Chapter 92: Knight Eyck

Setting aside how Geralt and the others before the broken bridge resolved their predicament, Knight Eyck, who was walking at the very front, had already charged across the hillside and arrived before a small, flat area covered in weeds and wildflowers.

And just as Knight Eyck was considering whether to charge directly across this flat land and follow another path toward the cave at the mountaintop, a voice like a brass horn suddenly entered his ears.

"Knight Eyck from Denesle, my name is Villentretenmerth."

As the words fell, a massive creature of pure gold suddenly flew down from the sky, landing in the center of the flat ground less than a hundred meters from Knight Eyck; while spreading its wings and moving its limbs to strike a rather elegant welcoming pose, it continued to speak with its voice:

"Please do not continue forward."

"The end of this road leads to the cave where my wife resides; as a husband, I have an obligation to protect my wife."

"Anyone who continues forward will be my enemy."

"To protect my family, I will engage in an honorable knightly duel with him, using only traditional weapons on both sides—that is to say, the use of magic or breathing fire is forbidden. The battle shall continue until one side surrenders."

"Please give me your answer, Knight Eyck, are you willing to abandon this operation?"

Listening to the voice that went directly into his mind, Knight Eyck was somewhat bewildered; in his nearly twenty years of monster-slaying, he had never seen a dragon with golden scales all over its body, nor had he ever seen a monster that behaved so elegantly and could speak like a gentleman.

However, his confusion lasted less than a few seconds before it was immediately replaced by a firm faith.

This tall knight in full heavy plate armor pushed up his visor, revealing a somewhat pale face beneath, his fanatical eyes gleaming.

He shouted loudly at the golden dragon: "Evil dragon, before you stands Eyck of Denesle; following the will of the gods, the purpose of my journey is to slay the evil dragon and protect the commoners here."

"Since you have decided to protect your wife, then I will not back down, and I will engage you in an honorable knightly duel."

Hearing this, the golden dragon sighed in a somewhat human-like manner; its body of golden scales quickly assumed an offensive posture, its slender neck raised slightly, and that voice like a brass horn sounded once again.

"Respected Knight Eyck, I admire your courage; I have made all preparations, now, let this honorable duel begin."

On the battlefield, Eyck no longer had any hesitation; he chanted loudly to the sky to the gods he believed in, praying for their blessing, while simultaneously raising his lance to salute the golden dragon.

This was an honorable knightly duel; regardless of the outcome, he had to show the opponent sufficient respect.

Vane, hiding on another hill, watched all of this, and in his heart, he could not help but sigh—this was a knight with true faith; although too rigid and inflexible, he was still much better than those noble knights who only knew how to scheme and had no sense of honor.

After finishing his prayer, Eyck lowered his metal visor, his eyes staring fixedly at the giant golden dragon through the slits; after adjusting his breathing, he suddenly squeezed the horse's flanks hard with his stirrups, leaned his body forward, lowered his lance, and spurred his horse into a gallop, charging toward the golden dragon's position with all his might.

The warhorse dragged his heavy body, moving forward at extreme speed; the armored horse and full plate armor made Eyck look like a speeding metal can, and just one man and one horse actually possessed an unstoppable momentum. However, contrary to Eyck's expectations, facing his fierce offensive, the golden dragon did not retreat or dodge, nor did it circle behind, but instead charged at him at full speed as well.

Seeing this, he did not blindly attack head-on. Despite moving at full speed, he skillfully changed direction at the very last moment, raising his lance high above the horse's head. He swept past the dragon, standing on his stirrups, and thrust his lance with all his might.

He attempted to drive the sharp tip of the lance straight into the giant dragon's head, using their combined speed to kill this terrifying beast in one blow. But unexpectedly, this massive golden dragon possessed completely unforeseen reaction speed.

It turned its body sideways at extreme speed, perfectly dodging the thrust; its movements were agile and elegant, its massive body whipping back like a lash, and with feline vitality and coldness, it instantly tore open the horse's belly with its claws.

The horse reared up, letting out a mournful cry.

Although Knight Eyck was taken by surprise, he did not drop his lance. As the horse fell, the dragon's claw swiped once, plucking Eyck from the saddle. He was thrown into the air, the plates of his armor emitting a harsh grinding sound, and then he crashed heavily to the ground; even from a distance of several hundred meters, Vane seemed to hear the sound of his impact.

Facing such a high fall, an ordinary person would find it hard to endure, let alone a knight wearing full heavy plate armor.

Knight Eyck was instantly severely injured, especially his legs, which were directly broken, shriveled beneath his body and pulled into a grotesque direction.

However, Knight Eyck's will was quite firm; even though the intense pain made sweat bead on his forehead, his whole body tremble, and his face turn pale, he did not let out a single wail or a single plea for mercy.

Instead, he stared blankly at the sky, muttering to himself, not knowing what he was saying.

After defeating Eyck, the golden dragon showed no mercy; it pressed the horse down with its claws, sat on the ground, and with its fang-filled mouth, bit the horse's body, tearing off the armor draped over it, then bit into its neck. The horse let out a terrified shriek, finally convulsed and died, and was swallowed into the golden dragon's belly.

Meanwhile, on the hillside where Eyck had come from, the sorceress Yennefer, who had used the power of magic to fly over the stone bridge, along with Geralt and Dandelion following behind her, had just happened to witness the entire scene of Knight Eyck challenging the golden dragon.

Watching the valiant Knight Eyck being tossed into the air like a toy by this massive, fierce yet elegant golden beast, and crashing to the ground, his life or death unknown, they all wore grave expressions.

They had not expected that instead of the legendary green dragon, a golden dragon that should not have appeared in the real world had arrived; not only was it several times the size of a green dragon, but judging by its movements, it lacked the clumsiness of the legendary dragon race, appearing instead like a skilled warrior—elegant and deadly.

And just as the three of them were still in a state of shock, a somewhat shrill voice that almost lost its composure entered their ears.

"My God, I can't believe my eyes, a golden dragon, a living golden dragon."

The mage Dorregaray had also used the power of magic to leap over the stone bridge, and when he saw the scene of the golden dragon devouring Eyck's warhorse.

This fellow didn't care about Eyck's life or death at all; instead, he stared intently at the beautiful golden dragon below with eyes like he was looking at a rare treasure, exclaiming: "It's too beautiful, this is absolutely the only golden dragon in the world, a living golden dragon; only the great nature could create such a beautiful and elegant creature."

After saying this, he looked back at Yennefer, Geralt, and Dandelion with a firm and faith-filled gaze, saying decisively:

"Listen well, listen carefully, standing before us is a golden dragon, perhaps the last one remaining from your cruel and foolish actions. Legends should not be killed. I will not allow you to touch this dragon. Understood? Abandon your thoughts and pack your bags to go home."

"This golden dragon, I, Master Dorregaray, will certainly protect it."

Yennefer did not want to deal with this madman; although her original target was that green dragon, and now there was an extra golden dragon that shouldn't have appeared, for a sorceress obsessed with restoring her fertility, she didn't care whether the dragon killed was one or two.

And just at this moment, a voice like a bronze horn entered the brains of the four people on the hillside directly.

"Gentlemen and ladies on the other side, Knight Eyck is a respected opponent."

"If any of you have the ability to heal him, please come down and help him."

"Rest assured, I am a dragon who values honor and will not suddenly ambush you."

Hearing this voice, everyone on the hillside, including Yennefer, could not help but look toward the golden dragon below.

Borch nodded elegantly toward them, then flapped his wings, flew directly away from the location where the battle had taken place, and retreated to a small hill several hundred meters away.

(End of chapter)