Brachius continued about every day with a consistent schedule. He would go to the academy, and afterwards, he would visit the commoners on the street. They boy continued receiving fruits from Todd. He would also continue giving silver coins to the ragged slum dwellers. However, he knew that such a thing wasn't sustainable.

The kids would walk up to him every day expectantly, and they'd started following him around during his time off like little dogs. Eventually, Brachius had the idea that he should hire each of them. He would teach them useful skills like reading and writing.

Brachius would get them to understand the world from the perspective of nobility and commoner alike. He paid them a wage for their services, and they went on to make small shops where they sold trinkets that they made. Each little boy and girl grew to be their own individual.

It was during this time that the noble boy would start becoming a man. He found the love of his life in the form of a commoner girl named Beatrice that was his age. Initially, he never thought that such a thing would happen, yet he ended up giving her that flower he kept for so many years.

The young man would later marry Beatrice when he was handed his estate. All of those children he'd lifted out of poverty celebrated and vowed that they would support the man from then on.

Brachius never had any aspirations to be a king. He would have been content living the rest of his life like his father had, but such a pipe dream could not have been reality. Life for commoners only got worse, despite Brachius's best efforts. People would come to him daily with worries about their crop shares and over taxation.

On top of everything, the king started executing people. He was driven mad by something that none of them could see. King Crassius enlisted more and more troops and prepared for an invasion of the mountains. To the public, the king made it seem like it would make all of their lives better.

By capturing the mountains, they could gain control of the resources. They would enlist merchant's guild members and rumors of another guild had started. They'd planned to make a guild that would deal with all of the monsters they found up there, yet there was a huge problem standing in their way.

Bandits already went up there and lost their lives to a dragon. It proved all of the suspicions the scholars had the whole time. A dragon was lurking in the mountains.

Yet, King Crassius was not deterred. If anything, it spurred his heart onward. He became even more maddened with the idea of being the first human king to slay a dragon.

No matter how Brachius saw it, there would be no future under this ruler. The mad king had already staked his claim over the mountain and marched towards his death.

And the inevitable came to pass.

King Crassius was executed by the hand of the red dragon. She'd cut him down before the eyes of his whole army.

The feeling in the kingdom was mixed. Many thought they should seek retribution for the death of their king, but many more thought they should reform. Only one thing was clear, nobody wanted to take the mantle of the king.

In fact, the heir to the throne was found dead in his room after the incident. He'd killed himself with a vial of wyvern poison. At least that was what the report said.

Unrest settled over all of the commoners, and who did they look towards for guidance?

Their eyes settled on Brachius. The one who had sided the most with the common people ended up being the one that they sought.

The pressure built within the man. Ever since that day so many years ago, he'd been the one that they leaned on. Why had he even still been alive in the first place? It was a miracle that the mad king couldn't see what was happening right under his nose.

All of the people became more loyal to a populist Viscount than their own king. Many had found shelter within Vernan's acres of property.

Somehow the division ended up working in Brachius's favor. The capital's nobleman voiced their support for him as well. Though, it was hard for him to understand why? Were they trying to make him a king to wait and see what would be done about the dragon?

It didn't take him long to figure out that was the case. The moment that Brachius was given the kingdom, all of the nobleman turned to him to ask what he would do about the dragon under the mountain.

Though, the answer he'd given must have caught them off guard. "We will make peace with the dragon." The man looked towards his inner court of nobleman. "All of you will come with me, and we will settle this amicably."

Indeed, the ones who would not go, the ones who would fain illness, Brachius would keep a close eye on those when or if he returned.

The Viscount turned King kissed his wife and left the safety of his walls. He left behind the cowardly nobles that he'd have to decide what to do with later, and he left behind all of the commoners that would cheer for his return.

Brachius thought about the dead king and smiled. Despite everything, you were still more brave than all of those people.

Yet, whether he was a fool or brave, Brachius could never forgive that man. He'd endangered the lives of people he was supposed to protect. He'd put the entire kingdom in unrest with his selfishness, and his death left a void in the heart of his own child. If the human god was truly as kind as people made him out to be, then the old king was not going to be welcomed with open arms.

Saarthal will not perish. No matter what may happen to me in this journey, our people will live on. Though, Brachius had no plans to find a premature grave. He did not want to leave behind a grieving widow.

He leapt onto his horse and prepared for the worst, while expecting the best. But first...he had to visit the town that was closest to the mountain. He needed to speak to the people of Korilis and understand them. He needed to hear the account of the dragon with his own ears.

"My lord," one of the men said, "we have to make haste. If we are absent for too long, we might come back to a kingdom in ruin. There is no telling what will happen if those other nobles seize power."

Brachius nodded. "Let's hurry on to Korilis. When we reach there, we will stop for a day for food and rest. Then we'll spend the rest of the time hiking up the mountain. I expect that the dragon will not attack us. From the reports of other soldiers, she seems like someone we can talk to. Despite how terrifying such a creature is, she never killed all of our men."

The other horseman sighed. "But, My Lord. Remember we are still dealing with a dragon. We have no idea what they're like or what they think."

"And yet, several kingdoms live beneath them. Do you think that this world has only one dragon? If dragons were so evil, then why would all of us be allowed to live beneath them? Surely if they wanted, they could turn our kingdoms into wastelands. The same thing goes for gods as well. If there are beings with so much power, why will they not simply use it to end the world?"

The man nodded. "You're right, My Liege. I still can't help being worried."

"And cherish that feeling. I would not expect you to cast aside all doubts while we walk into the belly of the beast. What separates us from monsters in the first place? Maybe they are just as worried as us. Either way, I will not allow any of you to die needlessly. I would give the dragon my life first."

The other man tried to argue, but he was cut off by the king's raised hand.

"When giving an offering, it's keen that you understand the one you're conversing with. I will need all of you working your hardest to make sure that we appear amicable. Do not even raise your sword. We must trust that the dragon will speak to us, and we'll give her what she wants."

Brachius didn't take a response, he gripped the reigns of his horse and kicked his feet against her sides. "Come on girl, get us to Korilis, will ya?"

The horse obeyed his command, and they were off to the races. It took them a little less than a week to reach Korilis, and they stopped several times on the way to feed their horses. Overall, the journey was a calm one, and they did not stop in any towns other than the one at the base of the mountain.

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