Chapter 11

Those who inherited the blood of dragons strongly had long been bound to the North, to Anhal. That didn’t mean they were forbidden from ever leaving the region. It was just that, whenever Van left the North for too long, monsters somehow sensed it and began surging toward the Kingdom of Valra.

Having once endured a major incident because of that, Van had since made a point to limit his time away from the royal palace.

“Then… may I go to the North instead? If you permit it?”

At Ranun’s earnest plea, Van lowered himself to meet the boy’s gaze.

“Very well. I’ll send a knight order with you.”

“You promise?”

“Of course.”

With a gentle smile, Van reached out and ruffled Ranun’s dark hair. The boy giggled brightly, his tension melting away.

Standing quietly by the door, Elena watched the scene with quiet wonder. The way Van smiled so gently at his younger brother felt strangely out of place. Perhaps it was because such a smile didn’t suit a man known as a killer.

“Vened.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Here it is.”

Van extended a hand toward Elena. She carefully took the gift box she had been keeping close and handed it to him.

“Here, a gift.”

“Wow.”

Van handed the small box to Ranun, who accepted it with delight and immediately settled onto the sofa in the center of the office, wholly absorbed in his present.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, I love it very much.”

When he unwrapped the box, it revealed an assortment of beautiful confections. Ranun beamed at Van with a radiant smile. That utterly ordinary sibling moment made Elena’s blue eyes waver.

“But… today isn’t Quirea.”

“Ah. Well… she’s my temporary aide.”

Ranun turned to look at Elena, who stood by the sofa. Sensing the Crown Prince’s curiosity and Van’s response, Elena quickly dropped to one knee.

“I greet His Highness the Crown Prince, the Sun of Valra. I am Elena Vened.”

“From Ridwan, I see.”

Noticing the neat black uniform, Ranun rose from his seat.

“You may raise your head.”

With Ranun’s permission, Elena lifted her gaze and looked up at him.

“Even if it’s temporary, I ask that you look after my brother.”

The sincere affection in his words made Elena furrow her brow ever so slightly.

Look after Van? That was not something she could ever agree to.

Unsure how to respond, Elena parted her lips only for Ranun to lean down and whisper in her ear.

“My brother’s had a hard time because of this young Crown Prince. So I hope you, who stay by his side, will take good care of him in my place.”

At that moment, Tyrtan came to mind. Elena and Tyrtan had been siblings who cared for each other deeply. That was why she could understand what Ranun meant by such a request. The only issue was… the one he was asking her to care for was Van Nizena.

“Yes, Your Highness. I understand.”

“Good.”

Pleased with her reply, Ranun took a step back and offered a bright smile. And strangely, the atmosphere in the room began to feel stifling.

It was unpleasant to be reminded that Van, too, had someone precious to him, someone for whom he would engage in a power struggle within the palace. He was supposed to be nothing more than a heartless killer.

As Ranun returned to the sofa, Elena rose to her feet and quietly resumed her place beside him, head slightly bowed.

“So, what’s the Marquis’s current situation?”

“He’s making every effort to establish contact with the Holy Kingdom of Aquinia.”

“Persistent b*st*rd.”

After briefly glancing at Ranun and Elena, Van turned to the man standing before his desk, Count Calix Crishi. As the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he regularly reported on Marquis Masen Chariot’s movements.

The Holy Kingdom of Aquinia.

To Van, Aquinia was a detestable nation, one where the people collectively worshipped a ‘god.’

Because the dragon, symbol of Valra, was considered the divine’s messenger, Aquinia arrogantly claimed to be superior to Valra itself. They even argued that only humans made in the image of their god were worthy to live in this world.

Van was well aware that they ultimately preached the need to eradicate even dragons.

“We’ve been cutting off every line of communication we can, but the Holy Kingdom is showing a great deal of interest in the Marquis. It’s practically impossible to block them all.”

“No doubt the southern border Margrave Sperin, is aiding the Marquis. Of all people, it had to be that cursed man in charge of the South… how troublesome.”

“Indeed.”

Margrave, who guarded the border between Aquinia and Valra, was among those who supported the Marquis. No wonder the Marquis was growing more arrogant and cozying up to Aquinia.

“Your Grace, forgive the intrusion. An urgent message has arrived.”

Just as they were deep in discussion, the door flew open and a knight from the Ridwan Order rushed in. The sudden interruption broke the flow. Clearly displeased, Van shot the knight a sharp look, demanding an explanation.

“Monsters have invaded. The knights are holding them off, but we’ve received reports that a hydra with nine heads has approached the outer wall.”

“I’ll go myself.”

At those words, Van immediately stood. A monster with nine heads was beyond what ordinary knights could handle. It was right for him to go north and stop it himself.

“Brother!”

Startled, Ranun sprang up from the sofa.

“I’ll come again soon, and sooner next time.”

“…Okay. I’ll wait.”

Knowing this wasn’t the time to throw a fit, Ranun quietly swallowed his disappointment and nodded. Moved by his brother’s restraint, Van once again tousled his soft hair. Ranun smiled, clearly comforted by the gesture.

Watching all of this, Elena clenched her fists tighter. That uncomfortable feeling had returned.

* * *

Van stood before the knights hastily summoned for the mission. Clad in a black uniform trimmed with gold, he stood on the platform, gazing down at them, Elena among them.

“All members will redeploy to the North under the vice commander’s orders.”

Knowing they would wonder why he had to leave so suddenly, Van briefly explained the situation.

“I’ll go on ahead. Return as swiftly as you can.”

Then, casting a spell, Van lifted himself into the air and transformed.

Everyone below gasped in awe. A massive, sacred figure soared into the sky. A body so large it would take dozens of grown men to equal its size now blocked out the sun.

This was their pride. The only one who could shift between human and dragon form. The only one whose magical power surpassed human limits many times over.

Van Nizena, the guardian of the wild North, returned to his true form and streaked across the sky.

Feet rooted to the earth, Elena looked up as his black form rose, then vanished into the distance. That was the real Van, the one she had to hunt.

At the very least, she had to act before he found Tyrtan and tried to kill him. Even if it meant her own death. No matter what.

* * *

The knights who remained in Anhal trembled with fear, anticipating what was to come.

It was rare for monsters of such caliber to appear. And to make matters worse, many of their comrades were away on official business, and even Van, who guarded the front lines, was absent. Everything had aligned to create a crisis beyond their ability to manage.

Yet what terrified the knights most wasn’t the monsters. It was the dragon, roaring in fury.

As his massive form appeared in the sky, monsters scattered in every direction, screaming as they fell. Even the smaller, scattered attacks were brushed off like the bites of a gnat. Their commander absorbed the blows without flinching and responded with magic so overwhelming, it defied human comprehension.

“We’re totally screwed, aren’t we?”

“…Yeah.”

“This is insane.”

“I’ve never seen him like this. Do you think something happened in the capital?”

“Probably. Looks like he’s venting his anger…”

He ripped through the monsters, tearing them apart again and again.

Watching Van’s indiscriminate slaughter, some even began to pity the monsters. The knights manning the wall shuddered. They knew that fury would soon be turned on them.

“Still… it’s not like we’re the only ones getting punished, right? Maybe after everyone’s back?”

“That’s worse… I’d rather get yelled at now.”

They had never heard Van scream like that before, it was like a death omen.

As the ground shattered and monster blood soaked the earth, the knights began to dread what awaited them. And before long, that fear proved to be justified.

When Elena and the rest returned to the order, they were greeted with a thunderbolt of a command.

“Vice-Commander, couldn’t we just use magic for that?”

“This is the Commander’s direct order.”

“But we’ve only just returned!”

It hadn’t even been half a day since they’d gotten back from the capital, Serheim, when Van’s order was passed down through the vice-commander to every division. The command was so absurd that Enoch let out an exaggerated cry of protest, drawing on his usual flair.

“This is just cruel!”

The others silently cheered him on.

Only Enoch had the guts to complain to Panther’s face. Among them, Elena alone calmly accepted the reality.

This was Van Nizena, after all. To the others, he might have seemed noble, exalted, legendary. But she knew better.

He was the kind of man who suspiciously reviewed the common knights’ library checkout records.

Who, knowing her true purpose, still chose not to cast her out. Who, despite his twisted ways, showed tenderness only to his brother.

To Elena, none of that was strange. Because this, too, was who Van truly was.