Chapter 352: Randal

"May the God of Glory protect us—don't let that bastard get away!"

"Knight Migen, are those the ones?"

"Hey, it's them! Perfect—we've caught up! Ha ha! Captain Mik, let me down, I'll guide the mother lizard!"

"Good! Knight Migen!"

With a whoosh, Mik guided the griffin into a steep dive toward the ground.

As they neared the earth, Migen swiftly rolled off.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Moments later, the mother lizard and her young sprinted over.

"Roar!" The mother lizard halted, her hostility toward Migen gone entirely.

Knowing that this human was one of her offspring's contract master, she regarded Migen with great friendliness.

Though they could not communicate through language, Migen roughly understood what the mother lizard meant.

"That's right, mother lizard—we've found those who oppose Stormhold. They're right ahead!"

"So now you can charge—especially remember the one wearing this color of clothing!"

Through the young lizard's real-time translation, the mother lizard carefully memorized the purple silk robe in Migen's hands.

Though their communication wasn't as precise as Gervas's, the general meaning was clear enough to the mother lizard.

Roar!

The mother lizard nodded and immediately prepared to head in the direction Migen indicated.

"Mother lizard, remember—don't kill them, just cripple them. For example, smash their legs..."

"Roar!"

The mother lizard wasted no more time, lifted all four limbs, lifted her body fully off the ground, and surged forward at full speed.

"My lord, is it truly this man who killed the Cabinet Minister's son?"

"Of course. The Cabinet Minister made it perfectly clear—it was the Lord of Stormhold who killed Young Farrio. What, do you have a problem with that?"

"No, my lord, I certainly don't. I just think the Lord of Stormhold is a coward—he can't even match his own knight!"

"His knight knew he was being manipulated and still dared refuse the conscription order. But this man? He didn't even dare to let out a fart!"

"Ha ha! You think about it—if he truly resisted, would it help? The warnings I gave him were the truth!"

"So whether or not this man is truly a coward, his fate is already sealed."

Hearing his subordinate's words, Randal burst into loud laughter.

This mission went even smoother than expected—he'd surely be praised by the Cabinet Minister upon returning.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Huh? What's going on?"

Yet, as he laughed triumphantly, he faintly heard a rhythmic, muffled thudding.

"Ah! My lord, look—what… what is that?"

"Heavens… it's a beast! A huge beast!"

"Good heavens—it's this big? At least third-rank… no, fourth-rank! That's a Fourth-Rank Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard!"

Of course, the mystery was quickly solved.

Amid panicked shouts, Randal finally saw a flash of crimson in the direction his men pointed.

The crimson figure stood at the bend of the woods over a mile behind them.

At first, due to distance, they could only make out a vague shape, unable to confirm what it was.

But as the figure behind them raced closer, amid the thudding, they finally saw clearly—it was a beast.

A Fourth-Rank Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard.

"Damn it! How could this happen? Are we really this unlucky?" Randal, who had been smug moments before, turned deathly pale, his lips trembling.

He knew Stormhold was dangerous.

But he hadn't taken it seriously.

After all, he was only delivering a conscription order—he wouldn't stay in Stormhold long.

So even if Stormhold was a death zone, it had nothing to do with him.

Yet he never imagined he'd encounter such a terrifying creature on his way back!

And worse—the Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard was charging straight toward them.

"Don't run! Stop him! You bastards! Block him! Did you hear me?!"

Watching the Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard draw nearer, Randal screamed in terror.

His carriage was far too slow.

If this continued, he wouldn't have long before facing the beast head-on.

Unfortunately, his guards were only here temporarily, assigned by the Cabinet Minister's order.

Against bandits, they might have mustered some courage.

But facing this unstoppable fourth-rank beast, they scattered instantly to either side.

The strongest among them were only two Bronze Knights—nowhere near enough to feed the Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard.

With his men fleeing, the Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard faced no more obstruction and charged straight for the carriage!

"Don't come near me!" Randal raised his hands, his eyes filled with terror.

Whoosh!

But fate clearly wouldn't bend to his will.

Amid flying splinters, Randal felt his body lift into the air, spin several times, then crash down toward the ground.

Thud!

A dull thump echoed—he felt his body slam hard, every bone in him as if about to shatter.

"So… so painful! Help… help me!" The agony nearly robbed Randal of consciousness.

Yet his desperate will to live forced him to ignore the pain and cry out for aid.

But his guards had already fled far away.

The next instant, his vision was once again filled by the massive crimson figure.

The Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard's head, only slightly smaller than the carriage, loomed before him, its golden eyes locked onto him.

Instantly, a warm stream flowed involuntarily from his crotch.

Randal had pissed himself.

"N-no… don't kill me! Please, don't kill me!"

Not caring whether the beast understood human speech, Randal begged frantically.

But the next instant, the Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard responded with a look of contempt.

Wait.

Could a beast even show contempt?

Randal thought he must be hallucinating.

But such thoughts vanished quickly.

For the next instant, his entire being held only one thought.

Pain.

Crack!

"Aaah! My legs! Damn it, my legs!" Pain so excruciating he wished to die.

His agonized screams echoed across the wasteland.

The Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard had shifted its weight, crushing his legs beneath one foot.

Weighing at least four or five tons.

The force of that step was unimaginable.

Randal watched helplessly as everything below his knees was ground into the mud.

He was unfortunate—but also lucky!

For after stepping on him, the Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard made no further move—no swallowing, no biting.

Instead, it turned and sprinted straight into the forest beside them.

As the Iron-Scaled Fire Lizard departed, Randal finally saw his legs—now a bloody, unrecognizable mess.

"Aaah! My legs! Damn it!"

"Lord Randal, are you alright?"

"Lord Randal, are you still conscious?"

His scattered subordinates had finally returned.

Their faces now all showed concern.

"You… you miserable bastards!"

Randal roared, furious at the beast—and even more furious at his cowardly guards. After cursing, he simply rolled his eyes back and fainted from rage.