The wyvern couldn't stand, but I saw something in its eyes.
Defiance.
It wasn't just because of this fight.
Maybe it wanted something but couldn't achieve it. It's difficult to judge without knowing much. But instead of sitting and accepting, it wanted to fight and take it.
These were the eyes of such a beast.
Hahahaha!
Yes!!
Those eyes—I need those eyes in you, or you won't accept me.
Now, knowing the time was right, I teleported.
I appeared between the roc and the wyvern.
One to my left, the other to my right.
My sudden appearance surprised both of them.
I teleported again, this time close to the wyvern's mouth, and put an elixir in its mouth.
I did the same for the roc.
I had to use Blitz.
Now both of them were as good as new. And both of them also knew this.
I then raised my hand toward the roc.
"Apocalypse."
There were no mountains destroyed, there was no river evaporated—but it was enough to kill that huge bird.
Now the wyvern knew I was stronger than it. Stronger than what had defeated it and kicked it out of the pack.
It is a social animal, after all, so I bet on that nature.
I slowly walked toward it.
I could feel the grass beneath my shoes, the movement of the air, and slowly things changed. I felt its breaths, its eyes with burning intensity, and the defiance.
I came and stopped in front of it.
My arm was just in front, waiting for it to respond.
Even though I could understand a lot from those eyes, I couldn't know what it was thinking.
Soon, its thinking stopped.
It kept its wings over my hand. I thought I would be crushed, but perhaps due to its elastic nature, I wasn't.
I teleported above it. It didn't resist.
Then it pushed the ground.
As it did, the air stirred, the ground trembled, the grass vibrated, and a vortex of air formed around us. Soon, we were in the sky, with me on its back.
I rode for a while and then landed near the driver.
The driver was so shocked he fell on his butt.
I teleported to the ground and said to him,
"Bring that into my territory. I will go in a new ride, and here, arrange food and lodging."
Saying so, I gave him a generous amount of money.
You might think why pay attention to the carriage?
Just destroy it and be done with it.
But it's the only thing now connecting me to the last name Lewin. I am as good as no one. So I couldn't bring myself to do that.
I teleported onto my ride, and we took to the sky.
In between, it suddenly stopped listening to my command. I was confused but didn't force it.
Soon, I realized why.
There was a pack of wyverns on a hill.
The other wyverns looked at mine, their beaks ready to fire attacks.
Don't tell me he was part of this pack.
WOW! My ride sure holds his grudges.
But then I got on mood, he is one of my people. And I currently have no one except him.
So I got angry.
"You dare attack my ride, you bastards!!"
"Apocalypse."
And just like that, I killed thirty wyverns.
My wyvern floated there, maybe a little stunned, but soon we were back on course, and it finally listened to my orders again.
After a little more time, we finally reached my territory.
Well, to be more exact, I reached my capital city, because I had entered my territory a little while ago.
My territory is Valoria Dominion, and the capital city is Valenstead.
I landed at the city gate—well, I'm the lord, so I don't need to—but it's not like they know me yet.
Moreover, due to demon attacks, there was also a little tension.
The guards saw the wyvern and me and readied their weapons.
I went to the city gate, and the guard demanded,
"Identify yourself."
I was bored. Should I play a trick?
Hehehehe.
I said,
"I will. But do you want to make a bet?"
The guard said methodically,
"Show your identification right now!!"
I continued ignoring him.
"How about I show you my ring? It will make you fall on your butt. Bet?"
The guard, not in the mood but seeing I was going at my own pace, just nodded.
I smiled.
"You will have to buy me a drink, good?"
He had reached his limit, raised his weapon, and I showed him my ring.
The result?
He was terrified. First came shock, then he froze, and finally, he retreated so fast he fell on his butt.
Generally, people would laugh at such a scene—but laughing when a powerhouse is standing is difficult.
I said again,
"Well, send the one with the highest rank here to me."
The guard stood up, ignoring protocol, and quickly went somewhere.
Soon, a knight came and saluted me.
Generally, knights are not stationed at gates, but right now, anything but normal was happening. We are at war, so security had been increased, with knights patrolling the city, the gates, the forests, and any possible weak spots.
I said to the knight,
"Go and inform the castle that I have come. I will land on a wyvern."
The knight saluted and left quickly.
Meanwhile, I said to the soldier I had played the prank on,
"Come tomorrow to the castle to treat me to a drink. Don't bring anything expensive. Also, pay attention—for example…"
Saying so, I teleported beside a person waiting to enter the city.
Seeing me appear, he jumped back.
I smiled and said,
"I'll give you an example."
I asked the person for consent, and he agreed.
"So, what business brings you to the city?"
He replied,
"A little business and mostly sightseeing."
I laughed.
"In a territory under demon attacks, you decided it's a good time to go sightseeing? Wow, impress me."
I turned to the guard and said,
"This person looks a little suspicious to me. What about you?"
The guard stood silently, unsure what to say—maybe still frightened.
I shook my head and smiled.
"Well he looks suspicious to me…"
I raised my hand and fired Apocalypse at the person's head.
His head blew up. Afterward, his skin slowly turned dark, revealing that he wasn't human but a demon attempting to infiltrate the city.
Soon, I sat on my wyvern and left for the castle, hoping the knight had informed everyone.
Apparently, he did, as no one fired a spell or attacked.
The citizens of the city looked up at the sky, seeing me on a wyvern heading toward the city center.
I touched the ground in front of the castle.
A large number of knights welcomed me.
At the front stood a butler, female and a beastkin.
Now, I couldn't tell if she was dogkin or wolfkin. They look mostly the same; there may be small differences, but it's difficult for outsiders to tell.
According to dogkin, wolfkin are far too aggressive, whereas wolfkin say dogkin are too tame.
I couldn't ask directly, as that would make them hate me.
I quickly followed the butler into the castle.
Inside, I reached a room where I could speak with my subordinate and ordered the butler,
"Bring me a map and the commander of the army, if possible."
The butler quickly left.
---
Commander of the Army POV
I saw the twelfth lord's butler approaching.
She reached me and said harshly,
"The twelfth lord has summoned you."
I was confused, though I had an idea.
Perhaps the new lord wanted to assess the war situation quickly to plan for the aftermath or current conflicts.
I knew I had to be prepared to explain demon attack patterns, troop distribution, and strategic methods. He might even ask out-of-the-box questions, so I had to be ready.
I was a little frightened. Meeting a lord—especially a new one—was risky, as no one knew his personality. And everyone knows a lord carries immense power, politically or militarily.
I ran quickly toward where I was summoned.
Soon, I stood before the lord.
The new lord had red eyes, the so-called "eyes of nightmares."
But as a commander, I wasn't intimidated—though he was a nightmare himself.
His hair was blond, and he looked ordinary, not handsome. And he was literally a boy.
I didn't show my surprise.
I greeted him energetically, like a new recruit before a training officer:
"I greet the lord."
The lord was lying leisurely on a sofa, looking at the ceiling.
He slowly turned his head toward me and sat up just enough to show he didn't disrespect me but didn't care much either.
He opened his mouth.
"Army commander, tell me something," he said in a solemn tone.
Why the solemn tone? Was he unhappy with what he heard or did he detect incorrect information?
I stammered,
"Y-yes?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"The butler…"
"Butler?"
He continued,
"Which is she?"
I asked, stammering,
"S-s-sorry?"
He clarified again,
"Is she a wolfkin or a dogkin?"
A word escaped me unintentionally:
"Huh?"