Chapter 22: Chapter 22
Chapter 22 - You, Too, Are Simply Choosing What You Want to Believe
Grrrrrr—.
The growl of a ferocious beast echoed from deep within the Lair.
Had anyone else heard it, they would have undoubtedly described it as the sound of unbridled fury.
Yet Luri, standing within the Lair, knew exactly what that sound meant.
It was Valdrova’s groan.
She was suffering.
Instead of lying proudly with her body coiled, she was pressed flat against the ground.
Her sharp claws scraped uselessly across the floor as her entire body trembled.
"Luri..."
Valdrova softly called for her Attendant.
As always, Luri answered calmly.
"Yes."
"Today... there are still... no Monsters coming...?"
Luri shook her head.
"I’m afraid not."
"I see... Then a difficult time has begun..."
Valdrova slowly lifted herself up.
Her mind felt as though it were wandering through a dense fog where she could not see even an inch ahead.
Wanting, if only for a moment, to divert her thoughts elsewhere, she asked,
"...What is... my fiancé doing?"
Luri replied,
"He is meeting with every lord within the Grand Duchess’s territory. Though ’meeting’ is hardly the right word—it’s closer to threatening them. He’s warning those incompetent fools that he’ll expose everything they’ve done."
"I see? It seems... he is doing well."
A strange smile bloomed across Valdrova’s exhausted face.
It was a face both happy and sorrowful.
Until Ferda had arrived, Luri had never once seen such an expression.
"I believe Lord Ferda has noticed."
Valdrova’s expression stiffened.
"What do you mean?"
"He has realized that you have been harming yourself. Last night, you slammed your body down so hard that the entire castle shook. I believe he guessed what you were doing from that."
"I see..."
"So... this time, I believe it would be best if you were more careful."
"Very well. Thank you for telling me."
Valdrova turned her head and slowly retreated.
"You’ve worked hard. You may leave now."
"...Yes."
Luri gave a respectful bow and turned away.
Her footsteps were anything but light.
She already knew what Valdrova was about to do.
She would once again ravage herself with the overwhelming power she could no longer control.
"Luri."
Valdrova called her once more.
"Your command, Master."
"No matter what happens... do not allow my fiancé to enter this place. This... is an order."
Her voice carried unquestionable authority.
Yet beneath it lay an overwhelming sorrow.
Luri could feel it.
The ghost of the Third Prince still lingered around her.
"I understand."
A loyal Attendant could do nothing but obey her Master’s command.
***
Late that night, within the castle, Luri stood silently before the entrance leading to the Lair.
"ROOOAAARRR!!"
A distant roar reached her ears.
The fingers clasped politely before her tightened little by little.
She poured strength into them, preventing her hands from moving on their own.
’I mustn’t cover my ears.’
Luri hated hearing those roars.
They did not sound like the cry of a warrior charging toward the battlefield.
They sounded like the desperate screams of a woman who had lost her child.
Being forced to stand by and listen to her Master’s cries was agony even for someone as loyal as Luri.
’Even if I went inside... there’s nothing I could do.’
Luri had always strived to become a capable Attendant.
She maintained Valdrova Castle in perfect condition at all times.
She constantly kept track of current affairs and changing trends so that Valdrova would never fall behind when she eventually returned.
Not even a single second of the twenty-four hours in each day was wasted.
Everything she did was for Valdrova.
’Even after all that... there are still things I cannot do.’
The murderous intent pouring from Valdrova was something Luri simply had no way of stopping.
The only thing she could do was enter after the self-inflicted torment had ended and tend to Valdrova’s wounds.
From the very beginning, Luri possessed no means of preventing it from happening at all.
"ROOOAAARRR!!"
Another anguished scream echoed through the night.
’That’s why... I have to listen.’
It was the punishment given to an incompetent Attendant who could only watch her Master’s suffering.
The hands that had been clutching the hem of her skirt slowly came together.
Luri recognized the shape immediately.
’...Am I praying?’
How ridiculous.
The Dragon Spawn did not believe in gods.
Their gods were Dragons.
The great rulers of the continent—the living embodiments of power—were gods and objects of worship.
Luri was no different.
Silverwind, who had shared his blood with her, was her god.
And so was Valdrova.
One was dead.
The other was powerless.
Luri quietly asked herself,
’Then... to whom am I supposed to pray?’
No answer came.
So she silently offered a prayer to a nameless god she did not even believe in.
Please.
Someone...
Please bring an end to my Master’s suffering.
Just then—
"What are you doing here?"
Luri emerged from her prayer and raised her head.
Soft moonlight streamed through the window.
Standing beneath that pale glow was someone she knew all too well.
It was him.
The man reckless enough to force his way into her Master’s life.
"Please leave."
As always, her warning was cold.
"I’m afraid I can’t do that. The place behind you is exactly where I intend to go."
The man who had remained quiet for several days had suddenly made such a demand.
He had realized that Valdrova was suffering.
’He heard that? Even I can barely hear it.’
She could hardly hear those sounds herself.
So how had this man realized what was happening?
Putting the question aside, she answered once more.
"You may not enter. This is my Master’s order."
"The Grand Duchess ordered that I not be allowed inside?"
"That’s correct. She said she has no desire to see a human like you."
She had added words her Master had never actually spoken.
Even Luri’s heart had been shaken that much.
"Yesterday, I stepped back. Today, it’s your turn."
"This isn’t a negotiation."
"Neither is it for me."
Instead, Ferda took another step forward.
"Do not take another step."
Moonlight-like brilliance flashed within Luri’s silver eyes.
Pure white wind coiled around her body like razor-sharp blades.
Ferda instinctively knew.
The instant those winds struck him, his body would be sliced apart as cleanly as reeds in late autumn.
"I can stop it."
Ferda spoke.
"Stop what?"
"Your Master. And my fiancée’s self-inflicted torment."
"...!"
Luri’s eyes widened for a brief instant.
But she quickly regained her composure.
"This is not something that can be solved so easily. How could a Mortal like you possibly suppress a Dragon’s instincts?"
"I can."
"No. You’re simply trying to see what you want to see."
"That’s right. I chase only what I want to see."
He took another step forward.
"Isn’t that what life is?"
"I told you to stop!"
The razor-sharp wind wrapped around Luri’s arm shot toward Ferda’s right hand.
His arm jerked violently.
His right arm now hung limply at his side.
For a brief moment, Luri was stunned.
’I only gave him a light tap...?’
Just before making contact, she had dulled the blade, allowing only a heavy impact to strike him.
At worst, it should have left nothing more than a bruise.
"Look."
But Luri pressed her advantage.
Surely he now understood that she was not a woman he could handle so easily.
"I can knock someone like you down with my own hands. This is my final warning. Leave quietly."
Ferda glanced down at his dislocated right arm.
"...Is following orders really that important?"
"I am an Attendant. It is my duty to obey my Master’s commands."
"I see."
When Ferda raised his head again, Luri involuntarily flinched.
He continued walking forward, one step at a time.
"Then make sure you cut me down this time."
Determination burned within his blue eyes.
Luri once again prepared blades of wind.
"Don’t throw your life away for something so meaningless."
"You say that without even knowing what I’m risking my life for."
"You’re nothing more than a mere human. Even Dragons, who have spent countless ages researching and searching for an answer, failed to solve this. How could someone like you possibly succeed?"
From any reasonable perspective, it was impossible.
Mortals could never overcome immortals.
The mortals were pitiful creatures who would die as easily as snapping a finger.
Their duty was to live each day grateful for the mercy shown by their immortal superiors.
So how could a mere Mortal possibly solve the problems of immortals?
"I asked you something before, didn’t I? Whether you believed that humans could suddenly attain enlightenment."
"..."
"And what was your answer then?"
She knew.
But she did not want to answer.
So Ferda answered for her.
"You said humanity survived because there are flashes of inspiration that cannot be reached through the accumulation of knowledge alone."
Again.
This man was once again returning her own words to her.
Ferda, who had once stood far away, was now only three steps from her.
If she released it, his arm would be severed.
There was no time left to hold back.
Luri’s hand began to tremble.
The razor-sharp wind wrapped around her arm slowly dispersed.
"Why...?"
Luri looked up at him.
Her face no longer carried its usual expressionless look.
Nor the contempt she always wore.
"Why... do you keep coming closer?"
It was the face of a powerless child.
"It’s simple."
Ferda gently placed a hand on Luri’s head.
"If you had truly intended to stop me, you would have done so long ago."
Luri’s physical abilities surpassed the frail Ferda’s by dozens of times.
Knocking him unconscious or throwing him far away before he even approached would have been effortless.
Instead of threatening him with wind magic and arguing, she could have simply forced him back.
"You wanted to believe what I believe as well."
That a miracle could be brought about by a Mortal.
Ferda walked past Luri and descended the staircase.
Unable to offer a single rebuttal, Luri simply watched him disappear.
The sharp clicks of his shoes gradually faded down the corridor.
***
’That hurts like hell.’
His hand throbbed from the deadly wind Luri had fired.
The impact had traveled all the way to his shoulder and dislocated it.
’Dislocated shoulders were nothing unusual back then.’
Even setting his own bones had become second nature.
Ferda grabbed his arm and forced the joint back into place.
Crack!
"Urgh... Haa..."
He took a deep breath and steadied himself.
There was still something he had to do.
Ferda raised his head.
A massive iron door came into view.
’This is... completely different from before.’
He remembered the first time he had stood before this door.
Back then, he had been weak.
He had not even drunk the engagement wine yet.
Yet now...
The pressure was far worse than it had been then.
It felt as though he were standing before the gates of hell itself.
If he entered...
He would undoubtedly die.
"ROOOAAARRR!!"
A roar that chilled him to the bone.
Just because he was no longer afraid of Dragons did not mean the killing intent emanating from one had completely lost its effect.
’As expected of the Aspect of Strength.’
Ferda opened the small side door and stepped inside.
The interior resembled an ordinary cave.
Dry.
Comfortable.
And cloaked in darkness.
"Luri... why have you come here? Didn’t I tell you not to come—"
The words stopped abruptly.
She realized the one who had entered was not Luri.
He heard her massive body jolt in surprise.
"...Why... are you here?"
Confusion filled the voice of the Monarch.
"...Why... of all times... did you come now?"
Ferda finally spoke.
"I won’t say, ’It’s a pleasure to meet you’."
He looked straight ahead.
His human eyes could not pierce the darkness.
"My night vision isn’t good enough to see your face."
"Leave this place at once!"
A furious shout infused with Dragon Fear echoed throughout the Lair.
But it was not enough to shake Ferda.
"Your Majesty, I have found a way to ease your suffering."
"I don’t need it. Who asked you to do such a thing?"
Ferda stepped forward.
He heard Valdrova’s enormous body shift.
She had retreated.
"...I... I don’t want to hurt anyone. Please... Don’t come any closer."
Valdrova pleaded.
"I can’t do that."
Ferda refused.
"Please..."
"No matter who dies or gets hurt, I honestly don’t care."
"...Don’t come."
"But I cannot stand by and watch you continue hurting yourself."
Golden eyes flashed within the darkness.
"I said don’t come!!"
The Bloodlust she had been suppressing finally exploded.
With Valdrova’s savage roar, something burst from the darkness.
It was one of her claws.
It came crashing toward Ferda’s tiny body.
BOOM!
The massive claw slammed directly where Ferda had been standing.
"Ah!"
Valdrova regained her senses a moment too late.
But the damage had already been done.
"Ah..."
A mournful sigh escaped her lips.
The ghost of the Third Prince whispered into her ear.
You’ve killed your fiancé once again.
Confusion overwhelmed her.
The voice of the immortal Red Dragon, Valdrova—who had lived through endless ages and flown across the heavens—began to tremble.
"I... I never intended..."
The Bloodlust that had been directed toward Ferda now wrapped around herself.
It went beyond self-loathing.
It was becoming complete madness.
Then...
She noticed something standing between her claws.
It was Ferda.
He stood there calmly, gazing down at her claw.
"Thank you."
He smiled.
"I never expected you to reach out your hand before I even asked."
The moment Ferda had been waiting for had finally arrived.
He gently placed his own hand upon Valdrova’s.
***
"There is a logical reason why you can become Ferda Valdrova."
Mori explained.
"Lord Ferda, you activated your Red Circle by recalling your feelings toward the Red Dragon Valdrova. Is that correct?"
"That’s right."
"The reason the Blue Circle is called cold mana is because it provides a consistent effect to all magic. The Red Circle, on the other hand, specializes in specific elements. Depending on the nature of the spell and the philosophy behind its creation, its effects differ dramatically. That is because the mana is no longer completely pure. It carries emotions within it."
Ferda already knew that.
That was why his destructive magic was so much stronger than that of other Mages.
"The Red Circle is generally formed from negative emotions. That is why making contact with its mana is considered forbidden."
"Because it can cause mental corruption."
Mori nodded.
"If your mana is born from your emotions toward Dragons... Then I believe injecting that mana into a Dragon may produce an effect."
Ferda had thought the idea absurd.
Solve everything using mana created from emotions that even I don’t fully understand?
"Is there no other way?"
Mori slowly shook his head.
No.
There was only a single possibility before him.
"I see..."
Then he had no choice but to believe.
***
Ferda released his mana.
He focused every ounce of his concentration on sending it from his fingertips into Valdrova’s body.
"...What are you doing?"
Valdrova asked.
Then she felt something flowing upward through her own body.
The moment that strange current reached her heart, her golden eyes widened.
"...What... is this?"
Her voice, once distorted with pain, became noticeably clearer.
"...The thing inside me... The thing that had been boiling over... It’s disappearing. Ferda... What in the world is this?"
"I don’t know either."
Ferda quietly silenced her.
"But if it helps you... Then simply accept my mana."
"...Very well..."
Valdrova focused entirely on the changes occurring within her body.
The frantic pounding of her heart began to slow.
The uncontrollable Bloodlust gradually subsided.
The urge to destroy.
Her very instincts.
Everything quietly settled beneath a profound sense of peace.
’Looks like the hypothesis was correct.’
The mana produced by Ferda’s Red Circle could suppress Valdrova’s Bloodlust.
’There is something I can do for her.’
If he could suppress her Bloodlust...
Then she would no longer need to destroy herself.
’And... she won’t have to suffer anymore.’
She would no longer have to drag up the painful memories of her past and torment herself.
’To do that... I need to pour as much mana into her as possible.’
Within his Dantian, the Red Circle spun violently.
Mana was being generated several times faster than normal.
Ferda poured it all into Valdrova without holding anything back.
"Ferda...!"
Valdrova cried out in alarm.
"You’re bleeding!"
Blood trickled from Ferda’s nose.
He was suffering from Mana Burnout.
"Stop now. I am all right!"
Normally, Ferda would have stopped long before this.
But not now.
’Just a little more...’
He squeezed out every last drop and gave it all to her.
Until she had completely stabilized...
Ferda refused to stop.
Even if it cost him his life.
"Ah..."
At last, the Overload came.
His vision blurred as though a thick fog had settled over his eyes.
Driven beyond what sheer willpower could endure, Ferda knew he would not even be able to rise from bed for several days.
’I made this decision long ago.’
So he had no regrets about this recklessness.
Ferda slowly closed his eyes.
Just then—
Something touching the palm of his hand began to move.
That movement conveyed only one piece of information.
’Is it... getting smaller?’
It was no illusion.
The rough, hard scales of the Dragon were gradually becoming softer...
And smaller.
Bit by bit, they shrank...
Until they became something nearly identical to a human hand.
’It’s small.’
So small that it could not completely wrap around Ferda’s own hand.
’...And soft.’
Those simple sensations made his heart race more than anything he had ever experienced.
’She transformed into a human with Polymorph.’
At last...
The moment had come for him to see her true face.
"Why...?"
Her sweet voice trembled with moisture.
As though she were on the verge of tears, she asked,
"Why... won’t you listen to me...?"
It was a fragile question utterly unlike Valdrova.
But even if she asked...
Her voice no longer reached Ferda.
His consciousness had already been driven to the very edge of collapse.
Even maintaining his blurred vision required everything he had left.
Only one overwhelming desire sustained him.
’No matter what...’
And one selfish wish.
’I want to see her.’
Ferda summoned the last of his remaining strength.
He tightly grasped the hand touching his own.
Interlocking their fingers so she could never slip away, he gently pulled her toward him by the waist.
Within his fading vision...
The figure of a woman with crimson hair slowly came into focus.
"Ah..."
A quiet sigh escaped Ferda’s lips.
That single sound contained every emotion within his heart.
It was the lament of a man realizing how shallow and arrogant his imagination had been.
And the joy of discovering that this world possessed a beauty far beyond anything he had ever imagined.
"So... Now I can finally see you."
Ferda smiled.
"It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time... My Heart."
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