“Kain, are you going somewhere again?”
At his mother’s call, Kain turned his head and gave a faint smile.
“I’m heading out for a bit. We’re running low on medicinal ingredients.”
“You can have a servant handle that. There’s no need for you to go by yourself.”
“No. These are ingredients I have to obtain personally. Mother, just focus on taking care of yourself.”
“Who could ever stop you once you’ve made up your mind? Very well…….”
Serena no longer tried to hold her son back.
He had always been like this.
Whenever it concerned something for her sake, he never backed down.
She was grateful for such a son, but at the same time, she couldn’t help worrying.
‘The outside world is dangerous…….’
She knew perfectly well that he was talented, both in magic and spirit arts, just like his father.
But he was still only twenty years old.
At that age, one was still inexperienced with the ways of the world.
He needed someone trustworthy by his side.
“I hear the outside world has grown dangerous lately, with dragons appearing and all. Why don’t you take an escort with you?”
“An escort?”
“Royalty isn’t supposed to travel alone.”
“It’s fine. I can handle myself perfectly well…….”
“Kain.”
His mother’s voice became firm.
“If you don’t want an escort, then at least take Jake. You’re comfortable having him by your side, aren’t you?”
“……All right.”
He had no excuse to refuse.
Kain swallowed a sigh inwardly.
‘This is troublesome.’
It wasn’t that he disliked Jake.
The problem was his destination.
He was heading to none other than Camiloas’s lair.
‘Duke Antonio will be interrogated soon.’
And the dragon-worshipping faction would learn that Camiloas had trespassed into Bellacors’s territory.
That information would inevitably reach Bellacors.
‘There’s a chance the two of them might clash.’
If Kain wanted to profit from a battle between dragons, he needed to be there personally.
And now he had to drag someone else along?
‘I’ll have to shake him off somehow.’
Not long afterward, a carriage passed through the castle gates.
Jake asked,
“So where are we going? Ah, no…… Where are we headed, Young Master?”
He still wasn’t used to speaking respectfully.
“When it’s just the two of us, talk normally. We’re heading toward the Bellion Kingdom.”
“Bellion? Is there an apothecary there?”
“It’s on the way.”
Kain answered casually.
Of course, it was a lie.
About half a day after the carriage departed, Kain began preparing to get off.
“Jake, I need you to do me a favor.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“I’m getting off here. There’s somewhere I need to go alone.”
“……What?”
Jake’s eyes widened.
“Wait, then what about me?”
“You go to a nearby village and get these.”
Kain handed him a sheet of parchment.
It was densely covered with a list of medicinal ingredients.
“They’re ingredients Mother needs for her medicine.”
“Hey, wait…….”
“I’ll meet back up with you on the way home. Give me two days.”
“Two days?!”
Jake shouted, but Kain had already jumped out of the carriage.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
“Kain! Hey, Kain!”
Jake’s shouts faded into the distance behind him.
‘Sorry, Jake. I can’t exactly take you into a dragon’s lair.’
Without looking back, Kain disappeared into the forest.
***
The West Continent was home to seven kingdoms and one empire.
The Kingdom of Asel, which valued the spirit of chivalry.
The Rohen Kingdom, land of heroes.
The Karden Kingdom, stronghold of Dark Magic.
The Estar Kingdom, ruled by the Magic Tower.
The Drasen Kingdom, which coexisted with dragons.
The Monter Kingdom, heart of the continent’s mineral veins.
The Bellion Kingdom, the Kingdom of Asel’s longtime enemy.
And standing above all those kingdoms at the pinnacle of the continent, the Crosent Empire.
The families representing each kingdom and the Empire were collectively known as the Eight Great Families.
The world had no idea that they served dragons.
Nor did it know that they gathered together like this.
BANG!
The mustache of the middle-aged man who slammed the table trembled violently.
“How can this possibly make any sense?!”
Duke Valerian, known as one of the most powerful men in the Kingdom of Asel, couldn’t contain his anger.
“Why do we operate in such secrecy? Is it not to protect the great beings each of us serves? And yet Antonio has gone and exposed our very existence!”
The target of his fury was none other than Lorenzo Antonio.
The man who was also the subject of today’s meeting.
“Rumors have already spread across the entire nation! They say Antonio incurred a dragon’s wrath!”
“I heard that rumor as well. They say Duke Antonio colluded with a Red Dragon, angered it, and had his territory burned down.”
“What I heard was that he was offering jewels as tribute in exchange for the dragon’s backing, but the amount fell short, so the dragon retaliated.”
“On our side, there are even rumors that he was offering humans as sacrifices.”
Rumors naturally grew more exaggerated as they spread.
Many theories flew back and forth, but none came close to the truth.
In fact, no one present knew what had really happened.
Only Lorenzo himself knew the truth.
“Whatever happens, being associated with dragons will not be viewed favorably! That is the problem!”
“I agree.”
“Indeed. Because of Duke Antonio, we may be dragged into the open.”
“Damn it…… First the Ragnar Family caused trouble, and now the Antonio Family too…….”
One by one, the other family heads began agreeing with Duke Valerian.
Watching them, Duke Valerian continued fuming outwardly while suppressing a laugh inside.
He had never liked Antonio in the first place.
‘Ha. Serves you right, Antonio. You kept picking fights with me because my kingdom was weak. Now look at you. You’re finished.’
While everyone condemned the absent Antonio—
Knock, knock—
A subordinate of Alton Drake entered.
“As ordered, I have brought Lorenzo Antonio.”
“Where is he?”
“He has been confined in the underground prison.”
“Understood. I’ll be there shortly.”
Alton looked toward the heads of the six kingdoms, excluding Antonio.
“I shall speak with him first.”
***
Inside the cold underground prison, Lorenzo trembled.
He had no idea how things had come to this, but none of that mattered anymore.
“Dario…… My son. Where in the world are you……?”
His mind was filled with thoughts of his only son.
A gifted swordsman with a bright future ahead of him.
Lorenzo had grabbed onto Drake’s lifeline so he could support Dario.
So he could secure a powerful backer for his son.
It wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to say that everything Lorenzo had done was for Dario.
And now that son has vanished.
How could he not be worried?
CLANG—
The iron door opened, and a man entered the underground prison.
“D-Duke Drake!”
Lorenzo hurriedly dropped to his knees before him.
“Please, find my son for me. I beg you!”
“Your son?”
“I told you before. Dario Antonio.”
“Ah. The one said to be on the verge of becoming a Sword Master?”
Lorenzo nodded vigorously, but Alton’s gaze remained cold.
“Why should I look for him? The son of a traitor.”
“A t-traitor……?”
In the next instant, Alton’s fist drove into Lorenzo’s abdomen.
“Ghk!”
The blow carried Aura.
Pain surged through him as though his organs had ruptured.
“Did you think pretending ignorance in front of me would make this go away, Duke Antonio?”
“Ghk…… W-what are you talking about?”
“Lord Camiloas grew angry and burned your territory. Why do you think he did that?”
“I-I don’t know that either…….”
A vicious kick struck Lorenzo squarely in the face.
“G-ghk…….”
“What could possibly make a dragon angry? You must have done something treacherous.”
“N-no! Why would I? I have never done anything like that…….”
“Then why did Lord Camiloas burn your territory?”
“T-that…….”
He couldn’t answer?
Then he deserved to be hit.
WHAM!
“Ghuugh!”
With that thought, Alton beat Lorenzo mercilessly.
“Answer me. What did you discuss with Lord Camiloas?”
“I-I don’t remember…….”
“You don’t remember? Not even asking directly for the location of Lord Camiloas’s lair?”
“H-his lair……? Why would I ask something like…….”
Another fist slammed into him.
By the time Alton was finished, Lorenzo had been beaten so badly that he no longer had the strength to stand.
“Get up.”
Yet at that command, Lorenzo squeezed out every last ounce of strength through his trembling body.
Fear forced him back onto his feet.
“Remember what happened. Unless you want to die without ever seeing your son’s face again.”
Even as his teeth chattered, Lorenzo desperately searched through the fragments of his memory.
“Th-the last thing I remember is my son bringing some servant with him.”
“A servant?”
“Yes. A young man, somewhere in his early twenties.”
“And your memory cuts off after that?”
Lorenzo nodded quickly.
“I’m not lying. I swear…….”
A servant brought along without warning.
Then Lorenzo’s memory disappeared.
Alton decided that person was likely the clue to this entire incident.
“You remember the servant’s face, I assume?”
“I do…… Of course I do…….”
“You had better remember it. That is the only reason you are still alive.”
At the chilling words, Lorenzo’s face turned deathly pale.
“I-I’ll remember. I absolutely won’t forget.”
He answered in a trembling voice, but Alton coldly walked out of the prison.
“You can remain here until we catch the culprit. You have nowhere else to go anyway, do you?”
“Ah…….”
Lorenzo could only stare blankly after Alton as he walked away, leaving him behind in the cell.
***
Somewhere in the Bellion Kingdom.
Deep inside a massive cavern, an enraged roar reverberated.
[How dare he……!]
Bellacors.
A dragon covered in jet-black scales.
The dragon who ruled over the Bellion Kingdom.
[Camiloas, that lunatic!]
After hearing the news from his human followers, Bellacors was unable to contain his fury.
Duke Antonio’s territory had burned.
And the culprit was said to be Red Dragon Camiloas.
[He dares set fire to my territory without permission?]
To a dragon, territory was pride itself.
Another dragon rampaging within one’s territory without permission was nothing short of an insult.
[Ignition, that bitch, cannot even discipline her own child properly!]
Bellacors’s golden eyes gleamed ominously.
[I’ll go ask him myself. I want to know exactly why he did it!]
His massive wings spread wide.
Soon, a shadow cutting across the sky passed over the Bellion Kingdom.