Chapter 78 - Choices made by a child (3)

"It looks young. Do you think he can handle it?" 

Valkov asked Rutiger as he watched the blond boy running behind the knights.

Although his eyes were sharp, his slightly unbalanced body showed that the boy's vessel was not yet fully complete.

"It was the best appointment I could have made."

"Are you referring to that boy?"

Age doesn't show everything.

Only experience, skills, and accumulated achievements can be the criteria for determining the success of a mission.

"That's right. This is the guy who pulled out the death worm that was already on the ground."

"Death worm…"

In that sense, among the knights currently heading towards Lindworm, there is no one as talented as Vlad.

Rutiger brought the best dragon hunter he knew for this hunt.

"Then it would be an obvious choice."

Valkov listened to Rutiger's words and silently shook his head.

He thought Rutiger was the only talent worthy of attention in this generation of the Bayezid family, but there was another person hidden.

"Now we can also move."

"Alright."

Valkov, recalling another unusual thing to report to the blacksmith, took his spear and headed towards the top of the canyon.

"…"

Rutiger turned his head to look back before moving to his planned position.

Mirshea, leader of the Dragon Slayer Knights.

His blue eyes watched the departing Northern knights. With calmness and coldness.

Instead of the sneer he had been harboring until now, he just watched the young dragon knight disappearing into the snowy mist with serious eyes.

***

Indra Scans

***

The current state of Lindworm could be called unbridled.

All living beings have their own behavior patterns, and Lindworm is no exception.

However, seeing Lindworm recklessly heading south, leaving its established territory and ignoring its habit of staying in the cold, seemed to have some kind of purpose.

"It's right in front of me."

"Let's go back."

Among the group here, the Steel Forge Knights, who were the first to begin subduing Lindworm, have been persistently pursuing Lindworm.

Rutiger was also able to obtain information from the captive barbarians through Agge and determine Lindworm's location.

The two knights discovered Lindworm's location through their information, and now it was time to eliminate the white dragon from there.

"Everyone, get ready!"

The knights, who managed to catch Lindworm resting after a sharp turn on their horses, began to charge towards the white dragon with a loud noise.

Grrrr-

Lindworm, who had been deeply asleep for a while, lifted its head when it suddenly heard a sound.

Even the remnants of fallen dragons were capable of making some instinctive judgments.

Shiny armor.

And a burning wooden stake.

Roar-!

Lindworm realized that they were not the barbarians it normally preyed upon, but the bright humans who gave it painful memories, so it quickly got up and roared in anger.

Lindworm, persistent and threatening, and remembering the javelin that finally tore off its scales, decided to avoid the knights rather than confront them.

The instinctive judgment that gradually became more like intelligence over time led Lindworm to act in this way.

"Shit."

Vlad was a bit surprised to see Lindworm not rushing in immediately, but instead seeming to be assessing the situation.

Because it showed a different side from the Death Worm, which bared its teeth at the mere sight of a human.

Thump-

The sight of Lindworm moving as cleverly as the beats of its heart surprised the boy.

"It's moving!"

"Block the sides!"

The Steel Forge Knights, who had already faced Lindworm once, gritted their teeth and quickly approached both sides of Lindworm, aiming their magical torches at it.

They knew better.

If Lindworm is let loose here, where will this cruel creature go?

Bayezid didn't know, but Baranov did, so the Iron Ball Knights had no choice but to grit their teeth even more.

"Now!"

The aura of the knights extended from their closed left eye, and the flame of the torch that absorbed strength began to grow threateningly.

"…!"

Lindworm breathed coldly as it looked at the knights threatening it again, but neither the timing nor the situation suited it to let them go.

Kuaa-!

Instead of letting out a cold breath, Lindworm decided to quickly act to get out of the situation.

If you accelerate enough, you can easily knock down the knights here.

As it had already done this once before, Lindworm began to run towards the snowy white field without hesitation.

"Don't let it escape!"

The knights, who were very aware of this fact, also desperately tried to block Lindworm's path and not give the white dragon space to escape.

The fight between the knights and the dragon trying to occupy space has begun.

Neigh!

"Ugh!"

A knight couldn't avoid the sharp teeth and fell off his horse.

Along with the pitiful cries of the horses, red blood sprayed everywhere and splattered the knights' armors.

"Vlad! Come back!"

Rutiger and Vlad's knights, who had already worked together through Death Worm, quickly filled the spaces left by the Steel Forge knights and began to block Lindworm.

Kyaang-! Kang!

"Crazy! He doesn't even hurt it!"

"Don't overdo it!"

Among them, there were knights who saw an opportunity and attacked Lindworm directly, but the dragon's scales easily protected it from the knights.

Kyaa-!

Although not as good as the Death Worm, Lindworm was also a being with scales incomparable to those of common monsters.

To overcome it, knights with a strong and deep worldview were needed.

"It's breath!"

Lindworm finally created an opportunity.

The knights who saw the neck swollen in an unusual way quickly moved apart to avoid the dragon's breath.

"Kaaa!"

One of Rutiger's knights was directly hit by the Breath and slowly began to stop in his tracks.

Although Dorothea's footprint shone, the dragon's strong breath would no longer allow her to participate.

"You're stronger than last time! You have to dodge more!"

"Why all of a sudden!"

The Steel Forge Knights were surprised to see Lindworm's breath, which had become even more powerful than they had expected.

As time goes on, it becomes smarter and stronger.

The dragon's blood, which had been dormant until now, was stimulated by something and gradually increased its violent potential.

[You must step forward! There are no more knights who can withstand it!]

"Tsk!"

And here, like Lindworm, there was another being whose blood boiled over time.

"Vlad!"

"There! Give me a torch!"

Although they had prepared as best they could, Lindworm's breath, which was much stronger than expected, was hindering the advance of the horses.

"It's here!"

A black horse that began to run between the knights who were slowly moving away from Lindworm with their frozen legs.

It was a faster move than planned and contrary to expectations, but in reality, there are times when judgment like the present one is necessary.

[We must move towards the entrance of the canyon. If we veer left or right, we will exit the gorge's position and lose the opportunity.]

"This is madness!"

Although Vlad felt dizzy at the suggestion of using his own body as bait to the entrance of the gorge, he knew they had no other choice.

Vlad was surprised to hear the voice telling him that he should use himself as bait and go to the gorge's interview, but he also knew they had no other choice.

'Will it work?'

In one hand, he held the magical torch he had received from the Steel Knight.

And Vlad, holding George's dagger in the other hand, quickly cut his palm with it.

"Argh!"

I heard that Mirshea imprinted the taste of human blood on Lindworm by sacrificing barbarians.

And if this plan fails, they will use Agge's tribe as bait to catch the dragon as they please and roam the north.

'Fuck you!'

I want to do my best as much as you trust me.

Although my existence is very weak.

Thinking of Rutiger, who nodded towards him, Vlad raised his blood-soaked hand.

The red-stained hand of the boy rose to the sky.

"I'm here!"

The red blood began to flow from the boy's desperate gestures on the trembling horse.

"Here's the blood you want!"

Drops of blood falling from the boy's fingertips.

Lindworm watched with wide eyes as the blood dripped and left a red trail in the white snow.

There was a thirst there that could not be satisfied with just human blood.

It was what it had been searching for all this time.

Kaaaaa—!

The white dragon let out a fierce roar that had never been seen before and began to accelerate rapidly towards the black horse.

As if it had gone mad.

As if all it had to do was kill that boy.

"It's so effective!"

[Shouldn't you have done that?]

Vlad quickly grabbed Noir's reins as he saw Lindworm, who had become fiercer than before, even though he had only cut his palm.

"Run!"

The knights, already exhausted and frozen, lagged behind.

"…!"

Noir, realizing that he was now the only one left, quickly began to absorb the boy's world.

The boy's world is a world whose colors have not yet been created.

But that alone would be enough to make a star float in the dark night sky.

Neighing-

A horn of pure white began to form on Noir's forehead as he ran at a speed that even he found dizzying.

With that, Noir took a deep breath, feeling an unfamiliar sense of release.

This was it.

Noir had come to know the boy for this moment.

To become a little faster and a little more perfect.

Now, there are only two worlds racing over the field of white snow.

The fastest dragon and the fastest horse.

And there is only one being who can fully fill these two worlds.

"Let's go!"

There was only one boy, his blond hair waving in the snowstorm.

The roars of the fallen dragon and the forgotten horn began to resonate throughout the pure white snowfield.

***

Indra Scans

***

"Here it comes!"

Valkov, silently closing his left eye with spears stuck in the ground next to him, heard the report from his assistant.

"How much longer?"

"It's right in front of us, in 5 minutes... no."

The knight's voice trembled as he reported, looking more nervous than usual.

"3 minutes, no, 1 minute!"

"What?"

Upon hearing the almost screaming report from the assistant, Valkov quickly drew a spear and injected it with aura.

What he saw with his right eye open was truly something that would embarrass the assistant.

"It's right in front of you!"

"What the hell..."

There was a snowstorm approaching forcefully over the field of white snow.

It was a straight-line snowstorm, so fast that it even cut through the northern winds.

At the front of the snowstorm was a black horse shining as it was struck by the bouncing snow.

And behind it, was Lindworm, whose blue eyes had suddenly turned into red eyes that seemed to be dripping blood everywhere.

They were running toward the canyon.

"Send a signal to the Bayezid knights!"

The plan they had made had failed, and now all Valkov could see was the torch held by the boy, swaying weakly.

"They say he's the best Dragon Slayer..."

Valkov let out an exclamation resembling a lament, sharply shrugged his shoulders back, and raised his spear.

"That's really true!"

It's okay for plans to go wrong.

As long as the results are good, everything is fine.

Valkov wielded his spear with force, feeling at the same time regret for daring to doubt the boy's courage.

Sssss-

The spear shot by Valkov flew towards Lindworm's forehead while it was busy chasing after the boy.

***

Indra Scans

***

[Here it comes!]

Vlad, who couldn't even open his eyes because of the headwind, quickly lowered his head with a warning voice.

Sssss-

At that moment, there was a sharp sound that pierced Vlad's ears.

That murderous sound was enough to make even Lindworm, who was following him, turn his head for a moment.

Roarrrr!

Roarrrr-!

He couldn't reach it.

However, it was an attack strong enough to turn the dragon's head with its momentum alone.

'Done!'

Although it was a failed attack, Vlad held tightly to the torch he was holding.

Although the handling process was a disaster, from now on everything was going according to plan.

Valkov's intention is to lure the dragon into the narrow canyon.

They were cutting off the retreat route with javelins to prevent Lindworm from going back.

"Where are you looking!"

Boldly, Vlad threw the torch he was holding, drawing Lindworm's attention once again.

Everything is here now.

If I can drag this guy to the canyon in front of me, Rutiger's fiery world will be able to reach its end.

Since it is Rutiger's sword that even split the outer skin of the Death Worm, it can certainly split Lindworm's scales...

Roarrrr!

"...Yes!"

Vlad, who was happy that his plan was almost coming true, lowered his head as his heart suddenly sank.

[Vlad! What's wrong with you!]

"Stop..."

Despite the urgency in the voice, Vlad couldn't easily lift his head.

Noir, who was concerned about the boy's safety, and Lindworm, who followed him, were slowing down and shaking their heads as if they felt pain.

The knights waiting for an opportunity in front of the canyon entrance began to look puzzled seeing Vlad and Lindworm panting without any particular reason.

'What the hell is this!'

My vision was turning dark, and anxiety and fear surged as if my heart stopped.

Vlad had to grit his teeth in response to his instincts' strong warning.

Don't run anymore.

Don't advance anymore.

"Oh God... damn it."

Trying to ignore the warning coming from his heart, Vlad forced himself to turn his neck and looked at the energy source.

There was a point my pounding heart pointed to.

Deep in the canyon, a man stands in front of crying barbarians.

The man's blue eyes smile fiercely as he looks at the boy.

A force only a dragon could feel weighed on the boy and the white dragon.

A sword.

"Charge now!"

A white dragon and a blond boy stopped just in front of the canyon.

Both were still, their shoulders trembling as if they had seen something terrifying.

The only difference was that the boy gritted his teeth and tried to lift his head, and Lindworm slowly backed away.

The paths of the two beings diverged at the crossroads of resistance and submission.

"From here on Knights, charge!"

The Bayezid knights rush out at Rutiger's urgent cry.

Since the prey wasn't caught in the trap, now was the only chance to clash swords.

"How strange!"

Even the experienced Ramund couldn't help but curse as he watched Lindworm stop just before success.

"It's them."

There was no evidence, but he could intuitively feel it.

Rutiger looked at the man behind him, his eyes full of anger.

Mirshea looked at the boy with crossed arms and tranquil eyes.

There was a truly satisfied smile on his face as he stood at a distance.

Roar-!

Lindworm, the fastest dragon.

The dragon, which had wrapped its tail to avoid a world larger than itself, quickly turned its head and was about to run towards the field of pure white snow.

To the place where he ruled, beyond the reach of the vast world.

"Mr. Valkov!"

At that moment, Rutiger's shout echoed throughout the canyon.

Valkov's world is a world that sees very far.

His world, which he had refined to send sharp objects farther, began to reflect in the spear.

"Where are you going to escape?"

A purple flash emanated from the fingertips of the heretical knight who chose a spear instead of a sword, a throwing weapon among spears.

So fast that an ordinary knight wouldn't even be able to react.

Roar-!

But the timing wasn't right.

Lindworm was terrified of the vast world before him and was on high alert for all kinds of threats looming in his way.

Sssss-!

That's why I saw it before he shot it and was able to dodge it before it hit me.

Using the fastest legs among the remains of the fallen dragon.

"Damn it!"

While Valkov quickly pulled the spear from the ground and prepared for the second strike, Rutiger's and Bayezid's knights approached the white dragon.

"Buy time!"

It was Rutiger who even took down the Death Worm, famous for its tough shell, with a single sword.

However, it took time to expose the world's deepest world.

Just like the boy bought time for the death worm that day.

"Wait!"

"We have to block the way!"

While the knights used their whole bodies to buy time, Rutiger quickly closed his left eye and waved his sword with his fingers.

The familiar vibrations made him fall into a deeper world.

A violet flash falling from above.

Bright humans running towards you from below.

Until now, Lindwurm had lived unaware that he was a noble dragon, but now that he knew, he felt unbearable anger at seeing the humans daring to attack him.

Kiee-!

Lindworm took a deep breath and roared louder than when he pounced on the boy.

The back of the white dragon's neck swelled as if it were about to burst, as it was filled with anger with all its might, ignoring even its defense.

"Damn it!"

Ramund, who felt the impending devastating blow, quickly left the battlefield and ran towards the boy.

[Vlad! Snap out of it!]

"Hey What are you doing here!"

"..."

However, Vlad only trembled and couldn't move easily despite Ramund's voice and insistence.

Noir, who was in contact with the boy's world, also got caught in the spell of the blue eyes right in front of him and couldn't follow his steps easily.

Perhaps others didn't know it, but the boy was trying to keep his head up in front of the huge world trying to devour him.

"...I don't know what it is, but it feels wrong."

Ramund turned to look at the wide-eyed, deeply rooted boy.

If you can't choose the best, you must choose the next best thing.

And the good of the retired knight was the boy who would take responsibility for the future.

"As you get older, the cold wind damages your joints."

Fuaaawak-

As soon as Ramund finished speaking, Lindworm's breath came like a misty fog.

The breath of a dragon that would be able to freeze the soul of an ordinary person.

"Damn it!"

The old knight with the boy on his back gritted his teeth.

I hope the world I have spent my whole life building is warmer than the dragon's breath.

Instead of raising his sword, Ramund crossed his arms, and a bright aura began to appear on his body.

***

Indra Scans

***

"…"

Vlad held his breath silently in the cold, misty fog. The approaching cold sent shivers down his spine, but the aura of Ramund that he felt behind him was warm.

[You have to cut through it!]

"…Stop."

The cold coming from all directions was stiffening the boy's body, but Vlad forced himself to grip the sword with trembling hands.

The gaze of those cold eyes was like a spider's web, keeping the boy in place, but Vlad still had to do it.

"Damn it!"

To compete against the vast world, your own world must also expand.

Ramund's warmth began to form in the world of a boy who wandered, seeking a place to expand somehow.

Another ray of color reached Vlad's world, which had not yet created a color, and that light began to flow along the sword.

"Hey kid."

"…Go and look."

Ramund's voice flowed between his cold and hardened lips.

The old man had done his job, and now it was the boy's turn.

Vlad wielded his sword with all his might as he listened to Ramund's words flowing behind him.

The invisible, cold webs surrounding the boy began to break and fall away.

***

Indra Scans

***

"…"

Mirshea always maintained a relaxed posture, but now he looked forward with a stern expression.

The breath exhaled by Lindworm was carried away by the wind, and the landscape within him began to gradually reveal itself.

A landscape as if time had stopped.

The ice particles created by the snowstorm sparkled among the frozen knights in the cold.

And there was a black horse running swiftly through the glow.

Mirshea uncrossed his arms and locked eyes with the boy passing by him.

Blue eyes.

Although the color was the same, eyes with different lights crossed each other.

"That's incredible."

Mirshea erased the cynical smile he always wore and watched the boy advance with pure admiration.

The boy's eyes were slowly leaving Mirshea.

Without the permission of the vast world, solely by his own will.

The boy's sword cut through his presence.

"Let's go!"

There was a time for everything.

Vlad, who learned this from Joseph, realized that instead of attacking Mirshea right now, he should first deal with the white dragon behind him.

Only then could he deliver a good blow to the man who tried to bring him down.

Vlad raised his head again under the shield of the old knight and rode the black horse toward the white dragon.

"Hold him back..."

Everything in the canyon was frozen by Lindworm's icy breath.

The same happened to the knights who had been shouting and running a moment ago.

Rutiger quickly tried to use his aura to thaw his frozen body, but the white dragon, which could move even for a fraction of a second, began to kick.

"Oh God… damn it."

Dorothea's footprint glowed against the cold, but the knights still needed time to move.

Valkov's lance gleamed as he fought alone in the ravine to block Lindworm, but it wasn't enough.

'Is it a failure?'

Rutiger gritted his teeth as he felt the energy of failure rising from below.

I did my best, but in the end, I couldn't reach him.

There were cases of failure by just a step difference.

"Mmm?"

At that moment, a black figure quickly passed through Rutiger's field of vision.

"I'll try to stop him!"

"…Vlad!"

It was a horse driven by a blond boy who a moment ago had his head bowed.

The young dark-haired man lowered his head for a moment, but the blond boy never gave up for a moment.

That's why I could move only now that everyone was standing still.

[Do your best!]

"Aaaah!"

Vlad infused the aura he had created into his sword and struck Lindworm, who was barely starting to move, in the stomach.

Kaaaaang-!

Kaa!

Before Lindworm's rough roar erupted at that moment, Vlad screamed in panic.

"It's very difficult!"

The first time Vlad wielded his sword against a being called a dragon, he twisted his numb wrist and stuck out his tongue.

How could Rutiger kill a deadly worm with more strength than this guy?

[If it doesn't work, you have to keep going!]

"…Yes!"

At the words of the voice, Vlad closed his left eye again and the aura began to flow into his sword.

"Give me the lance!"

Valkov regained hope upon seeing the presence of a boy who suddenly jumped out of the mist.

Ultimately, the success or failure of this operation depends on timing.

If Rutiger and the knights move before Lindworm accelerates, they will subdue them, and if not, they will have to hand the opportunity over to the Dragon Slayer Knights.

"There's not much time left for the lance!"

Valkov quickly turned his head at the report from the assistant who was handing him the lance.

"Damn it."

There were only a few of Valkov's lances left on the ground.

Time wasn't the only thing lacking.

"But we still have to do something!"

The boy's struggles alone cannot stop Lindworm.

Although Rutiger is said to be the best dragon hunter, he is not a dragon hunter who can put an end to it.

Valkov, now handed the few remaining lances, waved his arm as strongly as he could towards Lindworm.

[Go right!]

The voice instructed Vlad, who couldn't even pay attention to Valkov's movements as he dealt with Lindworm right in front of him.

Distance is needed to accelerate, and eventually the boy must occupy a space where he can move forward even on his own.

Kyaang-!

"…!"

A sinister creak began to be heard from the tip of the sword swinging sharply.

No matter how wrapped in aura it was, a sword born in an alley could not withstand the dragon's scales.

"Damn it!"

Vlad's complexion turned blue as he felt a crunch that was noticeable when holding it.

The sword that the boy had looked at like a star was breaking.

[You mustn't stop.]

"But!"

[You can't be with this guy forever!]

Vlad was left speechless by the voice's words.

It was a sword that hung high enough for the boy to have to look up, but the enemies he had faced until now were those who were difficult to handle with an ordinary iron sword.

It can be said that it is rather a miracle that he has survived until now.

[Let him do what he has to do!]

"..."

Beings who have reached the end of their limits have no choice but to stop.

Just like the old knight, the ordinary and unadorned sword must stop now.

"Damn it!"

Said the blacksmith in the back alley.

He said he couldn't bear for his sword to reach the boy's ankle.

The boy remembered the blacksmith looking at him with deep eyes as he said those words.

Kyaang-!

"Stop!"

Kyaa-!

"Stop!"

The boy was crying as he mercilessly struck Lindworm's legs as he began to run towards the snowy field.

Along with the boy's cries, the sword was breaking.

"Son of a bitch!"

Pieces of the white sword flew along with the swirling snow crystals.

In addition to the boy's flowing tears.

Kwasik-!

"Ahhh-!"

While the white dragon paused for a moment due to the boy's momentum, there was a purple flash shot from above the canyon.

"Done!"

Thanks to Vlad's desperate interference, Valkov's lance flew and pierced Lindworm's knee.

Valkov, who was at the top of the ravine, raised his hand upon seeing this.

It was the last lance left.

"Yes."

The blood flowing from the handle that had been cut before flowed along the sword.

The sword that had consumed the boy's blood raised its head with all its might.

"This is the last time."

Looking at Lindworm's blue eyes staring at him, Vlad raised his sword for the last time.

"Last. If it's the last time."

On a galloping horse, the boy bid a definitive farewell to his sword.

Thank you for helping me get to this point.

"Let's go!"

Vlad caught up to Lindworm, who was gradually slowing down, and finally looked into the blue eyes he found right in front of him.

I may not be able to pierce hard scales, but I can pierce the gaze in your eyes.

That would be enough for the sword's final task.

"Goodbye."

Finally, a sword imbued with the aura of the boy shone on the snowy field.

With the boy's cry, the stars in the back alley fell into his blue eyes.

Kyaa-!

In the white snowy field.

With the dragon's cry, the unadorned sword broke.

The sword in the back alley containing the potential of the boy became a star at the last moment.

***

Indra Scans

***

Although it wasn't a high night sky, the sword was shining.

Because it was in the hands of a boy who wanted to shine.

In that case, the sword in the alley would also be worthy of becoming a star.

And the surname left by that star was Dragon Slayer Sword.