I Will Be the Greatest Knight-Chapter 472: His Pedestal

"You will stay," the Commander stated firmly.

The trip was setting off a bit differently than expected.

It was early in the morning, and the sun shone above all of them. All the knights and apprentices they would bring with them through the duchy were ready and on their horses.

Thinking they would simply set off and there was no more to it than that, they were all shocked when a beautiful gold and red dragon fell out of the sky and landed in their path. They were quick to stop their horses and not run into one another.

Henry was the first off his horse, followed shortly by Felix and Irene, who directed the others to stay on theirs.

Irene glanced around; it seemed no one else knew that Henry and the dragon had a mental connection that was likely being filled with thoughts of a dragon who didn't want her master to leave her behind.

To everyone's surprise, the dragon lay on the ground at Henry's feet. She curled her serpent-like neck around his boots so that he couldn't move forward or back. A groan that let out a bit of smoke came from her lips and made the knights feel on edge. It was clear to everyone she was feeling a bit fiery.

For some reason, it reminded Irene of her and her father. The thought made her have to bite the inside of her cheeks so she wouldn't grin since her helmet's visor was up. Did that mean she was the dragon in this situation? 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"I have already appointed apprentices and knights to make sure you aren't bothering the construction workers while we're away," Henry groaned and lifted off his helmet. He then looked over his shoulder and sought the advice of Felix, who stood by with his helmet in his arms, concerned at the situation unfolding. "What will be said if I bring a dragon with me to each village or town?"

Felix ran a hand through his blonde hair. He was at a bit of a loss as he shrugged. However, he also added, "They're bound to trust her more if they know about her. We brought her to the Earl's lands, after all."

Henry looked down at the dragon once more after nodding at Felix. He let out a sigh and Sylaron lifted her head up so fast that Irene flinched. Even though she was more used to the dragon than others, considering she had been on the beast's back, there was still something so unnatural about a creature that size being pleasant. It put her on edge when she did unpredictable things.

"You'll go with us so you don't bother everyone here," Henry decided. "But the moment you set foot into one of these places and scare the people, I will ignore you for the rest of the trip."

A "pfft" escaped Irene's lips as she laughed at the thought. "Sorry," she quickly uttered with a gloved hand over her lips.

He really was reminding her of her and her father. Was this the type of father he would be if he ever had children?

With the dragon satisfied as she took to the sky and Irene's head feeling hot because, if life panned out as she wanted, the only person who would have kids with Henry would have to be her, they all got back onto their horses, and the journey truly began.

The first township they arrived at was the very one where she shot an arrow at the massive ogre and somehow blinded it enough to be taken down from there. It was also the same place Samson drew his last breath. A place of pain that would never be forgotten.

Yet as she got to witness her Commander presenting himself properly to the people he presided over, she knew that new memories were going to be created on that trip.

Naturally, there was intrigue as a group of knights entered the usually quiet township. When the banners that the apprentices carried for Henry's sake were raised, they knew it was the Duke who was visiting them. More people rushed out as word spread.

Was he as handsome as some said? Did he look like a peasant, as others said?

When he removed his helmet and placed it on his lap, a handsome face and well-built body were presented to them. Some rumors were confirmed while others were disproven. There wasn't anything starved about him, but he certainly had tanned skin that was rather unusual for the north.

However, the curious feeling shifted as the dragon, who had landed in the fields, walked behind the group and to the edge of the township. Sylaron seemed to be pushing the boundaries as her toes' long claws just barely brushed against where the brick-lined streets began.

By this point, word had traveled far and wide of the Duke who was friends with a dragon, but no one expected to see the beast firsthand.

The knights who were supposed to protect the townspeople didn't draw their weapons at the beast; while the image of a magical creature known for threatening humans put them on edge, they managed to hold their ground out of respect for the Duke.

On the other hand, out of respect for his people, Henry was quick to step off of his horse—which was quickly taken by Bren—and he faced where it seemed most people were gathered. He even saw the reeve squeeze his way through and to the front.

"The dragon will not set foot into the village," Henry promised. "She is not a harm to us, but will harm monsters if she sees any. Please do not fear her while she's here. As long as no one is threatening my knights or me, she will behave herself."

There was obvious hesitance to believe him, but in those lands, his word was law. Irene realized that, as much as people cautiously eyed the dragon, they spent much of their time offering the Commander gifts and praises of his work so far.

Fortunately, there was room in the inn for all the knights despite it being peak travel season—vagrants leaving Chemois so that they wouldn't get caught in the autumn, which would then lock them in the north for the harsh winter.

Thus began the time of Irene idealizing the man that she was so fond of. Each time he interacted with people, she found new sides to him that even she had never experienced before. Authority looked good on him. The way people accepted him because of his kindness and fairness was not lost on her.

She wished she could openly fawn over him as she had to witness plenty of women do as they passed through each place.

Instead, she kept to herself or surrounded herself with her brothers. She couldn't bring herself to burden him with any unnecessary jealousy or her feelings at that moment.

However, it seemed that this wasn't the answer to her problems because the very man she thought was too occupied to notice her cornered her one night unexpectedly.