After relishing in the cool breeze for a short moment, Isla fixed his hood and continued along the mountainous path.

The winding road was rough and steep. Isla thought back to a few years ago, when he first left Valvas through this very road in the middle of winter.

He had hurriedly trod the path to avoid the two strongest clans of Valvas – the Valencia Clan and the Medien Clan. Dozens of cavaliers had blocked his way, but he had relied on a single spear to defeat all of them and escaped the land. Unfortunately, his injuries forced him to spend nearly half a year hiding like a mouse in the dark alleys of El Pasa.

Isla possessed a very special bloodline. His mother’s family was led by Count Herreran, the only one who had been bequeathed a title by the emperor in Valvas. Until the coming-of-age ceremony, Isla led a normal life as a cavalier candidate.

But he had come to a realization after becoming an adult - why he was always able to communicate with griffons without any special training since he was young. Why Count Herreran had acted so cautiously towards his niece’s son, and why Isla was not made a knight or a griffon knight.

Everything had been due to the blood he possessed. The predecessor of his bloodline had united Valvas more than a hundred years ago. But now, the glorified name had fallen.

“Hm…”

Isla squinted one of his eyes due to a dull, faint pain. Even though it had long healed, returning to Valvas made his scar ache. However, he continued on his path as he recalled a certain someone. After leaving the South and wandering the mainland for several years, he had chanced upon the ideal monarch. Duke Pendragon was incredibly strong and trusted Isla more than his own blood.

As a knight, Duke Pendragon was strict with himself, but he did not impose the same conditions on his nobles and knights. Isla had sworn loyalty as a knight of Pendragon but did not bring up his heritage because he wanted to live as a loyal knight for the rest of his life.

Isla believed that if he was around the one who was always bathed in a dazzling aura, he could forget the pain he suffered due to his birth. However, he sometimes glimpsed upon a crazed madness or an unknown sadness in his perfect lord’s eyes.

At first, he had attributed it to the heavy responsibility his lord had to bear. His lord was young, and anyone would feel a massive responsibility at having to head a high-ranking noble family. But as he spent more time with his lord, he realized that he had been mistaken.

Alan Pendragon was the same as himself.

He could recognize the similarity because only those who possessed such fate could know. They both had a secret that could not be told to anyone, and they agonized and suffered in the fate and responsibility the secret brought on.

Nevertheless, his lord was different from himself.

His lord continued to struggle fiercely without running away from it. He had seen it with his own eyes after becoming a knight of the Pendragon Duchy.

So he made a resolution. As a knight of Pendragon, he would also become a man who would not bring shame to his lord. It would all begin with confronting his fate as the orthodox successor to the Knight King, Mara Valencia.

Shaa…!

The cool breeze travelled through the glare of the scorching Sun, and Isla once again made his resolve.

***

Bang!

“What are the Seven Clans doing? The duke and the imperial legion commander are fighting for the South! They are not even from this place! But we’re fighting for control and power while silently watching each other’s moves! Does this make sense!?”

A man with a rugged appearance slammed a wooden cup on the table, and beer splashed all over the table. However, no one frowned at the heated action. Rather, most of the guests in the pub, as well as the men sitting at the same table, sympathized with the rugged man.

“Right! It was all nice and good when we promised Duke Pendragon and the 7th regiment commander that we would cooperate. But what about now? We still can’t unite together, just slithering around like slugs!”

“Not a real man of Valvas!”

“Right! Cavaliers should keep their word!”

Loud shouts burst from all over the place.

Even though it was midday, the faces of the men were dyed red from the alcohol. All of them were born in Valvas, but not all possessed the qualifications to be called cavaliers. Nevertheless, most of them possessed skills with the blade to allow them to equally match one or two soldiers outside of Valvas.

The men of Valvas could transform into soldiers at any notice, including even the ordinary merchants and farmers. That was why no southern lords, and even the Duke of Arangis, could do anything about Valvas.

“Wouldn’t you say that the biggest problem is with the Herreran County?”

“Well spoken. Realistically, the only family who can unite the seven clans is the Herreran County, right?”

It was true. Even though they did not hold one of the seven clan seats representing Valvas, the Herreran County was the only family to have received a title from the Emperor. More importantly, the entirety of the South was under threat right now. It wasn’t just an internal strife in Valvas. In the Great Forest, the Troll King was gathering armies of monsters, and Duke Arangis was revealing his appetite for the South.

Now that the South was in such a predicament, only the Herreran County possessed both the qualification and the justification to unite all the cavaliers, including the seven representative clans. They needed to band the Valvas Cavaliers together and march out of this land.

“Hmph! What could an old count do in this situation? He’s nothing but an old, fangless tiger. The heir to the family is a coward, and he can’t even stroke a griffon’s neck even though he’s almost 30.”

“Apparently, someone from the Knights of Herreran has bet an entire year’s worth of salary that Kyle Herreran wouldn’t be able to put a rein around a griffon’s neck!”

“Reins? Pssh, he would be lucky to get a tiny bell around a griffon.”

“Wahahahaha!”

Loud laughter rang out throughout the pub. It would be hard to imagine such a scene in the mainland. The men were mere commoners, but they were openly mocking and making a fuss about an heir to a high-ranking family of nobles.

But this was Valvas.

If one failed to prove their worth as a knight and a warrior, he would become the object of ridicule and mockery, regardless of how high and mighty his status was. The subject of mockery would be sentenced to incredible shame.

This was how things were done in Valvas. It was a tradition that had been imprinted in the land of knights and warriors for hundreds of years.

But.

“How dare you worms speak so disrespectfully towards their distinguished names!”

A few men jumped to their feet and shouted at a table located in the corner of the pub. Instantaneously, complete silence engulfed the entire pub and everyone’s eyes turned towards the men. They were all young men wearing the same clothes. A symbol of a red griffon was hanging from their left chest, and their attires were black.

They openly expressed their anger and killing intent, and southern-style rapiers were hanging from their waists. Their hands were hanging close to the pommel of their swords, threatening to pull out their weapons at a moment’s notice. The other men in the pub seemed to be a little hesitant at the sight of the young men’s weapons.

However, the silence was only maintained for a short time.

“Huh! What are these brats saying? You unweaned brats weren’t even able to become griffon knights.”

“What, are you going to pull out your swords? Fuck it, should we have a go then?”

“Who are your parents, you damned brats? You dare to try to draw your swords when you still reek of your mothers’ milk?”

Dozens of men jumped up from their seats and glared towards the young men. This was Valvas. Most of the men in the pub were born and bred here.

The young men were young knights belonging to the Herreran County. They were barely adults, and they had been under the influence of alcohol when they erupted in anger. But now, they felt flustered at the fierce reaction.

“Ugh…”

The three young men faltered when they saw the men rolling up their sleeves as if to prepare for a fight. However, as long as they wore the proud symbol of the red griffon, they could not back down. After exchanging a brief glance, the three young knights of Herreran prepared to unsheathe their swords.

It was then.

Kiek.

The pub door opened.

The small sound that resounded in the midst of the sudden quiet was incredibly timely. In the brief moment of absolute stillness, the creaking sound caught everyone’s attention. Everyone present in the pub, including the three young knights of Herreran, were forced to turn their eyes toward the entrance of the pub.

Even though the weather had turned quite hot, the man who made his appearance had his head covered with a hood. Perhaps it was to avoid the glaring sunlight.

He slowly pulled the hood back.

Even though he had caught everyone’s attention, the young man’s eyes, which were properly mixed with black and blue, were completely still without any wavering.

Tap. Tap…

Anyone would be taken aback if they had garnered everyone’s attention by simply walking into a building. However, the well-built man walked nonchalantly and confidently. He was a handsome, young man. As he casually strided through the pub, people naturally moved aside due to the unknown pressure he exuded.

The man leaned against the bar in front of the pub owner, who had been watching the situation unfold, then put one of his arms on top of the counter.

As he lifted his arms, weapons were revealed under his robe. He had a sword hanging from one side of his waist, and a dagger tied to a belt on the opposite side.

‘A real cavalier!’

Everyone shared the same thought. The young man, the cavalier, finally opened his tightly sealed lips.

“Black beer.”

“…..”

The pub owner nodded lightly, then poured a mug of beer from a large, oak barrel before extending it to the young man. Everyone’s gaze was still fixated on the young man. But perhaps he was unaware of their gazes. He disregarded the attention and placed the wooden mug against his lips, taking in several large gulps of the drink.

The sight of him gulping down the cool beer was so appetizing that many licked their lips while feeling a renewed sense of thirst.

Thud.

After drinking all the beer in a moment, the young man placed the wooden mug on the bar.

“One more drink.”

The pub owner refilled the mug without saying a word. As the newly-filled mug of beer was placed in front of him, the young man turned his head slightly. Everyone flinched at his icy gaze. Was this what the permanent snow of Mount Cailo, which was located in the far ends of the Great Forest, would feel like?

The young man spoke while holding the wooden cup in his hand.

“If you’re going to fight, go outside. If not, a round of drinks on me.”

“…..!”

The customers became wide-eyed at the quiet voice. Everyone’s faces started to distort.

“Uhahahahaha!”

“Now this is a Cavalier who knows what’s up!”

“Thanks!”

The men of Valvas burst into laughter and raised their glasses, their ferocious expressions melting away in an instant. They were known to be hot-tempered.

After nodding lightly, Isla took out a gold coin and flicked a gold coin towards the pub owner.

“A round of drinks for everyone.”

The pub owner snatched the gold coin out of the air, then frowned as he looked at his palm.

“This is…”

His frown deepened. The gold coin handed to him by the young cavalier was not the empire’s currency, nor a known foreign currency that was accepted in the South. He had never seen the gold coin in his hand before.

“It is the Pendragon Duchy’s gold coins. The imperial edict guarantees it the same value as an imperial gold coin. Any travelling merchant will be able to tell you.”

“Pendragon…!”

The pub owner became wide-eyed at Isla’s words. The other guests sitting in the bar’s chairs also became shocked when they overheard the conversation.

“Pendragon gold coins…!”

Merchants who travelled between Valvas and the outside world looked at Isla with a surprised expression. It was the first time they had seen anyone use the Pendragon gold coin in this place. This was a far distance from El Pasa and the other southern coastal cities.

“Hey, did you hear that? Pendragon.”

“Hooh? Then that man is…”

Surprise and curiosity filled everyone’s eyes. However, no one willingly stepped up to resolve their curiosities.