Chapter 5: Flaming Python and English Longbow (1)

In June, the red sun, the life of the world grew mad with frenzy. 

Heat licked on man’s face and coiled around their limbs like a hot-blooded serpent. The ground smoldered and sent up a disorienting haze; the river seemed to boil like a semi-molten mirror. Even the birds were silent and the plants stood still as if too hot to move.

Across the peninsula river stood Blue Lion City, the heart and capital of Blue Lion Kingdom. The kingdom glittered with grandiose, like an ancient beast lying beneath the earthen floor. 

Inside the city walls stood erect various buildings scattered all around with the palace located in the centre.

Suddenly, the palace door flew open and groups of galloping cavalry trotted out toward the streets. Pedestrians dodged the onslaught of the cavalry one after another. 

As the cavalry rushed out of Blue Lion City, smokes of dirt rose from their marked footprints. 

For a moment, particles of dust were everywhere. But regardless, the cavalry maintained a strict formation and rode across the horizon.

*** 

An hour passed. 

The stallions galloped over a dozen miles and reached a remote hillside far away from the capital. 

Richard jumped off his stallion. 

Following, the cavalry behind him quickly dismounted on their stallions and formed an open ring ‘round Richard and a strong, stout man in black.

The man in black carried a box flung over his muscled shoulder. This man was placed in charge of the shop in the city market. But he had a secret identity—Richard’s trusted confidant. 

In truth, Richard, alongside his confidant, set up and controlled KGB Shop and several other shops in the city market, of which held far more power and dominance than the heir apparent. 

That aside, he thought his identity as a prince was a bit troublesome and dragged him down. If he could, he’d have set aside his identity and move forward without restrictions like studying the laws of this world. 

Rumors of magic whispered in the streets when the moon hung overhead intrigued him. 

Thinking of this matter, Richard turned his head to the side.

The false wizard, face pale as a ghost, had his hands tied and bound to the stallion all thanks to the guard captain. He treated the man with glib-tongue roughly during the process for anger filled his core. 

Seeing the false wizard kick about in hopelessness, the guard captain smirked in satisfaction. 

Richard ignored the guard captain and looked at the false wizard. 

“Where’d you see the python? Point to it.”

“Ah…” The false wizard looked into the horizon. His eyes squinched, looking carefully. “There, under that tree! When I was passing by it, that python appeared out of nowhere and scared me to death. Fortunately, it had no interest in me. It left quickly, leaving me with my life intact. It was there I found its molt.”

Richard turned to the guard captain and nodded his head. 

The guard captain waved his finger and drew his weapon. More than a dozen soldiers quickly moved to the front.

10 meters… 20 meters… 30 meters…

They soon arrived at the place the false wizard referred them too, but what they found was no python but a rabbit.

The guard captain glared at the false wizard, who in return took a big gulp and looked away nervously. 

“Your… Your Highness, it may be that the python is currently sleeping.” He quickly explained ‘lest the prince accuses him of falsifying information.

Richard bent his knees and examined the ground. He picked away the baby weeds that revealed traces of flames that burnt the roots below. It would seem that a wandering python did pass by.

He grabbed a small soil the size of his fingernail and sniffed it. It had the scent of yellow phosphorus similar to garlic, mixed with a touch of sulfur.

Richard stood up and faced the guard captain. 

“Move forward and keep searching! Pay attention to your feet and the nearby trees. Snakes are cold-blooded animals that are drawn to heat. If their characteristics haven’t changed, then in this weather, they’re likely hiding somewhere under the shades. Pay attention!”