The legend of the dragon knight

"Kill him. Kill him. Kill him."

The village of Hallstatt was filled with noise as the people of the land gathered to burn Hermes alive. Hermes was an orphaned child who ran away from the city of Valemir three years ago. He was the son of the late Mr. Davidson, a very wealthy merchant who got murdered by assassins alongside his wife, who happened to be the mother of Hermes.

Hermes ran away and escaped to this village. He was welcomed and accepted by Miriam, an old woman who is known as the village mage. They wanted to burn him alive because, in this universe, being magicless is seen as a curse.

When Hermes first arrived at the village, he looked very weak, and his body was covered in bruises from the bushes and grasses he had tripped over while escaping the killers of his parents at night. The people of the village were skeptical about his appearance and, at the same time, felt pity for him because of how he looked. They brought him to the village mage for a proper observation.

When the village mage was done checking him, she found him harmless. But as for his magical powers, something feels off. The mana detection performed by the village mage showed that he possessed magic. But today, during the Mana Festival, it showed once again that he had no magic at all.

So for that reason, the people decided to burn him alive even though the village mage doesn't really agree with their idea. But she had no choice. She didn't want to betray her own people for a total stranger.

Just as the executioners were about to manipulate fire from their hands to burn Hermes, a loud voice sounded from the crowd.

“Hold... on.”

Three huge men emerged from the crowd, wearing royal armor while magical battle shields glowed around their bodies. The villagers went silent as their gaze fixed on them. They are the king’s men from the great Thaedorian kingdom. Their duties are to go around villages, towns, and cities that are under the kingdom to collect taxes and also to ensure they are safe.

They stepped into the execution ground and walked up to where the executioners were standing.

“What is the boy’s crime?” Livinus, the leader of the royal guards, asked as his gaze locked onto one of the executioner's eyes, called Philemon.

“The boy is a curse; he has no magic.”

“Really? Is that the reason you want to burn him alive?” Livinus said, unbothered.

“Yes, sir. The boy is not worthy to live among us. He must die.” The villagers joined him by chanting in unison, “Yes, he must die. He must die. He must...”

“Enough.” Livinus interrupted, and everywhere fell silent. He turned and walked closer to where Hermes was hanging as he studied him closely.

“This boy will make a good servant at the royal kingdom training ground,” he said in a low tone as he turned and walked over to where his fellow guards were standing. He discussed the matter with them and negotiated the decision until they agreed with him.

“By the order of the king, I want the boy to be untied immediately,” he commanded as he turned toward the crowd and then toward the executioners standing nearby.

There was murmur among the crowd. “If we release the boy and send him away from this village, he might go to other villages or towns to disguise himself as someone who has magic. And that will bring a curse upon that land,” Thomas, one of the village elders, spoke out of curiosity.

“Exactly why I said he should be released,” Livinus replied. “You see,” he went on, “if we take the boy to the kingdom training ground, he won't have the chance to disguise himself as someone who possesses magic. And also, he won't be a threat or a curse to anyone because everyone will be informed. Am I understood now?”

The crowd was still quiet; something like disbelief crossed their faces.

“I repeat, am I understood now?”

This time the whole crowd answered in unison. “Yes, sir. Yes, sir.”

“Good.” He responded and turned toward the executioners. “Now, untie the boy, and don’t make me repeat myself.”

Without wasting any time, they untied Hermes, and he fell flat on the ground. The skin on his hands and legs had peeled from the force of the manila rope used to tie him.

Livinus and his fellow guards walked up to him and studied him carefully. Something like pity flickered in their eyes, but as trained warriors who had seen blood, it didn’t last long.

“The boy needs food, and his body needs treatment. We can’t take him to the training ground like this,” Livinus pleaded as he approached the crowd. He scanned the faces carefully, searching for the village mage.

“I’m taking the boy to your house,” Livinus declared after finally spotting the village mage standing at the front. “I would like you to give him food,” he continued, “and provide proper treatment to make him strong enough to go with us.”

“Sir, as you wish,” the village mage responded politely.