Duke Pendragon

"Karuta! How did you get here at this time…?"

"Keung! The raccoon scarecrow had a letter waiting for me at the border. He told me I would get to meet humans unlike any I saw before if I headed to York Town."

"Ah, I see."

Karuta spoke with a grin, even though his entire body was coated with blood. Killian nodded in response. It was his first time seeing anyone like this as well. They were assassins rather than wizards, but they were capable of teleporting. Moreover, what was with their monstrous regenerative abilities?

But fortunately…

'I'm glad an even bigger monster came just in time.'

Killian let out a sigh of relief as he wiped the blood off his blade.

"Nilsen, Grape, Munrok. Search the vicinity."

Although it was highly unlikely, Killian issued an order just in case there were other enemies remaining in the surroundings.

"Your Majesty, you can come out now."

"Thank you, Sir Killian."

Elena came out of the carriage with the help of her maids. Even though her life had been endangered, Elena remained steadfast and determined.

"G, grandmother!"

"Ah! My baby!"

Elsia ran out of Eltuan's arms and ran to her grandmother while shedding thick tears.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Hnnng! I don't know! Grandma!"

Elsia shook her head and sobbed into her grandmother's embrace. She was still young, and it was the first time she had experienced something so scary and terrible.

"My child, it's all right now. Here…"

Elena gently stroked her beloved granddaughter's back, calming her down. She felt quite choked up to see her treasured child cry with fear. However, even in the midst of everything, Elena remembered to greet and thank the one who saved Elsia and herself.

"Thank you very much, Mister Karuta. If it weren't for you, I do not know what would have happened… On behalf of Pendragon, I am sincerely grateful to you."

"K, Kehmm! I, it's nothing…"

Even though Karuta was simple, he felt rather uncomfortable in front of the Pendragon family's senior. He scratched his head while stumbling out a response.

"Your Majesty, we must return to the castle as soon as possible. I am certain that they are the ones responsible for attempting to kidnap Prince Raymond and Princess Mia."

"I agree with you. As soon as we return, I will write a letter to the imperial castle."

"Yes. In addition, I will ask the centaurs to be on full alert on the royal road leading from the border to the royal castle."

"Kehmm! I will let the orcs know as well. Anyways, what are you going to do with him?"

Karuta asked while pointing at the remaining sibling. He had been shocked unconscious after experiencing the death of two of his brothers.

"I think this scarecrow can run away wherever as long as there's space. What are you going to do if he wakes up and escapes before you get to the castle?"

"He utilizes a strange technique, but I think I may have a solution."

Killian spoke with a grin after a moment of contemplation.

***

"…And for such reasons, for the time being, Baroness Conrad should…"

"Yes, I understand, Your Excellency."

Lindsay responded with a stiff expression after hearing Vincent's explanation.

"You need not worry much, baroness. You only have to act as usual. If everything proceeds according to my expectations, then Her Majesty the Queen and Princess Elsia will return to the royal castle as early as tomorrow, under the escort of Sir Killian and Mister Karuta."

"Yes. I will do as the Regent says."

Lindsay was determined.

She had been quite worried after hearing Vincent's words, but the Regent was a reliable, responsible figure. He had been ruling the Pendragon Kingdom excellently on behalf of her husband for the past seven years, and he was reassuring her with a calm smile.

She could fully trust Vincent's words because her husband had also trusted in him fully and without hesitation.

"Then… I will take my leave now, Baroness."

"Yes. Then I will stay in this place for now."

Vincent saluted before leaving her residence. Eight royal knights were standing at the walls of the inner chamber, carefully inspecting the surroundings with sharp eyes. Fifty royal guards stood guard outside the chamber with halberds.

It was a perfect, impenetrable system of defense, but Vincent wasn't completely satisfied. He wanted to prepare an unexpected move even if everything went as he planned.

"Where is that person right now?"

"He is always at the training ground around this time…"

A knight answered politely with a bow, and Vincent hastened his steps. Isla, Killian, and his own names were still known to the world. However, 'that person's' prestige was gradually being forgotten with the passage of time.

'He' was the last piece of Vincent's plan.

***

"Ray, what are you thinking about?"

"Well, I was just wondering how I would react if I were Jamie Roxan."

Raven responded. They were currently on the backs of griffons, flying at a low altitude to avoid the strong winds. It had been three days since they left Mirin, and in two days, they would finally arrive at the Pendragon Kingdom.

In the meantime, they had already crossed more than 2,000 kilometers of the empire's mainland. Griffons were two or three times faster than horses and carriages. As such, simple calculations dictated that they would have already arrived at the Pendragon Kingdom. However, due to their large sizes and heavy weights, griffons could not fly for more than eight hours each day. They needed ample rest for a similar amount of time, and they needed to feed as well.

It was only thanks to Soldrake's Spirit of the Dragon and Isla's unparalleled skills as a griffon rider that the group had been able to cover so much distance in such a short period of time.

"Are you worried about the Pendragon Castle?"

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't…"

It wasn't that he had no trust in Killian, Karuta, and Vincent. However, even Raven could not predict how the high lord of the empire's largest, strongest great territory would react. He was so meticulous that he planned years ahead to set the Shadow Brotherhood and Mirin in action. It was evident that his next move would be even more unpredictable.

"If you are so worried about the children there, should I call one?"

"Call one? Who?"

Raven turned his head after hearing Soldrake's sudden suggestion. Her eyes were indifferent as usual as she answered nonchalantly.

"A trustworthy shield. Well, I actually contacted them earlier in Mirin. They were close anyway."

"What…?"

Soldrake's following words only caused Raven's confusion to deepen.

Kwaaaaaaaaahhh!

"…so there shouldn't be anything for you to worry about."

"…..!"

However, Raven's eyes became colored with shock once he heard her last words, which became quickly buried in the cold, desolate winds.

***

After the descent of the winter sun, only torches provided heat and light outside the moat of the Pendragon Castle.

"One step."

Fwoosh!

Something shimmered in the darkness and appeared near the frozen waterway, which was laden with snow.

"Another step."

The quiet voice resonated once again, and the figure dissipated as black smoke before appearing on the icy trench.

Paaa…!

Then something amazing occurred.

"Another step, one more step, two steps…"

No emotions could be felt from the voice. However, the figure continued disappearing and reappearing alongside the whispers, and astonishingly, the invader's smoke-like figure was slowly moving through thin air.

Although the castle walls were lit by torches at regular intervals, it was difficult to spot the figure moving through the air. There was no moonlight to illuminate the figure, and they were quickly moving at a high speed over the dark sky.

Soon, the intruder reached the highest point on the castle's walls – a vulnerable spire covered in pitch darkness.

Fwoosh!

The intruder finally materialized from black smoke and looked downwards. His strange movements were reminiscent of paint being spread in water. Only the figure's eyes were revealed behind his strange mask, and they were absolutely devoid of any emotions.

The figure continued staring down at the castle with eyes similar to the deceased. Finally, he muttered in a cracked, raspy voice.

"The castle of the dragon knight and his followers who killed three of my brothers. The price of life is fair. I will take three in return."

At first, the figure's voice felt rather indifferent. However, a bright, yellow flame was burning in his eyes as he glared at the castle.

"Let us take the last step, brothers."

Fwooosh!

The quintuplets were born at the same time on the same day. He was the oldest of them all, the founder of the worst assassination organization and the true 'Number 1'. He permeated into the darkness and advanced like a black fog towards the heart of the Pendragon Kingdom, to Conrad Castle.

***

"….."

Even though it was close to midnight, the eyes of the royal guards guarding the back door to the baroness' residence were fierce and unshakeable. They were elite soldiers under strict orders from the Regent, and as such, they could not show any gaps.

However, even they could not properly detect the covert invasion of a dark mist which happened faster than the blink of an eye.

Saaaa…!

"…..!"

As soon as they heard a sound similar to the rubbing of cloth, two royal guards fell while blood poured from their slit throats.

"What…?"

The other soldiers became alert and started turning around to the sound of their colleagues collapsing, but their eyes were obscured by something similar to a black apparition.

Slice!

In an instant, two more soldiers had their throats slit and died without having the chance to scream.

"Ten more steps forward…"

Number 1 muttered quietly. He was wearing a strange mask and had his hands crossed in front of his chest. In each hand lay a strange dagger.

Fwoosh!

He once again transformed into black mist and permeated the gap in the back gate. Number 1 quickly and secretly passed through the hallway lined with red rugs while maximizing his senses. Although they were quintuplets, he could utilize the spirit unlike the other four brothers, perhaps because he had been the first to see the sun.

He quickly discovered a room where strong users of spirit were gathered. Like the name of his movement technique, he easily climbed the high stairs as if stepping on mist, then rushed forward.

Pat!

The sound was light.

However, he narrowed the distance to the room door in the blink of an eye. It was as if he were an arrow shot from an incredibly short distance.

"What…?"

However, those guarding the inner doors were the royal knights of Pendragon. As soon as they heard the sound of someone's feet, they imbued their weapons with spirit and swung when they saw the black mist rolling forward.

Saaa!

"Heuk!"

Shock filled the eyes of the knights as Number 1 scattered like a ghost the moment two swords made contact. The daggers of the assassins emitted a bright, golden light before drawing a straight line.

Slice!

The short blades accurately dug into the gap between the pitch and the chestplate stabbed into the throats of two knights. Everything had happened so quickly that the knights had only attempted a single counterattack before falling.

"An intruder!"

The royal knights stationed further in the room instantly noticed the fluctuations in their colleagues' spirits and unsheathed their blades before flocking in front of Baroness Conrad. Their only mission was to protect the sole companion of the founding king.

Boom!

The door was smashed to smithereens with only two blows.

"Hey!"

Two knights stabbed at the door with attacks containing their full spirit and might.

Paaat!

However, the black ghost avoided their attacks with leisure and arrived in front of the other six other royal knights with two steps of Mist Walking. The knights stood bravely in front of Lindsay.

"Protect the baroness!"

"This will be the last step."

Number 1 muttered to no one in particular before transforming into black mist. He squeezed through the gaps between the six knights.

His yellow, snake-like eyes finally caught sight of Lindsay's twinkling eyes and her voluminous body. Now, all he needed to do was to pierce her throat with his dagger, which was connected back to him with a translucent, metallic thread…

Kwaaaaa!

Suddenly, a fierce, intense storm of spirit came upon Number 1 like a storm. It was a burst of energy coming from a source that had been undetected upon Number 1's infiltration.

Clang!

Number 1 hurriedly blocked an attack by crossing his daggers, then instinctively stepped back.

Fwoooosh…

"Phew…!"

An old man with a small, but proud body was collecting his breath with a fist held out. His fist was rather unusually large and bumpy.

"I definitely did age."

A bitter smile appeared on the old man's wrinkled mouth.

He was Argos, the strongest fighter known as the Black Tiger of the Tiramis Temple.