt rush in first and send a signal! If you covet glory and put the north in danger, it will be a dishonorable act!โ
The old knights said it over and over again. Among the knights here, not many worked under the feudal lords. Small knight families who worked independently, or wandering knights who didnโt even have a town, or even mercenaries, were all gathered here.
Their loyalty to the north was loyalty, but their ambition and desire for honor to stab the dragon with a sword were even greater. It wasnโt for nothing that the old knights were worried.
โHowever. . . wouldnโt it be dishonorable if the knights from other places cut off the dragonโs windpipe?โ
โ. . .Let me say it again. Now. If you find the dragon. . .โ
No matter how much the old knights talked, there was a limit. Johan didnโt expect much from the knights here in the first place.
โ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ญ, ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ญ. ๐โ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ.
โI heard a rumor that if you make a great achievement here, His Highness the duke will make you a vassal. Do you think thatโs true?โ
โHmm. Itโs possible. Itโs a dragon, after all.โ
If they dealt with other monsters well, their reputation would be enough for the feudal lords to call them, but in the case of a dragon, there was no need to say more.
โHey, that knight over there, isnโt he His Highness the dukeโs knight? Heโs walking like that, bare-handed. . .โ
โHe must have that much courage.โ
The centaurs on the other side looked at the conversation between the northern knights as if they were looking at a crazy person.
The eastern rangers were walking around without their armor on, trying not to make any noise, but what kind of misunderstanding. . .