Duke Pendragon

“And why not? Even though they are from different races, they both serve the Earth God. And there have been cases of elves and orcs getting together on the mainland in the past.”

“What? Is that true?”

Perhaps elves and humans could have gotten along, since they looked somewhat similar. But elves with orcs?

It was truly an unbelievable story.

“It is literally love that transcends species. Generally, elves and orcs have vastly different standards of appearance. However, our Red Moon Valley tribe is a little different from the mainland elves, especially with our females. They like strong warriors, perhaps due to the environment of the Great Forest. Some of them go on to become warriors themselves.”

“Hm…”

Raven nodded. He could tell by how Eltuan decorated her appearance when she left the village. It was something unimaginable for normal elves, as her appearance was closer to an orc instead.

“Your Excellency Pendragon.”

Kara called out to Raven in a quieter voice.

“I have mentioned this to you before, but… If any of our tribe members want it, I am thinking about letting them go to the outside world. But in order to do so, it would be better to be with someone I could trust. Even though it might be shameless, please…”

“I was going to ask you first, so it’s worked out.”

“What?”

Kara’s eyes grew a little bigger. Raven continued with a faint smile.

“The issue with the Troll King and the Great Forest has been settled, but my fight is not over yet. If the Red Moon Valley warriors can lend their strength, it will be a great help. Of course, I will never force it on them. And if Miss kara and the Red Moon Valley desire, I will spare no support for the village, including our troops.”

“Ah…”

A bright expression appeared on Kara’s face. Although they had been basically forced to cross the sea to seek haven, their roots were on the mainland. Naturally, she did not want for her tribe to cross back to the mainland to live with the other elves. The Red Moon Valley was their home.

But younglings needed to know their roots.

Kara and the other elders agreed that the elves needed to know the origins of the Red Moon Valley elves. Nevertheless, they had not been able to put their plan into action because of various issues, including the threat of the Troll King. Moreover, even if they sent some of the younger elves to the outside world, it was unclear how they would be able to survive without knowing anything about the world. It would be troublesome if a young warrior from the Great Forest got into a fight with a human as well.

But now, all of their issues had been solved. Duke Pendragon was someone that was untouchable in the human world. They could exit the Great Forest by his side.

Above all, through a long, desperate journey, all of the young warriors of the Red Moon Valley had recognized him and started to rely on him. Disregarding race, Alan Pendragon had become a hero of the Red Moon Valley elves.

“Thank you. Then I must trouble you, Your Excellency Duke Pendragon.”

“Likewise.”

Raven smiled. He could see that Kara was truly grateful.

He had also developed a liking for Eltuan and the other elven warriors. If it weren’t for them, this expedition would have failed. And in the future, the Red Moon Valley warriors were sure to be of great help, starting with the battle against the Arangis Duchy.

Each was a master archer comparable to the centaurs, and at the same time, they possessed stealth abilities better than any assassins. In addition, they were much more agile and faster than humans.

Naturally, they would not be able to best an outstanding knight like Killian, but the reality was that there were no more than 100 knights comparable to Killian throughout the entire empire. Dozens of elven warriors were equal to an average knight order.

More importantly…

‘Humans, orcs, centaurs, and the elves. The Pendragon Duchy will grow even larger. In the end…’

Raven had realized as he resurrected while losing his power of immortality. His duty as Alan Pendragon was as important as the revenge he needed to achieve as Raven Valt. His status as the Duke of Pendragon was no longer a mere tool to attain revenge.

He could never be Raven Valt anymore. He needed to live and die as Alan Pendragon.

Just as Raven Valt lived to survive and take revenge in the demonic army, Alan Pendragon would have to live fiercely for his family and the entire duchy.

‘I must…’

A determined light shone from Raven’s eyes.

Kara was about to continue the conversation, then became startled. Soon, she politely bowed before silently leaving her seat. There was only one being capable of causing the leader of the Red Moon Valley to act so respectfully.

“Sol.”

A bright smile hung around Raven’s mouth.

She maintained a cool expression as usual, but Raven could feel the warmth in her eyes as she came to his side.

[The elf children are quite funny.]

Soldrake spoke while naturally leaning her head against Raven’s shoulder.

“Funny?”

[They are children with sorrow and joy. Elves are the children of gods and dragons, so they express little emotion. These children are different.]

“Ahh…”

Raven nodded.

Just as she said, the elves of Red Moon Valley were different from the other elves in many ways. Their display of emotion was very similar to humans.

“By the way…”

Gently sifting his hand through Soldrake’s hair, Raven continued in a slightly lower voice.

“The last thing Jean Oberon said in the labyrinth. He must have been talking about her… Luna, right?”

[That is right. The child who was sacrificed to Carnion instead of Ray is likely to become the Queen of Death.]

“Hmm…”

Raven’s eyes became somber.

“Then the reason why he tried to kill me with the Troll King in the labyrinth was to…”

[It is as you think. The unnamed one tried to kill Ray to resurrect you as the King of Death.]

“The King of Death…”

Just speaking the name gave him the chills.

But Raven did not know what kind of being the King of Death was.

“What is the King of Death?”

[You can think of it as an incarnation of the Death God. A being who can bring the armies of the nether into the world. A king, ruler over all the dead.]

After a brief pause, Soldrake lifted her head and looked at Raven before continuing with a sigh-like voice.

[It seems that the unnamed one had meddled with Alan before Ray came. The presence of the lich in the mausoleum was also a part of a plan to transform Alan Pendragon into the King of Death.]

“Why on earth…”

He had a rough guess, but Raven did not dare to speak it.

Soldrake answered.

[There are two beings in this world that I cannot harm. One is Seiel, and the other is the legitimate successor continuing the Pendragon’s bloodline. The unnamed one planned to transform Ray into the King of Death in order to kill me.]

“….!”

Raven’s eyes quivered.

The sorcerer, the messenger of the Death God, had wandered the world for hundreds of years – no – for an unknown period of time. He had a plan to kill the Dragon Queen.

[The twist of causality that the unnamed one speaks of. He is referring to the pledge I made with Pendragon. For one who claims to be a messenger of a god, a dragon’s involvement in human history must have been considered wrong.]

“Not really.”

Raven answered in a firm voice. Soldrake’s cool eyes grew a little larger at his answer.

“His words are mere sophistry. Nothing happens in the world without reason. There must have been a reason why Sol made such a choice in my previous life, and why I came back to life as Alan pendragon. There must be a reason. And if there is a reason, then there is no twist in causality. It’s not wrong.”

[…..]

Soldrake remained silent.

A human contradicted the words of a sorcerer and a dragon who lived for a long time.

But she laughed.

Human.

Raven could say such words because he was human. He had the right to speak such words because he was human.

[Ray is right.]

With a radiant smile, Soldrake once again leaned her head against Raven’s shoulder.

[There must have been a reason for everything. Why Ray saw me trying to return Alan to the past while giving up my own life, and why Ray entered the child’s body instead. Only, we do not know for now…]

“Yes, that must be it.”

Raven laughed, feeling the warmth from the resonance of the soul, rather than the physical warmth.

[But Ray, are you not disappointed that you lost the power of immortality and healing?]

Soldrake asked at sudden thought. Raven shook his head without hesitation.

“Not at all. The power was not mine anyways. Rather, I think that It was fortunate that I was able to avoid being turned into the King of Death in exchange for it. Because I can be with you like this.”

[What a fitting answer for Ray.]

Relying on each other like a single being, the human and the Dragon Queen shared a laugh.

“Haa…!”

Outside the room where Raven and Soldrake were, Kara let out a long sigh.

It was a sigh of envy and joy.

“I had not imagined that their hearts for each other would run so deep…”

She could not hear Soldrake’s words, only Raven talking to himself. But Kara had lived for a long time as an elf, and she could see that the feeling that Raven and Soldrake shared was not the love between a man and a woman.

A companion of the soul.

The love between the two was as strong and unconditional as the love a mother had for her child. It was absolute.

“Pendragon is a great man…”

Kara was an elf. She had lived for hundreds of years, and she would live for hundreds more. That’s why she knew. How short human life was, and that everyone dreamed of immortality.

But Alan Pendragon had given it up for Soldrake. He had not hesitated in the slightest in making the choice, when it would have been hard for other humans, or even elves.

He had done it solely for his soul companion.

“Thank you, Dragon Knight. And your companion…”

Although Duke Pendragon had made the sacrifice for the sake of Soldrake, the Red Moon Valley elves had received salvation through the sacrifice. Nevertheless, he had not asked much from them. He just wanted some voluntary help in the future.

Helping him was helping themselves.

“Ah…”

A sudden enlightenment struck Kara, and she muttered quietly.

“He has brought peace without force[1]…”

Duke Pendragon had not suppressed nor forced anyone as he conquered the Red Moon Valley and the Great Forest. He had brought her peace in the process.

“And his conquest…”

Kara had a hunch.

The influence that he brought to the Red Moon Valley and the Great Forest would spread to the entirety of the South, then to the mainland. In the end, it would reach all the way back to the Pendragon Duchy.

1. So there’s a bit of a wordplay here in the original. The author uses 3 different meanings of the same word to convey an awe-striking/emotional feel, but I wasn’t competent enough to convey it… sorry… FYI the word used is 평정(平定) 평정(平靜) and 평정. The first one is ‘has brought us peace without force’, the second one is peace, and the third one is conquest.