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nArcher spotted many winter beasts roaming the snowy grasslands below, looking for food. While flying, he witnessed a large tree collapsing into the snow-covered forest, causing a large crash. As he watched this, his Aura Detector warned him of an incoming attack.

nHe quickly looked to the left and spotted a white eagle beast lunging toward them, letting out a screech as its talons flexed. Archer didn’t mess around and fired an Eldritch Blast into its body, causing it to squeal in agony before fleeing.

n”Damn, birds!” Sera complained while staring at the culprit. ”You should have killed it for daring to attack us.”

nArcher started laughing before explaining. ”It was just doing what comes naturally to it,” he revealed. ”It threatened us and was probably hunting for its young.”

n”Makes sense, but it still should have died,” she let out a huff that made her look adorable.

nAs Archer flew, he saw the cold air bouncing off the Cosmic Shield, which made him smile as he didn’t have to face the horrible weather. While flying, he scanned the landscape, but Sera quickly distracted him by nibbling on his ear before sweetly asking, ”What are we looking for, sweetheart?”

nHe gazed downward and spotted Sera’s ruby-red eyes staring into his, which caused him to smile before answering, ”A large island,” he said. ”Dellah and the other dwarves were originally from there and told me that her people have been enslaved.”

n”You’re freeing slaves now? Are you a hero now, Arch?” Sera questioned.

n”No,” Archer instantly replied. ”They will owe me a big debt and find work in Draconia to pay it off before choosing what they want to do after a year. Whether they choose to stay or go, I don’t care, to be honest.”

nSera nodded before he started zooming toward the island using Blink. While doing this, Archer contacted Elara and told her to prepare the First Legion for war and to be deployed, which she agreed to.

nThe Dragon Marshall agreed as they started flying over the sea. Archer’s Aura Detector alerted him again, causing him to Blink upwards quickly when a massive tentacle shot out of the water and tried to grab them, but they were already too high.

nArcher laughed while climbing higher, ”Where did that thing come from,” he said with shock. ”I only sensed it at the last moment.”

nThe dragon girl nodded, ”It’s because they want to eat something different instead of other sea beasts. So they hunt here.”

n”How do you know that?” Archer questioned.

n” Kass told us,” Sera answered. While hanging out, she told us about all kinds of sea monsters, and the one that tried to grab you was a Coastal Squid. They are aggressive and are known to sink trading ships.”

n”A Coastal Squid?” He asked while getting close to the island. ”Never heard of them.”

nSera nodded, ”Sea monsters who lurk up and down the coasts to snatch up anyone or anything that travels along the roads. They are strong, but no one truly knows because they vary in strength.”

n‘I couldn’t imagine getting eaten by a large squid,’ he thought while flying.

nArcher shivered when hearing that as he mumbled, ”Must be a horrible end.”

n”It is. Many sailors fear the Giant Squid, and companies have been devising ways to hide from them,” she replied as they approached the island.

nWhen they finally reached land, there was no trouble at all. They looked around for any signs of civilization and spotted a distant structure miles away, which caused Archer to fly toward it.

nAs they got closer, the two recognized it as a dwarf mountain city with a small town outside. ‘It may be abandoned, but it still looks beautiful,’ he mused internally as he gazed at the quaint dwarf town.

nHe started hovering above the town as Sera squinted while looking around. ”It’s too empty,” she questioned with clear confusion. ”There’s no one, not even merchants, and those snakes are everywhere.”

nArcher chuckled before descending to the town’s street. When he landed, they were greeted by towering mountain peaks that seemed to touch the sky. It was eerily quiet as there was no noise whatsoever.

nHe put Sera sown, who summoned her wings before speaking, ”I will scout the town while you look around.”

n”Okay,” Archer replied. ”Be careful and find me if there is any trouble.”

nSera gave him a radiant smile before flying off, leaving him alone. Archer started exploring the old dwarf town until he reached a massive stone archway carved into the side of the mountain.

nDetailed mana runes and symbols decorated it and showed various scenes from dwarven history. When he got close, he could feel the power radiating off the door, letting him know the dwarven runes were still active as mana flowed into them.

nArcher noticed two forts flanking the doorway, giving the impression that the entrance was well-guarded when occupied. However, now it looked like it was crumbling, as the structures didn’t have the same runes as the gateway.

nHe approached the mountain city gate, opened a portal to Draconia, and summoned the First Legion. Once the violet portal appeared, Elara and Lucian, his two Dragon Marshals, appeared before kneeling as they greeted him, ”Your Majesty. It’s good to see you.”

n”Enough of the kneeling stand up and listen,” he said before delving into his plans.

nArcher told the two generals to secure the town and scout the surrounding areas while he took some soldiers to explore the underground city. He also told them that if they find any wealth, it should be brought back to the town and kept safe until he returns.

nOnce he was done speaking, Elara suggested, ”You should take a cohort of Dragonblood Knights, as they are the strongest infantry the legion has on hand.”

nWhen hearing that, he agreed with a nod before she rushed off to fulfill his orders, leaving Lucian standing there. Archer turned to him and ordered, ”Take your men and scout the area. I don’t want the army to be ambushed or attacked while being here.”

nThe man saluted before rejoining the cavalry to give them their orders, and Archer found an old bench to sit on while he watched the Dragon Legionnaires, Drakeguards, and Dragon Rangers pour out of his portal.

nAs soon as the soldiers crossed, they went about their business. Archer saw the Legionnaires checking the buildings one by one. They smashed down old doors while others stood guard outside.

nWhile this happened, the Drakeguards secured the town’s perimeter while the Dragon Rangers flooded the landscape beyond. He noticed Elara instructing a cohort of Drakeguards to cut down trees for a wall, which confused him and caused Archer to approach them.

nThe redheaded Dragon Marshal turned and smiled, ”How can I help you, Your Majesty?”

n”Tell me why you’re building a wall,” Archer asked with a charming smile.

nElara went on to tell him that it was for securing the town even more than having a line of soldiers standing there. Archer happily nodded when she heard her plans. As they spoke, a shout was heard further in the town, causing him to rush toward the noise.

nWhen he arrived, Sera was already there, tearing apart a group of Orcs that ambushed some of the Drakeguards guarding the northeastern perimeter of the dwarven town. Archer saw one of the ambushers getting away,

nHe cast Plasma Missiles and ordered them to kill the Orc with a wave of his hand. The violet projectiles shot forward before piercing the creature’s chest, sending it tumbling to the ground.

nThe soldiers around him started cheering before a loud screech was heard, causing everyone’s gazes to snap upwards. Archer spotted the same white eagles as earlier but suddenly heard a rattling was heard before he could do anything.

nThis new noise caught his attention, and he turned around to see a strange box-looking contraption firing mana bolts. The projectiles streaked through the air before quickly taking out the incoming monsters.

nWaves and waves of yellow projectiles crashed into the large flock of flying beasts. The mana bolts tore through their bodies, and when they got close, Archer was able to scan them.

nRazorwings

nRank: C

nRealizing their rank explained why the mana bolts were wreaking havoc against them. Rather than engaging them directly, he noticed a crimson blur hurtling toward the beasts. That’s when he realized it was Sera going in to fight.

nArcher saw a spray of red flames that annihilated half a dozen Razorwings, causing them to plummet to the ground. He witnessed her easily tearing into them while her scales easily deflected the beast’s attacks.

nAs the battle raged around him, the roar of magic spells filling the air, Archer remained calm. Instead of joining the fray, he reached into his Item Box and retrieved a neatly wrapped package.

nWith practiced ease, he unwrapped it to reveal a delicious meat wrap, its smell mingling with the scent of blood and smoke that saturated the battlefield. Ignoring the chaos around him, Archer found a relatively peaceful spot—a small patch of untouched grass beneath a gnarled tree.

nSeating himself on the ground, he took a leisurely bite of the meat wrap, savoring the flavors as if he were enjoying a meal in his home. Despite the danger, Archer seemed entirely at ease, lost in his meal.

nAn hour passed before all the Razorwings were killed off, and the soldiers were back to building the wall. While sitting under his tree, Sera approached him with a happy smile and then sat in his lap.

nThe dragon girl got comfortable as she spoke, ”Welcome to the Town of Hammergate, sweetheart.”

nArcher chuckled, ”How do you know its name?”

n”There was a tavern on the other side with its name,” she revealed. ”I guess merchants stayed there while passing through.”

nPlease let me know if you spot any mistakes, and I will edit them. Thank you

nThe source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)novl

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