Sigg Town

Sigg Town

At night, the snow was nearly at a stop, with only scattered flakes drifting down. A thick layer of snow blanketed the ground.

The town lay dark and silent. People shut their doors and windows tight, calling their children home. Only the baron's castle remained brightly lit.

A name was carved into the stone monument at the crossroads: Sigg Town.

This was a small town on the frontier of the Rackman Dynasty's territory. The surrounding land was open and fertile, ideal for farming. A century ago, an ancestor of the Rackman Dynasty had led his followers here to reclaim the land and establish Sigg Town.

It had once been a thriving settlement of more than a thousand residents, supplying the surrounding areas with a steady stream of grain.

But due to its remote location, savage monsters such as Frost Giants, snowmen, and even White Dragons had repeatedly descended upon it. The town had already been renovated and rebuilt several times, leaving only a little over four hundred residents.

More than half of them were serfs who could not leave. The rest were small merchants, millers, grooms, and attendants serving the nobility.

The Rackman Dynasty only granted this place to family members they did not value, tasking them with supplying North Wind Fortress with grain.

Not long after Baron Todd was sent here, rumors of a "Night Devil" emerged in Sigg Town. Many young women mysteriously vanished at night, throwing the town into panic once more. The residents lived in constant fear every day.

Inside the Baron's Manor.

Baron Todd Lachman sat before an ornate wooden table, his hands supporting his chin and his expression grave. The silver cup on the table contained a thick red liquid.

"Damn Ember Nest."

At the mention of that name, a shadow seemed to fall over his face.

Every subordinate he had sent into the mine had been wiped out. His former chief steward, Hart, was reportedly captured as well. Only a few insignificant serfs had escaped. At first, he had thought the intelligence was nothing but lies fabricated by those vile slaves. Yet only days later, even the Rackman Dynasty's elite Eagle Guard force had suffered severe losses in that place known as Ember Nest.

Only then had he been forced to acknowledge that the information was real.

If even the North Wind Eagle Guard could not conquer that monster nest, rumored to be the lair of the Red Dragon known as Flying Flame, how could he possibly attack it with the handful of guards at his disposal?

There was no gold.

There was no army.

There were only lowly, weak serfs and the guards sent by the family.

Though he was not the family's eldest son, he was still a true-born son of the duke.

Could it be that he could only remain in this remote place for the rest of his life, providing food for the family and never approaching the center of power? I will return to North Wind Fortress.

Father will recognize me eventually.

At that thought, the baron's gaunt face darkened further, and a trace of hunger flickered deep within his pupils.

It seemed he would need some fresh food tonight to soothe his mood.

"My lord Baron, outside—"

A guard hurriedly pushed open the door and entered. It seemed he had something urgent to report.

But when he realized he had interrupted the baron's thoughts, and saw the hostile, ravenous look in the other man's eyes, he immediately shut his mouth in fright.

Seeing that it was a guard, Todd forcibly suppressed the bloodthirsty impulse rising from the depths of his heart. He stared at the guard and said unhurriedly,

"What could be so urgent?"

"So urgent that... you had to disturb my rest?"

The guard's scalp went numb beneath Todd's gaze.

This baron had not been granted this territory for long, but everyone secretly called him the "Bloody Baron."

Previously, a maid had stained his formal attire while cleaning. After that, the maid had mysteriously disappeared and was never seen in Sigg Town again.

Thinking of this, the guard answered tremulously,

"My lord, it's... it's Hart."

"There is someone outside claiming to be Hart. He wishes to see you."

Upon hearing that familiar name, Todd slammed his palm onto the table and abruptly rose to his feet, demanding sharply, "How is that possible?!"

"Wasn't he captured?"

The guard shook his head in panic and hurriedly replied, "My lord, I don't know either."

Todd said coldly, "Bring him in."

The guard hesitated before saying, "He said... he must trouble you to come out and meet him. He has something important to offer you."

There was almost a sob in the guard's voice.

Thinking of the gold and troops he had lost, as well as the rumors that Hart had been captured, Todd's face filled with fury. He laughed in rage. "Good, good, good!"

"Where is he? Then I will go see for myself."

"Let's see how this deserter who came crawling to my door—my dear subordinate—has been doing."

Baron Todd's tone was laced with gritted teeth.

"Yes, my lord."

The guard was terrified, but he obediently followed the order and led the baron outside.

The baron's residence had only recently been built and was not particularly large. After passing through the hall and walking down a narrow corridor several dozen meters long, the two arrived at the entrance.

The man outside wore ragged clothes and was filthy and disheveled. Without a close look, one might have mistaken him for an orc. There was no trace of the once high-spirited chief steward in him.

But Todd caught the familiar scent of blood on him and instantly confirmed it—this was Hart.

The baron spoke first, his words thick with mockery.

"Hart, long time no see."

"Isn't this my once most trusted subordinate? The man who promised to bring me gold."

"Why did you disappear for so long, only to return here now?"

Hart looked uneasy. "My lord Baron, I have important information to report to you."

"Oh? What information?"

Todd watched him with a faint smile. There was hatred in his gaze, but also hunger. His reason was fading.

It just so happened that he had not drunk fresh blood in a long while. Once Hart finished reporting the intelligence, the man before him would have no more value and would become his next meal.

"Please have your subordinates withdraw."

Hart's voice trembled slightly.

"Fine."

"You may all leave."

The baron agreed to the request. He dismissed the surrounding guards and accompanied Hart to a secluded, deserted spot in the garden behind the Baron's Manor. This suited his own intentions perfectly.

In his eyes, Hart had come knocking on death's door.

Baron Todd's pupils had already turned scarlet. He sneered. "Speak, Hart. I am curious to hear how you intend to defend yourself."

Hart's voice trembled even more fiercely. The forced smile on his face looked uglier than tears.

He said, one word at a time,

"The... dragon... has... arrived."

Baron Todd had yet to react. He asked in surprise,

"What?"

Yet the next moment, he discovered that an enormous shadow had enveloped him in an instant. Wings covered most of the night sky before him, blocking the moonlight pouring down.

The Red Dragon looked down upon the baron from above. Its savage head wore a faintly mocking expression, while its golden vertical pupils glimmered in the darkness.

"Do you need me to repeat it for you, my lord Baron, whom I have never met?"

"The dragon has arrived."