Translator: Nox

I Married the Dragon I Killed

Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Carrot and the Stick

“Is this a monster?”

Zed looked down at something, his face twisted in disgust.

It was a monster brought in by Count Consilus’s soldiers.

A bear-type monster had been shoved into a solid, thick stone chest.

It was bound tightly with iron chains, and its joints had been broken and sealed so that even if it regenerated, it would be completely neutralized, unable to exert its strength.

“Yes.”

“It’s my first time seeing a monster in person. I never had a reason to encounter one, so I didn’t realize they were such repulsive things.”

“You sound like a noble lady.”

“I may not look it, but I was raised quite precious. Among the Red Eye Tribe…”

Zed’s expression turned bitter as he uttered the name of his people.

His gaze shifted toward Ferda.

“So, what did you call me for?”

“I called you to do your job as an attendant.”

“Does it have something to do with this bear?”

Ferda nodded slightly and looked down at the monster.

“…What are you planning to do with this thing?”

“Even bound like this, its volume continues to expand. It’s been stalled so it looks harmless now, but its heart will start beating again in about an hour.”

“Hoh…”

“And in a situation where it feels its life is threatened, like now, it will grow several times faster than usual.”

“And so?”

Ferda sliced through the air sharply with his index finger.

“Every three hours, the flesh must be cut away. Everything, including the tendons and nerves.”

Ferda patted Zed on the shoulder and said,

“You will be the one doing it.”

“…I have to keep cutting it every three hours? When am I supposed to sleep?”

To that question, Ferda replied:

“I heard the believers in the Southern Region pray every three hours. Every single day, without fail.”

“Wait, I’m not even from there! Humanly speaking, how can I do that every three hours?”

“They manage to pray every three hours, so you can manage this.”

“Could… couldn’t I take turns with that little maid girl?”

“As I said, she isn’t my loyal servant. If you can persuade her, I won’t stop you.”

“…”

Zed shut his mouth tight.

Even Zed, who thought he could seduce women as easily as eating cake, found the dragon spawn difficult to deal with.

“There’s no need to worry. I’m not asking you to do this for the rest of your life. Just until Bernel produces some research results.”

“Until there are research results… How many days will that take?”

“It might take a few months.”

“A few months…”

A hollow laugh escaped him automatically.

He had to keep hacking away at a monster every three hours?

—Grrrk, grrrk.

The bear monster let out a series of revolting breaths.

He hadn’t even started cutting the flesh yet, but he felt as if a sickening stench was already rising.

“…Did you recruit me just to make me do this kind of thing?”

“When else would I use you if not for something like this?”

“Phew… fine. I just have to manage somehow until the research is finished, right?”

He asked with a meaningful tone.

“Of course.”

“Haha, thank you for that.”

He said he was thankful, but fury was smoldering in his eyes.

His eyes were tinted red, emitting a faint glow.

Ferda couldn’t know what kind of future awaited Bernel.

And he didn’t care.

He was sure they’d figure it out.

---

Two days later, a horse carrying a rider returned to Valdrova Castle.

It was Bernel, who had been recuperating under Count Consilus.

He had returned after facing a brush with death due to Mana Burning Out.

‘Today’s me is different from yesterday’s me.’

Bernel was filled with a sense of exaltation.

He believed that the new experience had led him to a higher level.

‘From now on, I will conduct my research even if it means risking my life.’

If one wants power enough to change the world, one must put in a corresponding amount of effort.

He would discard his complacent self and prepare to burn his own body.

That was how he would look toward higher heights.

After leaving his horse in the stables, Bernel spotted someone standing in front of the castle gate.

Aside from Ruri and Ferda, this was the first stranger he had seen at Valdrova Castle.

‘He’s a handsome man…’

Brown hair tied back and a tall stature.

He was a dashing man, enough to make even another man admire him.

Realizing the man was smiling at him, Bernel approached.

Up close, he noticed something he couldn’t see from afar.

‘He looks somewhat exhausted…’

There were faint dark circles under his eyes.

He had undoubtedly been suffering through something until recently.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Zed.”

The man introduced himself with a refreshing smile.

“Ah, hello. I’m Bernel.”

“Yes, I’ve heard. How old are you, by any chance?”

“Oh, that… I’m twen—twenty-seven.”

“Ah, you’re older than me. Then I’ll call you hyung.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Let’s head to the lab, hyung.”

Zed guided him.

‘To think I’d be called hyung by such a cool person!’

Was it truly a case of “pleasure follows pain”?

After being tormented slightly by a bear monster and nearly dying, he was now being proudly called hyung.

The slight resentment he felt when he first arrived seemed to vanish completely.

“Here is the live bear monster.”

“Ah, right. It’s alive and well-maintained…”

“Of course. Who do you think maintained it?”

“You maintained it, Zed-ssi? Thank you.”

“Haha, there’s no need for thanks.”

Zed smiled and pulled a nearby chair.

Screeeeeeech.

For some reason, that sound felt as ominous as an executioner rising from hell.

Bernel wondered where he was taking it, but Zed just placed it in front of the entrance.

He plopped down, crossed his arms, and hooked one leg over the other.

As if he were blocking the exit.

“Now, please begin.”

No, he was definitely blocking it.

“Pardon?”

“The research. Don’t waste time and start already.”

His silhouette flickered in the candlelight.

Bernel hadn’t noticed under the sunlight, but those dark circles were hanging low.

“Thanks to hyung’s research, this dongsaeng has to wake up every three hours to use this dagger!”

Thud!

“Hieek!”

“And carve up this bastard monster, apparently?”

“U-um… I’m sorry…!”

“Oh, there’s no need to be sorry. If there’s anything this dongsaeng can do for you, just say the word. I’ll bring you ‘anything.’ So hyung, don’t worry about a thing and just focus on your research.”

A scorching hellfire burned within Zed’s eyes, and the dagger he had slammed into the table seemed to emit the frost of a frozen hell.

“And as for sleep, you can do that once you’re dead, right?”

A single phrase echoed in Bernel’s mind.

No turning back!

---

An army was moving along the main road.

Two knights on horseback led the way, and immediately behind them, a standard-bearer fluttered a flag emblazoned with the family crest.

Surrounded by the troops, a luxurious carriage moved slowly.

Baron Guillot was on his way for official business.

His destination was Valdrova Castle.

Its silhouette, nestled halfway up a lonely mountain in the East, was visible even from a distance.

“Uuugh…”

Baron Guillot felt his stomach churning.

The feeling intensified the closer they got to the castle.

“Damn it. My father said there would never be a reason to go there, but he was a total liar…”

“Master, please take a deep breath.”

“Right, a deep breath. Phew… As the third son of the Guillot family, I can’t be intimidated by something like this.”

“That’s right. Exactly!”

Baron Guillot took a deep breath.

Though he was now quite dull and overweight, he had once been a knight.

However, he was a knight in name only, having never stepped foot on a battlefield.

With no tales of valor and no medals, it was only natural that he had been pushed out to a barony on the frontier.

“Don’t be so afraid just because he’s that red lizard’s fiancé. The Guillot family has solid connections, doesn’t it? Blood is thicker than water!”

“B-but that guy even killed a member of the Walcher family?”

“The Walcher family has no lingering influence, do they? It wouldn’t have been strange if they were wiped out in the first place. He won’t be able to touch the Guillot family so easily.”

“I suppose so? Yes, that must be it.”

Baron Guillot tried to hypnotize himself with his servant’s words.

In the meantime, the carriage finally entered the castle grounds.

The carriage door opened, and a red carpet was rolled out before Baron Guillot.

Standing in the center of it was a small, silver-haired maid.

It was Valdrova’s dragon spawn.

“Have you arrived?”

“Y-yes, indeed.”

“This way.”

Ruri led the way.

Baron Guillot walked along the red carpet, accompanied by his personal knights.

The castle was well-maintained and didn’t give off a chilling aura.

However, the fact that the castle interior, which should have been bustling with staff and soldiers, was so empty actually made Baron Guillot more uncomfortable.

It felt as if he were crawling into the belly of a Leviathan.

‘Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it…’

Soon, a gate blocked his path.

A massive gate carved with the heroic deeds of dragons.

At human eye level, this inscription was clearly engraved:

—Awe before the primordial flame and the master of power.

The doors opened.

Inside, a man stood up from his seat to welcome Baron Guillot.

Guillot couldn’t help but flinch and tremble.

“You’ve worked hard to get here.”

Gray hair and blue eyes.

Those eyes felt like staring into a deep, deep lake, making it hard to breathe.

It was Ferda Valdrova.

“You’re sweating quite a bit. Was the journey difficult?”

“A-ah, no. Haha…”

“I see. Then it must be a lack of exercise. Try to lose some weight. Obesity makes it easy to die young.”

“Thank you for your concern for my health.”

“Come this way.”

Ferda gestured for Baron Guillot to sit on the opposite side of the table.

The sweat pouring from Baron Guillot’s body showed no signs of stopping.

“You’ve truly suffered while stationed in the Far East.”

“It’s nothing to call suffering! Compared to the burden Your Excellency the Regent carries, it’s as shallow as a drop in the bucket.”

“Indeed. Your work is exactly like a drop in the bucket.”

Ferda’s voice, which had flowed naturally, turned cold for the first time.

The atmosphere shifted.

Even Baron Guillot could tell.

He had fallen right into the trap.

“I didn’t really want to check, but since I’ve taken the position of Regent, I’ve become quite interested. So, I took a little look at your documents.”

Thud!

He pushed the documents he had “taken a little look at” in front of him.

“I see quite a lot of evidence of forgery.”

Guillot’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

Normally, it would be natural to get angry and ask why he was bringing that up now, but Guillot couldn’t.

He let Ferda keep talking.

“There are more than one or two things that don’t add up. Do you know how much has disappeared in total?”

Ferda pointed to a number he had calculated.

“3,000 Golden.”

Golden was the unit for counting gold coins.

“It says here that you swallowed 3,000 gold coins—money that commoners would struggle to even touch in their entire lives.”

“U-um, that is… those weren’t entered by me…”

“Of course, you wouldn’t have done it yourself. How could a man like you possess such handwriting?”

It was a fluid cursive that practically screamed, “I had this ghostwritten.”

Ferda was already aware of that.

“You probably gave a little to the kids under you in exchange for taking a bit for yourself, making them accomplices. Those underlings would have shared some with their own subordinates, so the amount you actually pocketed is likely less than 3,000 Golden. But what are nobles? People whose necks must be as heavy as the luxury they enjoy.”

Ferda immediately moved to the next document and began reciting one by one.

“The charges are embezzlement, forgery of public documents, violation of dignity…”

With every word he recited, Baron Guillot’s face seemed to age by another year.

“…According to the Imperial Penal Code, depending on the nature of the crime, a minimum fine of 10,000 Golden can be levied, and…”

Ferda’s blue eyes stared intently at him.

“At most, your head could be lopped off and hung on the castle gate.”

Suddenly, the end of Thessalos Walcher flashed through his mind.

Baron Guillot’s face turned pale as he fell to his knees.

“Aigo, please have mercy just once! Never! I will ensure this never happens again, Regent-nim!”

“Hmm.”

Ferda stood up and patted his shoulder.

“Listen to me carefully. I’m not telling you not to do these things.”

“P-pardon?”

“I said I don’t care about you filling your belly. In fact, I have no interest in how much you’ve filled it.”

“T-then why did you…”

“What I consider important is competence.”

“Co-competence… you say?”

“I’d rather have someone a bit dirty but competent than someone clean but incompetent. I don’t give a damn about a little deviation for the sake of the whole. Whether you eat delicious food or roll around with a prostitute named Rosemary, I don’t care in the slightest.”

Ferda leaned in and whispered in his ear.

“Prove your competence. Resolve the food problem and the monster issues promptly, and contribute to stabilizing the people’s livelihoods. Or else…”

Ferda lightly waved the papers.

“These public documents might accidentally fly all the way to the Imperial Capital. The Emperor, not to mention your parents and siblings, will find out about your corruption. If that happens, there will be a fierce race to see who takes your head first: the Imperial Executioner or your family’s knights. Do you understand?”

“I-I understand! I will definitely prove myself!”

“Good. Our conversation ends here. You may go.”

Baron Guillot scrambled away as if he had just pulled his head out of a guillotine.

Ferda checked off Baron Guillot’s name on the interview list with a satisfied look.

‘As expected, it’s convenient to have someone else do the thinking.’

No matter how much Ferda had reached the rank of an archmage, he wasn’t well-versed in such tedious paperwork.

To pinpoint what was used where and how, one needed related knowledge and experience, and Ferda lacked both.

The one who had become Ferda’s brain was none other than Mori.

Though she looked absent-minded, she was a girl with the Library of All Things inside her head.

Ferda had instructed Mori as follows:

—From now on, review all the contents in the ledgers and reports, and summarize everything that doesn’t match. Also, determine what the sentences would be based on the Imperial Penal Code.

Mori had nodded and quickly scanned through the contents of the ledgers.

Flip, flip—!

It was speed-reading so fast it was almost unbelievable, as if she were just pretending to read.

She was rapidly resolving a task that would have taken several people a week to complete.

Thus, she documented the corruption of the fourteen lords one by one, and Ferda held meetings with each of them based on that information.

‘The corruption doesn’t matter either way.’

Just as there is no fish that doesn’t smell like fish, there is no noble without corruption.

Ferda’s only plan was to weed them out if they weren’t competent.

They simply had to prove that they hadn’t been occupying their seats just because their asses were heavy.

“With that, even Baron Guillot has left crying like a child.”

Ruri, who had been watching quietly, spoke up.

“There are still about five more left.”

“You’re only giving them scares. Are you planning to become a tyrant?”

“Only giving them scares? This was just the first time I swung the whip.”

“The whip…?”

“The carrot and the stick. The key strategy is to alternate between the two.”

Ruri tilted her head as she recalled her series of memories with Ferda.

“Up until now, haven’t you only been whipping them harshly?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It looks as if you intend to completely suppress them with fear. Or has pain become so familiar to you that your threshold has increased?”

“Hmm…”

Ferda hadn’t realized at all that he was truly only applying the whip.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

Even if he was only swinging the whip as Ruri said, he had no intention of offering a carrot right away.

“They’ve been useless donkeys only draining the carrot granary until now, so shouldn’t I make them work a bit?”

“That is also true.”

Ruri nodded, acknowledging his point.

Ferda Valdrova.

For the development of the Archduke’s territory, he continues to diligently swing the whip today.