Chapter 78: Choices made by a child (2)
SCOIRFa“Raise your face.”nhT
OkgNVqVlad frowned disapprovingly as Dorothea forcefully lifted his face, but he couldn’t help it.502
qjFzy“Don’t paint yourself in the face.”4wG99
O8RGLK“Do you want to end up a headless corpse?”PrL
qqh58“That’s why you even wore a helmet.”DwPjA
HrZgZZ“You told me not to speak informally.”p0VnD
C5aFSXRed engravings etched into the armor.b12V
4ucpqRAs if that weren’t enough, Dorothea brought a small brush close to Vlad’s face.rpsL
H1nF1NiJust as the Iron Ball Knights wielded magical torches, Dorothea’s measure was to block the cold that Lindworm would emit.eya
YOFg“Why are you doing this to me only?”XUh9Y2f
y9PS4wi“Because you’ll be the last to run.”Mqlr
FAHWDcnRutiger’s knights, who observed Vlad from the side, just shrugged as if they had no other choice.gmt
GMbo0jd“There’s nothing you can do. Your horse is the fastest.”ik9hoC7
cyAX8Jw“You’re Bayezid’s best dragon hunter, so you should be able to handle this.”nKG
fHKCFThe knights beside him seemed to find it amusing to watch the boy’s increasingly reddening features while making jokes.u06jWbS
LozhFfA“I’ll say it again. Look at the map here.”EPkJa
nziRU5As Dorothea was drawing on the boy’s face, Rutiger’s lieutenant unfolded a clean map and pressed his finger on the marked points.UetWK
4szagD6“The blacksmiths and we will only be able to take it up to this point here. Then, from this moment on, it’s up to you.”aYrJ
UKkGJThere were countless lines drawn on the map the aide pointed to.gDh
SS9j6It was a trail left by people who must have thought about how to lure the dragon.jeg4i
Qgr“Until then, we’ll avoid the wind behind the knights. Keep in formation.”dntKC9R
Nw16A“Got it.”9Yjv7
Fop8It was the operation scheme that had been reiterated time and again, but Rutiger’s aide didn’t seem satisfied with just that.4eXKYX
iNPYY“If it drags me up to this point, Mr. Rutiger will come rushing out of his hiding place. At the same time, Valkov’s lance will also fly from above.”EbHk
nzdUpon hearing the aide’s words, Vlad turned his gaze and looked at the knight in front of him.4YTJUvB
7IOPA steel-clad knight carrying a bunch of short spears on his back. Valkov with the lance.6qm2YvR
KLitQmYHe knew from Ramund that aura could be used in various ways, but this was the first time he had seen someone using aura on a throwing weapon.FVXTm9
kBnCPIndeed, the world was wide, and there were many people.mjzeBiz
2Kao“So your role is the most important in this plan.”i1KTtMX
Ax4R9“I think I’ve heard that hundreds of times already.”DNux
73epA terrain that suddenly narrows like a bottleneck, with hills on both sides.nVKQn
ai1BA3JThe plan was to lead them to a place where they couldn’t easily retreat, and then Rutiger would block Lindworm’s advance from the ground while Valkov would shoot a lance from the top of the hill.YkH5od
ia5N1FMIf you simply drag Lindworm to the point planned by Vlad, you can successfully subdue it.76eWZH
q6WwWoO“So, any questions?”s1T5mhZ
PL5ZJL“I have none.”PouX
2y6h“Alright, just do what’s right.”sfAlNJ
7SyYjIRutiger’s aide was almost exhausted from seeing the boy who didn’t lose his bold attitude despite being at the center of the operation.OtfaqJr
njovudD“…If we succeed, those people don’t have to die, right?”gwWy2yu
ljz7y8E“Of course.”HjJ
Mc5MYIn response to Vlad’s question, the aide nodded briskly.Pdg4Z
HTzjAt the end of the boy’s line of sight, there were barbarians lying on the ground due to the cruel hands of the Dragon Slayer Knights.Ky62
4YK5rBait is not something you get and use when you need it.erADx
YoIdEaThe right way to use bait would be to catch it in advance and then use it.xhIYou
J5pS15mTherefore, Mirshea had prepared in advance a bait to lure Lindworm.Ug5sp
XsTwLEdVlad looked at Agge, who clenched his teeth behind him, unable to contain his anger.UtZY
cDYW3gSon of a tribe leader chasing a spirit horse and a ruthless barbarian who attacked the people of Bayezid.3EzDyo
DbyHowever, their actions were meant to save the members of their tribe.o3z7K
RwKcMx“…Even when things go wrong, it always ends up like this.”mCW35a
rbTbAnd now, the baits who were captured by the Dragon Slayer Knights and sat powerless in the cold snowfield said they were members of the Budart tribe.GIADj
f4LL7S4If the people of the North fail, their blood and screams will become bait to lure Lindworm.CIpmxfz
aIJBGURoar!uH1C
qmsBcIn the distance, beyond the white horizon, the roar of the fallen dragon began to be heard.drA7UcP
gOiOGG“Yes. It’s coming this way!”y1LcMY
acDdbf1Rutiger’s lieutenant applauded to distract the knights and turned his head to look at his master.AuCJW
A5EtAt his signal, the young black-haired man nodded.651yqy
2G1E“Alright!”W4aKOY
VMNnaqxThe dragon knights set their horses spinning at the signal to begin.bJyN
hjtrugo“…”3HC
21IBVlad lowered the front plate of his engraved helmet and made eye contact with those who looked at him.HBcd
9EaDorothea began to recite.sZqSIPw
w9C3bRutiger and Ramund nodded.B0lT
TnNdpAnd even Mirshea of the Dragon Slayer Knights watched him from afar with a slight smile.3onSXiZ
NL0“Let’s go, Noir.”2VQDh
0yRNeighing—RqE
OP2SAXThe black horse named by the boy began to neigh with its hooves.S3I
r59nKbKBehind the tail of the black horse, white snow fell.0MbznZ
7Vf4My***L9v86DP
clDaTwo days ago, Bernhem Fortress.yHAESL
kHaxThere was a piece of white paper illuminated by a flickering candle.sXIcGoy
kwpD“The name is Vlad. He is 17 years old. His birthplace is Soara in the county of Bayezid. What’s special is that he is said to come from a poor neighborhood.”g4CCLTz
9jI70“Hmm. Is that so?”ybAw1
MgLccMirshea frowned as she listened to the report through the crystal ball.St7GdW6
2Sn“Soara… Soara.”2KOXaL
4jhzbp6Blond hair and blue eyes.XZ1I
yTgC8And the heartbeat she could feel as soon as she saw him.I5ZhVkz
bylwThe moment their eyes met, Mirshea could sense an instinctive premonition, but the circumstances surrounding the boy were subtly altering her judgment.CDOg
Jpk1b3“He was born too far away.”xDfb
jITUI“That’s right.”rE0s
qbc“And he was born in such a lowly place.”3v7If0
Q8lMtfH“…”nGtwt
oLF4It’s said that a ripe seed will bloom anywhere, but the background surrounding the boy was so lowly that it seemed rough.ZgW
4miLHad the noble seed really spread to places like this?RMkcX
tJc“I don’t know.”LEya1A
luzHyA map of the North on the desk.Vr70wzC
PEiAnd a sheet of paper spread over the map.XxB1Ml
fi5Mirshea frowned and tapped the paper with Vlad’s personal information written on it.IBWt
4ZFHowever, no matter how much Mirshea insisted, the report written in ink provided no further information about the boy.bByoGE
HKJPOj“I can’t be sure with just this. I’d like to know a bit more.”bo8MO0X
7eEThe assistant’s expression began to cloud over as Mirshea said she wanted more specific information.pTp
eVXr7“…That’s it.”DTLkcHH
AQ4jdThe assistant, hesitating for a moment, had no choice but to give his hesitant response as he looked into Mirshea’s eyes that were colder than ice.W5RfE
Iqq“We were able to find out what the boy named Vlad was doing outside, but we couldn’t uncover his movements within Soara.”Xz8G
VLzU“Why? Most spies would have spread out in the north.”wrG3m
HmUMirshea seemed puzzled by the assistant’s report.3mG
4lScNow is the time when people in the West are rampant, but originally, the region that most worried the royal family and the central government was the North.OLr5C
MO6RoWThis is because the North, united through strong regionalism centered on the steelworker Timur Baranov, was building its own territory to the point where it would not be surprising if it broke away from the empire’s sphere at any moment.BwKjtQ
fdY“Since the new mayor of Soara took office, we all turned a blind eye. It seems they have managed to firmly control the city using the recent disappearance incident as justification.”SLwXj
kMDMBThough Joseph couldn’t wield a sword, he was also a person who understood the sword better than anyone else.JLuW
950The sword’s tip must be sharp and flexible enough to reach anywhere.shw
MvsyJoseph’s influence, which expanded considerably based on an incident, was constantly seizing Soara and devouring it.IuIu
x0TD2“…The two brothers of Bayezid are very capable.”hnj0UKx
ALYCI“My apologies.”Yuvy
U152T5Mirshea looked at the assistant who bowed his head, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a candle, and soon the thick smoke it emitted began to fill the room.Bwj
fV5mqP“They’re both capable, but there’s only one place they can rise to…”iga1N1b
yIZHTap, tap, tap.RM4
fW1wOnly the sound of Mirshea tapping the desk resonated in the room.L80OKU
RYW5tZWinners get what they want, losers lose everything.X8ARry
avyQXThis would be especially true in the case of succession competition among nobles.8hlQ
qAARutiger and Joseph were people who had been placed on an inevitable battlefield from the moment they were born.STlWV8x
1tfAyyc“He might shake things up a bit.”dCNUb
vob0As united as the North may be, surely there would be gaps one could slip through.CKw
fxp9GatAnd Mirshea seemed to see the gap.lKy
0uYgRustle-nqRfo0
5gMNOThe map of the North that was on the desk seemed blurry, shrouded in Mirshea’s cigarette smoke.LYcvALt
q2JsSe7***wfbB8wK
aakv“Even in our case, we ended up sacrificing people. It wasn’t my intention, but…”41dR
ZJlWRamund, recalling memories from long ago, crossed his arms and sighed.y07
vaMV7lm“In the end, we caught the guy who was attacking the village, so in terms of method, it wouldn’t be much different from the Dragon Slayer Knights who used barbarians as bait.”KFn
quRJA few decades ago, there was a Lindworm that appeared during the cold weather.6nhwt2
bGz5eB5Ramund’s and Bayezid’s knights, who were young knights at the time, could only successfully subdue Lindworm while it was busy chewing on villagers.louib
9bcXIn the end, there wouldn’t be much difference with the current method adopted by the Dragon Slayer Knights when it comes to capturing it by sacrificing someone.yaUY
vcMSK“…Since we can’t catch up, we ended up having to set a trap.”AdV
Mp2JqkMRutiger held his head and started to worry.2jfOi62
YmW4“If we don’t catch the dragon, we can use it as an excuse to sit here.”uuQUL
q9blOoCDorothea began to infer the movements of the Dragon Slayer Knights in a calm tone, as expected of a mage and Rutiger’s advisor.U1ofpe
sGMMaGoAs she said, it was impossible to predict how the cause would develop if the opportunity to kill the Dragon Slayer Knights was eliminated.zJOPn
WRCoqThe Dragon Slayer Knights were a group that used the name of the dragon as a shield and acted with a central intention.Egy9z
X1dfY9m“It will take us a long time to build a trap now, right?”UQxsZY
JhEuzZ“If you’re thinking of bringing cattle or sheep from a nearby city, then yes.”xh4CBex
xGyiThe aide, seeing Rutiger worried, cautiously spoke up.RI02
k3kN521“…Should we capture the barbarians now? Or you can steal the barbarians captured by the Dragon Slayer Knights.”1Cbwy4
f2y“Damn it.”OlKsoQ5
cJ7tIn response to the aide’s opinion, Rutiger cursed quietly.9aJy
Vh3PiGUWhichever you choose, the consequences will be severe.xt0
skgFAfter all, the barbarians and the people from the North mingle, and the idea of using them as bait would ultimately shatter the peace that had been delicately established between the two.RAUeJO
LJsU8fPRutiger thought that perhaps this was the result intended by the central authority.NfY40x
Sbh0“Let’s leave it as a last resort.”eBpP
secBut Rutiger had to consider all options.d4VVLZ
v4DwQKABecause that was the duty they had to assume as responsible leaders.ky8rH
0tzx5“They say Vlad is fast…”0jIZz6f
vV9“Don’t you dare ride that horse.”icah9
P9sdmUYRamund shook his head at the words he insinuated just in case.jPt4yN
beQESj“Everyone in Soara knows he’s a disobedient person.”LXABvhn
yrOBUZU“Mmm. Is it that much?”GnxF
DKP“It’s more than you imagine.”Ncu
S6vRutiger was planning to kill Lindworm with a short-term sword using Vlad’s well-known words, but he had no choice but to yield due to Ramund’s strong moderation.tFMd4q
c83jFK“Then there’s no way.”e0N4Eu
EF1Lindworm is so fast that you can’t keep up with it.UbLPQV
S5EtuTo capture Lindworm, instead of chasing it, it’s necessary to lure it, and the most suitable method for that would be to use bait as a decoy.50abC
QXDV“He really seems to have the qualifications to bear the name of a sword knight.”bn4G4FC
FpKRutiger sighed with a sense of perplexity.Wbqpst
9blcRThe Dragon Slayer Knights were forcing him to make an uncomfortable decision just by their presence.O0WOanf
iitKIt’s like they’re saying ‘Do this’.336tv
zBp8hD“Mr. Rutiger.”cslmLwt
QNOBQ5Since there was no other way, everyone fell silent and suddenly urgent footsteps and a banging sound were heard inside the office.rF4M8
S91CHam“What’s going on?”cuGM
AfUBMBXAfter receiving permission, the knight quickly opened the door, entered, and began to inform As there was no other way, everyone fell silent and suddenly urgent footsteps and a banging sound were heard inside the office.FL8N
Sm94K“There are people outside the fortress right now asking you to open the door.”CPj
iEI33“…Who is it?”FxyYt
mhqlQRutiger frowned, wondering if it was another uninvited guest, but the knight informing him had an oddly flushed complexion.m2Ap
LIO4O***PVVfL
1TVkLSIn the snowy fields of the north, where the sun was quickly setting, men were knocking at the door of the fortress of Bernhem.7UGX
rhXf6“Reveal your identity!”gzI6j
9BMThe men raised the flag high, listening to the words of the gatekeeper.9GLswE
WmNICThe symbol engraved on the flag was a steel glove holding something tightly.9qUx
zqcAmMI“Tell this to the captain of Fort Bernhem.”jmL
gEVQThe man who seemed to be the leader of the horsemen spoke calmly to the guard.nWS
54ZvWith just the presence he showed, it could be seen that he was someone out of the ordinary.R9rk
Obh“The knights of the smiths have arrived.”d1095aV
nXcMKnights from the steel-forging family of Baranov.0OroF
acZNThey approached Rutiger, who was worried because he had no cards in hand. The spears stuck in Valkov’s back gleamed in the twilight.I3Am
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