At high noon, under the brilliant sunlight, Garon soared through the sky, his massive body streaking through the clouds, creating a colossal trail of white in his wake.
Not far behind, the even larger red dragon Rohel trailed by just a few tens of meters, both dragons flying high with clear intent.
Their destination was distinct: the Baki Great Plains.
Two days had passed since Garon agreed to assist the Alva Duchy. According to frontline reports, the Golden Alliance Army had already made deep inroads into the Baki Great Plains, setting up camp and coming face-to-face with the last of the Dimo Kingdom's defenses.
For now, both sides were holding their positions, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Garon felt that going alone would be too conspicuous. His bright silver scales might easily lead him to be mistaken for a Silver Dragon, which are not commonly mercenaries in human wars. Silver Dragons generally act on a moral compass and, despite their love for treasure, do not partake in war profiteering—unlike Garon, who had no such reservations.
To avoid attracting excessive attention, Garon had brought along Rohel. Unbeknownst to many, the primary method for judging a dragon's strength is by its size. Rohel's larger form might draw more attention, potentially diverting some away from Garon.
It was akin to how he had once brought a White Dragon to distract the enemy forces during a battle with human troops.
Though Rohel was essentially brought as a decoy, he harbored no complaints; in fact, he was rather excited about the venture. The emissaries from Alva had promised him a substantial fortune, and as a dragon who reveled in war profiteering, Rohel was genuinely grateful to Garon for the opportunity.
"Rohel, though we are to take part in this battle, our role is merely to intimidate, not to engage directly," Garon's voice carried over the roaring wind to the Red Dragon.
Rohel grinned, his voice booming in the deep dragonic tongue, "Haha, don't worry, I have plenty of experience in these matters."
He sped up to close the gap with Garon, adding excitedly, "In my experience, war profits are the easiest to come by and very safe."
"Those foolish humans exhaust themselves in conflict. As true dragons, we need only make a token appearance and breathe a little fire to suffice."
In terms of doing the bare minimum, Rohel was quite experienced.
Garon found himself speechless for a moment, almost forgetting that Rohel was a seasoned participant in human conflicts, needing no reminders from him.
With a few sharp cries of large magical birds that noticed Garon and Rohel in the sky, they quickly turned and vanished into the dazzling clouds, a minor episode in their journey.
Rohel then stretched his neck, emitting a high-pitched dragon's call, his wing edges sparking with embers and heat. Garon could tell he was excited.
Rohel's involvement in human wars seemed to stem not just from a desire for wealth but from a genuine penchant for stirring the waters.
"I've even been in situations where the opposing nation also had a dragon on their side," Rohel shared.
"Oh? How often does that happen?" Garon asked, his interest piqued.
"Quite often, actually," Rohel replied quickly. "These little creatures revere dragon power and often offer riches to enlist our aid."
In large-scale battles, a dragon's presence can cause enemy ranks to falter through sheer intimidation. The denser the human troops, the more effective it is.
"Heh, if the other side has a dragon too, we just fly up high and show off a bit," Rohel chuckled. "It's an unspoken rule among the chromatic dragons. Everyone profits, no dragons get hurt."
Garon had nothing to say. Such enthusiasm for war profiteering was typical of chromatic dragons.
Still, considering the logic, if two nations at war were evenly matched and one enlisted a dragon, the other would need to do the same to maintain balance, even if both dragons were merely posturing.
It was a sort of arms race, Garon mused internally.
"Perhaps Dimo Kingdom also has dragon support," Garon considered as they continued their flight.
Half an hour later, a vast expanse of the Baki Great Plains came into view. From above, the plains looked like a sea of vibrant green, the high grass dancing in the breeze like waves.
This region was the breadbasket of Dimo Kingdom, its fertile soils ideal for basic crops. Dimo's dominant position as a kingdom centuries ago owed much to its proximity to the Baki Great Plains.
Now that the Golden Alliance Army had pushed deep into this crucial area, it was clear why Matthew was confident the war was nearing its end.
Scanning the plains, Garon spotted a large expanse of makeshift military enc
ampments. The camps looked rudimentary, like little mounds sprouting across the verdant field, but were numerous and bustling with armored soldiers moving briskly, their high spirits unmistakable despite their hurried actions.
"The Golden Alliance Army is aptly named," Garon noted. The soldiers wore armor painted a gold-like color, each piece adorned with the different crests of their respective duchies, shining under the sunlight.
Of course, the armor wasn't actually made of gold. Even mining all of Noah wouldn't yield enough gold for such use, and gold is impractical as armor material.
Rohel, also surveying the scene, licked his lips, "Wouldn't it be great if their armor was really made of gold?"
Had it been real gold, Rohel would have swooped down to plunder without a second thought.
Garon ignored Rohel's fanciful musings and began to descend toward the Golden Alliance Army's position, with Rohel following closely behind.
Their massive silhouettes, a silver dragon and a flame-red dragon, grew larger as they descended, casting a huge shadow over the troops below.
Given that the higher-ups had already spread word of dragons coming to assist, the sight of Garon and Rohel did not provoke panic among the soldiers. Instead, they looked up in awe, witnessing what many considered a fortunate spectacle—the descent of true dragons, creatures of legend they had grown up hearing about in countless tales.
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