Duke Pendragon

“And what exactly is his plan?”

Kara shook her head helplessly when Raven asked back in a hurry.

“I do not know either. But… while the number of monsters that Jean Obern captured when creating the Troll King was less than five hundred, the number of humans harmed by the Troll King and his armies is many times greater.”

“Hmm!”

Raven let out a sigh. He had a rough guess as to what that meant.

“Yes, as you may have guessed, it means that thousands of human souls were unable to find rest.”

“…..!”

Raven was shocked into silence.

After the incident involving the Queen of Death, it became an unwritten rule to bury or cremate human bodies under the jurisdiction of a priest within five days, even if they perished on the battlefield. For black wizards or necromancers walking the dark path like the Queen of Death, human bodies made the best magical ingredients and served as perfect hosts.

Now, the bodies of thousands of southerners were left unattended after being killed by the Troll King and its armies. Who would dare attempt to retrieve the bodies in an area full of monsters?

Moreover, most of the monsters, including the Troll King, enjoyed human flesh. Everyone automatically assumed that the dead would have ended up in the stomachs of the monsters. But according to Kara’s words, that was not the case. No one knew what happened to the bodies and the souls of the humans who were killed by the Troll King and the monsters.

“Are you saying that Jean Oberon has taken the bodies and souls of the dead humans?”

“Yes. I am not completely certain, but I believe that to be the case.”

Even though her words were uncertain, her eyes and expression showed that she was convinced of the fact.

“Hm…”

Raven felt dizzy after seeing her expression.

Jean Oberon had created a monster like the Troll King using hundreds of monsters. But now, such a man may have taken thousands of human bodies and souls belonging to those who died in fear and with resentment.

“If what you say is true, then there could be a tremendous disaster coming for us. SOmething incomparably larger than even the Troll King.”

“Yes, that is exactly what I am worried about. I cannot even fathom what would happen when thousands of human souls are utilized by the sorcerer Jean Oberon… I think there is a possibility of an unprecedented catastrophe taking place. It might even be worse than the reign of the witch who was called the Queen of Death.”

“…..”

It was definitely possible.

At the very least, it would be possible to turn the dead humans into zombies, ghouls, or skeleton soldiers. It would form a powerful force capable of going against tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers.

If they advanced together with the monster armies with the Troll King at the forefront, even the Arangis Duchy would not be able to stop their advances easily.

‘But…’

A great wizard, a sorcerer, would not have gone through the cumbersome process of creating the Troll King just to slaughter humans in order to form an army of corps. Raven became lost in thought, and Kara called out in a desperate voice.

“Duke Pendragon, please help our tribe with your strength as the companion of the Dragon Queen, Lord Soldrake.”

“…..”

Raven looked up and silently observed her. As one who had selflessly devoted hundreds of years to her own people, her eyes were filled with worry.

“As long as the sacred tree of Tucaran is here, the monsters will not be able to invade this place. But it is different for a sorcerer. When his unpredictable evil plan is completed, we, who have already been abandoned by the two goddesses and our tribes, may no longer have a place to go. We will do everything we can, so…”

“Understood. I will help you.”

Raven cut off Kara’s words and spoke in a calm voice.

“As compensation, we can offer you…”

“I do not need it.”

“Ah…!”

Kara’s eyes glittered with tears at Raven’s clear, simple response. Even though he had made a contract with Soldrake, the young man in front of her was human after all. In addition, he was one of the most powerful men in the human empire.

From her experiences, she knew humans to be a race that became greedier when they had more. They never knew when to be satisfied. Therefore, she had thought Duke Pendragon would also want something enormous in return for helping them.

She had already made up her mind to send some of the beautiful girls of the tribe as tribute if required.

But he declined any compensation.

“I do not need anything in return. I just need the elven warriors to fight with me until the Great Forest and the South are stabilized. If you promise me that, I will do everything I can to help the Red Moon Valley Elves.”

“Yes, yes! I will do as such. Of course.”

Kara nodded hurriedly in case Raven decided to change his mind.

She thought that the companion of the Dragon Queen was extraordinary. Unlike regular, greedy humans, he was truly a selfless individual.

However, she could not be more wrong.

He was not helping them without asking for anything because he had a good heart. The man named Raven Valt had already lived once before. He stood at the apex of the humans in terms of putting his interest first before everything else. He would never provide help without getting anything in return.

‘I will use the Red Moon Valley Elves to open up a passage. Then I will join forces with the coalition and strike the demonic army and the monsters.’

Elves had a natural resistance against black magic. Moreover, the elven warriors of Red Moon Valley knew the Great Forest inside and out. With their help, he would be able to destroy the monsters much more easily than when they had attacked the armies of the Troll King with the demonic army in the past.

Furthermore, hundreds of elven warriors would be useful in dealing with Jean Oberon, the Nameless Necromancer, and the Arangis Duchy, all incredibly powerful enemies.

Just as the Arangis Duchy cornered him with an unexpected move, he would also use the elves of Red Moon Valley to strike the enemy from the shadows. If they started playing outside of the board, he would follow suit.

“But, Duke Pendragon…”

Raven folded his thoughts and looked up when Kara called out with a cautious voice. She continued with a vigilant expression.

“Is your companion, Lord Soldrake, also coming here by any chance?”

For the elves, it would be much more reliable if the Queen of all Dragons was providing direct support. Even though Raven was her companion, having a transcendent being by their side would be more reassuring than a single human.

Raven replied while stroking his chin.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. You may know already since you have met Ellagrian in Niels, but dragons do not leave their territories except in special cases. In particular, it is an unwritten rule for them to not intrude on other dragons’ territories.”

“Is it… because of the Sea Dragon, Biskra?”

Kara seemed to be a little disappointed in her response. Raven nodded.

“Yes, even though Sol is the Queen of all Dragons, she has been out of touch with Biskra for a long time. Besides, he is said to be the most vicious of all dragons…”

“Hoo… I see.”

Kara’s face was full of disappointment as she let out a long sigh.

Duke Pendragon possessed the Spirit of the Dragon, and he was great, but what she actually wanted was the power of the White Dragon Soldrake. But Raven’s following words caused her to look up with hope.

“However, I am the companion of Sol. She and I are connected by our souls. I am sure that she is aware of my situation by now, and she does not consider respect for other dragons the most important.”

“Then…”

Kara stared at Raven with eyes full of anticipation, and Raven replied with a glimmer in his eyes.

“I am her, and she is me.”

“…..!”

Kara’s large eyes were coloured with relief and joy.

He had not given her a definite answer. Nevertheless, the words of the young duke felt more reliable than any other convictions or promises.

***

Shhhhk!

The griffons spread open their wings and let the wind take control. They were so high in the air, that the mountains, fields, and even the Great Forest was visible at a glance. Squire Milner had the best vision out of all the Pendragon Duchy’s griffon riders. He observed the ground with his sharp eyes despite the strong wind.

He was one of the griffon riders who had travelled to the South from Leus, and part of the few that survived through all the battles throughout the long journey.

In fact, Milner was the one who was saved by Isla in the battle against Toleo Arangis. He had been preparing himself to fight against Toleo Arangis to the death when Isla had swept in.

His plentiful experience caused him to develop into one of the most capable griffon riders of the Pendragon family. He was now a true veteran.

“Hmm?”

Milner’s eyes narrowed further.

A fairly large forest situated behind a low hill that possessed a geography intertwined like a staircase. He spotted a large number of figures crowded in a large vacant lot in the middle of the forest.

“It’s them.”

Milner’s eyes shone with a sharper light.

There was a large group of people gathered near the Great Forest. He was certain of their identities. They were the demonic army.

“I’m in luck.”

He carefully inspected the area where the demonic army was situated before looking back towards the direction he had come from. He muttered to himself in a quiet voice before turning the reins of the griffon.

Flap!

The griffon flapped its wings hard, and soon changed direction while drawing a large arc in the air.

“You just wait, you filthy bastards…”

A killing intent was visible in Milner’s eyes as he glanced towards the demonic army one last time.

***

“Captain, we located the base of a large force in a forest behind a hill located 15 miles southwest of our current location.”

“Good work.”

Isla gave short words of affirmation, then turned around. The riders who participated on the reconnaissance mission returned to their respective griffons after giving a military salute.

“It sure is useful. We should have thought of this earlier.”

“Hm…”

Isla nodded silently at Killian’s words.

Eight of the twenty griffon riders had been deployed for reconnaissance. This was a tactical overturn of the previous strategy, in which they had deployed a few griffons during the creatures’ rest periods.

Griffons held the most important position within their forces. This held true for the Pendragon Duchy as well. Hence, it was common sense to utilize only a small number of the creatures into scouting, while making sure the absolute majority were always be ready for combat.

However, after going through many battles, Isla realized the tactic posed a large loophole. He saw the need for change.

Gaining information about the enemy was quintessential before making plans. It was the basics of military tactics. And to do so, it was most efficient to utilize the flying griffons.

However, there had been no precedent for any forces possessing griffons to put a large number of the creatures into reconnaissance.

It was an absurdly large loophole that would make anyone wonder why it had not been tried, but there was a justifiable reason.

It was common sense on the battlefield to hide one’s trump card capable of turning the tides of war. But Isla boldly discarded it.

His decision was largely attributed to the combined ambush from the demonic army, the lizardmen army, and the trolls. Due to his complacency, his master had fallen into a trap. He had walked the one he valued more than his own life straight into a trap. His lord had even sacrificed himself to save a knight.

For Isla, and as a knight, there was no greater shame. Valvas Cavaliers considered it a great shame to die before their lords. The entire situation was unacceptable for Isla.

“15 miles should be a day away.”

“But if we move rapidly, we could cross the distance in half a day.”

“Then we will be there by nightfall.”

Killian and Isla held a short conversation while gazing at each other. They were able to tell what the other was thinking just by the looks in their eyes.

“Kereuk! Then what are you contemplating, scarecrows? If it’s not dark, us orcs will destroy everything.”

The conclusion was quick to be made even when Karuta joined in.

“Let’s show them who the real demons are.”

In the hot, humid air of the South, the three pairs of eyes glimmered coldly; the three figures who had gathered under the name of Pendragon.