Duke Pendragon

Morning arose.

The royal knights were strictly educated in the royal castle of Pendragon. They worked diligently from dawn and were already finished preparing for departure.

Mia and Raymond also grew up while receiving education from diligent mothers, so they were prepared to leave before sunrise.

“Okay, let us go.”

Isla boarded the carriage along with the two people.

Clop, clop!

The carriage slowly started moving under the escort of knights, who were dressed as ordinary mercenaries.

“I am glad you both look healthy. The guard captain must have paid considerable attention.”

“Yes, I slept very well. I never imagined that opening my eyes someplace else would make my heart pound this much.”

“Me too! I was surprised at first, but I like it!”

Raymond became excited and agreed with Mia’s words.

Now at the age of seven, Raymond had barely any experience sleeping in places besides his own room in the royal castle. Moreover, when he woke up, maids were waiting to wash him and change his clothes. He was even unfamiliar with changing his own clothes, so he found everything new and enjoyable.

Naturally, Mia still assisted him because he was young, but Raymond felt proud of himself.

“You will get used to it soon. Come to think of it, this reminds me of when I left for Sisak with His Majesty the King.”

Eight years had transpired since the events, but Isla smiled, recalling the clear memories as if they were only from yesterday. He felt a jolt remembering navigating through numerous difficulties to eventually achieve their goal.

It was a difficult journey where the two of them relied on each other, facing the harsh winds and sleeping on harsher grounds. But he never found it difficult.

The mission itself was very critical, but fighting alongside the subject of his loyalty presented him with emotions beyond joy.

“Wow! Tell us about it, Mister Isla.”

“I remember telling you several times already. Are you not tired of it?”

It was an understatement. He must have told the story dozens of times.

Nevertheless, the little prince never seemed to tire of hearing stories about his father. Alan Pendragon wasn’t only revered by the kingdom’s citizens, but regarded as a legendary knight by the entire world.

“Not at all. Ah, that’s right! Tell me about that time when you ran into Count Bresia’s soldiers. I love that story the most.”

“Let’s see…”

Recalling the memories of that time, Isla slowly brought up the story. The air was still a little chilly, but the warm sun rays quickly warmed the inside of the carriage. In the meantime, the group arrived at the entrance of Aden Village.

“Were you able to rest well?”

The guard captain quickly approached the party after recognizing them from afar. He spoke in a low voice.

He knew that a royal prince and a princess were inside the carriage. However, he purposefully kept a low profile, since he knew creating a ruckus would draw unwanted attention.

“It was very good. I will stop by once again after I finish my business.”

“It would be an honor.”

Though many years had passed, the guard captain found it unbelievable that his captain was now the King of Valvas. He smiled with a satisfied expression.

“Then we will get going now.”

“Yes, captain. And…”

After quickly skirting the surroundings, he took on a firm posture and recited towards the two people riding in the carriage.

“I swear to the land of Pendragon, the land blessed by the White Dragon. Both my sword and wings are for Pendragon, and my soul also belongs to the land of Pendragon. Until the day my body breaks apart, I will keep my pledge with all of my heart.”

The White Dragon’s oath – it was a pledge made by all the griffon riders of the Pendragon Duchy. Although he was now retired and serving as a guard captain of a village, he would remember and uphold his oath until the day he passed.

Although he was reciting the White Dragon’s oath in a low voice instead of properly greeting the royal family, the passion and determination in his words were conveyed to Mia and Raymond.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you!”

Mia responded with a smile, and Raymond bowed, feeling a pounding in his heart.

“N, not at all.”

His lord was like the sky, and the two people in front of him were the lord’s family. As such, the guard captain became flustered when the two returned his vow. But at the same time, his heart burned hot.

They were precious people who knew to appreciate and value the soldiers like himself without trivializing them. He was making a vow of loyalty to such great people.

Clop. Clop!

The carriage rolled forward once again. However, the guard captain remained in place until the carriage could be seen no more. He stared blankly, feeling a strange emotion.

“Captain, what’s wrong? What, did they say something to you? I’m telling you, nobles are…”

A soldier approached and started grumbling.

Thuck!

“Agh! Why are you hitting me?”

“Don’t speak if you do not know anything. Huh? What’s wrong with your face?”

The guard captain responded with a frown, and the soldier rubbed the back of his head with an awkward smile.

“Well, I drank a lot yesterday…”

“You pathetic punk. Someone young like you is just wasting away with alcohol… Hmm? But where did you get the money to buy drinks? Your wages will be distributed in three days, so you should be starting to starve right about now.”

“Well, uh, that’s… Ah, my friend suddenly paid back the money he owed.”

The young soldier, Milton, hesitated for a moment before making an excuse. He could never tell the truth, even if he died. He could not let his captain know that the departed nobles had given him a silver coin, and that not only did he drink until midnight, he also told someone about the nobles.

“I, I should get going!”

“You punk! If I came across someone like you when I was still a griffon rider, I would… Phew, I mean, who am I to say such things when I’m like this as well. Tsk!”

The guard captain shook his head with a frown as the young soldier quickly left, then smacked his lips while looking at his slightly protruding stomach.

***

“Once a rider, forever a rider…”

Isla smiled faintly while recalling the oath made by the guard captain.

“Sorry? What did you say?”

“Ah, I was just thinking back to Shelby’s oath.”

“Ah…”

Mia also smiled. Although the man fought alongside her brother and Isla as a griffon rider in the past, she did not know who the guard captain was. However, his recitation of the White Dragon’s oath left a deep impression. Even after seven years, the great legacy left by her brother and knights of Pendragon still remained in the kingdom.

“Huh? Ray, what’s wrong?”

Mia spoke with a curious expression. Ray was always bright and energetic. However, he appeared rather dazed.

He slowly raised his head and spoke while looking at the adults, “I was just thinking of that mister from earlier. Do you think I could become a griffon rider as well?”

“Hooh…”

Isla’s eyes glimmered. As a knight of Pendragon, his official title still remained the griffon knights’ captain.

The majority of the griffons had perished in the desperate fight of the past, but they had succeeded in breeding the creatures after hard work. The number of griffons now neared 200.

They possessed the second largest group of griffons after the Aragon Empire, and the biggest amongst the independent nations and territories. The griffons were also the strongest force of the Pendragon Kingdom.

Isla was still young. However, he had been a little worried because he could not find a suitable warrior to succeed him. If Raymond were to lead the griffons, Isla could not hope for anything else.

The direct descendants of the Pendragon family were born with the dragon’s energy, so they did not require additional training to communicate with griffons.

“Your father, His Majesty King Pendragon, also handled griffons extremely well. Although he usually led the ground troops because I was the captain of the griffon unit, if he became a griffon rider, he would have been better than me.”

“Wow…!”

Raymond’s eyes shone brightly. He always heard such stories, but he could never get tired of hearing about his father’s wonderful performance. His heart pounded. The father he knew from the stories of Isla and the people of the castle was such a wonderful person. His father was the strongest knight in the world.

Although Raymond saw his uncle, the emperor, only occasionally, the emperor would always praise his father excitedly and give him a thumbs up. He was proud. It felt as if he was responsible for all of his father’s heroic deeds. When he played toy swords with Elsia, he would sometimes pretend to be his father.

However…

“Hnng…”

Raymond became a little sullen. Everyone would take on a similar expression at the end after excitedly talking about his father. Isla currently shared a similar expression.

Raymond couldn’t completely identify the expression contained in their eyes and faces because he was still young. Nevertheless, he could not help but feel a little somber.

Thump! Thump!

At that time, the carriage suddenly shook several times.

“Whoa!”

The knight driving the carriage hurriedly stopped the horses.

“What is going on?”

“I think a stone dislodged the axis of a wheel.”

The knight replied hastily.

“Hmm, all right. Let us descend for now.”

Things like this happened occasionally, so Isla exited the carriage with the two people.

“I apologize. I am not used to driving a carriage…”

The knight bowed his head with a flustered expression.

“It’s fine. Anyways, it will be noon soon, so let’s hurry.”

“Yes.”

The escorting knights dismounted their horses, picked up the carriage, then started tinkering with a spare wheel.

“Come this way.”

Isla led the two to the shade. Although it was only early spring, he could not leave members of the royal family, especially a lady like Mia, in the sun.

“I apologize. It will only take a moment.”

“That’s all right. This makes me feel like I’m really travelling. It’s quite nice. We will be fine, so please take your time.”

“Right, hehe!”

Mia and Raymond grinned after meeting each other’s gaze. Any other noble youngster might have complained, but the two figures were being considerate of others. Isla nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Hmm?

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and turned his head.

“Your Majesty Isla? What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

However, he continued carefully scrutinizing the road they had just passed with a cold gaze.

“Hmm…”

His gaze turned fierce as he slowly walked on the road and looked down. It would not be strange for there to be random stones jutting out of the road in the countryside.

However, this road was somewhat unnatural.

The smaller stones were the size of a fist, and the larger ones were the size of a human head. There were dozens of such rocks scattered around.

“This is…”

If it was a natural formation, the rocks would be partially embedded in the ground after being trampled on by humans and horses. However, all the stones he saw were just placed on the ground. Moreover, they were only littered on a small section of about 20 meters…

Flash!

A fierce glimmer appeared in Isla’s eyes, and he turned before starting to run like lightning towards the two people under the tree.

“Hmm?”

“Huh?”

Mia and Raymond were puzzled by Isla’s sudden action.

Three black shadows appeared behind them like ghosts.