Laritte asked as she walked down the hallway.

Why are they going to the Magee Plateau? Its within the Dukedom, isnt it?

The Plateau was located far away from the mansion. Because of that, she realized just how vast the Dukedom was.

Thats right. Im sending a dispatch unit to trace a dragon rumored to be seen on the land.

She was surprised. The expression wasnt visible on her face, but she was.

A runaway dragon was known to appear every decade. Such dragons needed to be eradicated by the Swordmasters and the troops they lead.

Thats concerning.

Were not sure. The farmers may have just mistaken it when they saw the marks made by some kind of an animal.

One in a hundred chances lead to locating a real dragon.

The Ducal couple emerged from the mansion. The mood in the air felt different than usual. Everyone was engaged in preparing the investigation team. A shiny horse was prepared for the knight. The luggage containing necessary items was tied to the horse.

One of the men approached the Duke.

Captain! Allow me to report the progress.

Hows the health condition of the knight?

Everything is fine. The physician has finished his examination.

Ian listened to further reports, while Laritte walked to where the horse stood.

After finishing, Ian approached her.

What are you doing?

Just looking around.

She was staring at the horse. Her eyes were so intense that even the trained stallion backed away in fear.

..Do you want to eat that horse?

Every individual standing around the couple thought the same.

No. Im just watching it.

Or something about its skin..

He stopped at Larittes fierce eyes.

Oh! I know.

Go ahead.

Laritte nodded.

Neither did she want to have its meat nor its leather.

Her gaze was affectionate.

There could be only one meaning.

Do you want to ride a horse?

Um

That was what she wanted. Her eyes sparkled a thousand colors in response.

The knights watching whispered between themselves.

No way, thats what she wanted? She looked as if she wanted to grill its meat.

Just as I thought, something is different about her

Horses were only known to be ridden by knights in the Iassa Empire. This had continued for over a thousand years. Lords could enjoy such horse-riding activities, but the ladies were forbidden. Women were supposed to be gentle and flowery. That was the rule.

Needless to say, Laritte was a little hesitant to speak her mind. She wasnt sure if Ian cared about such historic rules.

Then Ill prepare a suit for you. Itll probably take a few days.

Ian said without a hint of difficulty.

Are you sure?

Have you ever seen me lie?

How many days is it going to take?

It needs more time. We have to find the right horse for Laritte, and since youre a beginner, youll need a helmet for your protection.

At that, her eyes landed on his helmet.

Any horse should be fine. And, this shall be enough for protecting my head.

What shall?

She took his helmet.

Ian couldnt allow that. He couldnt let Laritte get hurt with this mediocre helmet.

Laritte declared, pressing down his helmet over her head.

Perfect.

The people around were all stunned.

Not way!

Larittes head was way smaller than Ians.

The helmet clattered on her head. Not to mention, how heavy it was.

But she believed this was perfect for her.

Is this helmet expensive? You can just lend it to me.

Not much.

It was very expensive.

Sounds great.

.Ill give it to you if I have

Oh! My neck. Is it supposed to sit like this?

Her head was leaning out of balance.

Panicking, Ian grabbed the sides of the helmet.

Neck! Laritte, the neck!

Whoever they are, they made this too heavy.

My father never asked the craftsman. It seems it has become useless.

Ian looked at her face, shadowed by the helmet under the sun.

She looked brighter than usual.

His mind went blank.

Her beauty was so heart-impaling, he couldnt control it.

This cant be happening.

He muttered under his breath.

He had to keep his distance from her.

The problem was that he didnt get a chance.

A knight climbed on the horse and galloped toward the said plateau.

Surprisingly, after a few days, Ian found an excuse to push himself away from Laritte.

A peregrine falcon, which was circling over the mansion, perched on the window frame of Ians office. It tapped on the glass with its yellow, curved beak.

Hm?

Ians eyes landed on a letter tied to the birds foot.

It was sent by the knight from the Magee Plateau.

A bird must go through high training to be used as a messenger. They were used in cases of urgency.

Ava, who was in the office, asked.

What is it about, Duke?

Wait a minute.

The contents of the letter were as follows.

A close examination of the giant claw marks on a tree proves the rumors.

Thats troublesome.

There could be two possibilities.

Either a newborn was out of control of its power, or the dragon was a runaway.

In the case of the former, searching the surroundings would not help in finding the dragon. It was still unknown if a parent was accompanying it.

The latter, if the dragon was a runaway, would be the worst situation.

This called for the need for a punitive force.

Ian delved into thoughts.

It was natural for him to participate in such service.

This is a good chance. With this, I can stay away from Laritte for a while.

Ava asked.

Shall I send a word to the Swordmasters along with the report to the Imperial Palace?

That wont be necessary.

Other Swordmasters from the Imperial Palace and other families were needed to establish a punitive force. There werent many knights available.

However, the Knights of Reinhardt were a force comparable to the Imperial. About three-fifths of them were enough to handle this situation.

Call for the knights before theres any damage to the civilians. I shall personally accompany the troops.

The news broke out through the mansion walls.

The employees chattered, half-worried, and half-expectant.

The words quickly reached Laritte.

She came to Ians office.

I was told by Alice and Irene. That youre leaving.

The maids deliver words at the speed of light.

Ian had to deal with several matters concerning the punitive force during this time. He was getting ready to tell Laritte, but she was faster.

Well, thats what happened. Itll be long before I teach you horse-riding.

Im here to say that it can be dangerous.

Dont worry. I have experience in tackling them.

Even then, such battles have ended without casualties.

Rather, a war against humans had proven to be more dangerous.

Because the runaway dragons were simple and easy to predict, unlike humans.

Laritte froze.

Even if you install a troop, are you sure you can locate that dragon? If not, the journey would be a complete waste.

He had no intention to hurt her.

However, it would also take time to journey to the plateau with that much luggage and safely return. Two weeks at the very least.

Hmph.

Agonizing, Laritte walked out of the office.

Ian, left by himself in his office, frowned.

Had he said anything offensive?

He shouldve been the first to tell her.

He was wondering about what he should do when she rushed back to the room.

Laritte, whats wrong?

I wanted to return this to you.

Her frail arms held the helmet she took from him last time.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep