Vainqueur hated frost.

He had taken residence in the southern Albain Mountains because he thought that it would deter thieves, but the chilly air of his beloved mountains couldn’t compare to that of the so-called Winter Kingdoms. Located north of the Nightlands, this vast expanse seemed entirely covered in snow; even now, in the middle of the day, a weak hail kept bothering his flight.

“It’s cold…” Manling Victor shook like a tree while flying at his master’s side. Even his heavy clothes didn’t protect him. “It’s horribly cold!”

“We will leave as soon as I get my gold,” Vainqueur reassured him.

He couldn’t wait to go to the Moon.

That was possibly Manling Victor’s greatest idea since he decided to lovingly serve Vainqueur forever. If the Emperor couldn’t complete quests or monsters on this planet, he would move on to another, without competition! The Moon would become his hunting ground, V&V’s newest conquest!

What could possibly go wrong with this plan?

“According to the map, the third name on Your Majesty’s list, Cornelia Stormwind, should be nearby,” his minion said. “I wonder if she will pay Your Majesty too.”

Vainqueur hoped so as well, as the dragon and his minion flew above a frozen lake and then a snowy forest of spruce and pines; the dragon had left his bag behind so they could explore the area to his leisure without him fearing for his new gold.

The red wyrm noticed a flying shape whose white color meshed well with the snow approaching them. “Hello, Vainqueur!” A small ice dragoness saluted him, while they crossed paths in the skies. “Strange to see you there!”

“Snowsweep.” Vainqueur recognized her from his feast. “I am looking for a lesser creature called…”

“Cornelia Stormwind,” Manling Victor provided the name,

“Cornelia Stormwind.”

“That good for nothing elf?” The dragoness shrugged. “She has taken control of this forest after I caught its ruling princess. I guess you will find her breeding with a pine tree nearby. Why are you looking for her? She is no princess material.”

“She has insulted me,” Vainqueur replied. “She owes me a tribute of gold and cattle.”

“Good luck catching her then,” the dragoness replied. “But, if you are snooping around, can you tell my little brother Windi to come home? He has not returned from his latest quest, and I am starting to worry for his safety.”

“I will,” Vainqueur promised, nodding at the other dragon while she left to search further south.

“That’s the fourth dragon we’ve met so far,” Manling Victor said, as he and his master circled the forest from above.

“Most of my kind prefer the cold of the north than the south’s warmth.” Why frost dragons outnumbered their better cousins was beyond Vainqueur; and that climate reminded him why he preferred heat. While his [Ring of Elemental Resistance] may shield him from the discomfort of the cold, he still felt it.

Vainqueur sniffed the air, trying to locate the elf grasshopper. He noticed multiple scents spread around the forest, dozens of manlings, elves, beastkin, and even…

“Manling Victor, stay close to me,” Vainqueur ordered, suddenly on edge.

“What?”

“I smell a disgusting fairy on the ground,” the Emperor said, trying to pinpoint its location; failing that, he would burn the entire forest, to be sure.

“Look there!” Manling Victor pointed his scythe at shapes emerging from the clouds and flying straight at them. One looked like a dragon from afar, and Vainqueur identified the other as a gryphon rider.

Was that Manling Kia and Jolie?

No. The “dragon” was a silvery, winged serpent, a frost drake; and one carrying a manling knight on its back at that! A lightly-clad elf woman with bluish skin and white hair rode the gryphon, wielding a metal machine similar to Renoir’s [Kalachnikov]; and he noticed a third form, that of a manling brunette in a strange furred dress, flying through magic between them.

Each of them had a strange ring of light floating above their heads.

“Your Majesty, watch out!” Manling Victor warned, “She has a hunting rifle—”

The woman on the gryphon pointed her metal stick at Vainqueur and fired a strange lead, rounded arrow at his belly.

The projectile bounced off his scales.

“Lead!” Vainqueur exclaimed with mock pain, a hand on the point of impact. “My only weakness!”

“Really?” the woman on the gryphon asked, as she and the others closed in.

“No,” Vainqueur replied, retaliating with a fireball while she was distracted. “Weaknesses are for manlings!”

The projectiles did make his scales itch a bit, but the dragon ignored the feeling.

The trio dispersed to dodge the fireball, showing annoying quickness at it. While Friend Victor almost cut the drake’s head with his scythe, forcing the beast on the defensive, Vainqueur tried to eat the tasty gryphon with one bite.

Other projectiles flew at them from the forest itself, a massive lightning bolt and a shining arrow. His beautiful ring helped him shrug off the spell like the lead projectile, but the arrow…

Vainqueur felt excruciating pain when it hit him in the belly, blowing up a scale.

[Arrow of Dragonslaying] inflicted double damage!