Duke Pendragon

“Brother! Brother Alan!”

“Your Highness!?”

The knights became startled by Mia’s shouts and rushed into her quarters like lightning. With a red-hot face, she shook her head while catching her breath.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have fallen asleep for a second.”

“Oh… I see.”

The knights let loose sighs of relief before heading back out. Pressing down on her pounding chest, Mia looked in the mirror.

“It felt so real…”

Since the day seven years ago, she dreamed of her brother several times. However, they were never as clear and realistic as this dream. In addition, this was the first time she saw the symbol of the Pendragon Kingdom, the White Dragon’s crest, appeared in her dreams.

“Strange… Why is it?”

Mia bit her lips. The lingering regret poked at her heart, but she felt rather relieved for some strange reason. It was as if the warmth radiated by the light in her dream was left behind to comfort her.

“Ha…”

Her anxiety subsided. Although it was only a dream, seeing her brother seemed to ease the burden on her mind. She felt quite troubled and stressed due to the current situation.

“Princess, His Majesty Isla is here.”

The door opened once more along with the announcement of an escort knight.

“Your Majesty.”

Mia quickly approached Isla as he walked through the door.

“What happened?”

“I apologize. I found the one responsible for kidnapping the prince, but I could not catch him because of an irregular technique he employed. However, I have confirmed that he is here in Edenfield, so I will be able to catch him soon. I have already spoken with Governor-General Elven, so troops will be placed all over the city.”

Isla returned to the governor-general’s residence even though he failed to catch Number 3. Trying to track down the perpetrator by himself after losing him would only be a further waste of time.

Isla came to a decision. Since he had already located the approximate location of the opponent, it would be better to seek cooperation from Count Elven to mobilize the troops to track him down.

“Ah…”

“Princess, there is no need for you to worry. You can simply attend the banquet, and I will take care of the rest on my own.”

“Yes.”

Mia’s eyes quivered with regret, but soon, she nodded with a stiff expression. There was nothing she could do to help with the situation. As such, she needed to perform her own duties as the representative of the Pendragon Kingdom’s royal family.

“By the way, I just had a strange dream.”

“A strange dream? What was it about…?”

“It was brother Alan. He was so clear, too…”

“Hooh…”

Isla had been puzzled when Mia suddenly mentioned her dream, but he soon nodded.

“We will definitely find Raymond. Good things always happened on the days when my brother showed up in my dreams.”

“I am sure. The lord always fought for victory. Then I will get going.”

“Yes. Do not worry about this place. I will do my best.”

“I believe in the princess.”

Despite the difficult, arduous situation, the two shared a gaze filled with determination. Even without words, both of them knew their assurance stemmed from their brother and lord, even though he only appeared in Mia’s dream.

***

“Is this it?”

“Yes. It is an aphrodisiac created by a southern wizard. It is colorless and odorless, so no one will be able to tell even if it’s added to water.”

“And the effects?”

“I’m sure you know that the Lord of Mandrain has several elves as his sex slaves, right? And that elves are proud, disdainful creatures. Well, it’s all thanks to this concoction.”

“Hooh…”

Gerard, the younger cousin of Count Elven, smiled insidiously as he looked at the small bottle of medicine in his hand. It was tiny, only the size of his pinky.

“You only need to add a single drop to their drink, whether it be alcohol or something else. Then, after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they won’t be able to control themselves towards the man standing in front of them. The effect only lasts a few hours, so you can enjoy them in the meantime. Hehe…”

The man gave a sly smile. He was secretly meeting with Gerard under the stone wall of the governor-general’s residence.

“Anyways, thank you. Things will work out smoother than I expected thanks to you. I will reward you handsomely once I achieve my purpose.”

“I will be looking forward to it.”

“Good. Then I will be taking my leave.”

Gerard placed the medicine bottle deep inside his pocket, then quickly left while looking around his surroundings.

“What a petty man. Does it hurt to spare me a gold coin…?”

The man clicked his tongue while looking towards the direction where Gerard disappeared off towards. However, unlike his words, he did not look angry or annoyed. Rather, he had an expression of disdain and ridicule towards Gerard.

“The rich are always even worse. Anyways, Number 11, are you ready?”

Someone chimed in after appearing from the shadows of the stone wall. Nevertheless, the man responded without being startled. He had a smile on his face.

“Yes. You can change into this.”

The man called Number 11 held out something that was carefully wrapped in cloth. The newcomer, Number 3, unpacked the clothing from inside the cloth and changed into it.

“It feels awkward.”

“Hehe! It looks rather good on you.”

Number 3 spoke after changing into a soft, black tailcoat. His original, cold sharp appearance was nowhere to be found, and only an ordinary, virtuous noble man in his 30s could be found. It was an extremely ordinary appearance. No matter how many times one looked at him, they would have difficulty remembering his exact face.

Number 3 spoke in a low voice.

“And what of the Knight King? You are certain he is gone, right?”

“Yes. Everything is going according to Number 2’s plan. As soon as he returned to the residence, he held a brief conversation with Count Elven and Princess Mia before leaving. He will be distracted searching for you along with the knights of Edenfield.”

“That is a relief.” Number 3 nodded.

As the man in charge of the brotherhood’s operations, Number 2 devised masterful plans. It could not be helped that they had been discovered, but Number 2 planned to utilize the situation to their advantage.

Now that their traces had been discovered, Elkin Isla would seek cooperation from Count Elven to mobilize the troops in order to search for Number 3. As a result, the defense of the governor-general’s residence and Princess Mia would be relatively weakened.

They would boldly utilize the fact to kidnap the princess during the banquet. Of course, they were lucky enough to discover that Count Elven’s younger cousin was utterly obsessed with getting his hands on Princess Mia. This worked in their favor.

Since the brat was willing to get his hands on a beauty even if it meant using a reckless method, they would be able to capture her much more easily. The medicine given to the boy also had the effect of dizzying the consumer.

“Let us go. Since all of the nobles in Edenfield are attending the banquet, no one will be able to tell who you are.”

“Hmm.” Number 3 nodded. Edenfield was a large city with hundreds of nobles coming and going every day. Once he entered the banquet hall, he would escape all suspicion. And currently, there was no one present who had the ability to see through his irregular technique and pose a threat to him.

***

“Who commissioned you to kidnap Raymond?”

“…..”

Ping!

“Keugh!”

Number 2 clenched his teeth as a sharp, hot pain attacked the side of his face. His ear had been cut off.

“Hehe! I am going to die anyways, so why would I speak? Hurry up and finish it. It would be an honor to die at the hands of the legendary founding king of Pendragon.”

Number 2 grinned even as blood dripped down the side of his face.

“Hmm…”

Raven looked down at Number 2 with cold eyes.

Number 2 was definitely tenacious. There weren’t many people who could laugh after having their leg almost severed and their ear cut off.

‘I guess it’s only natural for the second-in-command of an assassination group.’

Raven came to a quick decision. No matter what he did, the opponent would remain silent.

“I guess I have no other choice.”

Raven shrugged before heaving the man on his shoulder.

“Keugh! What are you…”

“Since it will be impossible for me to make you speak, I’m going to take you to someone who can.”

“Haha! No matter which torturer you find, they cannot unseal my lips.”

“I know.”

“Then just kill…”

“M, master!”

Berna shouted after finally arriving, and Number 2 quickly shut up.

“That person is… Huhh!?”

Although she had expected it, she was shocked regardless. Number 2 was one of the strongest people she knew, but he was being carried on Raven’s shoulder as if he were simply a slab of bloody meat.

“Great timing. You carry him.”

“What? Ah, yes!”

Berna quickly carried out Raven’s orders, as if she were a loyal dog raised for decades.

“You filthy half-breed vampire… You dare betray the brotherhood?”

Number 2 spoke with fury in his eyes. Berna flinched momentarily, then returned a venomous gaze.

“Hmph! Keep talking, you are nothing but a mere mutt who lost to master. You better keep your mouth shut. Master does not like chatterboxes.”

“Ha! Master? You will never serve this man as your master. You think a mere half-vampire can live surrounded by the Spirit of the Dragon?”

“W, what are you talking about? Spirit of the Dragon…?”

Berna paused and stuttered while looking down at Number 2.

“Stupid wench. You wagged your tail and called him your master without even knowing his true identity. Listen carefully. That man is Alan Pendragon, the founding king of the Pendragon Kingdom.”

“Uagh!”

Berna became immensely shocked, and she slowly moved her gaze.

“What are you doing, vampire? Hurry up and follow me.”

“Uah… Yes, yes…”

Berna moved her shaky steps. It felt as if she had been struck by a hammer. She finally realized why the top members of the brotherhood, including herself, had been helpless against the mysterious man. She finally realized why she had been rendered motionless in front of the strange spirit emitted by the man…

“Heuk!”

Berna suddenly came to a pause after fully recognizing the meaning of his words.

“Kuhaha, you’re freezing up. You must be getting scared now, huh? It’s not too late. Release me, and… Hmm?”

Number 2 started whispering, then narrowed his eyes.

Berna was shivering. However, she would be immune to the cold as a vampire. He recognized that she was trembling due to fear – an overwhelming, immeasurable fear. However, her tremors soon subsided. She resumed her steps and followed behind Raven without speaking.

“Berna. What is it? Did you not hear me? I said he is Alan Pendragon. It’s not too late, you can…”

“Shut up. You idiot.”

“What…?”

Number 2 considered her to be insignificant and invisible. Her words angered him.

“You dumb bitch…”

“You’re fucked now.”

“What did you say?”

“Master is definitely the founding king of the Pendragon Kingdom, just as you said. I am certain.”

“Hmm…”

Number 2 felt rather puzzled. Berna was accepting his words much too easily – that a legendary figure who was presumed dead was actually alive. However, her following words resolved his curiosity and delivered a tremendous shock.

“Seven years ago, when the founding king of Pendragon died, who was next to him?”

“What…? Heugh! It, it can’t be…”

A thought crossed his mind, and Number 2 began trembling. It was even more intense than Berna’s trembling from a moment ago. Berna was always fearful of Number 2, but she also knew that he looked down on her. She looked down and observed his reaction while showing her fangs.

“Hoho! That’s right. You are about to meet the Queen of All Dragons, Lord Soldrake.”

“…..!”

Drool slowly dripped down the agape jaws of the second-in-command. Though they looked down on the world as the strongest assassination group, they were nothing in front of an absolute being.