How to Live as a Wandering Knight

‘𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪

The heat made the surrounding air flare up before the familiar sensation could be recalled. Caenerna’s summoned spirit of fire materialized in the air, inflating its form.

Then, the surrounding torches were extinguished simultaneously. The fire spirit had devoured the flames in the vicinity. Despite the extinguishing, the underground cavity was brighter than broad daylight.

━■!

The lump of fire remaining at the dragon’s maw silently disappeared into thin air. The dragon let out an irritated roar as it sucked the fuel for combustion from the depths of its throat.

“The wizard is taking down the dragon!”

“Waaahhhh!”

The unaware knights cheered as their morale rose. They raised their spears and crossbows to help in any way they could, aiming at the dragon. Most of them bounced off the scales without piercing, but the occasional hit found a gap, irritating the dragon.

But the most threatening opponent for the dragon was the fire spirit.

Even among the same type of spirit, their nature and actions differed depending on the spirit. That was why vicious and despicable spirits were called malevolent spirits, just as their name suggested.

In that regard, the fire spirit was a brutal and violent being. And it possessed the power to match its nature.

The reason Caenerna, despite not being an unskilled wizard, had failed to control it several times was all due to these reasons.

The flames gathered into one, then lunged at the dragon. The dragon fiercely swung its claws to meet the fire spirit head-on. The fight between them was so intense and bloody that even the valiant northern knights couldn’t find an opening to intervene.

Once they clashed, the surrounding stone statues shattered, and flames erupted one after another, both above and below.

‘𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸

Johan halted as he was about to throw his spear. With the two of them fighting all intertwined, he wondered if he really needed to get involved. Even if the fire spirit were to lose, it wouldn’t be bad if the dragon’s stamina was drained like this.

“Protect the wizard.”

Instead, Johan had Caenerna carried to the back. The fact that she had already lost control over the hastily summoned spirit was palpable.

The fire spirit was currently engaged in a fierce battle with the dragon, but if the dragon were not present, it would have set fire to the surroundings. That was how brutal of a bastard it was.

“The wizard is truly amazing. To be able to cast such magic. . .”

“. . .Yes. Amazing.”

Johan, who was about to explain, shut his mouth for Caenerna’s honor. There was no need to point out that she had lost consciousness and her spirit was running wild.

The one who emerged victorious from the battle between the spirit and the monster was the monster. As a monster that inherently stored flames inside its body, the dragon was resistant to heat and flames.

The dragon believed in its tough, thick scales and charged forward. The fire spirit struck the dragon with all its might, but its strength was insufficient to stop the opponent. The dragon bit its foe with all its might.

No sound could be heard, but Johan thought he could hear the spirit’s scream.

“!”

The fire spirit suddenly lost its momentum and changed direction. Johan could read its mind from that single movement.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵

Whether it was because it had been badly beaten by the dragon, or because it had suddenly become frightened, the fire spirit no longer wanted to fight the dragon. Instead, it tried to burn the contractor who had summoned it. If the wizard were to disappear, the spirit would be free and able to leave this place.

“You dare!”

Drawing his Seal Retriever, Johan swung it to cleanly cut down the fire spirit in a single stroke. Sliced by the steel forged long ago, the spirit let out a scream of agony.

But perhaps because it was less frightening than the dragon, the fire spirit fiercely spat flames and lunged at Johan. The knights watching were shocked, and they were about to throw their bodies at it.

Then, the young duke confronted it in a way that was much more reckless than they had expected.

He thrust his Seal Retriever at the charging spirit, then spread his arms wide to tightly grab the spirit. The fire spirit, which had never been caught by a human in all its long life, thrashed in bewilderment.

No matter how much armor and treasures protected him, the fire spirit was a living flame. Intense heat traveled up his palms and arms.

However, Johan didn’t care. The concentration required to finish this now numbed the pain. The spirits dwelling in Johan whispered to him to finish it off.

The fire spirit thrashed and struggled, doing everything it could, but it couldn’t overcome Johan’s strength. The fire spirit revealed its intention to surrender as it was gradually overpowered. The flames diminished significantly to the point that it could fit in the palm of Johan’s hand.

“Go fight! Either kill it or die with it!”

Johan harshly treated the fire spirit that had shown its submission. The fire spirit, which was thrown once again, grew in size and pounced on the dragon.

Johan didn’t just stand there either. Feeling the rapidly healing wounds on his arms, Johan picked up his spear.

“Come forth, Valkalmur! Aim for the dragon’s torso. I will not forgive you if you miss!”

Valkalmur, who had been hiding after suffering a severe blow, eventually sprang out at Johan’s call. Power filled the spear, then it shot out.

The dragon, which was about to strike the fire spirit again, scoffed at the incoming spear. It had aimed for the tough lower abdomen covered in scales instead of the vital points that were not covered by scales. There was no reason to defend against something like that.

In an instant, an ominous premonition bloomed in the dragon’s memory. It was a premonition that emerged from the wound it had suffered before.

�

A tremendous force pierced through the gaps in the scales. Valkalmur let out a cry of victory. The dragon fighting below screamed at the intense pain it felt from below.

“Next!”

Johan called out to the other knights as he threw spears at anything he could reach. The knights, who had been watching blankly, hurriedly gathered spears and brought them to him.

The spears held in the duke’s hand tore through the air. Some of them broke in half due to the force he threw them with. But the rest of the spears were embedded in the dragon’s torso. The dragon, which had been enduring while protecting its vital points, writhed and twisted its body.

“Throw the grappling hooks! Don’t let it escape!”

The knights threw ropes with grappling hooks, using the tactic they used when facing large monsters. The ropes tied to the stakes were pulled tight, hindering the dragon’s movements.

━■■■■. . .

The dragon felt its life being threatened for the first time. Until now, it had only felt amusement or anger, but now, it felt for the first time that it could die.

Various poisons and curses spread through its body from the wounds all over its body, tormenting the dragon, while the puny humans in front of it raised their spirits as if they were going to see it through to the end.

�

In the end, the dragon’s knees buckled. As its massive body fell sideways, a cloud of dust rose up with a loud noise. The knights thought it was their chance and tried to rush in.

“Stab it!”

“T-The sword. . . The sword won’t go in!”

However, most of the attacks didn’t work. The dragon instinctively covered its vital point on its neck due to the commotion. Even for a dragon, it was a vital point that would be fatal if stabbed.

Then, Johan approached. Even in the blurry state where he couldn’t see properly, the dragon recognized Johan and tried to stop him somehow.

━?

Surprisingly, the human who looked like a monster wasn’t holding a sword. He was holding a giant hammer. Moreover, he wasn’t aiming for the vital point on its neck. The dragon was puzzled, but it was also slightly relieved.

In that instant, the dragon felt a shock that shook its skull. The impact from its jaw was so great that its head shook uncontrollably.

Once, twice, thrice, four times. . .

Before long, the dragon’s vital point that had been covered up was exposed. Johan tossed the Giant Slayer, dripping with blood, to the side. The dragon’s jaw had been struck so hard that its bones were visible.

“In the name of the honorable knights, I shall execute the wicked dragon that set the North ablaze!”

Johan mercilessly stabbed the Seal Retriever as he roared. Blood gushed out like a waterfall as the opponent’s windpipe was severed. Johan frowned in annoyance.

“Long live Your Highness the duke!!”

“Long live Your Highness the duke!!!!”

The knights of the North cheered without realizing it as they saw Johan standing on the dragon.

Titles, family, lineage, wealth. . .

There was a definite qualification that couldn’t be replaced by any of those things, right before their eyes. The qualification that only a knight who severed the dragon’s windpipe and received its blood could declare!

🔸🔸

“How many died?!”

The first thing Caenerna said after waking up from her sleep was to ask how many people had died. Johan replied indifferently.

“No one died. There were some injured, though.”

“. . .Wait. Put me down, Your Highness.”

Caenerna realized that she was being carried by Johan. She felt like her body was floating.

“You won’t be able to move your body because the spirit ran wild, right?”

“Ah. . . Ugh. Ouch.”

Only after hearing his words did Caenerna groan, feeling a headache coming on. It was a headache worse than what she got after chugging down a barrel of bad alcohol.

“I wish you would have told me beforehand if you wanted to puke.”

“It’s not that bad. . . Ugh. No. You did well to calm the spirit down. . .”

“It’s been a while since I’ve touched magic, so I’ve gotten the hang of it.”

“. . .??”

Johan’s subordinate tilted his head.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵. . . 𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘰�

The world of magic was truly mysterious. No matter how much he thought about it, it was more like. . .

“You didn’t have to hurriedly summon the spirit there.”

“Ugh. . . I apologize, Your Highness. Ugh. Ugh.”

“I’m not trying to hear an apology. . . I’m saying this because I was worried you might get hurt. What good would it have done to kill the dragon if the contractor died?”

“The knights. . .”

Caenerna retched. Johan roughly interpreted it as, ‘𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦�

“They’re not my knights, so even if a few of them die, what’s the big deal. . .”

“. . . . . .”

Johan’s subordinates coughed without realizing it. They made fun of and looked down on the knights of the North a little, but their master was beyond their imagination.

The knights of the North were so moved that they kept glancing back at them as they walked forward, but if they had heard that, they might have really burst into tears.

“S-So. . . You. . . Caught. . . That. . . Thing. . .?”

“Judging from the way you’re talking, it seems like you caught the dragon? Yes, I did.”

The subordinates unconsciously exclaimed in admiration.

“Amazing, Your Highness. How did you know?”

“After fighting together like that, this much isn’t that difficult.”

“Everyone. . . Be. . . Quiet. . .”

Caenerna wanted to tell her subordinates to shut up, but her voice wouldn’t come out. Johan spoke as if he was worried.

“You look very tired, so you should just rest. Stop making a fuss and rest. You can talk to me once you’ve recovered.”

“That’s right. That’s a good idea, wizard.”

“Should I bring you some alcohol to help you sleep?”

“It doesn’t seem like a good idea, Your Highness. Why don’t you rub her back? It’ll be quite effective for hangovers.”

“Hey. Idiots. Does this look like a hangover to you?”

Caenerna’s head started throbbing even more at the voices of the noisy warriors. Caenerna made up her mind to just relax and rest. The duke’s hand patting her back was strangely warm and comfortable, which secretly irritated her.

‘. . .𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘮�

Wondering why the contracted fire spirit was acting so docile as if it had eaten something wrong, Caenerna fell into the land of slumber.

🔸🔸

Since it was caught in such a deep place, they couldn’t bring the entire dragon out. The knights celebrated the day by cutting off parts of the dragon that they could carry.

However, there was one thing that they absolutely couldn’t give up. It was the dragon’s head.

As the head of the huge and ferocious monster was pulled up with ropes, the gathered workers screamed and cheered.

“It’s a real dragon!!!”

“So it’s true that he caught it. . .!”

Even the feudal lords of the North who were at the back flinched. In fact, when they first heard the report that it had been caught, not all of the feudal lords believed it.

It wasn’t because they suspected Johan, but because the dragon held such a high status.

Moreover, the knights’ reports often contained some exaggeration, so there were cases where they claimed to have caught something that had escaped or gotten away.

That was why they thought, ‘𝘏𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘱𝘪𝘱𝘦,’ but. . .

“Long live Your Highness the duke!”

“L-Long live Your Highness the duke!”

The political situation of the empire didn’t mean much to the workers and craftsmen working on site. They were genuinely happy at the news that the duke had caught the dragon. They were glad that the monster of the North had been caught, and also that they were at the scene of the miracle.

The knights also shouted once again at the cheers. Then, the feudal lords of the North had no choice but to show their awareness.

They weren’t even vassals, so how humiliating would it be to offer such praise to a feudal lord from outside. . .?

“Long live Your Highness the duke!”

. . .However, even the most skeptical people had to clap their hands in the end. The atmosphere was so enthusiastic. No one was immune to this atmosphere.,

‘𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪

The heat made the surrounding air flare up before the familiar sensation could be recalled. Caenerna’s summoned spirit of fire materialized in the air, inflating its form.

Then, the surrounding torches were extinguished simultaneously. The fire spirit had devoured the flames in the vicinity. Despite the extinguishing, the underground cavity was brighter than broad daylight.

━■!

The lump of fire remaining at the dragon’s maw silently disappeared into thin air. The dragon let out an irritated roar as it sucked the fuel for combustion from the depths of its throat.

“The wizard is taking down the dragon!”

“Waaahhhh!”

The unaware knights cheered as their morale rose. They raised their spears and crossbows to help in any way they could, aiming at the dragon. Most of them bounced off the scales without piercing, but the occasional hit found a gap, irritating the dragon.

But the most threatening opponent for the dragon was the fire spirit.

Even among the same type of spirit, their nature and actions differed depending on the spirit. That was why vicious and despicable spirits were called malevolent spirits, just as their name suggested.

In that regard, the fire spirit was a brutal and violent being. And it possessed the power to match its nature.

The reason Caenerna, despite not being an unskilled wizard, had failed to control it several times was all due to these reasons.

The flames gathered into one, then lunged at the dragon. The dragon fiercely swung its claws to meet the fire spirit head-on. The fight between them was so intense and bloody that even the valiant northern knights couldn’t find an opening to intervene.

Once they clashed, the surrounding stone statues shattered, and flames erupted one after another, both above and below.

‘𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸

Johan halted as he was about to throw his spear. With the two of them fighting all intertwined, he wondered if he really needed to get involved. Even if the fire spirit were to lose, it wouldn’t be bad if the dragon’s stamina was drained like this.

“Protect the wizard.”

Instead, Johan had Caenerna carried to the back. The fact that she had already lost control over the hastily summoned spirit was palpable.

The fire spirit was currently engaged in a fierce battle with the dragon, but if the dragon were not present, it would have set fire to the surroundings. That was how brutal of a bastard it was.

“The wizard is truly amazing. To be able to cast such magic. . .”

“. . .Yes. Amazing.”

Johan, who was about to explain, shut his mouth for Caenerna’s honor. There was no need to point out that she had lost consciousness and her spirit was running wild.

The one who emerged victorious from the battle between the spirit and the monster was the monster. As a monster that inherently stored flames inside its body, the dragon was resistant to heat and flames.

The dragon believed in its tough, thick scales and charged forward. The fire spirit struck the dragon with all its might, but its strength was insufficient to stop the opponent. The dragon bit its foe with all its might.

No sound could be heard, but Johan thought he could hear the spirit’s scream.

“!”

The fire spirit suddenly lost its momentum and changed direction. Johan could read its mind from that single movement.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵

Whether it was because it had been badly beaten by the dragon, or because it had suddenly become frightened, the fire spirit no longer wanted to fight the dragon. Instead, it tried to burn the contractor who had summoned it. If the wizard were to disappear, the spirit would be free and able to leave this place.

“You dare!”

Drawing his Seal Retriever, Johan swung it to cleanly cut down the fire spirit in a single stroke. Sliced by the steel forged long ago, the spirit let out a scream of agony.

But perhaps because it was less frightening than the dragon, the fire spirit fiercely spat flames and lunged at Johan. The knights watching were shocked, and they were about to throw their bodies at it.

Then, the young duke confronted it in a way that was much more reckless than they had expected.

He thrust his Seal Retriever at the charging spirit, then spread his arms wide to tightly grab the spirit. The fire spirit, which had never been caught by a human in all its long life, thrashed in bewilderment.

No matter how much armor and treasures protected him, the fire spirit was a living flame. Intense heat traveled up his palms and arms.

However, Johan didn’t care. The concentration required to finish this now numbed the pain. The spirits dwelling in Johan whispered to him to finish it off.

The fire spirit thrashed and struggled, doing everything it could, but it couldn’t overcome Johan’s strength. The fire spirit revealed its intention to surrender as it was gradually overpowered. The flames diminished significantly to the point that it could fit in the palm of Johan’s hand.

“Go fight! Either kill it or die with it!”

Johan harshly treated the fire spirit that had shown its submission. The fire spirit, which was thrown once again, grew in size and pounced on the dragon.

Johan didn’t just stand there either. Feeling the rapidly healing wounds on his arms, Johan picked up his spear.

“Come forth, Valkalmur! Aim for the dragon’s torso. I will not forgive you if you miss!”

Valkalmur, who had been hiding after suffering a severe blow, eventually sprang out at Johan’s call. Power filled the spear, then it shot out.

The dragon, which was about to strike the fire spirit again, scoffed at the incoming spear. It had aimed for the tough lower abdomen covered in scales instead of the vital points that were not covered by scales. There was no reason to defend against something like that.

In an instant, an ominous premonition bloomed in the dragon’s memory. It was a premonition that emerged from the wound it had suffered before.

�

A tremendous force pierced through the gaps in the scales. Valkalmur let out a cry of victory. The dragon fighting below screamed at the intense pain it felt from below.

“Next!”

Johan called out to the other knights as he threw spears at anything he could reach. The knights, who had been watching blankly, hurriedly gathered spears and brought them to him.

The spears held in the duke’s hand tore through the air. Some of them broke in half due to the force he threw them with. But the rest of the spears were embedded in the dragon’s torso. The dragon, which had been enduring while protecting its vital points, writhed and twisted its body.

“Throw the grappling hooks! Don’t let it escape!”

The knights threw ropes with grappling hooks, using the tactic they used when facing large monsters. The ropes tied to the stakes were pulled tight, hindering the dragon’s movements.

━■■■■. . .

The dragon felt its life being threatened for the first time. Until now, it had only felt amusement or anger, but now, it felt for the first time that it could die.

Various poisons and curses spread through its body from the wounds all over its body, tormenting the dragon, while the puny humans in front of it raised their spirits as if they were going to see it through to the end.

�

In the end, the dragon’s knees buckled. As its massive body fell sideways, a cloud of dust rose up with a loud noise. The knights thought it was their chance and tried to rush in.

“Stab it!”

“T-The sword. . . The sword won’t go in!”

However, most of the attacks didn’t work. The dragon instinctively covered its vital point on its neck due to the commotion. Even for a dragon, it was a vital point that would be fatal if stabbed.

Then, Johan approached. Even in the blurry state where he couldn’t see properly, the dragon recognized Johan and tried to stop him somehow.

━?

Surprisingly, the human who looked like a monster wasn’t holding a sword. He was holding a giant hammer. Moreover, he wasn’t aiming for the vital point on its neck. The dragon was puzzled, but it was also slightly relieved.

In that instant, the dragon felt a shock that shook its skull. The impact from its jaw was so great that its head shook uncontrollably.

Once, twice, thrice, four times. . .

Before long, the dragon’s vital point that had been covered up was exposed. Johan tossed the Giant Slayer, dripping with blood, to the side. The dragon’s jaw had been struck so hard that its bones were visible.

“In the name of the honorable knights, I shall execute the wicked dragon that set the North ablaze!”

Johan mercilessly stabbed the Seal Retriever as he roared. Blood gushed out like a waterfall as the opponent’s windpipe was severed. Johan frowned in annoyance.

“Long live Your Highness the duke!!”

“Long live Your Highness the duke!!!!”

The knights of the North cheered without realizing it as they saw Johan standing on the dragon.

Titles, family, lineage, wealth. . .

There was a definite qualification that couldn’t be replaced by any of those things, right before their eyes. The qualification that only a knight who severed the dragon’s windpipe and received its blood could declare!

🔸🔸

“How many died?!”

The first thing Caenerna said after waking up from her sleep was to ask how many people had died. Johan replied indifferently.

“No one died. There were some injured, though.”

“. . .Wait. Put me down, Your Highness.”

Caenerna realized that she was being carried by Johan. She felt like her body was floating.

“You won’t be able to move your body because the spirit ran wild, right?”

“Ah. . . Ugh. Ouch.”

Only after hearing his words did Caenerna groan, feeling a headache coming on. It was a headache worse than what she got after chugging down a barrel of bad alcohol.

“I wish you would have told me beforehand if you wanted to puke.”

“It’s not that bad. . . Ugh. No. You did well to calm the spirit down. . .”

“It’s been a while since I’ve touched magic, so I’ve gotten the hang of it.”

“. . .??”

Johan’s subordinate tilted his head.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵. . . 𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘰�

The world of magic was truly mysterious. No matter how much he thought about it, it was more like. . .

“You didn’t have to hurriedly summon the spirit there.”

“Ugh. . . I apologize, Your Highness. Ugh. Ugh.”

“I’m not trying to hear an apology. . . I’m saying this because I was worried you might get hurt. What good would it have done to kill the dragon if the contractor died?”

“The knights. . .”

Caenerna retched. Johan roughly interpreted it as, ‘𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦�

“They’re not my knights, so even if a few of them die, what’s the big deal. . .”

“. . . . . .”

Johan’s subordinates coughed without realizing it. They made fun of and looked down on the knights of the North a little, but their master was beyond their imagination.

The knights of the North were so moved that they kept glancing back at them as they walked forward, but if they had heard that, they might have really burst into tears.

“S-So. . . You. . . Caught. . . That. . . Thing. . .?”

“Judging from the way you’re talking, it seems like you caught the dragon? Yes, I did.”

The subordinates unconsciously exclaimed in admiration.

“Amazing, Your Highness. How did you know?”

“After fighting together like that, this much isn’t that difficult.”

“Everyone. . . Be. . . Quiet. . .”

Caenerna wanted to tell her subordinates to shut up, but her voice wouldn’t come out. Johan spoke as if he was worried.

“You look very tired, so you should just rest. Stop making a fuss and rest. You can talk to me once you’ve recovered.”

“That’s right. That’s a good idea, wizard.”

“Should I bring you some alcohol to help you sleep?”

“It doesn’t seem like a good idea, Your Highness. Why don’t you rub her back? It’ll be quite effective for hangovers.”

“Hey. Idiots. Does this look like a hangover to you?”

Caenerna’s head started throbbing even more at the voices of the noisy warriors. Caenerna made up her mind to just relax and rest. The duke’s hand patting her back was strangely warm and comfortable, which secretly irritated her.

‘. . .𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘮�

Wondering why the contracted fire spirit was acting so docile as if it had eaten something wrong, Caenerna fell into the land of slumber.

🔸🔸

Since it was caught in such a deep place, they couldn’t bring the entire dragon out. The knights celebrated the day by cutting off parts of the dragon that they could carry.

However, there was one thing that they absolutely couldn’t give up. It was the dragon’s head.

As the head of the huge and ferocious monster was pulled up with ropes, the gathered workers screamed and cheered.

“It’s a real dragon!!!”

“So it’s true that he caught it. . .!”

Even the feudal lords of the North who were at the back flinched. In fact, when they first heard the report that it had been caught, not all of the feudal lords believed it.

It wasn’t because they suspected Johan, but because the dragon held such a high status.

Moreover, the knights’ reports often contained some exaggeration, so there were cases where they claimed to have caught something that had escaped or gotten away.

That was why they thought, ‘𝘏𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘱𝘪𝘱𝘦,’ but. . .

“Long live Your Highness the duke!”

“L-Long live Your Highness the duke!”

The political situation of the empire didn’t mean much to the workers and craftsmen working on site. They were genuinely happy at the news that the duke had caught the dragon. They were glad that the monster of the North had been caught, and also that they were at the scene of the miracle.

The knights also shouted once again at the cheers. Then, the feudal lords of the North had no choice but to show their awareness.

They weren’t even vassals, so how humiliating would it be to offer such praise to a feudal lord from outside. . .?

“Long live Your Highness the duke!”

. . .However, even the most skeptical people had to clap their hands in the end. The atmosphere was so enthusiastic. No one was immune to this atmosphere.