Dragon Tournament Team Battle (1)
The Surpuk Duke pointed at one man and asked Bobert Count,
"Why's that bastard been grinning like a fool lately?"
The man who had caught the Surpuk Duke's eye was Baron Bern, infamous for always scowling with a face twisted in perpetual disdain.
He was so notoriously grumpy that even the Surpuk Duke's nagging to lighten up had done nothing to change him.
Yet these past few days, Baron Bern had been wandering the palace courts with a beaming smile, leaving onlookers utterly baffled.
"Baron Bern, you mean?"
"Yeah."
"He won big on that bet this time."
"What? That guy bet against Owen? He's not sharp enough for that."
"There's a reason. The one Baron Bern hates with a passion bet on Sir Albert. He went the opposite way and cashed in."
"Ha! Even catching a mouse with a blind swing has its merits."
"By the way, the winnings from the bet will be delivered today."
"How much did that Owen kid rake in?"
"2,450 gold coins. 1,350 from the initial bet, and 1,100 more from the added conditions."
"Impressive."
Honestly, the Surpuk Duke was deeply impressed by Owen's resourcefulness this time.
"What a crafty little devil. Raising the stakes with extra conditions! Makes that half-year budget timeline seem pointless."
"So, will you put him to work now?"
"About time. Testing his talent like this should be enough. Keeping a guy like him stuck in the Fifth Dragon Stable is a waste anyway."
"I agree. The stable's issues can now be fixed with just time and money."
As Bobert Count had said, the bet's payout arrived for Owen that very day.
"Young master! The money's here, sir! My stars! Never seen this much cash in me life!"
The miserly servant Ben was overjoyed as if it were his own windfall.
He eyed the arriving gold coins with greedy delight.
"All shiny and new-like. Leave it to old Ben here, sir."
"...Like handing fish to a cat."
"Young master sure knows how to make a fella feel small."
The 2,450 gold coins were now purely Owen's property.
With this, he could accomplish much in the days ahead, so Owen felt a fresh surge of gratitude toward Albert.
Starts a fight on his own, crashes and burns on his own... In a way, he's a benefactor. Not easy to find a mark this good.
Owen briefly prayed that Albert, hidden somewhere, wouldn't go hungry.
"Administrator."
Administrative officer Conrad entered the office.
He dumped a huge stack of letters onto the desk.
"What's all this, Officer?"
"They all came flooding in at once from everywhere. Requests to buy that albino humpback dragon we got."
"Whoa..."
"Some are polite invitations, but you can tell they're all after the albino dragon."
"What's the sudden fuss? We already agreed to hand it over to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Not everyone knows that. Plenty are asking for second dibs in case the prince's deal falls through. Begging from all sides."
"This is..."
Owen frowned at the thick pile of letters.
They were from nobles whose names alone rang bells.
"Even central nobles, not just eastern ones?"
"Yes. Word's spread that far already. Give it another week, and we might hear from the distant west."
Conrad spoke the plain truth.
Owen's name was spreading across the Empire in unexpected ways.
"The albino variant's emergence has more impact than I thought. Better hand it over to the prince before it gets messier."
"Wise decision. It's in perfect health—eating and sleeping great."
"Excellent. That's ideal for a hatchling. I'll notify His Highness ahead of time."
Owen got a reply for two days later. On the day, he went to meet him.
The Crown Prince was staying at a large villa on the outskirts, away from Bris.
Owen didn't know why the prince had left the Surpuk Duke's palace, but he understood upon arrival.
The villa sat on a vast plain ringed by forest, where massive dragons were engaged in fierce training overhead.
"Kieeeek!"
"Saaak!"
With shrill cries, the dragons charged each other, whipping tails like lashes.
All were medium-sized, around 30 meters long.
"What a sight!"
Dust choked the air, evoking thousands of soldiers charging in unison.
"Heh, young master. Buncha scary dragons everywhere."
"The prince's dragon knights' mounts."
"Reckon so? But this old Ben can't go farther. Look—the horses are scared stiff, pissin' themselves."
Sure enough, the horses were frozen solid.
Impressive they hadn't bolted.
Even trained warhorses faltered before dragons; ordinary riding horses stood no chance.
"Wait here. I'll announce myself."
Owen dismounted and walked a good distance.
Along the way, he appraised the four dragons.
Savanna Dragon, Plated Dragon, Club-tail Dragon, Black Thorn-tail Dragon.
The Black Thorn-tail was a rare breed among them.
But the other three were common, leaving Owen puzzled.
"Hm?"
For dragons under the Crown Prince, they seemed unremarkable.
But up close, text floating above them made him nod.
Three of the four had A-rank potential.
That changes everything.
The prince clearly had exceptional dragon insight.
Owen watched their training with keen interest.
They were likely prepping for the upcoming team battle.
The festival during the second week of the grand assembly featured the dragon tournament.
Its highlight: the massive team battles with droves of dragon knights.
Owen had heard the prince's knights would compete.
That's why they're training at the villa.
But the drills were growing excessively intense.
Some knights struggled to control their dragons.
"Hm?"
Owen spotted the largest, the Black Thorn-tail Dragon, shift to frenzied excitement.
Then disaster struck.
Crack!
The Black Thorn-tail suddenly bit into the foreleg of the training Club-tail Dragon.
But it didn't stop— it unleashed a brutal death roll.
A death roll: clamping jaws and spinning the body to rip prey apart.
Dust billowed as the massive underbelly flashed and vanished.
Snap!
The Club-tail's thick foreleg tore clean off in seconds.
It screamed, swinging its club-like tail.
Thud!
The dull impact forced the Black Thorn-tail back, turning the area into chaos.
Other dragons panicked and bucked, throwing one knight from his saddle.
And the retreating Black Thorn-tail readied a second assault.
The smaller Club-tail Dragon—and its rider—were now in mortal peril.
Owen couldn't stand by any longer.
"Grenville!"
He unfurled his dragon scroll, summoning his partner instantly.
A beautiful blood-red dragon appeared.
"Eung!"
Owen vaulted into the saddle.
No time for full restraints in the crisis; he spurred it forward.
"Hurry!"
Grenville bolted at top speed on command.
Swift as that moonlit dash through the millet fields.
Thud-thud-thud!
Grenville cut in front of the Thorn-tail, roaring ferociously.
"Geggegegak! Et-eung!"
Grenville was far smaller than the Black Thorn-tail, but its spirit didn't yield an inch.
As a famously hot-tempered Tokay dragon.
Yet small versus medium had inherent limits.
The Black Thorn-tail startled but gaped wide for another strike.
"Who the hell is that?!"
"Dangerous! Get back!"
The frantic knights calming their dragons screamed.
The boy and his tiny dragon would be crushed in those jaws.
But Owen had an ace up his sleeve.
He leaped down, striking flint viciously.
Whoosh!
Sparks flew, igniting the torch.
Owen thrust it to Grenville's maw.
"Breathe!"
Flames erupted forward.
The charging Black Thorn-tail singed its face and recoiled.
"Kek!"
It abandoned the fight, fleeing toward the nearby lake.
The scorching heat overwhelmed its simple mind, erasing its rage—only water mattered now.
Thus, Owen barely averted catastrophe.
"Whew... Just delivering a package, and this mess."
An Empire proverb fit: Dragon riders breakfast in the living world, but lunch might be in the afterlife.
Owen couldn't agree more.
Crown Prince Marleus, staying at the villa, watched one dragon go berserk.
An unforeseen crisis, but what followed stunned him more.
Owen rode in on Grenville and drove off the raging beast.
"...You surprise me again, Sir Leire."
The prince gazed at the seated Owen, unable to hide his admiration.
Caked in dust, reeking of smoke and scorch, yet admirable.
"Your Highness, I fear I overstepped."
"Nonsense. You saved us from disaster. Things could've been far worse."
Reports said one dragon had lost a foreleg; the fallen knight had multiple broken ribs—immobile for weeks.
But the prince counted it lucky it ended there.
"Prepping for the team battle, Your Highness?"
"Indeed. Meant to show my prestige, but now we're short a man. Need five, and we've a vacancy."
"Regrettable."
"But do you know why the Black Thorn-tail went berserk?"
His knights were still debating.
Yet the prince suspected Owen might have a clear answer.
As expected, Owen nodded under his expectant gaze.
"I do."
"Impressive."
"It was..."
"Enough that you know—we'll get to it. But something more urgent first."
"...What?"
"Simple. We need to fill the spot. But I only brought five knights from the capital."
"What will you do?"
Then came the prince's utterly unexpected proposal.
"So... Become my dragon knight."
"Pardon? Your Highness?"
"Not abandoning the duke—just help me in this team battle."
"Ah..."
Owen wondered if he dreamed.
A chance for glory—no reason to refuse.
He'd longed for the tournament but lacked opportunity.
Joining the prince's team was ideal.
"Your Highness, how could you use a greenhorn like me?"
"Well, that greenhorn outshines any knight I know."
"Hm... But we're still short? Four in training earlier. Even with me replacing the injured, one's missing."
"Don't worry. Here's the fifth."
With that, the prince called outside.
The door opened quietly; a beautiful blonde knight entered.
The prince pointed to her.
"Alania's our fifth. Team's complete. Will you help me?"