“The angels... have taken control of Mount Amon?” “Yes. It has been about a month now.” “A month already...?” That timeframe roughly aligned with when Archangel Auriel possessed Brunhilde. ‘That bastard... Did he make a move first to make sure that I couldn’t destroy the holy sword?’ Siegfried was convinced that Auriel had taken measures to prevent him from destroying his holy relic, the Holy Sword: Phoenix. Otherwise, there was no other reason for the angels to seize control of Mount Amon, which was a place with no real strategic value. Mount Amon was a massive volcano that was regarded as a potential catastrophe by the nations surrounding it. In addition to being a major volcano, it was teeming with vicious monsters. These aggressive monsters were hardened by the harsh environments of the volcano, making it nearly impossible to develop the area and exploit it for its underground resources. Mount Amon was a land nobody dared to conquer. Everyone prayed that it would stay dormant and never erupt. In other words, it was a forsaken land. ‘That’s not what’s important right now.’ Right now, Siegfried couldn’t give a damn about what the angels were plotting, as Brunhilde’s safety was far more important. ‘She’s not dead. There’s no way a Level 299 NPC like her will die that easily.’ Siegfried firmly believed that Brunhilde had survived the crash. Well, there was a possibility that she died from the crash, but he refused to accept that someone like her would die so easily. After all, both he and Captain Alfred, of all people, made it out in one piece, so there was no way Brunhilde was dead. ‘I’ll find her. Even if I have to search every inch of Mount Amon, I will find her.’ Determined, Siegfried turned to the Dragonkin. “Thank you for saving me. But I can’t stay here. I need to go find my wife.” “Hmm... I understand how you feel, but it would be wiser to wait just a little longer. Just a couple of hours will be enough.” “There are too many angels outside. If you step out recklessly, you’ll not only get yourself killed, but you might lead them straight to our village.” “So, please wait at least a few hours for our sake.” Siegfried had no choice but to take a step back for now. After all, he owed them his life, so he couldn’t do something reckless that might put their village at risk. “But I will be leaving after a few hours...” “That will be completely up to you.” “By the way, we have not introduced ourselves yet. My name is Draculius, a warrior of this village.” “My name is Siegfried van Proa.” After introducing himself, Siegfried became curious about how powerful his savior was, so he flashed his Rune of Insight at Draculis to examine the latter's stats. [The strongest warrior of the Dragonkin Village in Mount Amon.] [He wields a massive lance with unrivaled skill and possesses formidable combat prowess.] [Class: Dragoon Lances] [Note: A warrior who dedicated his entire life to training in the art of the spear. He has merged his village’s ancestral techniques with unique ones he developed, creating a unique fighting style. However, he has never stepped beyond the boundaries of Mount Amon, so he remains unknown to the world.] ‘A Master?!’ Siegfried was shocked after realizing that Draculis was a Master. The world was vast, and there were many hidden powerful warriors out there. It turned out that Draculis was one of them. ‘Well, I guess it makes sense. The Dragonkin is the most powerful race among the beast people.’ Siegfried didn't find it strange that Draculis was a Master. Among the beastmen, the Dragonkin were considered to be the most powerful, so it wasn't strange that one of them was a Master. ‘Hmm... His level is on the lower side for a Master, yet he gives off an insanely strong aura. Am I just imagining it...?’ he wondered. A notification suddenly popped up before his eyes, interrupting his train of thought. [Alert: Path of the Supreme King has triggered a quest!] [Alert: You have received a new Quest – Nameless Warrior!] The last thing Siegfried expected was to receive a quest, but he still clicked on it to check the quest details. ‘I wonder what this quest is...’ The quest details were the following... [Join forces with the Dragonkin warrior, Draculis, to drive out the angels occupying Mount Amon.] [Type: Special Quest] - Expel the angels from Mount Amon - Defeat Draculis in a duel [Reward: Recruit Draculis] [Note: The Dragonkin warrior, Draculis, wishes to leave his village and prove his strength to the world to obtain recognition that is long overdue.] ‘Whoa!’ Siegfried gasped after reading the quest. A quest that offered the chance to recruit a Master. This was an incredible opportunity to bolster the military might of the Proatine Kingdom, and the offer was particularly good for Siegfried, as he was already walking the Path of the Supreme King. ‘I have to recruit him no matter what!’ Siegfried made up his mind almost instantly. Emperor Stuttgart commanded nine Masters, and there had to be more Masters unknown to Siegfried. To achieve his ultimate goal of breaking free from the emperor’s influence, he had to recruit Draculis at all costs. ‘All right. I’ll stick to him for now.’ Just as Siegfried made up his mind— “Van Proa?” Draculis tilted his head, looking intrigued. Then, he asked, “If I recall correctly, ‘van’ is a middle name used by royalty, is it not? That means you're of royal blood?” “Yes, that is correct. I am the King of the Proatine Kingdom,” Siegfried replied. “The Proatine Kingdom, you say?” Draculis repeated the unfamiliar name. Then, he said, “I know little of the world beyond this mountain, so I am unfamiliar with this Proatine Kingdom you speak of.” Siegfried wasn't offended this time. Draculis simply lacked knowledge of the outside world, and it wasn't as if he was belittling the Proatine Kingdom. “What kind of nation do you rule?” Draculis asked. “A rising great power,” Siegfried replied confidently. “It has recently gained significant recognition across the continent.” “Oh? And yet, a king of such a nation was unconscious in a place ?” “Well, you see...” Siegfried proceeded to explain how he ended up in Mount Amon. “Ah! So that’s what happened!” “And I suspect that is also why the angels took over Mount Amon, to prevent the destruction of the sword.” “That makes sense...” “For now, I need to find my wife. Once I do, I must bring the sword to the volcano’s crater and melt it.” “If you will allow it... May I accompany you?” Draculis asked suddenly. “What you seek to do is for the sake of this world, is it not?” “Then is it not only right that I assist you? I do not know how much help I can provide, but I wish to help you.” “That would mean a lot to me,” Siegfried replied, bowing his head in gratitude. Then, he thought, ‘This guy’s really cool.’ It wasn't easy to find people willing to stand up for what was right in such a brutal and unforgiving world. But here was Draculis, an honorable warrior, who was ready to fight for what was right. ‘A Dragonkin with a strong sense of justice... Damn, that’s so cool!’ Siegfried couldn’t help but smile as he gazed at the warrior before him. For some reason, Draculis resembled the legendary warrior Guan Yu based on appearance alone. “For now, let us wait a few hours to avoid exposing our village. Once the time is right, we will leave together,” Draculis said. “All right. Oh, and... Is there a communication device or a warp gate anywhere nearby?” Siegfried asked. With that, Siegfried abandoned the idea of contacting the Proatine Kingdom directly. Instead, he decided to log out briefly to send a message to Seung-Gu. ‘I guess I’ll just leave a message for now.’ With the entirety of Mount Amon under the control of the angels, Siegfried had no choice but to mobilize his own forces. “I think the angels seem to have left. It should be safe for us to head out now.” Just as Siegfried was about to follow Draculis— “Ugh... I feel so bad... I need some hangover soup.” Captain Alfred, who had been sprawled out on the ground like a corpse, suddenly groaned back to life like a zombie. “Some chicken soup with a ton of chili powder and black pepper would really hit the—huh? Where the hell am I?” Captain Alfred muttered, blinked, rubbed his eyes, and scanned his unfamiliar surroundings. It seemed that he was so drunk that he had completely forgotten about the airship getting shot down. If he was given the benefit of the doubt, then it could be said that he sustained short-term memory loss from the crash. ‘Like I care.’ Siegfried was not interested in the old captain’s condition. Yes, the crash this time was not Captain Alfred’s fault, but still... “It looks like your companion is awake,” Draculis said. “Who cares? He should’ve just died instead of clinging to life like that,” Siegfried said icily. “He’s one hopeless dude, I swear.” Siegfried barely even spared Captain Alfred a glance as he walked past him. The old captain was a lost cause, and even his own family had given up on him, so there was no reason for Siegfried to pay him any attention. “Huh? Ain’t you that brat from two years ago?” Alfred said, squinting his eyes and furrowing his brows. It seemed that his memory was still foggy. “I could’ve sworn you—” “Just go back to sleep.” Siegfried kicked him in the ass, sending him flying into a wall. Captain Alfred crashed into the wall before slumping back down, knocked unconscious yet again. “Should I just kill him already?” Siegfried growled, staring at the old pilot. He was itching to stomp him into the ground. Alfred was annoying, arrogant, shameless, and utterly useless. But this time, the crash was surprisingly not his fault. The airship crashed after getting shot down by the angels rather than because of Alfred’s recklessness. Thus, he decided to let it slide this once. “Tsk... What are the ghosts even doing? Why don’t they just drag this scum to the afterlife already?” Siegfried grumbled. “Haha...” Draculis chuckled while watching Siegfried vent his anger. “I’ll personally decapitate him the moment he slips up one more time,” Siegfried growled. With that, he clicked his tongue and stepped outside with Draculis. There were lots of Dragonkins in the village, and almost everyone was armed with different kinds of weapons. Clearly, the angel’s invasion put the village on high alert. “Is everyone here?” Draculis asked. The Dragonkin replied in unison. There were about fifty warriors in total. Although their numbers weren't big, every one of them was powerful enough to rival an entire squad of knights. “Our mission is to locate Queen Brunhilde, the wife of King Siegfried van Proa. She is an elf with striking red hair, so you will recognize her instantly.” With that, Siegfried, Draculis, and the Dragonkin warriors set out of the village. A thick fog blanketed the entrance to the village. ‘Oh? This is a fog made with magic.’ Siegfried quickly deduced that the fog was a barrier meant to hide the village from outsiders. Had it not been for this protective measure, this village wouldn't have evaded the angels' eyes. “Stay alert. We don’t know when they will strike,” Draculis warned. With that, they ventured through the fog and made their way into the forest. “If we continue this way, we will reach the spot where I first found you,” Draculis said. “It is possible that your wife is somewhere nearby, but searching for her will not be easy.” “I am aware of that.” Siegfried activated Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance and looked around while walking alongside the Dragonkins. Since the entire Mount Amon was under the angel’s occupation, this ability proved invaluable. “They are coming,” Siegfried said while pointing ahead. “Hm? What do you mean?” Draculis asked. “Three angels are approaching from that direction.” “How do you know that? I do not sense anything.” “I can see things with this monocle. Judging from their direction and speed, they will arrive here in roughly five minutes.” “Oh? That is quite an interesting artifact you have there. All right, I will trust you.” With those words, Draculis commanded his warriors. “Prepare for battle! We will engage the enemy here!” The Dragonkins quickly hid, lying in wait for the ambush. ‘Now then... Let’s see how this guy fights.’ Siegfried was curious about what Draculis was capable of doing, so he decided not to join the battle right away. Instead, he would observe Draculis in action. It was all because Siegfried knew that observing another Master in battle would always be a valuable learning experience.