Once the two tied to the cart stopped fighting, the group aboard the carriage began speaking again.
Of course, only after erecting some sort of barrier so that they couldn't be heard from the cart.
"So what are you planning to do with them?"
At Helvertron's question, Damon replied with a broad grin.
"I'm thinking of dragging them all the way to Dontrel first. Of course, while heaping all sorts of abuse upon them, that is.
Since there are mercenaries in Dontrel, if we have them meet by feigning coincidence....... Kuh kuh kuh. That would be quite amusing."
"Aren't you going too far? If it comes to that, those guys will never want to see you or the mercenaries again......."
"Well. I don't plan to have them come face-to-face while still tied to the carriage. I'm intending to release them once we reach Dontrel, when the opportunity is right. Of course, I'll need to create an opportunity for them to escape on their own, won't I?"
"You evil bastard."
Helvertron clicked his tongue. The guy had never looked kind even when he was alive, but now he was even worse. Now that he possessed power, he was using that power all too fittingly to utterly ruin anyone who got on his nerves.
"Anyway, when do you plan to cross over to Truvenia? Right now, we're itching to fight a dragon so badly we feel like we're going to die......."
"Just wait a little longer. A good prey will appear before long, so......."
At the news that a dragon was chasing after him, Helvertron brightened.
"That is truly welcome news. I look forward to that time?"
"If you encounter him, make sure not to make any mistakes. When facing a dragon, a mistake is directly connected to death. No matter that you all are Death Knights, if your entire bodies are smashed to pieces, it will be hard to revive you."
"Don't worry. We've been waiting for that day whether awake or asleep, so......."
In Helvertron and Lindelph's eyes, a blazing light of rage burned fiercely. It was pure fury toward the very existence known as dragons.
During the week-long journey toward Dontrel, Michel and Yuliana had to endure considerable hardships.
At least during the day, they couldn't possibly hold their heads up. It was all because of the accursed placard.
It was a broad main highway, so there were no few people coming and going, and because of the sign written in large red letters, they couldn't raise their heads all day long. They had no choice but to wrap their heads in the hems of their clothes and hang their heads deeply.
"Look at that. What's written there? Inept bandit group? Tsk tsk tsk, they look like young folks, poor things."
"One of them looks like a girl, right? From the looks of it, she's a lass completely smitten with a man. No doubt she fell head over heels for the boy and committed the crime, right?"
"We absolutely shouldn't show mercy to scum like that. They need a good taste of hard prison fare."
At the remarks spat out one by one by the people they passed, Michel and Yuliana were on the verge of going mad. Their faces burned red hot, and they felt as though they would hide in a mouse hole if one existed.
Even the ordinarily headstrong Yuliana couldn't utter a single proper word of protest to the merchant. First, she was afraid of people's gazes, and second, the merchant escorting them under guard looked like a cold-blooded man who literally wouldn't shed a single drop of blood even if stabbed with a knife. As they say, even a cow needs a hill to rub against; Yuliana couldn't display her fiery temper even once and was being meekly led away. Even to her, the merchant was clearly not someone who would indulge her complaints. Of course, since they were in the position of having been caught as bandits, it was even more so.
"Here, eat it or don't, do as you please."
A fellow presumed to be a mercenary set down a plate of food with a clang. Yuliana, hanging her head, picked it up. She was so hungry that she had no leisure to worry about dignity. It was nothing but shriveled bread and meat, but Yuliana shoved it into her mouth without complaint. As she chewed silently, tears flowed out on their own.
"Mom. *Sob sob.*"
Why was the face of her mother, who had left the world long ago, rising up? She was now despairing over her situation. She should have just never left Karsel....... No, if only she hadn't made off with all the food while claiming to take revenge on the mercenary corps, she wouldn't have ended up in such straits.
Surprisingly, Yuliana was now worried about Kasim, the mercenary captain.
'Come to think of it, I was in the wrong. A person that devoted to their mission is hard to come by. The poor mercenaries must be suffering a lot because of me, right? Since I packed away all the food from that remote mountain region.......'
It is the way of people that once they fall into crisis, their perspective broadens. Therefore, she was now bitterly regretting the conduct she had displayed. Acting only according to her stubborn will, pushing through her own desires without regard for means or methods—all of it was sincerely repented.
But no matter how quickly she regretted it, it was nothing more than spilled water. She now thought that they had only to wait for the day their heads would be cut off in Dontrel.
'No matter what happens, I won't reveal that I am the princess of Karsel. Even if I die, I cannot bring harm to Father's kingdom.'
Yuliana silently made her resolve and swallowed the bread. With tears streaming down her face.
Michel was similarly half out of his mind. Though he had left Karsel with such firm resolve, repeated ordeals had completely shattered his confidence. Of course, the fact that he had lost even to an ordinary mercenary had played the biggest role in that.
'Father.......'
He was now thinking of his hometown. The garrison members who were somewhat boring but faithful to their duties in their own way. The village maidens who sent him advances almost every day. Michel even missed his father's beatings.
His father, Heilz, who, under the pretext of raising him into a strong knight, had trained Michel particularly harshly. If he slacked in training even a little, a severe beating followed alongside a roar of anger. How much he had resented such a father in his childhood....... But now, to Michel, all of it was dear and longed-for.
'If I can return to Karsel, I will never again harbor futile delusions. If only I could return.'
It was Michel, hanging his head deeply, lost in silent thought. Bearing these two, the carriage advanced silently toward Dontrel.
Dontrel was a city situated second only to the capital in the Kingdom of Tervia. As such, its resident population was enormous. Moreover, positioned as a transportation hub, the procession of people coming and going never ceased for a moment. Since one had to pass through here to go from the eastern coastal regions to the Crossen Empire in the west, Dontrel's city gates were always packed to the brim.
However, Dontrel was not an ordinary city but a major stronghold city of the Kingdom of Tervia. Thus, inspections were considerably stricter compared to other cities, so at Dontrel's gates, lines of people and carriages waiting to be inspected always formed an endless line.
Those entering the city had to undergo inspection regardless of who they were, unless they were royalty or nobles of special status. Therefore, one had to wait a considerable while to get into Dontrel. As if already chronically accustomed to waiting, the people didn't even express irritation and quietly waited for their turn.
But someone approached the gate completely ignoring the long stretched-out line. The gazes of those boredly standing in line simultaneously focused on him.
"Who is it? Unless he has quite a high status, he shouldn't be able to go straight in......."
"Judging by his attire and bearing, he seems like a noble, but why doesn't he have a single attendant?"
The one walking heavily toward the gate under people's gazes was a young man with long black hair. In short, his features were such that he could be called an unparalleled beauty. Paying no attention whatsoever to the people around him as he approached the gate—this was Russellent. An Ancient-class dragon dispatched from Truvenia to capture Damon. He had finally revealed himself in Dontrel.
"Halt."
As he approached, the gate defenders crossed their spears to block his path. One soldier who appeared to be of somewhat high status quickly came up to him. He seemed to be a soldier holding the position of captain of the gate guard unit. The soldier, having looked Russellent up and down once, cautiously opened his mouth.
"Would you please state your identity?"
Russellent's gaze flicked to the soldier. Remaining like that, he stared at the soldier's face for a moment. Those watching this scene assumed the black-haired youth would soon be driven away from the gate. The Kingdom of Tervia was a powerful nation ruled by law, and unless one had considerable status, it was difficult to receive special treatment. While his attire looked plausible, seeing that he had no attendants whatsoever, the youth did not seem to be a noble of very high standing.
But the soldier's reaction defied people's expectations. The soldier, who had initially looked a bit perplexed, changed his attitude completely the moment some kind of light flashed in Russellent's eyes.
"I must apologize for my discourtesy. Please enter at once."
Displaying a respect befitting a monarch of a nation, the soldier courteously guided Russellent toward the gate. With their captain displaying such behavior, there was no way the soldiers under his command could raise objections. In the end, Russellent was able to pass through the gate without undergoing any inspection.
Even after Russellent's figure disappeared, the captain simply stared blankly inside the gate as if bewitched. One soldier who couldn't contain his curiosity approached him.
"Captain. Just what status could he possess that you let him pass through unmolested?"
At those words, as if coming to his senses, the captain's eyes returned to normal.
"Th-that is...... I don't know either."
The captain answered haltingly, and upon seeing the long line stretched out before the gate, immediately pressed his soldiers.
"Now is not the time to quibble over such matters. Can't you see the people lined up over there? Hurry."
In the end, the soldiers had no choice but to bury their doubts in their hearts and concentrate on the inspections again.
Having entered Dontrel easily using charm magic, Russellent leisurely looked around the city. All around, countless citizens of Dontrel were immersed in their livelihoods. At this level, it could easily be compared to the first-class cities of Truvenia in the past. That the humans of the New Continent were enjoying such prosperity was something he had never imagined even in his dreams. Russellent smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"The potential of humans is truly frightening. To have achieved such prosperity in a mere 500 years."
In the racial war that occurred 500 years ago, the dragons had achieved their intended goal. Since they had driven humans from the seat of masters of Truvenia, it could be said the objective was accomplished. But strictly speaking, it was only a half-baked victory. They had never imagined that the driven-out humans would, before they knew it, be enjoying prosperity on the New Continent rivaling that of Truvenia.
"Troublesome."
Because he had traveled all over the New Continent in search of Damon, Russellent had realized that Arcadia's power was in no way inferior to Truvenia's. Of course, he hadn't been able to discern the fine details such as the number and level of knights, but considering the population he had glimpsed and the military force that could be drawn from it, Arcadia's strength was at a level that absolutely could not be ignored.
That was why Russellent had clicked his tongue all the way here. To dragons, the humans of this place were nothing more than targets to be exterminated, so.......
"I must report this fact to Lord Berkis immediately upon completing my mission and returning. Scheming against Arcadia must absolutely not be rushed. After making thorough preparations......."
Russellent, muttering under his breath, leisurely surveyed the city of Dontrel. Surely, somewhere within was the detestable human who had killed his kin and stolen the magic report. Finding one among tens of thousands of humans was by no means an easy task. But Russellent thought it wouldn't be so difficult.
"After all, he is a mage. If I track all magic casting taking place across the entirety of Dontrel, I will surely be able to find his traces."
Having decided to take it easy, Russellent slowly shifted his steps and entered deep into the city of Dontrel.