Chapter 223: Decision
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 223: Decision
He wished Annette would be a bit more selfish, prioritize her own greed, and do whatever she wanted…
Loik’s teeth ground together as he recalled the way the Duke had looked at Annette.
‘He looked like a man who had been granted salvation.’
Of course, it was true that Annette had saved the bastard, but that didn't give a man who didn't know his place the right to look at her with such excessive yearning.
‘How dare he set his sights on her.’
Honestly, Loik hadn't been joking when he said he didn't care if Duke Kyle died.
How many knights had perished in the North during the Monster War?
What did it matter if an Imperial dog, who had been busy dancing at balls back then, lost his life now?
Even though Duke Kyle had sworn an oath, Loik didn't particularly trust him.
As rumors began to trickle out like this, the day would eventually come when the entire Empire learned that Annette was the Saintess.
When that happened, it would be difficult to keep her confined to the North.
Whether it was the Imperial family or the Grand Temple, they would all scramble to drag her away, summoning her to the Capital for every trivial reason they could invent.
He knew.
The North was too small a stage for someone as brilliant as Annette to realize her dreams.
If she became the Saintess and went to the Grand Temple, she was someone who could truly change the future of the Empire.
And that wasn't all.
A Saintess so lovely and beautiful…
She would surely capture the hearts of every citizen in the Empire.
‘Kind Annette would surely tell me she prefers the North, though.’
To be honest, Loik felt a sense of shame.
This was a land where one’s life was constantly targeted by a dragon, a place where one might be drenched in monster blood just by going for a stroll.
‘I have to deal with the dragon quickly.’
This was no time to be complacent.
He had momentarily forgotten his priorities, lost in the sweet dream of his life with Annette.
As he was reflecting, Annette stirred and burrowed closer to him.
Loik held her gently.
Her chest rose and fell softly with her steady breathing.
Her lips alone were enough to make him parched with thirst.
He wanted to wake her by stealthily caressing her, pretending he didn't know what he was doing, and then claim those red lips under the pretext of offering comfort.
While she rubbed her sleepy eyes, he wanted to bite into her soft breasts, teasing her relentlessly until he was intoxicated by the sweet scent of her skin.
He wanted to sink into her tender flesh, already slick and inviting, and feel her heat deep inside all night long.
As he watched the defenseless Annette, Loik’s breathing grew ragged.
Just as he was clenching his fists, struggling to suppress his beastly instincts, he sensed a small presence outside the door.
Loik squeezed his eyes shut before opening them and finally rising from the bed.
After tucking the blanket up to Annette’s chin, he stepped outside to find Norton waiting.
“They’ve found the dragon’s lair.”
It was the news Loik had been anticipating most.
Despite the late hour, all of Blenheim’s knight captains were already gathered in the secret study. A mage and a priest were with them as well.
The mage, who had returned after attaching a tracking magic circle to the dragon, drew a small circle on the map.
“Considering the detection radius of the magic circle, it should be within this area.”
Vice-Captain Hedrick let out a low groan.
“So there was a reason we couldn't find it until now.”
The dragon was much closer than they had thought. It was in a mountain valley not far from the Spring of Enlightenment.
Tiern, who had gone to re-examine the boundary stones in the meantime, spoke up.
“The boundary defense stones had been unnaturally uprooted. It seems to be the dragon’s doing.”
“Furthermore, the demonic energy within the monsters was much denser than usual.”
“Which means the dragon used the monsters as bait to lure us in.”
When demonic energy thickens, the monsters' aggression spikes.
To begin with, wolf-type monsters weren't particularly dangerous, aside from the fact that they attacked in packs. Usually, if you took down one or two, the rest would tuck their tails and flee.
However, if they forgot their fear and swarmed in a frenzy, they became much harder to handle.
This meant that even for a Sword Master, the fact that Duke Kyle—who was unfamiliar with monsters—had been injured wasn't something to be entirely mocked.
“It’s just a guess, but it seems the dragon planned this in advance, knowing Her Highness the Consort would visit the spring soon.”
“But I thought you said the dragon would need time to recover?” Demich grumbled. “Did it get better that quickly?”
“The dragon is not in perfect condition,” the mage said, shaking his head. “To be honest, that’s likely why Her Highness is safe.”
Loik recalled the dragon hastily retreating into the depths of the cave when he had unleashed his sword aura.
“That’s why it chose the inside of a cave. To minimize its body’s exposure.”
It had used the cave as a sort of shield.
“Is it really that cowardly?” Demich asked with a look of disdain.
“It means it was that desperate,” Hedrick added with a grim expression. “The dragon has been acting recklessly lately, hasn't it?”
There could only be one reason why a dragon that had stayed hidden for so long was revealing itself so frequently.
“Because it’s dying.”
At Loik’s answer, the mage scratched his forehead in confusion.
“Even so, time flows differently for dragons and humans. There should be no need for it to be this impatient.”
Then, Miel, the priest who had been quiet until now, tentatively raised his hand.
“This is just my opinion, but…”
As the knights' gazes focused on him, the priest shrank his shoulders and said, “Could it be that it’s not the dragon, but Her Highness the Consort who is making it feel rushed?”
Admiration flickered in Miel’s eyes. “I thought of this after seeing Her Highness suppress the dragon’s energy today. For someone who has only recently awakened her holy power to wield it so freely is no ordinary feat.”
Loik’s shoulders squared with pride at the praise for Annette.
“The Grand Duchess has always been extraordinary.”
“The speed at which she internalizes holy power is incredible. Moreover, she seems to have gained some kind of enlightenment at the spring today, so she will likely grow even stronger very soon.”
In that moment, Loik realized the implication of the priest’s words.
Why hadn't he thought of it?
The real reason the dragon was hurrying.
‘It was trying to drain her power before Annette could fully internalize it.’
Until now, he had only focused on the dragon weakening; he hadn't considered Annette getting stronger.
At the spring earlier, Annette had indeed blocked the dragon’s energy, if only for a moment.
As the priest said, Annette would only get stronger as time passed.
There was no way to steal power from an opponent stronger than oneself.
Only then did the situation where the dragon tried to kidnap Annette before the seal was even fully broken make sense.
The moment Annette first awakened her holy power had been the dragon’s best opportunity.
‘That damn dragon. It was only ever focused on Annette from the start.’
For some reason, a surge of anger rose within him.
It was clear the dragon hadn't even considered the possibility of Loik stopping it.
But Loik had no intention of letting the dragon appear before Annette ever again.
Because he was going to kill it before that could happen.
“We are going to raid the lair.”
At the Grand Duke’s command, the eyes of the knight captains turned solemn.
*
“We should reach the Capital by tomorrow.”
Countess Asellino, sitting in the carriage, spoke as she looked out the window.
“To think we have to travel for days by carriage in this day and age.”
The Countess grumbled about the closure of the Blenheim Gate.
I sat opposite her, listening blankly.
‘How did things end up like this?’
On the day I encountered the dragon at the Spring of Enlightenment, I had fallen asleep in the carriage and didn't wake up for a full day.
— “I’m just glad you woke up after only a day.”
Loik, whose face had grown gaunt in the meantime, gently stroked my cheek.
— “I smell something delicious.”
— “I thought you might want spicy tomato stew after sleeping for so long. I made some just in case you went looking for it.”
Sure enough, a bowl of spicy tomato stew sat on the bedside table.
The stew had cooled to the perfect temperature for eating.
‘How did he time my waking up so perfectly?’
I found out the next day that because he didn't know when I would wake, Loik had re-cooked the stew several times.
— “Even though I told him to use a thermal magic tool… it seems he wanted to give Her Highness fresh stew straight from the pot.”
It was after I had finished that spicy tomato stew—the most savory and delicious in the world.
“Oh, has the Saintess left?”
“Not yet. She said she would leave after seeing you wake up, so she’ll likely depart tomorrow.”
As I spoke, I gasped and grabbed Loik’s sleeve.
“What happened with that? The Grand Temple library.”
I should have asked the Saintess.
Loik hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“The Saintess has agreed to help.”
“Really? Thank goodness.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. At least we had a lead to solve the problem.
“Then will Miel be going to the Capital?”
After a brief pause, shocking words flowed from Loik’s mouth.
“What if you were to go to the Capital yourself, Annette?”