I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 103
Chapter 103
In the middle of a desolate snow-capped mountain, all was silent. Even the creatures resilient to the cold had retreated into slumber to endure the bleak winter weather.
In that stillness, a large vertical rift split open.
The rift, shimmering with chaotic colors like oil slicked upon the shore, spat out its contents.
Two men emerged: a hulking man with a dark physique and a man wearing a grey robe.
It was the man Ferda had identified as Gokma.
They arrived before the snowy peak.
“Did we really have to come this way?”
“There is no other way.”
“And why is that?”
“No other place came to mind.”
“Hmm.”
The Big Guy looked up at the mountain.
It was the place where the Dark Elf named Linne had once operated as a research director. However, that was now a thing of the past.
“What did you decide to do with Linne?”
“The research will continue.”
“A generous decision.”
At that, the Big Guy snorted.
“Generous? Hardly. I’ll kill her once it’s finished. She was a woman with no value beyond that to begin with.”
“Boiling the hound once the hunt is over? Well, at least there won’t be any lingering trouble.”
The man spoke and turned away.
It was then.
Gokma felt a sudden surge of murderous intent directed at him. He raised his hand and turned his body in one fluid motion.
Something slammed into his palm.
Boom!
The Big Guy’s fist collided with his hand. Though he was significantly outmatched in raw strength, Gokma held his ground on both feet.
“…What is the meaning of this?”
“I am merely doing what you do.”
“And what exactly have I done?”
“Since you are avoiding the conversation, I have given up on talking. Are more words necessary?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t try to deceive me. You brought up that Dark Elf wench specifically to avoid the subject, didn’t you?”
“And what is this conversation I’m supposedly avoiding? You seem to know.”
“Ferda Valdrova.”
The Big Guy growled as if incensed.
“Why didn’t you kill that man?”
“…”
“See? You can’t answer.”
The Big Guy sneered at Gokma’s silence.
“I never liked you from the start. Hiding away to prolong your life after being pathetically run through by the Hero, only to crawl back out now.”
“…”
“You should. Have. Died. There. Instead of coming back like this, clinging to life so disgracefully.”
“If you think dying like that is so grand…”
Gokma glared back, his eyes flashing with emotion.
“Why are you still alive? Why didn’t you follow your father?”
“Is that not because of you?!”
“That is nothing but an excuse. When I brought you back to life, I told you my clear objective. And you accepted it. If you act like this now, how are you any different from the fickle humans?”
The Big Guy’s eyebrows twitched.
However, instead of escalating into further violence, he withdrew the fist he had pressed against Gokma.
Gokma spoke as he watched him.
“There was a reason I didn’t kill Ferda. As expected, you never truly know a human until you see them for yourself.”
There was only one person who had ever made Gokma utter those words in the past.
He recalled the distant past within his memory.
Gokma had once looked down upon the weakness of humans as trivial. He had crushed and destroyed the things they believed in, mocking their fragility.
That was why, until the very moment of his death, he never knew.
He never knew that from among those weak masses of humanity, one would emerge with the power to pierce his heart.
And he never imagined that man would eventually go on to destroy even the Demon King.
The seed of rebellion that severed Godwin’s will.
‘The Hero.’
Gokma touched his chest.
What had led him to his death was not a holy sword imbued with the protection of all gods and dragons, but a crude kitchen knife.
Though he was now resurrected, the fact that he had died in such a way served as a constant warning.
Yet, he smiled.
It was an emotion born entirely of joy. Because of that imperfect death, the will lived on, and he had been able to become this strong.
Surely, his father was also smiling within the void.
Gokma thought the Hero was the only one who could ever make him reconsider his evaluation twice.
But there are no absolutes in this world.
‘Ferda Valdrova.’
He was feeling that same sense of the unexpected from that man that he had felt from the Hero.
Though the direction was different, the texture of the feeling was similar.
Gokma knew exactly what that feeling was.
“Hm?”
The Big Guy let out a sound, casting his gaze toward a spot in the snow.
“What is it?”
“…Someone is there.”
All that could be seen was a field of snow, completely covered.
No. As Gokma turned his gaze to where the Big Guy was looking, he saw something protruding peculiarly.
It had a shape like a helmet.
Judging by its rugged form, he thought it might be a stone statue placed somewhere.
But that thought lasted only a moment before the snow piled on the statue shifted.
It rose from its place.
It was a suit of armor, rough and crude, as if a great stone mountain had been expressed through a human body.
Seeing that armor, it became clear how it could have remained so still while the snow covered its frame.
“Alberto, it’s you.”
A steadfast appearance that matched his alias.
He possessed a presence that truly deserved to be called the Walking Fortress.
“Meeting you like this couldn’t possibly be a coincidence. Were you waiting?”
He did not answer.
In the first place, words were unnecessary.
He picked up the club and shield he had set down.
A heavy club over two meters long and a shield of similar size. The armor covering his entire body was also crude and rough.
Judging by what he wore, he looked sluggish, and in fact, his movements were on the slower side.
Nevertheless, he was the most infamous figure among the demons.
The infamy he had built was by no means unearned.
The Big Guy, in particular, began to tremble violently upon seeing him.
“You… you son of a bitch…!”
Losing his reason as if he’d finally found what he was looking for, the Big Guy lunged toward Alberto.
“I’ll kill you today for sure!”
His fist shot out with enough force to shatter armor.
Alberto raised his club in time with the rhythm of the attack.
Just as they were about to collide—
Gokma traced his finger through the air.
A space opened between the Big Guy and Alberto, swallowing the Big Guy whole.
Alberto swung through the empty air and slammed his club into the ground.
Thud!
The ground shook violently, and snow soared into the sky before settling back down.
Alberto looked toward Gokma.
Gokma spoke.
“Please understand. He acts that way because he’s bitter about you snapping his limbs.”
“…”
“Besides, isn’t it me you want, not those small fry?”
At first listen, it sounded self-absorbed, but it was the truth. Alberto had come specifically seeking Gokma, and that was why he had been sitting in this spot.
“Stop this. Nothing will change even if you track me, Alberto.”
“…”
“You have no mana, nothing. You are merely a human. If I simply trace my finger and leave this space, you will have to trudge across the continent on foot again. Even in the face of such irrationality, you seek me out in your solitude.”
“…”
Alberto gave no answer.
Gokma had spoken those words, but he did not mock Alberto.
The number of demons and monsters slaughtered by his sluggishness was beyond counting, and more than a dozen settlements had been razed.
Without anyone to recognize his deeds, he moved silently for the sole purpose of killing demons.
That was why the man was called the Walking Fortress, Alberto.
“Since you hate demons to death, I shall tell only you. Do you know what I saw today?”
The face that came to his mind was Ferda’s.
“The making of a Demon King.”
“…”
“He was a human with extraordinary potential. Right now, he harbors the insolent ambition to conquer the Land of Demons, but that is only for a moment.”
Gokma smiled thinly.
“What remains at the end of loss is always emptiness.”
Gokma tore through space once more.
“And in emptiness, rage always finds its home.”
With that, Gokma vanished from the spot.
There was nothing Alberto could do.
He lifted his head and looked at the sky.
Gloomy weather.
A blizzard was coming soon.
The strong winds would pile the snow high again, but they would not stop his stride.
His footsteps, moving toward where the monsters were, had no fixed destination.
But today was different.
Unlike other times, his steps were clearly moving toward a specific place.
The sudden appearance of monsters.
Contrary to expectations that it would lead to panic, the morning was peaceful.
Though someone had died and others were seriously injured, it did not lead to a path of despair.
The people merely felt relieved that their trust in the Captain of the Guard, William, and the support of the Dragon Spawn had averted the worst-case scenario.
However, there are always those who find such an atmosphere displeasing.
Hanson was exactly that kind of person.
Hanson, who had come here as the first to dream of the gold rush, did not like this peace.
‘There should be more of an uproar.’
Social mobility usually comes from chaos. Hanson’s obsession with social standing was stronger than most.
He was a carpenter, an architect who had been second-rate in the Empire. Had he stayed there, the position of foreman would have remained a mere fantasy.
He already held a position beyond his capabilities.
But human greed knows no bounds.
‘I want to go to an even higher place.’
A noble’s seat. No, even if not a noble, at least a position where the commoners here would bow their heads.
‘It was something impossible for guys like me.’
Originally, it was nothing more than a daydream for commoners. It wasn’t for nothing that storytellers told tales of beggars finding fortune to become princes or princesses; such fantasies lived in everyone’s hearts.
Hanson’s delusions were particularly severe.
And why wouldn’t they be? Did he not have an incredible stroke of luck?
‘The Armor Knight.’
It was no exaggeration to say that everything had been achieved through him. He was easy to handle as a person and exceptionally capable—hadn’t he saved Hanson’s face every single time?
He had elevated Hanson from a mere laborer to a foreman.
Hanson had thought this when he first saw him:
‘This man will surely become a knight soon.’
That was why he flattered him and acted as his voice, taking care of everything he could. He thought he would become a knight within a month at most.
But the Armor Knight did not become a knight. He still remained at the construction site.
‘I only get power if the Armor Knight becomes a knight…’
Beyond a foreman to a site manager.
He wanted to have even more people under his command. To do that, the Armor Knight had to reach a higher place.
‘When he was called to the castle, I thought, “This is it!"…’
Who would have known he was the type to kick his own luck away?
While Hanson said he was fine on the outside, he was secretly nursing his bitter heart with gulps of booze in the back.
But what could he do? He just had to live according to his station.
“The atmosphere is quite grim!”
The person who casually dropped those words was a woman.
She looked a bit young to be of marriageable age. The arrogant expression on her face made her look like a sheltered maiden.
But there was no way such an arrogant girl existed in this village. This woman was undoubtedly a fledgling mage.
‘Getting involved seems like it’ll be a headache…’
Hanson feigned ignorance and looked away.
Then the woman stepped closer, more blatantly this time, and spoke.
“Ahem, I heard that wolf monsters raided the place.”
“…And?”
“‘And?’ That’s a bit informal. I heard many casualties occurred because I didn’t arrive in time.”
“Only four people died.”
“Do you know what ‘casualties’ means? It includes the injured, not just the dead.”
“Even so, we held our own well enough. If the adventurer lords had stepped in more, there wouldn’t have even been those deaths.”
“Doesn’t it ultimately mean it was the fault of the incompetent superiors who couldn’t respond to such a situation?”
“…What are you talking about?”
Hanson frowned and looked down at the woman.
She laughed boldly and said, “Think about it. Why did you come to this city? You came to make money, didn’t you?”
“That’s true, but…”
“Surely the employers who lured you here said something like this: it’s close to the Land of Demons, but that actually makes it safer. Something like that.”
It was true. He hadn’t believed it, but it was something everyone just accepted and moved past. After all, the people who came here were those who had no jobs elsewhere.
“And in the midst of that, you were attacked. People died. And yet you plan to just sit still?”
“…So what do you want me to do, young lady?”
“Haha! That’s why I’m presenting a solution, isn’t it?”
She stepped closer as if they finally understood each other. A strong scent of flowers wafted from her.
“So, are you the foreman?”
“I am.”
“How many laborers are under you?”
“About fifty or so…”
“If you lure in the other foremen, that’ll be a hundred.”
“I suppose.”
“Think about it. The population of this city is now nearly six hundred. Just your group makes up a hundred, doesn’t it? That’s a full sixth of the population.”
“Is that… so?”
“Do you know how much loss would occur if you all suddenly pulled out of a village like this?”
“…”
Come to think of it… she was right.
The construction site was running right now because they were there. If work stopped in a place where labor had to continue day after day, it would be a huge blow.
“You are invaluable, irreplaceable labor. Isn’t it only right to be angry that such labor is being treated this way?”
“Hmm…”
“You have the right to more money and higher status. That bratty Regent needs to realize clearly that human life is something money can’t buy.”
Hanson thought it made sense. More than anything, these were words heard right when his greed was boiling over. It was no different from the devil’s whisper.
“But how am I supposed to do something like that?”
At that, the woman gave a mischievous smile.
“There’s always a way. I’ll help you.”
Despite the sudden appearance of monsters, the village had been successfully defended.
There were 30 casualties: 5 soldiers, 15 civilians, and 10 adventurers who had joined in. Four of them had died, all of whom were civilians.
Because of this, the morning in Hestia Village could not be the same as usual.
Isabella spoke.
“A strike has broken out.”
