I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Two hours later, Ferda welcomed his scheduled guest.
“Bernard Wayne, Chancellor of Escoleia, is honored to meet the spouse of the Great Aspect of Power.”
“I greet the president of the treasury of human knowledge.”
“I am truly grateful to be able to set foot in Valdroba Castle.”
Bernard Wayne, the Chancellor of Escoleia, removed his hat and bowed his head.
The flesh-colored plateau situated between two thickets of hair still shone glossily.
“You have worked hard to travel such a long way, Chancellor. Looking through the window, I see you’ve brought an army with you.”
“Two mages, two knights, and twenty soldiers. Haha! I finally feel like a true noble.”
After the operation to use the Chancellor of Escoleia as a scapegoat failed, Escoleia had been turned upside down.
No matter how much people disparaged the position by saying the Chancellor was just a figurehead meant to shoulder all responsibility, he was, in the end, the face of Escoleia.
The assassination attempt was an event that could have shaken the very foundations of Escoleia.
Because of this, the Chancellor had been able to seize significant power within the Escoleian Council.
“Ho ho, living in such a magnificent castle, you must receive many distinguished guests.”
“There have been more ruffians coming to threaten me than distinguished guests.”
“Pardon? That cannot be. Even so, you are the spouse of a Power capable of turning the continent upside down….”
“Just last week, someone came to threaten me again.”
“Ah… I see.”
Not knowing what to say to that, Bernard decided to change the subject.
“This is the blueprint for the Demon Appearance Prediction Device I promised to give you before.”
Ferda looked at the paper Bernard handed him.
It was engraved on parchment that maintained its shape through mana; it was an object that wouldn’t burn, get wet, or weather like a simple book.
The fact that he had used such precious paper even for a copy meant he harbored no ulterior motives.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. But… are you able to read this blueprint?”
Naturally, it was impossible.
Ferda was someone far removed from such engineering designs.
“The chief researcher at the castle will look it over.”
“The chief researcher? Who might that be?”
“Bernel Marquis.”
“Bernel Marquis? You mean… that ‘Mess’? He is here?!”
Bernard blurted out the name in shock.
“I heard he was famous, but he seems truly well-known.”
“He is famous. There is no one in Escoleia who doesn’t know that fellow. He was a man who received as much expectation as he did disappointment.”
The person who had been disappointed was undoubtedly Bernard.
He let out a deep sigh and asked Ferda.
“What is he doing now? Did he give up on that nonsense and come here?”
“That ’nonsense’ was a success.”
“I thought as much… Pardon?”
Bernard’s eyes widened.
“He succeeded in that?”
Ferda had expected his astonishment.
Therefore, he had brought one of the samples Bernel had made before the Chancellor arrived to show him.
“It is a Mana Stone. Processed from the corpses of monsters.”
“My god… Did that fellow finally turn heaven and earth upside down…?”
Among scholars, that was how they described a revolutionary discovery.
A myriad of emotions flickered across Bernard’s face.
Wonder, admiration, jealousy, and regret.
The person he had turned his back on was right all along, and he looked like he didn’t know how to process that fact.
“By any chance, what is the efficiency?”
As if he trusted that Bernel would have calculated everything, he skipped asking if it had been calculated.
“It is currently at 10%.”
“Do you know what the percentage was at first?”
“I believe it was 7.1%.”
“I see.”
He looked both marveled and somehow uncomfortable.
Since Ferda was not a scholar, he couldn’t know what was going on in Bernard’s head.
Thus, he made a suggestion.
“Would you like to meet Bernel Marquis?”
At that, Bernard snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head.
“No. It’s not to the point where I need to meet and talk to him… Ah, right.”
Bernard clapped his hands together.
“Do you remember the Grand Council? Didn’t I ask you to participate in an exhibition then?”
“I remember. You said there would be an exhibition in Halim?”
“In fifteen days, all the scholars and nobles will gather there. It will last for about three days. There will also be presentations for the opening, the main event, and the ending.”
The next thing he brought up was his proposal.
“I will use my influence to put Bernel in the main slot. Could you please attend?”
“Chancellor Bernard… made such a proposal? He said he’d put me on the main stage?”
Bernel asked, his eyes practically bugging out.
Ferda had seen Bernel get excited a few times, but he had never seen him this shocked.
He was so startled that his hands had stopped moving.
“It seems it was an exceptional offer.”
“Of the three days of the Escoleia exhibition, the main stage is the most important part. Even for a renowned scholar, getting that spot is like plucking stars from the sky.”
“Then it’s a good thing for you.”
“A good… thing, indeed.”
Contrary to his words, Bernel wore a complicated expression.
Finally, he set down his pen and leaned against the table.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to go.”
Ferda could feel that Bernel was overwhelmed by emotion.
“Are you going to reject a glorious position that every scholar dreams of standing in?”
“Glory or not, it’s obvious Chancellor Bernard has set a trap. Why would I go?”
“A trap?”
“That man hated me terribly. Recalling the insults he gave me, I cannot accept his favor.”
“What did he do?”
“He denounced my research plan.”
Bernel clenched his fists tight.
“When Academy students reach their second year, they participate in something called the Academic Conference. It’s a place to talk about the future, even if it’s a bit far-fetched. Since it’s a place to draw out fresh ideas, being denounced there carries too much weight. It’s like pulling down my pants and showing my groin to the entire audience.”
One might say, ‘Just for that?’ but Ferda didn’t think so.
It meant that the future Bernel had envisioned was that sincere to him.
Having that sincerity denied is a painful thing.
Ferda only knew that Bernel had gone from being the top student at the Academy to the bottom.
And that he had barely graduated and was dabbling in the field of magical engineering.
He had no idea the rift with Bernard was this deep.
“If he insulted you, shouldn’t you participate all the more?”
At Ferda’s question, Bernel looked back and asked.
“How does that work?”
“You weren’t wrong, so shouldn’t you be dignified?”
“Spiting him sounds good. Yes… but what if it’s a trick to trap me?”
“Then are you going to keep running away forever?”
Bernel couldn’t answer Ferda’s counter-question.
He wanted to avoid it, but deep down, he knew that avoiding this problem wasn’t right either.
“I don’t know what happened back then, but you are no longer an Academy student; you are my chief researcher. If Bernard tries something outrageous with you,”
“…….”
“He’ll have to settle it with me, not you.”
At those words, Bernel snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Ferda.
Right, he wasn’t alone anymore, was he?
He realized once again that he had a reliable backer.
“I understand. I’ll try to face him as you said. May I ask what that is in your hand? It looks like a blueprint….”
“It’s Chancellor Bernard’s child.”
“Child?”
“He said it’s a blueprint for a Demon Appearance Prediction Device. Could you take a look at it?”
“Ah, I see. A Demon Appearance Prediction Device… I’ll take a look at that as well.”
While Bernel was checking the blueprint, the door opened and someone walked in.
It was Stefan.
Ferda had intended to tell him something since it was good timing.
But Stefan’s complexion wasn’t very good.
It looked as though he was about to deliver bad news at any moment.
“Um, that is….”
Stefan stammered.
A few days ago, Stefan was traveling in a carriage.
He was wearing a top-grade tunic he didn’t usually wear.
He wore clothes that were so high-end among the high-end that he was almost afraid to put them on.
Contrary to his flamboyant attire, anxiety never left his face.
“Phew….”
“Are you alright, milord? Your complexion is poor; you look like you might collapse.”
“I’m a bit… phew.”
“Shall I loosen the knot for you?”
The servant sitting in front of him reached for the string of his neck collar.
Stefan looked at the servant and said.
“Tie it tighter. So it doesn’t come undone.”
He couldn’t afford to look disheveled.
He would rather be strangled to death by the knot.
The reason he couldn’t help but be so nervous was because of the massive mansion before him.
The mansion of Herman Pascal, the founder of the Pascal Trading Company, a great merchant, and Stefan’s father.
It was Stefan’s hometown and, at the same time, a battlefield.
Stefan stepped out of the carriage and entered the mansion entrance.
“Welcome back, Young Master Stefan.”
At the familiar face, Stefan smiled and hugged him.
“It’s been a long time, Old Man Sebastian! How have you been?”
“My body isn’t what it used to be. The time for retirement has come.”
“What are you talking about? You said you’d bury your bones here. Shouldn’t you work until your body breaks?”
He tried to hide his trembling with banter.
The butler noticed and played along to help him calm down.
He walked down the long hallway, passed employees and servants, and arrived before a magnificent door.
“The second son, Young Master Stefan, is entering.”
The door opened.
Before him, a long table stretched out like a red carpet in the center to welcome him, and at the end of that table sat an old man, like a king on his throne.
Herman Pascal.
The head of the Pascal Trading Company, a man who started as a fruit peddler and reached out to all things.
A dictator who once could have seized control of all the Empire’s commercial rights.
Despite such a reputation, he looked like a frail old man.
“You’re late, brother.”
The man sitting to his right taunted him.
With a sturdy build, this man looked more like a mercenary than a merchant.
The eldest son, Merchit Pascal.
“My apologies. It was a very busy time, so I was finishing things up….”
“What can you do? Isn’t the company more important than family? I like seeing you work as a faithful attendant, brother.”
The woman smiling brightly with heavy makeup was the youngest daughter, Tilda Pascal.
At first listen, it sounded like she was supporting him, but her smiling eyes were closer to saying, ‘That’s the most someone like you can do.’
This is why he hated this house.
He had returned to his family home, yet he felt like an outsider.
“Sit down quickly.”
Stefan was pushed aside by his nephews, who had already taken their seats, and sat in a distant spot.
The whole family was gathered.
“Now, let us eat.”
The butler’s bell rang, and maids entered.
As befitting the wealthiest family on the continent, all the food exuded the strong scent of rare spices.
It was a moment where one could taste things usually hard to come by, but Stefan couldn’t taste the food at all.
“Lately….”
The moment Herman started to speak, the hands at the banquet table stopped.
“How have you all been faring?”
Merchit and Tilda set down their forks and knives and wiped their mouths as if they had been waiting for this.
The eldest son, being the closest, spoke first.
“Lately, I’ve been expanding into the South. You know Colossenia, right? It’s famous for its spectacular gladiatorial matches as one of the major entertainment cities. I’ve signed a mercenary supply contract with a gladiator training center there.”
“Are you only going to trade in meat?”
“How could that be? Isn’t that a land so hot they say even the moon is like the sun? The spices there are fierce, and their quality is no less than the finest goods in the Empire.”
“Yes, such luxuries are more precious than gold.”
Herman nodded calmly.
As if he had barely met the standard, Merchit let out a sigh of relief.
Soon after, Tilda Pascal spoke of her recent activities.
“I’m looking into the West following my husband. They say it’s a land of mysterious magic, but don’t they also need things? The moment the trade routes open, the Pascal Trading Company will become a storm.”
“That sounds a bit far-fetched.”
Herman glared at Tilda.
However, Tilda countered as if she had expected it.
“I thought so too at first. But wouldn’t the story change if I secured a contract for a crystal mine? It’s something mages are crazy for, isn’t it?”
“Hmm….”
Herman withdrew his gaze.
Tilda was also securing contracts with skillful hands, so there were no major issues.
Now, only one remained.
“Stefan.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Why are you silent?”
“My apologies. I didn’t think you’d be very curious about my story….”
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
A position he tried to avoid but couldn’t.
Therefore, Stefan also spoke about his recent activities.
“I am… currently trying to establish a foothold in the Eastern Region.”
“The East?”
“Oh my, you’re starting a business in the East? I heard you were targeting the North?”
Tilda acted as if it were news to her.
She was preparing to pour oil on a burning house.
“I thought the North would be fine as long as I maintained the current status. So I decided to make a bold investment and expanded into the East this time.”
“Mmm, brother. From what I’ve learned, there’s a difference between a bold investment and throwing money into the dirt, don’t you think?”
Tilda was indirectly asking why he was acting like an idiot.
“It doesn’t look good to me either, brother.”
Merchit agreed with her.
“Isn’t it a profitable business just selling alcohol, smoked meat, and leather to those Northerners? If you just follow Father’s formula, you’ll avoid a deficit. Why do you insist on doing such things?”
The reason was obvious, wasn’t it?
It was to survive in this household.
“I simply want to pursue a business with potential.”
“Potential?! Look at the current state of the East. Even now, the Demonic Land is steadily encroaching, and the territory is shrinking, isn’t it? Are you going to dig up dirt from there and make a pollution weapon?”
“A pollution weapon, that’s a good idea. It’ll smell less than spraying manure and be more effective. If you want, I’d like to invest in that, brother.”
The sister-in-law who stops the fight is more hateful than the mother-in-law who hits; Tilda’s words were more irritating than Merchit’s.
“Enough.”
The silent Herman calmed the atmosphere.
He scratched his head with his thin hand before speaking again.
“Stefan.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I know well that you aren’t acting like a fool. After all, you are smart enough to understand me best among them.”
This wasn’t going to end well.
Stefan had a gut feeling.
“But when persuading an opponent, what did I say you must do?”
“One must show evidence….”
“Do you have that evidence in your possession?”
“I am not investing with company money. Even if I did, I put in my personal assets first and….”
“So you’re saying you don’t have it.”
“It’s not that I don’t have it. I just didn’t want to reveal it yet—”
“It must be that Mana Stone or whatever it is.”
“!!”
As Stefan’s eyes widened, Herman scolded him with a look of disapproval.
“Why so surprised? This company is still in my hands, you pathetic boy. Your sister and brother have already noticed.”
Even if he was proceeding in secret, it was bound to be discovered eventually.
Father Herman aside, the fact that the other two already knew was too shocking.
It meant there was someone among those on Stefan’s side who was leaking internal information.
But even more shocking was that despite knowing the truth, things were proceeding smoothly.
Like people watching Stefan dig his own grave.
Before the shock could even fade, Herman threw a question.
“Tell me. On what basis did you jump into that work?”
“I simply saw the future.”
“It’s an intuition, then. Which means you’re doing this believing in that Regent Ferda?”
“Yes.”
Stefan answered immediately.
“How certain are you?”
“If you wish….”
Stefan’s tongue moved on its own.
“I’m certain enough to want to give him the entire company.”
Silence fell.
Stefan also realized what he had said and quickly shut his mouth.
His head felt dazed, and he had accidentally blurted out his true feelings.
‘I’ve done it now.’
The water was already spilled.
But he didn’t regret it.
Because that was truly how he felt.
“So you’re saying you’ve staked your entire fortune because you’re enchanted by a man, not a woman.”
The lament mixed in Herman’s words pierced Stefan’s chest.
“There is only one hand, and only one thing can be held. Yet there are two things that must be grasped. Over-ambition invites disaster, so a time must come when a choice has to be made.”
Being quick-witted, Stefan knew exactly what Herman was saying.
Would he give up the far East and choose the company,
Or give up the company and choose the far East.
“Think it over carefully.”
That was the final ultimatum from Herman Pascal, the man who had built everything with his bare hands.
