I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 27
Count Concilus gasped and asked back in shock.
“The Regent? You mean… Valdrova’s fiancé?”
“We aren’t privy to the finer details, but… considering he managed to sway Branch Manager Stefan Pascal, his competence is undeniable. The Branch Manager isn’t the type to be moved by mere status, after all.”
“Ah….”
An empty exclamation escaped Count Concilus’s lips.
Ferda Valdrova.
What kind of image did he project until now?
It was the absolute worst.
All he had done so far was intimidate and threaten the local lords, causing their resentment to pile up.
‘Such a greenhorn… was making a move on the Pascal Trading Company?’
It was astonishing that he had joined hands with the Pascal Trading Company without them even noticing.
And the second shock was this:
‘It wasn’t born out of personal greed, either.’
If he had been seeking to satisfy his own greed, he would have focused solely on Valdrova Castle.
The effort to revitalize trade was for the development of each stagnant and isolated territory; it was far removed from self-interest.
‘What on earth did he offer as a condition?’
The territories belonging to the Valdrova Principality were practically worthless.
To keep the monsters at bay, the front lines were choked with dense forests, and even if one cleared the trees to create farmland, the best one could hope for was a meager harvest of hardy subsistence crops.
Furthermore, the front lines were being pushed back every year, leaving the land desolate.
The Far East’s image was such that even if offered for free, people would back away, saying, “This is a bit much….”
This meant Ferda had presented conditions that outweighed all those disadvantages.
‘It is something… no other lord has been able to achieve.’
Whether what he showed was a lie or something preposterous, the fact that he succeeded was what mattered.
Concilus decided to do what needed to be done first.
“Let them inside. Have the carriages organized and let everyone unwind for the day. I will hear about the plan later.”
“Thank you, Count-nim.”
The man blew a whistle, and the carriages of the Pascal Trading Company entered one by one.
Concilus looked up past the gloomy forest at the mountain standing tall against the sky.
“The Regent….”
His voice was thick with emotion.
Today, Count Concilus called that name as if he had witnessed a superhuman emerging from the darkness.
Concilus knelt in that direction and showed his respect.
“My Lord?”
Arwen was flustered by the sudden action.
However, he soon realized the meaning behind it and knelt as well, paying his respects in the same direction.
Then, one by one.
They knelt and showed their respect toward the lonely mountain.
In the banquet hall, Ruri raised her hand high.
“Tormenta!”
It was the name of a high spirit of wind.
In that instant, a white wind swirled in front of Ruri, and a form manifested.
It was a human shape that looked as if it might scatter at any moment, yet it held firm.
It bowed politely toward Ruri.
-Did you summon me, Master? You seem to be in a foul mood today as well.
“We begin the grand cleaning today as well. Summon every single lower spirit. Open all the windows wide and annihilate every trace of air in this room!”
-I shall follow your command.
“Puente!”
Next, she called the name of a lower water spirit.
Mana dripped from the air, shaping itself into a viscous liquid form.
-Chubak.
“Absorb and wipe away all the sweat and filth those bastards spilled. You must not leave a single stain. I cannot allow anything like dog urine to mark the residence of the Great Ruler. Do you understand?”
-Chubabak!
The sound of water churning violently followed.
The spirits read Ruri’s lower-than-usual mood and moved with alacrity.
As the water spirit repeatedly divided itself, its body scattered to begin sucking up the grime from the castle floors and walls.
“Phew….”
Ruri’s small chest heaved deeply.
The lingering scent of sweat mixed with perfume still seemed to prick the tip of her nose.
This smell felt as though it wouldn’t vanish no matter how many times she tried to erase it.
‘How annoying.’
Ruri did not like knights.
She especially disliked Wandering Knights.
Not only did they lie to inflate their achievements, but they also didn’t hesitate to commit blasphemy.
The blasphemy Ruri spoke of was the repertoire of stories about brave knights facing off against wicked dragons.
These stories made up seventy percent of all knights’ heroic tales and were among the public’s favorites.
Curiously, the stories remained the same while the names changed every time.
This was because once bards received money from Wandering Knights, they would swap the protagonist’s name with the knight’s and spread the tale.
Consequently, about half of all Wandering Knights were known as Dragon Slayers.
Dragon Slayers who ran out into the hallway while pissing themselves.
Truly, there was no breed more loathsome.
‘At least he achieved his primary goal.’
Over fifty Wandering Knights had come, and even a rough estimate of what they brought exceeded 1,500 carcasses.
She had been so stunned by the mountain of corpses that she’d absentmindedly asked, “Isn’t this too many?” and the disposal was also a problem.
‘That part was handled by the second son of the Pascal Trading Company whom we brought in.’
A crowd of verified laborers and assistant researchers had swarmed in to quickly clean up the mess.
Even so, traces of monster corpses remained at the entrance and where the carriages had parked, and a faint smell of death lingered.
‘To think I’d find the smell of those disgusting things better.’
It was better than the smell of the knights’ sweat and perfume.
The smell of monster corpses would eventually fade, but this unpleasant stench showed no sign of leaving.
A cleaning that would usually take ten minutes was extended over ten days, two hours a day, as she scrubbed the banquet hall again and again.
She liked cleanliness, but she wasn’t a germaphobe.
It was just that the impact the knights had left was that significant to her.
Only when not a single strand of hair remained and the floor looked brand new could she finally feel at ease.
-Master, it is almost time for your other duties. What would you like to do?
“Ah, right. Good work, Tormenta, Puente.”
-Then we shall return.
-Chubabak!
The wind and water spirits reverse-polymorphed back into mana and scattered.
‘That’s enough cleaning for today… I should go deliver the weekly report.’
Ruri left the banquet hall and fumbled through the inner pocket of her skirt.
Carrying a sheet of paper summarizing information obtained through the Imperial Intelligence Department, she headed down to the Lair.
As always, a red-scaled dragon lay coiled there.
-Have you come?
“Yes. Have you been well?”
-Hmph…. Yes, I have been well. What have you come to speak of?
“The weekly report. Is today not the day?”
-Ah. Right.
Ruri was used to her frequent forgetfulness, but today’s reaction was different from usual.
‘She feels restless.’
She looked as if she were lost in other thoughts.
It was obvious what those “other thoughts” were without even looking.
Ferda—it had to be that man.
Since it was obvious, Ruri didn’t mention it and moved straight to the main point.
“It is said that the political situation in the Empire has recently become unstable.”
She started with the most important matter: the Empire.
“They say the lower classes are revolting because laws are being enacted that focus on intensive privileges for the vested interests. Perhaps because of that, they are barely managing to suppress it through entertainment for citizens and food rations.”
-Hmph…. I see.
Valdrova gave a reflexive response.
It was clear she wasn’t interested, but Ruri mechanically read through the contents of the paper.
This happened there.
That happened here.
Once the news spanning the entire continent was finished, she moved on to the next part.
“And to speak regarding the current state of the Principality….”
Valdrova’s body shifted.
She adjusted her posture, lifted her head, and pricked up her ears.
-Tell me.
Her voice had cleared.
And Ruri could feel that her eyes were sparkling more than usual.
This was also something Ruri didn’t like, but she maintained her neutrality as she spoke.
“Thesallos Walcher’s position remains vacant, but a contract was signed with the successor of a major merchant group, securing great stability for the Principality itself.”
-Is that so?
Her voice sounded unusually wistful.
Her mood soared just from a single line of news that he was doing well.
‘It’s even more so after that day.’
Ruri couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Are you that happy?”
-About what?
“About Ferda-nim.”
Snort—
Steam billowed from Valdrova’s nostrils.
To a stranger, it might look like she was angry, but Ruri knew.
Valdrova was flustered like a young girl.
-Happy? What do you mean by that? I do not “like” my fiancé.
“You do not like him?”
-Of course not.
Valdrova added with a serious face.
-It is just that the memory of when he suddenly intruded occasionally comes to mind, and I am briefly concerned for his well-being. Is he not a weak human?
Valdrova passionately defended herself, claiming she was only drawn to him because he was weak.
However, hearing those words, Ruri thought otherwise.
‘Valdrova-nim is talking a lot.’
When it came to human matters, she usually started with tension, but when it involved Ferda, the feeling was quite different.
If her default state for other things was a low mood, now she was floating.
To help resolve those feelings even a little, Ruri made a suggestion.
“Then how about holding a tea party?”
-A tea party?
Snort!
Another powerful blast of steam erupted from her nose.
-You mean the kind where one drinks tea, eats sweets, and talks?
“Yes. It is common for human fiancés to meet in advance and talk. To confirm their feelings before the wedding.”
-A tea party… It is not an activity that suits me. Is that not for young and beautiful maidens?
“As the Sovereign of Valdrova, who possesses the greatest beauty on the continent, anything suits you.”
-Hmph….
She rested her chin on a claw and let out a breath.
She didn’t seem to hate the idea.
However, there was still something bothering her, making it difficult to accept readily.
-A meeting… Then I would have to face him in human form, wouldn’t I?
“Yes.”
-Ummm…. Then I cannot go.
Valdrova was kicking away the table just as Ruri was setting it because she was hungry.
“What is the reason?”
-I am too embarrassed.
It was a reason unbecoming of a monarch.
Ruri took a deep breath and asked her.
“……Have you two not already met once? I believe you have faced each other in human form….”
-Yes, we faced each other once.
“And you held hands.”
-We did hold hands.
Valdrova had seen Ferda, and Ferda had seen Valdrova.
How could she forget the memory of that day?
Just as Ferda vividly recalled it, it was vivid in Valdrova’s mind as well.
-That is why I cannot do it.
Valdrova recalled the emotions of that moment.
The man who wouldn’t stop even while suffering.
When he was bleeding from his nose, he looked as if he might collapse at any moment.
She had no choice but to Polymorph into a human form and catch him.
While she was shedding tears of sadness at his pained appearance, Ferda had clasped her hand and pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist.
The dragon who had flown over countless battlefields, burning and tearing apart the things that defiled the earth.
The absolute being before whom everyone held their breath and bowed their heads.
The concept of absolute power, a status so overwhelming that one wouldn’t dare discuss the word “strength” in her presence.
The moment her waist was embraced, all the fame that defined her became a mirage, and her body was overcome by a sense of helplessness.
Led by the touch of a man thousands of times weaker than herself, their faces had nearly touched.
That day, for the first time, Valdrova had become a princess, a woman from a novel.
-It is a pleasure to meet you, my heart.
The touch of a man felt for the first time in her life, the warm greeting, and even the handsome smile.
For her, who had no interaction with humans for hundreds of years, it was information too difficult to handle.
So, Valdrova hadn’t been able to do anything.
She had frozen on the spot.
Her mind went white, and the tears that were about to fall retreated.
She had remained frozen for a long time even when he had powerlessly slumped against her chest.
Those actions remained intact in Valdrova’s mind.
‘My heart….’
-Snort!!
Valdrova covered her face.
She remembered Ferda’s actions, and at the same time, she remembered her own unsightly behavior.
Thinking about it again, her reaction began to return.
Her heart burned hot like a lava furnace.
She felt a tickling sensation in her body that made her want to move for no reason.
As she shifted restlessly, her chest filled with air as if she’d forgotten to exhale.
Valdrova slowly let out that breath.
Hiyuuuuuuuuu….
A sound like a long whistle echoed through the cave.
‘That sound again….’
It was the sound Ruri hated most.
She always made that sound whenever she was soaked in excessive happiness.
It was a hundred times better than her being miserable, but it wasn’t exactly good either.
“I believe having a tea party is a good idea, so what will you do?”
Valdrova peeked at Ruri through the gap in the wings covering her face and asked.
-What do you think I should do?
“Master, you are the Paragon of Power. A Paragon of Power must know how to express their will decisively.”
In other words, she was telling her not to push the responsibility onto her.
-Right. I should….
Valdrova scratched her chin with a claw.
She tilted her head this way and that.
She flipped her massive body back and forth, agonizing over the decision again and again.
‘She’s dying to go.’
Ruri had already deciphered the answer from Valdrova’s movements.
Her desire was also directed toward Ferda.
But just because she had desire didn’t mean everything went according to her will.
Because she, who burned and tore apart monsters without hesitation, was more of a coward than anyone.
-I just want to stay here for the time being…. I do not yet have the confidence to face my fiancé.
“Understood. Then we shall postpone the tea party, and I will take my leave.”
Even if pushed, Valdrova was the type to eventually flip the table.
Ruri bowed politely and turned around.
-Ruri.
“Yes.”
-Have you been having a hard time lately?
Ruri didn’t grasp the intent behind the question.
“No. Not particularly.”
-Ah, I see. I noticed you smelled strongly of sweat, so I thought perhaps you hadn’t been able to wash.
“……A smell of sweat?”
Ruri’s sense of smell was excellent.
But Valdrova, being a dragon, was even superior.
And there was no way Ruri would break a sweat just from managing the castle.
-Do not overextend yourself. I do not wish for you to push yourself too hard.
“……Do not worry. My Master.”
Returning to her room, Ruri tore her clothes off and burned them on the spot.
And she vowed to make bathing mandatory for every knight before they set foot inside the castle.
Ferda was in the office with Mori.
Recently, after joining hands with Stefan Pascal, he had resolved the supply issues that the Empire couldn’t fix.
Ferda intended to quantify those gains.
“What is the progress on the items in the supply plan?”
Mori replied in writing.
-At 32%, the critical supplies have been concentrated and completed in Count Concilus’s territory. We will continue the supplies to other territories gradually.
“What are the prospects resulting from the supplies?”
-If we proceed according to the supply plan, it will contribute 30% to public stability, increase individual combat capability by 45%, and see a 30% increase in morale.
“The potential seems to be at its peak.”
Mori nodded.
Since Ferda had moved for the development of the territory, it was something to be happy about, but…
“There’s going to be trouble soon.”
Ferda wasn’t entirely pleased.
Mori tilted her head.
Ferda answered the unspoken question.
“There are people in this world who can’t stand to see others succeed.”
Those who always try to spoil things just when they’re starting to go well.
And those people currently held positions in the leadership of the Arken Empire.
Men who, even if they themselves were incompetent, couldn’t bear to see someone else excel.
Without even needing a few days, those consumed by greed came rushing toward Ferda.
