The Mad Dog of the Duke's Estate-Chapter 310. The Ghost Island (1)

The Blue Dragon Gratia was the Guardian Dragon of the Ducal Family of Leston. Since the establishment of the headquarters in Raelnia, she had been patrolling the North Sea with Raelnia as her base.

Now, she had returned to Raelnia, bringing astonishing news. "This is proof that the Demon Kings have begun to move. There was no island there before, and I can sense a strong reaction of dark mana."

"But the North Sea is already full of dark mana, isn't it?" Caron asked.

"This is different. It's unmistakably a gate reaction—meaning a direct passage to the Demon Realm has formed," Gratia explained.

At Gratia's explanation, Caron furrowed his brow with a grave expression and said, "That location is far too dangerous."

They had been working to open a safe route to the Demon Realm, using ships requisitioned from the Free City Union, the Neon Kingdom, and the nagas of the Southern Great Forest coast.

Opening that route was more important than anything. No matter how elite their soldiers were or how hard they trained, it would only matter if they could land troops in the Demon Realm.

From the massive harbor built in Raelnia to the planned landing site, the journey alone would take nearly a full month.

A month at sea couldn't guarantee safety—especially in the North Sea, a place riddled with unpredictable dangers. Even now, as they worked to chart the route, the losses weren't small. Death reports from the survey fleet were coming in regularly.

And now, a new variable had appeared—the so-called "Ghost Island." For the commanders, it was nothing but trouble.

"It's right in the middle of the route, isn't it?" Caron asked as he pointed at the sea chart Gratia had conjured with magic. The Ghost Island lay dead center along the route to the Demon Realm.

Gratia nodded slowly and answered, "The route we're using is the one Rael left behind. It's highly likely the demons know of it too."

While analyzing the tomb from Saint Kamael to melt its seal, the dwarves had found certain carvings upon it. Through the research of mages and archaeologists, they'd learned it depicted a North Sea route—information that became the foundation for the expedition's planned path.

Caron had named it "The Wretched Route," thinking it fitting since it was the very path Rael had taken when he failed to complete his revenge and crossed to the continent.

"Opening another route is practically impossible," Gratia said.

"Yes. We wouldn't even know where to begin in other regions. It would take an eternity," Caron agreed.

"But unless we properly investigate the Ghost Island, we can't proceed as planned. That's my opinion," Gratia added.

With that, she yielded the floor to the expedition members. Her complexion wasn't good—unsurprising, since she had transformed into her true form to personally scout the North Sea.

The North Sea was a place devoid of even a speck of mana. For a dragon, who lived off mana, it was a lethal environment; Gratia had been greatly fatigued.

"I want your opinion," Halo said to Caron in a low voice.

It reeked of a trap—an island had appeared out of nowhere, leaking dark mana, and in such a strategically important spot.

They had only two choices: Either to create a new detour route, or strike head-on.

Caron answered without hesitation, "The key is, it's an island, right?"

"That's correct," Gratia confirmed.

"And it just happened to appear in the middle of our route. In other words, it's a strategic stronghold," Caron continued, and a glint of madness appeared in his eyes. "If it's a strategic stronghold, we take it. We could turn it into a mid-route supply base for the Demon Realm expedition."

It was a truly insane plan spilling from Caron's lips.

The sudden statement froze the expressions of all the commanders—except Halo.

Now he's saying crazy things without shame.

Well, he's always been crazy, so maybe it's to be expected. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Suggesting they seize a place without knowing what threats lurked there—only Caron could say something like that with a straight face. The risk was enormous.

But Caron spoke with complete confidence. "Let's do what we do best—send a small, elite strike force. And we've got the perfect transport to take us there, don't we?"

"...What transport?" Halo asked.

"Right there," Caron answered with a smirk, jerking his chin toward Gratia.

Suddenly downgraded from a mighty dragon to a means of transport, Gratia asked in disbelief, "What exactly do you mean, you mad oath-bearer?"

"If you transform into your true form, we could ride on your back and get there," Caron suggested.

"You want to put others on my back?" Gratia asked.

"You would be faster than any ship. And if things get bad, we could escape with you. An expedition with a dragon? Come on, how could anyone pass that up?" Caron replied.

Caron now had the audacity to try and use the Guardian Dragon herself.

"No matter what, letting another race ride a dragon's back is—" Gratia began, but was cut off by Caron.

"So you're saying you won't honor the pact with our family? You said you promised our founder you'd fully support the one who would carry on his will," Caron pointed out.

"...Still, this is—" Gratia began once again.

"Who told you to make such a pact so carelessly? I thought we'd done you plenty of favors until now..." Caron interrupted.

Gratia quickly turned to Halo. As the current head of the Ducal Family of Leston, Halo could put a stop to Caron's scheme—or so she thought.

But Halo didn't act as she hoped. Instead, he nodded slowly and said, "It's right to use our maximum available force."

"...Maximum force?" Gratia repeated.

"And our greatest force is, without a doubt, you, Gratia. With your incredible magic and wisdom, we could handle any unforeseen event," Halo explained.

Halo had suddenly begun praising her. Dragons were a race who naturally stood above others—meaning their pride was immense.

And great pride meant that they were vulnerable to flattery.

"Exactly. We need our strongest power to accomplish this mission. That's why I want you with me, Gratia. This will be a perfect chance to practice the coordination between Guardian Dragon and oath-bearer. The enemy won't expect a dragon from the start," Halo explained.

"...Hmmm," Gratia thought out loud.

After Halo opened the floodgates, Caron unleashed a barrage of compliments. "If you weren't here, I wouldn't even think of going to that Ghost Island. Right, Leo?"

"Right, definitely," Leo replied quickly when Caron prompted him.

Soon, the hall was filled with praise for Gratia, especially from the family members of the Ducal Family of Leston.

"Well, if you put it that way, I'll consider it—positively," Gratia said with a restrained smile.

The mighty dragons—perhaps they weren't such a difficult race after all.

Caron glanced at Halo and said quietly, "I'll personally select the special unit for the Ghost Island assault."

"Do so," Halo approved.

Thus, the first mission of the Demon Realm Expedition was decided. It was the conquest of the Ghost Island.

***

The conditions for selection into the special operations unit were as follows...

First, one had to have the skill to survive under any circumstance.

Second, one had to have a strong resistance to dark mana.

The plan was to ride upon Gratia's back and swiftly raid the island. The more people they took along, the more meaningless casualties there would be. Thus, only those who managed to pierce through Caron's strict and meticulous standards were chosen.

"Wow, I'm so relieved," Leo said.

"Thinking about resting here alone already puts a smile on your face, doesn't it? Don't worry, Leo. I've asked Sir Zerath to take care of you while I'm gone. You'll be in hellish training the whole time," Caron said.

"Anywhere without you is heaven, Caron," Leo replied.

"Hah, should I just drag you along anyway?" Caron asked jokingly.

Including Caron and Gratia, there were six in total: The trio of former Imperial Guards, and the Grand Saintess Seria, would participate in this raid.

There were four knights at the 8-Star level, a Grand Saintess, and a dragon. They required no special preparation, so the team was summoned immediately.

Leo glanced at the five humans standing beside the massive blue dragon and murmured in awe, "...If they put their mind to it, they could topple the imperial palace itself."

The knights were at the very peak of 8-Star. If one added the miracles of a Grand Saintess and a dragon's magic, the result would be a terrifying level of combat power.

"No need to bring a grand army, right?" Caron remarked, tapping his pouch of dimensional space. Inside, his Avengers were waiting—one hundred trained knights at the level of 7-Star, all ready for vengeance. There was no shortage of strength here.

"Gratia's back looks wide enough—why not bring a few more? Lady Sabina, Her Majesty the Queen..." someone suggested.

"This is more than enough. You just haven't seen these people fight," Caron replied.

In the vast parade ground, the blue dragon already stood in majestic splendor. Gratia's sapphire scales shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

Upon her back sat the three former Imperial Guards, already strapped in for flight, though their faces were sour. They hadn't expected Caron to work them this relentlessly.

"At this rate, we'll be dead before we even reach the Ghost Island," Leo muttered.

"That's just your imagination. They're actually good people," Caron answered.

"...Weren't you beaten half to death just yesterday?" Leo asked.

While Caron chatted with Leo, Seria approached from behind with a half-enlightened expression. She said, "Enough chatter. Let's be off, Warrior."

"You look better today," Caron remarked.

"Last night, I prayed until dawn and realized something—getting angry at you changes nothing. This is simply a trial the Light has bestowed upon me, so I will endure this wrath with grace," Seria explained.

"That's the Grand Saintess for you. But why didn't you realize that earlier?" Caron asked.

At that, Seria's fist clenched, but she forced a smile and replied, "Shut up and let's go. Warrior."

"I love your reactions," Caron said with a grin. "Leo, I'll be back. Tell my father I won't be long."

"Got it," Leo replied.

Caron glanced at Seria mischievously, then asked, "Princess carry? Or should I just give you a piggyback?"

"I can manage myself," Seria answered flatly.

A pure white light radiated from her body, lifting her gently into the air. She landed gracefully on Gratia's back, then looked down at Caron with mild disdain and said, "Let's go."

With a light jump, Caron landed beside Seria. Despite appearances, Gratia's scales were surprisingly soft—a kindness she had prepared for her passengers.

"You're truly remarkable. How long will it take to reach the Ghost Island?" Caron asked.

"A day will be plenty. Just hold on tight," Gratia's voice rumbled in his mind.

With everyone aboard, she gave a mighty beat of her wings and soared into the sky. The ground fell away quickly beneath the special operations unit.

Kerra gazed down and said, "Well, I never thought I'd fly on a dragon's back. Hey, Beatrice, wanna make a bet?"

"On what?" Beatrice asked.

"If someone fell from here, would they live or die?" Kerra asked.

"With a good landing technique, maybe live... or no, they could blast out some mana before hitting the ground. Probably live," Beatrice answered.

"Let's find out. Should we toss someone for a test?" Kerra asked.

"That's a great idea," Beatrice replied.

The three of them began plotting right behind Caron's seat. Despite the dizzying altitude, they showed no fear.

There should have been a sonic boom at this speed, but thanks to Gratia's noise-cancelling magic, the flight was strangely peaceful.

"Maybe I'll ask Aqua for a ride when she's fully grown," Kerra mused aloud.

"She's my daughter," Caron said.

"I raised her," Kerra retorted.

"She's still my daughter," Caron snapped. The two began bickering like children.

From the back, Seria quietly spoke up. "Caron, there's something I've long been curious about. May I ask?"

"Of course," Caron said.

All the knights in this mission were members of the old Imperial Guards—people from a past era—yet Caron fit in perfectly, as if they'd been comrades for years.

"What exactly is your relationship with them? I now know Sir Uriel is actually Dame Beatrice, but I can't imagine your precise connection," Seria asked.

Caron scratched his head, glancing at his subordinates. He said, "I can tell you, but... promise me something first."

"A promise?" Seria asked.

"Don't tell anyone else. It's a secret I've kept for a long time, but you and I are practically bound by fate, so I'll tell you," Caron explained.

"I promise," Seria said.

"Swear it in the name of the Light," Caron said.

"...It feels like I'm selling the Light's name cheaply, but fine. I swear," Seria swore.

Caron figured she was trustworthy enough to know. They would be together for the duration of this mission, and keeping up the act was tiresome. Besides, with the Light's blessing, she would discover the truth eventually.

"Seria, do you believe in reincarnation?" Caron asked.

"For a soul of true virtue, multiple lives may be granted before entering Heaven. So yes, I do. But why suddenly bring up reincarnation...?" Seria asked.

Caron's lips curled into a bright smile and continued, "Well, I reincarnated."

"...I beg your pardon?" Seria asked, confused.

"It's kind of a long story. I'll tell you on the way," Caron said.

As Caron began recounting his previous life, Gratia steadily carried them toward the Ghost Island.

Past the Leston Duchy, one of the continent's most dangerous bombs was now being transported beyond its borders for the first time.