I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 15
Zed glanced sideways at Ferda’s words.
The disloyal servant he spoke of undoubtedly referred to the young girl who had been trailing behind him.
Since his livelihood depended on his intuition, Zed could tell exactly where that murderous intent was directed.
No matter how I look at it, that killing intent seems aimed at him, not me…
It wasn’t a misunderstanding.
In fact, it was the truth.
Ruri was currently extremely irritated by the fact that Ferda had lost money.
Compared to Valdrova’s total assets, it wasn’t a massive sum, but it wasn’t a small amount for an individual to squander either.
Especially in Halim.
It wasn’t the kind of money meant to be thrown away at a gambling table.
Yet Ferda had scattered it as he pleased.
Zed, unaware of these inner circumstances, couldn’t help but be confused.
“……Fine.”
The dagger in Zed’s hand spun once before slipping neatly into his back pocket.
“Let’s talk first. What is it you want to say?”
“This isn’t the best place for a sensitive conversation. Let’s head somewhere we can speak quietly.”
“Follow me.”
Zed led the way to his room.
He was staying in the most expensive suite within the casino’s hotel.
In contrast to the luxurious room, the drink he brought out was cheap rum.
“It’s my favorite. I don’t know if it’ll suit a noble young master’s palate, but care for a drink?”
Ferda shook his head.
“I do not drink.”
“A mage who doesn’t drink?”
“I don’t drink precisely because I am a mage.”
“A mage who doesn’t enjoy alcohol? You’re an odd one, aren’t you?”
For mages who had to spend all day thinking and concentrating, their outlets were usually women and booze.
Since alcohol was the cheaper option, it wasn’t uncommon to see mages chugging straight from the bottle.
But Ferda had lived a life where he had to keep running forward without looking back, so he never touched alcohol, and abstinence had naturally become a habit.
“So… how did you find out that name?”
“I found it while looking for information.”
“And the source of that information?”
It was, of course, his own mouth.
Knowing Zed wouldn’t believe him if he told the truth, Ferda decided to give an evasive answer.
“There is no point in telling you now. What matters is that I know.”
“If you were planning to test me like this, maybe I should’ve just killed you even if it meant my own death.”
“I am not testing you. I know about you. You’ve been scraping money together bit by bit—fleecing poor women and squeezing nobles—all to try and claw your way into high society, haven’t you?”
“…….”
“Because to find your younger sister, Emilia, you need the connections that come with status.”
Zed, an expert at maintaining a poker face, stared at him expressionlessly.
However, his hands were trembling.
There wasn’t a hint of guesswork in Ferda’s words; they were filled only with conviction, and that conviction accurately struck Zed’s intentions.
“Impressive. You don’t even look like you’re using magic, yet it’s as if you’re peering into my head….”
“It isn’t difficult. Because once, I had similar thoughts to yours.”
It was a fantasy Ferda had entertained when he was first kicked out of his family.
To become even greater than the Rosnova family and bring them to their knees.
Naive as he was back then, Ferda had initially vowed to make them acknowledge their wrongs in that way.
I failed in the end, though.
Ferda was rejected by the Magic Society because he possessed a Red Circle.
Zed had failed to join because his reputation was tarnished as the plaything of a widowed Marchioness.
“I will provide that stepping stone for you.”
“A green noble like you?”
Young, green nobles.
Even if they were talented enough to draw the world’s attention, the noble world was a place where one could slip and become a traitor in an instant.
The weaker the connections and the younger the person, the harder it was.
For someone like Ferda, who had just become an adult, the situation was as precarious as a candle in the wind.
However, Ferda was far from a typical mage.
For starters, he was the Prince Consort of the Duke.
“I should introduce myself properly. My name is Ferda Valdrova.”
“Valdrova… isn’t that the name of the Red Dragon?”
Zed snorted.
“Even I know that in the noble world, that name means excommunication. What kind of madman gets engaged to a Red Dragon?”
“That madman is standing right before you.”
“……Seriously?”
Ferda’s expression didn’t change once.
Zed scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
“Damn. If the news was that big, it should’ve reached my ears by now…. I guess staying in a casino makes you lose your sense of time.”
He offered a slight excuse and quickly shifted the subject.
“Anyway, if you’re Valdrova’s husband… even if people call you a kept man, you’d have an enormous amount of power, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes. You’ll be able to enter the high society you’re so desperately trying to risk your life for.”
Zed, who had been looking down, glanced up at Ferda.
“And what do I have to do?”
Ferda reached his hand out toward Ruri.
Just as he had with Bernel, he handed him an appointment letter.
“Use your skills to become an attendant performing missions under me.”
“What kind of missions?”
“Anything from trivial tasks to major affairs. However, I will not order you to do anything beyond your capabilities.”
Zed chewed on those words for a moment before asking.
“……So, basically an errand boy?”
“An attendant.”
“That’s just a fancy word for an errand boy.”
“Then choose. Will you be an errand boy who can enter high society, or a fool treated like a nouveau riche who gets nothing but laughed at?”
“…….”
It was an unpleasant way of putting it, but Ferda wasn’t wrong.
Would he be a gigolo treated like a social climber, or an attendant with an established position, however difficult it might be?
Zed ran the calculations in his head.
“If I refuse… will you report me?”
Ferda tilted his head.
“What do I gain by reporting you?”
“You’re a mage, aren’t you? And I’m of the Red Eye Tribe. The Red Eye Tribe are things that aren’t supposed to exist anymore. It seems like you’d have the advantage.”
A tribe born with the peculiar bloodline ability to disperse magic.
They were as clearly defined natural enemies as cats and mice.
“No matter how I think about it, there’s no profit in it for me.”
“I heard that when our tribe was wiped out, the mages threw a festival for three days and nights. Are you different?”
“That is a foolish question. Fearing the Red Eye Tribe because magic doesn’t work on them is no different from hiding under the covers because you’re afraid of ghosts. That is a disqualification for a mage.”
It was an incredibly arrogant answer.
Yet, Zed didn’t find the answer grating.
He’s a strange one.
Usually, when someone that young acts like that, they tend to show an arrogance that relies on their status or overestimates their own potential.
But Ferda didn’t give off that feeling at all.
He looks like a green brat who just came of age…
But the way he carried himself was like a high-ranking noble with a firmly established position.
Maybe he really can give me what I want…
He was enough to make even Zed, who didn’t trust others easily, start to believe.
“Ah, damn it.”
Zed scratched his head vigorously.
“Is this what it feels like to make a deal with a devil? It’s irritating how tempting this is even though it feels dirty.”
Zed let the silence linger in his mouth as he tapped the appointment letter with his finger.
“Fine. I’ll do it, milord. But I have conditions. That’s fair, right?”
“Speak. I will write them down now.”
Ferda pulled out a pen tucked in his breast pocket.
Zed held up two fingers.
“First, pay me an amount corresponding to the mission. Whatever the case, I need money to do my job.”
“Of course. I will provide compensation.”
“Second, if I feel like you’re sidelining me or just using me, I’m leaving without hesitation. Is that acceptable?”
“That is fine. I have no intention of deceiving or manipulating you. Is that all?”
“Yeah, for now.”
Actually, Zed wanted to add one more clause.
A contract stating he would only do this until he found his sister.
But that might become a shackle that ends up wasting time.
So Zed ended his conditions with those two.
“Since we’re on the subject, let me add one more thing.”
Ferda took the pen and wrote one more line in the blank space of the appointment letter.
“Our contract will last until you find your younger sister.”
Zed looked up in surprise.
“……Is that allowed?”
“Once you’ve found her, that’s the end of it. After that, I’ll leave it to your discretion.”
The tone and conditions were incredibly clean.
Zed was dumbfounded by the lack of greed.
To think he would even set the duration himself, something Zed had deliberately avoided mentioning.
Just who is this guy?
Zed’s curiosity about the person named Ferda continued to grow.
The composure he showed, as if Zed was dancing in the palm of his hand no matter how much he thrashed about.
He possessed the virtues that only true nobles who had seen it all could have.
It’s unsettling that he knows about Emilia…
But at the same time, he was the only person who knew and could help him.
Whatever his personal abilities, his status was in a trustworthy position.
For now, Zed had no choice but to trust him.
“Fine, I understand. No—I understand, sir.”
Since he had become an employee, he used formal language.
Thus, all conditions were set.
The reason Ferda had set the duration like that was simple.
There’s no point in holding onto someone by force.
He desperately needed his operational skills, but he had no intention of making him a slave by forcing him to stay.
And even if he tried to hold him, it was unlikely he could.
He was, after all, a master thief who had escaped notorious prisons multiple times.
And… finding her isn’t the end of everything anyway.
Ferda spoke as he watched Zed tuck the appointment letter into his pocket.
“Then I shall give you a mission immediately.”
“Already?”
“I’d like to commission a task using the money you took.”
“Wasn’t that money I won?”
“Originally, it was the money intended for your commission. Didn’t I give you the information I was going to tell you when you were about to fold? It’ll be better for both of us if we count it as a commission.”
“Well, the first commission being free doesn’t feel too bad. So, what do you want me to do?”
“It’s an extremely simple task for you.”
Ferda pointed to one of the names Ruri had been holding.
- Echidna Philiaz
“Just do what you’re best at.”
Once their business was finished, Ferda’s carriage left Halim and moved busily.
Unlike when they were with Bernel, this time Zed had joined them as a companion.
“As expected of the carriage of the man who’s to be the Prince Consort, it’s incredibly comfortable. The interior is spacious, and even when the road is bad, it’s stable without any jolting.”
“…….”
“And it even comes with a pretty and petite attendant.”
Zed smiled as he naturally shifted the conversation.
He leaned in, resting his hand slightly on the seat where she was sitting.
It was the behavior of a natural-born gigolo.
“I don’t think we’ve introduced ourselves. May I ask who this maid lady might be?”
“I’ll explain it to you kindly.”
In response to his question about her identity, Ruri answered with Dragon Fear.
“Gah!”
Zed, who had been trying to flirt, recoiled from her, clutching his chest.
Even as a Red Eye Tribe member, Zed was human, and he was someone who harbored a fear of dragons.
“Hah… hah…. This… this is… a D-Dragon?”
“She is a dragon spawn. The exclusive attendant of Duke Valdrova.”
“I never heard that dragon spawn could emit Dragon Fear…. And she doesn’t have horns or a tail, does she?”
“It means she is that strong of a dragon spawn.”
“I thought she was a half-elf or a halfling at most….”
Zed suddenly recalled the time he had threatened Ferda with his dagger.
If he had acted up with his blade back then, there really would have been nothing left of him.
Zed fanned his shirt with his hand to cool down his cold sweat.
Ruri glared at Zed as if he were pathetic before sitting back down demurely.
“Don’t worry. Even if she’s fierce like that, she calms down if you put food in her hand.”
“Who are you calling calm?”
Ferda nodded after hearing Ruri’s retort.
“True, you’re more like a dog than calm.”
“Huh? Are you insulting me again?”
“It’s a compliment. Among dog breeds, there’s a petite but brave one called a Chihuahua. I think it resembles you.”
“Could you please ask her to hit me just once?”
“I’d rather not. I have no desire for pain.”
Ferda continued to provoke her, and Ruri’s expression soured.
If an ordinary person had taken a direct hit from that Dragon Fear, they would be unable to breathe by now.
Yet Ferda was perfectly peaceful, and Zed, caught between them, spoke up.
“I’ll just go hang out with the coachman. Call me if you need me.”
What did a comfortable seat matter?
Peace of mind was the best thing.
To find Echidna Philiaz, Ferda entered a deep forest.
As they traveled, they eventually reached a path where the carriage could no longer go.
“They say we can’t go any further. The path is too narrow.”
“Then we must walk.”
“It’s quite a distance, but it’s not steep, so let’s walk and think of it as a stroll.”
Left with no choice, Ferda stepped out of the carriage and walked with Ruri and Zed behind him.
The two following him were walking as if it were a light stroll, but Ferda was dripping with sweat.
“You really need some physical training, don’t you?”
“Surprisingly… this is my limit.”
“Wouldn’t your stamina improve if you put in a bit more effort?”
“I was once from a knight family, and it’s because of this that I became the fiancé of the Duke.”
“Ah, so that’s why….”
Zed scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Well, should I carry you?”
“I’ll pass.”
Though struggling, Ferda forced himself forward with sheer willpower, not wanting to delay.
Finally, a single house built in the middle of the deep forest came into view.
“That’s the place.”
“Just like a Witch’s house, the yin energy is no joke.”
“It’s also the place you’re about to enter.”
“I know. Ahem……!!”
Zed warmed up his body, preparing to carry out the mission.
“Phew, seducing a Witch for my first mission… it feels like walking into a tiger’s den.”
“No need to be so nervous. You just need that face of yours.”
“That sounds like you’re saying I’m a corpse without my face.”
Ferda stared at Zed’s face for a moment before answering.
“Without that face, you might actually become a corpse.”
“Ha, you keep looking down on me, don’t you? Fine. Just watch.”
Zed swept his hair up with both hands, setting his style.
Entering gigolo mode, Zed walked straight toward the Witch’s house.
“Echidna Philiaz. Who is this woman?”
As Zed moved further away, Ruri asked.
“She is a Witch.”
“I know she’s a Witch. Aren’t they the kind who become sisters through sorcery and become one? That’s why they receive the surname Philiaz when they become Witches.”
“Yes, you know well. Here, have a candy.”
“Do you think I’m a child?”
Despite her words, Ruri took the candy and rolled it around in her mouth.
“My point is, why are you trying to bring a Witch of all people?”
Bringing a Witch was a dangerous act.
Especially those tied to the name Philiaz.
Among women with a talent for magic, only those who possess a Red Circle can become Witches.
A Red Circle is formed based on intense emotions.
And for most women, when they awaken a Red Circle, it is created from resentment toward a husband or obsession with a child.
In other words, Witches are a group primarily composed of people with extreme hatred and loathing toward men.
“That’s why Witches are said to be impossible to talk to and have self-centered tendencies.”
“That is true.”
“If she’s branded a heretic by those gloomy people, is she the same type of human as Bernel?”
Bernel….
“She’ll probably feel more similar to my fiancée than Bernel.”
“How dare a mere Witch be similar to my master. Do not speak so recklessly.”
“I only meant they are close in nature.”
Ruri snarled with her eyes wide.
Looking at her, he couldn’t shake the thought that she really was like a dog.
“There’s no need to worry. It’s thanks to the reason Echidna was branded a heretic by the Philiaz that we can recruit her.”
“Thanks to that?”
As if to answer that question, Zed, who had entered the Witch’s house, came back out.
It hadn’t even been three minutes since he went in.
Zed returned with an awkward face, scratching his head.
“Uhm….”
Echidna Philiaz’s special trait.
“She saw me and said she’d do whatever it takes, no matter what. Is this right?”
A serious sucker for a handsome face.
