Duke Pendragon

Everything became clear.

For whatever reason, a group of humans led by Baltai came into Pendragon territory and spurred the centaurs.

And they had handed over expensive crossbows and metal javelins to centaurs who were less armed than the orcs, and the horses had accepted it.

The battlefield was a forest and not a meadow, which was favorable to the orcs as the trees acted as obstacles. Moreover, the centaurs were smaller in number.

That’s why they needed greater strength.

Moreover, the orcs had re-established a relationship with the Pendragon Duchy’s heir. The centaurs had no choice but to accept human assistance to contend with the Ancona Orcs.

But that was a huge mistake.

At least, it was a mistake to do that in front of the man named Raven Valt and Alan Pendragon…

Raven’s smile deepened.

“I’ll hear the rest in a little while.”

Woosh!

Storm-like energy was unleashed against the centaurs.

***

Whoosh! Thud!

A javelin flew like thunder and smashed into the Shield of Healing. It bounced off, but the strength of the centaurs was so great that it caused his arms to feel jittery.

But that didn’t phase Raven. His strength, vision, and reflexes had continued to improve after contracting with Soldrake. He slightly changed the angle of his shield to deflect a few more javelins that flew his way. Even the centaur’s arrows, which were as accurate as of the elves’, were futile in front of Raven as he managed to dodge or block all of them.

There were occasional hits, but none of them managed to penetrate his treasured armor. Of course, a regular knight would have broken a bone due to the arrow’s impact, but Raven was no regular knight.

“Neiigh! W, what? What is that human?”

Arios and the centaurs burst out in shouts of astonishment. They fired dozens of arrows and javelins at the human who was heading towards them on a horse, but most of them were blocked or avoided, and even the ones that landed their mark didn’t seem to have much effect.

The distance narrowed in an instant.

The blue flame-like energy emitted from the eyes cradled within the dragon-winged helmet, it was the energy of the world’s strongest creature, a dragon.

“Neiiigh!”

Centaurs reared up in a panic. They could not take advantage of their strength because they were situated in a narrow forest road.

“Spears! Raise your spears!”

The centaurs raised their spears at the command of Arios.

Raven placed his shield on the saddle and quickly pulled out his scimitar and wielded his two swords like lightning while delving into the middle of the centaurs.

The sounds of spears and bones breaking, as well as muscles and limbs being sliced apart resounded from all over the place. It was a nightmare for the centaurs.

“Kieaaaahkkk!”

Grotesque screams echoed which added to the terror of the nightmare. Raven exclaimed loudly amid slaughter.

“All forces, attack!”

“Kuwuhhhh!”

The orcs and the griffons were waiting on trees, atop of the wooden barriers, and behind the wide-open wooden gate. At Raven’s command, they rushed out towards the centaurs on the ground and from the air.

The centaurs fell into chaos and jumped from place to place, crazily firing their arrows and swinging their spears. But their attacks couldn’t overcome the griffon’s flapping, nor the orcs that were armed with armor provided by Alan Pendragon.

Thud! Thuud!

“Kuwuuuh”

Arrows hit some orc warriors, and they began to rampage as the sight of blood caused their blood to boil.

The orcs did not care for broken bones or pierced flesh and kept swinging their iron maces at their opponents.

The centaurs despised iron and fire which hurt the forest which they called home.

That was why they couldn’t have smithies and blacksmiths, in which the two despised elements coexisted. This led to their weapons and defenses being infinitely poor compared to their counterparts who had Raven’s support.

“Kuhwak!”

“Neeiiigh!”

Screams reverberated from place to place.

Griffons flew above the canopy and pierced through the thick branches like lightning to attack the centaurs. Even though centaurs had good vision, they couldn’t see through the dense canopy covering the area above them.

Isla had thought of a way to use the terrain to his advantage in attacking his opponents, and it was working incredibly well.

The storm-like battle of killing and enmity drew to a close with dark red blood staining the ground. Centaurs were lying on the ground dead or heavily injured, and Raven stood in front of Arios who was trying to stand up with a broken knee.

Arios raised his head as the cold-blooded sword aimed at his head. But his eyes showed no traces of fear, and in its place was anger and hostility.

“Why? Do you feel it’s unfair?”

“The creation of the earth god does not beg for our lives, Pendragon human. We’re just going back to the earth where we came from. But, I feel ashamed of my clan and the earth god for making a mistake…”

Raven smirked while looking at Arios who was gasping with anger and pain.

“At least you know to be ashamed.”

Raven sheathed his scimitar and pulled out his Shield of Healing. As soon as he focused his mind, faint light radiated from the shield and wrapped around Arios’ wound.

“W, what is this…”

Slowly, the blood stopped flowing, bones started to mend, and the skin started to heal. The radiant light expanded to cover the centaurs who were lying all over the place. Although not complete, their wounds began to heal as well and they regained energy.

“Gasp!”

Raven was breathing hard as the power contained in the Shield of Healing expended the user’s energy. Soldrake, who had not intervened throughout the battle, spread her wings and came down from a tree to embrace Raven’s body from behind.

Soldrake’s energy flowed to the only possible recipient of her power. The energy slowly permeated Raven’s body, rejuvenating it.

“Thank you, Sol.”

[……]

Soldrake wordlessly shook her head then smiled faintly at her soul’s companion. Raven turned his head back to Arios and the surviving centaurs.

“If you call yourselves warriors, you won’t have any complaints about those that were killed in battle.”

“……”

As losers, they couldn’t say anything in response.

Above all, Arios was curious as to the reason behind why Raven let them live, rather than the fact that they were allowed to live. Thus, Arios nodded his head solemnly.

“Then, shall we have an earnest conversation?”

***

“And that’s what happened.”

Arios finished telling his long story. Raven stroked his chin with a calm expression. But contrary to his expression, a fire burned inside his heart.

‘If they kept the Ancona Orcs in check, they’ll take over the forest within a year? And with the demonic army coming here in person?’

It was something Baltai had said so that it wouldn’t have been empty promises.

But it was strange.

In his original life, Raven would have been forced into the demonic army three years ago. At that time, the demonic army should have been in the far south, waging a war against a group of trolls.

He remembered that for whatever reason, the Troll King had assembled around 50 swamp trolls and managed to wipe out almost half of the entire demonic army.

He had acquired the power of immortality and healing by defeating the Troll King, but it had cost him an entire lifetime’s worth of luck.

However, Baltai, the leader of the demonic forces who should be fighting trolls in the south, suddenly visited Ancona Forest in the Pendragon territory.

‘What about the battle of the great forest? What happened to the Troll King? No, why did the demonic army head to the great forest in the first place?’

Raven never had such thoughts when he was in the army. All that mattered was survival.

Come to think of it, it was weird.

The demonic army hardly ever crossed the sea, and they had no reason to travel for several months to the great forest and fight a battle that had little to do with the empire’s main territory.

It would have been enough for the confederate army of the southern territories and the Sea Griffon Corps of the Ocean King to defeat the trolls.

“Then… Someone planned it out. Then, and even now…”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Raven’s fingers started to tap on his sheathe faster. At the same time, some questions started to be resolved thanks to his lucky encounter.

“It’s all someone’s plan! Kuhahahaha!”

Raven remembered Baltai’s maniacal laugh he heard moments before his death.

Someone’s plan…

It was clear. Everything was related.

‘Well, then what I have to do is…’

When his fingers stopped tapping, everyone gazed at Raven with anxious eyes in silence.

In particular, Arios started to sweat, which was unbefitting for his size, as he caught Raven’s sharp gaze.

“I command you as the victor and as the master of Pendragon. The centaur’s territory will be reduced to three miles inside the valley from what it used to be before. I won’t interfere in your matters inside your land. Isn’t that right, Karuta?”

“Pendragon is Ancona Orc’s friend. Ancona Orcs keep their friends’ words by the oath of blood.”

Karuta stepped out while thumping his chest.

“Mm…”

Arios bowed his head gloomily.

Parts of their territory had been taken away from them, but he couldn’t say anything. On the contrary, they should be grateful for their lives, and their guaranteed autonomy within their land.

“Also, over the next decade, the Pendragon family will support you. If you need anything, we will do our best to help. However, those who are here now need to help me, Alan Pendragon.”

“By help you mean…”

“Unless you’re stupid, you should already know that Baltai and the one who commanded him used you. This situation wasn’t caused purely due to your stupidity. The ones who are responsible are the ones who utilized your stupidity. So, I’m going to find them and hold them accountable. At that time, I want you to stand by me.”

“……”

Arios’ blood-soaked mane trembled.

The human in front of him, Alan Pendragon, was different.

He was completely different from the humans who coaxed him with disguised threats. Alan Pendragon had distinguished between what he offered and what he wanted. Even if they refused, they could continue to live peacefully in their reduced land.

But that would be continuing to live as a foolish loser. Arios, the leader of the centaurs, made a resolve.

“From now on, us centaurs, who are born from the soils and the trees of Ancona Forest, are an ally of the Pendragons. We will stand behind the White Dragon, the guardian of the forest. I swear on the name of the earth god that for the next ten years, enemies of Pendragon and enemies of the White Dragon are enemies of the centaurs.”

Starting with Arios, about a dozen surviving centaurs bowed their heads and bent their knees.

“……”

Raven looked at the centaurs then raised his head.

He had won over the centaurs. But this was nothing more than finding the end of a tangled thread.

The next thing he needed to unravel this mystery was…

‘Home, I need to go back to my hometown.’

Raven finally decided to return after ten years.

The Great Territory of Sisak.

The land he left behind after experiencing his relatives’ death and disgrace.

Raven, no, Alan Pendragon, the master of the Pendragons, knew that the answer would be waiting in his past hometown.