Chapter 40

To hunt a dragon, you must first make preparations.

Where does it live? What color is it? How large is it? You need to know all of these things.

Next, you need weapons specifically made for dragon hunting.

Above all, you must have plenty of bows, throwing spears, and grappling hooks with ropes.

Right now, we weren’t prepared… at all.

After ten days on the expedition, all our resources were depleted, and beyond that, our bodies were severely fatigued.

…Even so, we couldn’t avoid the fight.

“Bows, up!”

At my command, the young soldiers, who had been frozen in place, rummaged through the cart and pulled out bows and our remaining throwing spears.

I did the same, receiving a bow and a single grappling hook from them, and slung them over my shoulder.

From a distance, Burger came galloping toward us at full speed.

“Lady Vivian! This way, please!!”

Behind him were the surveillance unit and Burger’s knights.

I hurriedly placed Vivian’s horse’s reins in her hand and shouted,

“Go that way.”

“B-But…”

“Quickly!”

I intended to send her to Burger for now… but with a massive roar from the dragon, someone screamed,

“Get out of the way!!”

Before we could even react, the dragon swooped down and breathed fire between Burger and us.

In an instant, the surveillance unit vanished behind the newly formed wall of flames.

It was an attack that split the penal unit clean in two.

-‘Arrrgghhh!!’

I heard someone’s scream, indicating at least one person had been caught by the flames.

Seeing this, the young soldiers turned pale as ghosts.

Vivian’s hand began to tremble at the same time.

And as the fear began to dominate the air, I could feel everyone’s eyes turning toward me.

Not just Vivian—my unit, too, looked to me as if I held all the answers.

I knew they were searching for someone to rely on.

Swallowing hard, I spoke to them.

“Forget the dragon. That’s not our task.”

Martin looked puzzled. “...Kylo?”

“Our only job is to protect Vivian.”

Hearing that, they began to regain their composure, nodding one by one.

It was as if my order helped them suppress their fear, at least for the moment.

I made their reality clear to them.

“If we can’t protect Vivian here, none of you will be safe. So… make protecting her your top priority.”

Thanks to Vivian’s actions over the past few days, the unit didn’t show any strong resistance to these orders.

Instead, the fact that we had to protect her seemed to strengthen their resolve.

Vivian appeared quite surprised by everyone’s firm decision.

She blinked in disbelief, then looked at me.

The silent battle of wills we’d had for days was gone; now we looked straight at each other as before.

I took the reins and climbed onto Vivian’s horse.

There was nowhere left for her to run now, so I decided it would be best for me to guide her horse directly.

I seated myself behind her.

“K-Kylo?”

Vivian questioned me, but there was no time to talk.

The dragon’s eyes were rolling wildly as it fixed its gaze on us.

I addressed the young soldiers of the penal unit:

“Scatter…! Spread out as much as you can, and shoot arrows from different angles…! If we can land even one shot in its eye, we might have a chance! We’ve always been taught that the eyes are its weak spot!”

The blue dragon circled once, then came swooping down at us again.

It seemed intent on going after Vivian.

There was no time left to exchange words.

“Scatter!!”

At my shout, the soldiers abandoned the cart and scattered.

“Hyah!”

I jerked the reins hard, spurring the horse onward.

Vivian’s prized steed quickly picked up speed and fled the spot.

—Kwoooaa!!

Right at that moment, another breath attack engulfed the place we had just been.

All the spoils we had painstakingly gathered over the past ten days were incinerated in an instant, turning to ash.

“Ah…!”

Vivian let out a regretful cry, knowing how we had obtained all those treasures, but we couldn’t afford to cling to them.

Even from a distance, we could feel the scorching heat of its breath.

Our bodies directly experienced how dangerous that fire truly was.

Being pressed this close to Vivian, feeling that heat together, brought back memories from a few months ago.

“…Feels like we’re back in Rondor Castle,” I remarked.

“How can you say something like that now…?” Vivian replied, stunned.

I pulled the reins even tighter, increasing our speed.

I propped Vivian’s chin up to close her mouth.

“Keep your mouth shut. You’ll bite your tongue.”

Vivian had probably never ridden a horse at this speed before.

I could tell by the way she failed to move in sync and kept bumping awkwardly against the saddle.

Her legs had no strength, continually flailing, so I had to wrap an arm around her waist to keep her stable.

“…!!!”

Vivian flinched, but then accepted it, and I held her even more firmly.

When I thought about it, it seemed contradictory that I could hold her like this but not hold her when she was cold. The thought struck me as a bit ironic.

I glanced back, keeping an eye out for the dragon.

“…What the hell…”

I felt something truly strange.

That dragon really seemed to be targeting Vivian. Once again, it flew straight at her position.

Even though we had all scattered, it only followed us.

I could feel it closing in, its speed unmatched.

I kept glancing back. I focused on the exact moment its jaw began to open.

—Kwao…

“Hup!”

The moment its mouth opened, I yanked the reins hard to the right.

—Kwoaaah!!

Another breath scorched the path we had been racing along.

The dragon’s momentum carried it past us, and it soared ahead, turning around in the distance to face us again.

It was definitely fixated on Vivian.

There was no point wondering if that made sense. This was reality, and we had to deal with it.

In that brief pause, Burger’s knights circled around the flames to approach us.

Burger rode up ahead, lifted his visor, and asked,

“Lady Vivian, are you all right?!”

Only when the horse’s pace slowed did Vivian manage to speak.

“…Yes, yes… thanks to Kylo…”

I kept my eyes on the dragon, never looking away.

The dragon steadily narrowed the distance between us.

I told Burger my suspicion directly.

“That thing is aiming for Vivian.”

“What?!”

“It’s targeting her—Hyah!”

With that, I urged the horse forward again.

Burger’s knights did the same.

The dragon was too close for further conversation.

Its jaws spread wide again, and its breath separated us once more.

In that moment of distance, Burger threw a spear upward.

The spear hit not the wings, but the belly scales, and ricocheted off pathetically.

I clicked my tongue, resuming my train of thought.

I’d prioritized running away to survive, but at this rate, was that even possible?

If it kept targeting Vivian to the end, could Vivian survive this?

“Kylo, is that true…? That thing is after me…?”

“I told you to shut it, or you’ll bite your tongue…!”

Terrified, Vivian clutched my arm around her waist.

But instead of despairing like before, she lifted her head and seemed to be lost in thought.

By now, we had practically become bait, drawing the dragon along.

We led the charge, the dragon followed us, and Burger’s knights flanked us.

The knights aimed their bows at the dragon’s wings, inflicting wounds, but even as arrows struck, the dragon didn’t so much as blink.

‘This is insane.’

I thought to myself, frustrated that I could find no solution.

I shouted at Vivian,

“Is it not enough that people hate you—now you’re hated by Roctana’s dragons too?!”

“Ugh…!”

Vivian twisted slightly in protest.

As we rode across the plains, we hit a gentle downward slope.

Our speed increased, putting some distance between us and the dragon.

Yet the dragon still pursued us at low altitude.

Its enormous head aligned with our height.

Seizing the opportunity, I handed the reins to Vivian and said,

“You, take the reins.”

“What?”

I quickly drew the bow I’d been carrying at my waist.

I wasn’t used to shooting arrows, but I had no other choice.

I had only five arrows left.

If even one of them could pierce the dragon’s eyeball, I could change the tide.

Especially since, compared to those sniping from behind, I was facing the dragon head-on—my chances of turning things around were higher.

I nocked an arrow, pulled back slowly, and aimed.

—Kuguguk…! Thump!

The arrow that sliced through the air merely grazed the dragon’s jaw and splintered pathetically.

My heart pounded, and the horse’s gallop made it hard to aim.

The dragon seemed only more enraged by my attack.

“Guide the horse straighter!”

“Ugh..! It’s h-hard…!”

The dragon’s crazed eyes stared at me as if it wanted to kill me.

They say that when you look into a dragon’s eyes, you’re struck by ‘dragonfear,’ an overwhelming terror.

Now that I was facing it directly, I could feel it.

Cold sweat trickled down my hands. It felt as if I were confronting a tangible manifestation of death.

Knights who slay dragons earn their place in legend. Now I understood why they were revered.

—Thump!

—Thump!

—Thump!

The second, third, and fourth arrows fared no better.

Shooting at the dragon’s eye while on a galloping horse, with trembling hands, was nearly impossible.

And now, there was only one arrow left.

My hand trembled nonstop.

Vivian looked back at me with worried eyes.

We were still racing across the plains.

Burger and his knights tried desperately to draw the dragon’s attention, but it never took its eyes off Vivian and me.

“Haa… Haa…”

I nocked my last arrow and drew the bowstring.

I closed one eye, aiming straight for the dragon’s eye.

My hand still shook.

What would happen if I missed?

I didn’t want to know.

—Teok.

Just then, Vivian’s hand touched my thigh.

My panicked heart inexplicably calmed at that moment.

My trembling hands and wavering vision began to steady.

For reasons I couldn’t explain, I suddenly found clarity and could see my target perfectly.

—Thump!

The arrow flew through the air and punched right through the dragon’s eye.

—Roarrrrr!

The dragon’s jaws gaped wide, unleashing a deafening roar that battered our ears.

Startled, the horse stumbled and lost speed.

In that moment, the enraged, thrashing dragon caught up to us.

Its claws, sharp as blades and huge as greatswords, grazed just above our heads.

Blinded in one eye, the dragon lashed out wildly, trying to grab us with its claws.

It gripped a massive boulder instead and crushed it instantly, pulverizing it to pieces.

The shattered rocks burst forth, pelting us like deadly shrapnel.

“Kyaaa!”

Instinctively, I shielded Vivian with my body, but one of the razor-sharp fragments carved a deep gash into her arm.

“Vivian!!”

“Ugh…!”

As the horse slowed and finally stopped, the dragon, now missing one eye and writhing in agony, soared back up into the sky.

For a brief but intense moment, we remained where we were, feeling the cold wind and a sudden quiet settle around us.

I grasped Vivian’s arm and examined her wound.

Blood, the same shade as her hair, trickled down.

This was no shallow cut like a kitchen knife might make.

It was a long, deep wound that only a real blade could inflict, marring her once flawlessly pale skin.

“…”

Seeing that blood, I felt my heart, which had just calmed, start pounding again.

I couldn’t find the right words, only dumb questions escaped me.

“…Does it hurt?”

“…K-Kylo…”

I clenched both hands tightly.

I looked up at the dragon.

The knights of Burger who followed behind had slowed the dragon by peppering its wings with arrows, but it was still fixated on us.

Seeing something in my expression, Vivian grabbed hold of me and asked,

“…Are you okay?”

“… ”

I didn’t answer.

I loosened the grappling hook I wore across my chest.

For some reason, my objective became crystal clear again.

“Vivian, take the reins again.”

I said this as I glared at the dragon, which was once more losing its reason and hurtling toward us.

Vivian, too, looked at the dragon and obediently snapped the reins.

Burger, now at our side, spoke up.

“Kylo, well done!! With an arrow in its eye, if we keep up the pressure, the dragon might retreat—”

“—No.”

I cut him off.

“It won’t be escaping.”

I had once resolved that I would slay a dragon one day to stand against Baelor.

There was no need to put that off any longer.

With an arrow lodged in its eye, now was the time to finish it.

The dragon charged straight at us.

We charged straight at the dragon.

Spinning the rope-attached grappling hook in the air, I spoke:

“Vivian, just one more dodge is all I need. Got it?”

“Y-Yes.”

Burger looked at me with concern.

“Kylo…! A single grappling hook won’t hold a dragon! We don’t have the right equipment!”

“I don’t care! Just keep shooting arrows!”

Burger couldn’t spare more words and started firing arrows at the onrushing dragon.

His knights did the same.

Dozens of arrows flew at the dragon’s remaining eye.

The dragon shook its head left and right, irritated by the arrows assaulting its face.

At the same time, its jaw opened wide.

“Now!”

Vivian sharply jerked the horse to the side one last time.

—Hwoong!

Simultaneously, I hurled my grappling hook into the dragon’s mouth.

—Kwak!

With the sound of something catching, I gripped the rope with all my strength.

In an instant, I felt my body lift into the air.

The ground fell away beneath me in a flash.

Far below, Vivian shouted my name.

Wind rushed past my ears.

The grappling hook was lodged inside the dragon’s mouth, and I, clinging to it, was flying through the air.

“Ugh…!”

I had no time to worry about anything else.

Dangling from the dragon, I began pulling myself up hand over hand.

I had no idea when the hook might come loose. I had to stay focused.

Exchanging hands on the rope, I climbed with every ounce of strength I had.

It was my first time soaring this high, and the land below looked impossibly far away.

From up here, the entire territory of Roctana seemed to unfold at once.

In the corner of my eye, it felt like I could even see the distant castle of Rondor.

“Haa… Haa…”

The higher I climbed, the closer I got to the dragon’s furious roars, and the blood spraying from its wounded eye splattered against my face.

With one eye closed, the dragon didn’t seem to realize I was scaling its flank.

I couldn’t have asked for a better situation.

Below me, hundreds of penal unit soldiers gaped in astonishment.

They shouted my name as they watched me dangle from the dragon’s mouth.

‘Kylo!!’

‘Hey!! What are you doing!!’

‘Stop shooting arrows!! Kylo’s up there!!’

—Kwack!

Reaching the edge of the beast’s maw, I looked upon the dragon’s face.

The monstrous creature’s labored, raspy breathing made me swallow hard.

I grabbed hold of the arrow lodged in its eye socket and used it to pull myself up.

Only then did the dragon realize something was clinging to it. It thrashed violently.

But it was too late.

I had already wrapped my thighs around its neck, and I drew my double-handed sword.

Feeling the situation settle, I felt a strange sense of relief.

I let out a breath and spoke:

“Got you, you bastard.”

Gripping the hilts of my sword, I pressed the blade against the dragon’s neck.

“Hup!”

Then, like when carrying out an execution, I stabbed the blade with all my might.

—Fwoook!

The swords bit into the dragon’s neck with a sickening resistance.

Instead of roaring, it now only gurgled blood as it began a slow, desperate plummet back toward earth.

The overwhelming rush of falling made my mind reel.

If I crashed to the ground like this, I wouldn’t survive either.

Plains, forests, and lakes spread out below like a map.

From this height, I could see everything at once.

Quickly making a decision, I gripped the sword buried in its neck like handle and steered the dragon’s descent.

Twisting the blades toward the lake, I guided the dragon’s agonized thrashing in that direction.

Before long, the ground rushed up to meet us.

I took a deep breath and braced for impact.

—BOOM!!

– – The End of The Chapter – –

 

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