“Splurt!”
The knight captain’s ordinary sword pierced the Steelback Dragon’s scalp. There had already been an old wound there, and now with another heavy blow, dragon blood spurted wildly.
But how could a mass-produced knight’s sword break through the defense, while even the Hero’s divine sword couldn’t pierce the dragon’s head?
“Stamina Boost.”
“Strength Boost.”
“Weapon Enhancement.”
“Holy Enchantment.”
“Piercing Power Amplification.”
Because not far away, Samimi was crouched at the base of a tree’s roots, quietly chanting, casting a series of powerful buffs for the kingdom knights.
Her multi-layered weapon enhancement spells turned ordinary knight swords into weapons with power rivaling divine blades.
However, the only drawback of such reinforcement magic was that ordinary weapons couldn’t withstand the overload and would quickly break down.
Crack! Bang!
The next second, the knight captain’s sword snapped in half—unable to endure the immense power.
But that was enough. Half the blade remained permanently lodged in the Steelback Dragon’s skull, causing constant searing pain.
“ROAR!” The dragon howled in agony, thrashing wildly, smashing trees as it flailed.
The knight captain was thrown off, but quickly scrambled to his feet and darted into the forest like a cockroach, putting the terrain to full use.
The dragon was furious, determined to hunt him down, but the trees blocked its path.
“Now! Go, go!”
Seizing the opportunity, Samimi stood up and waved her hand, commanding the remaining knights to charge from both flanks, leaping toward the dragon’s eyes with precise thrusts.
This was also part of her pre-planned tactics—stab the dragon in the eyes to bring it down.
Conveniently, the dragon’s head was already bloodied, and its bleeding eyes had slowed its reaction time.
“Clang!”
Unfortunately, the middle-aged knight on the left missed.
“Squelch!”
But the young knight on the right successfully drove his sword straight into the dragon’s eye.
The dragon howled in unbearable pain. It could no longer rage—it staggered, convulsed, then abruptly twisted its head and began to flee in the opposite direction.
“Ahh!” The young knight’s sword also snapped, and he was thrown to the ground. Half of the blade remained lodged in the dragon’s eye.
Luckily, the Steelback Dragon didn’t attack him—choosing instead to retreat.
Everyone quickly regrouped, faces filled with disbelief, watching the dragon’s massive figure disappear into the distance.
They had actually driven off the dragon!
And in just two rounds, they had severely injured the Steelback Dragon!
“Sister Samimi, should we give chase or retreat?” the knight captain asked.
He wasn’t foolish. He knew it wasn’t their strength that had turned the tide—it was Sister Samimi’s incredible support.
“Let’s follow it. We need to make sure it doesn’t attack other human settlements. We must drive it into uninhabited lands,” Samimi replied.
The captain gave a whistle, and the horses returned.
Everyone mounted up and chased the Steelback Dragon across the plains.
But soon, they saw the dragon had stopped in the middle of the grassland.
Because another group of knights had already begun an assault on the Steelback Dragon.
At the same time, four dazzling figures could be seen flashing around the battlefield.
A flaming meteor crashed down, smashing the dragon’s skull.
Cold, merciless arrows flew, aiming for its already-injured eye.
The Hero and her knight companion rained blow after blow onto the dragon’s head with their swords, finally piercing its skull.
“BOOM!”
With a thunderous crash, the Steelback Dragon collapsed under the assault. The subjugation was successful.
The ones who slew the dragon, of course, were the Hero’s party, along with a large detachment of kingdom light cavalry.
“Halt! Who are you? Why are you here? Trying to steal credit? Stay back!”
As Samimi’s group approached, the light cavalry immediately blocked their way, forbidding them from even stepping near the dragon’s corpse.
“What?! That’s not fair! We were the ones who first fought and wounded the dragon! You people just came to clean up at the end!” the young knight shouted in anger.
“Wounded it? Don’t make me laugh. Do you even know who we’re following? That’s the Hero herself!” a light cavalryman mocked loudly.
“This is the Hero’s prey. You backwater knights want to slay a dragon? Keep dreaming!” sneered the cavalry captain.
That comment left Xiaogao speechless, his face red with shame, unable to argue back.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just a misunderstanding. Let’s leave,” the knight captain said with a forced smile, quickly trying to defuse the situation.
He’d seen this kind of thing before.
There was only so much glory to go around. The more people who claimed it, the smaller the share for each.
Samimi said nothing, hiding under her hood as she quietly prepared to leave with the others.
“Please wait.”
The cavalrymen parted, and a young girl stepped forward—a proud and regal figure radiating a commanding presence.
“I am Fabiana, granddaughter of the Knight King and the Pure White Knight. We’ve confirmed the Steelback Dragon was already injured. Are you the local stationed knights? We will report your contribution to the kingdom and credit your efforts.”
Beside the Hero stood a noble-looking female knight clad in pure white armor—clearly from a distinguished family.
“We’re kingdom knights stationed at Sweet Melon Town. This is our town’s local nun,” the captain responded.
“…”
Samimi pulled her hood lower, trying to obscure her face, silently hoping to slip away unnoticed.
“Thank you for your assistance. The Hero’s party won’t forget your contribution,” said the Hero, Laigaiyas.
But to Samimi, those words sounded like fake courtesy.
She had no desire to get involved with these women again. From now on, she just wanted to live her own quiet life, far from them.
“Hero, I smell that woman’s magic. It reeks.”
Suddenly, a pointy-hatted witch whispered something into the ears of the Hero and the female knight.
Crap!
Samimi cursed inwardly.
It must be Witch Bemore. She must have detected the residual traces of Samimi’s magic from the knights and confirmed her identity.
“Stop right there.” Hero Laigaiyas called out sharply.
“Is something the matter, Hero?” the knight captain asked.
“You all may leave. Cavalry captain, report back and arrange for the dragon’s corpse to be transported. But you… nun—stay.” Laigaiyas cleared the field, dismissing everyone else.
The kingdom knights were reluctant to leave, having just fought side by side with Samimi.
“Don’t worry. We know each other. You all can go on ahead,” Samimi said, realizing her cover was blown and she had no choice but to face the situation.
Hearing that, the knights finally mounted up and rode off.
The cavalry quickly retreated as well, obeying the Hero’s command.
Now, only the four members of the Hero’s party remained—along with one ex-member, and the Steelback Dragon’s corpse.
“Samimi, what the hell are you doing here?” Fabiana demanded loudly.
“Take off that hood! Stop pretending to be someone you’re not!”
“You’re like a stray dog, barking at everyone who walks by, huh?” Samimi shot back with a cold sneer.
“You… did you just call me, the dignified Pure White Knight, a stray dog?!” Fabiana was stunned into silence.