A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

173 – Light Dragon Is Not Air Force Training Anyway (2)

In order to show Astasia his amazing dragoon riding skills, he prepared a light dragon several years ago and plans to hold a light dragon competition?

Nonsense.

No matter how much I’m focusing on acting for Astasia, I’m not holding a light dragon competition just for that reason.

“So you’re competing riding Nidhogg?”

“It’s not like riding, it’s about hanging a rope under your ankles, attaching a footrest to the end of the rope, and flying.”

“Wow, that looks cool! Can I take a picture?”

“As much as you want.”

Absolutely not.

“The last time I rode it, I was so nervous that I didn’t know much, but this time I was able to watch calmly from the stands, so I feel really fortunate!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! Ah, but if the distance to the Gyeongryong Convention Center is this long, you can only see it for a moment…”

“If that’s the case, you can rest assured.”

I took Astasia out to the main stage of the Gyeongryongjang track, a place that corresponds to the ‘start and finish line’.

“That’s… A large magic stone?”

“This is a relay magic stone that shows real-time images of the video magic stone.”

The huge magic stone ‘screen’ coming down from the ceiling in the exact center seen from the stands stretching to the left and right of the track was wider than most buildings.

“This is a large screen, a joint product created by the magic engineering of Iperia Industries and the wizards of Nostrum.”

“Screen…”

“A ‘cable’, a line made of magic stones extending to the ceiling, extends along the walls of Orosol Academy. And when the ‘Eye of the World’, a magic artifact that rises from the cable, is activated, a scene from that area is displayed on the screen.”

When I manipulated the screen by tapping the floor with my wand, new images began to appear on the translucent screen.

“Wow, is that…?”

“This is the northeastern scene of Orosol Academy, 2 km from here.”

Flap.

The screen shows dragoons wearing safety gear riding along a track on their respective dragoons.

To be exact, it would be more accurate to say ‘flying’ rather than running on the track, but the expression ‘running’ was definitely more accurate as it spread its wings left and right and tried to take the lead.

Look.

“Do you see that over there? The griffins aren’t just flapping their wings, they’re constantly moving their arms and legs.”

“Like Drake, you’re trying to run faster somehow?”

Some people pretend to run through the air like horses, while others try to reduce air resistance by folding their arms and legs as low as possible.

“Everyone is more serious about the speed than you think…? It’s both practice and training.”

“It’s training, but it’s real combat. They’re not running by themselves, they’re running with a rider on their back.”

It’s not just animals competing with each other.

The dragoons and horsemen on top glare at each other, keep each other in check, monitor the situation, and struggle to somehow advance first.

“A light dragon is a long-term battle. You don’t win just because the dragon’s specs are good, and you don’t necessarily win just because the rider is a high-ranking knight.”

“Then…?”

“Breathing between a rider and a drake.”

It may be a bit awkward to say, but since the battle taking place on this track is not a ‘war’ but a ‘light dragon’, the skill of the rider is more important than the skill of the knight on the back.＜ Br＞

“Gyeongryong is a long-term race. The track is fixed, but how to go around that long track changes every time.”

“Uhm…”

“Will you run at the front right from the start, or will you run slowly at the back and look at the situation and try to make a comeback? Or…”

“Are we going to avoid seeing the leading group get hit by the ‘barrage’?”

“Yes.”

Kyungryong is not just a simple flagship competition.

“There are countless obstacles that appear along the way. First of all, there is the ‘magic missile net.'”

The moment the leading group of dragoons rounded a long curve, the staff on the walls of Orosol Academy all heard something.

“Among the academy employees, there are many who enjoy ‘shooting’ as a hobby.”

“Ah, ahaha…”

“The magic missile fired from the musket is weak enough to hear a ‘wrap’ sound, but it still flies fast, so you have to be careful, right?”

Ka-euang!

A light dragon visible on the screen was shot down by a barrage of magic missiles.

The rider is hit by a magic missile from a musket, which is not even a low-ranking mage, and the flying dragon dodges the magic missile without noticing the rider shaking like a piece of luggage due to the safety device attached to the saddle. Suddenly, it notices that its back is empty and turns its head. .

“…”

“Isn’t this a scene that would have made the Empire’s warlords clenched their fists and cheered if they had seen it? The Empire’s muskets shooting down the kingdom’s dragoons.”

“That’s right. To be hit like that by a musket that is said to not be able to properly kill even a knight. Isn’t it kind of strange?”

“Nothing strange.”

Surprisingly, that’s the kingdom average.

“Astacia. Nostrum is. Gibraltar is very strong, not Nostrum.”

“…”

“And those things can truly be said to have been the impetus for the opening of Gyeongryongjang.”

One thing, one bitter truth.

“Surprisingly, they are the Drake Knights, the pride of the Kingdom of Nostrum, and the Black Rose Knights of Morgania.”

“…Yes?”

“I deliberately removed all affiliations, emblems, etc. And told them to purely ride the dragon. Even if the individual knights’ mana, stamina, and physical strength cannot be helped.”

[aaahhh!!]

[Hey, hey!! Collision, Chudooohol!!]

The kingdom’s best dragoons crash into each other so ungainly that they fall toward the ground.

[Aero Net–!!]

Churrrr!

Fortunately, the wizard following them spread a net made of mana in the air, so they did not fall to their death, but the dragoons caught in the mana net, both the rider and the drake, were unable to say anything with their faces turning red.

“The Drake Knights are certainly strong. However, it is also true that there has not been a war in which the Drake Knights could officially participate in the last 30 years.”

For those who love Nostrum, there is one very sad truth.

“They need to know. Why the Drake Knights of Nostrum were the strongest knights so far.”

‘Heroism’ boasts history and tradition.

It was the same for the pride of the kingdom, the Drake Knights.

“Either the rider, or the king of drakes.”

There has always been an unchanging leader in the Drake Knights.

Dragon, the guardian dragon of the royal family.

And now the dragon is no more.

A great man destroyed the core of the Drake Knights, but the Drake Knights have never fought a proper ‘war’ since then.

“The average power of the Drake Knights has decreased. This can certainly be said to be the Duke of Winchester’s fault, but he has some extenuating factors.”

Also.

“Has the average strength of the Drake Knights weakened? That’s not true.”

“Then… “

“The only problem is that there is a lack of tactical manuals to respond to new enemy tactics, and that a group of nobles who are not properly trained for them are establishing themselves as the core of the Drake Knights, right?”

The Drake Knights have a big problem internally, but there has been no intention to solve it until now.

“Has President Winchester been pretending not to know until now? Is it for political reasons?”

“There is such a thing, but the Archduke does not understand.”

“Do you understand?”

“The Duke of Winchester is a Master, but the new Drake Knights are not Masters.”

“Oh… “

“Because he is good at riding. He has been riding well since he was young.”

The master does not know the skills of ordinary people.

“Well, it’s a bit weird to say it like this.”

Also, like Astasia says.

“…Even if 99 out of 100 people are decommissioned, the country that one hero has protected until now is Nostrum, right?”

This reality is bound to bow before heroism.

“There must be at least one hero, and wouldn’t there be a dragon like that hero somewhere?”

“There will be. Probably.”

That hero.

“In Saint Geo’s stomach…?”

Not anymore.

“I hope a hero-level dragon appears. Even in the wild.”

“What about Nidhogg?”

“In terms of humans, he is at the level of a high-level knight, but he is not at the level of a master. The same goes for other drakes.”

As a regressor who has seen the future, I can say this.

As the largest shareholder who operated and supported Gyeongryongjang, I can confirm this.

“Please, I hope there is at least one master-level drake like that.”

Among the drakes, there was no one that could be called a master level or ‘dragon king’.

* * *

[A moment later, VIP room at Gyeongryongjang Stadium.]

When a person in power is in a bad mood, you should not mess with them carelessly.

Especially now, if you’re doing something like ‘Eolchalyeo’ in a group, you shouldn’t even touch it.

“Well, it looks like you’re really angry, President.”

“…Write it.”

The Duke of Winchester wipes his lips with his tongue and looks straight ahead.

Outside the window, knights disembarked from flying dragons, with their heads on the ground, their backs turned and their buttocks raised high.

It’s already been 1 hour.

There are some people who fall down in the middle, but they are trying their best to immediately return to their original posture and hold on.

“Look, they probably didn’t know they were that stupid.”

“Did you know?”

“Yes?”

“Did you know that the Drake Knights would be defeated so easily… Haha. Did you know that they would be defeated so easily?”

“Well, I’m not a clairvoyant or have future vision, so how would I know? It’s just that the Drake Knights are too accustomed to the existing fighting methods.”

The combat method of the existing dragoons was very simple.

Take control of the air superiority and throw a weapon or fire a sword from a higher place than the opponent, out of reach of the opponent’s attack.

Or shoot an arrow.

So, I didn’t often deal with enemies who were in the ‘same position’ as me or in a ‘higher position’ than me, and even if there was such a thing, I only thought of it as a special situation.＜ Br＞

Even if there was such a situation, the master level hero solved it all with his physical strength.

“The black rose is like this, but what about the golden dragon… Haha.”

“The Royal Knights are no different. In fact, they are more serious. Don’t they train?”

“…”

“The drakes, who should be able to fly freely in the sky, are trapped in the Dragon’s Canyon, unable to move properly, and their flesh is bloated. In the future, they will not be able to escape the canyon without being able to avoid the hand of the knight who is trying to catch them.”

“Haa…”

The president’s sigh deepens.

“Okay. Let me put it bluntly. Aside from gambling and all that, the whole reason you offered me Gyeongryong was because you felt uncomfortable talking about this shameful situation directly. Right?”

Finally, President Winchester acknowledged it.

“The dragoons, who were the pride of Nostrum, are so poor that they cannot even withstand the barrage of musket fire. That’s why you’ve been trying to draw out my anger so far because you want to say that. Right?”＜ Br＞

“No.”

I acknowledged it.

It doesn’t mean it’s not.

“It’s for gambling.”

“…Ah, I see. This could be seen as military training, so let’s call it a gambling den…”

“It’s gambling?”

It looks like the Grand Duke of Winchester is broken.

“The dragoons of today are all trash, trash. How…Sigh.”

“Would you like to recommend one person?”

“What?”

“I know of one person who makes sure all the dragoons train properly, he is an example to everyone, and no one will have a problem with any training.”

Even if he flies through the sky with dragoons, the Empire cannot raise any issues.

“It’s okay. You can’t argue that this is military training.”

“You can’t believe it…”

“Isn’t it the perfect time to weed out the dragoons? It’s an opportunity to shake off the fake ones who are just nobles and hold the title of dragoon, or who are just making fun of ladies in social circles with the dragoon insignia.”

If you truly want to become a ‘dragoon’ in the traditional sense of Nostrum.

“When His Majesty the King personally trains dragoons at the forefront, who would dare to skip that training and have personal time?”

“…”

“Grand Duke. “Can you imagine?”

It looks like the Archduke is already shaking just from talking.

“Your granddaughter, heir of Nostrum, is seen flying through the sky, clutching the reins of a drake in one hand and a lance with the flag of Nostrum fluttering over her shoulder in the other.”

“…”

“One day, our dragoons will cross the canyon and fly above the Terscian Empire.”

And.

“Rest assured. “I will take care of the strays.”

“You… !”

“Traitors who are dissatisfied with Nostrum because they were kicked out of the dragoons due to their lack of skills? Among those waving flags in front of them and heading towards the empire, who would be closest to them?”

Those who fell from Naria’s dragon train are all gathered in one place.

“Then, I’ll see you at Gyeongryongjang soon.”

* * *

And, time passes.

October 10, 97, Imperial Calendar.

Orosol Academy, Gyeongryongjang opening D-1st.