The Drake that had been pushed off the peak caused the people below to be momentarily cautious of it, but the Drake merely lowered its head on the ground and did not bother to move. It was very malnourished, so it's physical strength had been depleted, and was now somewhat depressed from the shock of the fall.
For Sunhyuk, who was rather fortunate. Although he had succeeded in taming the Drake, he'd only barely made it submissive enough to forgo its natural wildness. So it was a huge sigh of relief for him that it lay there listless like that.
"But, just in case."
As a precaution he bound the Drake's whole body with ropes. This was to prevent it from ruthlessly plucking and then eating such a poor person, with its current state… everyone might end up being food for this beast.
[Hunger. Dissatisfaction. Frustration. Helpless.]
The Drake was very disgruntled about being bound by ropes, yet, also being tempted by the food, he followed behind Sunhyuk well.
The road down the mountain was very difficult, as it was extremely hazardous trying to fit the Drake through these narrow, dangerous paths along the cliffs.
As such, while they were carrying on through such harsh conditions, the Drake would sometimes collapse to the ground from utter exhaustion. Everytime, Sunhyuk would then push the Drake and roll it, as they descended down the mountain.
Roaaaaaar!
Roaring, it rolled down the mountain as Hansen and the workers paled at the sight before asking him.
"Is, is it alright to roll it down like that?"
"He has a solid body, and I'm also rolling him down with careful consideration as well."
Though it wasn't like he didn't feel sorry for the Drake, but if he did not do this, then it would be impossible to descend the mountain with such a weakened beast. In addition, wasting any further time on the peak would be dangerous, as the deadline to return back to the garrison became shorter.
He could not afford any more time in searching for a different method.
"We must not take that dangerous drake into the fief. Though it might be docile now due to being so weakened, if it regained its energy, its strong enough to wreck the whole domain."
It was a tough downhill path, but what was even more difficult was the people below that were unfamiliar with the Drake's existence. Even though this world was overflowing with various kinds of monsters, the Drake was renowned for its ferocious behaviour, so no matter how weakened it may be, it would still alarm the people there.
Then, an accident broke out in such a situation. While he was rolling it down, the Drake had rolled onto the group of Baba Yetis that he had swept off the cliff before. Meeting the group of chilled corpses, the Drake launched into an uproar.
[Appetite. Appetite. Appetite. Dissatisfaction.]
It scurried over without hesitation, as it bit onto the corpses of Baba Yetis with the distinctive appearance of a predator.
Watching the Drake chewing its meal while still bound, he felt a sense anxiety and nervousness once it had finished.
"It won't work with just ropes."
Though he had tightly bounded it with ropes, the Drake was covered with gore and blood. Though he had used the rope as a safety net, since the rope was of no help, it caused the rest of the party to become more afraid of the Drake.
"Sunhyuk, even I can't do anything. No matter if I am the son of the Lord of this fief, I am now but a mere Rider of the 24th Regiment. Even my father and I do not want to ignore the opinions of the people and do as we will."
Now, they were completely opposed to dragging the Drake over, as Sunhyuk and the Drake eventually departed for the base of the mountain together.
[Hunger.]
"Even after eating that much, you are hungry again!"
He couldn't help but only sigh, after recognising that it become hungry once more, even after eating all of those Baba Yeti corpses.
In order to obtain a true mount as a Dragon Rider, he had come all the way here but instead of a mythical creature he picked up a beggar.
His heart felt burdened imagining the hardships and adversity he would have to traverse in the near future, nevertheless, he had no intention of giving up on the Drake.
"As long as it listens to me well…"
He began to imagine the Drake rampaging through the battlefield among the Riders. No matter how well trained a horse was, it was incomparable to the heights of intimidation or fear that this vicious beast could bring.
"So this is a Drake?"
Already receiving the report, Baron Bolfmeier and the rest of the people in the castle had ventured out to see it. They held high expectations towards a fierce monster, but were amazed at the unusual existence of this Drake, as its appearance from the outside caused the others to be a tad bit disappointed.
"It's much more than what I originally imagined…"
It seemed that the Baron couldn't say that he was disappointed, as he looked at Sunhyuk with a surprised look. The appearance of the Drake and condition of it's scales did not bear a dignified look. Its body was skinny, and with its large head, it looked rather ridiculous to say the least.
"For the Class I have, I need this guy so…"
"Did you say Dragon Rider? Well, it does look similar to the Dragons I've heard of in mythology."
The convinced Baron nodded before soon adding an unexpected remark.
"But did you know that this Drake is an elder Drake?"
"Yes? – Whhaattt!"
In fact, though he had brought the Drake over here, he did not know anything about it. In the meantime, the Baron began to explain everything he knew regarding the Drake, as Sunhyuk wholly listened.
"Although it's the first time for me to actually see one, but I have heard a lot of stories that; when a Drake is about to die, it will head to a high place and wait for its death. Though I've heard that they would often await their deaths at those high peaks, but unless I'm mistaken, that one should be quite old."
However, the information he received was very much different from what Sunhyuk expected. He despaired after realizing that the Drake which he'd tamed, and naturally assumed it's condition was like that due to hunger and starvation. But was now actually more like that because of old age.
"Why…"
"No. But seeing it, it doesn't look like it'll die right away. I've heard that the appetite for those guys is not normal? If it intended to pass on, even though it had climbed all the way up there, then it shouldn't be craving for food so much. So I could be mistaken, so pretend you didn't hear that."
Seeing Sunhyuk despair, the Baron belatedly consoled him, but he did not raise his head. Though they conversed afterwards, there was nothing important.
"I'm sorry, but no matter how much people of the north are unafraid, if that beast were to enter the fief, then it might disturb the people."
"I understand."
Though Sunhyuk had yet to resolve the fatigue he accumulated on the hiking trip, he was in a situation where he could not do so at the castle. As such, Sunhyuk received a designated tent area alongside Hansen and awaited for their horses to be delivered to them.
Munch. Munch.
In the meantime, the Drake had eaten two fully grown pigs and laid down once more. His heart became complicated, observing the Drake lie down like an elderly person after it's meal.
The appearance of a mighty Dragon Rider that he'd envisioned in his head was collapsing quickly.
At this time, it would be nice if the Dragon would talk to him, but no matter how much he waited, the Dragon did not answer him.
Sunhyuk spent a day in the tent before making the return journey back. The Drake, who had eaten two pigs during the day, had a bit more verve than before.
"It's a tight schedule, so I'm not sure if he can maintain the pace."
Hansen's concern was obvious, seeing the Drake following them from behind.
"Let's go first. At the very least, we'll have to avoid the punishment of desertion."
Then, Sunhyuk gradually increased Stella's speed. Fortunately, the Drake followed suit. Though he was initially worried that the Drake would sit down or flee, seeing that it was following behind him well, he loosened his concern.
"So, should we speed up a bit more?"
Wanting to test the speed and endurance of the Drake, Sunhyuk galloped on top of Stella faster.
"Huh? It's following quite well?"
Hansen looking back exclaimed in surprise.
Shockingly, the old Drake did not lag behind, as the Drake dashed up and desperately followed from behind.
"Mm. Well it's a bit slower than a horse."
While they were galloping for some time, Sunhyuk realized how the thin Drake was relatively fast and persistent. Though it couldn't match the full speed of a military horse, its moving speed was quite good.
"If you put on heavy armor and think about it, it doesn't look like you can't use it at all."
There would be quite a lot of penalties associated with equipping armor onto the horse when riding on it. As such, it wasn't a dream to ride the Drake into the battlefield one day.
But if there was a problem, that was…
"Can you even ride that guy?"
Unlike the horses that looked fit for riding, the Drake didn't seem fit to be mounted upon, no matter how he looked at it.
"Well, I'll have to hang on for my life."
Sunhyuk, remembering the first time he tried to ride a horse, looked grim as he stared at the Drake.
Though he had received a minor variant of a Dragon kin, the road to being a Dragon Rider was still tough.
One day before the one-month vacation deadline, almost all of the cavalrymen had returned to the army outpost. Even the late arrivals had eventually arrived that evening, reporting their returns at the administration office.
The only ones remaining were Hansen and Sunhyuk.
"Did something happen to the boys?"
"Ugh. It was a mistake assigning the Youngest to a guy like Hansen."
Clarke and the other cavalrymen stared at the entrance of the outpost several times a day, but even on the last day of holiday leave, the news of Hansen and Sunhyuk's arrival was still not reported, as they grew increasingly concerned with the punishment of desertion.
"Well for Hansen, he can be punished and do a few laps, but the problem is the Youngest."
"No. Even Hasen can't avoid responsibility, since the Youngest is who the higher-ups favor, and relied on the guidance of Hansen."
Though he was a highly regarded Stranger, deserted Strangers received severe punishments several times more than local soldiers for desertion. At this rate, promotion and the knighting of nobility would be at risk, so much so that even the Captain was staring at the entrance reluctantly.
The reason why he was doing so was because the desertion of a Stranger under his command would be fatal to his confirmed promotion of an Advanced Knight.
The day ended, and it was now a situation where they could not avoid punishment of desertion. The Heavy Cavalry of the 24th Regiment all stood by the entrance while waiting for Hansen and Sunhyuk to appear.
"Where the hell did this crazy bastard go with the Youngest?!"
Clarke swore violently, enraged that even he had not returned after assigning the Youngest to him, as the whole outpost was now in an uproar due to the scandal. Jonathan and the other cavalrymen were angry with a mixture of also being nervous while watching the entrance.
However, dusk had soon descended and they still had not returned. They had completely missed the time to report in their return.
"If they come now, then it can end up with a minor discipline."
From Captain Frederik's words, the agitated Riders shut their mouths.
"Any more and it'll be too difficult for me. I'll send the messenger and arrange a search team to…"
Though it was a search team by name, it was actually a pursuit squad. Once you'll caught by the pursuit squad, the end result is never good. Knowing that, the faces of the cavalrymen darkened.
It was then.
"Huh? Over there!"
One of the cavalrymen with good eyesight discovered two people galloping over in the dark and shouted.
"It's Hansen and the Youngest!"
"Those crazy bastards! Making me so worried!"
It was late, but it was still possible to deal with the outcome as the Riders cheered for the return of their long-overdue comrades. The Captain also held a rare relieved face, as he welcomed their return.
"Huh? But what is that. They're riding on some strange thing?"
Bang, bang, bang, bang.
It was the sounds of a different clatter of hoofs, the origin of those hooves would soon be revealed as a large shadow scurried in between the middle of the two horses.
"Mo-monster!"
"No! No! This is not a monster!"
Noticing the cavalrymen prepare for battle immediately, Sunhyuk shouted in surprise. However, the appearance of the Drake when he first left from Frostbegmont fief with was completely different compared to now…
TL Afterword:
Calvis: I laughed so hard this chapter imagining the MC struggling to feed the Drake. I should've have known the Drake is not old and frail. It was just underfed! I hope! Crossing my fingers for a majestic transformation.
PR Afterword:
T0ngan: an elder drake for a steed…
Borderline Masochist: The Drake probably has an intelligent stat of -3… I agree with Calvis, I think it mistook itself for being old when it was hungry, lol.
Translator: Calvis
Editor: T0ngan/Borderline Masochist