I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 68
Around the time the sun was sinking in the west, painting the sky in the hues of twilight,
Ruri began tidying up after the tea party, commanding her spirits.
Water spirits washed the dishes, and wind spirits dried them.
The desserts that Ferda and Valdrova hadn't touched disappeared one by one into Ruri's mouth.
It was a perfect division of labor.
Except for the fact that Ferda hadn't stood up yet.
“Why did you say something so unnecessary?”
Ferda asked.
It would be a lie to say there was no emotion mixed in his voice.
Ruri looked at him steadily with a businesslike expression.
“Womanizer.”
Ferda’s face crumpled.
“That wasn't womanizing.”
“I merely stated the visible facts. That you joined hands with that damn wench.”
“Was your goal just to ruin the mood?”
“Ruin the mood? Shouldn't you be thanking me?”
“What?”
He wondered what kind of nonsense she was spouting now.
“If I hadn't said those words, would there have even been an occasion to hold hands?”
“Hands?”
“Yes, hands. That hand that was thoroughly enjoying the Master's touch. Who do you think you have to thank for that?”
What on earth was she…?
He started to dismiss it, but reflecting on the day's events, she wasn't entirely wrong.
Ferda had approached the tea party with the sole intention of doing his best not to hurt her.
He hadn't planned on holding Valdrova's hand today.
‘If she hadn't mentioned Olivia,’
He wouldn't have held her hand.
‘If she hadn't mentioned the fact that I didn't go hunting today,’
She would have suffered in agony tonight.
Everything happened because Ruri had said something that could be misunderstood.
“Are you saying this was all calculated?”
“Is that even a question?”
Ruri snorted.
“You are a greedy man, Master. You're the type to take a step forward if given even a little provocation. I knew that if I brought up that wench, you would naturally take action.”
He had forgotten for a brief moment.
She had managed this castle longer than anyone and had watched over Valdrova.
Therefore, she knew her better than anyone else.
Ferda couldn't hide his inner surprise.
Had she ever gone this far for him before?
As a maid, Ruri had tried to help numerous times.
But that was always indirect assistance for Valdrova's sake.
This was the first time she had intervened so directly to help him.
Perhaps that was why she seemed different than usual.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Ruri asked, noticing his fixed gaze.
“You just seem a bit different from usual.”
“In what way?”
“I'm not sure. Should I call it cute?”
She froze.
“Cute…?”
“To define it, I'd say you're like a cute dog or pig.”
“…….”
Ruri’s expression contorted sharply.
Ferda knew this feeling well.
The same look of disgust she had when they first met.
No, it was even greater than back then.
“If you're going to talk nonsense, please leave at once. You're interfering with the cleaning.”
“Right then.”
He didn't want to get caught in the crossfire of her irritable mood, so Ferda quickly prepared to leave.
“Ferda-nim.”
Ruri called out.
With the sunset streaming in at an angle behind her, Ruri stood there.
She wasn't the sharp, perfect maid, but the child Ruri.
“Don't worry.”
Ferda beat her to the punch before she could even start to speak.
Ruri didn't say anything either.
She simply gave a light nod.
* * *
Valdrova’s Lair.
Except for the thick iron door, the interior was a massive, raw cave.
Inside, a Dragon Knight with the head of a Red Dragon entered.
The avatar of fire and power, Valdrova.
She had just returned from the tea party.
Valdrova stood in the center of the cave and tilted her head up slightly.
Only then did she finally feel that she was alone.
She pressed the gem embedded in her chest.
Shhhhh—
The Dragon Knight Armor opened up, revealing its interior and spitting out its contents.
What emerged from within was a woman standing 160cm tall.
“Phew… haaa….”
Valdrova exhaled sharply, like someone who had just escaped a grueling battlefield.
No, a battlefield would have likely been easier for her.
She hadn't been this exhausted even after subjugating monsters for six hours straight.
It had only been about two hours.
Just sitting there and talking with Ferda.
Yet every moment of it had been overwhelming for Valdrova.
Even though she was wearing such massive armor.
Valdrova looked up at the armor and muttered.
“I couldn't take it off today either….”
That armor was a piece created by a Bronze Dragon for Valdrova when she used Polymorph.
It was designed to be large, imposing, and capable of producing a threatening voice, fitting for a fearsome Red Dragon.
The intention was solely to display dignity as a dragon and a ruler.
In reality, however, she used it as a refuge, contrary to its purpose.
Like a snail's shell.
“What would the old man say if he saw this…?”
With a hollow laugh, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror placed to the side.
Two pairs of horns, golden cat-eyes, and shimmering red hair that looked as if it were spun from ruby threads.
There were few people Valdrova had shown this form to.
Only Ruri and the other dragons remembered her face.
As such, there were few assessments of her Polymorph form.
Ruri called it a balanced beauty that concealed external strength with softness.
Other dragons simply called her a ‘softie.’
And the human, Ferda….
“Ngh….”
She didn't want to think about it.
Recalling his face from that moment made her mind go white.
Her body felt like it was floating, as if a hundred hands were tickling her.
She couldn't control the situation where she ceased to be herself.
“I want to hear it….”
She wanted to hear that she was pretty.
She wanted to hear that she was beautiful.
She wanted to show her true self, not the armor, and hear those words.
That was why, even though she wore the armor, she was dressed in a beautiful gown underneath.
Did Ferda know?
That inside the armor he was looking at, there was a woman in a dress.
But that she hid it within the armor every time, lacking the courage to show him.
“Despite that….”
Her voice was tinged with embarrassment.
She remembered what Ruri had said before the tea party.
—He held hands with Olivia Arken and toured the White House.
Valdrova understood. Isn't it natural for a man of Ferda's caliber to at least hold hands with a beautiful woman?
Yes.
Such things could happen.
“As if I'd be okay with that….”
She was jealous. She couldn't help but be jealous.
To think her fiancé held hands with another woman.
That the person she was supposed to be with, having made a lifelong vow, held another woman's hand.
While feeling jealous, Valdrova also found her own state ridiculous.
“Even though I'm the one who ran away every time….”
Ferda was always waiting.
It was Valdrova who hid because she lacked the courage to show herself.
And yet, here she was, being jealous.
“Stupid.”
Self-reproach.
“Stupid, idiot.”
Despite that, she ended with a smile.
“But… I did well at the end.”
To think the words ‘let's hold hands’ would come out of her own mouth.
It was impulsive, but without that impulse, she wouldn't have dared to say it.
“…….”
Valdrova stared blankly at her right hand.
The hand Ferda had held.
His warmth still lingered on that hand.
“It was warm….”
Valdrova felt it vividly.
What a warm heart he possessed.
How much he could care for others.
‘That's why this castle is becoming so lively.’
In the year since he entered this castle, it had grown bustling, and news of the territory’s development was reaching her ears.
He was accomplishing the things Valdrova hadn't done, and couldn't do.
What she felt toward that was admiration.
‘So, I have to change too.’
And a sense of motivation.
Valdrova told herself repeatedly that she had to.
Because that would be the best reward she could give Ferda, who had come to her as her fiancé.
“I'm sleepy….”
Her eyelids grew heavy and her body felt lethargic.
On days when her blood was up, she couldn't sleep a wink, but she had a feeling that if she closed her eyes now, she would fall into a deep slumber.
She should return to her dragon form to sleep, but Valdrova didn't want to.
She wanted to cherish this warmth he left behind, this trace, just a little bit longer.
Valdrova lay down right where she was.
Lying on her side and curling her body as if coiling up, she held the warmth in her right hand tight.
She thought about tomorrow.
Her tomorrow had always been a succession of pain.
She didn't want to think about it, and when those thoughts came, she would go to bed just to escape them.
But today was different.
The tomorrow she envisioned in her mind made her feel alive.
What should I do,
How should I act,
To make Ferda-ssi happy?
Drawing an infinite line of thought that reached no conclusion, she drifted off to sleep.
* * *
In the Central Region of the Serdes Continent, there stood a building that seemed to pierce the heavens.
It was the tallest building on the continent, and it was a Magic Tower.
Built by the Blue Dragon, Iorga, all Blue Dragon spawn lived their lives within its walls.
The name of the building was Blue Eye.
An eye exists to see.
The Blue Eye, true to its name, was a surveillance network created to watch over everything beneath the sky.
Hierarchy was determined by one's position in the tower.
The very top floor was the nest of the dragon, Iorga.
The floor directly below was the seat of Erica Iorga, the representative of the dragon spawn.
And she….
“It seems the humans are starting to notice.”
“It’s not overt yet, but the flaws in the Blue Eye’s surveillance magic are being pointed out.”
…felt like she was aging faster than ever.
She was surrounded by elders, dealing with agendas and documents.
“What is the estimated decrease the humans could calculate?”
“There is no exact data yet, but they seem to estimate a 30% reduction at present.”
30%.
It was a figure that absolutely could not be ignored.
“If this continues, they will likely notice Iorga-nim’s absence….”
The Blue Dragon Iorga.
The avatar of magic, possessor of mana rivaling a supreme being, and the one who actually provided 50% of the Magic Tower’s mana.
However, Iorga was also being eroded by Godwin’s darkness.
Even living a secluded life without showing himself carried too much risk.
That was why Iorga had made the independent decision to crystallize his own body.
“What will you do?”
The elderly elder mages trailed off, waiting for Erica’s answer.
As the leader of the Blue Dragon spawn, she was calmer than anyone else.
Erica, who had been reviewing the documents, looked down at the last page and tossed it onto the desk.
“It’s still within the normal range.”
The elders were startled by those words.
“How can 30% be within the normal range?”
“In reality, our Magic Tower’s mana loss is 50%—exactly half.”
The mana required for the Blue Eye’s surveillance network was far from sufficient.
Spreading it as wide as before left it shallow, and focusing on depth made the range too narrow.
“The fact that humans estimate it at 30% means that our substitutes are 20% effective.”
That was why they were abandoning old methods and seeking substitutes in a more flexible direction.
They were concentrating surveillance on high-risk areas and coordinating with the Adventurer Guild to use manpower for areas outside the surveillance network.
“We must analyze further and find more substitutes.”
“We can’t rely on adventurers forever. If we don’t heal the source, it’s all for nothing.”
“Aren’t we going through all this trouble right now to heal that source?”
Erica’s eyes glared sharply at the elder.
“If you can come up with a solution right now, I’ll shut my mouth. Go ahead, suggest one.”
“Well… I wouldn't say I can.”
The elder lowered his head, cowed.
Erica let out a sigh through her nose and gently soothed them.
“I know how anxious you all are. I feel the same way. Currently, our Magic Tower, the Blue Eye, is facing an unprecedented crisis. To maintain our reputation as the eyes looking down upon the continent, even using all our mana wouldn't be enough.”
But they couldn't do that.
“However, if we do that, it will be impossible to create a cure for Iorga-nim. Since he entered hibernation sensing his own condition worsening, we don't have much time left.”
In reality, they were lacking in everything.
Mana, time, and manpower.
“But we must appear to be handling things with ease. If there is no certainty, this carefully built tower will crumble in an instant.”
The Blue Eye dominates and monitors magic.
They had to clearly demonstrate that they held a firm grip on all things magical.
“Understood.”
“I suppose we have no choice but to trust the leader.”
The elders who had been in the meeting withdrew.
Once the last person had left and the door clicked shut,
“Phew…!!!!”
Erica, who had been wearing the face of a steel-willed leader, exhaled like steam escaping a pressure cooker.
“F*ck….”
Profanity spilled from her lips.
They say the crown has weight.
The crown Erica was wearing felt like it would break her neck someday.
‘I can't just sweep them all away.’
Looking down on other races was inherent in the nature of dragon spawn.
If it were any other dragon spawn, they would have immediately threatened or used violence against a human for talking back, but Iorga’s descendants dared not do so.
Magic is a tool for the rational.
Losing one's temper is irrational, and it's practically a signal that one's magic is unstable.
The greatest weapon they possessed was composure.
Showing that everything was business as usual and that they had the confidence to overcome whatever came their way.
Because of this, Erica, the leader, only grew more sick at heart with unspoken troubles.
“Haa….”
Erica stood up from her seat.
She felt like she would explode if she just sat there, so she tried to cool her head by looking out at the scenery.
The rich colors of early autumn were dotted like points in a painting.
Though the scenery changed year by year, her thoughts were always similar.
The great mountains to the north.
‘Where the idiots with nothing but ice in their heads live.’
The western plains.
‘The domain of religious hypocrites full of pretense.’
The southern desert.
‘A playground for extremists who indulge in self-destruction.’
The black land to the east.
‘……Ferda Valdrova.’
No, it was a bit different than usual.
Normally, she would have thought of it as ‘the tomb of greedy people slowly rotting away.’
But ever since she returned from the Grand Council, it had been overwritten with a human’s name.
—What will you do in the end?
His words were still echoing in her head.
The end of the secret created by Godwin.
“The end, huh….”
She reconsidered the end over and over.
No answer came.
Whether it was an optimistic future or a pessimistic one,
She couldn't accept either.
No one knows what the future holds.
Predictions can be made, but looking into it completely is impossible.
“Arrogant bastard….”
Iorga’s descendants live the present to prepare for the future.
Erica Iorga was the same.
She was neither pessimistic nor optimistic.
That was the rationality Iorga pursued.
And yet.
Whenever she thought of Ferda, those words kept ringing in her ears.
It felt like a mosquito buzzing around.
What will you do?
What are you going to do about it?
What are you going to do?!
What can you even do?
“Haa….”
Erica sensed she had reached her limit and raised a finger.
At that moment, a small droplet of water condensed on her fingertip.
The droplet spread out in the form of a veil, instantly covering her surroundings completely.
“Haa.”
She took a deep breath.
And then,
“So what?!”
She screamed.
“What makes you so special?!”
Stomping on the floor and flailing her arms.
“I went through all the trouble of crushing that motion to stop those damn ice idiots, and you're acting all high and mighty on your own—what makes you so great?! Just a human! A mere human!! Who do you think you are?!”
If she couldn't calm down, she would vent.
“Ugh, I don't know! I'm quitting! I'm not doing this! Why do I have to do this?! For what?! Everyone's just nagging me!! When they can't even do it themselves!”
For several minutes, she shrieked and wailed, purging everything inside her.
Knock, knock—
“Um, Erica-nim?”
Her secretary came to find her and opened the door.
Erica, who had been screaming and thrashing in a fit, moved hurriedly.
She withdrew the water veil and sat back in her seat.
She returned to the appearance of the usual leader, as if nothing had happened.
“What is it?”
The secretary began her report, unable to imagine that Erica was the woman who had just been rolling around in a hysterical fit.
“I’ve come to report on the investigation records of the Rosnova Family you requested. Do you have a moment?”
The timing was impeccable. Erica felt a pang of guilt for no reason.
“Go ahead.”
“First of all, there were no major issues with the Rosnova Family itself. They are one of the knight families of the Empire, with achievements typical for humans, barely maintaining their lineage.”
“Are you saying there are no issues at all with Regent Ferda’s family?”
“At least as far as the Rosnova Family is concerned, yes.”
She turned to the next page.
“The problem is Regent Ferda’s biological mother, Anna Rosnova.”
“What about her?”
“There isn't a single piece of information about his biological mother.”
“Not a single piece? Does that mean she was a commoner or something?”
“No. It’s not in that category. I might need to investigate further, but it’s almost as if….”
The woman hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should say such a thing.
“It feels like I'm chasing a ghost that never existed in the first place.”
“A ghost?”
It was the most irresponsible thing an investigator could say.
However, Erica did not ignore those words.
They were children of Iorga, and they knew Erica well.
The fact that she brought this up meant that even after digging very deep, not a single speck of dust had been found.
Erica muttered.
“The reason an egg exists is because there is a chicken.”
Results exist because there are causes.
A son exists because there is a mother.
Even the dragons, who were gods to them, had a creator.
To think that digging for information to learn even a little about Ferda would only lead to a mysterious question.
‘Just what kind of person is that man?’
Just as she was thinking that,
A clattering sound was heard from the stairs.
A man, terrified in a way that didn't suit the rationality-prizing Iorga, came up.
“T-This is bad!”
“Why are you making such a fuss?”
“T-That! This!”
What he handed over was an image captured through mana.
It was a scene of several Silver Dragon spawn recovering bodies in a snowy field.
“Did a Silver Dragon spawn… die?”
“Yes.”
That alone was a serious matter. All dragon spawn remember the deaths of those they share blood with. Silverwind, known for having the strongest bonds, would not leave an enemy alone.
If he had brought only this, she would have assumed a bloodbath was coming somewhere.
But she sensed the urgency meant something more.
“On the next page…!!”
The Silverwind group was flying through the sky. Among them was a dragon spawn with massive wings.
“The leader of the ice idiots himself…?”
Goz Silverwind taking action directly was no ordinary matter. It wasn't just about ending an individual; it was an intention to destroy everything that person possessed.
Why? Why was he moving personally?
Erica thought. Immediately, one person came to mind.
‘No way….’
It couldn't be. That guy isn't that stupid. He knows full well what the relationship with Silverwind is like; he wouldn't do something so insane.
But needing to be sure, she asked the difficult question.
“Who laid a hand on a descendant of Silverwind?”
He answered, and her fears became reality.
“It’s Regent Ferda Valdrova!”
The fuse had been lit.
