Duke Pendragon

“W, what is this…”

Baron Nobira became lost for words at the sight that unfolded before him.

Yesterday afternoon, his son Enzo had left the castle along with Sophia and a number of soldiers. His son had wanted to show his fiancée, the youngest daughter of the High Lord, around their family’s hunting ground. He had no reason to oppose it and sent them on their way. But they didn’t return even when it became late in the afternoon. Baron Nobira had sent someone to figure out the situation.

Nobira was flabbergasted at the soldier’s report. The two of them had immaturely headed towards Moncha with the aid of soldiers and hired mercenaries. They wanted to help Ruv Tylen punish the man named Raven Valt.

Baron Nobira grew furious and he tried to command his men to march to Moncha immediately, but Filmore stopped him. The battle between Ramelda and Tylen would not take place until tomorrow anyway. Filmore had sent a messenger to Count Bresia to give a detailed explanation of the situation and to request for troops.

Baron Nobira promptly agreed when the High Lord’s right-hand man said he would become involved in the matter directly. Fifty horsemen arrived at the gate, as Filmore requested, and with the addition of Baron Nobira’s forces, seventy horsemen had set off from dawn.

And just moments before, they ran into Enzo, who was crazily running away from Toro. They couldn’t figure out what he had experienced, as he couldn’t speak properly and had soiled all over the saddle. Then, they had rushed straight here.

And now, Baron Nobira saw the reason for his son’s terrified behavior with his own eyes. Ruv Tylen was on the floor, hugging his son tightly like a madman, but Nobira did not even give Tylen a glance. A horrible massacre was laid out in front of him. The knight dressed in black seemed to single-handedly slaughtered dozens of soldiers, and even Baron Nobira, who had experienced quite a few battles in his own time, felt his gut sink at the sight.

“Raven Valt… No, should I call you Sir Valt? You better explain this situation right now. In detail, without telling a lie.” Filmore stepped forward in front of Sophia. He stood in a rigid stance to protect her and spoke with a heavy, strong expression.

But Raven looked up at Filmore with a detached expression and responded, “Get off the horse.”

“….What?” Filmore’s expression became completely distorted.

But Raven said it once again, unconcerned with the change in Filmore’s expression, “Get off the horse, it’s tiring to have to look up at you.”

“Ha! You really are courting death…”

Woosh!

Baron Nobira spoke up instead of Filmore, but he was not able to finish his sentence. Isla had thrust his spear and grazed Nobira’s neck.

Baron Nobira recoiled in shock, and a white plume fluttered down to the ground.

“Watch your smelly mouth. Next time, I’ll take your neck. He’s not someone that you should dare to talk to without permission.”

“W, what…?”

Baron Nobira became stupefied at Isla’s words, which was laced with a heavy southern accent. Filmore responded by pulling out his own sword.

Shishing!

Then, seventy spears and swords unsheathed and pointed towards Raven and Isla. It was a precipitous situation. At that moment, Ramelda’s forces hastily hurried towards them after finishing up on the battlefield. Behind them, a silver-haired beauty slowly followed along. Everyone’s gazes skipped over Ramelda, the man who was ultimately responsible for today’s incident, and headed towards the beauty.

“Huh…!”

Her silver-white hair fluttered in the wind and her blue eyes seemed captivating as it emitted a pale light. Her slender body and red lips, combined with her snowy white skin and high nose, gave the illusion that she had stepped out of a painting. Perhaps the old, iron sword that was comfortably held in her hand made her look even more mysterious and breathtaking.

Soldrake walked up beside Raven, sweeping her glimmering hair behind her ears. Baron Nobira, Enzo, and Sophia’s faces crumpled with jealousy and greed.

“Derek Ramelda, the knight of Toro greets my lord.”

His armor was stained with dark-red blood. He took off his helmet before bowing his head, and Leo and his two nephews followed along in his gesture.

“Uh, hmm?”

Baron Nobira came to his senses and shouted with a face on the verge of explosion.

“Y, you crazy bastard! You call yourself my knight, and still dare to cause such a ruckus in my land? Get off your horse right now and get on your knees!”

“G, get down!”

“Y, yes! And catch that beastly man quickly too!”

Even as they were saying such words, Baron Nobira, Enzo, and Sophia couldn’t take their eyes off Raven and Soldrake. The horsemen also regained their senses and quickly rode their steeds to surround Raven, Isla, and the rest of Ramelda’s forces.

Ramelda looked down at Raven. The two knights had kept their word and annihilated Tylen’s private soldiers as well as the serf army. The wife showed incredible prestige and turned the tide by herself. However, all of them were keeping their silence.

‘They can’t help it either.’

No matter how strong they were, they couldn’t go against the soldiers of the territory’s High Lord. High Lords swore allegiance to the emperor and ruled the land on behalf of the emperor. For a mere free knight to confront the High Lord’s men was, in essence, to declare war against the empire and to live the rest of their lives as wanted men.

“I guess my luck ends here.” Ramelda let out a bitter remark towards Raven. The face of Baron Nobira distorted as he took Ramelda’s comment as an insult to him.

“You, you dog-like bastard…”

“What are you doing?! Catch them quickly! Go easy with the girl! I’m going to make her my slave.”

Enzo’s face darkened at Sophia’s words. It seemed that he had been thinking along the same lines.

“Lord Nobira, Lady Sophia. I’ll take over from here. Don’t worry, I’ll decide what to do with them as well.”

Filmore reassured the two. The red-faced baron and Sophia nodded their heads as if they were at a loss.

“Derek Ramelda.”

“Sir Filmore…”

Ramelda’s gaze turned grimmer as he came face-to-face with Count Bresia’s right-arm, the strongest knight of Sisak.

“The knight of Elma, and so the knight of Lord Bresia dared to threaten Sir Enzo Nobira and Lady Sophia. As an agent of his excellency Lord Bresia, I declare that you have been ousted from the Nobira Barony and the Bresia County.”

“…..”

Ramelda and the three young men bit their lips in anguish. They had expected this situation, but they would have had the chance to make excuses if it was just Baron Nobira. However, it was a whole different situation as Sir Filmore, who could represent Count Bresia, became involved.

“Ha…”

With a deep sigh, Derek Ramelda dismounted his horse.

“F, father…!”

“Uncle…”

Leaving behind the calls of the three young men, Ramelda walked up to Baron Nobira and Filmore before kneeling on one knee.

“These children and mercenaries have only followed my orders. They have done nothing wrong. Please forgive them and end this matter by killing me and taking away my land.”

“No, what you have committed is treason. You, as a knight under a lord, escalated a dispute with a fellow knight and dared to gather soldiers. Moreover, you persecuted and threatened your lord’s son and his fiancée, who is the High Lord’s daughter. This sin shall be repaid by the death of all your family, and all those that are involved. That is the justice of Sisak, and furthermore, it is the justice of the empir…”

“Hmm, is it because you speak on the High Lord’s behalf? Your bullshit definitely seems to be on a higher level.”

It was a rather quiet, mutter. But everyone had heard.

“What did you just say? Did you say that… to me?”

Filmore furrowed his brows in confusion with his head tilted to one side.

“I said, your bullshit is on the level of a High Lord. And yes, I was indeed talking to you, so get off your horse. I already said it hurts my neck to look up at you.”

“…..!”

The atmosphere instantly froze over, and everyone looked in shock towards the person who had spoken. Filmore, Sophia, Nobira, Ramelda, and even the three young men… Even Tylen, who was kneeling on the ground, kept the silence as if he didn’t understand the situation.

Boom!

The silence was broken by the shockwave caused by Filmore’s sword.

“If you said those words because you want to die quickly and comfortably, you made a huge mistake. I’m going to make sure you, and the two beside you, are going to suffer in the worst way possible… I’ll take each of your fingers and… then split your brain and chop your heart into little pieces, so wait your turn…”

Filmore’s eyes blazed in fury as he pointed his sword directly at the man named Raven Valt. A smile hung around Raven’s mouth. But his eyes were not smiling.

“You…”

Filmore was about to erupt in anger, but at that moment...

Shiiing! Thud!

Widow’s Scream drew a line through the air while letting off a shriek. The head of Filmore’s horse separated from its body, and it fell onto the ground without even making a sound. Filmore was forced to jump off the horse.

“Heuk!”

Everyone looked at the scene unfold before them with astonished expressions. Only the dead carcass of the horse could remind them that this was really happening.

Raven lightly swung his sword to remove the blood, then smiled coldly at Filmore. The older knight stared back with frenzy.

“Now it’s a little bit easier on my neck.”

Whoosh!

Spirit instantly erupted from Filmore’s whole body.

“I have many things to say to you… but first, why don’t you explain which part of my words was bullshit?”

Everyone stepped back in front of Sisak’s strongest knight, his body was covered in a powerful, flame-like spirit. But Raven, Isla, and Soldrake remained in their place without budging an inch. Filmore’s burning gaze quavered slightly at this sight.

And then.

“The true traitors are you all.”

Wooooooosh…

“Hmm?”

Filmore scrunched up his eyes at Raven’s words and the change that was taking place in front of him. Raven’s armor, which was completely black, had started to slowly change its color.

“Three years ago, Ruv Tylen, who sided with the traitors, handed a letter to Reed Valt. Reed Valt did not doubt the words of his father’s friend and headed to Count Bresia’s castle along with Jess Tylen.”

“That’s a lie, a lie! I’m not a trait... Ugh!”

Isla’s spearhead touched Tylen’s neck, and he promptly closed his mouth.

“Then the letter was delivered to Crown Prince Shio, who was hiding his identity and residing in Bresia’s castle, and he was poisoned.”

“Hm…”

“How, how do you…”

Filmore and Baron Nobira’s facial expressions changed when they heard Raven accurately describe the situation from three years ago while implicating Ruv Tylen as well. And everyone’s eyes started growing wider as Raven’s story continued, and as the color of his armor changed increasingly.

“How do I know this truth, that only a few key figures would know about? Because I heard it directly from Prince Ian, the closest person to Crown Prince Shio.”

“Heuk!”

When Ian’s name was spoken, Filmore and Baron Nobira became dismayed. The story that was being told seemed to be above their heads.

“You, you…”

Raven smiled at Filmore, who was struggling to speak with his quivering lips.

“Who am I, that I would hear the story directly from the empire’s prince? Who am I that you should believe what I’m saying?”

Click.

The dragon wings that decorated his helmet spread open.

Cries of disbelief were heard from all over the place…

The knight who was now dressed in a brilliant silver armor continued speaking in a declarative manner.

“Because I am the heir to the Pendragon Duchy, Alan Pendragon!”

The White Dragon’s spirit unfolded over Sisak’s sky, creating a huge symbol of the dragon.