I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 14
- The Swallow Trap
Bernel was someone who often heard that he marched to the beat of his own drum.
This was why he hadn’t made a single friend in that narrow world of the academy, and why he had fallen from the ranks of the gifted to the verge of being a failing student.
But even Bernel, with his stubborn independence, felt a sense of helplessness before this man.
‘An overwhelming aura….’
Eyes that felt like gazing into a deep, abyssal chasm.
Yet they weren’t merely empty; one could also feel his affection toward Valdrova.
He was a person who truly seemed capable of doing anything for her sake.
Bernel spoke up, even as he felt his life might be at risk in the current situation.
“I-I’m not sure. I don’t think my convictions would be shaken by something like that….”
But that was that, and this was this.
Bernel didn’t want to change his mind immediately just because of such a threat.
‘Aaaah! Am I g-g-going to die?’
Bernel closed his eyes and let his imagination run wild.
Would he twist his fingers?
Or was he planning to beat him like a dog on a midsummer day, like some debt collector?
Ferda’s hand touched Bernel’s shoulder.
“I understand.”
Ferda patted his shoulder.
Bernel, finding his limbs still intact, snapped his eyes open and asked.
“Uh, the, yes?”
“Didn’t I say I understand?”
“……Is that it? Is that the end?”
“Yes. I think this is enough for today. I didn’t expect to persuade you in a single day.”
“Oh…… I, I see……?”
Ferda reached out his hand to Ruri, and Ruri pulled a scroll out from her voluminous skirt.
“Take this.”
“What is this?”
“An appointment letter.”
“An ap……pointment letter?”
“It is an appointment letter stating that you are officially appointed as the Chief Researcher of our Valdrova Castle. The conditions will remain exactly as I stated. The only thing that changes is how you think about it.”
Ferda stood up and turned to leave.
“Take your time to think. And once you’ve decided, come to the Archduke’s territory whenever you wish. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Ferda and Ruri walked straight out the door.
They really disappeared without lingering.
The appointment letter he left behind rolled across the floor and came to a stop at Bernel’s feet.
Left alone, Bernel could only stare down at it blankly.
“That man named Bernel, can we really trust him?”
Inside the carriage, Ruri, sitting on the opposite side, asked.
In her right hand was a skewer of honey-preserved fruit, and in her left hand were about five cups waiting to be executed inside her mouth.
Ferda nodded.
“We can trust him.”
“Idealists like that usually take their stubbornness to the grave.”
“I’ll make it happen.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because it is said that those who desire peace must always prepare for war.”
“Who said such a thing?”
Who else.
‘It was him.’
The future Bernel Marquis whom Ferda had seen had said those words.
He had realized far too late how hypocritical his performance as a stubborn pacifist had been.
“Assuming we have recruited him…… where do you plan to go next?”
Ferda had, of course, already decided on the next destination.
“We are going to Halim.”
“If it’s Halim…… isn’t that the city of pleasure in the south?”
Ruri’s expression was more sour than usual.
The way she looked at him was never great to begin with, but now it was at a level where he was no different from a bug.
That was because that city was a holy land of corruption and entertainment.
“If we’re just passing through, please pick another city.”
“No, that is our destination. The person I’m looking for is there.”
“In a pleasure district?”
“He will undoubtedly be there.”
“Are you absolutely sure there are no ulterior motives?”
“None.”
Ruri narrowed her eyes and looked at Ferda.
Ruri could feel well enough that there wasn’t a single point of falsehood in what Ferda was saying.
That made it feel even more suspicious.
How could a human live so honestly?
“So, who are we going to find?”
“Zed Swallow.”
He was one of the names written on the list Ruri was holding.
“What kind of person is he?”
“A gigolo.”
“……A gigolo?”
“Yes.”
A brief silence.
Ruri thought.
She checked if what she was thinking was correct and asked him again.
“……You mean a scoundrel who seduces and scams noblewomen or wealthy ladies?”
“And a gambler.”
“…….”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
The more he spoke, the more Ruri’s expression rotted away.
An aura as dark as deep shadows began to emanate from her.
Whieeeeek!
“Whoa? What’s wrong with the horses all of a sudden?”
Eventually, she ended up startling the innocent horses.
The journey was about to become treacherous because of the horses bolting for no reason.
Seeing this, Ferda added the words he hadn’t finished.
“And he is of the Red Eye Tribe.”
The aura Ruri was emitting vanished instantly.
The emotion she showed was closer to surprise.
“If it’s the Red Eye Tribe…… are they the ones with that bloodline I’m thinking of?”
“Correct.”
“I heard they were wiped out during the incident?”
“Yes, that is the information known to the public.”
The public, he said.
Ruri knew that this wasn’t a level that could be lightly dismissed with the word ‘public.’
If there had been any sign of the Red Eye Tribe being alive, a report would have been filed immediately.
If so, Ruri would have naturally known that fact.
“How do you know such things?”
Ruri asked outright.
“I just know.”
He avoided the details.
She wanted to dig deeper, but Ruri had no justification to ask any further.
‘A gigolo and a gambler…… but of the Red Eye Tribe.’
It was a truly delicate balance.
Compared to Bernel Marquis, he was a worse human being, yet at the same time, he possessed the greatest abilities.
‘Should I oppose this, or should I agree?’
Standing at a crossroads of choice, Ruri agonized over and over.
To keep her brain from dying, she crunched on the honey preserves and worked her mind even more actively.
Ferda decided to help her make an easy choice.
“Since it’s the southern region, they say they sell many sweet desserts.”
“Let’s go for now.”
The south was a region that was hot all year round.
Due to the scorching sun, the land was parched, and as one moved toward the extreme south, a burning desert unfolded where not a single blade of grass or drop of water existed.
Halim was a city of pleasure built by taking advantage of those southern characteristics.
The days were hot, but the nights were cool, leading to a developed nightlife that many nobles and wealthy people visited.
If Escoleia smelled strongly of coffee and black tea, here, the thick scent of sweet sugar wafted through the air.
Ferda felt a headache coming on, but Ruri’s nose was delighted all day long.
The place Ferda headed to was a casino.
Ruri stared blankly at the chips Ferda had exchanged.
He had exchanged his entire fortune that he brought along.
“Didn’t you say you had no ulterior motives?”
“I don’t.”
“Truly none?”
“Talking about it just makes my mouth tired. Just pull that cart and follow me.”
Under Ruri’s glare, Ferda silently walked through the casino.
He passed solemnly through women in scandalous outfits and people laughing as they enjoyed primal pleasures.
He walked between those living in a utopia bought with money, having forgotten reality for a while.
Among them, a certain young man caught his eye.
In the midst of a dull and lustful aura, there was a young man who was shining.
Light brown hair and black eyes.
He had a tall stature and a sturdy frame that looked slim yet not weak.
People were gathered around the young man.
When he laughed, the people laughed; when he looked regretful, they looked regretful as well.
That man was dominating the audience.
‘Zed Swallow.’
With his excellent eloquence and looks, he won the favor of many nobles.
He was a man so charming that they didn’t even realize they were being scammed.
‘Well, he got greedy in the end and got caught.’
Even so, it wasn’t a problem.
They say a clever rabbit digs three burrows, don’t they?
But Swallow was a man who escaped crises by digging three more burrows inside those three.
‘He even escaped from Shark Island, which was said to be inescapable, and the ice prison of the northern pole.’
He was a legendary thief in name and reality, a man for whom nothing was impossible.
‘Well, those things happened because they didn’t know he was of the Red Eye Tribe.’
Those who inherited the blood of the Red Eye Tribe were characterized by red eyes, and they possessed a unique ability.
The ability to disperse mana residing in objects or the air.
Thus, for a mage, the Red Eye Tribe was their natural enemy.
The eye color of the man Ferda was looking at now was a deep black.
The eyes of a normal human.
So, no one would think he was of the Red Eye Tribe.
‘Even if they were to find out he’s of the Red Eye Tribe.’
That man would be confident he’d never be caught.
He had the ability to back it up.
‘He is an essential talent for me.’
Ferda walked over there with his hands behind his back and quietly took a seat.
At the appearance of a stranger, Zed was the first to offer a sociable greeting.
“Well, a new friend has arrived. Nice to meet you. I’m Zed.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Ferda.”
“You’d better be careful of the people here. They only think about picking you apart like vultures.”
“Haha! I play a bit of poker myself!”
“You lost 40 gold coins and you’re saying that!!”
The atmosphere was harmonious.
Not a single person among them had actually won money.
It was truly a remarkable thing to make people laugh even when they hadn’t won.
‘His words and aura that dominate the crowd.’
But to Ferda, it only looked like a thick mask of pretense.
“Have you played poker before?”
“I only roughly know the hands.”
“Well, you can learn slowly. Isn’t that right?”
“Where in the world would there be experts without beginners, hoho!”
“Right, I just learned it here for the first time today. I’m just starting to get the hang of it!”
He wasn’t interested in those bragging about being suckers.
“Let’s try a hand.”
“Let’s do that. What’s the point of just talking here?”
The game began.
Ferda won bit by bit.
One might think beginner’s luck was at play in the gambling den, but Ferda’s thoughts were different.
This was the process of Zed drawing Ferda in.
‘He scatters the bait well.’
He was a man with good sleight of hand.
Ferda, who considered himself quite observant, found him so skillful that even he couldn’t tell where he was being deceived.
Ferda went along with it.
However, he subtly drew him in while showing that he wouldn’t let his blood be drained slowly.
“Hmm, I should wrap up the game soon. A lot of time has passed.”
That was what Zed said.
“Oh? Is that so?”
“If you say so.”
“Let’s go big for the last round. Haha!”
Zed dealt the cards, and the final game began.
“Now, let’s bet. 100!”
“200 gold coins!”
“You guys are going big. I’ll call 200 and raise to 400!”
Zed’s turn ended, and it was Ferda’s turn.
“All-in.”
He pushed in every single chip he had left.
Even at a glance, the value exceeded 2,000 gold coins.
The room buzzed.
“The gentleman who was betting in small increments suddenly goes all-in?”
“Isn’t he going too far just because it’s the last round?”
Ferda clasped his hands and placed them on the table as he answered once more.
“All-in.”
The middle-aged men fiddling with their cards groaned.
Then they backed out.
“Is today the only day for games? There’s always tomorrow. I’ll fold.”
“I fold too.”
The turn came back to Zed.
“What kind of confidence are you betting with?”
He asked with a smile in his eyes.
Ferda looked down at him slightly and said.
“Don’t worry. I’m going to win this game.”
“I don’t know why you’re so confident.”
“Because you will fold that hand yourself.”
Zed threw himself against the backrest and chuckled.
“Why do you think I’ll fold?”
“To be honest, I have no intention of losing money. There’s a brat who mistakenly thinks I enjoy gambling, you see.”
“You have to lose money to look good to a brat? That’s a bit much. Then shouldn’t you have avoided coming here in the first place?”
Zed smirked.
He thought it was just a gambler’s bluff.
“It’s not just because of that.”
“Eh?”
“Because I know what you desire.”
“What I want? What is it that I want? I have women as beautiful as this, alcohol, and money.”
He hugged the woman next to him, and the woman giggled in delight.
She was undoubtedly the wife of some provincial noble.
Ferda said to him.
“Among those many, many women, there is no woman named Emilia.”
A crack appeared in the nonchalant mask.
There was a slight tremor in the hand holding the cards, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
It was only for a brief moment, but everyone could feel that a battle of nerves had taken place.
However, Zed was a seasoned gambler.
“……I call.”
He didn’t fold and pushed his chips in.
He wouldn’t let go of a game he had already won.
“It’s a straight flush. And you?”
Ferda showed his hand.
“It’s a King-high.”
“King-high!”
“You bluffed with something that isn’t even a hand?!”
The middle-aged men shouted in astonishment, their eyes wide.
The winner was Zed.
Having lost all his money, Ferda stood up from his seat without needing to linger.
“Wait, noble sir.”
The moment he tried to brush it off and leave, Zed called out to him.
“Since I took all your money, why don’t you have a consolation drink? You look old enough to drink.”
A smile still sat on his face.
However, that mask wasn’t a good one.
“I’ll buy.”
Murderous intent was buried in that smile.
“I’ll accept.”
Everything went according to Ferda’s intentions.
A casino filled with laughter and joy.
A land enjoying pleasure while forgetting time under a sun that never sets.
Leaving that place behind, Ferda and Zed were returning to the lodging together.
The moment they left the casino and entered the hotel hallway.
“Who are you?”
His voice, which had been full of laughter, dropped like a cold blade.
Ferda complied with his words obediently.
In fact, even if he wanted to speak, he had nothing he wanted to say.
“You know about me, don’t you?”
“That is not important.”
“Right. It’s not important at this stage. Let’s skip the boring introductions.”
Zed pulled out something he had hidden in his clothes.
It was a dagger.
“Tell me the reason you mentioned that name.”
Zed’s eyes were dyed a brilliant red.
Those eyes were the characteristic of the Red Eye Tribe, known as Mage Killers.
‘Any magic circle touched by those eyes is completely nullified.’
The appearance of those known as Mage Killers would normally make mages tremble in fear.
However, Ferda had no reason to do so.
“Zed Swallow. If you don’t want your identity revealed to the whole world, put those eyes away.”
“You’re in league with those bastards too, aren’t you? Right?!”
“I came to have a rational conversation.”
“What did you do to my sister?! You son of a bitch!!”
The man who wore a mask of laughter showed his raw face of rage.
Even Ferda was seeing that face for the first time.
“Do not show me any more murderous intent than that.”
Ferda warned in a low voice.
“My maid is someone who isn’t loyal to me. Even so, if I am in danger, she will not hesitate to kill you.”
That warning was purely for Zed’s sake.
“I want to talk with you. So, withdraw your murderous intent.”
