My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 309: Bait

Chapter 309: Bait

Desmond raised his eyebrow at a child mage yelling at them. Bias seemed to be instilled in the Eirenguardian children from a young age, even the mages. The war that tore apart Eirenguard didn’t happen within the girl’s lifetime.

"They haven’t done much yet," Quinn admitted. "But can you imagine the reward the kingdom would give Eirenguard if we were to be what saved this region of the world?"

"You’ve been blinded by Castille!" the girl argued.

"Shoo," Quinn said far more calmly than the girl. He also pushed her shoulders so she would fall into line with the others. "I’m the strongest mage here and we will do as I say. Otherwise, I could instill all of your magic into the stone and you’ll simply be a regular, defenseless person while a dragon flies overhead."

The girl was in disagreement but she only glared at Quinn before falling back into line and huddling close to the other mages who were still hiding.

"Well then, gentleman," Quinn continued. "Shall I tell you the plan we have going so far?"

Desmond had never seen Quinn in a position of leadership the way he was commanding the other mages at that moment. While he had gone through the mage’s quarter and saw students looking up to him as they walked through, it was different when he was in his element and being decisive. He finally understood what Stephano saw in that quiet man and why he chose him to lead the army of mages that would one day be formed.

"No better time than when the dragon is out of sight," Desmond said.

Quinn acknowledged Desmond with a cautious expression, realizing how the situation must feel for him. He was someone who had his entire life flipped over because of a dragon. It couldn’t be easy to face one again.

Perhaps with the plan, the Duke wouldn’t have to.

"If I can open up the ceiling above the mana stone, I believe I can use both enchantment and offensive mana to fire something that will ground the dragon if it comes close enough. My specialty is firepower and concise blasts. If there’s one thing I’m certain I can do, it’s that."

"How do you imagine we lure a dragon?" Cian asked skeptically.

Although his question wasn’t because he doubted Quinn, the more he hung around with the mage, the more he became interested in magic. He was the first person to show him that one’s place of birth didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. After being scorned by Eirenguard, it was what Cian needed to hear.

"As I said before, the dragon will be attracted to the innate mana in the area, but someone will need to stay outside to attract the beast," Quinn explained. "As much as I don’t want to put anyone in harm’s way, I believe that’s our only solution for now."

An older mage stepped forward and cleared her throat gently as she acknowledged the men. She hunched forward slightly due to age and the pace of her walking wasn’t quick by any means.

Quinn acknowledged her politely, even offering an arm for her to lean against as she stood in front of the men.

Considering it seemed that he thought of her as someone valuable, Desmond and Cian both acknowledged her in return.

"I think it would be wise to have a mana user there as well," she said, her voice as slow as her walking. "I am slow up the stairs but I will volunteer myself so the young ones have a better chance of survival. If it’s the last thing I can do in my life, I will be happy knowing I tried to help."

Quinn nodded thoughtfully at her words and he fell silent for a moment, uttering a "hmm..."

The two men and old mage looked at Quinn with curiosity until he spoke up again.

"I would hate to see something happen to you considering you have the most developed mana out of all the mages I’ve experienced in Eirenguard so far," Quinn said. "If you go up, I will instill a protective shield in one of the mana stones around the place so that no harm comes to you. You don’t deserve to go out in such an awful way while trying to protect your people."

Hearing this, both men with protective instincts in their very natures felt inspired. They didn’t want to see an old woman sacrifice herself to a dragon either.

"I will go with her," Cian responded fervently. "I have a bow. I can shoot to get the dragon’s attention if necessary. If it gets grounded near us, I also have a blade."

"One with very powerful magic instilled in it," Quinn responded lightly with a faint smirk.

However, Cian was interrupted before he could respond.

"I ought to," Desmond said. "I came here with a purpose. This benefits Castille just as much as it benefits Eirenguard."

Cian’s light eyebrows lowered and he stepped forward in resistance. He dared poke his finger into the chest of a man with such a higher station than him.

"You have a wife at home waiting for you," he said. "I have no one waiting for my return. If anyone should do it, it ought to be me."

Desmond pushed the man’s hand away.

"She will understand," he said. "With Quinn’s protective magic, I believe he won’t allow me to succumb to a dragon once again. I wouldn’t be able to look at myself in the mirror if I sat back while others were fighting."

Even though Cian pictured Leonor and felt terrible at the thought of her having to go through something as horrible as losing the very husband she was so evidently in love with, he let out a light sigh.

"We will do this together then as brothers," Cian said. "Just as it was intended from the beginning."

Desmond held out his hand, offering his forearm for an embrace of trust that was common amongst knights in Eirenguard. Cian immediately responded, embracing their arms by grabbing each other’s forearms.

"Together then," Desmond responded.

He wouldn’t say it out loud due to the uncertain nature of the future and their circumstances, but he hoped that he would know Cian for a long time.

Quinn took a while to prepare the large mana stone with a spell that could be used to release a massive amount of offensive mana when summoned upon. In the meantime, a few of the mages began opening up a hole above the stone using various magic tools enchanted with their mana.

The silver haired mage wished that he had some of his students on hand because their mana was more developed and they would have been able to work much more quickly.

Regardless, the attack was ready and all that the men had to do was stand at the top with the old mage between them.

It didn’t take more than an hour before the dragon showed itself to them.