Duke Pendragon

"…..!"

Raven was taken aback by the unexpected situation. He simply maintained a blank stare. Having made her sudden declaration, Ingrid received his gaze with a subtle smile.

'She's… serious.'

Raven could finally understand. Ingrid was no longer the immature princess of the past. She had been waiting for him for a longer time than he had spent in the Heavenly Realm.

"What do you think of the matter, Your Majesty?"

Ingrid asked while looking back towards Irene. Irene paused, then nodded with a bright smile.

"I think it should be fine. His Majesty also said that he would respect Your Highness' decision regarding marriage."

"Wait…"

Raven was even more flustered after hearing Irene's response. Even his trusted sister was sympathizing with the princess. Then, something even more astounding took place.

"I think it will be fine as well."

"S, sol?"

The surprises came one after another.

Soldrake had spoken with a cool expression.

Raven wasn't the only one surprised by her attitude. Everyone else, including Ingrid, stared at the Dragon Queen with wide eyes full of surprise. Soldrake always maintained a quiet atmosphere, and she rarely spoke to anyone besides Raven. She was even more difficult than the emperor to deal with. As such, it was shocking that she was expressing her opinion on such a topic.

"Sol, even so, that's a little…"

"It will be best for Ray to produce as many children as possible as the head of the Pendragon family. All previous heads of the family were like that."

"Oh my…"

Soldrake saw things from a different perspective than humans. As such, spoke exceptionally embarrassing words without even blinking an eye. The faces of Ingrid and Irene became slightly flushed after hearing her words.

"Well... Lord Soldrake is right, brother. Moreover, it's no longer a duchy, but a kingdom, right?"

"Hmm…"

Raven licked his lips.

Bearing many children was an important responsibility for the head of a noble family.

The more children, the better.

The family could establish deeper, firmer roots and relationships with other nobility and influential families by establishing blood ties. However, he could not simply accept the proposal for such a reason. No matter how determined Ingrid was…

Tap.

Isla suddenly stepped out after silently observing the situation until now.

"Elkin…"

An ominous feeling overtook Raven, and Isla spoke with a solemn expression and eyes filled with earnest loyalty.

"As the King of Valvas, I, too, decided to form a family once again according to the will of the lord and His Majesty the Emperor. My lord, you need to proudly show us once again – your steel-like, firm, determined will."

"….."

It was definitely on purpose.

Isla was definitely doing it on purpose.

Raven could tell just by looking at the knight's eyes. Even though they appeared to be filled with loyalty and solemnity, he would surely be smiling insidiously on the inside. Raven held himself back and spoke in a calm voice, since it would not do to lose his composure in front of so many people.

"W, well. I will discuss this matter with Ian, ah, His Majesty the Emperor once the situation with Mirin has been resolved. Then…"

In an unfamiliar, unfavorable situation, it was best to leave as soon as possible while elevating the responsibility to the one with the greatest authority. Raven started walking towards the griffon after speaking his last words. His response had been perfectly timed, and he would successfully leave the matter behind…

"You know that there are no falsehoods in the imperial family and the royal family, right? I will speak to His Majesty the Emperor myself. I will be praying that you will return in no time, safely, Your Highness Pendragon."

"….."

Raven flinched as Ingrid retaliated with a heavy blow.

Flap!

The griffons spread their large wings.

The person departing was someone's father, brother, and another's lover. Tears started pooling as they watched him leave. Raven's gaze turned toward them one by one. Naturally, his gaze stayed with the last person he saw.

It was his son. It was his own child who inherited his blood as Raven Valt, rather than as Alan Pendragon. He stood proudly while holding back tears, but eventually burst into tears after meeting his father's gaze.

"Anng! Dad! Let me go with you!"

Even though he was a dignified prince, Raymond was still a seven-year-old child. It was an amazing fear for him to have held himself back until now. As his young child rushed forward, Raven climbed off the griffon and took him into his embrace.

"Heuk! Let me come with you. Hnnng! Don't leave me alone, dad…"

Raven could not control his emotions as his son sobbed in his embrace.

"Good boy. There, there…"

Was this what a child was?

Raven never imagined that there would be someone capable of arousing such emotions in his heart. He felt regretful but so full at the same time. In addition, he had similar feelings towards his daughter, even though he had not met her yet.

"I will be back before you know it. And then we can go home together. We can go hunting and have fun with your mother and your sister. My son…"

"Huunng!"

Although the tears and snot soiled his tunic, Raven paid it no mind and hugged Raymond even tighter.

"You promise? Hick! You have to come back fast."

"Of course. I promise. Make sure you listen to your aunts. Do not forget that you are Pendragon, my son."

Raven smiled while carefully wiping Raymond's tear-stained face.

"Yes, heuk!"

Raymond nodded eagerly while rubbing his face with his small hands. The short, tear-filled farewell between the father and the son quickly came to an end. The time they spent together had been fulfilling, which made their separation even more regrettable. Soon, four griffons and four riders rose up into the sky of the imperial castle. It appeared as if snow would soon arrive.

***

Clop! Clop!

A large carriage slowly passed over the royal road. The vehicle was clearly imprinted with the symbol of a dragon with wide-spread wings, and the road was covered with snow. Occasional passersby became incredibly shocked when they saw the carriage and dozens of heavily armed knights, and they retreated before bowing deeply with respect.

This was because the large carriage, which was led by six horses, belonged to the master of the land they lived in – the Royal Family of Pendragon.

"Wow! Wowww! Grandma, look at that! What is that? It's so cute!"

"Let's see. Ah, that is a snow hare. They are scaredy-cats, so I wonder how it managed to come down all the way to the road."

"A snow hare! It's my first time seeing one!"

Elsia continued to chatter with her eyes glued to the window. Even small animals on the side of the road was wonderful and amazing for her.

Elena's smile never disappeared as she patted her granddaughter's head, and the maids in the carriage observed the two ladies with fulfilled smiles. It was strange for mere maids to act so comfortably around Elena, the one with the most seniority in the Pendragon Kingdom. However, all of the women had served the Pendragon family since Conrad Castle. They had been nannies for Mia and Irene, and were like sisters to Elena.

"The wind is cold, Princess Elsia. It would be best to put up the windows for now."

"Ah! Yes!"

Elsia stuck out her pink tongue and tried raising the window with her tiny hands. She very much liked her grandmother's maids, who were always by Elena's side. At that moment, a horse-riding knight clad in armor approached the carriage.

"We will soon be arriving at the gate of York Town, Your Majesty."

"Oh, it seems we've arrived earlier than I expected."

Elena nodded with a pleased look after hearing Killian's report. In the past, it would have taken at least five days to travel by carriage. However, the time it took had been reduced to two days, and it was due to the royal road.

The 700-kilometer-long path took three years to build, and it was referred to as the veins of the kingdom by Regent Ron. The road brought drastic changes to the kingdom. Not only did it reduce the time it took to travel between important areas within the kingdom, including York Town and Conrad Castle, but it also allowed for easier, safer transportation of various products.

In addition, underdeveloped areas of the past were quickly populated with the construction of the road, and incidences of monsters' attacks were significantly reduced.

An organization called Striders was established to maintain and monitor the roads. The people of the kingdom praised them for protecting villages located in remote areas with relatively weak security.

Ultimately, the royal was not just a simple road, but a large project that completely transformed the entire kingdom.

"Then we will be heading straight into York Town, Your Majesty."

"Okay."

Elena was a little surprised. Killian was acting rather strict, which was a little different from usual. However, she nodded in response without showing it.

She had known Killian the longest. As such, she immediately recognized that there was a reason why he, the head of the Pendragon Kingdom's knights, was acting in such a fashion.

'Something is happening…'

She came to the conclusion after witnessing Regent Vincent's changed attitude and how Killian was currently acting. There was certainly something going on, and it was significant enough that the two of them were anxious and acting carefully.

'Perhaps…'

Elena frowned.

She was a mother before she was a queen, and her instincts were directing her thoughts toward Raymond and Mia.

'No. I'm overthinking things.'

She quickly shook her head.

The most reliable beings in the world – her son, Soldrake, and Isla – were currently by the side of her daughter and grandson. Nothing would happen as long as the three of them were by their sides. They were even more reassuring than hundreds or even thousands of troops.

As such, perhaps…

'Could it be…? Is it our current trip…?'

The wise queen had been holding the fort for decades after her husband's death decades ago. She felt a little worried.

***

Thuck! Thuck!

The wide steps pushed deep into the snow. The stride of the figure next to it was only half as wide, but still managed to keep pace with fast, cheerful steps.

The two figures pushed forward without showing signs of exhaustion. One was as large as a stone statue, while the other, who was wrapped in a brown robe, looked rather small and soft in comparison.

It made sense that they weren't exhausted.

The taller of the two was the strongest, most famous orc warrior in the world, while his companion was a female warrior elf of the South. She was blessed by the Earth God.

"Can I ask you something?

"Keung? What is it?"

Eltuan asked, and Karuta responded while turning his head.

"Weren't we going to meet King Pendragon? Why are we heading towards the kingdom?"

Eltuan was curious. She knew how much Karuta longed to see Alan Pendragon. In fact, Karuta spoke so extensively of the man that Eltuan even felt a little jealous.

And now, the man had returned alive.

She expected Karuta to head straight towards Alan Pendragon, whether it be the imperial castle or elsewhere, but he had chosen to return to the kingdom.

"Tsk, tsk! You're an elf, so why are you so slow?"

"What?"

Eltuan retorted furiously while jerking her head. She could not accept that Karuta, who was clearly number one when it came to being all brute and no brain, would dare to insult her intelligence.