Duke Pendragon

"Your Excellency, King of Pendragon, Alan Pendragon, and King of Valvas, Elkin Isla, are requesting entry as special envoys to the emperor."

"Finally…"

At the words of an anxious knight, Otto opened his chapped lips with a stiff expression.

"Is it just the two of them?"

"No. They are accompanied by two unknown figures, and…"

"Hmm?"

The margrave narrowed his eyes, and the knight continued awkwardly.

"Sir Lucas is with them as well. And the knights who left the castle with him…"

"What?"

Otto's frown deepened.

His son had departed from the castle after laying down his position as the knight order's captain. So why was he returning with Alan Pendragon?

Was the successor of Mirin perhaps…

"It doesn't seem like he has defected to the other side. His expression wasn't very good."

The knight had served the margrave for a long time. He quickly noticed the lord's mood and continued.

"Hmph! It's none of my business whether he defected or not. Anyways, how audacious. Where do they think this is to come with just four?"

Although he spoke boldly, Otto was nervous. Aside from being surprised by Alan Pendragon's scheme, it was because he had a guess as to the identity of one of the two other figures.

'Queen of All Dragons. Soldrake…'

He already heard that she appeared at the imperial castle's banquet.

The strongest existence who disappeared alongside Alan Pendragon.

Even if he mobilized all the warriors of Mirin, there was nothing they could do against her.

'There's only one way.'

He needed to trust Fiona.

Alan Pendragon and Elkin Isla were strong. They were prideful and true to their word. If his daughter could come out victorious in a duel with them, he could continue to hold the advantage. Then, the head of the Shadow Brotherhood and…

'The high lord of Roxan. I will look forward to it.'

Otto was a little anxious, but he believed in them.

It was a known truth that Jamie Roxan, the high lord of Roxan, hated the royal family of Pendragon. Otherwise, Roxan would have had no reason to accept his proposal.

"Your Excellency, what should we do?"

Otto gave up on his thoughts at the voice of the knight.

"Welcome him. A grand welcome suitable for the emperor's special envoy…"

"I will carry out your orders."

The knight bowed his head, knowing well the true meaning of throwing a 'grand welcome'.

***

Booooo! Boom!

The gate opened along with the long sound of the trumpet.

"Go right in."

The guard captain spoke bluntly. His voice held no respect nor consideration even though he stood before a legendary existence, a figure who was a king of a nation as well as a special envoy of the emperor. Isla's eyes grew fierce in response.

However, Raven stopped him with a look and urged his griffon forward. Although he could have flown straight into the castle, he opted to follow customs due to his status as the emperor's special envoy. As such, Raven proudly entered through the main gate.

Clop! Clop!

The small group slowly entered Valeran, and Lucas and his fellow knights followed behind Raven and Isla on their horses.

"My lord."

"Hmm."

Isla whispered, and Raven observed the surroundings. He could see a crowd numbering well over 1,000 blocking the road to the main castle.

All of them were armed warriors of Mirin.

Their beards were allowed to grow freely, and they were adorned in thick, leather armor. They were giving off a dangerous aura and also emitting a subtle hostility as well. An ordinary person would have fainted immediately, and even a knight would have felt quite nervous.

However, Raven simply gazed at the group of armed soldiers with a calm expression. He opened his cracked lips as a gust of the cold, northeast wind descended.

"Move."

The eyes of those standing at the forefront immediately colored with clear animosity. A few even blatantly laughed in mockery.

However, their attitudes were soon forced to change.

Passss…

The cold air began to tremble with Raven at its center. The gentle layer of snow and dirt on the ground began rising slowly in accordance with Raven's rising spirit. Like magic, the mixture of white and brown began shooting in one direction.

"Keugh…!"

The warriors standing in the front row were slowly forced back in the face of the strong pressure. Although it was encroaching slowly, the warriors couldn't resist as sweat droplets covered their foreheads.

"Uagh!"

Some struggled to breathe and pounded on their chests, while others inhaled and exhaled rapidly with red faces. A portion even fell on their bottoms.

Soon, the next row was affected. Then, the next row…

Hundreds of warriors stepped back or fell like a split river, which tumbled into a reaction causing others to retreat. A passage was slowly opened for Raven's griffon to trod on.

Raven continued forward on the path he made, and the warriors could only stare up with shock. They had utterly failed to present the honorable guest with a 'grand welcome', just as the margrave had ordered.

"Keugh!"

The warriors were finally freed as Raven passed. They instantly turned toward the small group while reaching for their weapons.

They had pride as men of Mirin.

However, their dignity was once again crushed by the man who followed right behind Raven.

"You will die the moment you draw."

If the first wave of spirit could be compared to an intense, erupting ray of sun, the following spirit was like the icy wave of cold air that resided at mountaintops. The warriors' hands started trembling as they were confronted with Isla's spirit. The cold, sunken eyes immediately caused the men to break out into goosebumps.

Fwoosh!

A burst of air swirled around the terrified warriors of Mirin.

Lucas and his subordinates silently followed behind the one responsible for causing the storm with his spirit alone. Their eyes were dark as they gazed at their former brothers and comrades.

***

Boom!

The gate to Valeran's main castle closed behind Raven. He had entered the space without further confirmation or encountering other obstacles.

The hall was about 30 meters wide and 30 meters long. The knights or Mirin were waiting while adorning armor with a strange blue hue. Raven nodded inwardly after seeing their gaze and sensing their spirit.

'Not bad. All of them are around Killian from the past.'

When Raven first met Killian after waking up as Alan Pendragon, the knight had been quite competent. He would have been able to gain recognition regardless of where he was in the empire.

There were more than 20 knights possessing similar skills compared to Killian of the past. This meant that Mirin's overall power was stronger than expected.

'However…'

Raven continued forward calmly.

He might have been concerned if he had just woken up as Alan Pendragon. However, they were no longer a match for his current self. Moreover, he would not even need to move a finger, since Isla was more than capable of taking care of them.

"Welcome, Your Highness Pendragon. Knight King of Valvas. I welcome you to Mirin."

A man in his early 40s strode forward while speaking in a dignified voice. He was wearing armor modeled after the head of a bear, and he possessed a good physique.

Raven instantly recognized him as Mirin's Margrave, Otto.

'Fa…ther.'

Lucas had a complicated gaze as he looked at Otto. However, the father didn't spare a single glance at his son, and Lucas eventually lowered his head while biting his lips.

"….."

Otto's gaze passed over Raven and Isla before staying with the two hooded figures.

'How strange.'

He frowned slightly after feeling a strange energy from Berna, then turned towards the other figure. He could not feel any spirit from the last figure, but their presence represented itself.

'Is that… the Dragon Queen?'

He gulped unknowingly.

Even though he was a great warrior and ruled Mirin as the empire's sole margrave, he could not help but feel nervous standing in front of a transcendental being such as a dragon. However, he hid his feelings as an experienced knight, then came to a stop in front of Pendragon's monarch.

Raven remained silent for a moment and gazed at the one responsible for his family's kidnappings. Soon, he spoke while revealing his white teeth.

"Impressive hospitality indeed. Should I be grateful? No, perhaps it would have been more impressive to take the heads of all those people standing outside."

"…..!"

Otto's forehead wriggled.

He never expected the opponent to be so daring from the beginning.

"I am aware of what Your Majesty claimed in the imperial castle. However, it…"

"You have a long tongue. Your is better suited to be called a man of Mirin rather than you."

"Hmm!"

The conversation instantly steeped into a climax. Although Raven was known to be completely different from any other nobles since his days as the duchy's successor, this was completely crossing, or rather, thrashing the line.

"There's no need to bother rattling your teeth. I will get straight to the point. You tried kidnapping my sister and my son. I don't care what your purpose was. I will have you pay."

Booom!

As soon as he finished speaking, Raven aroused his spirit without any prior warning.

"Keugh!"

"Kuagh!"

Mirin's knights had been watching the situation with nervous eyes. They became pale and were forced to shrink back in the face of the fierce, overwhelming spirit.

"Ugh…"

Otto was no exception.

In the blink of an eye, Otto was forced back with clenched teeth as the formidable power threatened to crush his body.

'W, what is this…?'

He felt his mind turning blank. He couldn't recall the several plans he made for an encounter with Alan Pendragon.

What was this overwhelming power?

In addition to the Dragon Queen, there was one man who was calmly standing in place without a change in expression while all others resisted with all their might. It was the Knight King of Valvas.

'This is insanity…'

Otto could finally realize. This was the reason why several of the Shadow Brotherhood's top assassins had been neutralized without making any progress on their missions. At the same time, he came to recognize how arrogant and ignorant he had been.

"Wait!"

A powerful voice resonated throughout the hall. Although the figure was frowning, they slowly strode forward without being swayed by the thick spirit. Raven's eyes glimmered with interest.

The figure's height was comparable to Raven, and a giant greatsword hung on their back. Moreover, she was definitely a woman.

"F, Fiona…"

Lucas and Otto called out simultaneously.

Fiona Mirin was publicly recognized as the strongest warrior of Mirin. However, she did not spare her brother and father a glance as she walked forward. Her gaze was fixated on only two figures.

Fwoosh!

The spirit swirling around Valeran Castle's main hall suddenly disappeared like a lie.

"Huagh! Hua…"

The knights collapsed to their knees and gasped for breath after being freed from the enormous power. Raven ignored the knights. His gaze was headed towards Fiona.

Although she was sweating profusely, she managed to step forward against the Spirit of the Dragon.

"Is it you? Are you the delirious girl who wanted to fight against me?"

"…..!"

"It appears to me that you don't know your place. Elkin, what do you think we should do?"

Raven looked up and down at the wide-eyed Fiona before glancing at Isla. Elkin slowly stepped out before speaking.

"It's distasteful to raise a hand against a lady, but as a knight of Pendragon, I guess I must put her in her place."

"L, lady…?"

Fiona stared with her mouth agape. It was the first time in her life to be called a 'lady'. However, all of the hairs on her body stood at edge immediately after. It was an even more unfamiliar experience for her than to be called a lady.

Fwooosh!

A wave of blue spirit surged from the body of the one known as the Stormbringer. The azure momentum was no less than Raven's dominating spirit, and it slowly climbed the cloth-wrapped spear he held in his hands.