TEB Ch 81

The castle was thrown into chaos due to the loud noise that some people heard and others did not.  

“Everyone, evacuate outside first! Hurry!”  

On the other hand, those who looked outside the castle were struck with confusion and shouted the opposite of what was said earlier.  

“We have to lock the castle gates! Quickly, everyone inside!”  

“W-what is that?!”  

“It’s a monster! R-Run away!”  

In an instant, the entire castle was in chaos, and everyone was running around. Meanwhile, Renard, who had been outside around the castle, landed in front of the castle gates. What appeared in front of him was a dragon with a body covered in light green feathers, resembling a giant bird.  

It was completely different from Renard’s appearance. While Mahatra and Renard had a large, reptilian form, the creature that had just appeared outside the castle had a form closer to a bird.

“……Wow.”  

When I looked at the painting, I wondered if it was simply a matter of painting style, but the surface was made of a material that was different from scales and seemed to be more soft, and it was clear that the artist had put a lot of effort into portraying an unrealistic being that seemed like something you could only see in a dream.  

How could someone perfectly capture this overwhelming shock in a painting? Even if they used the entire castle wall as a canvas, it would not be enough. As Liev stared in amazement at the new form of the dragon he had ever seen before, someone shouted from behind.  

“L-Liev! Shouldn’t we do something about that?!”

It was Albert, who had come running with a worried expression and was directing people to evacuate to the basement.  

Liev finally came to his senses and looked out the window again. Renard, who had said he would go for a quick flight to stretch his wings, was now facing off against a massive dragon that was even larger than him. Of course, Renard was expected to grow into one of the largest dragons of all time, but he was still young and couldn’t compare to a dragon that had lived for thousands of years.

“…..!?”  

Why is he doing this? Liev suddenly remembered the voice he had heard earlier. It was a mix of an animal’s roar and something else, and he wasn’t sure if he had really heard it as a sentence or if it was just his imagination, but he was certain that the “arrogant one” the voice mentioned was referring to Renard. Liev was about to rush outside but then realized that by the time he got there, it might be too late. Instead, he leaned out the window and shouted.

“Renard! What’s going on?!”  

Liev screamed out, barely holding onto the railing as if he could fall out of the window. Renard, in his true form, glanced at Liev and then let out a laugh before turning back to face the massive dragon.

[How dare an inexperienced brat roam freely in my territory without fear.]  

As the wind continued to shake the entire castle, the dragon, presumably Lindgren, the only one who could claim this area as his own, spread his wings as if preparing to attack. Renard stood his ground, surrounded by flames. His stance seemed to declare that no matter how big Lindgren was, he could burn everything down.

[Then you should have managed it earlier. Why did you leave it unattended as if it had nothing to do with you, causing me trouble?]

If we were to objectively judge right from wrong, Renard was the one who was in the wrong, trespassing on someone else’s territory and causing trouble. But he was so confident and unapologetic that even Lindgren was taken aback.

[What kind of ridiculous excuse is this youngling trying to make?]  

The situation was on the verge of exploding, but Renard was confident and not intimidated at all. If we were to simply consider superiority in strength and magic power, that side would naturally be overwhelming, but for now, the compatibility was in Renard’s favor. No matter how much Lindgren tried to summon a storm, it was clear that not only would it only strengthen Renard’s flames, but the feathers that densely covered his body would also burn up in an instant.

That’s why Renat could hold his head high without backing down. Despite the difference in power and age, he was confident he could win.

“Ugh, I don’t know why he’s doing this, but why does he have to cause such a scene at someone else’s castle?!”

The real problem was the innocent bystanders caught in the middle of the two dragons’s standoff. Fortunately, the castle was perched on a hill far from the village, so the ordinary townsfolk likely wouldn’t be affected. However, the servants working in the castle, as well as Liev’s companions, were all pale with fear, unsure of what to do. Except for one person, Sigrid, who remained unusually calm.

Why is that person so relaxed?!

Liev then shouted again at Renard, who was still standing tall and unwavering despite being in the wrong. It was urgent to find out why Renard was behaving this way towards someone who was much older and more powerful.

“What the hell is going on here?!”

This time, Renard turned and yelled back at Liev.

“Liev, what are you doing?! Your being reckless!”

Who exactly was being reckless here? Liev was dumbfounded and glared at Renard.

“Are you seriously saying that to me right now?!”

As Liev looked like he was about to jump out of the window in anger, Renard quickly shifted from his dragon form back into his human form. Still towering over everyone, even in his human body, Renard turned to someone who had been hiding behind him like a cicada clinging to an old tree.

“I’ve done what you asked, now it’s up to you!”

And the moment the person hiding behind Renard’s back was revealed, everyone in the castle, including their Liev’s colleagues, was shocked.  

“Huh?”  

“What’s going on?”  

“Miss…Margret?”  

Among the maids, a young maid with good eyesight recognized Margret immediately and was surprised. Then, as the others followed her gaze, everyone looked at the young girl, who had not reached adulthood, and turned their gazes to Renard.  

What were the two of them doing together? What was going on? The combination of an old dragon, a young dragon, and a trembling young girl was baffling, and it seemed that there was a strange story behind it.

***  

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The night before Renard faced off against the ancient dragon, Renard flew up, grumbling that he was the only one who could fly to the top of the tower in an instant. He grabbed the ghost, who was about to run down the stairs. The moment he grabbed the hem of the white dress, the cloth was pulled off and revealed the identity of the person.  

“What are you?”  

A young girl with a mask on her face stood trembling, as if she might cry at any moment. She had the same scent as Mary or Margret, but upon closer inspection, it was slightly different. This girl smelled like death, a scent Margret did not possess. Her skin, untouched by sunlight for a long time, was noticeably pale, and her arms and legs appeared weak, barely able to support her weight.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his tone annoyed.

Startled by his question, the masked girl flustered and quickly prostrated herself before Renard.

“I-I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Margret did nothing wrong…! It’s all because of me.”  

She spoke so much nonsense that she was afraid that Renard would take her life away at any moment. Her face, hidden under a blue mask, seemed to be crying. What a nuisance… It was none of his business what was going on, so. As he was debating whether to knock the girl out and leave with the girl on his back, she spoke again, her voice trembling.  

“I-I had no intention of daring to offend a great one… I-I really didn’t…!”  

No matter what her intentions were, it was not his concern. Right now, what matters to Renard is to end this meaningless ghost disturbance, leave this place as soon as possible, and return to the originally planned schedule. So, no matter how much she begged and pleaded, it had nothing to do with him.  

“Please, just this once, can’t you show mercy?”  

She was just a young girl who looked like she could die at any moment if left alone. Since she is young and sick. Not to mention, she seemed to be in pain and uncomfortable just moving. If he continued to treat her harshly, Liev was sure to get angry and say, “No matter how much it’s none of our business, there’s a limit!”