novelraw Chapter 99 : Chapter 99
Chapter 99 : Chapter 99
Chapter 99. The Power of the Fire Dragon (1)
The Laper family, one of the collateral branches of the Lafard family.
Few knew they were a collateral branch, except those within the branches, due to their early independence from the main family.
Over time, those aware of this dwindled, and now, only a handful knew the Laper family’s true roots.
Even Duke Theron, closely tied to the Lafard family, was unaware of their collateral status.
Ironically, the Laper family was the most deeply connected to the Lafard family among all branches, as they were the leaders uniting and guiding the other collateral branches.
For centuries, the Laper family had fought northern barbarian invasions, amassing strong military power.
Though they governed a small territory, their military strength was unmatched by other branches.
Yet, they hid their ambitions, carefully interacting with Duke Theron from a close position.
This was a strategy exploiting the proverb that the darkest place is under the lamp.
Despite the death of Count Raymond Lafard and the news of my death, the Laper family showed no hint of their intentions.
They had seen other branches, unable to hide their greed, eliminated by Duke Theron up close.
But with the barbarian invasion, an opportunity finally arose.
The Laper family meticulously analyzed this chance, deliberating twice, no, three times, and prepared thoroughly before making their move.
Now, they led their forces boldly toward the Lafard estate.
Gallop, gallop!
But the barbarian invasion was an opportunity for all collateral branches.
The Laper family, geographically the farthest, knew this best and hastened their pace.
At the forefront, Lord Card Laper, the Viscount, pulled the reins hard, riding fiercely.
If my information is correct, the Time Barrier should be gone. The problem is others know this too…
Reaching the Lafard estate’s border, he and his forces found countless hoofprints on the main road.
Damn it! As expected! They’re already after the orb.
If only they’d arrived a bit earlier.
Card swallowed his regret but thought it wasn’t too late.
But that thought changed completely upon seeing a massive pillar of fire rising from the Lafard Count’s estate.
Someone’s already wielding the Fire Dragon Orb’s power like that?
He immediately pulled the reins hard, stopping his horse.
A knight approached urgently and said, “Lord, it seems one of the branches has taken the orb. What should we do?”
“We’re a step late.”
He had anticipated the orb might be taken by someone.
But an unexpected variable arose.
The existence of someone wielding the orb’s power to that degree.
Merely possessing the orb and mastering it were entirely different matters.
“Hmm.”
Deep contemplation showed on his face, and a knight, unaware of his thoughts, cautiously spoke.
“Why not take this chance to wipe them out? If they’re avoiding the barbarians, they’ll come here. An ambush could catch them.”
The knight and the Laper family’s army didn’t imagine defeat.
They were veterans who had fought in real battles every year for centuries.
Warriors who had stacked victories on countless battlefields.
But Card Laper thought differently.
He looked far beyond the enemy before him.
“Look. That’s not just the Fire Dragon’s power unleashed. It’s proof it’s being controlled.”
His gaze remained fixed on the towering pillar of red flames.
The sustained form of the fire pillar showed it was being manipulated.
“It does seem that way…”
“We wouldn’t lose to other branch soldiers. But if the opponent wields the orb’s power, it’s a different story.”
If someone could freely control the orb’s power, it wasn’t a mere numbers game.
At best, mutual destruction; at worst, a one-sided massacre.
“So we retreat.”
Card made his decision.
“But…”
“Better to strike when they’re overconfident with the orb. Opportunities will come again.”
The knight didn’t argue further.
“Understood.”
Thus, Card Laper quietly led his army out of the estate.
“Turn around and head straight to Duke Theron. If we don’t show up at his estate after his summons, it’ll raise suspicions.”
“Yes!”
This decision unwittingly brought him another stroke of luck.
Unaware that I was alive, he avoided the slaughter unfolding at the Lafard estate.
Meanwhile, the three collateral branch alliances that arrived before the Laper family stood amidst a hellish scene.
Whoosh!
“Arghhh!!!”
Scattered flames spread through the air, and fire slashing the ground devoured everything.
The heat alone melted armor, fusing it to flesh, and grotesque screams echoed.
“No way…”
The moment they inhaled, hot air and the stench of burning flesh stung their noses.
“Ugh!”
Mercenaries and soldiers writhed in agony.
Their silhouettes faintly visible in the flames turned to ash and vanished.
All this was the result of me merely unleashing a fraction of the Fire Dragon Orb’s power with a swing of Venus.
How is that guy controlling this fire so freely?
The center of the blazing fire pillar split, creating a rift, and I slowly emerged from within.
At my appearance, Baron Balton, leading the hastily formed branch alliance, shouted in terror, “That’s it! Seize it!”
At his command, archers fired arrows in unison.
But, Whoosh!
As I extended Venus, a beam of flame exploded from the sword’s tip.
The fire sliced through the sky, consuming the incoming arrows, reducing them to ash that fell.
And its momentum didn’t stop.
The flames shot forward, piercing Baron Balton’s shoulder at the end of its path.
“Argh!!!”
Worse than the pain of pierced flesh
was the burning sensation searing from within.
The scorching heat flowed through his veins, burning him from the inside.
“Die.”
With that word, flames engulfed Baron Balton’s body from the wound.
Before a scream could escape, he was fully ablaze, reduced to ash.
“Eek!”
The knights and mercenaries fell into chaos at the sight.
Baron Belmin, another branch leader, shouted urgently, “Mages! Stop that fire! Earn your pay!”
Prepared for the possibility of the Fire Dragon Orb’s power going out of control, ice mages stepped forward.
“I’ll stop it! That’s no real dragon’s power—just a measly flame!”
“Leave it to us!”
As 5th-circle ice magic was completed, a powerful wave of frost shot toward me.
The air froze, and the ground was instantly covered in frost.
But this was no ordinary fire.
Sizzle!
Before reaching the wall of flames, the frost wave turned to steam and dissipated.
Like a wisp of mist.
“No way!”
As the mages despaired, the flames surged in retaliation.
They instinctively raised ice barriers, but the blue shields evaporated before the flames touched them, and the fire engulfed them.
“Arghhh!!!”
Watching the mages flail in the flames, another mercenary mage stepped forward.
“Fools, fire must be fought with fire.”
An old man in a red robe stepped out, drawing a massive red magic circle in the air.
“I’ll show you what 6th-circle magic is.”
The air heated instantly, and crimson flames swirled in.
Whoosh!
A wave of fire crashed toward me.
The red flames clashed, vying for dominance.
“You may handle fire well, but you can’t beat me, a mage!”
As if to prove it, the old man’s flames pressed harder.
“Burn to ashes!”
“Compared to her fire, this is nothing…”
With a light swing of Venus, the dragon’s fire devoured everything, flowing back toward the old man.
“You—!”
The flames from the Fire Dragon Orb couldn’t be controlled by magic.
His magic was vainly consumed, and his entire body was engulfed in flames.
“Aaagh!!!”
Watching from above, Gaiard shook his head and muttered, “Tch, if it was that witch Lilith, she could’ve blocked this much fire easily. What confidence drove these fools?”
They were renowned in their regions.
But before the Fire Dragon Orb’s flames, they were meaningless.
“The mages are dead…”
The survivors began to realize.
The being before them was beyond their ability to face.
“R-Run!”
“You fools! What are you doing? Fight!”
The scene turned to chaos.
Mercenaries, valuing life over money, threw down their weapons and fled first.
The branch knights exchanged confused glances, advancing no further.
Of course, I had no intention of sparing a single one.
Surprising. I thought he’d burn them moderately and finish them himself.
Instead of cutting them down directly, I chose to inflict the most brutal pain with the orb’s power they coveted.
The fire born of their greed burned them most miserably.
“Argh!”
“Aaah!”
The flames spread, consuming the fleeing knights and mercenaries one by one.
The fire, as if alive, chased their heels,
enveloping and incinerating them instantly.
Thus, the branch alliance, including Baron Belmin, was completely annihilated by the Fire Dragon Orb’s power they desired.
The area remained a gray hell even after the flames died down.
Gaiard, covering his nose, descended to the smoldering ruins.
“Not one left standing.”
Kicking the debris, Gaiard said casually, “By the way, while I was up there, I saw someone coming, kicking up dust. Probably similar types.”
“Coming here at this time likely means another branch. I know these aren’t all of them.”
Gaiard glanced at me with interest and asked, “So, what’s the plan? Chase them?”
I thought briefly and shook my head.
“No.”
I drew a firm line.
“Normally, maybe. But it’s wartime. I can’t act alongside these fools who lack judgment.”
I decided to end the branch purge here and proceed with my plans.
“Then where to? The capital you mentioned before?”
“That’s the final destination. But we’re not going there directly. We’ll hit the barbarians from behind.”
“Even with the orb, you alone won’t be enough.”
The Fire Dragon Orb was a decisive weapon for the battlefield.
But it alone wasn’t enough to turn the tide.
“So we need to build an army.”
“Does your family have any forces left? All I saw in the estate were corpses.”
“I know. That’s why I’m joining Duke Heriel Theron.”
The Duke’s coalition, currently the largest force outside the capital.
To join them, I resolved to head northwest.