A knight order had many duties.
Subjugating monsters, escorting royalty and nobles, defending the borders, maintaining public order, and so on.
But among them, the duty considered most important was dragon subjugation.
‘The Asel Knight Order was more proactive than any other when it came to hunting dragons.’
Before his regression, Kain had belonged to the knight order of the Crosent Empire.
He had learned a great deal there, but once he discovered his compulsion to consume Dragon Hearts, he had no choice but to leave on his own.
‘I couldn’t exactly let them see me doing something insane like eating Dragon Hearts.’
Afterward, he hunted alone and earned fame as a Dragon Slayer.
During that process, he also learned just how much dragons looked down on and oppressed humans.
To dragons, humans had always been both toys and delicacies.
The dragon Dmitri was preparing to subjugate now was no different.
“The dragon we are going to subjugate is estimated to be seven hundred years old. It has attacked five villages and devoured 108 people.”
Dmitri, who was briefing the members of the knight order, wore a grim expression.
“We conducted the first subjugation three months ago, but it failed, and we lost three precious members of our order. I hope this second subjugation will be the last and that we can finally put an end to that creature. Everyone, steel yourselves. Understood?”
“Yes!!!”
“Ah, and one more thing....”
Dmitri gestured toward Kain.
“Young Master Kain will also be accompanying us on this subjugation. He will not participate in combat. He is only here to observe and gain experience. I will accept no objections. That is all.”
The knights’ gazes turned toward Kain.
They were far from welcoming.
***
The mounted knights passed the entrance to the mountain range in formation.
The force assembled to subjugate the dragon consisted entirely of Sword Experts or higher.
With one exception.
Kain.
‘They’re glaring at me quite fiercely.’
A fresh 2-Star Knight had been placed among Sword Experts of 4-Star and above.
Naturally, they could only see him as dead weight.
But there was another reason as well.
‘I dragged two knights from the Ragnar Family into ruin. Of course they aren’t going to look kindly on me.’
Knight orders were usually groups bound together by strong camaraderie.
And then a nepotism hire suddenly barged into that kind of group and brought an entire comrade’s family crashing down?
Of course they would see him as an eyesore.
‘How pathetic. Men who claim to uphold justice turning a blind eye in the name of camaraderie.’
Well, Kain didn’t particularly care.
Once he killed the dragon, those looks would gradually change.
‘Except for one person.’
Kain’s gaze turned toward the criminal walking at the very front.
***
Walter walked at the head of the group with his body bound in rope.
‘Damn it... How did I, a 5-Star Knight, end up like this...?’
Walter had lived a life with a secure future as a member of the Ragnar Family.
Then one day, his younger brother’s arms were broken and his father’s crimes were exposed to the entire world.
In an instant, his status had plummeted from noble to commoner.
‘It’s unfair. I didn’t know anything. Nothing at all...!’
In truth, there was little for him to call unfair.
Neither his background nor his title had been earned through his own efforts.
They had merely been an illusion he enjoyed beneath his father’s halo.
But Walter didn’t see it that way.
‘This is all because of Kain, that bastard who got in through connections.’
Walter wanted to kill him so badly he could barely stand it.
“Walter, is this the same path you scouted before?”
“Yes. It is. Why would I deliberately guide you down a different path?”
“You never know. Anger may have driven you to harbor other intentions.”
“......”
Now he had even lost Commander Dmitri’s trust.
Fresh anger toward Kain surged within him.
But he couldn’t show it.
‘I’ll wait for an opportunity and kill him.’
He had already lost everything.
His family.
His status.
His honor.
Perhaps knowing exactly what was going through his mind, Dmitri spoke casually.
“I know how angry you are. But you are also the man who swung his sword at Young Master Kain with every intention of killing him. You know whose mercy is responsible for your head still being attached to your shoulders, do you not?”
“...I know. I also know he was the one who requested my pardon.”
“Good. Complete this reconnaissance mission, and as promised, you will be allowed to live as a commoner. Do not entertain foolish thoughts.”
‘Why?’
Walter hadn’t been unaware of that fact.
But the more he thought about it, the less he understood.
His enemy had spared his life.
That fact disturbed his heart.
‘No. Even so, he’s still the enemy who destroyed my family.’
That thought was far too deeply rooted for his anger to fade.
Even if it wavered for a moment.
“This is the place. The dragon’s tracks disappeared around here, so I scouted the area.”
“Hmm. There certainly are tracks.”
Dmitri examined the size of the footprints embedded deeply in the ground.
Then—
Kain, who had approached without anyone noticing, dismounted and examined them closely.
“Judging from the shape of the tracks, it’s a Blue Dragon. And since there’s no trace of moisture, it doesn’t appear to be an aquatic type.”
“You can tell all that just by looking at the tracks...?”
Dmitri’s surprise was understandable.
He hadn’t given Kain any information whatsoever about the dragon.
“Who told you?”
“I studied it in books.”
Kain shrugged and looked beyond the mountain range.
“Judging from the direction of the tracks, I’d say the lair is probably that way.”
With that, Kain went back to mount his horse.
Leaving Walter’s burning gaze behind him.
***
‘He really wants to kill me.’
Kain thought as he rode.
He wasn’t so dull that he couldn’t sense the killing intent of a 5-Star Knight.
‘Whatever the case, I’m glad he came along obediently.’
Kain hadn’t pardoned Walter out of mercy.
‘If I kill the dragon myself, it’ll cause problems in several ways. It’s still too early for me to reveal myself.’
If word spread that he had killed a dragon, it would inevitably draw the attention of the forces that worshipped them.
‘I need bait to draw their eyes elsewhere.’
That was why he had kept Walter alive.
It would have been a waste to kill him just yet.
“You will have to proceed on foot from here.”
“Everyone dismount!”
After crossing the mountain range and entering a narrow ravine, everyone got off their horses.
A broken wagon lay overturned in one corner of the ravine.
Beside it was a single small shoe.
A child’s shoe.
“This is....”
“Ah, that.”
Walter spoke awkwardly.
“I heard it happened about two months ago. Villagers passing near the territory were attacked....”
“The bodies?”
“...They were never found.”
Kain picked up the shoe.
Its sole was almost completely worn through.
The child had probably come from a poor family.
They had probably walked for days.
They had probably fallen asleep holding their mother’s hand.
They had probably gone hungry for at least one meal.
And all of that ordinary life had ended with this single shoe.
Kain carefully placed it atop the wagon.
Only Dmitri, walking behind him, noticed the change in Kain’s expression.
As they continued following Walter’s guidance, he suddenly stopped.
“What is it, Walter?”
“This is as far as I scouted. I have never gone beyond this point.”
“Is that so? Then proceed with the reconnaissance.”
At Dmitri’s command, Walter nodded.
If he cooperated obediently, he could keep his life.
There was no reason to refuse.
That was when—
Kain stepped forward.
“I’ll join the reconnaissance as well.”
“What?”
Beside the startled Dmitri, Walter’s eyebrow twitched.
***
‘He’s coming with me? Me?’
Walter’s face filled with disbelief.
‘Does he have a death wish?’
There was no way Kain didn’t know Walter wanted him dead.
Even without a weapon, Walter could kill him in an instant.
Dmitri immediately noticed the murderous look in Walter’s eyes and tried to stop Kain.
“Young Master Kain. No.”
“Why? Because of Walter? Don’t worry. He doesn’t even have a weapon.”
“It is still dangerous. And even putting that aside, I cannot assign reconnaissance duty to someone who is only 2-Star. Weren’t you here merely to observe in the first place?”
“Observing alone is boring. I’d like to help with something.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
Dmitri was firm.
But Kain had no intention of backing down either.
To carry out his plan, he absolutely had to go scouting with Walter.
“Then come with us, Sir Dmitri. You’ll feel better if you’re right beside me, won’t you?”
“Hmm....”
Dmitri fell into thought.
In the end, he had no choice but to give in.
“Sigh... Very well. Let us go. The rest of you, wait here!”
Walter took the lead, and Kain followed behind him.
Dmitri walked between the two, keeping watch as they moved.
“There’s nothing here. If the lair were this way, there should be Guardians nearby.”
“Then let us try this path.”
At Dmitri’s instruction, Walter changed direction.
As he did, he glanced back and glared at Kain, but Dmitri immediately stepped between them.
As if telling him not to even think about it.
“Focus only on the reconnaissance, Walter.”
“Yes....”
The farther they proceeded down the remaining path, the deeper the sand beneath their feet became.
As the two men moved carefully, Kain’s nose twitched.
‘It’s faint, but I can smell a dragon.’
Having hunted hundreds of dragons in his previous life, Kain knew.
A dragon’s lair was nearby.
‘There are always Guardians stationed near a lair.’
Kain channeled mana into the Prophet’s Eye and saw five seconds into the future.
“Stop for a moment.”
“?”
At Kain’s words, the two men ahead stopped.
“From this point onward, we’re inside the dragon’s territory. You shouldn’t go any farther.”
“How... do you know that?”
Dmitri looked puzzled.
Walter merely snorted.
“What a joke. What? The dragon’s territory?”
“I’m serious. Don’t go any farther.”
GRIND—
Walter’s face twisted.
People naturally wanted to go farther when someone told them not to.
Especially when those words came from someone they wanted dead.
His contrarian streak had no choice but to flare up.
“Then let’s see whether the Young Master is right.”
Walter stepped forward.
Completely unaware that Kain had provoked him precisely because he wanted him to.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
When nothing happened, Walter spread his arms as though to show them.
“Dragon territory, my ass. Look. There’s nothing wrong at—”
That was when it happened.
RUMBLE—!
Something suddenly burst out of the ground and wrapped around Walter.
Dmitri shouted in shock.
“Great Sandworm!”
It wasn’t alone.
At least ten of them simultaneously raised their heads from the ground, wary of the intruders.
And Walter?
“Uaaaah—”
RUMBLE—!
He had already been dragged underground.
“Walter!”
Dmitri drew his sword, but it was too late to save him.
“Damn it!”
Dmitri had no intention of defending Walter, but the man had still once been a knight who fought under his command.
Once Walter had been dragged underground, there was nothing he could do.
Or so he thought.
Until Kain spoke.
“I’ll go rescue him.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I knew this was the dragon’s territory. Even so, I failed to stop Walter properly. That means I bear some responsibility as well.”
With that, Kain stepped forward.
“No, Young Master! Do not go any furth—!”
Dmitri couldn’t finish speaking before collapsing.
He had fallen asleep under the Sleep spell cast by Bernatus.
“Good work, Bernatus. Nice timing.”
[Hehe, I only did what you told me to.]
Sleep was only a low-level spell, but even a Sword Master couldn’t resist magic cast by a Ninth-Circle Dragon.
‘Everything is going according to plan.’
Kain had expected Walter’s competitive nature to drive him forward.
People naturally felt the urge to rebel against anything said by an enemy.
And Kain had already declared that he was going to rescue Walter.
That gave him more than enough justification.
‘Walter should still be alive.’
Guardians had a habit of delivering any human who entered their territory directly to their master.
‘I’ll use Walter as bait and hunt the dragon.’
Kain smiled and gave Bernatus an order.
“Lead the way. Take me to the dragon’s lair.”