All the northern nobles jumped out and climbed up the walls. I couldn’t believe it unless I saw it with my own eyes.
It was the moment everyone climbed onto the wall.
“This crazy… … !”
Someone muttered blankly. Despite the swear words that seemed to have taken away the nobles’ face, no one pointed them out.
That’s also true, because a group of dragons were staring right in front of my eyes.
“How crazy this land is going!”
“Even if the candidates caught five dragons… … !”
A dragon is a creature that is rarely seen once in a lifetime. However, even after the candidates caught five, four more popped out from somewhere.
Of course, the one Carol caught was a dragon that was embarrassing to strike, but a lesser dragon.
“That’s ridiculous, four dragons.”
Before anyone knew it, Ragnar and Logain were also up on the wall, staring at the dragon. Viscount Thorburn stared at the two with a dejected expression.
“Was beyond the snowfield such a hellish place? I hope you survived.”
“The desire to be positive is like a chimney, but it’s not to this extent.”
Ragnar clicked his tongue and replied. No matter how strong the sons of the snowfield are, they can’t live in a land where dragons pop out from time to time.
Although the light has faded due to outstanding candidates, the dragon is originally treated as a natural disaster. The moment even one floats, the small tribe disappears on the spot.
“If the dragon were that easy to see, we would have disappeared right away. It is the first time for us that two or more dragons appeared at the same time.”
“Heh heh, but four.”
It could be said to be an unprecedented situation. While everyone was at a loss for words, Luke frowned.
“I have more bad news.”
“Is there anything worse here?”
“Unfortunately yes.”
What is as important as the number of dragons is the type. Because it’s important how to deal with it depending on the type. However, from what Luke saw, all dragons were of the same species.
“All of them are yeomryongs.”
“… … !”
Everyone’s body stiffened as it was. The strongest dragon that has the ability to fly and breathe fire. Especially in the current situation, it’s the worst kind.
Since he could fly, he would easily jump over the castle walls, and the human damage caused by the dragon’s flames would be unimaginably enormous.
“What is the reaction of the local people? Now that the dragon has appeared, they must be confused.”
“Not good. Very bad.”
The Marquis of Serge replied with a pale face. I was so surprised by this situation that it looked like a corpse because it was white.
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“Right now, I’m somehow suppressing it, but the moment the dragon flies here, there will be an uproar. A lot of travelers came because of the election of the king, so the population is almost saturated. … !”
The Marquis, who swallowed the back talk, gnashed his teeth. He seemed to have lost his temper, but the other nobles thought it was worth it.
This is the estate of the Marquis of Serge. In a way, everyone who came here was the Marquis’ guest. But then, this uproar happened.
It was the worst situation for an aristocrat who valued the customs of hospitality.
‘I lost face.’
‘Tsk tsk, is it just a moment for the omnipotent family to fall?’
It was a time when all the nobles were tongue-in-cheek. Luke’s eyes shone strangely. Something strange caught my eye.
‘I think that’s annoying.’
It’s not about the situation. You’re angry at someone for sure. It is said that there is a probable cause.
But now was not the time to ask. Luke turned and looked around.
“The third test must be stopped.”
“Mmm.”
“Huh.”
All the northern nobles let out a sigh. Since it is an emergency, it is unavoidable that the test itself be suspended.
However, to stop at this point, when the election of the king was just around the corner.
‘Although it is temporary, there is no guarantee that the current situation will be safely passed.’
‘In the worst case, the election of the king itself could be ruined.’
‘Heh heh, that’s fair. Doesn’t the sky want a king in the north?’
Inertia is important for anything that requires a long period of time. Because you don’t know what excuse to stop while you’re stopping for a while and ruin it.
It’s scary to stop, and dissatisfied forces intervene one by one, and it’s only a matter of seconds for things to collapse. How many times has that happened in the political arena so far?
“Goddess, how are you sending me trials at a time like this… … .”
“The situation is urgent, so it can’t be helped.”
Some of the nobles frowned at Carol’s chuimsae. The expression and voice were calm, but it didn’t look nice because it was said by the person who benefits the most in the current situation.
In particular, the face of the Marquis was contorted like a devil. Despite the atmosphere around him, Carol didn’t blink an eye. Rather, he expressed his opinion as if it were common sense alone.
“This is not the time to hang on to the test. I need to come up with a solution right now… … .”
“Who said you quit the exam altogether?”
“yes?”
Carol looked at Luke with a dumbfounded face. Luke, who lit up his speech, smiled and said.
“The trial resumes immediately the moment the dragon threat ends. But let’s change the direction a bit.”
It is an opportunity for the long-awaited grand integration of the North. Luke had no intention of blowing this opportunity.
* * *
Luke’s comment was simple.
– Currently, each candidate does their best to stop the dragon threat.
-When everything is done, a write-in vote is held among the candidates.
-Each person gives a speech to the northerners about why they voted and why.
-The candidate with the most votes is elected king.
“Let’s do it like this.”
“… Are you serious?”
The Marquis glared at Luke with an absurd face.
“It’s not kids jokes, what is this? It is better to elect by vote among the nobles!”
Of course, there was no way Ragnar or Loghain would allow it. If that happens, a king will emerge from among the northern nobility.
However, it was true that it looked much more authoritative than Luke’s way. Viscount Thorburn also agreed with the Marquis’ opinion this time.
“I don’t think this is a bit too much. If it were a vote, wouldn’t each person choose a king after looking at the background? What else is the speech in front of the northerners?”
“Listen.”
Luke raised his finger and pointed in the direction of the dragon.
“This event will be seen by every Northerner here.”
“I guess so.”
“Of course, we’ll see if the candidate is active in preventing this from happening.”
“… You are not wrong.”
“But after everything is over, what would happen if a candidate was chosen for political reasons and then there was an arbitrary reason?”
“… … .”
Viscount Thorvern drank honey and became mute. I didn’t think of that. What would the northerners who survived the threat of the dragon think of it?
What if those who desperately tried to save themselves did not become kings? And if the one who kept quiet behind the scenes becomes king for political reasons.
‘The aftermath must be no joke.’
The level of the king is not different. A king who fails to act will lose his authority, and those who voted for dissimilar reasons will also lose their honor.
‘That’s not all. Now that such a big thing has happened, any reason that has nothing to do with the current situation will not work at all. No matter how perfect the theory is, if you vote for those who don’t play an active role, they’ll be stoned.’
What happened here will soon spread throughout the North. If you don’t want to be treated as an idiot by all northerners, voters should also choose based on pure performance.
Upon learning the circumstances, Viscount Thorburn shuddered.
‘Are you trying to gain greater authority by using honor as a shield?’
Circumstances themselves are compelled to elect those who are active now. But regardless of the circumstances, the voters choose the king voluntarily.
Just by participating in the vote, it is the same as recognizing the legitimacy of whoever becomes the king. Even more so, if the person he elected became the king there.
The justification for resisting the elected king is completely lost.
“Amazing.”
“It’s just a nobleman’s knowledge.”
Luke trembled at the words that came out of his mind. The other nobles soon realized the meaning of the words and their faces brightened.
“Come to think of it, that’s a really good method.”
“I agree.”
“Me too!”
Most of the northern nobility expressed their consent on the spot. It was the same with Ragnar. No, it was a better way for the barbarians.
In the first place, the duel itself was a way to attract support by touching the emotions of the northerners. However, Luke’s method will be able to receive much more support than that.
There was no reason not to change the way.
“Okay, it seems everyone agrees.”
said Luke with a grin. A few of the aristocrats’ expressions hardened, but there was no reason to care about that.
Even more so if it’s a candidate who desperately needs to run now.
“Then, now that the test method has been decided, let’s start with planning how to fight.”
* * *
At the Marquis’ castle, which became the conference room for operations, Luke looked around. All commanders were gathered, regardless of northern nobles and barbarians.
‘It’s a minister.’
Among the northerners who revere radish, only the commanders were gathered, so the spirit was great. If you are a person with weak qi, your legs will come loose.
‘I can understand why the previous emperors hated the integration of the north so much.’
Even the imperial family could be in danger if an army of this size moved in unison. I probably won’t catch enough of two of those dragons.
However, no matter how critical the situation is, there is no king now. The command authority is scattered among each of them, and since they won’t even try to give it up, it will be difficult to stop even one.
“First of all, we set up a policy before we set up a strategy.”
After clearing his mind, Luke said to the surroundings. Actually, this was the most important thing.
“Do you attack first or wait until you attack?”
“… … .”
Both the commanders of noble origin and those of barbarians were silent. To be honest, it was a difficult issue for them to judge.
The first to comment was the commander from the northern nobility.
“Is it necessary to attack? There is no possibility that I will stay as it is and go somewhere else.”
That’s right. Somehow, the dragons were just staring at us from there, not even budging.
It’s not a bad idea to keep an eye on the situation before you mess it up and end up stumped. However, objections immediately emerged.
“You sound carefree. Then what if you get a pre-emptive strike? This place will become a sea of fire.”
“Kuhm.”
At the words of the barbarian commander, the nobleman turned his head. Because it wasn’t wrong. If the dragon made up its mind to attack this side from the beginning, the story is different.
Just watching is the worst option. Isn’t it none other than a yeomryong? You can fly over the castle wall and turn the territory into a sea of fire.
Luke leaned toward the latter.
“That is what I think. I don’t know if it’s another time, but there are too many people gathered in the manor right now. If the dragon flies this way, everyone will be confused and the battle won’t work properly.”
Rather, it is better to go out first and limit the target of the attack to the combatants. Quite a few commanders nodded in agreement with Luke’s opinion.
“But none other than four. Even if the Lord takes care of one and the Warchief takes care of the other, there are still two male cows.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Luke showed this and laughed.
“My vassals are quite numerous.”