The Hunt of Arrogance
"Kurvanoi…?"
"Is that a name you recognize?"
"Yes," Roberta replied, glancing briefly at Ulrich.
"I've never seen him myself, but I heard he once appeared in the Langen bishopric."
The dragon that Archbishop Giacomo encountered was named Kurvanoi.
When the fairy Praselli brought Kiara, a descendant of Hestio, to meet the archbishop, Giacomo said that a human calling himself Kurvanoi claimed to be a dragon.
Since Giacomo had never seen his true form, there was no way to verify it. Even Ulrich had heard the name for the first time back then.
But not long after, a black dragon with scaled wings appeared in Sorebel and melted the Pope's army with flames. It was the first appearance of a dragon in the Third Age of Humanity.
The dragons Ulrich knew would never do such a thing. If Kurvanoi's claim was true, then he must be that black dragon of Sorebel. And the dragon who had disguised himself as a court mage of the Kingdom of Parvije… was likely the same individual.
"For a lizard, I guess having wings makes it slippery as hell."
Alessandro snorted after hearing the story involving Kurvanoi.
"When that dragon went by the name Shwab, what did he look like?"
"Like any mage—young. Young enough to be around my age. Black hair, black skin, blue eyes, and pretty tall."
Exactly the same appearance Giacomo had described.
Was he not even trying to hide it? His name, his claims, his actions—all of it aligned, as if he were openly revealing himself.
"Did you… perhaps see his true form as well?"
"Yeah, I did. Right after he started spouting nonsense about Kormilius, Shwab showed it."
Alessandro frowned, scratching his jaw.
"Damn thing was huge. So big it made everything I'd imagined look ridiculous. The people who told me about dragons before never said they were that large. They talked like they were beasts you could ride or hunt… so I figured, how big could they really be?"
"They said the dragon that appeared in Sorebel was large enough to cover the sky and turn day into night."
"If that thing takes to the sky, it really would feel like that."
That big… Roberta muttered inwardly before continuing.
"Well, fortunately, Your Majesty managed to avoid it."
"At first, I bowed. I'm not that stupid. If a dragon opens its jaws, am I supposed to tell it to get lost? That'd be insane. Better to submit for now and wait for an opportunity."
Alessandro shrugged.
"That lizard didn't show its true form to eat me—it was to threaten me. It went on and on about why my father died, how I managed to ascend the throne, and what would happen if I refused."
"Did it confess to killing the former king?"
"Not just my father—my older brother and sister too. Said they took care of all of them. That's why I, the eldest among the children of the second wife, inherited the throne. So yeah, I decided to bow… for the time being."
So the former king, along with the first and second in line, had been assassinated.
Roberta spoke carefully.
"This may sound a bit excessive, Your Majesty…"
"You're wondering if there was no need to oppose them, aren't you?"
When she quietly confirmed, he nodded.
"Maybe someone else would've thought that way. But I didn't like it. I was shoved onto that throne against my will. Do you think that position would be guaranteed until I die of old age?"
Before she could answer, he continued.
"Maybe. To a superior race like dragons, a human king is nothing. But I didn't want to cling to their mercy. My father and siblings were murdered, and I'm supposed to become a puppet in their place? Do I look like someone with no pride?"
Alessandro clenched his fist and struck his thigh.
The king of Parvije had attempted to assassinate Kurvanoi. Since the dragon concealed his identity among humans, they targeted him while he was in human form. But the assassination was never even attempted—
the plan was discovered in its early stages, and instead, they became the ones being hunted.
"The group that chased you earlier—weren't they imperial knights?"
"You already know. Jokuster is in league with him. Ever since I left Parvije, the emperor's pursuit force has been on my tail. They don't care even if it's within Kormilius's sphere of influence. They came after me even inside the city—attacked several times."
That was why he had chosen to flee rather than remain in the city.
Without asking further, Roberta looked at the people approaching from afar. Those who had fled from the merchant caravan were returning. They had witnessed the imperial knights retreat as if defeated, without understanding why. And once they were certain the knights would not return, they turned back and resumed their journey.
"Heading to the Pantheon?" Ulrich asked.
"For now."
"Doesn't look like you have much of a plan."
"With things like this, what plan could I have? Just barely surviving day by day."
Alessandro glanced at his subordinates as if to confirm.
They responded with awkward smiles.
"If Kormilius hadn't lost in Sorebel, things would've been better. That route is the fastest way to the Pantheon. But now Jokuster has it blocked. We're detouring through territories closer to Kormilius, but at this rate, we'll be caught sooner or later… So, where are you headed?"
"If we compare routes, ours won't be much different from yours."
"That's good. Then I suppose we can travel together a bit longer."
"You're not asking for an escort?"
"Exactly." Alessandro grinned.
"What do you plan to do once you reach the Pantheon?"
"What else? It's obvious. I'll return with Kormilius's support."
Will they even have the capacity for that?
Roberta swallowed the words rising to her throat.
The Kingdom of Parvije was a great power—the foremost among the vassal states of the Jokuster Empire. Even the directly governed Langen bishopric of the public church could not compare. If it were brought back to their side, it would become a formidable force.
The problem was whether Kormilius—already pushed back by Jokuster from the very beginning—had the strength to reclaim a kingdom where even a dragon had directly orchestrated a coup. Roberta was doubtful.
"Alessandro, you said earlier—Kurvanoi placed you on the throne."
The young king nodded.
"Was it a position you couldn't have reached without help?"
"Honestly? It would've been difficult. My reputation wasn't great. I'm the child of a second wife, and… well, I'm like this. Plenty of people thought it'd be better to put my smarter younger siblings on the throne. Even with Shwab backing me and pulling strings, quite a few nobles didn't even attend my coronation."
Roberta finally understood why Alessandro spoke and acted so lightly.
Even as the third child of the first wife, one's responsibilities would be minimal—yet he was the son of a second wife. Though he had a connection to the throne, he was never truly expected to inherit it.
He must have lived a rather indulgent life.
Ulrich placed a hand on his chin and let out a low "Hmm," taking his time before speaking.
"Are there still many who don't know the true identity of the court mage Shwab—no, Kurvanoi?"
"Most wouldn't know. Even in the palace, there are probably only a few who know he's a dragon."
Alessandro added that people simply thought of him as an exceptionally talented mage.
"Good."
"What is?"
"There's no need to go to the Pantheon."
As if demanding an explanation, Alessandro stared straight at Ulrich.
"I'll help you reclaim your throne."
"And how exactly will you do that, old man? Planning to bring an army from Osnover?"
Ulrich crossed his arms and shook his head.
"That would be a poor move. Too slow and meaningless."
"Then what? If we're not even going to the Pantheon, how do you plan to take back the throne?"
"Didn't you say so yourself? Kurvanoi concealed his identity and carried out a coup. Dragons are powerful—and arrogant. If given the chance, they reveal themselves without hesitation. So why would a being like that operate in secrecy?"
Alessandro waited for him to continue. Ulrich met his gaze calmly.
"There's no need to overthink it. It's because revealing his true form would be dangerous. The reason—we can uncover that in time. What matters is that Kurvanoi is disguising himself as the court mage Shwab. I imagine he's made quite a few enemies among the nobles."
Court mage Shwab had elevated a prince with such little support that several nobles didn't even attend his coronation. After Alessandro fled, he had likely placed another puppet on the throne. That meant he had effectively chosen the king twice—an astonishing level of power.
If he ruled the kingdom in his true form, no one would dare harbor rebellion. But as long as he wore a human guise, he was nothing more than a single, albeit brilliant, mage. In the thousand-year history of the Kingdom of Parvije, a mage who had served merely three generations wielding such power? There was no way that wouldn't provoke resentment.
The opening Ulrich aimed for lay in that very perception.
"So you're planning to rally them under the pretense of driving out a power-hungry figure."
"It's a fairly convincing reason, wouldn't you say?"
"Simple, but effective."
"But," Alessandro continued,
"What if Kurvanoi reveals his true form?"
Ulrich shook his head once or twice.
"If he reveals what he's been hiding, it means he's been driven into a corner. Whether with Kormilius's support or mine, Alessandro—if you wish to reclaim your throne, you must press him."
"So you're telling me to walk straight into a dragon's jaws to kill it."
After taking a breath, Alessandro lowered his gaze, tapping his chin as he thought.
"In a previous age, your ancestors hunted winged lizards. Why shouldn't their descendant be able to do the same?"
When Alessandro still hesitated, Ulrich added,
"Or you can keep running like this."
At that, Alessandro sprang to his feet.
"Damn it… Fine. I'm in. Tell me the details—what exactly are you planning?"
***
Seven carriages broke away from the merchant caravan and sped toward the city of Lüben.
The caravan's next destination had also been Lüben, but Alessandro could not continue with them. His presence—having joined in disguise as the king of Parvije—had nearly caused the group to collapse. The merchants subtly refused further travel together, offering the excuse that their destination had changed.
"Sorry about that," Alessandro said awkwardly as he guided his carriage away from the formation.
Once separated, the carriages picked up speed—though not dramatically. There were still seven of them. One might question why a fleeing party would have so many carriages, but there was a reason.
The people riding in them were his household. They had been with Alessandro since his days as a prince, and he believed they would not fare well if left behind, so he brought them along when he fled the palace.
Though his manner of speaking was light, his character didn't seem particularly bad, Roberta thought, turning her head.
"First, we need to increase our numbers."
"Our numbers? You mean we don't have enough people?"
"At times, applying pressure is necessary for smooth negotiations."
Ulrich spoke to Alessandro, who was riding alongside him.
"You're a fugitive. And imperial knights are pursuing you. Even those who resent the authority of court mage Shwab won't feel inclined to support someone who ran away with his tail between his legs. If anything, they'd rather capture you and earn favor."
Alessandro frowned slightly, but nodded.
"That's true."
"So you're saying we need more guards."
"We'll borrow soldiers."
At the far edge of the open plains, a city began to come into view. It was Lüben.
"In times like these, I doubt anyone will lend us help."
From what Roberta had heard, Alessandro had sought assistance everywhere he went. Yet instead of receiving help, he was often turned away for fear of offending the Jokuster royal family.
"It won't be easy. Your name carries no value right now."
"What about Dithmarschen? He's my adoptive father—maybe he'll at least give me an escort."
"That won't make much difference. He's too distant a figure here."
Ulrich said they needed to rely on a name that held influence closer to home.
Looking puzzled, Alessandro turned to him.
"Even if it's weakened, no one would dare disregard Kormilius just yet."
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