“What?”
“What do you mean...?”
“That makes no sense. Cooperating with a dragon...?”
At the knights’ disbelieving reactions, Walter inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Fortunately, there’s no evidence. As long as Father denies it, at least the family’s reputation won’t be tarnished....’
But contrary to Walter’s expectations, Volengton said something completely unexpected.
“That is correct. What Young Master Kain said is true.”
For some reason, his eyes had turned unfocused.
As the knights erupted into murmurs—
Only Kain subtly raised the corner of his mouth toward the darkness that had followed him all the way from beneath his bed.
‘Well done, Bernatus.’
He had gotten the confession.
The Ragnar Family was finished.
***
Dragons held many meanings for humanity.
A calamity one should never encounter.
An enemy that had to be killed.
Objects of fear, beings of legend, symbols of power, and more.
There were many ways to describe them, but there was one thing everyone agreed on.
Dragons were not humanity’s allies.
Perhaps that was why.
The revelation that the Ragnar Family had worshipped dragons turned the entire world upside down.
“Madness.”
Adriel Asel, the First Prince who had inherited the throne immediately after his father’s death, frowned from atop the throne.
“So those bastards were regularly communicating with a dragon, sending it tribute, purchasing slaves, and offering them as sacrifices?”
“That is correct, Your Majesty. Count Volengton has confessed to everything, and his testimony matches the evidence.”
“A bastard who hid it so well all this time suddenly decided to confess? Why?”
“It appears that once he was driven to the edge of the cliff, he simply gave up.”
“Hmm. Then we ought to reward the knight order for its accomplishments this time.”
At that moment, one of his retainers cautiously added,
“In truth... there was someone else who played the decisive role in this matter. Young Master Kain.”
“Who?”
“He is the son of Her Highness Princess Serena.”
“Ah, ah...! My sister’s son?”
The retainer reported everything that had happened.
The spar.
The assassin.
And even the confrontation at the count’s estate.
After hearing the entire story, a sound of admiration escaped Adriel’s mouth.
“This Kain fellow is quite formidable. Did he receive knight training?”
“No, Your Majesty. I am told that he merely awakened 1-Star Aura through self-study.”
“Huh...? 1-Star? A 1-Star subdued a 4-Star assassin and fought a 5-Star? That makes no sense.”
“I heard it directly from Commander Dmitri, so it appears to be true.”
“......”
Adriel looked as though he no longer knew what to make of anything.
“In any case, strip those rotten Ragnars of their titles and uncover every last detail of what they’ve done. Afterward, execute the count and display his severed head in the plaza. Strengthen the security around my sister’s palace as well.”
“Your command shall be carried out.”
“Ah! And one more thing.”
Adriel raised the corner of his mouth with interest.
“Bestow a reward upon Kain Asel, who played the decisive role in exposing them.”
***
At the same time, Kain was sitting cross-legged in his room.
Every breath sent a throb of pain through his side.
The Court Mages had mended his broken ribs, but they hadn’t erased the pain.
‘A 1-Star can’t beat a 5-Star.’
The moment Walter’s sword had aimed for his heart was still vivid in his mind.
Even though Kain had seen the future, his body had been too slow to avoid the attack completely.
‘I’ll enlarge the vessel. Right now.’
Kain ignored the pain and focused on his breathing.
He drew in external mana and converted it into Aura.
For an ordinary knight, the process would take at least two years.
But Kain had a path he had spent a thousand years perfecting.
Where to direct the mana.
Where to compress it.
Which pathways to force open.
It was a road he could walk with his eyes closed.
‘More importantly.’
His ribs had been broken.
His body, having brushed against the threshold of death, was absorbing mana like a sponge.
Crisis itself became nourishment.
HMMMM—
The Aura within one of his hearts began to expand.
The power swelled to its limit and hammered against the wall.
Once.
Twice.
CRACK—!
Along with the sensation of an invisible wall shattering, Kain’s Aura deepened by another level.
“Whew....”
Kain opened his eyes.
‘2-Star.’
He still had a long way to go.
Walter was 5-Star.
Dmitri was 7-Star.
And dragons stood beyond even them.
‘This pace isn’t enough.’
Meditation and training alone would take ten years.
He needed a shortcut.
‘Dragon Hearts.’
Kain’s eyes gleamed coldly.
As it happened, the timing was perfect.
‘It was around this time. The knight order went out on a subjugation.’
***
Dmitri was on his way to Kain’s room.
He had come to deliver the reward bestowed by His Majesty.
Yet his expression was complicated.
‘I still don’t understand.’
How had Kain managed to hold his own against Walter, a 5-Star Knight?
‘Walter was clearly trying to kill the Young Master with everything he had. The sword marks carved into the surroundings prove that. And yet....’
Kain had still been alive when Dmitri arrived.
Not only that, he had subdued an assassin and even made him talk.
‘Getting an assassin to talk isn’t easy even for me....’
Assassins were the sort who would rather kill themselves than reveal information about a client.
Yet Kain had somehow threatened one into guiding him all the way to the Ragnar estate.
Knock, knock—
“Come in, Sir Dmitri.”
Dmitri was inwardly startled by the voice from inside.
He had only knocked, yet Kain had already known it was him?
When he opened the door, he saw Kain sitting cross-legged in meditation.
“You’re here?”
“Did you know I was coming?”
“Yes. Those footsteps belonged to you, Sir Dmitri.”
Confusion entered Dmitri’s eyes.
At this point, he could no longer tell whether Kain was bluffing or not.
“Are you feeling any better? I heard your ribs were broken....”
“Yes. The Court Mages here are excellent healers. They put the bones back together perfectly.”
“And yet you were meditating? In a condition where you should be resting....”
“I gained something from it.”
“Gained something?”
“2-Star. I just reached it.”
“...What?”
Dmitri doubted his own ears.
Increasing one’s Aura level required vigorous movement and brutal training.
For an ordinary knight, it took at least two years.
Yet Kain had done it after only a few days of meditation with broken ribs?
‘Even calling him a genius isn’t enough.’
Struggling to swallow his confusion, Dmitri held out what he had brought.
“This is a reward from His Majesty in recognition of your contribution to exposing the Ragnar Family’s collusion with a dragon.”
It was a sword far more refined than those used by ordinary knights, decorated with elaborate ornamentation.
“It’s a fine sword. I’ll accept it gratefully.”
“But Young Master, how did you know that the Ragnar Family worshipped dragons?”
When Dmitri finally asked the question that had been bothering him all this time, Kain answered as though it were nothing.
“The assassin told me. I suppose they’d told him about it.”
“Ah....”
Dmitri let out a low groan.
The assassin had already committed suicide.
“If I had known this would happen, I would have investigated the assassin more thoroughly as well... What a shame.”
“Did the investigation produce any results?”
“Yes. While searching the family estate, we discovered a crystal orb in a secret study. We believe it was used to hold secret conversations with Red Dragon Camiloas. The Ragnar Family is as good as finished.”
“What about the sons?”
“Walter and Servan were expelled from the knight order after their titles were stripped.”
“Is Walter going to be executed?”
“Under normal circumstances, yes... but there is one problem.”
Dmitri looked troubled.
“We are preparing a dragon subjugation, and Walter was the one responsible for reconnaissance. He is the only person who knows the terrain and routes around the suspected location of the lair.... If we send out another reconnaissance team, it will take several more months, and the dragon may attack another village in the meantime.”
‘A subjugation....’
Kain remembered.
There had been a dragon hunt around this time.
‘I can make use of that bastard.’
Kain spoke to Dmitri.
“Then let’s do this. I’ll petition His Majesty to pardon Walter from execution.”
“...What? He tried to kill you, Young Master.”
“There’ll be a condition. He must complete the reconnaissance mission for the subjugation. If he succeeds, spare his life but demote him to a commoner. How does that sound?”
Dmitri was speechless for a moment.
Kain intended to spare the man who had tried to kill him.
And even make use of him in the subjugation.
‘Just how many layers does this man have?’
“...If that is what you wish, Young Master, it can be arranged.”
“Then please handle it that way. And I have one more request.”
“Please tell me.”
“Include me in this dragon subjugation.”
“What?”
“I want firsthand experience with dragons. Even if I only observe.”
His tone was serious, but Dmitri’s answer was firm.
“No. Do you have any idea how terrifying dragons are?”
Kain gave a faint smile.
‘I hunted them hundreds of times in my previous life. Why would I be afraid?’
“I do. I’ve studied dragons. The royal library has some excellent books.”
“Even so, the answer is no. It is so dangerous that we are not even bringing Sword Experts. Someone who has only just reached 2-Star certainly cannot....”
“I’ll only watch from a distance. Somewhere safe.”
“Young Master.”
“Sir Dmitri.”
Kain’s smile disappeared.
“My friend and I both nearly became sacrifices to a dragon. I need to see with my own eyes what kind of creatures they are.”
“......”
Dmitri met Kain’s gaze.
Within it lay an old, deeply settled rage far too profound to belong to a twenty-year-old young man.
“...Sigh. Who could possibly stop that stubbornness?”
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing. However, once the battle begins, you must remain in the rear. Promise me.”
“Of course.”
It was a promise Kain had no intention of keeping.
***
Not a single speck of light existed within the room.
Low voices passed back and forth across a table.
Every person present was the head of one of the continent’s most prominent families.
“Count Ragnar’s head has been hung in the plaza.”
“I heard. Truly a miserable affair.”
“Hmph, miserable? His family was insignificant from the beginning.”
“I never liked how a man with no ability of his own kept flattering us in hopes of joining our side.”
“It was only because Camiloas showed him mercy. He was little more than a lackey.”
They felt no sympathy whatsoever for Ragnar’s death.
Compared to the size of their own families, he had been nothing more than small fry.
But one person thought differently.
“To think Volengton is dead... How unfortunate.”
“Er... yes. The death of a comrade is certainly unfortunate.”
“Q-quite so. May he rest in peace.”
At Alton Drake’s words, everyone immediately changed their tune.
One even began flattering him.
“Duke Drake truly is a good man. To sympathize with the death of such a small fry.”
“What are you talking about? Sympathy? I am merely saddened that a horse I favored is gone. With him gone, have we not lost our means of taking control of the Asel Knight Order?”
“Ah... y-yes, of course.”
As though his earlier words had never been spoken, Alton continued in a cold voice.
“Because of Ragnar, our faction has been brought to the surface. Camiloas was furious when he heard the news as well.”
“To incur his wrath....”
“That idiotic Ragnar!”
“What are we supposed to do now, Duke Drake?”
Alton spoke from within the darkness.
“First, I shall ask my lord.”
***
Inside a secret, sealed chamber.
Alton tapped on a crystal orb, and it responded with light.
A voice soon emerged from it.
―What is it?
“O Great One. A problem has arisen.”
―Speak.
Alton reported that because of the Ragnar Family, the forces that worshipped dragons had been exposed to the world.
Then the Great One spoke.
―They have tarnished the prestige of dragons. Find out who was responsible. Then take appropriate measures.
Alton prostrated himself before the crystal orb.
“As you command, O Dragon Who Commands Time.”