Koak's skull — legend or fiction?

Although the people stayed in Nispada for a short time, one of the expeditions still encountered Koak. The ancient beast descended on the squad that had gone too far. The soldiers, surrounded by treacherous swamps, did not have the slightest chance.
 
However, at the cost of incredible losses, one warrior managed to drive a spear into the armored scales, and the magician accompanying the detachment wove a spell that incinerated the monster. Despite the success, only two of the entire expedition survived — the same magician and the wounded soldier.
 
Koak's skull was brought to court and presented to the king as proof of the feat. Now he rests in the treasury of Ericuria. But the people are whispering: was there a hike at all? They say the magician and his accomplice killed the squad themselves, and the skull is just a clever fake made of swamp wood and bones.
 
This theory is also confirmed by the fact that the surviving soldier and others indirectly involved in that story soon died under mysterious circumstances. The truth is shrouded in darkness, and perhaps only the future king, keen on solving old mysteries, will shed light on the bloody events of that fateful campaign.