I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Valdrova Castle, the Valdrova Principality.
On that day, Ruri was in the middle of delivering a weekly report to Valdrova.
“The latest update is that Ferda-nim has arrived safely in the Empire and is currently holding discussions at the Imperial Palace.”
It was a report on Ferda’s movements.
Upon hearing the news, Valdrova let out a huff of air, as if finally sighing in relief.
-I see. I am glad he arrived safely.
“……Did I not tell you several times? No ordinary monster would dare target that carriage.”
The Far East Front was treated as a wasteland, leaving many areas undeveloped.
Consequently, there were dense forests, and where there were trees, there were monsters. The chances of encountering one while traveling were more than double compared to other regions.
Even so, there was zero possibility of Ferda’s carriage being attacked.
When the carriage was built, a single dragon scale had been hidden within its frame. Monsters with strong wild instincts would recoil at the mere scent and aura of a dragon.
The chance of a monster raid was non-existent. Furthermore, as an extra precaution, Arwen—a knight serving Count Consilus—had been assigned as an escort. Even if an attack occurred, he would have traveled in safety.
‘And yet…….’
Valdrova could not set her mind at ease. She simply disliked the fact that he had left the Principality at all.
Even when he was right before her eyes, the Red Dragon Valdrova was prone to anxiety; the thought of him going to a land beyond her influence felt like a literal bolt from the blue.
-He is eating well, isn’t he?
-There aren’t any monsters lingering nearby, are there?
-He isn’t falling ill, is he?
These were the questions Ruri had endured when only six hours had passed since his departure.
‘It’s not as if she’s looking after a sickly chick.’
Valdrova treated him like a fragile creature that might drop dead at any moment, fretting over him constantly.
It was unavoidable. In the eyes of an immortal who had existed since near the dawn of time, an eighteen-year-old mortal adult was no different from an ant on the ground.
Moreover, Ferda’s constitution was weaker than that of an average person.
Left with no choice, Ruri had attached her own spirits to Ferda’s carriage, ordering them to report back every three hours.
And Ruri loathed these reports.
‘The further this goes, the more she drifts from her imperial dignity.’
Originally, she was a dragon far removed from the concept of a sovereign.
Ruri knew Valdrova’s two faces.
When Valdrova took the form of a Red Dragon, she always employed a solemn and serious tone. Her presence as a lonely, solitary guardian radiated a taut, heavy tension.
Conversely, when she took human form, she shed all that tension. Her face, expressions, and gestures shifted so much she seemed like a different person—a pure woman far removed from any sense of majesty.
‘I can accept all those sides of her, but…….’
Ruri hoped that, at the very least, the boundary between the two would not collapse.
Yet, the more Ferda entered Valdrova’s life, the more Ruri felt the dignity draining away even from her dragon form.
A whirlwind of emotions crossed Ruri’s mind.
She wanted her master to be happy. At the same time, she wished for her to maintain her dignity as a Transcendent.
‘Ferda.’
Everything had changed like this because that man entered the picture. While there was much to be grateful for, he was also a man who inspired much resentment.
“I shall stop reporting on his return journey.”
At that statement, Valdrova stirred with a start.
-Why is that?
“Since we know Ferda-nim’s path there was safe, is there any need to know about his return?”
-……But might the road back not be just as perilous?
There she goes again, sounding like a grandmother watching over her grandson.
“Then why not go out to meet him yourself?”
-Hmm…….
Valdrova let out a low hum and lowered her head. Despite her worries, she still found facing humans to be awkward.
Seeing her unable to find the words, Ruri drove the point home.
“There is no need to worry so much about Ferda-nim. He may be a child in our eyes, but in human society, eighteen is a full-grown adult.”
-I am well aware of that.
“And he is handling the tasks that you could not do yourself quite well.”
-I know that too…….
“So do not worry so much. As long as you remain powerful, Master, there will never be a moment where Ferda-nim is truly under threat.”
It was while she was soothing Valdrova in such a manner.
Within the quiet Lair, a wind began to stir, molding itself into a white shape.
Tormenta, a high spirit of wind, floated beside Ruri, manifesting only as a face.
“It seems news of Ferda-nim has arrived. One moment…….”
-Very well.
Valdrova adjusted her posture and waited for Ruri to speak.
As Ruri listened calmly to the report, her eyes suddenly widened.
“What? What do you mean by that…….”
Shocked, she questioned the spirit in a loud voice.
Ruri quickly lowered her voice again, but Valdrova had not missed it.
-What is it?
Ruri did not answer. She merely focused all her attention on the spirit’s whispers.
-Has something happened?
“Please wait a moment, Master.”
Valdrova’s golden pupils shifted. She could clearly sense it from Ruri’s reaction.
-What has happened? To my fiancé?
Her patience reached its limit. The Transcendent of Power was losing her composure.
Creeeak—!
Her claws crushed the floor as they dug in.
Rumble—!
As Valdrova’s emotions fluctuated, the cavern shook violently.
-Tell me the truth. Tell me what has happened to my fiancé.
The Red Dragon, Valdrova.
The power suppressed by the one called the Master of Fire and Power was gradually being unleashed.
Ruri, having finished listening to the spirit, finally spoke.
“It was nothing for you to worry about.”
-Then what is it?
“It is merely a political matter. The spirit came to deliver the message quickly, that is all.”
-Then my fiancé is unharmed?
“Yes.”
The vibrations in the cave ceased. Valdrova, who had raised her body, let out a sigh of relief and coiled back down.
-Then why did you have such a serious expression?
“I was merely concentrating. I apologize for causing you concern.”
-Hmm…… I see. No, it is fine.
Trusting Ruri, Valdrova calmed her startled heart.
“Then, I shall take my leave. Documents within the territory have begun to pile up…….”
“Yes, you may go.”
Ruri stepped out of Valdrova’s Lair. She walked in silence.
She moved slowly out of the cave and into the forest until she spotted a signpost and stopped.
This should be far enough.
Once she felt she was far enough that Valdrova could no longer sense her, she opened her tightly shut lips.
“Tormenta.”
The high spirit of wind, which had only shown its face, was summoned at her call.
-Yes, Mistress.
“Regarding the message your subordinate delivered…….”
Her low voice trembled slightly.
“Do you swear there is not a single lie in it?”
Tormenta, the wind spirit, flinched for a moment.
Behind her expressionless, professional face, a deep, hidden agitation could be felt. It was only natural.
The news she had heard was not merely political.
-Yes. It is recorded that he was attacked and injured by a magic investigator in the Sealed Storage. I received that urgent report and delivered it exactly as it was.
The Regent of the Far East Front had been injured within the Imperial Palace.
In normal human politics, this was a matter that could be settled through negotiation and compromise.
However, the person involved was the one destined to be a dragon’s mate.
‘And he is my Master’s fiancé.’
Valdrova had been deeply shaken just by the suspicion that something might have happened. If Ruri had told her he was injured, it would not end as a simple matter of diplomacy and politics.
‘An irrational Master would have moved…….’
And the other dragons would have moved as well. That was something that had to be stopped at all costs.
‘Dragons must not move.’
But a dragon spawn was different.
“I understand.”
Wings sprouted from Ruri’s back. Her silver-shining wings were larger than ever before, stretching out powerfully.
Boom—!
With a single flap of her wings, Ruri’s figure vanished.
The Master of Wind and Steel, the Silver Dragon.
They were famous for being impossible to track with the eye once they took flight, often called silver comets. As one who had been granted that power, Ruri could move incredibly fast.
A stifling emotion kept surging within Ruri’s chest.
Why did he enter the Sealed Storage? And why did he almost die within the Imperial Palace?
‘Did they look down on my Master that much?’
Ruri had disliked the Empire from the start.
The Third Prince, who carried that bloodline, had approached Valdrova from the beginning just to use her. As if that wasn’t enough, the nobles had even used it as an excuse to excommunicate him from his family.
It was an insult. An unforgivable insult.
Yet Ruri had not moved. It wasn’t because she didn’t care, but because Valdrova hadn’t wanted it. Valdrova believed it was only natural for her to be unhappy, and she had let go of the hope she held without clinging to it pathetically.
‘And now that he has finally…… seized that hope.’
They dared to put the man who would become a dragon’s spouse in danger?
Grit—
After flying at full speed for about five minutes, the sight of the Empire entered Ruri’s view. The place it had taken Ferda a week to reach was but a moment for her.
Her silver eyes turned toward the Imperial Palace.
‘It doesn’t matter what the reason is.’
Someone must take responsibility for this situation.
The silver comet cutting through the sky plummeted into the Imperial Palace.
“Level 1 Alert! Inform all knights and mages in the palace! Enter combat readiness and assemble at the entrance of the Royal Palace Garden immediately!”
The landing site was the Royal Palace Garden.
Knights and mages, caught completely off guard, were rushing toward the location in a frenzy. Ferda walked toward the site, matching their pace.
A knight, seeing him walking so calmly, drew his sword and demanded, “Who goes there!? I’ve never seen you in this palace before!”
He was a young man who seemed brimming with a sense of justice and duty. He also looked a bit clumsy compared to the other knights.
“I am Ferda, the Regent of Valdrova.”
“Ferda Valdrova? Ah! The one who was supposed to arrive today…… I apologize for not recognizing you, Regent-nim!”
“It’s fine. Are you all assembling in front of the Royal Palace Garden now?”
“Yes. It is a Level 1 Alert, so would you please take refuge in your room?”
“That’s a good idea, but it might be better if I go with you.”
“Pardon?”
“Guide me to the garden. I’m not familiar with the layout.”
“I cannot. This is a Level 1 situation; it could be dangerous for you, Regent-nim.”
Ferda realized from those words. This guy had no idea what was actually happening.
“You all are already in danger because of me.”
“Because of you……?”
His face showed he couldn’t grasp the meaning at all. Ferda sighed at such a clueless expression.
“What is your name?”
“Ah, I am Malcolm. I’m from Peach Hill, so I don’t have a surname.”
“Right, Malcolm-gun from Peach Hill. Don’t try to understand with your meager intellect. All you need to do is guide me to where we need to go.”
“B-but, I have a duty to protect the citizens…….”
“You’re a difficult fellow to talk to. Would you rather lose your life, or would you like to end this more favorably?”
“I came here prepared to sacrifice my life.”
“…….”
He was more stubborn and illogical than imagined. As a rule, one should not associate with those who cannot understand reason.
“I’ll just find my own way.”
“Wait, you can’t go that way! Truly……!”
Leaving the man named Malcolm behind, Ferda moved forward. Though Malcolm kept saying he couldn’t go, he didn’t dare lay a hand on him and merely hovered nearby.
In front of the Royal Palace Garden, specifically at the entrance leading into the palace, many knights and mages had gathered.
“3rd Knight Order! Close-order phalanx!”
“5th Knight Order! Close-order phalanx! Form a wing formation!”
They moved according to the commander’s orders, blocking the entrance.
“2nd Magic Division! Prepare defenses!”
“3rd Magic Division! Prepare bombardment magic!”
The mages also finished their preparations, ready to face the intruder.
“Intruder moving! They are heading for the entrance!” shouted a mage who had cast a detection spell.
“All troops! Ready positions!!”
Tension hung thick in the air. Before them stood a wall made of rose vines.
A moment later, a flash of silver light flickered in a rectangular shape. With the flash, the vine wall collapsed in the shape of a rectangular door.
The intruder appeared.
The one who stepped through was a silver-haired girl in a maid uniform.
‘It’s Ruri.’
It was as Ferda expected. If there was an intruder in the palace in this situation, he thought she would be the first to arrive.
However, she looked different than usual.
Silver wings, and a thick tail emerging from her skirt. A pair of horns stretching back like lightning bolts. And a thick aura that triggered an instinctive sense of threat.
“A-a dragon!?”
At someone’s cry, morale plummeted. Those who had never seen a dragon, or even a spawn, were overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
“Do not be afraid! The opponent is merely a dragon spawn!”
Dragon spawn. They were the subordinates of dragons, created after receiving dragon’s blood and undergoing an Ascension Ceremony. Individually, they were at the level of well-trained knights, easily capable of overpowering three or four human knights.
The commander shouted that she was only a spawn. However, those words were merely to bolster the morale of the palace knights; even the commander could not take the situation at face value.
‘A dragon spawn destroyed the palace mage’s barrier in a single blow?’
The Imperial Palace was the most secure location humans had ever built. The magic circles blocking aerial descents were triple-layered; unless all were breached, they would reform, making aerial infiltration impossible. Even meteors had been neutralized by that barrier, yet this girl had breached it alone.
‘And can a dragon spawn even produce a Dragon Fear of this magnitude?’
This was the factor that confused even the knights who had faced dragon spawn before. Dragon spawn cannot produce Dragon Fear.
Yet this girl was radiating Dragon Fear. Like a dragon whose reverse scale had been touched.
Hands and feet trembled, and cold sweat poured down. The phalanx was on the verge of collapsing, and some mages lost their focus, their casting being canceled.
“Uaaah…….”
Malcolm, who had been hovering nearby, could not withstand the Dragon Fear and collapsed onto the ground. Simultaneously, his eyes witnessed something unbelievable.
‘How can the Regent be so calm?’
He wasn’t sweating, and he was the only one standing firmly on his two legs. His steady gaze as he stared directly at the intruder was awe-inspiring.
“Did you say your name was Malcolm?”
Ferda casually threw a question to Malcolm.
“Pardon? Ah, yes…… T-that is correct.”
“You were right.”
“Pardon?”
In the direction he was looking down, there was Ruri. Ruri’s eyes were also fixed on him.
“I might actually be in danger.”
She was absolutely furious with Ferda.
