Duke Pendragon

“Thank you for the drink brother. By chance, are you from a coastal city? Or…”

A man with a bold appearance approached Isla with his mug raised high. Isla replied with an indifferent look.

“From El Pasa. I joined the southern coalition and fought together with Duke Pendragon.”

“Ohhh! Then were you at the battle near the Blago territory as well?”

The eyes of those nearby glistened with curiosity at the brave man’s question.

“Yes.”

“Keugh! T, then… have you see the orc warrior who recently gained the title, Red God of War? I think his name was…”

“Karuta. The young leader of the Ancona Orc tribe, blood allies of the Pendragon Duchy.”

“That’s right! That’s what he was called! Wow…!”

The man’s mouth opened agape with astonishment, and those nearby also nodded or clapped in approval. It must have been nice to see that the young man, who was their fellow countryman and a cavalier, had joined the coalition and fought together with the Pendragon Duchy.

Some people started to make their way towards Isla.

“Excuse me, but may I ask you a question?”

“…..”

Isla turned his head without answering. It was the three young men from before. They had almost started trouble with the rest of the pub customers a while ago, and now they stood in front of Isla with stiff expressions. They flinched as they met Isla’s gaze.

Although they were still young and somewhat inexperienced, they had trained a long time as warriors of the Herreran family. They were able to guess that the cold, indifferent man in front of them was a real cavalier, one of considerable ability.

The gaze of the man was especially,

‘Someone who has killed many people…’

The three men gulped involuntarily, their Adam's apple protruding momentarily. The fierce spirit emanating from the man’s eyes was like something they had seen before. It was similar to the eyes of the Herreran Knight’s captain or an elite cavalier of the Seven Clans, whom they had seen once or twice before.

“What?”

After letting out a sigh of relief, one of the young men started speaking after obtaining permission.

“Let me introduce myself first. I am Johnny Medell, a first-class swordsman of the Herreran Swordsmen.”

“Hooh…”

As the young man introduced himself, many people took on surprised expressions. It was quite astounding. The Herreran Swordsmen consisted of about 200 people, and the members were organized into three ranks – elite, first-class, and second-class. There were about 50 first-class swordsmen, and each of them was responsible for a small subgroup of swordsmen.

In other words, the swordsman named Johnny Medell had been recognized for his skills even though he was young, perhaps barely over twenty.

“Cavalier has received Johnny Medell’s greeting. What do you want to ask me?”

“I heard that the United Southern Army is now fighting against the families that are cooperating with the Arangis Duchy. And that the Arangis Duchy’s fleet is located along the coast of El Pasa.”

“So?”

“I am a little curious as to why you came to Valvas at this time. You mentioned that you had been fighting in the coalition. I’m sure that they could use every hand available in this situation.”

“Hmm…!”

The men’s expressions changed slightly at Medell’s words. Although he had provoked a fight with them just a short while ago, his words had a point.

A Valvas Cavalier was the equivalent of a hundred men. They were stronger than regular territorial knights, and as strong as the imperial knights. The cavalier in front of them was surely a powerful warrior as well.

The Southern United Army was facing its biggest predicament right now, so there must have been a good reason why the cavalier had chosen to return to his hometown during these times.

“…..”

A hint of doubt began to surface on the men’s faces. Isla soaked his throat with a sip of black beer before slowly untying their curiosities.

“I came to meet the heads of the Seven Clans and to persuade them.”

“Heuk…!”

Medell’s eyes started to grow bigger and many men gasped in shock.

***

“What’s going on?”

“Hm…”

Balbacia, the largest village in Valvas.

More than 10,000 people resided in the village. On the largest road of the village, people were starting to make way while murmuring.

Three young men, evidently swordsmen from the Herreran County, were walking along the road in front of a handsome man with cool, indifferent eyes. But if it were only the four of them, it would not have caused such a large commotion. It wasn’t unusual for Herreran Swordsmen to be walking down the main road.

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

But right now, dozens of men were following behind the footsteps of the four.

“Hey, Quaran. What’s going on here?”

At that time, a merchant selling fruit on the roadside hurriedly approached an acquaintance among the following and asked.

“Well, so…”

The man began to explain excitedly, and after hearing the explanation, the fruit seller became wide-eyed.

“Really? Huh! Then what am I doing right now? Hey, Lucho! I need you to watch the store for a bit!”

“What? What are you talking about? What’s going on?”

“Well, here’s the thing…”

The story quickly disseminated everywhere.

Soon, dozens more joined the ranks of the group, and as the story spread even faster, the number of people following the four men started to grow larger and larger.

“Whaaaa!”

A strange phenomenon took place on the main road of Balbacia in the middle of the day, and even little boys with snotty noses began to excitedly follow behind the large crowd. Then, even those who were unaware of the situation began to join due to their curiosity, and the dozens of followers eventually grew to hundreds.

The ones most flustered by the situation were none other than the young swordsmen from the Herreran family, who were walking at the forefront with Isla.

‘W, what should we do, leader?’

‘We’re already riding on the lion’s back. There’s nothing we can do.’

The three men conversed by exchanging glances with each other, then resigned themselves to fate. They had no choice but to continue down the road alongside the cavalier. In fact, they had been the ones who suggested he go to Count Herreran’s mansion before meeting the Seven Clans, since their lord was the sole lord present in Valvas.

Soon, with the four at the forefront, hundreds of people arrived in front of Count Herreran’s manor.

There were no castles in Valvas.

This was because the Uelba Mountains surrounded the wide, huge basin of Valvas. The mountains were a natural fortress which deterred any invaders, and there was only one road into Valvas. Therefore, since long ago, battles were determined not by a siege, but by frontal confrontations between the cavaliers. The Seven Clans, as well as Count Herreran, lived in manors surrounded by high walls.

“Medell? Hey, what the hell is going on here?”

One of the guards ran towards Medell with a surprised expression. He was one of Medell’s fellow swordsmen.

“Vance, well, uh…”

Medell couldn’t hide his hesitant expression as he began to explain the whole story.

“And that’s what happened.”

“Huh…!”

After listening to the story, the swordsman turned his head with a low exclamation.

Thin, but wide shoulders and a strong body. The man’s sunken, dark blue eyes were like a lake, and his alert and balanced posture proved the depths of his training. He was definitely not an ordinary person. In addition, the rapier on his left waist and the separated, suspended parts of a spear on the other side proved his identity as a cavalier.

“I will report to Sir Teyo for now. You stay here just in case anything happens.”

“Sure.”

As he watched his colleague hurriedly rush into the mansion, Medell turned around with a short sigh. Hundreds of people were looking this way while murmuring.

However, the young cavalier was standing still with his arms folded in indifference as if none of this had anything to do with him. The cavalier had described his involvement with the coalition, and that he had come to Valvas as a messenger of the imperial commander, the commander-in-chief of the coalition.

‘This has grown out of my control…’

He felt a little regret, but Medell made up his mind. The questions he had asked at the pub were those he needed to ask as a member of the Herreran County. He couldn’t stand idle when a strange cavalier had made his appearance.

But what if he was a swindler or had come here with an ulterior motive…?

‘Tsk, then my head will be cut.’

Medell clicked his tongue with a bitter smile. However, he did not regret bringing the young cavalier to this place.

The conversations that were being held between the customers at the pub… In fact, Medell himself was partly sympathetic to their discussions. But he was a member of the Herreran County, and no matter how much he agreed with their words, he could not stay silent when the family he served was being humiliated in public. He had to step up.

However, whether by chance or inevitability, the young cavalier had entered the pub at an extraordinary timing, and surprisingly, he stated that he was here to persuade the Seven Clans.

As soon as he heard it, Medell had a thought.

Perhaps this was an opportunity for the Herreran County to unite the Seven Clans, which were like fierce wolf packs. It could be an opportunity to display the spirit and bravery of the Herreran County and the Valvas Cavaliers throughout the South…

‘It’s a gamble… No, maybe it’s fate.’

As he gazed into the young cavalier’s eyes, which were as still as the blue skies of the Uelba Mountains, Medell pressed his hand against his pounding heart.

***

“Hmm?”

Count Herreran was the only lord of Valvas. His wrinkled eyes squinted as he heard the story.

“So now, hundreds of people have crowded the front of my manor because of a single first-class swordsman?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Despite the lord’s unpleasant expression, the knight in his mid-30s maintained a confident expression. Count Herreran also seemed to not mind that his knight was being somewhat rude. However, there was a good reason for this. The relationship between a lord and a cavalier was somewhat different from the mainland.

Cavaliers were people who vowed to give their lives to their Clan and their lord. They proved their loyalty with their swords and their lives. Good manners were only useful for saving face and were of little importance.

“So, the man claiming to be a cavalier fought alongside the Pendragon Duchy in the United Southern Army…?”

“Not only that, he also possessed gold coins from the Pendragon Duchy.”

“Pendragon gold…”

“Even merchants from the outside rarely use the currency, sir. And while Medell is young, he’s not thoughtless nor a poor judge of character.”

“Hmm… Hakhak!”

Count Herreran started tapping the table, then burst into a fit of cough. A servant, who was standing beside him, hurriedly approached him and held out a handkerchief to clean the count's mouth.

“No, it’s fine.”

Count Herreran received the handkerchief from his servant and wiped his mouth before speaking in a grim voice.

“Where is Kyle?”

“His Grace Kyle is still in his bedroom.”

The servant lowered his head while speaking in a hesitant voice. Count Herreran’s expression became even darker. Teyo’s eyes were also filled with regret. The old High Lord was nearing seventy. He wasn’t in charge of the family’s matter because he wanted to.

Kyle Herreran.

He was the eldest son and heir of the Herreran County. He was also a coward who was criticized and laughed at by all Valvas men. He would tremble in front of a regular cavalier, never mind the successors to the Seven Clans.

“Bring Kyle. We are going to meet the uninvited guest who claims to be a cavalier.”

The count’s eyes glowed fiercely. Until even a few years ago, he had been an excellent griffon rider capable of taming the creatures bare-handed.