Berserk: The Prophet

.........

In the evening, after dinner, I stayed in my assigned room until late at night. I have to say, the quality of life for the nobility is truly different. Dinner consisted of roast goose, foie gras, steak, honey bread, and wine, all delicacies that I could not usually afford. The meat products were infused with the flavor of spices, far superior to anything I could buy outside, or rather, such deliciousness was simply unavailable elsewhere.

However, in preparation for the evening, Green only took a small sip and drank a cup of hot milk. Perhaps his body was too tired from traveling, or perhaps he hadn't slept on such a soft pillow and blanket in a long time. Green fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed and was not woken up by Serantti until late at night.

"Let's go, it's time for the trial."

Green groggily opened his eyes. Yes, it was already this time. For some reason, he felt a surge of excitement, perhaps out of curiosity about the challenge ahead. Green energetically got out of bed and followed Seranty out of the room, up the spiraling stone staircase. Tonight, Seranty wasn't wearing heavy armor, but rather light casual clothes and a thick waist belt. As always, he wore a hood and a strange wooden mask, making him look like a tree person.

Lifting the top-level panel, a cold wind howled. Only moonlight shone down on the pitch-black city. Every household had turned off their lights, except for a few lights still on in the castle. The dragon statue on the castle was bathed in pure white moonlight, as if covered with a white veil.

Only by seeing it up close can one know how magnificent this statue is. Although it is winter, not a single snowflake has fallen on it, and it still looks sacred and inviolable. My heart started pounding, and the totem on its chest seemed to be restless, perhaps because it is also a dragon.

"Ascend to the head of the Dragon of Justice, Pence, and it will witness your courage in upholding justice and your noble and sincere soul. If you can gain the approval of the Dragon of Justice, then the Holy Dragon Knights will obey the will of the dragon Pence, accept you and recognize you regardless of your origin, and defend you on the battlefield!"

"Only the pure-souled elites among the nobles will receive its approval, while commoners need to have noble qualities and lofty will to gain its recognition and transform into nobles. Not everyone will gain its approval. When you gain its approval, it also means that you are qualified to run for the next Grand Master of the Holy Dragon Knights. Throughout history, apart from my ancestor Demiares, no commoner has ever gained its approval."

A hint of admiration flashed in Trunks' eyes as he imagined the great history of his ancestors, his thoughts drifting far away.

"...Isn't that just a legend?"

Thranduil interrupted Trunks's reverie, after all, that history was too far removed from the present. Even if such a past existed, magic had disappeared since the extinction of the Sindar elves, let alone baseless magical legends about gods.

"Ahem, let's get back to the point. Anyway, the current rule is that you must have the courage to climb to the top of the dragon's head to join the Holy Dragon Knights. The same old rule applies: after reaching the top, you must touch the sharp horn on the dragon's nose and leave blood to gain its approval."

Trunks cleared his throat, finally snapping out of his reverie, and began to explain the process in a serious manner.

"A very good story."

Green nodded thoughtfully, recalling what the white god had once told him; at the very least, the god must have once existed on this continent.

"Hahaha, come on, kid. With Seranty and me following behind you, nothing will happen. Take courage!!" Trunks patted Grin on the shoulder.

"Um!!"

Perhaps every man has a heart burning with the passion to climb to the summit. The mountaintop, a symbol of poetry and distant horizons, is right before him. His heart pounds, his adrenaline surges, and Green pushes himself up onto the stone steps at the dragon's tail. The spiraling stairs rise little by little, offering no handrails. The view of the city below the tower stretches out before him. A cold wind howls, making Green's ears and nose turn red, but his heart is filled with exhilaration!

Looking down at the scenery, his heart pounded faster and faster. The surge of adrenaline made Green's mind unusually clear. He opened his eyes wide and felt the cold wind and scenery at the top. He had a fear as if he might fall into an abyss at any moment. He could only try to control his breathing, not look down at his feet, and move forward.

Once I had regulated my breathing, I felt my steps were no longer so unsteady. I had reached the end of the long staircase and was now on the broad back of the dragon. The spacious platform beneath my feet was made of relatively flat stone scales. The dragon's wings looked so awe-inspiring from here, as if they were gently lifting up the moon. The stars twinkled in the sky. It was rare to see such a view, especially from such a high place.

It takes about 50 meters to walk up the back of the dragon to reach the neck of the dragon statue. Because the dragon is slowly raising its head, only those who accept the challenge can climb up the dragon's neck by holding onto the sharp horns behind it. On both sides of the dragon's neck, there are two ropes tied to the horns to facilitate the climbers' observation.

“We’ll go up first, you’d better hurry, Ryan.” Trunks said, and he and Thranduil climbed up the rope.

"No problem! Definitely..."

Looking at the dragon's neck, which was nearly 20 meters tall, Green was still a little worried. If he fell off halfway, he would be doomed.

"Oh, I forgot about that!"

The two were quick and efficient, and soon reached the top. Trunks' voice rang out, as if he had found something. He glanced at Green below, who was preparing to climb up, and tossed him a rope.

"Tie this around your waist, make sure it's tight, don't let it fall off!!" Trunks reminded him as he lay on top of it.

Green: "..."

Green was speechless for a moment, but he quickly tied the rope around his waist so that he wouldn't fall down and die.

Seranti: "...Can you be a little more reliable?"

Trunks: "Hahaha...you know I don't have a very good memory."

Greene gave the rope a final check before climbing. The scales on the back of the dragon's neck were rough and uneven, with sharp spikes that were sharper and denser than those on the sides. It was easy to get injured if you weren't careful, and the dried blood on those spikes was the best proof of that.

Having never experienced rock climbing before, Green had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it. Fortunately, his body was well-trained and had good physical fitness. He was light and strong, so climbing was not too strenuous. However, the biting wind would always make Green's body shiver slightly. The stone sculptures in the cold night and the cold wind at the summit always made him feel chilled to the bone.

Halfway up the mountain, Green's hands were frozen and numb, his face was already numb from the cold, he clenched his teeth, and every breath he exhaled quickly dissipated into the cold winter night, making his teeth chatter and his muscles tremble involuntarily.

"I want my own country!!"

Those innocent words lingered in his ears, momentarily clearing his mind, which was on the verge of suffocation and fainting from the cold. He raised his bloodied hands and struggled to continue climbing.

Yes, we can't let the difficulties ahead faze us. I can prove to her that I am the man who can make her dreams come true, because the perseverance needed to own a country is far more than just this!