Chapter 241
After making his calculations, Richard threw his sword to the floor. Rather than bouncing away, the well-forged blade stuck into the wooden floor and let out a thin ring. Richard jerked his chin at the dragon as if to say, ‘Satisfied?’
“Is that enough?”
The dragon blinked its enormous eyes, seeming to deliberate about something.
Richard, being a mere human, had no way of reading the dragon’s mind. Not that it would make any difference if he could. He quietly moved one hand behind his back and gripped the hilt of a dagger.
“Let him go.”
[I can’t do that.]
The dragon snorted again. Anton, whose hopes had just been dashed, let out another scream, and Richard ground his teeth. Not that he’d expected much from this damn reptile anyway.
From afar, another presence could be felt. Richard, who had been waiting for a chance to strike, twitched his eyebrow. Could there be another one? It seemed the dragon had sensed it too, as its eyes—previously fixed on Richard—wavered slightly. Not missing the moment, Richard kicked off the floor and leaped, drawing his sword.
He poured aura into the blade and swung it precisely at the dragon’s forepaw.
But the dragon was no easy opponent. Rather than dodge, it slightly twisted its forepaw. The tip of Richard’s blade barely grazed Anton’s hair.
“Waaaah! Hey, watch it, would you?!”
The overdramatic attendant screamed. Having failed spectacularly with his decisive blow, Richard landed lightly on the floor.
With a thud, the dragon stepped forward. Perhaps angered by the recent attack, its eyes blazed with a fierce light. A truly desperate situation. Yet rather than fear, Richard felt a long-lost surge of fighting spirit.
Would he become a dragonslayer renowned throughout the continent, or would he die a fool seeking a bride on these frozen wastes? Whatever the outcome, he had no regrets. Richard gathered his aura to its peak, and pale light flickered at the tip of his dagger.
The dragon and the prince stared each other down. A tense standoff ensued. But then, an unexpectedly high-pitched voice shattered the heavy silence.
“Poppy!”
A woman? Instinctively, Richard turned his head. His ears hadn’t deceived him. From inside the second floor, a woman in a fine dress, her jet-black hair flying, came running out.
An abandoned castle, and a woman. Richard naturally connected her to the legend. But the tragic princess, rather than asking the prince for help, ran straight toward the dragon’s jaws.
“Poppy, you! Were you going to kill someone again before I could even see them?”
[No, it’s not like that…]
“What do you mean, it’s not? And what are you so proud of, not even shutting your mouth? I swear, I’ll scold you!”
The woman pretended to flick the dragon’s nose. The massive dragon shrank back, desperately making excuses.
[No, you’re right, but… it’s just that he’s not your type, Courtney, so there’s no need for you to see him. Look—]
The dragon quickly waved its forepaw. Anton, already worn out, dangled limply like a rag doll.
“Uuugh…”
The woman named Courtney craned her neck to look at Anton. After so long on the road, he was dirty and disheveled, a pitiful sight. She made a sour face and replied,
“Well, I suppose so…”
[Right?]
The dragon jumped to agree. Anyone could see that the woman and the dragon were on the same side, but Richard wasn’t particularly surprised. Maybe they’d grown attached after being together so long, or maybe she’d just gone mad from being locked up for ages.
More importantly, now that no one was paying attention to him, it was his chance. Richard drew the dagger strapped to his outer thigh.
But at that moment, something like a whip shot out from the far end of the great hall.
“Kgh—!”
It wasn’t a whip, but a long, green vine whose root he couldn’t even guess at. Like the tentacles of an animal, the plant’s stalk coiled around his limbs and bound them tightly. In an instant, his body was hoisted high in the air like a criminal on a breaking wheel.
A tentacle monster right after a dragon… He was seeing monsters whose existence he’d doubted even moments before.
Yet the strangest of all was the woman.
Courtney leaned over the railing and said,
“This one’s more my style.”
[Really? I don’t think so.]
“What do you know? That’s why I told you to show me first!”
A vine slithered up his ankle and coiled around Richard’s neck, slowly tightening. He couldn’t breathe. Richard bit hard at the inside of his cheek to try to stay conscious, but it was no use. His vision began to blur.
He swore softly.
“S**t…”
The woman’s eyes widened. Clear, green eyes. But there was no warmth in them. Just like this frozen land, where spring would never come.
Courtney gave a sly smile and said,
“He looks alright, but I suppose he needs a bit of training.”
And with those words, Richard lost consciousness.
