My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 103: Chapter 103

Chapter 103 - Material for Greatness

In the middle of a barren snow-covered mountain range where nothing existed.

Even creatures resistant to the cold had fallen asleep to survive the dreary winter weather, leaving the land in complete silence.

Within that quiet expanse, a massive vertical crack split open.

Like oil leaking onto dry land, the rift shimmered with chaotic colors as it spat out what lay within.

What emerged were a large man clad in black and a man wearing a gray robe.

The very man Ferda had identified as the Curved Demon.

They arrived before the snowy mountain.

"Did we really have to come all the way here?"

"There was no particular reason."

"Then why?"

"I simply couldn’t think of a more suitable place."

"Hmm."

The large man looked up at the snow-covered mountain.

This was where the Dark Elf named Linne had once served as the director of the research facility.

But that was merely a thing of the past.

"What did you decide to do with Linne?"

"The research will continue."

"How generous."

The large man let out a mocking snort.

"Generous? Hardly. I’ll kill her once it’s finished. She never had any value beyond that in the first place."

"So you’re fattening the dog before boiling it. That should leave no loose ends."

The robed man said that and turned away.

Then it happened.

The Curved Demon suddenly sensed intense Killing Intent directed at him.

He raised a hand and turned his body.

Something struck his palm.

Boom!

The large man’s fist slammed into his hand.

Though he was greatly overpowered in terms of strength, he endured it by planting both feet firmly on the ground.

"...What do you think you’re doing?"

"I’m merely doing what you’ve been doing."

"And what exactly have I done?"

"You’ve been avoiding the conversation, so I gave up talking as well. Do we really need any more words?"

"I have no idea what you’re talking about."

"Don’t bother trying to fool me. You brought up that Dark Elf woman just to avoid the subject, didn’t you?"

"And what conversation have I supposedly avoided? It seems you know."

"Ferda Valdrova."

The large man growled in anger.

"Why didn’t you kill that man?"

"..."

"See? You can’t answer."

The large man sneered at the Curved Demon’s silence.

"I never liked you from the very beginning. You died pathetically after being stabbed by the Hero, then clung to life in secret before showing your face again."

"..."

"You should have died back then. Instead of crawling back like this in disgrace."

"If dying like that is so desirable..."

The Curved Demon glared at him with emotion-filled eyes.

"Then why are you still alive instead of following Father?"

"Because of you, isn’t it?"

"That’s nothing more than an excuse. When I saved your life, I told you my purpose clearly. And you accepted it. If you’re going to act like this now, then how are you any different from those humans who change their minds at the drop of a hat?"

The large man’s eyebrows twitched.

But instead of resorting to violence, he withdrew the fist that had been pressed against the Curved Demon.

Watching him, the Curved Demon spoke.

"There was a reason I didn’t kill Ferda. After all, you never truly understand humans until you’ve seen them with your own eyes."

Only one person had ever made the Curved Demon utter those words before.

He recalled a distant memory.

The Curved Demon had always looked down upon the weakness of humans.

He destroyed everything they believed in, shattering their convictions while mocking their frailty.

That was why he had never realized it until the moment of his death.

That among those weak humans, there would emerge someone capable of piercing his heart.

And that the same man would ultimately destroy even the Demon King.

The seed of rebellion that severed Godwin’s will.

’The Hero.’

The Curved Demon gently touched his chest.

What had led him to his death was not the Holy Sword blessed by every god and dragon.

It had been nothing more than a crude kitchen knife.

Though he had now been resurrected, the fact that he had died in such a manner had forever left him wary.

Yet he smiled.

It was a smile born entirely of joy.

Because that imperfect death had allowed his purpose to continue, enabling him to become even stronger.

Surely Father, too, must be smiling amid the emptiness.

The Hero had been the only person to make the Curved Demon overturn his own judgment—twice.

Or so he had believed.

But nothing in this world was absolute.

’Ferda Valdrova.’

He felt the same sense of unexpectedness from that man as he had from the Hero.

The direction was different, but the feeling itself was remarkably similar.

The Curved Demon knew exactly what that feeling was.

"Hm?"

The large man suddenly turned his gaze toward a certain spot in the snow.

"What is it?"

"...Someone’s there."

All that could be seen was a field completely covered in snow.

No.

As the Curved Demon followed the large man’s gaze, he noticed something protruding from the snow.

It looked like a helmet.

Judging from its rough appearance, he assumed it was merely a stone statue.

But only for a moment.

The snow covering the statue shifted.

It stood up.

It was armor as rough and rugged as if an enormous rocky mountain had been shaped into the form of a human.

Seeing that armor, it became obvious how it had remained motionless long enough for snow to bury its entire body.

"Alberdo. So it was you."

His appearance was every bit as steadfast as his title.

He truly looked worthy of being called a walking fortress.

"It can hardly be a coincidence that we meet here. Have you been waiting for me?"

He did not answer.

There was no need for words.

He picked up the club and shield he had set down.

A heavy club over two meters long, along with a shield of similar size.

The armor covering his body was equally crude and rugged.

Judging by his equipment alone, he looked slow, and in truth, his movements were indeed sluggish.

Even so, he was the most infamous human among the Demon Race.

That infamous reputation had been earned.

Especially when the large man saw him, his entire body began trembling.

"You... you son of a bitch...!"

As though delighted to have found him, the large man lost all reason and charged at Alberdo.

"I’ll kill you today!"

His fist shot forward with enough force to shatter the armor.

Alberdo raised his club in perfect rhythm.

Just as they were about to collide—

The Curved Demon traced a finger through the air.

Space split open between Alberdo and the large man, swallowing the latter whole.

Alberdo’s club sliced through empty air before crashing into the ground.

Boom!

The earth shook violently.

Snow erupted high into the sky before settling back onto the ground.

Alberdo turned to face the Curved Demon.

The Curved Demon spoke.

"Please understand. He is merely resentful that you tore off his limbs."

"..."

"Besides, the one you truly seek isn’t that insignificant fellow. It’s me, isn’t it?"

At first glance, it sounded like arrogance.

But it was simply the truth.

Alberdo had pursued only the Curved Demon all this time.

That was why he had come here.

"Give it up. Chasing me will change nothing, Alberdo."

"..."

"You possess no Mana, no special power—nothing. You are merely a human. If I trace a single line with my finger and leave this place, you’ll have no choice but to walk across the continent once again. And yet, despite such unfairness, you continue searching for me alone."

"..."

Alberdo offered no reply.

Though the Curved Demon spoke those words, there was no mockery in his voice.

The number of Demon Race and monsters cut down by Alberdo’s slow but relentless advance was impossible to count.

The number of settlements he had destroyed had long since exceeded two digits.

Without anyone recognizing his deeds, he continued moving in silence for one purpose alone—

To kill the Demon Race.

That was why the man was known as the walking fortress, Alberdo.

"You despise the Demon Race enough to wish them dead, so I’ll tell only you. Do you know what I witnessed today?"

The face that appeared in his mind was Ferda’s.

"A man with the potential to become the Demon King."

"..."

"He was a human blessed with extraordinary potential. At present, he harbors the audacious ambition of conquering the Land of Demons, but that, too, is only temporary."

The Curved Demon smiled faintly.

"At the end of all loss, what remains is always emptiness."

Once again, the Curved Demon tore open space.

"And within that emptiness, anger always takes root."

With those words, the Curved Demon disappeared.

There was nothing Alberdo could do.

He raised his head and looked toward the sky.

The weather was gloomy.

A blizzard would soon arrive.

Strong winds would cover everything in fresh snow once more.

But they would never stop his footsteps.

His wandering steps always moved wherever monsters could be found.

Yet today was different.

Unlike every other day, his footsteps carried him clearly toward a single destination.

***

The sudden appearance of monsters.

Contrary to expectations that panic would spread, the morning remained peaceful.

Although some people had died and others had been seriously injured, the town did not descend into despair.

Instead, the people simply felt relieved that the trust they had placed in Captain William of the Public Security Force, along with the assistance of the Dragon Spawn, had prevented the worst from happening.

But there were always people who disliked such an atmosphere.

Hanson was one of them.

Having come here as one of the first dreamers chasing a gold rush, Hanson found this peace deeply unsatisfying.

’There should’ve been much more chaos.’

After all, changes in social status were born from turmoil.

Hanson was more obsessed with climbing the social ladder than most people.

He was a carpenter.

Within the Empire, he had been nothing more than a second-rate builder.

Had he remained in the Empire, becoming a director would have remained nothing but a fantasy.

He already occupied a position far beyond his abilities.

But human greed knew no end.

’I want to climb even higher.’

A seat among the nobility.

No—even if not as a noble, then at least a position where the commoners here would bow their heads before him.

’People like me were never meant for that.’

Ordinarily, such dreams were nothing more than daydreams entertained by commoners.

There was a reason storytellers so often spun tales of beggars stumbling upon miraculous fortunes and becoming princes or princesses.

Everyone carried that fantasy somewhere in their heart.

For Hanson, however, that fantasy ran especially deep.

After all, hadn’t he been blessed with an incredible stroke of fortune?

’The Armored Knight.’

It would not be an exaggeration to say that everything had been accomplished because of him.

He was easy to manipulate, and his abilities were exceptional.

Time after time, he had elevated Hanson’s prestige.

That was how Hanson, who had once been nothing more than a mere foreman, had risen to become the director.

Back when he had first met him, Hanson had thought to himself—

’That man will surely become a knight before long.’

So he flattered him whenever he could, even speaking on his behalf whenever necessary, doing everything possible to stay in his good graces.

He believed that, at most, the Armored Knight would become a knight within a month.

But the Armored Knight never became a knight.

He remained at the construction site.

’The Armored Knight needs to become a knight before I can gain any real power...’

He wanted to move beyond being a director and become a site manager.

He wanted even more people working under his command.

For that to happen, the Armored Knight had to climb to a higher position.

’When he was summoned to the castle, I thought this was finally his chance...’

Who could have imagined that he’d kick away his own good fortune?

He acted as though he didn’t mind, but behind closed doors he drowned his bitterness in alcohol.

What else could he do?

All he could do was live according to his station.

"What a grim atmosphere."

The person who casually tossed out those words was a woman.

She looked too young to even be of marriageable age.

The arrogance written across her face made her seem like an innocent maiden.

But there was no such thing as an arrogant maiden in this town.

She had to be a newly arrived Mage.

’Getting involved with her sounds like trouble...’

Pretending not to hear her, Hanson looked away.

The woman stepped closer and spoke more directly.

"Ahem. I heard a Wolf Monster attacked."

"...So?"

" ’So?’ That’s awfully rude. I also heard that many casualties occurred because I failed to arrive in time."

"Only four people died."

"Do you even know what casualties mean? It includes the injured, not just the dead."

"Even so, we got off pretty well. If more adventurers had joined the fight, maybe no one would’ve died at all."

"So in the end, isn’t this simply the fault of incompetent people in charge who failed to deal with the situation?"

"...What are you talking about?"

Hanson frowned as he looked down at the woman.

She smiled boldly.

"Think about it. Why did you come to this city in the first place? To make money, wasn’t it?"

"That’s true..."

"I’m sure the people who recruited you said the same thing. ’It’s close to the Land of Demons, but that’s exactly why it’s safe.’ Something along those lines."

She wasn’t wrong.

He hadn’t believed it completely, but everyone had simply accepted those words without thinking too much about them.

After all, most of the people who came here had done so because they had no work elsewhere.

"And yet you were attacked. People died. Are you really going to let that pass?"

"...So what exactly do you expect me to do, miss?"

"Haha! That’s precisely why I’m offering you a solution."

She stepped closer, looking pleased that she finally had his attention.

The strong scent of flowers drifted toward him.

"So, you’re one of the directors?"

"That’s right."

"How many workers are under you?"

"Roughly fifty."

"If you persuade the other directors as well, that makes about a hundred."

"That’s right."

"Think about it. This town now has nearly six hundred residents. Your people alone make up one hundred of them—that’s one-sixth of the entire population."

"I... suppose that’s true?"

"Do you have any idea how much this town would lose if all of you suddenly disappeared?"

"..."

Now that he thought about it...

She had a point.

Wasn’t the construction site running only because they were there?

If work came to a halt in a place where labor had to continue every single day, the damage would be enormous.

"You are an irreplaceable workforce. Shouldn’t you be angry that people so valuable are being treated like this?"

"Hmm..."

"You deserve higher wages and greater status. That Regent should learn once and for all that human lives are worth more than money."

Hanson found her argument reasonable.

More importantly, she had spoken to him at the exact moment when his greed was burning strongest.

Her words were no different from a devil’s whisper.

"But how am I supposed to do something like that?"

The woman smiled mischievously.

"There are ways. I’ll help you."

***

Despite the sudden appearance of monsters, the town had successfully defended itself.

There had been thirty casualties in total: five soldiers, fifteen civilians, and ten adventurers who had joined the battle.

Among them, four people had died, and all four were civilians.

Because of that, the morning in Hestia could never be the same as usual.

Isabella spoke.

"A strike has broken out."