Round Eight: Freys and the Dragon (Part 1)

“Forty-seven?” Abazig tilted his head, his eyes fixed somewhere unclear. “A strange name. Your master must have many peculiar habits—maybe even an obsession with certain interesting traits. What’s your master’s name? Perhaps I know him, if he’s lived long enough.”
Forty-seven shrugged, indicating he had no further information to offer.
Abazig let out a long sigh. “I like you, you guy! A masterless construct! Maybe you’re looking for your master? Well, I am the all-knowing, all-seeing Dragon Abazig. If you show me your sincerity, I might just help you…”
Milia, beneath the dunes, was disappointed to find that the metal dragon she admired had betrayed justice and kindness so quickly.
No one else noticed her disappointment.
“Listen! What’s that sound?” Freys clung to the camel-like creature, looking like a piece of cheese about to shatter. Riding on such a creature while in motion was far from ideal. Though Freys was fully aware of this, they had no choice but to hurry and save someone—especially since Josen beside him seemed on the verge of going mad.
Josen reined in the creature, and the three others following also stopped. The mercenaries riding them nearly fell onto the sand due to inertia.
Another long howl echoed through the desert on the cold night, especially distinct.
Josen frowned, his pupils narrowing. His expression was hard to decipher—was it joy or tension?
“It’s the howl of a brass dragon!” Before Freys could ask further, Josen whipped the creature hard. The creature suddenly sped up, snorting as it moved. Freys shut his mouth; if this jolting continued, he would vomit.
“You’re not very talkative, even though you’re interesting…” Abazig flapped his wings twice. These two in front of him disappointed him greatly—they weren’t the kind of people suitable for a proper conversation.
“Lord Abazig! Don’t be deceived by him! I’m sure he’s an evil creature from the depths of hell. Please let me destroy him!” Milia gripped her sword tightly, its light flaring again.
Abazig impatiently shook his head.
Suddenly, Forty-seven rushed forward toward Abazig, seemingly even faster than when running head-on. Black steel wings stretched out from his back, tearing through his robe as they fully unfolded. Using the momentum from leaping down from the dunes, Forty-seven took off into the air. Though he soon began to fall, his speed was too great for Milia to react in time. As for Abazig, it was unclear whether he was too slow or unwilling to act.
In mid-air, Forty-seven turned to face Milia. With a push from his wings, he glided another distance, carrying a scorching wind. That brat had hurt him and kept speaking rudely. No matter which side the old dragon took, Forty-seven was determined to teach this arrogant divine knight a lesson.

Milia never imagined that this black monster actually had wings—before she could react, it had rushed up to her. She raised her sword, but by the time she swung it, she could no longer see Yonji. With the power of its wings, Yonji’s speed nearly doubled. Milia didn’t have time to pray for protection from the light of holy justice and courage. Her only weapon fell to the ground before she could retrieve it, struck by Yonji’s palm on her wrist. The sword’s glow dimmed as it lost the control of a knight blessed by the gods. With a twist of his hand, Yonji twisted Milia’s arm behind her back.

Milia’s wrist felt as if it were burned by an iron rod, accompanied by excruciating pain. A scorching heat blew from behind her, causing the hair near her neck to curl rapidly, turning her golden hair even more yellowish. Milia bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes—not from pain, but because her holy body had been defiled by a filthy creature. There was nothing more humiliating than that.

“Milia! Let her go! You evil thing!” Jason and Freys arrived too late. They found Milia’s white horse and followed it.

A deep dragon roar stopped the impending conflict. With that mighty roar, the giant beasts collapsed to the ground, throwing their riders into disarray. It was then that Freys and the others noticed the enormous creature on the dunes in the distance, almost blending in with the yellow sand. Freys’s mouth dropped open. Years of business experience had broadened his horizons, but his cautious nature also meant he hadn’t seen much. This was the first time he’d seen a real brass dragon.

Jason also suppressed his urge to charge forward, but he didn’t greet Abazig either. He glared at Yonji, standing behind Milia, regretting not fighting harder when he first met him and securing a victory.

Abazig’s voice grew deeper. Though it was unclear whether dragons could show human expressions, it seemed much more solemn than before. “Artificial creature, you shouldn’t treat a knight blessed by the gods like this!”

“They hurt me first,” Yonji said coldly.

“It’s a misunderstanding. And haven’t we already reconciled and made an agreement? Please forgive this young knight…” Freys was cut off by Milia’s humiliating and angry gaze, forcing him to swallow his words.

It was infuriating. A proud holy warrior and a dishonest half-purgatory creature—encountering both at once could only lead to disaster. How had he ended up in such trouble? Freys hung his head and retreated under the protection of the mercenaries—though even they were terrified. If that dragon sneezed by accident, few would survive!

Yonji released her arm and stepped back. He hadn’t intended to use Milia as a threat; he just wanted to punish her a little.

Milia didn’t move away or resist. She collapsed to the ground, her sword lying before her, with no intention of picking it up.

No one seemed to expect Si Si Qi to release Milia so easily. Josen was stunned for a moment before rushing forward to help her up.
“Divine Knight, you needn’t feel overly humiliated. I believe that wasn’t a true evil creature, though it certainly wasn’t kind either,” Abazig said, flapping his wings as if returning to his usual state. “But today has indeed been lively. I haven’t seen so many people in ages… The Sleep of the Lord of Noise has been disturbed. What misfortune will happen in this world now?”
“Ah, great! So that’s how it’s resolved. That’s exactly how it should be. When traveling, harmony brings prosperity!” Freys stepped forward again; seizing opportunities was part of his job description. “And also, great Lord of Noise, thanks to you! Otherwise, conflict would arise again, and that would be troublesome!”
Abazig seemed pleased by these words, but his way of showing it was clearly different from that of human-like beings: “When I leave, the world will awaken. After falling into slumber for two days, it will also be conquered. The price to awaken me is your right eye, while the way to seal me is your left ear. Who am I! Speak quickly! Whoever can’t guess will be eaten!”
Milia’s intelligent white horse knelt down, its snow-white body forming a small shelter. Josen helped Milia sit down. He didn’t know what to say. Milia seemed deeply shaken, her lips tightly closed as she stared straight ahead, making Josen feel it was better not to say anything for now.