The feigned illness strategy was a success.
Looking back now, it might have been too successful.
First of all, moving to the convalescence palace definitely had its advantages. Being backed by the Vernis Mountains meant it was a place a little closer to the stage, so to speak.
While I pretended to be sick, and Godric was keeping an eye on where he was moving me, I took a look around.
'…!'
Although it was incomplete, I was reconnected to the system.
It wasn't a proper connection, as the moment I tried to read the contents, I felt a shock-like pain, as if I had been electrocuted. But even so, this was still a big gain.
The problem came afterward.
'Why isn't he leaving?'
Godric had stayed by my side the whole time.
Apparently, the feigned illness act was so convincing. I had been lying in bed for quite a while, but Godric still hadn't left. If things went wrong, his plan to win me over would all fall apart, so I understood, but…
I had a few tricks up my sleeve.
'Wasn't he supposed to go to the stage?'
This was an unexpected variable.
Godric quietly watched as the attendants took the wet towels away. Once they left, and it was just the two of us, he murmured gently.
"Your body is so weak. How could I possibly leave you alone?"
'Somehow, this stings my pride.'
I felt like I had heard "weakling" more in the past year than in my entire life. But there was no helping it; I had no choice but to relax and slouch in my weakened state.
"Still…"
His cold hand moved up to my forehead.
"You look much better when you're docile."
His hand slid down from my forehead to my neck. His pale fingers traced the scar on my neck as if caressing the strings of an instrument.
My heart raced wildly, and cold sweat dripped from me, but I had to endure.
I was fortunate that I could disguise my trembling lips as a mild chill. By the time my back had become cold, Godric withdrew his hand.
At this point, I decided to slightly revise my plan.
I had intended to conspire with Orlie to make a move while Godric was inevitably away, but since he hadn't left…
I decided to turn this into an opportunity.
'If this guy doesn't return to the stage, something's going to happen.'
I grabbed Godric's hand as it left my forehead and clung to it.
"D-Don't go…"
I almost bit my tongue as reality hit me, but it seemed to add more believability to my act. It looked like I was truly reluctant to let go.
Godric, who had stopped in his tracks, glanced down at my hand holding his, then burst into laughter.
"…Alright, don't worry. Do you think I'd go anywhere without you?"
It seemed like he had never intended to leave, as he simply pulled his chair closer to the bedside.
I looked at him, relieved, and curled my body up as if I were feverish, staring absently into the air.
'It's readable.'
I kept trying to read, but the window kept flashing and the text flickered so rapidly that I couldn't focus at all. However, after lying in bed, I had spent almost all my free time reading the notes.
And finally, the time came when I was able to interpret part of it.
The unreadable sections were discarded, and when I pieced together the coherent sentences, the likely situation was…
Take 1. Dragonbone Quarry (Night/Outside).
Raul, the spearman, successfully hijacks a transport cart in the middle of the journey. Disguised as a captured prisoner, he heads toward the quarry.
***
A heavily loaded cart creaked and raced down the steep cliff path without hesitation.
Raul, who was driving the cart—no, he had merely borrowed the armour of a royal guard—gripped the reins tightly. Soon, the head of a dragon came into view.
It had once been a waterfall, but now the stream had frozen in place, its shape remaining intact. Jagged ice protruded like the sharp teeth of a wild beast. Through the gaps, a faint light flickered. It seemed as though flames were ready to burst from the dragon's throat, burning fiercely.
Raul pulled on the reins, slowing the horse's trot. The royal guards stationed at the entrance approached.
"New cargo?"
Raul nodded, and they quietly lowered their weapons.
"We are ready to deliver."
'A bunch of real lunatics, huh.'
"Send the prisoners back!"
The royal guard called out toward the cave. It seemed that the procedure before performing this bizarre human sacrifice was to first send out the prisoners working below.
Soon, with a staggered sound, the prisoners began to stumble toward the dragon's head. Raul's eyes gleamed sharply under his helmet. It had been so long since he had seen these familiar faces.
'They've all become so weak.'
These were the same people, once brimming with raw strength and brutish persistence, who had foolishly trained their bodies without any real intelligence. Now, they looked drained of vitality and powerless.
It seemed the continued exposure to the dragon's poison had taken its toll, as some of them wobbled and collapsed as they walked out of the cave.
"Late."
The royal guard spoke in a cold, emotionless tone as he kicked the fallen soldier aside, sending him sprawling.
Raul didn't flinch or show any anger.
Because he had something much bigger prepared.
"Move the cargo first, and escort the prisoners to the cells."
The goal of this operation wasn't just to stop the royal guards from pursuing while rescuing the soldiers.
'That crazy dragon or whatever it is…'
Raul didn't know what the king was thinking, planning to resurrect the evil dragon. He didn't even know if that was truly possible.
But the suspicious and knowledgeable archbishop, who had been so cautious, and the fact that the centre of the storm in this matter, his commander, was involved, left Raul with no choice but to trust it all.
Perhaps he just thought it was something to do because he was bored of life. People who don't have to struggle to survive often don't think too much when they commit acts. After all, how could such a lowly creature understand the thoughts of His Majesty, the king?
Soon, the royal guards approached with the cart. One by one, they carried the enchanted ones from the cart and headed toward the cave.
Down below, to fatten up the sinister remains of the ancient beast, its mouth gaping wide.
'…'
Raul cast a brief glance at the 'cargo' the royal guards were moving.
These weren't the ones meant to be sacrificed; they were some of the nobles and knights who had strayed from the expedition to chase after their comrades. As soon as they left the old castle ruins, they charged at Leovald, nearly falling into danger because of the dragonbone sword.
'In the end, they all fell.'
It could be said that the timing was just unfortunate.
Their target had recently become… how should he put it?
'Insane… Hm.'
Raul quickly shifted his thoughts.
In just a few minutes, almost all of the royal guards that had been outside disappeared into the cave.
This was enough; the preparations were complete.
He whistled loudly.
As the prisoners, shackled in chains like those returning to a chicken coop, and the remaining royal guards raised their heads, Raul chuckled and shouted.
"There's one more piece of cargo."
The moment they heard his voice, the faces of the soldiers, previously dull and listless, began to brighten one by one. They had recognized the voice of their comrade. Raul decided to savour this fleeting moment, knowing that the admiration and longing of these fools would soon shift to someone else.
After all, he knew this would be the case.
The moment Raul knocked on the side of the cart, a shadowy figure emerged from the dark interior of the cart.
A man wielding a jet-black greatsword.
As the man straightened his body, a long and enormous shadow loomed, and he quietly declared:
"Kneel."
At that moment, every soldier, without hesitation, dropped to their knees. The thought of not obeying the command was unimaginable to them.
The man holding the sword leaned backward, like a warrior wielding a spear.
Raul briefly thought to himself.
'A spearman, huh.'
Swoosh!
The dark blade, released from the man's hand, soon disappeared into the darkness. The sharp, violent sound slicing through the air left an invisible trail, making it easy to imagine the trajectory even without looking directly.
Then, a crackling sound.
From the point where the ice pillar, like the fangs of a beast, had been ominously crouching, an unsettling noise was heard. Only then did the royal guards understand the situation. They quickly stood up and raised their voices toward the cave.
But what would that do?
Just like trying to stop an avalanche with human strength, it was futile. It was only natural to feel powerless in the face of disaster.
Crack! Crack…
The intervals between the sounds of the growing fractures grew shorter, the noise became louder, and the shock intensified.
Crash!
The enormous ice pillar slowly tilted and began to collapse. For a moment, it seemed to float in the air, but then it dropped so quickly that it was impossible to control.
Thin shards of ice shot into the air, glimmering under the moonlight, and shattered ice was scraped away, creating a fierce snowstorm. The tremendous noise shook the narrow gorge.
A part of the mountain range, which had formed over decades or even centuries in the high snowy peaks of the Vernis Mountains, collapsed, blocking the entrance to the cave completely.
Taking advantage of the chaos brought on by the blizzard, Raul swiftly dealt with the remaining royal guards, spinning his spear in a blur.
The storm gradually began to subside.
Amidst the swirling cold, an excited and energetic buzz spread among the survivors, pushing aside the harsh chill of winter.
After a short while, a freckled man with red hair, who had been crouching low, emerged from among the soldiers. He had found a large black sword among the shattered ice pieces and raised it high, his eyes sparkling with determination.
"Commander, we knew you would make it back alive!" he exclaimed.
Leovald took the sword his subordinate offered him, pulled his cloak tightly over his face to hide it, and gave a short order.
"We leave immediately. Prepare yourselves."
With a single slash of his sword, the shackles binding the soldiers' ankles were severed.
The soldiers, who had been weakly slumped, all grinned widely, revealing their teeth.