* * *

The entire Knight Order was gathered in Cadel’s office. Cadel stood before them and announced that they would train as a group in the Mountains of Silence for a year. The reaction was mostly dumbfounded.

“A year of training……. I didn’t think we’d ever go back to those mountains.”

“I don’t care where we do it, it doesn’t make a difference to me.”

It was a kind of closure, but for Garuel and Yozen, it was a good thing. Garuel needed a place where he could release his demonic energy, and Yozen needed a place with fewer prying eyes. For them, the Mountains of Silence was the perfect place to practice.

“We’re going to be completely cut off from the outside world for a year? Shouldn’t we at least have some contact?”

“Of course we will, I’ve arranged a means of contact with the Emperor, and I’ll probably visit the castle on my own occasionally, if not often.”

Lumen looked concerned about the lack of information, but when Cadel said there was a solution, he didn’t say anything else. He wanted to focus on his training, and he felt that isolation was necessary for that.

The problem was Lydon.

“I have to go back to that lizard’s nest again? No, Cadel, that disgusting lizard will use me as an errand boy, and then I’ll die of frustration!”

His dislike of Kunra’s ability to bend him to his will was at an all-time high, evidenced by the way he brushed himself off like a bathed puppy whenever he had Kunra’s scale armor on his body.

“I’ll see to it that he doesn’t. After all, we two magicians need a place to practice our skills to our hearts’ content.”

“There are plenty of other mountains!”

“None of them are as uncrowded as this one.”

“Do you think I deserve to be wronged, Cadel? Is this how much we love each other? For Cadel’s sake, I don’t need to go back home for the rest of my life!”

Lydon shouted back, nearly seizing up, and then sank to the floor, frustrated by Cadel’s continued attempts to convince him. His face contorted in frustration, pitifully contorted as if he might burst into tears at any moment.

adel crouched down in front of him and patted him on the shoulder, realizing with a newfound sense of Lydon’s stubbornness that he was still obeying Kunra’s orders.

“If you don’t like it that much, you don’t have to follow me. Training doesn’t mean much to you anyway.”

“…….”

“Just go somewhere nice for a year, and I’ll get you a cottage near the ocean if you need it.”

“……Cadel.”

“Huh?”

“Cadel’s not coming with me?”

“I need to train, Lydon. The others need time and a place to train, too. We’re going to have to fight battles unlike anything we’ve seen before.”

Lydon was as aware of Cadel’s stubbornness as Cadel was of Lydon’s. No matter how much he tried to convince him, Cadel wouldn’t come with him to the cottage overlooking the ocean. Finally, after a single tear escaped his eye, Lydon pouted his lips and muttered.

“I’m coming with you.”

“You will?”

“But I need you to keep that lizard away from me.”

“Of course. I won’t let him get a word in.”

Cadel wiped away the teardrops, which were as clear and round as glass beads, and soothed Lydon gently. At first glance, it looked like he was letting Lydon do as he pleased, but it was just a ploy to capitalize on the fact that Lydon couldn’t get around without him.

Whether he realized it or not, Lydon just chuckled and pulled Cadel closer to him.

“All in favor, then, and get ready to move. We can get our supplies from the nearest town, so let’s pack only what we need.”

The rest of the business had to be taken care of quickly, and they needed to get into the mountains as soon as possible.

* * *

“Huh, training grounds? Training grounds? You come barging in when I’m in the middle of a busy day, disrupting my life? You think this one is not good enough, and now you want to disrespect this one’s land?”

Cadel blocked Kunra’s path as he tried to enter his subordinates’ tent. The way he looked up at him, arms folded, showed an air of pride that was too much for a child who had come to use the mountains as a training ground without consultation.

“This one is very sensitive right now, trying to strengthen the mountain’s barrier, and you expect me to stand by and let you humans mess with my mountain at a time like this? You’re a little overboard, and I’ve seen enough of you to know you’ll never stop trying to get in―”

You’re being a little petty. Who says we’re going to mess with the mountain? I said we’re going to borrow it.”

“Bo, borrow?”

“Didn’t you lend me your power because you wanted me to get stronger? You want me to get stronger so I can defend against the demons. If we train here, it’s a win-win situation, so why are you so upset about it, don’t you see?”

If he were the real Cadel, he would have catered to his opponent’s whims to get what he wanted, but strangely enough, he was not in the mood for that. He just wanted to tease that Scarlet Dragon until it got annoyed, and he felt no sense of urgency.

Kunra’s mouth dropped open as he looked at Cadel, his dignity forgotten. Never in his life had he heard such an insult from a human. Even his all-knowing mastery of the world didn’t lessen the shock.

“Are you sure you can afford to be so brazen when you’re an uninvited guest?”

“Why, are you mad at me for not knowing my place?”

“Huh…….”

“I’m just going to increase my strength and go. Well, Kunra, let me help you create the barrier. If it’s too much, ask them to do some chores. I’ll take care of most things.”

Cadel’s attitude was that unless Kunra turned into a dragon right now and swallowed them all in one bite and spit them out, he wasn’t going to back down. Kunra stared at Cadel wordlessly for a long moment, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, before he shook his head with a wry smile.

“A little nudge with a claw and you’ll pop.”

“If you’re not going to do it, why threaten me?”

“……Even if 10 of you come to work on the barrier, it won’t help at all.”

“Well, it seemed like it.”

“In the meantime, you will take care of this one.”

“……What?”

Cadel rolled his eyes as if he’d heard something he shouldn’t have. Kunra, suddenly amused by the grim expression, said.

“I can’t move or eat properly while I’m strengthening the barrier. So you must help. Feed me, clean me, and sing to me when I’m bored…….”

“Dragons don’t need that sh*t, they don’t need to clean themselves! Just shake the dirt off, you’re scaly anyway.”

“Who do you think I am, a savage beast? Even the sleek, glorious scales of this one need to be maintained.”

“When are you going to clean up that big body of yours, because I need to train too?”

“Then, I will remain in my human form like I am now.”

“I hate it even more!”

Kunra’s face lit up with laughter at Cadel’s rampage. Satisfied with his teasing, he turned away, leaving Cadel to try to find some sort of compromise.

“Come to the cave every day. If you don’t, I’ll haunt you in your dreams, so the choice is yours.”

“That crazy dragon skull is…….”

“What did you say?”

“That crazy dragon skull.”

“Ha! I’m excited for the future.”

Cadel gritted his teeth at the remark, which showed his determination to keep things on track. But he couldn’t pick up what he’d spit out, and he couldn’t conquer a mountain range with a vengeance, so he had to let it go.

‘Let’s see if you can laugh when I throw raw monster meat into your mouth.’

Cadel, who had regained his will to fight alone, turned and walked towards the tent.