The scent of the tea was bitter. (2)
The dark line drawn above the dragon’s neck was noticeable.
The flag, which had a more powerful presence than the countless corpses next to it, was now drooping heavily, soaked in blood.
“……Who the hell are you.”
I had no strength in asking whether my lungs were already full of blood.
However, the driver, who was lying on the ground in disarray, had his eyes wide open as if he needed to hear the answer to his question.
“The palace… Did Duke Jeong send you?”
Members of the Dragon Slayer Knights who were lured all the way to this distant place with the corpse of a false dragon.
Their leader said the most plausible name he could guess, but the listener’s face didn’t even flinch.
“Knights. “When did I tell you to follow the dragon’s words?”
He just raised the silver sword he was holding in a confused voice.
The man’s sword, which had already drunk a lot of blood, was losing its color like the flag of the Dragon Slayer Knights folded in the distance.
Phew!
“…Didn’t I tell you to protect what you need to protect?”
With the sound of the sword breaking, the knight’s heart, which had been trembling slightly, stopped.
When the last man alive stopped, the battlefield that had been intense until just a moment ago was filled with deep, tomb-like silence.
“Thank you for your effort.”
“Maybe because it has lived so long, the dragon’s claws have become so long.”
A white hand handed a handkerchief to Frausen, who was carelessly drawing his sword.
Perhaps because the clothes he was wearing were black, the white color was particularly noticeable.
“I have to cut off those claws first before I can kill him.”
Frausen, who was absent-mindedly wiping the blood from her face with the handkerchief she had received, realized that the woman had something she wanted to say to him.
“What.”
“One of my knights never returned.”
“Why?”
A small question was forming on his face, which was gradually cooling down like a corpse.
This is because there was no reason why the headless people, who were not bound by the laws of the world and were not subject to the laws of the world, could not return because they had escaped death.
“According to those who returned, it was said that it was bitten by a dragon.”
“dragon?”
“Isn’t there a young dragon you released? “It’s that kid.”
Frausen’s heart began to beat again at the word dragon, but when he realized that the word was referring to Vlad, he soon made a strange expression.
“…Then it’s probably worth noting that I can’t come back. “A dragon by nature never misses its prey.”
Unlike other headless knights, the knight who was pierced by the weeping dragon slayer has never been able to return to Ramachut’s side.
It was due to differences in class and also because of perfection that did not even tolerate death.
“I guess I’ll have to go and get it myself.”
Frausen turned his head towards the distance, standing in the bloody, muddy mess.
“I’m also curious about how you grew up.”
It was a place where there was a headless knight who could not return, and it was also a place where there was a strange guy who you couldn’t tell if he was a dragon or a knight.
※※※※
Perhaps because the climate was different, the ceiling was high and the windows were wide.
In addition, the flower vases placed here and there and even the bright patterns on the walls made it a space that gave a feeling of the central region, which was different from the northern region.
“The room is really nice. “Seeing as there is even a living room, I feel like I am being treated well.”
“…….”
If only there wasn’t an old man chomping at the food in front of me right now.
He was an old man with a shabby appearance that made you sympathize with him, but he could never be called an unwelcome guest.
Vlad did not bother to hide his complicated expression when he saw Pierre who suddenly came to see him.
“Anyway, I’ve been going around with that cat all along.”
“It’s called Nibelune. “You know me.”
“I don’t know the names of the beast people. “I only remember the name that God gave me.”
Nibelun shook his head as he looked at Pierre’s attitude of still ignoring him.
They were like comrades in arms in Moshiam, which was full of fog, but it seemed that the faithful servant of God was still reluctant to be a wizard who dealt with mysteries.
“How did you get here?”
Vlad’s mouth opened heavily as he watched Pierre carefully putting down his spoon as if he had finished eating.
I had been waiting so far, following the unwritten rule of not touching anything while eating, but now it was time to hear an answer.
“Who on earth is the old man you brought in?”
“……hmm.”
The tip of Vlad’s head was pointing toward the bedroom.
At least Pierre had the energy left to eat something, but the old man, who had been exhausted from the beginning, was now lying on the bed, falling into a death-like sleep.
The doctor who examined me said that I was in a very dangerous condition, so I might be able to get rid of an invoice by tomorrow.
“The author is someone whose safety has already been guaranteed by the Northern Alliance. “For them, he is like a precious witness.”
“So don’t you ask who it is?”
Perhaps sensing something ominous, Vlad looked a little sharper than usual.
But Pierre just smiled meaningfully while looking at Vlad like that.
“The author’s name is Radu. Radu Dragulia.”
“…….”
As the old man’s name flowed from the tip of Pierre’s tongue, Vlad’s fingertips that were reaching for the teacup stopped.
At the same time, the fact that the air in the room became cold was probably not only Nibelun’s illusion.
“And he might also be your half-brother.”
——————
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A strange silence began to creep in behind the name Pierre uttered.
The name passed down in blood is Radu Dragulia.
After hearing the identity of the old man from Pierre, Vlad felt a strange emotion that was difficult to explain in words emerged.
“…He seems more like a grandfather than an older brother.”
The name Pierre uttered caused small ripples in his heart, but Vlad was trying to appear calm.
This is because the conversation skills I learned from Josef were telling me that I should not show any gaps now.
“It seems that Dragulia is quite rough with people. “Seeing it look so old.”
After speaking calmly, Vlad slowly raised his teacup.
He was talking with a smile, but his eyes contained a warning not to say that name in front of me anymore.
“You may stay here until someone from the Northern Coalition arrives, as you wish. “Even though it’s not my mansion.”
“…Thank you. “I didn’t know I would benefit from you.”
What you see is blonde hair and blue eyes.
However, the color of the sword hanging by the knight’s side is silver.
Looking at Vlad, who no longer looked like his former youthful self, Pierre clicked his tongue as if he had lost his temper.
※※※※
Vlad was walking through the hallway of the mansion toward Rodrigo’s drawing room.
Although it was someone else’s land, Arnstein’s knights passing by greeted Vlad with their eyes, and the attitude of the employees who bowed their heads was full of politeness.
[In times like these, we need to be even more humble. Now no one will look at you as an inexperienced knight.]
‘I know.’
[Instead, raise your head higher. Don’t forget that the basis of a knight is confidence.]
‘…I understand.’
Quihano had been nagging him ever since he met Rodrigo, but Vlad was just thinking about it.
This was because he was aware that now was the time to pay attention not only to the sword but also to other areas as well.
Of course, interfering with every single attitude was too annoying to just ignore.
“Rodrigo.”
“oh. “Are you here?”
When I opened the door and entered, all the knights of the Imperial Military Police had already gathered.
It may not have been his intention, but the sight of the knights looking at him at the same time made Vlad feel a strange sense of pressure.
The knights sent directly by the courtier to find the culprit who killed Auguste were not just knights in disguise.
“Did you welcome the guests well? “One of them looked quite dangerous.”
“What are you asking when you already know everything?”
“It’s my habit to ask questions when I already know everything.”
Why are all the people I meet today so sly?
Rodrigo, a competent investigator, already knew the identity of the old people, but he seemed to want to hear the situation directly from Vlad’s mouth.
“I plan to protect it until people come from the north. “I am also a knight of the Northern Union.”
“Duty is important. As much as honor.”
Rodrigo began shaking his head as if he liked Vlad’s attitude.
However, when Vlad saw that, he did not hide his sullen expression.
It was because I didn’t like his attitude of judging himself arbitrarily, whether it was good or bad.
“Once again, I have nothing to do with the founding king.”
[Oh……]
“The sword he is holding is not his sword. So please stop caring about me.”
To Vlad, who was not used to receiving expectations from others, Rodrigo’s nod was just an annoyance.
Vlad, who had a vague idea of what was expected of him, planned to use this opportunity to clearly draw a line.
“Please don’t expect anything from me. “It’s a life where people just want to live as they please.”
“Of course I don’t expect anything.”
However, despite Vlad’s harsh attitude, Rodrigo did not show any particular displeasure.
“Just do whatever you want. “Like last night when we were chasing the headless ones.”
“…….”
Because he was already satisfied.
Although he was saying no with his mouth, the image of Vlad trying to uphold the Sword Master’s rules more than anyone else was also the image that the knights of the empire had portrayed for a long time.
“I plan to return to the palace now.”
“That’s good news.”
“And on the way back, I wanted to say something to you, so I called you.”
Vlad was happy to be away from his troublesome group, but Rodrigo’s eyes were only serious.
“Don’t trust Josef Bayezid too much.”
A senior knight of the Imperial Military Police, responsible for security of the imperial capital.
He, who was searching for the hidden truth with a sense of smell sharper than that of a hunting dog, was leaving a heavy warning to Vlad.
“What is that…”
“Joseph was the first to obtain drugs from the far east in the north.”
There was a green drug that swept the imperial family and court nobles.
It was an elf drug that had deadly poison despite its great advantages.
It was such a great medicine that the capital city of Brigantes was still suffering from the aftereffects of it.
“There was clearly a good reason why the Vatican targeted Joseph. “Don’t forget what I said.”
“…….”
I wanted to firmly shout out that it wasn’t like that, but the energy Rodrigo was giving off was making Vlad keep his mouth shut.
Vlad had lived his entire life rebelling against someone, but Rodrigo’s words of warning while embracing the truth were so strong that it was difficult to shake off.
※※※※
Black powder was falling on the green tea water.
It was clear tea water that had been carefully brewed according to the basics of the tea ceremony, but now it had turned completely black, as if the efforts were in vain.
“They say they are trapped underground. “I heard that the priests in the territory are keeping it strictly sealed.”
“okay?”
Josef frowned as if he was in pain while listening to Zayar’s report.
Josef, who liked to follow a detailed plan, was feeling displeased with the unexpected situation.
“Why couldn’t I run away? “They probably aren’t the ones who are bound by the ground they originally walked on.”
I was asking a question, but I wasn’t expecting an answer.
Because Xayar next to him was a knight, not someone who manipulated evil beings.
“Is it because of Vlad?”
Vlad of Shoara is the only variable Josef Bayezid is willing to have.
Josef, thinking that the guy had probably done something, just threw the bag of medicine he was holding into the fireplace with a faint smile.
“We’ve run out of powder, so I’ll be hearing from you soon. “Let’s wait.”
“I understand, Josef.”
After he finished speaking, black tea water flowed down the bowl.
With each sip, the fire returned to Josef’s black eyes, and with each sip, the dark eye shadow was gradually regaining its true color.
“…I’ve taken a lot of medicine, but this medicine is really useful.”
After emptying his teacup, Josef narrowed one eye and complained.
Come to think of it, Josef had stopped coughing shallowly at some point.
I don’t know when it started, but there was definitely no sign of complete illness in the current Josef.
