Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 92 Knight Ike

Leaving aside how Geralt and his companions resolved their predicament before the broken bridge, the knight Eckel, who was at the forefront, had already rushed over the hillside and arrived at a small flat area covered with weeds and wildflowers.

Just as Knight Ek was considering whether to charge across the flat land and head towards the cave at the mountaintop along another path, a sound like a brass horn suddenly reached his ears.

"I am a knight from Denesle, my name is Velentreithames."

As the words fell, a colossal golden creature suddenly descended from the sky, landing in the center of the flat ground less than a hundred meters from Knight Ek. ​​It spread its wings and stretched its limbs, striking a rather elegant welcoming pose, while continuing to speak:

Please stop going forward.

"At the end of this road lies the cave where my wife is, and as her husband, I have a duty to protect her."

"Anyone who continues to move forward will be my enemy."

"To protect my family, I will engage him in a glorious knightly duel, using only traditional weapons, meaning magic and fire-breathing are forbidden. The battle will continue until one surrenders."

"Give me your answer, Knight Ekko, are you willing to abandon this mission?"

Hearing the voice that entered his mind directly, Knight Ek was a little stunned. In his nearly twenty years of monster-slaying career, he had never seen a dragon with golden scales all over its body, nor had he ever seen a monster that was so elegant and could speak like a gentleman.

However, his confusion lasted for less than a few seconds before being replaced by his unwavering faith.

The tall knight, clad in heavy plate armor, pushed aside his visor, revealing a pale face beneath, his fanatical eyes gleaming.

He shouted loudly at the golden dragon:

"Evil dragon, before you stands Ike from Denales. By the will of the gods, my purpose here is to slay the evil dragon and protect the people of this land."

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

Upon hearing this, the golden dragon sighed somewhat humanely. Its body, covered in golden scales, quickly assumed an offensive stance, its slender neck slightly raised, and the sound, like a brass horn, rang out once more.

"Honorable Knight Ekko, I admire your courage. I am fully prepared. Now, let this glorious duel begin."

On the battlefield, Ike no longer hesitated. He chanted loudly to the sky the gods he believed in, praying for their blessings, while raising his spear to salute the golden dragon.

This is a glorious duel between knights, and regardless of the outcome, he must give his opponent the utmost respect.

Hidden on another hill, Wayne watched all this unfold, and couldn't help but admire him. This was a knight with true faith, though he was too rigid and inflexible. But he was still far superior to those noble knights who only knew how to scheme and plot and had no sense of honor.

After finishing his prayers, Ike lowered his metal mask, peered through the gaps into the massive golden dragon, and, after adjusting his breathing, suddenly spurred his horse forward, leaned back, lowered his lance, and galloped towards the dragon's location, charging with all his might.

The warhorse dragged his heavy body forward at an incredible speed. The armored horse and full plate armor made Ike resemble a galloping metal can; even just the two of them exuded an unstoppable aura.

However, to Ike's surprise, the golden dragon did not retreat or dodge in the face of his powerful attack, but instead charged at him at full speed.

Seeing this, he did not blindly attack head-on. Although he continued at full speed, he skillfully changed direction at the last moment, raising his spear high above the horse's head. He darted past the dragon, simultaneously standing on the stirrups, and thrust his spear out with all his might.

They attempted to thrust the sharp spear tip directly into the dragon's head, using their combined speed to kill the terrifying beast in one strike.

But what was unexpected was that this enormous golden dragon possessed a reaction speed that was completely surprising.

It spun around at lightning speed, perfectly dodging the stabbing attack. Its movements were agile and elegant, its massive body lashing back like a whip, exuding feline energy and indifference, and instantly tearing open the horse's belly with its claws.

The horse reared up and let out a mournful whinny.

Although Knight Ike was taken aback, he did not drop his lance. As his horse fell, the dragon claw swept Ike up from the saddle in a single motion.

He was thrown into the air, the armor plates on his body screeching as they scraped against each other, before crashing heavily to the ground. Even from hundreds of meters away, Wayne could almost hear the impact of his landing.

Even ordinary people would find it difficult to withstand such a fall from such a height, let alone a knight wearing full heavy plate armor.

Knight Ek was instantly thrown and seriously injured, especially his legs, which were fractured and shrunken under his body, pulled into an odd position.

However, Knight Ek's will was quite firm. Even though the intense pain made him sweat, tremble all over, and turn pale, he did not utter a single wail or beg for mercy.

Instead, he stared blankly at the sky, muttering to himself, seemingly saying nothing.

After defeating Ike, the golden dragon showed no mercy. It pinned Ike's warhorse down with its claws, sat on the ground, and bit the horse's body with its fangs. It tore off the armor covering the horse and then bit its neck. The horse let out a terrified neigh and finally convulsed and died, and was swallowed by the golden dragon.

Meanwhile, on the hilltop where Ike had come from, the sorceress Yennefer, who used magic to fly across the stone bridge, along with Geralt and Dandelion following behind her, all witnessed the scene of Knight Ike challenging the golden dragon.

Watching the incomparably brave Knight Ek being tossed into the air like a toy by this enormous, fierce yet elegant golden beast, only to crash to the ground and die, everyone's expressions turned solemn.

Unexpectedly, instead of the legendary green dragon, a golden dragon that shouldn't exist in the real world appeared. Not only was it several times the size of the green dragon, but its movements were also completely unlike the clumsy dragons of legend. Instead, it resembled a highly skilled warrior, elegant yet deadly.

While the three of them were still in shock, a somewhat shrill voice, almost losing its composure, reached their ears.

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

The mage Dorrigare also used the power of magic to leap across the stone bridge when he saw the golden dragon devouring the warhorse Ek.

This guy completely disregarded Ike's life or death, instead staring intently at the beautiful golden dragon below with the eyes of someone looking at a rare treasure, exclaiming in admiration:

"It's so beautiful. This is absolutely the only golden dragon in the world, a living golden dragon. Only the greatness of nature could create such a beautiful and elegant creature."

After saying this, he looked back at Yennefer, Geralt, and Dandelion with a firm and faithful gaze, and said resolutely:

"Listen carefully, listen attentively. Standing before us is a golden dragon, perhaps the only one left after your cruel and foolish deeds. Legend says it shouldn't be killed. I forbid you to touch this dragon. Understand? Abandon your thoughts, pack your bags and go home."

"I, Master Doregare, will protect this golden dragon."

Yennefer didn't care about this madwoman. Although her original target was the green dragon, and now there was another golden dragon that shouldn't have appeared, the sorceress, obsessed with restoring her fertility, didn't care whether she killed one or two dragons.

Just then, a sound like a bronze horn entered the minds of the four people on the hillside.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Knight Ekko is a worthy opponent."

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

"Don't worry, I am a dragon who values ​​honor, and I won't suddenly attack you."

Upon hearing this sound, everyone on the hillside, including Yennefer, involuntarily looked down at the golden dragon.

Borch nodded gracefully to them, then flapped its wings and flew away from the scene of the battle, retreating to a small hill a few hundred meters away.

(End of this chapter)