The Dragon's Assault
The Black Castle stood at the highest point in the region. Unfortunately for Grand Duke Niberia, that was exactly where Bandseuk chose to land first. The Grand Duke found himself staring directly into the eyes of a dragon.
“This… this can’t be…! So this is a real dragon…!”
Grand Duke Niberia had never once felt fear in his life. Not before any living creature, not in any situation. He had never felt guilt, never felt gratitude. Yet the moment that massive reptilian eye, the color of amber and the size of a house, locked onto him, something inside him cracked.
Meanwhile, the Grand Duke was trembling. The infamous tyrant of the north had been reduced to a coward by the sheer presence of a dragon.
“Kyaaaaah!!”
His concubines screamed and fled naked from the bed, bolting down the corridor. The Grand Duke remained frozen, fists clenched, overwhelmed by the exhilarating terror he had never experienced before. He wanted to feel it again. That strange impulse he had felt for the first time in his life—“I should live kindly”—had come from this sensation, and it felt as though it might fill the hollow parts of him.
But he quickly shook the thought away.
“Oh, right. I have Seira! Seira—! Seiraaa—! Are you safe?!”
Wearing only a light shirt, the Grand Duke leapt onto the balcony railing and jumped to the adjacent tower. Barefoot, he slid down the sloped roof and landed on the castle wall.
“Huff, huff…”
The wall was terrifyingly high. Even he would not survive a fall from this height. Below, the black dragon unleashed a devastating fire breath. One direct hit and even the Grand Duke would be reduced to charred meat. Yet he ran without hesitation. He had to confirm Seira’s safety first—his one and only love.
Soon he spotted Seira’s wedding procession just about to pass through the castle gates.
‘Seira—!!’
Joy lasted only a moment. The black dragon’s voice rang out as it addressed a woman: “Are you Seira?”
The Grand Duke’s blood ran cold. That filthy black lizard had come for his angel. Rage surged through him.
Among the chaos, he noticed the woman the dragon had questioned. She was so pale she looked as though she wore a white dress, though whether she was clothed or not was impossible to tell.
“She really was a beautiful woman… Delie…”
The sight stirred his old urge to toy with her again, but he suppressed it. Right now, his angel Seira came first.
The Grand Duke watched coldly. Moments later, while the dragon was distracted, members of the Black Star Knights seized Delie—once one of his favorite concubines—by the wrist and dragged her back into the tower.
A faint pang touched his chest.
‘Hah… Maybe I shouldn’t have sent her away. She was the finest toy among the imperial women.’
Still, he had already decided. From now on, every pleasure would come from Seira alone. She would no longer be the empire’s greatest toy—she would be his one and only toy.
The Grand Duke was that obsessed with Seira.
“I might as well get rid of the rest of the concubines while I’m at it.”
Of course, he would throw them all into the Black Star Knights’ barracks. It was the perfect way to dispose of them without dirtying his own hands while earning the knights’ endless loyalty.
And that space would be filled by Seira alone!!
He briefly wondered how long her delicate body could endure his rough play. Well, he could always hire healing mages with the money he used to spend on the concubines.
“Hehehe… Seira, I’ll make you happy. We’ll play with toys, enjoy every kind of amusement. And if you get hurt, the mages will heal you so I can play with you twenty-four hours a day… Ufufufu ♥♡.”
At that moment, the black dragon began to turn its head. The Grand Duke quickly hid behind a nearby tower. It seemed to have reacted to hearing the name “Seira.” The dragon glanced around, then dismissed the notion and stared intently at the tower where Delie had been.
Its massive tail hung close to the ground. The Grand Duke saw his chance. He signaled the soldiers to cease fire. The commanders, spotting him, urgently ordered the attack to stop.
The Grand Duke sprinted along the wall and leapt onto the back of the dragon’s head. From there he could see Delie being violated by the knights, her moans echoing. The black dragon watched like a perverted voyeur, even letting out a delighted chuckle.
“You bastard—!”
The Grand Duke struck the back of the dragon’s head with all his might.
Thud—!!
Pain exploded through his fist, far worse than striking a hammer. The dragon merely felt as though a flea were crawling on its head and completely ignored him.
The Grand Duke slid down the dragon’s neck, spine, and tail, racing toward the ground in search of Seira. Arrows and spells rained down on him from his own soldiers. He deflected some, knocked others aside, and endured the rest as he descended.
When he finally landed, his entire body was covered in blood—his own, from the attacks of his allies.
Once the commanders confirmed he had reached the ground safely and was heading toward the gates, they resumed the full assault. The black dragon, however, paid them no mind. It suddenly took flight and vanished into the sky.
* * *
By the time Grand Duke Niberia reached the gates, Seira’s carriage had already disappeared. Mujata, one of the ten commanders of the Black Star Knights and the escort leader, had scattered the thousands of soldiers and hidden her in the Safety House.
“Seira! Where are you?! Seira!!”
The Grand Duke ran barefoot, desperately searching for his new toy. A soldier who saw him racing near the wall called out.
“Your Grace! A message from Lord Mujata. He says Lady Seira has been safely moved to the Safety House.”
“Is that true? That’s wonderful! Excellent. Then I’ll take command of the army. Tell Mujata to protect Seira without fail!”
The Grand Duke finally smiled in satisfaction.
“And once this is over, tell him I’ll grant him a great reward! You’ll receive one as well!”
“Thank you, Your Grace!”
The Safety House—a secret fortress buried deep beneath the Black Castle. Perhaps the safest place within these walls. Relieved that Seira had already been taken there, the Grand Duke mounted a horse and rode with several knights toward one of the assembly points.
The place he headed for was the grandest, most magnificent white tower in all of Koban City.
“All units! Prepare the magic cannons!!!”
The commander’s voice echoed across the battlefield as the capital defense commander saluted the Grand Duke.
“Your Grace! You’ve arrived!!”