Chapter 299: Side Story – The Lady in Red

While Emil was confronting the necromancer in the northern plains, the roar of a dragon was also echoing through another northern city.

“Kraaaaaaah!”

The name of that city was Soara.

Everyone held their breath at the dragon’s roar.

That was why Soara remained shrouded in absolute darkness, without a single visible light.

However, there was one building that shone brilliantly on its own.

As if it wanted to draw every gaze toward itself, it blazed with dazzling illumination.

Standing on the balcony of that place was a woman dressed in a red gown.

“How is the evacuation going?”

The Lady in Red.

The Rose of Soara.

Lady Zemina, admired and revered by all the people of the city, stared intently at Soara’s North Gate, swallowed by darkness.

“…We still need a little more time, Lady Zemina.”

People were moving cautiously, guided by the lights of Rose’s Smile.

They carried their small children on their backs, helped their elderly parents along, and hauled the few belongings they had managed to gather while hurriedly abandoning the city.

All of them were citizens of Soara.

“…They broke through our defenses too quickly.”

Zemina bit her lips in frustration.

They had done everything they could.

No one could blame them.

Their response had been flawless.

Soara did not even have a mayor who could act as a central authority.

Even so, Zemina had gathered every available soldier to establish a defensive line.

But the enemy was simply too formidable.

“So it’s really true that it’s the fastest dragon.”

Zemina opened the fan she held and concealed part of her face while looking toward the walls of the North Gate.

Beneath the light of the two moons, a creature stood atop the wall with a fierce gaze.

— Grrrrrr…

Lindworm.

The fastest dragon in the world.

Its snout was stained red, as though it had already tasted blood.

Slowly licking its lips, it looked down upon the city of Soara from above.

“Lady Zemina. It is not too late yet. We knights will stop it with all our strength. So please…”

The knight desperately tried to convince her to flee.

But Zemina remained motionless, never taking her eyes off the North Gate.

“They say that in Sturma, they attacked the Bayezid mansion first, correct?”

In Sturma, the Bayezid mansion had been the first target.

And in Varna, the first place attacked had been the cathedral.

“Then in Soara, it will be here.”

The mansion and the cathedral.

Both had been the hearts of their respective cities.

The intentions of those unknown invaders were obvious.

And now Zemina had to make use of that.

“Transmit my order to everyone. Until the last person has evacuated, Rose’s Smile will hold the line.”

Upon hearing that Zemina intended to remain until the end and fight, a thunderous cheer erupted from the lobby.

“I knew she’d say that! I knew our Lady would never abandon the fight!”

The dwarves of Nidavellir stationed in the city slammed their beer mugs against the tables as they laughed enthusiastically.

The knights of Soara began warming up their bodies as if they had been waiting for those words.

And the Paladins and priests of the Church began silently reciting their prayers.

“…It’s coming.”

“Kraaaaaaah!”

With that warning, a massive white dragon descended alongside the moonlight to the base of the walls.

At the same time, armored troops surged through the shattered gate.

At their front fluttered the banner of a house long forgotten by history.

The emblem of Dragulia.

“……”

The forces advanced through the darkness of the city.

Though Zemina’s gaze was as steadfast as a heroine’s, it also concealed a worry she could not hide.

‘Yustia…’

Because the moment the dragon’s roar echoed out, a group of knights shot out from the alleyways.

Knights specially selected to lure the invading forces deeper into the city.

And at the center of that group was a young girl.

Her red hair resembled a brilliant rose in full bloom.

It was exactly the same color as Zemina’s.

***

“Faster! Faster!”

A dozen knights rode hard while enemy forces pursued them.

From the North Gate to the inner alleyways.

They had successfully lured the troops into Soara’s labyrinth of streets.

But the situation remained extremely dangerous.

“There is Yustia Aureo!”

The pressure of the army advancing behind them was terrifying.

It was Dragulia’s army.

Dozens of knights.

Hundreds of soldiers.

They knew perfectly well they were being led into a trap.

And yet they could not resist.

“The enemy of Dragulia! Vlad’s daughter is there!”

Because the target they were chasing was simply too tempting.

In the dark night, a young girl with red hair seemed to be the only source of color in those narrow alleyways.

Yet her cold blue eyes clearly revealed whose blood she had inherited.

“Capture that girl! Glory to Dragulia!”

Hundreds of men ran after her while shouting the name of that ancient fallen house.

Driven by greed.

By anger.

And by the weight of their ambitions.

It was an emotional burden far too heavy for a girl of only sixteen.

But the girl was not alone.

“How dare you?!”

A man closed his left eye as he stepped in front of the approaching troops.

He was a man with red hair very similar to that of the girl running ahead.

“Who dares set their eyes upon my niece?!”

The commander of the Northern Orthodox Church’s Second Knight Corps, Paladin Radu.

Against the false banner of Dragulia that threatened his niece, he unleashed a devastating strike.

“Aaaaargh!”

“T-The fire won’t go out!”

It was a strike covered in thick, sticky flames, as if oil had been mixed into them.

Originally, Radu’s world had been a world consumed by inferiority.

But that knight had managed to turn even that complex into fuel to strengthen himself.

That was why persistent flames burned at the tip of his sword, flames that were nearly impossible to extinguish.

“Dragulia! Damn it, always Dragulia!”

As he galloped through the alleyways, Radu roared with rage, as though he were already sick of hearing that name.

“Why do you keep waving the banner of a family that already disappeared?!”

Radu had been the last Dragulia.

But he had abandoned that surname to dedicate himself to God.

“There isn’t even a legitimate heir left to carry on that name!”

“Kraaaaaaah!”

He shouted it toward the white dragon running beside him.

No.

More precisely, toward the blue-eyed man riding upon it.

Crash!

Rumbleee!

Lindworm did not even bother trying to pass through the alleyways.

It simply destroyed the buildings in its path.

Faced with such savage power, the structures could not even resist and collapsed one after another.

Now only Radu and Yustia could keep pace with it.

The dwarves’ cannons had fired to stop it.

But reaching such speed was impossible.

With a simple movement, Lindworm dodged every projectile.

“How strange. Normally, children inherit the legacy of their parents.”

He was a man with silver-gray hair.

He appeared somewhat younger than Radu.

But there was one thing impossible to ignore.

In his eyes shone the blue that only dragons possess.

Boom!

Crash!

Lindworm advanced in a straight line toward Rose’s Smile.

“Shouldn’t I be the one to inherit the name of Dragulia?”

The man’s fangs protruded as he smiled mockingly.

Radu, who had once been part of Dragulia, knew perfectly well what those fangs meant.

“…You’ve devoured many.”

How much dragon blood had he consumed?

His hair had already lost its original color and turned silver-gray.

“I suppose so. After all, my father left behind quite a lot to collect.”

After saying that, the man turned his gaze toward Radu.

And also toward the red-haired girl riding behind him.

“Isn’t that right, Sir Radu? You who once belonged to Dragulia.”

The dragon’s cruel greed was directed toward a flower that had not even finished blooming.

A flower named Yustia Aureo.

A girl created by a knight who chose potential instead of becoming a dragon.

“You bastard.”

Realizing who the man was truly targeting, Radu roared in fury.

— Evil walks the fields, and sin strikes at the gates of the city!

Whoever points a sword at a child is evil.

And evil must be judged.

It was his duty to do so.

— O Saint Rogino, commander of the heavenly armies! Wield your sword and establish justice!

It was the prayer of a Paladin.

He did not borrow power from his own inner world.

He borrowed the world of God.

This time he did not close his left eye.

The radiant blessing of Saint Rogino descended through both open eyes and concentrated upon his sword.

“Die, damn you!”

Judgment Prayer.

The will of Saint Rogino, punisher of the wicked, pierced through the alleyways of Soara.

Booom!

A radiant slash filled the entire street.

Even those watching from Rose’s Smile had to close their eyes before that holy attack.

Yustia also clenched her fists.

It looked like a certain victory.

But the fastest dragon did not allow judgment to reach him.

“You possess the blood of a dragon capable of attaining perfection, and yet you beg a mere god.”

At some point, Lindworm had already moved behind Radu.

“……!”

An icy sensation ran down Radu’s neck.

Instinctively, he ducked.

And it was the correct decision.

A sharp pain pierced through his shoulder.

“Uncle!”

The man’s attack had narrowly missed.

But it did strike Radu’s horse.

Although he managed to save his life, he could not avoid being thrown away.

“Kgh!”

Radu hit the ground and rolled through a cloud of dust.

Rumble…

As he disappeared into the distance as a small silhouette, Yustia quickly closed her left eye.

‘I’ve got to find it!’

The girl’s cold and precise Aura instantly transformed her vision.

And then she found the fastest dragon’s weakness.

‘I’ve got to cripple his mobility!’

Radu’s attack had been enough to punish him.

But Lindworm’s speed had avoided the blow.

That was why immobilizing him came first.

‘Found it!’

Her technique, designed to search for the unexpected.

And the dragon instinct that sought to destabilize the enemy.

Both pointed to the same place.

Lindworm’s eyes.

Those eyes that continued staring directly at her.

Fwoosh!

Diamang was not yet a fully grown steed.

But precisely because of his small size, he could pass through impossible spaces.

“Kraaaaaaah!”

She dodged the tail.

She ducked beneath the front claws.

And when only a single step remained—

The small horse suddenly accelerated.

“……!”

Even the silver-gray-haired man opened his eyes in surprise.

It was a movement beyond any calculation.

And atop Diamang, Yustia had already drawn her sword.

“Now…”

She only had to stab him.

But at that exact moment—

Slash!

A sword shot toward her at tremendous speed.

“……!”

The trajectory she had identified through her perception of weak points was aimed directly at her neck.

“How dare you?!”

Yustia quickly withdrew the sword she had been about to thrust and blocked the attack.

“Guh!”

The timing had been perfect.

The movement impeccably precise.

But it lacked strength.

Experience.

And weight.

Slashhh!

Yustia and Diamang were sent flying.

They rolled violently across the ground.

They had come in at such tremendous speed that they continued sliding for a long distance.

The road became stained with blood.

“Haah… haah… ngh…”

Yustia and Diamang struggled to breathe while lying on the ground.

Thump… Thump…

The air was thick with the smell of smoke.

And through that smoke echoed the footsteps of the dragon.

Yustia looked up at the enormous shadow looming over her.

“After all, hunting dragons is difficult. Especially when there are two at once.”

The man whistled calmly.

He appeared completely relaxed.

Showing his sharp fangs, he looked down at Yustia.

“But the rewards that come after a difficult hunt are always the sweetest.”

The man who stepped down from Lindworm was a dragon hunter.

And also a dragon devourer.

A man who intended to inherit the place of the supreme predator once occupied by Sarnus.

A fanatic who dreamed of recreating the Perfect Dragon.

“I wish your father could feel this too.”

To him, Vlad of Soara was a pitiful existence.

He had devoured the oldest dragon.

He could have become the Perfect Dragon.

And yet he had settled for being nothing more than a knight.

Tick— Tick-tick-tick!

A disturbing sound coming from a compass hidden inside his chest made him frown.

It was a signal related to the Deathworm.

The monster that should have arrived there shortly.

“I won’t allow them to turn my husband into an abomination like that.”

And then a voice rang out.

“Growing stronger by devouring others? What a disgusting creature.”

Gradually, sounds began echoing from every alleyway.

The silence barrier created by the priests had just disappeared.

“I suppose when greed blinds you that badly, you end up falling into traps this obvious.”

Dwarves aiming cannons.

Knights with their Auras unleashed.

Paladins helping Radu back to his feet.

Feeling all those eyes upon him, the man finally raised his head.

And understood where he was.

“Lady Zemina. It is an honor to meet you.”

Rose’s Smile.

The domain of the Swordmasters.

The sanctuary of all knights.

The only illuminated building in the entire city stood before him.

And beneath that light, Yustia began to laugh softly.

That laugh sounded very much like the mockery the Lady in Red had just spoken.

And it was no coincidence.

“…I’ve arrived too early. I was supposed to have company.”

Normally, the Deathworm should have already arrived.

And with it, the troops and the necromancers.

But the compass continued emitting that disturbing sound.

And he was completely alone.

“But even so, I’ll take what I came here for, Zemina.”

The man closed his left eye.

And his figure became blurry.

It was not magic.

It was pure speed.

The priests realized it instantly.

And unleashed all their prayers upon Yustia.

— Make this body a shield for her!

— Let evil not cross this line!

— Hide the child beneath your wings!

A multitude of defensive spells appeared around Yustia.

At the same time, the knights of Soara positioned themselves in front of Zemina to protect her.

“Believe it or not, I’m someone who values honor very highly, milady.”

But the man was not after Yustia’s life.

Nor Zemina’s.

“Please tell your husband that I will be taking his precious honor.”

The man stood before Rose’s Smile.

And in his hands he held the signboard that symbolized the establishment.

“Hear me, everyone! I am taking Lady Zemina’s honor!”

I cannot accept your choice.

The choice of someone who preferred honor over perfection.

“My name is Laiota! Laiota Dragulia! I claim Lady Zemina’s honor!”

Thus I will prove that your choice was wrong.

“Let Vlad of Soara come challenge me to a duel! Until then, I shall safeguard your wife’s name!”

And at the same time.

I will take your blood as well.

The blood of the brightest dragon.

Amid the burning city, the dragon’s fangs gleamed.

His name was Laiota Dragulia.

The man who devoured the corpse of a fallen dragon.

The man who wished to replace the oldest dragon and attain perfection.

And now he was already mounted once more upon Lindworm’s back.