Chapter 628 - 456: The Blazing Flame Giant Dragon Arrives
Chapter 628: Chapter 456: The Blazing Flame Giant Dragon Arrives
Raylo picked up the first envelope. The crest on it was a burning giant dragon, belonging to the Blazing Flame Kingdom.
He broke the seal and drew out the letter.
The handwriting on the letter was strong and forceful, and the content was brief.
"Otto III has replied."
"He says he will arrive at Black Stone Territory at the agreed-upon time, and then travel with us to Storm Cape."
Gaius took the letter and read it over.
"It’s rare for His Majesty the King to be so straightforward."
Raylo smiled and said,
"He has no other choice. The Flowing Wind Giant Dragon is a target our Dragon Realm must secure."
Opening the second letter, Raylo broke the wax seal and unfolded the paper.
His gaze fell upon the letter.
As he remained silent, the atmosphere inside the tent grew somewhat tense.
Gaius looked at him.
"Did something happen?"
Raylo didn’t speak, simply pushing the thin sheet of paper in front of her.
Gaius picked up the letter and quickly scanned its contents.
"A Prince of the Crimson Bloodline... was ambushed while exploring the Tomb of the Traitor?"
Her voice held a trace of astonishment.
"And by the Witch Demon King and the Necromancer Modi Caesar, working together?"
"Yes."
Raylo picked up the cup of water from the table and took a sip.
"He was severely wounded but managed to escape in the end."
"The Witch Demon King from the Skeleton Plain and Modi Caesar from the Abandoned Ruins?"
Gaius put down the letter, her brow tightly furrowed.
"They actually joined forces. As I recall, the two of them weren’t on good terms."
"For a great enough reward, even the worst of relationships can turn into an alliance."
"A Vampire Prince being severely wounded and forced to flee... that’s no small piece of news," Gaius analyzed.
"The Crimson Bloodline will probably be in chaos for a while. Plus, he’s now mortal enemies with the Witch Demon King and Modi Caesar."
"The waters in the northwest of the Continent are getting murkier and murkier."
Looking at the map, the vast region to the west and northwest of the Black Stone Mountain Range was occupied by non-human creatures.
Among them, the Witch Demon King of the Skeleton Plain and the two Vampire Clans, the Crimson Bloodline and the Blood Rose, were the dark forces closest to the Thunder Dragon Duchy.
Raylo’s gaze shifted from the map to the world outside the tent.
The wind rustled the tent flaps, carrying with it the distant clamor and a hint of chill.
Raylo stood up, walked to the entrance of the tent, and looked out.
In the camp, Knights were training and Giants were moving supplies. Everything was in perfect order.
But beneath this calm, undercurrents were surging in every corner of the Continent.
"A severely wounded Vampire Prince..." Raylo murmured.
Gaius walked to his side.
"Your Highness, that area is too dangerous. I once explored the northwest with the Duke. It’s teeming with Undead, Vampires, and all sorts of dark creatures. It’s not our territory."
Raylo nodded but didn’t answer immediately.
His gaze pierced through the tent’s entrance, looking out at the territory shrouded in night.
Just then, a slight commotion was heard from outside the tent.
Raylo and Gaius exchanged a look.
The tent flap was thrown open, and a dust-covered Thunder Dragon Knight walked in.
"Your Highness, Commander!"
The Knight saluted, his voice booming.
"We have returned!"
Raylo’s eyes fell on the space behind him; there were no bound prisoners.
"What’s the situation?"
The Knight looked up, his face a mixture of regret and ferocity.
"We followed your orders and went to Cyan Spring Territory to arrest Baron Erich. But when we arrived, the entire castle had been emptied."
"He ran?"
Gaius’s brow furrowed.
"Yes, Marshal," the Knight replied.
"He took all his relatives and confidants, abandoned his territory, and fled overnight. According to a servant we captured, they were headed northwest, toward Blood Rose Castle."
’Another traitor defecting to the Vampires.’
Raylo wasn’t surprised. Since the Blood Rose Prince had dared to incite a rebellion in Red Hill Territory, she would certainly have notified her most important pawns in advance.
"I see," Raylo said with a nod.
"You’ve worked hard. Go and rest for now."
"Yes, sir!"
The Knight bowed and withdrew.
The tent fell silent once more.
Gaius sighed.
"Another one. It seems our arrest teams won’t have much success this time."
Raylo said nothing, merely waiting in silence.
He knew that there would always be some who, for one reason or another, couldn’t escape in time.
For instance, the Lords whose territories were closer to Black Stone Territory, where news traveled faster.
Sure enough, over the next half-day, the Thunder Dragon Knights sent to other territories returned one after another.
Just as Gaius had predicted.
Two of the Lords, like Baron Erich of Cyan Spring Territory, had taken their families and wealth, abandoning territories they had managed for decades, even centuries, without a second thought. They fled in haste to Blood Rose Castle to seek refuge with the female Prince who could grant them "eternal life."
The remaining three Lords, however, were not so lucky.
They were cornered in their own castles by the arriving Thunder Dragon Knights. After a brief but fierce resistance, they were all captured, along with their core confidants, and escorted back to Black Stone Territory.
Their fate would be no different from that of Count Remon.
Beheading, forfeiture of title, and seizure of their fiefs.
Raylo would use the harshest laws to declare the price of betrayal to the entire Duchy.
「Two days later.」
In the early morning, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the clouds and fell upon Black Stone Territory, a clear and resounding dragon’s roar came from the eastern sky.
The Knights training in the camp all stopped and looked up at the sky.