Chapter 493: Chapter 466: Not Yielding an Inch

As Carlos’s enormous body slowly ascended, Ronin stood on the Dragon’s back, gazing down at the shrinking West Wind Hill encampment below, an indescribable fury surging within him.

He understood Ridder’s character. If he had a choice, the latter would have absolutely avoided a direct confrontation with Garrett and his men.

As things stood now, although Denny claimed Ridder had disobeyed a military order, Ronin believed it was more than likely that Garrett had simply fabricated an excuse to deliberately cause trouble, forcing Ridder to fight back.

Fortunately, Ridder was strong enough that he hadn’t come out on the losing end.

During the flight, Ronin closed his eyes and sank into thought, quickly running through potential strategies in his mind.

He was well aware that as a Lord, protecting the rights and dignity of his vassals was also a way of protecting his own.

If he didn’t project enough strength, others would assume his vassals were easy targets. This would make it difficult for Ridder and the others to carry out their duties going forward.

However, Ronin also knew that a head-on, no-holds-barred fight with Garrett was far from the best course of action.

He needed a solution that would not only resolve the issue but also force Garrett to exercise some restraint.

Soon, the silhouette of Red Pine Castle gradually became clear.

Carlos’s massive form circled above the castle. Its low, draconic roar sent waves of panic through those below; warhorses, livestock, and even soldiers were all struck with terror.

Staring at the colossal beast in the sky, their throats went dry, sweat beaded on their foreheads, and their legs trembled uncontrollably.

"The Marquis has arrived!"

Ridder rose from his seat in the fortress hall and strode out quickly.

Gushan followed close behind, his eyes immediately drawn to the behemoth in the sky.

"I heard the Marquis’s Giant Dragon has a wingspan of a full one hundred and twenty meters, but today it looks... even larger?"

He wasn’t mistaken.

Over the past six months, Ronin had fed Carlos thirty thousand Energy Essences. This had caused a tremendous increase in the dragon’s Power, and its body had grown a full size larger as a result.

The current Carlos had a body length of a full sixty-five meters, and a wingspan approaching one hundred and sixty meters.

As Ridder and Gushan gazed at the Giant Dragon, Garrett and his men emerged from their rooms, feeling just as apprehensive in the face of the creature.

"It’s gotten bigger again!"

Garrett looked troubled. While he didn’t truly believe Ronin would do anything to him, the suffocating feeling of not being in control was deeply unsettling.

"Yuge, do we have any way to deal with this Giant Dragon?"

The Silver Moon Knight, Yuge, looked troubled. "Forgive my bluntness, Your Highness, but in the two hundred-plus years since the Kingdom was founded, while we have experience in aerial combat, we have no record of ever fighting a legendary creature like a Giant Dragon."

He looked up at the pair of wings that blotted out the sky. "Generally speaking, the wings of a Flying Magical Beast are relatively fragile. Perhaps the same is true for a Giant Dragon. If we could pierce its wings with sharp Long Spears and force it to the ground, it would be much easier to handle."

Garrett shook his head. "The machines that launch the Long Spears have limited power. Once the Giant Dragon gains altitude, the Long Spears won’t be much of a threat."

"Then we Silver Moon Knights would have to take to the air ourselves and hurl the spears by hand!"

As the two were talking, Carlos suddenly threw his head back and roared.

"AWOOO!"

Along with a roar that seemed to shake the very heavens, a thick torrent of Flame erupted from Carlos’s cavernous maw, flooding the entire night sky.

In that instant, night became day. The entire sky was lit red by the fiery light, like the burning clouds at sunset—an absolutely magnificent sight!

Garrett’s expression changed dramatically. The fluctuation of elemental Energy was simply too intense. If the Dragon hadn’t aimed its breath at the sky but at Red Pine Castle instead, the fortress would have become a living inferno, with countless casualties.

’Ronin... is he threatening me?’

Garrett knew what it was, but he hadn’t expected Ronin to be so brazen.

Standing on Carlos’s back, Ronin gazed down upon Red Pine Castle, his mind perfectly calm.

This was both a threat and a warning, meant to make Garrett abandon his petty schemes.

"Let’s go down."

Ronin gently patted Carlos’s neck. The Giant Dragon immediately folded its wings and swiftly landed in a large open space in the castle, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"My Lord, you’ve arrived!"

Ridder came forward. "My apologies. I’ve caused trouble for you."

"This wasn’t your fault."

Ronin looked Ridder over. Seeing that he was unharmed, Ronin’s worries were put to rest.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Ridder recounted the events of what happened after arriving at Red Pine Castle.

In fact, the whole affair wasn’t that complicated. The conversation between him and Garrett had been less than ten sentences long.

Ronin sneered, "Viscount Denny, please go and ask the Crown Prince to come out. If he wastes our time like he did this afternoon, I won’t be waiting for him for several hours like Ridder."

Viscount Denny gave a somewhat awkward smile, then ran off to inform him.

Gushan walked forward with a broad smile. "Marquis Ronin, welcome to Red Pine Castle! Seeing you in person, I now know you are even more valiant and powerful than the legends say!"

Facing Gushan, Ronin maintained the proper courtesy. After all, during the previous conflict, the man hadn’t blindly sided with the Crown Prince.

Not many people could do that. This Deputy Commander before him was clearly not afraid of offending Garrett.

The two exchanged pleasantries as they walked into the fortress hall.

This time, Garrett was quick to arrive. No sooner had the three of them taken their seats than he walked in.

"Ronin, quite an entrance you’ve made."

Garrett’s tone was dripping with sarcasm. "That little stunt with your Giant Dragon just now... were you trying to incite panic in Red Pine Castle, or were you putting on a show of force for me?"

Ronin didn’t get up. Sitting on the long bench, he said with a smile, "Heh, compared to you, what does this little bit of might of mine count for? After all, I wouldn’t dare make a Proud Sun Knight waste half a day waiting for nothing."

Garrett was silent for a moment. He hadn’t expected Ronin to drop all pretenses of courtesy in front of him, not even bothering to stand up.

He snorted, then walked over and sat down opposite him.

"Ronin, your Knight not only disobeyed my orders, but he also injured me and my men. How are you going to resolve this matter?"

"Making someone wait in a hall, is that considered a military order?"

Ronin shook his head. "Ridder is one of the Kingdom’s few Proud Sun Knights. Even though he serves me, I must treat him with courtesy. I don’t know why you’re targeting him, nor do I care to know. But if you think I’m going to back down even half a step on this matter..."

He paused, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly, and slowly enunciated three words: "Not. A. Chance!"

Ridder had originally agreed to Gushan’s proposed method: find an opportunity to apologize and smooth things over.

He never expected Ronin to take such an unyielding stance right from the start.

In this situation, if Ridder still insisted on apologizing, it would be somewhat inappropriate.

A Knight, after all, must act in unison with his Lord.

Garrett narrowed his eyes and asked in a suppressed voice, "Ronin, what is this attitude? Are you planning to betray the Kingdom?"

"If I recall correctly, this is the second time you’ve said something like that."

Ronin’s smile faded. "You may be the Crown Prince, but you are *only* the Crown Prince. For now, at least, the only one who can represent the will of the Oduin Kingdom is your father, His Majesty Bruno."

"Furthermore, I feel it’s necessary to remind you that any noble has the right to protest unfair treatment. This is a right granted to the nobility by the laws of the Kingdom!"

Garrett’s expression was so grim it looked like thunderclouds had gathered on his face. He hadn’t expected Ronin to be so unyielding, even bringing up the Kingdom’s laws to counter him.

"Ronin, do you think having a Giant Dragon is enough to contend with me?" Garrett’s voice was low and dangerous, his eyes flashing with unquestionable authority and rage.

Ronin smiled faintly, a look of both confidence and mockery in his eyes. "The Dragon is merely one of my allies. He is not the only thing I rely on."

He met Garrett’s dangerous gaze without flinching. "I, Ronin, live by a simple code: I will not attack unless I am attacked."

"As for what happened today, if you see it as a provocation, then let me be clear. I, Ronin, do not seek out pointless conflicts. But I will not stand by and let anyone walk all over me!"

The air in the hall grew thick with tension.

Seeing that they had reached an impasse, Gushan let out a hearty laugh. "I suggest you both stop being stubborn about this."

"Today’s incident was, when you get down to it, just a misunderstanding. Though the process was not very friendly, at least one good thing came out of it: we have one more Proud Sun Knight."

He began to play the role of peacemaker. "I believe Your Highness could petition His Majesty the King to authorize a military campaign. I am confident that with Ridder joining our ranks, we will soon be able to wipe away the disgrace from thirty years ago and conquer Mist City in a single stroke!"

Garrett lowered his head and remained silent, and no one could see his expression.

Ronin, for his part, showed Gushan deference. "As for military campaigns, so long as they are not designed with malicious intent, I will have Ridder give his full support. That is my responsibility as a Vassal of His Majesty."

Gushan nodded with a broad smile. "Your Highness, you are the overall Commander of this front. The final decision rests with you."

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