Joshua descended from the sky as gently as a feather, right in the middle of the oh-so-mighty Imperial Knights.

The crowd was utterly silent, as if they were in mourning. A person riding a dragon? Who could have possibly expected it?

Isnt that a wyvern? Porter dumbly muttered. The Imperial Knights gathered around him couldnt help but latch onto that word.

No, thats impossible; the Wyvern Knights are one of Swallows finest units.

But its close enough, isnt it? Its hard to tell up there, but it looks like a wyvern; theyre called small dragons for a reason. They say wyverns take over twenty years to tame

Uh If he could tame something that powerful, shouldnt he be the deputy commander of the Templars?

Right! But theres no way, right?

The aristocrats and knights murmurs swelled. However, Crevasse was not kind enough to let them run their mouths.

[GRRRRRRRR.] The dragons roar rolled over them, quashing their illusions. The weaker knights quaked in their boots or just dropped to their knees. There was no question of the identity of the beast looming over Arcadia anymore: it was a dragon.

Oh my god

N-No way, he tamed that?

The knights of the upper battalions were frozen stiff. The 11th and 12th, on the other hand, were transfixed by Joshuas visage1. Rangers thuggish face looked ready to burst into tears at any moment.

12th Battalion, attention!

11th Battalion, attention!

Ranger and Cazes shouted at the frozen knights. They drew their swords, blades pointed into the sky, and raised them to their chests in salute. All of them turned to Joshua.

To the Captains safe return! Salute!

The knights cheers shook the sky, proudly proclaiming the return of the commander. The rest of the Imperial Knights, even the top battalion, could only watch.

[GRRRRRRR.] With a roar, the dragons shadow was gonefast as the wind, just as it had come. Joshua looked up, but that dragon was already a distant black dot.

When Joshua stepped forward, the 11th and 12th Battalions opened the way for him; the rest of the Imperial Knights had no choice but to follow suit. His advance was unstoppable, like that of a returning king. Each footfall was a pounding heartbeat in the chests of the 11th and 12th Battalions.

Valmont watched from the side, shaking his head in a disappointed manner.

Joshua didnt halt until he stood face-to-face with the man who commanded the entirety of the Imperial Knights: Master Rod den Hog.

Captain Sanders, reporting in, he said to the flinty-eyed Knight-Commander. Master Joshua Sanders, captain of the auxiliary battalion, has completed His Majestys orders.

A thrill ran up the backs of the 11th and 12th Battalionsthe so-called auxiliary battalions. On the other hand, the upper battalion knights like Porter were despondent, and the rest were feeling let down.

Joshuas return, as varied a response as it received, was a beautiful way to announce the prelude.

Shouldnt we go outside? What if the building collapses on us?

The nobles were becoming agitated.

They say a dragons breath can destroy a city!

Shouldnt we evacuate before we start talking about countermeasures? Were all going to die!

Hahis there a smart way out of this? Against a dragon

We might be safer here. His Majestys palace has been ensconced in several layers of shielding magic over hundreds of years.

Hmmmmgh

Lets wait for now. Since the Dukes and Sir Evergrant already left, why dont we settle down and figure something out?

Having collectively decided that waiting was their best option, the nobles began to calm down.

A dragon? A smile danced on Aries lips. Countermeasures? Even the Twelve Marquises were gone. I like that. Those clever foxes probably ran as soon as they caught wind of a chance to show off their loyalty. A crisis is an opportunity, as the saying goes. Arie had no doubt that when dragons claimed the skies over the Imperial Palace, theyd look like they were willing to die for their emperor.

But it seemed to Arie that they didnt understand the Emperor very well. If he was right, the Emperor was not that different from Arie.

Even after all this, the Emperor didnt even think about coming back, Arie muttered to himself. And the first person to disappear looked like they knew that something was coming He glanced at the empty space beside the throne and smiled bitterly. The Imperial Chief Wizard, Evergrant von Ashwald, is the key to this situation.

The nobles gathered in a small room near the courtroom. Emperor Marcus stared straight ahead, sparing no attention to the desperate gazes the nobles leveled at him.

Its a little early, Your Majesty, but its as we expected.

Well Even considering the time, its over Arcadia instead of Tripia. This is expected, Evergrant? Emperor Marcus stared down at Evergrants bowed head with half-lidded eyes.

The location is a little different, but well never be able to deny it. Dragons are more selfish and greedy than humans.

Anyone who heard their conversation would think that they knew exactly what was going on. Just what did they know?

I angered him by breaking the pact. I even experimented with the dead in his realmbut we havent gone too far yet. If it had been a lich or a death knight instead of a ghoul, even an infamously aloof black dragon wouldnt have been able to ignore it, Evergrant explained. No, I must have threatened him in the process of achieving my goals.

Enough theory. Just tell me the facts.

In response, Evergrant politely offered the Emperor an eerie, yellowish-brown horn with a sharp tip.

An intermediate demons horn. The horn is an amalgamation of magi and is the demons source of power. Since demons have been gone from this land for ages, Im certain this will get a reaction.

Hmm?

If you can get someones attention, youre already halfway there. Itll probably try to find out where the horn came from, and then I can use my information to carry on the tug of war. Thats my specialty.

So, will it be enough to mollify the lizard?

I think so Huh? Evergrant saw a strange light flash through Emperor Marcuss eyes and shut his mouth.

What is it, Evergrant?

The Emperors eyes bored into the wizard, but he didnt get a chance to reply.

The dragon is leaviiing! A cry came from outside the door.

W-Whats happening? Evergrants calm collapsed. Is that it? P-Please excuse me, Your Majesty. Evergrant bowed deeply to Emperor Marcus, who gave him a light nod, and then ran out the door.

Jacken.

Yes, Your Majesty?

Follow him.

I hear and obey. The head of the Black Wind quietly trailed after Evergrant.

A valet brought Joshua before the throne rooms enormous gates.

He held a finger to his mouth. The effect is stronger the more attention you attract, he said. Can you do it?

No, why would I?

Its what a servant does.

Ash stared at him.

Shout like I told you earlier. Announcegrandlywhere we stand, so that everyone is paying attention to me.

With a face like that, I dont think you need help getting attention.

Do your best.

Tsk. Ash pouted as he walked toward the doors.

I dont need anything special, just shout as loud as you can

Oh, trust me. Im a high elf. Ash paused. A sly smile crept through his unhappy expression. If Im doing this, I gotta do it right, dont I?

Hed come up with a planan excellent way to do what he was asked to do, while still achieving his own satisfaction.

Joshua tilted his head, puzzled. The way Ash was looking at him planted a seed of doubt in his heart.

Whats the plan?

Ash eagerly threw his head back and shouted at the top of his lungs: The dragon is leaviiing! He lifted his foot and kicked the door open. Get outta the way! Joshua Sanders comin through, ya stupid shitheads!2

Joshuas jaw dropped.