Chapter 150 - Beast of Possibility (1)

"I'm sorry, father."

Today's twilight was falling behind the man who bowed deeply.

Crimson twilight, a red-headed man with his head bowed and even a blood-stained bandage around his hand.

Radu, who bore the strong warning sent from the north engraved on his body, was lost, as if unsure of what to do.

"It couldn't be helped. I understand."

A gruff voice echoed through the dark shadows cast by the twilight.

Radu raised his head cautiously and heard a breathing sound akin to a groan.

"This generation's Steel Lord... Wasn't an easy person."

At the end of Radu's line of sight stood an old man struggling to stand while leaning on a cane.

An elderly figure descending the stairs, stepping on today's setting sun.

His faltering steps slowly descended the soft carpet towards Radu.

"Still, it's a bit disappointing. Son."

"…!"

Despite his faltering steps, the old man quickly came down and embraced his son as if to comfort him, but Radu, held in his father's arms, was only too tense.

"After receiving so much hospitality from the North, you should have given back a little."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

A clear voice, different from the gruff voice just now.

The middle-aged man looked at Radu's red-stained left hand and stroked his rough beard as if displeased about something.

"It's in bad shape, not fitting for someone with dragon's blood."

Defeat, dishonor, and even intense challenges to oneself.

Duke Sarnus, the Dragonblood Duke, could only keep his lips tightly sealed as he looked at his son, who had come here covered in all sorts of dirt.

"Thank you for coming. Take a rest."

"…Yes, father."

The dark hallway where only the two of them stood suddenly filled with candlelight, even though no one had lit them.

His father's young face seen in the light swaying back and forth with the wind.

Radu bowed his head again as he looked at the face of the dragon's blood ball covered by the shadow.

"…Mirshea."

"Yes, father."

Where Radu bowed his head and left.

At Sarnus's call, there was a shadow that slowly lifted its head from the space they believed to be alone.

"I suppose that's it for that fellow."

"…Is that so."

Mirshea, who had a similar complexion to her father, could immediately understand what Duke Sarnus was talking about.

"If you keep unripe fruit, it will only rot."

A man compares his son, who inherited his blood, to rotting fruit.

Unlike Radu, Mirshea, who could see through the darkness, could see what kind of expression her father was wearing at that moment.

"Anyway, I'm curious to see how far this son will grow."

The hands of the dragon's blood ball, which had become soft without a single wrinkle, carefully released the cane that was no longer needed.

"This is the first time I've experienced the potential to spread mud."

Candles were lit all along the dark hallway, from places untouched by sunlight.

The glow they created illuminated the oldest dragon's blue eyes.

***

Bloodstains still splattered all over Deirmar, along with piles of ash.

And the occasional sound of someone crying demonstrated that Deirmar still groaned from the wounds of war.

*Cough, cough.*

Although the war was won, what remained here was nothing but inevitable sadness.

In this city filled with dead bodies and the groans of the wounded, Joseph simply lay quietly on the bed and looked out the window.

"…Nothing has changed yet."

Joseph's frail body finally couldn't bear the consequences of the fierce siege.

Still, one would have thought it lucky that he collapsed after completing all his duties, but Joseph's eyes as he looked westward were filled with anger that was hard to calm.

From childhood until now, Joseph's cursed body had constantly held him back.

"Do you think we've reached Nassau yet?"

"Maybe so. The nearby lords won't have the power to stop us."

Jager, who was by his side, seemed to understand Joseph's feelings and simply looked out the window while quietly stroking his eye patch.

As Jager said, Bayezid's army was probably still marching westward without hesitation.

The battle had ended, but the war had begun, and Bayezid deserved to pay the price for the western lords who dared to take up the sword first.

"…Is it so? And was Vlad still weak?"

However, unlike those who advanced, those who stayed here had to face the wounds that had accumulated so far.

Any violent clash inevitably resulted in scratches, and Joseph, who was inadvertently left behind, had the duty to tend to those wounds.

"Is this the first time he's lost?"

"Officially, yes."

Joseph chuckled upon hearing Jager's words.

"The first opponent he lost to was Godin of Gaidar..."

Although his current situation was depressing, there was still reason to smile a little.

Although everything seemed bleak in Deirmar, there was still a small residue of glory left in the city.

"Should I describe this as a good loss? If you honor the name Godin, you won't be ignored anywhere."

"I'm sure it's a relief he didn't die."

Jager only pursed his lips as if he was disgusted with something in Joseph's words, but he couldn't actually refute them.

As Joseph said, there was a mountain in the world that was highly regarded just by climbing it.

There are steep mountains where you can be brought down just for trying, regardless of the outcome.

And Godin of Gaidar, whom Vlad challenged, was definitely worth it.

"Whatever the outcome, Vlad will now enter the world of full-fledged knighthood."

If there are shooting stars, there are also those on the rise.

Perhaps by the time the results of this war are widely known, all the magistrates of the empire will have heard of a new name.

A novice who broke through Gaidar's formation and survived despite facing a powerful enemy named Godin.

Vlad of Soara.

Now, it's a name that others recognize first without me having to shout it out first.

Seeing Jager trying to deny that it was still far off, Joseph simply coughed and smiled.

***

"That bastard who climbed the castle wall! What the hell is that!

"It's Vlad! Vlad of blue eyes!"

Nassau, the city of the Barony of Iznik.

The city, which had already been set on fire by Rutiger, aimed its spear at Bayezid's army, but it was not a very significant action.

"Are you going to open the gate or not?"

"…Keuuuu."

The path I walked was filled with blood, and the blue eyes I looked at were full of murder.

Indeed, as much as the notoriety spread in Ossye, the young knight of Bayezid did not show mercy at the tip of his sword.

"If you don't respond this time, you will die. Are you the only one who opens the gate here?"

"I'll open it, I'll open it."

Nassau, a city that initially had only a few hundred ground troops.

Nassau's power was further weakened because the walls were already destroyed and not functioning properly, and due to the excessive support sent to sympathize with Gaidar, and Peter, the commander-in-chief of this war, was fully aware of this weakness.

"But you. What did you tell me before?"

"If yes?"

There were only about ten knights, but they took control of the castle walls as well as Peter had hoped.

Even if the number was small, the value of the knights' name was greater than that of hundreds of soldiers.

"They say you have blue eyes. Vlad the Blue-Eyed."

Vlad smiled as if it were amusing and frowned when he saw Rutiger pass by.

Blue eyes.

Isn't it too weightless to use a title in front of a knight?

Knock, knock!

Whatever Vlad's complaints, Nassau's drawbridge began to sink into the moat along with its heavy iron chains.

Only a knight could face a knight.

Unfortunately, Nassau did not have skilled knights who could face Bayezid's knights.

"Every commander, make sure to convey this to your soldiers."

As he watched the drawbridge slowly descend in front of him, Peter once again issued a cold warning.

"Looting is not allowed in Nassau. Anyone who violates this will be severely punished."

The soldiers around him involuntarily swallowed as they heard Peter's stern order.

No matter how strict military discipline is, looting that occurs in secret is something that cannot be avoided.

However, Peter Bayezid had complete control over the army thanks to a presence harsher than the northern wind's cold.

"Enter."

"As ordered. Count."

City Nassau.

The northernmost port city that never freezes.

Although in feuds wars it was customary to ensure each lord's right to rule according to an implicit promise, Peter had no intention of following that custom in Nassau.

"If possible, I would like to take it with minimal loss."

From the start, I thought of choosing at least this city.

Yearning for a wider world is not necessarily a privilege only small children have.

Bayezid also did not want to remain confined to the north.

"Run to the harbor! Do you know where it is?"

"The way we came is completely different!"

After confirming that the drawbridge was lowered, the knights hurriedly ran along the castle walls and began to run towards Nassau's harbor.

In the distant end, a huge ship he had not seen before began to unfurl its sails.

"As expected, I was preparing to jump!"

Just like Vlad's shout, Baron Iznik probably intended to do this from the beginning.

Gaidar, who traveled on it, fell to the ground and could not stop the northern army, which had descended to the west, with all its might.

"Run!"

Rutiger's knights, each with their own world, began to run hurriedly towards the harbor.

"The one who reaches the harbor first..."

"Noir!"

Before Rutiger could finish speaking, Vlad began to shout loudly towards the gate.

It may be inevitable to lose Baron Iznik, but it is also inevitable to covet the wealth he has amassed.

War was a monster that ate up gold coins, and gold coins were clearly the wealth the loser had to pay.

"What about the one who arrives first?"

"…Anyway, I'll take care of you a lot."

He only spoke one name, but Rutiger sighed as he saw the black horse approaching him.

"I'm looking forward to this winter when the money from the deal comes out."

"If we set sail now, everything will be in vain."

Although he said that, Rutiger knew that Vlad with Noir would reach the harbor faster than anyone else.

The vision of me piercing through Gaidar's formation was still vivid before my eyes.

"Let's go!"

Neigh!

There was a black horse running downhill towards the harbor with Vlad shouting.

The blue sea shimmered under the summer sun.

The light of the blue moon that had floated in his world remained in Vlad's eyes as he looked at that light.

"You must not let him go to the harbor!"

"Stop that bastard! Halt!"

Looking at the soldiers blocking his way, Vlad silently closed his left eye above Noir, who was running.

Vlad's world now came to life.

"Get out of my way, bastards!"

It may now be unreachable, but there are things that don't change.

Godin's moon was no longer high in the night sky, but for Vlad it was still a bright moon.

Vlad's own color, neither white nor green nor blue, began to ripple like waves from the tip of the sword.

The beginning of the golden world probably began with the blue moonlight rising alongside the bonfire.

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