King Eduard and Queen Eleanor sat on their horses. Their army stood in formation behind them. They were camped on the hill where the Lost Treasure of Captain Omen was buried. The royal couples' faces were grim.

The king surveyed the surrounding area. It was a patchwork of farmland with a forest to one side. In the distance, an army of Vandalland stood in formation on another hill. There was another force too. They were a group of cavalry from Weltai.

"We arrived first, but we didn't have enough time to get in formation," Eleanor noted.

"And Dalv Sepet is here too," King Eduard said. "He hasn't made an aggressive move in years. Was he tempted by the Lost Treasure of Captain Omen?"

"This will undo years of careful diplomacy," the queen stated.

"Worse still, it could anger the gods. Dalv might have no claim to the Lost Treasure of Captain Omen, but he's..." King Eduard shook his head.

He grimaced.

"We can't back down here. This treasure's too valuable. It could pay off all our war debts and then some. We'll wait here for the enemy to attack."

"I could go as a diplomatic envoy," Eleanor suggested.

"Do that, but only after we get reinforcements. They can start building a fort here. If the enemy delays attacking, it will only benefit us," King Eduard said.

On the hill across from them, Hildoara looked on with concern. She hid it as best as she could; however, Duke Carini noticed. He rode over to her and spoke in a whisper.

"Worried, Your Majesty?" he asked.

"Yes. We outnumber King Eduard, but he has the high ground. We need to take that hill to get the Lost Treasure of Captain Omen. Do you think we could lure King Eduard off that hill?" she answered.

"I hope Gustav doesn't get drawn into this war. I owe him a lot, and I don't want him to be my enemy. But as a queen, Vandalland comes before my personal feelings," she thought.

"I'm afraid not. King Eduard is an experienced commander, and he is especially good at fighting defensive wars. He won't fall for any tricks we pull," Duke Carini said.

Hildoara looked to the cavalry force.

"Honestly, I'm just as afraid of Voivode Sepet's men as I am of King Eduard's. There are only 50 of them, but Voivode Sepet has the most experience of everyone here. If he has a small number of men, it's because he knows they can win," she stated. "What do you think we should do?"

"King Eduard's knights outnumber ours, so he has the spellcasting advantage. Spreading our line to take the most advantage of our numbers risks them being broken by a cavalry charge. Grouping up our infantry risks them being annihilated by area-of-effect spells, but it'll also make them more resistant to cavalry and archers. It's our best hope."

"We'll have to risk it, but we need to deal with Dalv first," Hildoara said.

Voivode Dalv Sepet drank a glass of red liquid. His knights were behind him. Unlike the other armies, they weren't in formation. There were several large white tents behind them but not a full camp. Dalv gazed at the skies above.

"Where are you, Saint Gustav?" he muttered.

"I see with my hawk-like eyes, something that is yellow," a knight stated.

"Is it wheat?" one of his comrades asked.

"That's right! Now, it's your turn."

"Hmm...I see with my hawk-like eyes, something that is red."

"Is it my drink?" Dalv questioned.

"Right, you are, your Majesty! It's your turn now!"

The Voivode kept his gaze on the sky. He waited another moment. Then, a smile crossed his face.

"I see with my hawk-like eyes, something that has scales," Dalv said.

"Scales, you say?" a knight wondered.

They turned their heads to the sky. Their eyes fixed on a massive figure coming right at the battlefield.

"Oh, a dragon. That's what you see, right?" the knight questioned.

"Yes," Dalv nodded. "The dragon we've been waiting for. It looks like our game has come to an end."

As the dragon got closer, a massive shadow passed over the area. All eyes gazed upward.

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"By the gods, that's the biggest dragon I've ever seen!" fear blasted through Hildoara.

"It's...a wild dragon. If it wants to kill us, we're all dead," Duke Carini shivered.

Their men started panicking. The soldiers on Eduard's side weren't fairing any better.

"We'll need to withdraw. No amount of gold is worth fighting a dragon that big," Eduard said.

He pulled out his war horn to signal a retreat; however, the king's hands fumbled. The instrument fell to the ground.

Wind rushed at my side, pulling back my lips. They flapped all over the place. The bags under the bags of my eyes had bags under them. I couldn't feel my legs. My skin was chaffed to hell. And I felt like I could collapse from exhaustion at any moment. In short, I felt like shit.

"Listen, Gustav, there are a few words you need to say when you land," Dʰéǵʰom's voice entered my head.

"What are they?" I asked.

"I am not here as a Lord of Greenrivers. I am here as a Saint of Dʰéǵʰom. If you say that, it'll let everyone know that you're here on my orders. Even kings won't fuck with a saint who's doing a god's work," he said.

"I'll do that," I replied.

"Are we being there yet?" Cinnamon asked.

"Yes. Land now," I answered.

The dragon moved to the ground at incredible speed. It took every ounce of magical strength I had to not fly off Cinnamon with the sudden descent. I saw the wind from his wingbeats scatter crops.

"I'll have to compensate the farmers for this later," I thought.

A massive jolt ran through my body as Cinnamon landed. I was flung into the air and crashed on the dragon. A flash of pain pulsed through me. Then, utter silence.

I looked around. Cinnamon's body was so big that it blocked my line of sight.

"Dammit all. I can't see anything from here."

Then, my eyes fixed on Cinnamon's head.

"Fuck. I'll have to climb up there."

I pulled myself forward, crawling over Cinnamon's back. Every motion made me want to collapse from exhaustion. My arms felt like they'd fall off. My body moved to Cinnamon's neck, and I made the tedious climb up.

It took ten agonizing minutes to make it to his head. I tried to stand and stumbled down. I just barely caught my feet before I could fall off Cinnamon. With my knees shaking, I surveyed the area. Three armies stood in the distance. There was no way my voice could reach them from here. I wondered if they could even see me.

"Cinnamon, could you tell them that I'm here? And use your intimidating voice," I said.

"I will be doing that," the dragon nodded.

His voice grew deeper, "Armies of Greenrivers, Vandalland, and Weltai, I carry Saint Gustav with me!"

"Tell the leaders to come over," I added.

"He would speak with the leaders! Come now, lest you defy the gods!"

Someone from the Weltai army rode forward right away. He stopped in front of Cinnamon. A few moments of silence passed. Then, someone from the Vandalland army approached me. Two riders came from the Greenrivers army last. Within a few moments, their shapes came into view. They were close enough that I could see their heraldry. My eyes turned to the first of them.

"Dalv Sepet of Weltai. He's ruthless and known for impaling people. But he also keeps his people safe from monsters, criminals, corrupt nobles, and other nations. He's especially harsh on corrupt nobles. He reminds me of a certain Wallachian from my world's history. His people are lucky to have someone like him, but you can't rely on any monarch."

I looked at the second rider.

"The last time I saw Hildoara, she was a child and a princess. Now, she's a queen. She might have used my advice to overthrow her father, but I doubt she'll be grateful for it. That's just the way monarchs are. They think people should do what they say because they're kings, and that's that. She's also the least experienced monarch here. I hope she's doing alright. I can't imagine what being a teenage queen is like in a world where the other kings and queens are hundreds of years old."

Then, I gazed upon the last pair of riders. Nervousness would have flowed through me, but I was too tired to feel anything other than pain.

"King Eduard and Queen Eleanor of Greenrivers. Eduard's my family's direct feudal superior. If I mess this up, we're all in trouble. By the modern standards of my own world, Eduard's a villain, a warmongering tyrant who attacks the weak. By the standards of this world, Eduard's a hero, a warrior king who brings glory to his kingdom by doing whatever he can to ensure victory. Queen Eleanor is cunning and ruthless too. She and Eduard are one of the biggest power couples I've ever heard of. Between the four leaders here, they're the biggest threat to me."

The monarchs arrived. They stood before Cinnamon. I was too high on the dragon to see their faces. I felt a tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

"I have no idea what they're feeling," I thought.

King Eduard turned his head towards me.

"I have many questions, Lord Gustav. Chief among them is why you think you have the right to interrupt my battle and demand that I speak to you."

Somehow, he was able to shout to me without sounding weak.

Taking a deep breath, I called out, "I am not here as a Lord of Greenrivers. I am here as a Saint of Dʰéǵʰom."

There was a moment of silence. The monarchs, except for Dalv, broke it. Eduard broke it.

"Well, that answers my question. You absolutely have the right to interrupt my battle and demand that I speak to you," he said. "Let no one say that I am unfaithful to the gods, especially my kingdom's patron god. Now, tell us what Dʰéǵʰom sent you here for."

I then grabbed onto Cinnamon's neck and started climbing down. It was much easier than climbing up, and I made good progress. Not wanting to waste any time, I talked as I descended.

"I'm here to make sure no one claims the Lost Treasure of Captain Omen," I stated.

"Is it cursed?" Eduard questioned.

"It's even worse. It'll cause hyperinflation."

As I climbed down the lower half of Cinnamon's legs, I tumbled off and crashed into the ground. I forced myself up as fast as I could. My body stumbled around. Bits of blood flecked the dirt below from where the dragon's scales rubbed against the bare skin of my hands.

Hildoara rode to me. Concern was plain on her face.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"You don't need to worry about me. I just flew almost nonstop for three days straight without sleep. I was tasked by Dʰéǵʰom to come here as soon as possible, and I did as he commanded," I answered.

King Eduard and Queen Eleanor rode over to me. Fear pulsed through my body. What were they going to do?

"Do you need a few moments to rest?" Eduard wondered. "You are here on business from a god, so we'd be happy to make accommodations."

"If I wasn't so fucking tired, I'd be so fucking glad that Eduard is so fucking devout," I thought.

I took a bow, almost falling asleep as my body leaned over.

"I am grateful for your concern, Your Majesty, but I do not intend to waste your time. Nor will I waste the time of the other monarchs here," I did my best to sound as formal as possible.

Hildoara rode over. Concern was plastered on her face.

"It's alright with me, Saint Gustav. You clearly have something important to say, and I'd rather you not say it tired," she said.

"That just leaves one of us," Eleanor turned to Dalv.

The Voivode didn't bother to ride over. Instead, he shrugged.

"You don't need to ask me. I am not here as the Voivode of Weltai," he stated. "I am here as a Saint of Krewh."