That was easier said than done, but—and it might have been a first—Konrad had no real plan.
He had an impulse, a fire raging inside him, and nothing else.
As if trafficking slaves wasn't bad enough, but children as young as those who escaped?
And all cramped into a few wagons without proper guard or nurses.
There was only so much he could forgive, politics damned be.
He threw one fireball after the other, burning through his mana like there was no tomorrow. It made him light-headed, but no less angry, even if he knew this was not the solution.
If he hit one of the slaves by accident—
'Calm down, bossman, we almost got them all already,' Maple, of all people, tried to reason with him. 'No injuries so far. The kids are fine. What will be our next step?'
Hah, if only he knew.
Following that first impulse would've only led to an even greater rampage.
It would have been nice, letting out some steam, but Konrad had appearances to uphold.
Yes, even with a slaver like this.
No, his main concern was the kids' safety.
'Can you call in reinforcements?' he thought. 'We'll need to take care of the little ones first.'
'I, uh, can only contact people I know,' the dragon's voice echoed. She was less confident than Konrad had hoped for. 'So my options are—the blondie necromancer or the greater demon.'
Ugh.
'What about Eyna or the Tribal Council?' he messaged back, rubbing his temple.
Stella was the last person he wanted near frightened children.
Lily was only a little better—and also far away—recruiting for him in the mountains. It was a mistake to send everyone so far, but, well, he needed a way to keep his sanity.
'Eyna has no magic, and Halaima's far,' Maple noted. 'I can reach her, but she can't answer.'
Finally, some good news. Konrad knew the girl well enough not to worry about her responses.
'That's fine, she's smart—explain the situation and tell her I ask for help.'
If he had all his trust in one haremette, it was the purple-eyed beauty.
He could almost feel the pouting energy coming from the dragon, but he couldn't care less.
Yes, Maple was useful, too, but she was as chaotic as Lily, if not worse. While he loved the demoness with everything he had, she was a world-ending disaster in a cute disguise.
'Aren't I cute, too?' the dragon demanded, causing him a sudden headache.
He wanted to learn how to stop their mind probes and how to use telepathy on his own already. But now his next plan was to master shutting everyone out of his head at once.
'Rude,' Maple sniffed, or at least he got the same feeling. 'What do I do with the wyverns?'
Once the pressure from her mind eased, Konrad realized he was still out in the open.
On horseback. Even if it was all for show, a mock battle raged around him.
Who knew how long he had blanked out?
Yeah, he needed to shield his brain from these women before he lost his mind.
'Keep 'em around until the children are safe. Once they're far enough, pull them back. But make sure you're leaving a lasting impression on the slaver and his men.' Konrad thought.
Half his mana was gone already, and he set fire to the trees lining the highway.
The air was heavy with the smell of burning flesh, too—one of the horses the wyverns tore apart lay charred on the field. Forget the women; he was also powerful now.
He had to be careful with the collateral damage he could cause.
And, well, save some of his mana in case of an emergency.
"Surround the merchant, let no beasts near him," Konrad yelled, riding closer. "Archers can only keep them away for so long. Send a few riders into the woods to see if the kids are—"
He couldn't finish, a wyvern flying so close, it almost knocked him out of the saddle.
'What the hell was that?' he asked himself—because no answer came from the dragon anymore.
The connection to Maple, as annoying and strong as he had felt it until now, was gone. To make it worse, his horse no longer behaved as it had while under her calming influence.
The change was drastic—and he'd only think about emergencies.
His first reflex was to jump off the saddle and draw his sword. The landing wasn't as graceful as he had hoped, but he survived—the shame—and the ground was more stable than his ride.
'Maple? Talk to me?' Konrad demanded, but still no answer.
Was she so offended that she'd cut him off without a warning?
And he had no way of reestablishing the connection.
He didn't even know where the dragon was all this time, until—
An enormous, crimson monster dove from the sky, breathing fire all over the caravan.
The carts, the remaining horses, and even a mercenary—they all turned to ashes in a split second. Konrad was almost fifty paces away, but the heat was still so strong he could lean on it.
"Maple," he shouted it out loud, but the beast didn't react, flapping its wings, gaining altitude.
The wyverns abandoned everything to follow her.
All it took was a few seconds until they disappeared in the low-hanging clouds.
Then—dead silence.
Konrad stood dumbfounded, still clutching his sword. But there was nothing to defend now.
Well, the merchant and the rest of his guards were still alive. They looked pale and overwhelmed, but the caravan? Gone.
Count Rolalt, too, could only gape his mouth, staring at the sky. His lancers scattered.
Even with all their forces and his magic combined, they all knew they wouldn't stand a chance.
Remembering how Lily killed a dragon with her bare hands earlier—
Now, thinking he was powerful felt laughable.
'Was that impression lasting enough?' Maple's voice returned when he expected it the least.
'Fucking hell, you lunatic,' Konrad's first thought slipped out with a long breath he didn't know he was holding. 'I thought you went out of control or something. Never do that again.'
The only response was the dragon's chuckle.
'I guess it worked, then,' she replied, with an unhealthy amount of smugness leaking out of her thoughts. 'Do you still want to cut our link, though?'
Konrad was too tired for this. He almost dropped his sword, trying to rally his men.
'You made your point,' he thought before barking orders. "It's gone, I can no longer feel its presence. Regroup, keep your eyes open. And report on the damage that monster had done."
Another wave of annoyed energy washed through him.
Maple was pouting.
'I know you hate it when someone calls you a monster,' Konrad thought. But he had no intention of comforting her. 'Stop behaving like one, and I won't use this word on you, either.'
'But you asked me to—'
'You can read my mind,' he interrupted. 'You know exactly what I was asking for.'
But now, he not only had to take care of five hundred children while hiding them from the slavers. He also had to explain how a dragon appeared in the middle of his duchy.
Something nobody saw outside of a greater dungeon for at least a century.