Chapter 26 : The Dragon’s Wrath: A Knight’s Fall

I flew up near the cliff and continued to watch the knight’s house.
The knight did not wake up, even when dawn came and the early-rising residents started to stir. More time passed, and even the children woke up, yet he remained unconscious.

‘It’s only natural, considering what he went through yesterday.’

Last night, I had been contemplating how to deal with the knight, and I ultimately chose to kidnap him.
First, I quickly blocked the air around him with water and wind, cutting off his breath and rendering him unconscious. Then, I lifted him into the sky using psychokinesis.

[Uh, Dragon God?]
[······Be quiet.]

During the process, some residents and the village chief noticed my presence and rushed over. However, when they saw the knight hanging limply in the air, they seemed to realize something and quietly returned to their homes.

I took the knight back to the cliff and began summoning a storm to create a one-person amusement ride for him.
Since I didn’t know when he would regain consciousness, I kept the setup as simple as possible.
I hadn’t realized that occasionally playing with Rachel using water and wind would prove so useful.

Fortunately, I managed to complete the ride before the knight woke up and successfully presented him with a surprise show.
I had expected a 3rd-class knight to put up some resistance, but he reacted more dramatically than I anticipated, screaming and trembling midway through.
When I pretended to eat him at the end, he suddenly went limp and fainted. With that, I decided I had gone far enough and returned to the village.

[Wh, what the hell happened to him······.]

When I returned to the village, the village chief, who had been wandering in front of the knight’s house, greeted me.
He was momentarily shocked to see the knight drenched and limp, but he sighed in relief upon noticing that the knight was still breathing.

[I will take Sir Ras inside.]
[Please do.]
[It’s something I should do······?]

But as the village chief carried Ras into the house, his body suddenly froze.
Curious, I looked closer and noticed that Ras’s crotch area was wet.

[This fcking······.]*

Thanks to that, I learned that the village chief was also someone who cursed. I quickly washed the village chief’s clothes and returned to the cliff.

There was a reason I went through all this trouble.
First, I wanted to instill trauma and fear in Estel Village, particularly around the act of sleeping.
In reality, considering the state of the knight after experiencing the surprise storm show—half out of his mind—it was likely he would dismiss it as a dream.
Second, I intended to extract information through interrogation.
However, when I actually dealt with him, I realized there wasn’t much information to gain.

Bang!
[He’s finally awake.]

A loud door slam echoed from a distance. Ras was seen grunting and stumbling out of the house.
Given his personality from the day before, it was clear he would vent his anger on the residents, especially after wetting himself. But I wasn’t too worried.

For this purpose, the village chief had left one instruction before returning last night.
In a nearby forest, away from the village, several residents were working together. Among them, a black-haired man was slowly making his way toward the village.

I observed the scene, rose above the clouds, and headed elsewhere.
‘I’m not going to use that knight to persuade the Count’s family.’

At the edge of the horizon, a mansion—clearly larger and more refined than the other houses—came into view.
The Craystist Count’s family.
I was going to attack that place directly.

‘Fck, fck!’

Ras’s face burned with humiliation. Of all things, he had wet himself because of a nightmare—at his age!
If anyone had been present, rumors would have spread like wildfire.
Thankfully, no other knights were around. Had his fellow knights witnessed this, he would have been too ashamed to ever face them again.

He had already been warned several times by Count Craystist for fighting with other 3rd-class knights.
But here, there were no other knights—only residents. He could do as he pleased.

After changing his clothes, he stormed out of the house, determined to find the villagers.
If rumors had spread, he would uncover the truth.
‘If no rumors have spread, anyone who catches my eye will be beaten until they die.’

But no matter how many times he circled the village and peered into each house, the residents were nowhere to be seen.
It was as if they had vanished into thin air—no one was visible, and no sound could be heard.

“Fck, what is this······.”*

Then, he sensed a presence in the distance.
Swish!

Ras channeled Aura into his feet and sprinted at high speed toward the source of the presence.
The village’s vegetable garden was ruined as he cut straight through it, but Ras didn’t even notice.

When he finally arrived at the location, a man was just entering the village.
“Sir Ras?”

The man had exotic black hair and was dressed as a hunter. He looked at Ras with a questioning expression.
“Where did the residents go?”
“What? The residents are in the forest now···.”
“Fck! Talk sense! Are you saying that children and women all went to the forest? Do these bstards think the Count’s family is a joke?”

It was clear they were hiding something. Ras rebuked the man in an angry voice.
“These bstards, I’ll fck you up no matter what I have to do.”
“Why are you suddenly doing this?”

But there was no fear in the man’s demeanor.
‘How dare a mere commoner?’

Ras’s anger flared again. He decided to deal with the man on the spot.
‘If I deal with him once, the others will know their place.’

With that thought, Ras drew his sword and pointed it at the man.
“Why, why are you doing this!”
“You, what’s your name.”
“I’m Jonan.”
“Okay, Jonan. From now on, you will be beaten for embezzling the taxes of Estel Village.”
“···Yes?”
“If you take it quietly, you won’t get hurt much. I can’t guarantee it, though.”

Ras chuckled slyly and swung his sword at the bewildered Jonan.
But the next moment, something strange happened.

Swoosh!
Clang!

A sound of water cutting through the air echoed, and Ras felt a recoil from his sword.
‘······?’

Confused, Ras looked at Jonan, who should have been struck by his sword. But contrary to his expectations, Jonan was unharmed.
In Jonan’s hand was a sword with a blue wave pattern.
“···You, what’s that sword?”
“Why are you suddenly swinging a sword at an innocent resident?”

Swoosh!
“Ugh?!”

When Jonan exerted force into the blue sword, Ras’s blade was deflected. The recoil, unmitigated, left Ras’s hand numb, and his expression twisted in rage.
“You bstard, what’s your identity!”*

How could a mere commoner parry the sword of a 3rd-class knight? Even if the world turned upside down, such a thing shouldn’t be possible.
It could only mean that Jonan was either a 3rd-class knight himself or that the sword was an artifact.

Jonan glanced at the sword he held.
Haeilgum (Sea Overflow Sword).
The holy sword bestowed by the Dragon God.
It had helped him block the sword of the ferocious 3rd-class knight.

Ras recalled what the village chief had told him at dawn.
The Dragon God had said he would take responsibility, allowing Jonan to wield Haeilgum.
Jonan immediately understood the meaning. It was the will of God to take up this sword and deal with the evildoer who plagued Estel Village.
And Jonan gladly accepted the task.

“Ugh, uaaaaah!!”

As Ras, now unhinged, swung his sword wildly, Jonan raised Haeilgum and blocked the attack.
Swoosh!

Every time Haeilgum cut through the air, the sound of water echoed. Even though they were far from the sea, it felt as if they were surrounded by it.
‘This is the blessing of God······. The way to handle the sword is also much easier.’

But contrary to Jonan’s thoughts, Haeilgum did not enhance the user’s physical abilities.
If Jonan hadn’t been a hunter, it would have been difficult to defeat Ras even with Haeilgum.
But Jonan was skilled with both swords and bows from years of hunting.
He knew how to protect himself from attacking beasts and how to strike for his comrades.

Jonan defended himself from Ras’s onslaught and struck back for the villagers.
“I won’t hold back anymore!”

Red haze emanated from Ras’s body. Now that Aura was fully active, a single strike could cause serious injury.
But Jonan’s mind remained unshaken.
He didn’t consider himself exceptionally skilled.
‘Therefore, I trust in the Dragon God, who entrusted me with this sword.’

Bang!

Ras’s Aura-infused sword clashed with Haeilgum, and the two were pushed apart.
Ras channeled his Aura to its limit, pouring it into his blade.
How dare a mere commoner, a mere hunter, stand up to him—a 3rd-class knight of the Count’s family?
Now, nightmares and residents no longer mattered.
His uncontrollable anger, a flaw since childhood, demanded that he kill this man, no matter what.

Ras’s Aura merged with his rage, burning fiercely.
In contrast, Jonan’s mind was calm, like the stillness of the sea.
Static mind, calmness, softness.
His perfectly controlled focus drew out the power of Haeilgum.

Jonan stepped back with his right foot, positioning Haeilgum beside his head, its tip aimed at Ras.
He closed his eyes and thought of his god.
He envisioned the Dragon God, soaring gracefully through the sky.

Then, two streams of water erupted from Haeilgum, weaving a pattern in the air.
The pattern mirrored the movement of the Dragon God that Jonan had imagined moments ago.

“Die, you bstard!!!”*

Ras, now in front of Jonan, swung his burning sword downward. The red Aura from his blade scorched the ground as it hurtled toward Jonan.
At the same time, Jonan swung Haeilgum sideways.
The dragon-shaped streams of water pierced through the red Aura instantly, surging toward Ras.

“·········Huh?”

The last thing Ras saw was the blue water, shaped like the being from his dream, engulfing him.
Thus, the life of the 3rd-class knight, who had brought suffering to the residents of the Count’s family, came to a spectacular end.