‘Wow, why are so many people gathered?’

I turned my head and looked behind me. Soldiers, like a massive crowd, were following. Their numbers were immense.

Two people were riding the horse: Protagonist and Charlotte. Protagonist, not knowing how to ride, held tightly to her waist. Each time, Charlotte flinched and trembled. He wondered if Protagonist’s touch was strange.

“Mordon.”

“Yes.”

“Did you anticipate this would happen?”

I asked the Knight who was leading his horse beside me.

After winning the previous battle, Protagonist sent back those who had participated in the fight. Then, he asked the Influential Figures to gather again.

At first, he wondered why he was doing something so troublesome, but once he did it, an unexpected reaction occurred. The number that barely reached a hundred last time now exceeded three hundred.

“Others also have eyes and ears, so they would have known that no one was injured in the battle. So, everyone had no choice but to eagerly step forward.”

“Still, I didn’t expect so many to gather.”

“Isn’t it thanks to Baron Protagonist’s eloquent speech? I also didn’t think such a large number would gather.”

Mordon said.

He was right. If Protagonist hadn’t spoken, he wouldn’t have been able to gather people, and winning the battle would have been even more impossible.

Such a large number gathered because of the great victory in battle. The momentum had already shifted to their side since the first battle, which had no casualties among the officers.

This was evident just by looking at the Influential Figures who sided with Protagonist. They made various excuses, testing the waters, then hastily joined this side.

Three hundred was an enormous number.

When they led them to the Mansion, this time no battle even occurred. The Captain-level individuals from the other side were tied up and surrendered. It was a bit anticlimactic.

“This man is a traitor!”

A Soldier shouted, forcing the Old Man to his knees.

The Old Man looked haggard, as if he had been punched.

His face was familiar. He was the one who had previously spouted unfavorable words to Protagonist. The Old Man pleaded with Protagonist to spare his life.

“Why did you oppose me?

“I, I…”

“Even though you spoke uncomfortable words, I let you go. Why? Because I respected your thoughts. But not only did you defy me, you even drew a sword against me!”

“Just once, just once! I must have been momentarily insane. Please, spare my life!”

The Old Man was face down on the ground, his hands tied behind his back. Others were beside him. They saw their chance and also started shouting.

If women had done it, it would have been like birds chirping, but unfortunately, it was old men, making everyone frown.

One of the Soldiers nearby asked. He was one of the Slave Soldiers accompanying the Protagonist.

“What should we do?”

“Gather them all in the Plaza and burn them.”

They were dragged to the Plaza and burned in front of the people.

Long poles were found, and people were hung from them so everyone could see. Before burning them, their crimes were announced in detail to the public.

They exploited citizens and gained unjust profits. And so on and so forth… all fabricated claims. There might have been some truth among them, but there was no need to hide it.

What mattered was an object for their anger.

Firewood was piled underneath and lit. The hung people screamed in agony. Dying by fire was one of the most painful deaths.

The Protagonist didn’t feel sorry for them. They had fought, and the Protagonist had simply won.

If the Protagonist had lost, the Protagonist would have suffered a similar fate.

The people gathered in the Plaza booed and threw stones, enjoying themselves.

The most exciting spectacle was burning a person alive. Even more so if the target was someone who had held significant power in the City.

Nothing pleased people more than the downfall of someone in a high position.

The residents gathered in the Plaza felt exhilaration watching the Influential Figures burn to death, and seeing the Protagonist who performed the act, they realized to whom power had shifted.

It was the moment the Protagonist became the true ruler of the City.

Uwaaaah

Kkuwaaaak

The Protagonist watched them burn to death. The Protagonist took it all in. It was a burden the Protagonist had to carry. The Protagonist didn’t mourn their deaths, but the Protagonist didn’t deny that the Protagonist had killed them.

As the Protagonist watched, someone approached. It was Charlotte. She looked at the Protagonist’s face and said,

“They deserved to die.”

Charlotte spoke and then closed her mouth. Yet, it felt as if unspoken words, like ‘don’t take it to heart,’ were still lingering.

“I know.”

“Then why are you watching, Beggar?”

“Just…”

“Just?”

“I’m afraid of becoming numb.”

It’s a matter of people dying. My heart is heavy and I should be sad. Just as the Protagonist had a life, so did others. The Protagonist ended such lives.

He didn’t pity those who tried to kill the Protagonist. They deserved to die. But he didn’t turn away from those he killed with his own hands.

Seeing the Protagonist silently staring at the Flame, she hugged him, wondering what he was thinking.

“When you’re on the Battlefield, there are guys who act like you. Guys who seem to remember the face of every single opponent the Protagonist killed, and who walk around with slumped shoulders as if the Protagonist made a big mistake. Those kinds of people die early.”

“That’s not it.”

“I know. I just said it because it seemed like you were trying to take on a burden you didn’t have to.”

It seemed he had worried Charlotte.

He rested his head on her empty chest. He felt like he should go see Lorina. The Chest-enlarging medicine was very urgent.

He turned around. No screams were heard.

He returned to the Mansion. Everyone gathered to eat, washed up, and went to bed. He felt like he would sleep well tonight.

From the next day, the Protagonist did various things.

The Lord had a lot to learn. From the affairs of the territory, the Protagonist had to make decisions. Besides that, there were many tasks to instruct.

They were very annoying tasks.

But from now on, these were the Protagonist’s duties.

First, he had to recruit people.

Important matters were entrusted to trustworthy people.

Amelin became busy. She could even do difficult calculations. Calculation was a basic skill for a Mage. The Protagonist didn’t know much about it.

Everyone had their role.

Mordon spent his days gathering people and training them. Charlotte explained to the Protagonist, one by one, the tasks a Lord had to do.

Even though she was a woman who couldn’t be an heir, she knew well about the Lord’s duties, as if she had learned about managing a territory.

When asked why, she said she originally intended to kill all her siblings and inherit the Title. It seemed that if all the men died, even a woman could inherit the Title.

It was fortunate that she didn’t harbor Poisonous intentions. If she had, she would have been the Count.

Time passed. Several months flew by in an instant. He counted on his fingers. Half a year had passed.

He sat in front of the Bookcase in the Office and stretched out his arms. It was a stretch.

Someone knocked on the door from outside and entered.

“What’s the matter?”

“Shop Owner, I’ve brought your meal.”

It was Lena’s voice.

She was wearing a maid’s uniform.

The clothes were a bit thick, so I couldn’t tell if she had gained weight recently. As the Protagonist looked her over, her face flushed.

“Pl-please have an apple.”

“An apple?”

“The person who runs the farm brought them this time.”

“Oh, it’s not poisoned, is it?”

“I ate it all.”

Lena put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. She was like a puppy waiting for praise from the Shop Owner. She said she had to be careful and always ate the food first herself.

“Lena.”

I put a slice of apple from the plate the girl gave me into my mouth. It was delicious.

“Are you happy?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

I asked the girl.

I meant she didn’t have to do the hard work that subordinates usually did. But the girl seemed to have misunderstood.

“If the Shop Owner hadn’t helped me, I would have already starved to death. People just passed us by. No one helped us.”

I was silent.

“My life was over from the moment I was abandoned on the streets for being the child of a wayward woman. If it weren’t for the hand the Shop Owner extended to me when I was just enduring each day, waiting for the day I would die, I would have died then.”

“Lena.”

“I don’t know the Shop Owner’s struggles. But the Shop Owner is doing well. Although having many women around is a flaw.”

Lena laughed. Castle felt no need to correct the girl’s cute misunderstanding. Many people worried about the Protagonist.

Amelin nagged like a mother, and Lorina grumbled like an older sister. Charlotte… I wasn’t sure. If I had to say, a brother or a father? She had no chest, so she felt like a man.

“Shall we eat something delicious today?”

“What is it?”

“Someone gave me lamb.”

“Meat!”

The girl made an innocent face fitting her age. The Protagonist had also gone hungry many times, but not as severely as the girl. I decided to feed her well.

Time passed smoothly.

He now knew how to do the basic tasks. One could say he had become a person befitting a Baron. He felt as good as when he learned magic.

It was the exhilaration that came from being able to do something he couldn’t do before.

Magic was a skill for killing people, but governing people was different. He felt a sense of pride in being responsible for someone else’s life.

Oh, come to think of it, Amelin wasn’t pregnant.

However, she was producing breast milk.

The protagonist drinks three cups of breast milk every day.

It was a waste to throw it away.

If left alone, it would leak and soak her clothes. Since there was no one else to drink it, the protagonist drank it. He gulped it down right in front of her. It was very delicious.

Charlotte said that women who often want to get pregnant sometimes do so even when they’re not. Amelin was like that.

He was wondering if he should get her pregnant. Having a child also required a plan.

A while ago, Lorina ran in, saying she had made a medicine.

Her expression was very bright. When the protagonist exclaimed, “Did you finally make the chest-enlarging medicine?” her face turned bright red. After that, she prepared and sent the medicine.

More than a year had passed since she stayed in the territory. Yet, she showed no intention of returning to her father’s place.

Her face had also become familiar. She was now an indispensable presence.

He gave the medicine to Charlotte. He was very much looking forward to how much her chest would enlarge. He thought he would be happy even if it only became as big as Amelin’s.

It’s not just babies who drink milk. The protagonist could also drink milk. Not that the protagonist was a baby, though.

It was the middle of the night. Someone called out to him while he was sleeping. He quickly dressed and opened the door. Mordon was standing outside.

“Baron! Please wake up!”

“You haven’t slept yet?”

“This is no situation for closing your eyes and sleeping!”

“Damn it, what’s going on?”

The urgency in the other person’s voice made his eyes snap open. He thought his dreams had been peaceful lately, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Mordon, catching his breath, said,

“The Marquis is dead.”

“The Marquis?”

“I mean the Border Count of the North.”

“General Dalton, who was under him, is also dead. In addition, the number of nobles who have died is enormous. It’s different from the time with the Orcs. Now carrier pigeons are flying from the North, and it’s chaos!”

Carrier pigeons were birds that sent letters.

They weren’t usually sent. They were only sent in truly urgent moments. This was because even if ten were sent, there was no guarantee they would arrive properly. But now, flocks of birds were flying in the sky, and it was utter chaos.

If the Marquis died, it would be a huge mess.

His army was hardened by real combat and stronger than the King’s army.

Perhaps the Capital City had lost its reserves in the fight against the Orcs. Still, the fact that it was a big deal didn’t change.

My head ached.

It hadn’t been long since I started governing the territory.

During that time, I fought wars and did all sorts of things. Just when I thought I could live a little more comfortably, it seemed like some incident was approaching.

Ah, then a thought came to mind. It was what the Dragon had told me.

“Where did the Monsters come from?”

“The Mountain Range.”

My face hardened at the mention of the Mountain Range. The Dragon’s request came to mind.

She had asked me to deal with the creatures that strayed while she guarded the Mountain Range. And she taught the Protagonist great Magic.

I wondered if the time had already come to use that great Magic.

If so, it was a tremendous crisis. I didn’t think she would have taught me great Magic without a good reason.

It meant that Monsters were coming that couldn’t be dealt with otherwise.

I became afraid of how strong they would be. The Protagonist wasn’t afraid of dying. But now, I was scared. It was because I had more to protect.

If the woman by my side died, I would be incredibly sad. Perhaps I might even go mad. It would be better if the Protagonist died instead.

I took a deep breath.

“Please go back for now. There’s nothing we can do immediately.”

“Understood.”

Mordon saluted and went back. I closed the door and turned my head. Amelin was sleeping soundly on the bed. The more I looked at her sleeping face, the more thoughts I had.

‘It’ll be alright.’

The Protagonist has the Dragon.

If a dangerous moment comes for the Protagonist, the Dragon in the Mountain Range will fly to help. I trusted her.

It’s been ten years.

Ten years, that was enough time to act spoiled and ask for food. She remained in the Protagonist’s heart. I prayed that the Protagonist would remain in her heart too.

Even if not, there was the Magic I learned from the Dragon. The incantation didn’t come to mind now, but I could overcome the crisis.

I prepared for battle.

As time passed, people flocked from the upper regions.

They were refugees.

Preparing food to feed them was also a task. There was no more room for people in the City. Their worries deepened.

After much deliberation, they decided to close the City Gate.

Outside the City Wall, refugees cried out to be let in. There was even a woman wailing, begging for at least her baby’s life.

Their hearts were heavy. But they had no capacity. Now, the harsh north wind was blowing. They had to prepare for winter.

He gripped his staff tightly.

“We can’t save everyone.”

Seeing the Protagonist’s face harden, Mordon offered his advice.

He was right.

They couldn’t save everyone. That was a childish delusion. The Protagonist was an adult. They had to choose who would live and who would die.

Still, they wanted to save people. If the Dragon flew in, they didn’t know. The Ring on the Protagonist’s hand was visible.

It was the Ring the Dragon had given them.

They couldn’t understand why she had given them such a Ring. They wondered if it was a Ring to warn the Protagonist of danger.

They lightly grazed their skin.

Nothing happened. They weren’t disappointed. It was an unknown. Even if this Ring truly had such an effect, it would likely take time. Even a flying Dragon would take several days to fly from the Mountain Range to This Place.

They wondered how she would react if the Protagonist was seriously injured.

Would she cry and grieve? Would she show such anger that her expression would change? Or would she just scoff and ignore it? The Protagonist didn’t know. Only she herself would know.

Everything was a question.

Even why she didn’t protect the Mountain Range. If that were the case, it meant something even more precious had appeared.

She clung to her Mission to endure the long years. If there was something beyond her Mission that reminded her of who she was, she might abandon Capital City. She didn’t know what it was.

***

Something massive was coiled in the Mountain Range. The Dragon nestled there, curled up and sleeping.

She was supposed to sleep for decades, but now she couldn’t even close her eyes. It was because of the faces of Humans that had been appearing in her mind for a while now.

“Rael…”

She couldn’t sleep.

This feeling was new. She had lived protecting her Mission. But that Mission now felt insignificant.

She had even let go of the creatures that had come a while ago. It was something her old self would never have done. But not now. She knew nothing. It was all because of one Human.

“Rael… Rael… Oh, my beloved child…”

She curled up.

It wasn’t like this before. No matter how long the years, they passed in an instant if she closed her eyes. But now, she felt desolate.

It was because there were no humans. She felt lonely. It was a human emotion. Now, if she didn’t hold a human in her arms, she couldn’t sleep. Humans, it was because of humans.

It was then.

The ring she wore twinkled faintly. A human, a human was hurt. It wasn’t a big wound, but it was enough to make her feel fear.

Could it be the doing of those sent by the Protagonist? No, it couldn’t be. They had made a promise. They would never touch the human named Rael.

They were strong, but weaker than the Protagonist.

It would take all of them together to even attempt to confront the Protagonist. From their perspective, the Protagonist was almost an absolute being. They wouldn’t dare to do anything that would displease the Protagonist. If she hadn’t been so sure, she would never have sent them.

More importantly, the wound was shallow. It was a small scratch. This was nothing.

“How lonely…”

She murmured the human’s name. Once or twice… the name she began to repeat still lingered on her lips more than seven days later when she came to her senses.

She opened her eyes. This time, the ring sparkled. It sparkled incessantly. It was a different kind of sparkle than the faint one she had seen before.

A human is bleeding and dying.

A human, a human is dying.

At that fact, the blood in her body seemed to run cold. Humans are ants. An ant dying is nothing.

But at that insignificant fact, she displayed unprecedented fury. The Dragon raised her head and let out a long roar, as if announcing it to the world. The ground shook and the beings living in the mountain range knelt in fear.

All they could do was pray for the Dragon’s wrath to subside. The Orcs, renowned as warriors, merely trembled, wetting themselves.

She turned her back on the mountain range where she had resided for centuries. Then she spread her wings and flew. It was where she felt the presence of the human who used to act cute to the Protagonist for food.

What if that human died? She didn’t think such thoughts. She herself didn’t know why she was acting this way.

She had lived alone in the mountain range for centuries.

There was no way she could know.

All she could do was hope the human wouldn’t die. A human is dying. Just imagining that fiery future, she herself couldn’t tell what she might do.

For the first time, she cursed her eyes that couldn’t see the Protagonist’s future. Last time, she saw the human’s future. He was alive later. But she didn’t know. The future the Protagonist saw could always be twisted.

The Dragon knew human emotions.

It was an apple filled with poison.