“Your arrogance knows no bounds—!”
Prince Alan exploded in anger, fuming at Khan’s audacious suggestion to side with whoever offered more among the royal family. After venting his rage and storming out, he left Negras Castle with the Royal Guards in tow, promising retribution.
“He sure took his time saying he wouldn’t pay.”
“Are you sure it’s alright, my lord? Turning the royal family into enemies could make operating within the kingdom difficult.”
“When did I say I turned the royal family into my enemies? This prince doesn’t represent the entire royal family.”
Technically, Khan was correct. But Leo was worried about the simple fact that they had antagonized a prince powerful enough to command the Royal Guards for personal matters.
Of course, for someone strong enough to defeat demonic entities single-handedly, Khan could easily live in luxury even within the Empire.
“Considering your goals… wasn’t it a bad move?”
“No, it’s actually for the best.”
“For the best?”
“Do you think the way things turned out wasn’t carefully orchestrated?”
“Do you mean me?”
“Who else but you, Black Wing Duke?”
The middle-aged Black Wing Duke, whom Khan had pointed at, responded with a slight smirk and feigned innocence.
“I just did it because I like you.”
“Every word you said seemed to inflame the prince’s wrath. Was there no ulterior motive?”
“Who can tell how that narrow-minded and arrogant man would react?”
“A duke should have some insight.”
“How about we become sworn brothers? It’s not often one finds such a matched spirit.”
“Get through a warrior’s trial in Hoarfrost Gorge, and I will consider.”
“I must make a trip then.”
The Black Wing Duke, who had inadvertently booked himself a ticket to hell, leaned back in his chair with a cold smile.
“So, do you finally understand why I hindered the prince from allying with you?”
“Pashantu.”
“Huh?”
“When there was a commotion at the gate, Pashantu was conspicuously absent. Considering her temperament, she would normally rush out immediately.”
“…!”
The Black Wing Duke, who had been slouched casually, suddenly straightened up. Could it be that Khan had deduced so much already?
“Just a guess. My aunt must already be elsewhere, hunting wyverns with another member of the royal family, right?”
***
“────!”
The wyvern’s roar reverberated across distances, piercing ears and crushing wills.
This is why most wyverns are considered catastrophic entities, regardless of the variance in their combat prowess. Those who fall below a certain threshold of strength lose their will to fight even before engaging. They exude a dominating presence that draws in surrounding monsters and are uniformly difficult to kill due to their tough scales.
‘This… is a wyvern!’
The nearby roar made the woman’s head spin, causing her to recoil in shock. With long, slightly red-tinged blonde hair, the woman seemed out of place in the chaos of the battlefield. Yet, the spell forming in her hands was proof of her true capability.
“Get back!”
She chanted a spell with astonishing speed, far surpassing the typical casting time.
Even in her disoriented state from the roar, she completed a mid-level spell that pounded against the wyvern’s scales. Meanwhile, another woman—no, a barbarian warrior from Hoarfrost Gorge—laughed in the face of the explosive spell.
“Not hot at all!”
“Pashantu…!”
Despite the warning to retreat, Pashantu clung adamantly to the wyvern. Using the hand-to-hand combat techniques known as Kartus that was handed down among Hoarfrost Gorge warriors, she gripped the wyvern’s neck, resembling an imperial dragon knight.
“Kreeee!”
In reality, she was just barely holding onto the wyvern’s neck with her legs tied around it. The wyvern frantically flapped its wings to shake her off. But like most who passed the warrior’s trial, Pashantu was a master of Kartus.
Crunch!
As her grip tightened, the wyvern let out a pained scream and descended to the ground.
The red-blonde woman’s eyes sparkled. She didn’t miss the opportunity as the wyvern entered the range of her spell; she cast her spell, preventing its flight. Meanwhile, Pashantu began relentlessly hacking at the wyvern’s eyes with her black axe.
Even a wyvern with tough scales stood no chance against the barbarian warrior’s relentless assault.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Barbarian warriors were naturally endowed with immense strength. Pashantu, who was especially large among them, shattered the hard shell behind the eyeball and crushed the brain with her axe.
Although the wyvern struggled for a while longer, it eventually lost its strength and collapsed to the ground.
“Kreeee…!”
With a final death cry, the wyvern died.
Freed from the dragon’s domination, the horde of monsters scattered in all directions to avoid the knights’ aura. The red-blonde woman finally let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s terrifying to think there are such monsters outside Argon…”
“It’s probably not that bad. If it were, all the countries outside the empire would have fallen long ago.”
“Sir Maxim.”
The knight enduring the monsters drawn by the wyvern nodded in agreement, albeit with a grim expression.
“I see now why the Black Wing Duke cherishes her so much. How is she capable of such feats without mana…”
“Is it impressive even to you, Sir Maxim?”
“Of course. Knights who wield aura can move like that, but it’s still astonishing. It requires the use of aura to achieve such agility. More importantly…”
That indomitable fighting spirit and reckless combat style are the most threatening. Swallowing his unspoken thoughts, Maxim shifted the topic.
“Anyway, it’s fortunate. Prince Alan has yet to gather his forces, so you’re surely ahead of him.”
“Is it right to compete in matters like this…”
“Even if the princess has no intention, it is a situation where it must be done. You understand this, don’t you?”
“Yes….”
Princess Delphina of the Argon Kingdom, and blood sister to the crown prince, wore a worried expression.
“For Alan, this is likely his last chance to become the crown prince.”
With both the king and the crown prince unable to make a move due to some issue, Delphina had also left the royal capital for the same reason. Specifically, to prevent Alan from increasing his influence, she embarked on a wyvern hunt with her trusted knight Sir Maxim and the Black Wing Duke’s champion, Pashantu.
‘That’s right. What’s already done can’t be undone; it’s too late to dwell on it and stand idle.’
After requesting Maxim and Pashantu to clean up the battlefield, Delphina met with the mayor of the city, now ravaged by the wyvern’s rampage.
“Your Highness, Princess…! Did you really subdue that troublesome beast?”
Tears filled the mayor’s eyes as he knelt before Delphina, expressing his gratitude. With the city on the brink of ruin due to the sudden appearance of the wyvern, Delphina’s intervention had saved it, making her a benefactor to the mayor’s cause.
“His Majesty and the Crown Prince won’t ignore this crisis. Personally, I intend to support you as well, so please take good care of the citizens and focus on rebuilding.”
“You, you mean that? I will do my utmost to restore the city. Long live His Majesty the King!”
Those saved in this manner would naturally become loyal to the king’s faction. With such belief, Delphina set out for another city. There were numerous cities mourning the unprecedented disaster of the wyvern, leaving her no time to rest.
Fortunately, the royal family members of the Argon Kingdom were known for their robust physiques and proficiency in mana manipulation, allowing even Delphina, not used to forced marches, to keep up with the pace of Pashantu and Maxim without much difficulty.
“Princess looks like someone from Hoarfrost Gorge!”
“Ha ha… Thank you for the compliment.”
Pashantu’s comment about Delphina resembling a barbarian was intended as praise, though Delphina momentarily pondered whether it was praise or insult.
“Next, we head to the border of the south and west.”
“Yes, despite drafting five knights and two hundred soldiers from the nearby city, they failed to subdue the wyvern. It is currently nesting near the city and asleep.”
“Any information on the wyvern?”
“According to our information source, the White Raven, it is a wyvern previously encountered in the Georges Principality. At that time, a knight known as Ehram of the Great Sword successfully subdued it alone, but there is not much other information available. However, there are details about this knight Ehram, suggesting he is at least on par with high-ranking knights of the Empire…”
“That’s ambiguous.”
It wasn’t that the information from the White Raven was ambiguous. Given the pressing time constraints, they had done their best. The problem lay in the fact that Sir Ehram’s solo subjugation of the wyvern added an element of uncertainty.
“Ehram of the Great Sword. He’s quite well-known among knights. If he had been born in the Empire, he might have aspired to be a high-ranking knight, but…”
“But since Sir Ehram didn’t disclose the battle’s details, the wyvern’s true strength remains unknown. The only clear takeaway is that the wyvern was strong enough to warrant his intervention.”
“Yes, that’s the likely assumption.”
“Do you think it’s possible with you, Pashantu, and my magic?”
“… Frankly speaking, I wouldn’t recommend it. While I have no qualms about sacrificing myself for you, Princess.”
Maxim’s words, indicating that her safety couldn’t be guaranteed if the wyvern exceeded their expectations, made Delphina shake her head.
“Don’t worry about me.”
Delphina’s words weren’t a lie to ease Maxim’s concerns, nor were they an arrogant overestimation of her abilities.
“I am also of Argon’s royal blood.”
It was simply a matter of fact, derived from her inherent exceptional nature due to her bloodline.
Maxim might not fully grasp the implications of her statement, but without hesitation, he turned his horse towards the wyvern’s reported location.
Thus, the unusual party comprising the warrior from Hoarfrost Gorge, the kingdom’s princess, and her accompanying knight, prepared to subjugate the wyverns, moving ahead of the second prince who sought the throne.
Along the way, Delphina kept tabs on the wyvern subjugations across Argon with updates from the White Raven. Suddenly, she called out in a disturbed voice.
“Ahhh!”
“Princess, what’s wrong?”
“Maxim, could you take a look at this? I can hardly believe my own eyes…”
“Of course.”
Known for her wisdom and foresight, Delphina’s alarm was unusual. Receiving the paper bearing the White Raven’s seal, Maxim’s face tightened in tension.
“What… what is this…”
“What’s going on?”
“Ah, warrior Pashantu. The letter here… but I believe you can’t read.”
Trying to calm his racing heart, Maxim relayed the letter’s contents in simpler terms that Pashantu could understand, despite its unbelievable information.
“A wyvern in the southwest was slain by warriors following His Majesty’s orders. Alongside this, five cities that had suffered wyvern attacks have sequentially been rescued. Additionally… a nobility-endorsed declaration of support has been included…”
“What is it saying! Speak plainly!”
Trying to explain the inexplicable, Maxim could only respond:
“I don’t understand it either. What on earth is happening…!”
***
“Explain this situation—!”
“Prince Alan! Please calm your anger…!”
“Calm my anger? You incompetent fools!”
Prince Alan, his face flushed red as if it were about to burst, furiously threw the documents containing the information to the ground, shouting in rage.
“Those damned bastards are stealing my prey, and you want me to calm down—!”
The prince’s furious outburst echoed through the room, creating an atmosphere thick with tension. His Royal Guards stood helplessly, unable to pacify his fury.
Prince Alan could scarcely believe the contents of the documents. Reports indicated that other factions within Argon, possibly led by his rivals, had successfully subjugated the wyverns he intended to hunt. These efforts had not only quelled the monstrous threat but also garnered significant support from key nobles whose endorsements were now attached to the reports.
To Alan, it felt like his last chance to prove himself worthy of the crown was slipping away, and he couldn’t afford to lose any more ground to his competitors.
“Gather all our remaining forces! We can’t let them take all the credit. We move out immediately!”
The urgency in his command left no room for hesitation as the guards quickly scrambled to carry out his orders.
As Alan stewed in his anger, his thoughts turned to vengeance and outmaneuvering those who dared to undermine his plans. The game of thrones was more treacherous than ever, and he knew he couldn’t afford a single misstep.
TL’s Corner:
Oh, game of thrones is it?