Duke Pendragon

Boom!

Karuta pushed the last rock down the cliff and the coastal road was finally cleared of debris. The carriage was finally able to move through.

“Good work.”

“Sniff! It wasn’t even hard work anyways.”

There were small cuts all over his body, but Karuta grinned as he shook the dust off his hands. Raven didn’t worry much either as orcs were several times more resilient than humans.

“What should we do with these guys, my lord?” Isla asked

Raven glanced back. Three mercenaries were bound tightly by rope next to the carriage. As Raven’s gaze headed towards them, the mercenaries shook in fear. All of them had severe injuries or broken limbs.

If they were nobles, they would have been treated better and ransomed, but they were men who had lived by the blade.

They had dared to attack a duchy’s carriage, so there was almost no chance of survival. Nevertheless, the mercenaries clung to the slightest possibility.

There must be a reason why they were left alive when all the others were killed. Thus, the mercenaries looked with fear and pain at the young master who was standing before them.

“Where are you from?”

Raven asked the bearded mercenary on the far left.

“Uh, that’s…”

The mercenary hesitated for a moment as it was taboo to speak of his association. It was almost equivalent to revealing their client’s identity.

Isla, who was standing next to the mercenaries, moved his hand.

Shing!

The rapier drew a long line, and the bearded mercenary’s neck detached from his body. A fountain of blood sprayed into the air, and the body and head fell to the ground. The other two mercenaries were terrified as they kept themselves from letting out a moan.

Raven walked one step sideways, then spoke once more.

“Where are you from?”

“….A, a, Armada Bird Mercenaries!”

He felt himself losing control of his bladder, and he answered as fast as his voice allowed him to.

Raven nodded lightly and asked again.

“And the client?”

“T, that… D, Dark King! The Dark King of Leus!”

As soon as the tip of Isla’s blade started moving, the mercenary answered frantically.

“How many of you went to the villa?”

“T, there are 14 people from our side! I don’t know how many went from the o, other organizations!”

“I’ve heard that quite a number of Latuan Orcs and griffons headed there!”

Once his comrade started blabbering, the other mercenary spewed information without being asked.

“I see.”

Raven nodded lightly.

It wasn’t much different from what he expected.

“T, then… W, we…” The mercenary spoke with extreme caution.

Raven sent a gaze at Isla, who moved his sword as if he had been waiting.

“Argghh!”

The two mercenaries screamed at the merciless swing. But Isla’s rapier only cut the rope that was binding them.

“Gasp….gasp!”

Their arms and legs were broken, but they couldn’t feel pain in front of the fear of death. They started to crawl away on the ground.

“Let’s go. Oh, before I forget.”

Raven looked down at the two mercenaries who were crawling like bugs and spoke coldly.

“Tell the leader of the Armada Mercenaries, Carl Raymond. Whether it be on the battlefield or anywhere else, the next time he sees the flag of the Pendragon family, it will be the day that Armada Bird Mercenaries disappear from this world.”

The mercenary couldn’t even answer. He crazily nodded up and down with his face that was covered with tears and blood.

It didn’t even cross the mercenary’s mind that his opponent knew the identity of his leader, which had been a guarded secret among the Armada Bird Mercenaries.

Raven turned his back to board the carriage, but then he recalled something and faced the two mercenaries again.

“One more thing.”

“Ugahh!”

The mercenaries were shedding tears of relief when the voice of a demon called out to them once more. In the darkness, the red eyes of the orc warrior and the blue eyes of the blond warrior shone brightly with danger.

“Go and tell the one called the Dark King. He will be the next to die. I’m going to personally head over to the islands and kill him, so tell him to crawl back to his father’s side.”

After that sentence, Raven boarded the carriage and closed the door.

The sound of hooves hitting the ground echoed through the darkness of night. The large carriage resumed on its way as if nothing happened.

But the gazes of the two mercenaries were fixated on the carriage.

The orc warrior who had easily crushed three orcs on his own. The dagger and rapier of the Cavalier of Valvas, who had pierced through the throats of five first-class mercenaries.

And the young man who was the young master of Pendragon. He had cut off the arms and legs of eight mercenaries. From this day on, he would be known as the blonde grim reaper.

***

Clack, clack, clack, clack.

Golota’s yellow teeth clattered together relentlessly.

It was hard to count the number of dead humans, and Golota, who was always feared by everyone, began to feel dread and fear for the first time in his life.

He wasn’t afraid of death.

It was an instinctive fear that came when one stood before a predator, from seeing an overwhelming existence that defied all reason.

The sight was unrealistic. There were headless bodies of mercenaries on the ground.

Dozens of people had died, but not a drop of blood was shed.

It was natural.

They were cut to death by the blade of light. The presence in front of him had killed them all with Aura Blade.

Only a few select people could produce Aura Blade from their weapons.

The special tools of an extraordinary wizard could craft weapons that emitted Aura Blade, but as far as Golota knew, there was only one kind of existence that could produce Aura Blade from bare hands.

Dragons.

Golota had seen a dragon for the first time in his life after living 40 years as a sorcerer.

“Sa, save…”

Whish.

Golota’s head was cut off as his mouth still hung open.

In the midst of his helplessness and fear, Golota was dead. It was just as his victims felt when they faced his sorcery, poison, and control magic.

His fear could be felt and was emitted to the people around him.

As Soldrake turned, she saw the pale white faces of the villa employees. They froze, trembling in fear. Some women had already passed out after losing control of their bladder.

Even though their lives had been saved by Soldrake, no one dared to look at her face. They were well aware of her identity as a dragon. However, as they observed Soldrake handle this unrealistic situation with indifference, they realized something.

Soldrake was an existence above humans, and to her, they were nothing but flies or ants. Uncertain of what she would do next, the surviving humans looked at her helplessly with fear, similar to what Golota felt before he died. But one person, Elena Pendragon, was different.

Elena slowly approached Soldrake, suppressing the voice inside that was screaming at her to turn away. Elena spoke to Soldrake, even though she was aware that communicating would be impossible.

“Thank you.”

Even though they couldn’t hear each other, Soldrake also replied to Elena.

[I’ve only done my duty as Pendragon’s sworn ally and Ray’s soul companion.]

Elena, who saw the shape of Soldrake’s mouth, nodded lightly.

“Duchess! Are you alright!?”

The Pendragon soldiers rushed into the room at that moment. But even the brave soldiers stiffened at the indescribable sight.

“The guardian of the Pendragon has resolved the issue here. Will you take those bodies away?”

“Yes!”

There was no blood around the corpses, and the bodies resembled dummies. They were quickly taken away.

“How is the situation outside?”

“Yes! The situation outside has already been taken care of.”

Elena nodded as a soldier answered.

“I see. I think it’s safe now, so employees can go out and help clean up the mess.”

“Y, yes! My lady!”

The employees rushed out of the door, eager to be free from the fear that they felt from Soldrake. They paid their behavior no mind even though they were in front of the lady of the Pendragon family.

“H, handsome Kazzal will protect little Pendragon. M, mom Pendragon doesn’t need to worry.”

Elena smiled softly and nodded at Kazzal’s remark as he held Mia Pendragon’s hand. He grasped tightly onto Mia’s hand even though his own body was shivering like a leaf.

“Yes, thank you. Mia, follow the head maid along with Kazzal. Head maid, if you could.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Mia and Kazzal were escorted out of the door by soldiers and the head maid, leaving only Elena and Soldrake in the room. Elena spoke once more to Soldrake, well knowing its futility.

“I know that you fight only for the Duke of Pendragon, and not the entire Pendragon family. Just like Gordon, you live now only for Alan.”

[I cared about James. For Sade, Klein, and Gordon. But the only Pendragon I really loved was Alex.]

“As you cared for Gordon, please care for my son, Alan, and love him.

[I see Alex through Ray. I’ll love Ray more than Gordon, Klein, and Sade.]

“I… I know that he may not be my real son Alan.”

[Ray is both Raven Valt and Alan Pendragon. Until the day he dies, he is the human I will love. Pendragon woman doesn’t have to worry.]

“But I’m a mother. Even if my son changed, or became another person entirely, I will love him as a mother, and as the lady of the Pendragon family. And… I will forever be grateful to you for loving Alan.”

[I will love Ray.]

They couldn’t hear what each other was saying.

Nevertheless, Soldrake and Elena conversed, and their hearts were conveyed to each other.

[Ray’s here.]

Soldrake turned her head towards the door. Elena smiled as she recognized the meaning of Soldrake’s words.

***

“Are you all right, my lady?”

“Yes. What could possibly happen when the family’s guardian was by my side? What about you, are you all right?”

“Yes, I’ve received a minor injury, but I quickly healed thanks to the Shield of Healing.”

In fact, Raven had actually been seriously injured, but thanks to the Troll King’s regeneration, his body was exponentially repairing itself even as he spoke.

“I see, I’m proud of you. I would like to hear more, but it’s been a hard night for you too. Why don’t you go rest.”

Elena hugged her son and patted him on the shoulders.

At first, it was an awkward and embarrassing touch, but not any longer. Raven could feel true motherhood from Elena’s embrace, and bowed his head with a content heart.

“Yes, my lady. Please have a restful night.”

“Yes, good night, mother.”

“Yes yes, my children.”

Elena entered her room with the maids, leaving Raven and Irene behind.

“Then, brother, please have a good rest. Lady Luna, Miss Lindsay, we should get going now too.”

“……”

“Ah, yes…”

Lindsay quickly bowed her head as she woke from a trance. She was jealously imagining the scene where Raven was hugging Elena.

However, Irene tapped Raven on the shoulder when she noticed that Lindsay was hesitatingly giving Raven glances, and Luna seemed to be wanting to say something.

“What are you doing, brother? You need to give your wife a farewell.”

“A farewell…?”

Oh my gosh! What you did to mother.”

“U, um…”

Even though it wasn’t immoral and fit into the natural obligation of a married couple, Raven still hesitated. But as he saw Lindsay standing still with her face dyed red, it occurred to him that she had experienced many difficult things today.

“Y, you went through a lot. Sleep tight.”

“Yes… Y, your grace, please rest peacefully.”

Lindsay’s face was a volcano on the verge of eruption. She barely managed to reply to Raven’s words.

As soon as the short embrace was over, Lindsay walked out into the corridors without being able to raise her face, and Irene followed along with a grin.

“Hm? Why aren’t you leaving, Lady Seyrod?”

Raven, who was about to go out into the garden to get rid of his awkwardness and to listen to the battle report, frowned at the sight of one lady who was remaining in the room.

“I need to… say something to your grace.”

“If it’s not important, we can talk about it tomorrow mornin…”

“It’s urgent. I need to talk about it now.”’

Raven was a little surprised by Luna’s firm response, as she had always been cautious in dealing with him until now.