Chapter 3: Chapter 3
Chapter 3 - What I Desire
"There is nothing the Empire cannot conquer."
Those were the slogan of the Arken Empire, whose influence spread outward from the central region of the Cerdes Continent.
It was an excellent slogan for inspiring the people within the Empire, but to those living on the frontier, it was nothing more than an absurd claim.
In fact, when Ferda still belonged to House Rosnova, one of the first things he had been taught was that it was complete nonsense.
In reality, there were countless lands across Cerdes that had never been conquered, and the eastern region was one of the greatest examples.
’The Land of Demons.’
Long ago, the east had become a land overrun by demonic energy after the appearance of the Demon King.
Although he was eventually stopped, the aftermath remained. Plants began growing at an unnatural rate, while animals became several times more ferocious.
That was how the Land of Demons came to exist.
Valdrova was the sovereign who ruled the frontlines of that very land.
’That’s why she’s also called the Demonic Dragon, isn’t it?’
Regardless, the image the public had of her was that of a savage dragon.
Rumors claimed she was growing stronger by absorbing the Demon King’s power, or that she was secretly building armies of monsters.
’Considering what she’s actually done, her reputation is ridiculously exaggerated.’
There were countless conspiracies painting her as someone who deserved to die, yet not a single person had ever openly condemned her or seriously challenged her.
Even the biggest fool knew that tugging on a dragon’s whiskers was no different from committing suicide.
Rustle...
As Ferda walked along the path, the sound of something moving reached his ears.
When he subtly shifted his attention toward it—
"There’s no need to worry."
The maid walking ahead spoke first.
"As long as I’m with you, those things won’t recklessly attack."
So they really were monsters.
’More importantly... does this woman have eyes on the back of her head?’
’Well, she’s a servant attending that dragon. Naturally, she’s on an entirely different level.’
Ferda quietly observed her from behind.
She looked almost like a doll.
Her perfectly fitted maid uniform outlined her figure, revealing the slender body of a girl still in her years of growth.
Her side-up ponytail and soft facial features gave her the appearance of a refined young lady.
Had he met her anywhere other than Valdrova’s territory, he would have simply assumed she was an exceptionally beautiful maid.
"What is your name?"
"Luri."
She answered in a dry, emotionless tone.
"A pleasure to meet you, Luri. How much farther do we have to go?"
"About two more hours."
"Quite a long journey. It didn’t seem to take you that long to come here."
"Of course not. By myself, ten seconds is more than enough."
Two hours.
Ten seconds.
The difference in efficiency was overwhelming.
"Then why don’t we use that method to reach the lair?"
"Wouldn’t that require me to carry you in my arms, Lord Ferda?"
"You don’t need to worry about me. I can endure a bit of flying."
"No. It’s simply that I don’t want to."
"..."
What an unbelievably arrogant thing to say.
If an ordinary maid wearing a maid outfit had spoken like that, wouldn’t she have been slapped across the face on the spot?
"If you don’t want to, then it can’t be helped."
But Ferda did no such thing.
Quite a few nobles had died in foreign lands because they insisted on preserving their pride.
More importantly—
’Dragon Spawn.’
Dragon Spawn were created through a ritual known as the Ascension Ceremony, in which a dragon chose someone and bestowed its blood upon them.
Simply accepting that blood instinctively awakened their magic and granted them immense power.
Even with such a small frame, she possessed enough strength to effortlessly overpower several knights.
’On top of that, she can even hide her horns and tail...’
That meant she was far stronger than ordinary Dragon Spawn.
So Ferda silently followed behind her.
For someone with such poor stamina, even that wasn’t easy.
His walking speed gradually slowed, and the distance between him and Luri steadily widened.
After they had drifted some distance apart, Luri turned her head.
"Are you tired?"
Ferda nodded.
"Yes. I am. Could we rest for a moment?"
"We don’t have time to rest. Please keep moving. My mistress is waiting."
Silver hair.
Silver eyes.
Despite her youthful face, the chilling light in her eyes urged Ferda onward.
"...Haa. Very well."
Ferda steadied his breathing as best he could.
Even getting married wasn’t an easy task.
***
The Red Dragon’s hideout—known simply as its lair—was located even farther beyond what was called the Empire’s frontlines.
After passing through a dense, undeveloped forest, one would eventually reach a solitary mountain.
Halfway up that mountain stood a massive castle.
On a clear day, it was large enough to be seen even from far away.
’Some people actually mistake that castle for Valdrova’s lair.’
But Valdrova didn’t live inside the castle.
The entire mountain itself was her lair.
Upon reaching the entrance, Luri turned around and casually recited a few warnings.
"It’s a little dark inside, but there’s nothing beneath your feet, so don’t make a pointless fuss."
"Understood."
"Well... stalactites do occasionally fall from the ceiling... but avoid them yourself if you can."
Luri explained everything absentmindedly.
Instead of reacting to the provocation, Ferda merely nodded.
"Understood."
"Then let’s go."
Luri once again took the lead and walked inside.
Soon, an enormous iron gate blocked their path.
There were no ornate carvings upon it.
It was simply an incredibly thick iron door.
It looked like a massive sealing gate created solely to imprison whatever lay beyond it.
Luri lightly knocked on it.
"My mistress. Your fiancé has arrived."
There was no reply.
Instead, a colossal shifting movement from beyond the gate shook the ground beneath their feet.
Every hair on Ferda’s body stood on end.
Even through the heavy iron gate, he could feel it with startling clarity.
Beyond that door lived a truly terrifying dragon.
Thunk.
The sound of something hard tapping against the iron gate echoed.
Luri turned toward Ferda.
"I will return with Her Grace’s message."
She opened a small iron door built into the larger gate and stepped inside.
Beyond the door, everything fell deathly silent.
Ferda waited patiently.
Three minutes later, Luri returned and spoke.
"I will relay Grand Duchess Valdrova’s message."
She cleared her throat before continuing.
"I am aware that you have come here under the orders of the Arken Empire to become engaged to me. Though you know full well of the atrocities I have committed, you still dared set foot in this place. For that, I commend your courage."
Ferda didn’t like where this was going.
Judging from the context, what came next would undoubtedly be something negative.
His prediction proved correct.
"However, I have no intention of forcing you into an engagement. Therefore, return to the place from which you came."
For those who had expected to die, there could be no greater blessing.
Freedom.
Had it been the younger Ferda, he would undoubtedly have shouted with joy, bowed repeatedly, and hurried away.
But the present Ferda was different.
"I see. Then relay this message."
Luri’s eyebrow twitched.
"While it is true that this arrangement was decreed by the Empire, I came here of my own free will as Ferda Rosnova. Therefore, I have no intention of leaving. I wish to proceed with the engagement."
"..."
Luri stared fixedly at Ferda.
Her expressionless face should have been intimidating and bewildering.
To Ferda, however, it wasn’t.
"Are you not going to relay my words?"
"...Understood."
Luri once again opened the iron door and disappeared inside.
Ten minutes later, she returned carrying several heavy bundles.
"I shall relay Her Grace’s message. I acknowledge that you came here of your own accord. In recognition of your resolve, I shall bestow part of my treasure upon you so that you may establish a foundation for yourself. Accept this wealth, build a new life elsewhere, and begin anew."
Clink.
The sack was filled with gold and precious treasures.
She also tossed him a single sheet of paper.
It was undoubtedly some kind of certificate bearing the Grand Duchess’s authority.
Ferda lowered his gaze to it.
But he looked upon the gold as though it were nothing more than an ordinary rock.
"Go and relay this message. I have no interest in power. The only reason I came here was for my engagement to Grand Duchess Valdrova."
"You’re hesitating again. A servant of the Grand Duchess shouldn’t be so slow."
Without saying a word, Luri stepped through the iron door once more.
"...Sigh."
No—
She had barely stepped inside when she let out a deep sigh before immediately—
Bang!
—slamming the door shut.
Luri’s face remained expressionless as ever.
But Ferda, who had harbored hatred and thoughts of revenge for many years, understood.
He could clearly read the emotion hidden within her eyes.
Disgust.
"I won’t waste any more words."
"Turn around and leave this place."
It was an order laced with unmistakable emotion.
Yet Ferda showed no sign of panic.
"That was rather brief for a message from Grand Duchess Valdrova."
"No. Those are my own words as my mistress’s servant."
She slowly walked toward Ferda.
With every step she took, her appearance began to change.
A pair of horns that seemed to pierce the heavens emerged from her head, and the skirt that reached her ankles billowed outward.
She revealed the form of a Dragon Spawn she had been concealing, using it to intimidate Ferda.
’Dragon Fear?’
He had expected her to be extraordinary, but she exceeded even his expectations.
To think that a Dragon Spawn serving as a mere attendant could wield Dragon Fear.
Ferda felt his throat tighten, while cold sweat streamed down his back.
His mind, however, remained perfectly calm.
Compared to everything he had already witnessed, this was nothing more than child’s play.
"I know your kind very well."
"And what kind of person am I?"
"Worthless Mortals whose greed knows no bounds, foolish enough to believe they can grasp the heavens in their own hands."
There was hatred in her voice.
Not baseless hatred, but hatred built upon experience.
"You don’t care about my mistress in the slightest. You’re nothing but trash, obsessed with the power and ambition you think you’ll gain."
Her words stirred a sense of familiarity within Ferda.
He wondered where he had heard such a story before.
Then he remembered.
It was the very conversation he had had with Huren only a few hours ago.
"So that’s why the Third Prince died."
Luri nodded.
"Yes. He intended to bind my mistress through the engagement and treat her like nothing more than his servant. It was laughable. I honestly don’t know how he believed he could hide such intentions."
Ferda murmured to himself.
’So that really was the reason.’
Having consumed Valdrova’s Dragon’s Heart, Ferda understood her emotions.
He already knew she was not the sort of Tyrant who would kill the Third Prince simply because someone had dared overstep their station.
The Third Prince had simply aimed far too high.
The reason he had abandoned the imperial succession was because he intended to seize even greater power and eventually usurp the throne.
’More than anything... he was far too arrogant.’
"So while my mistress is still willing to give you money, leave this place at once. If you wish, I’ll personally drag you back to the Empire."
Hatred with reason.
Yet it was hatred Ferda had no reason to receive.
Still, he did not become angry.
He had learned far too much to be shaken by something so trivial.
"I, Ferda Rosnova, will speak here with complete honesty."
Looking directly into her eyes, he spoke solemnly.
"I, Ferda Rosnova, did not come here because anyone forced me to."
He recalled the emotions he had learned through Valdrova’s Dragon’s Heart.
She had dreamed countless dreams, only to watch every one of them be crushed.
She had endured endless suspicion and malicious stares.
Within herself, she had constantly fought against her own murderous impulses.
Even she herself had never truly been on her own side.
Yet despite all that, she had continued fighting.
That was something even Ferda could never have accomplished.
"I, Ferda Rosnova, desire neither power nor treasure."
Whether Valdrova remembered it or not...
Ferda did.
He remembered her praying for someone else’s happiness while sacrificing her own life.
He remembered her entrusting even her Dragon’s Heart to someone as selfish as himself.
So...
Even if the Valdrova before him no longer knew who he was—
"I, Ferda Rosnova, came here for one reason alone—to become Valdrova’s fiancé."
As long as I remember...
I will stand by your side.
"We are to become husband and wife. Tell her that rather than listening through the mouth of a servant, we should speak to one another directly and clear away any misunderstandings."
At last, Luri’s patience reached its limit.
"You insolent fool! Do you have any idea who my mistress is to dare utter such blasphemy—?!"
Her small, delicate hand shot toward Ferda’s throat.
The instant she grabbed him, his neck would snap like a reed in autumn.
Thunk.
A knock echoed from the iron gate.
Luri immediately regained her composure.
At the same time, the Dragon Fear surrounding her vanished.
The girl who had just been moments away from killing Ferda now bowed respectfully toward him.
"Please excuse me."
"Very well. Go ahead."
Ferda remained calm to the very end.
After receiving Valdrova’s response, Luri returned once more.
Her doll-like face looked strangely dissatisfied.
Ferda instinctively knew it was good news.
"My mistress understood your intentions and has agreed to proceed with the engagement."
Just as he expected.
No matter how arrogant a servant might be, they could never disobey their master’s will.
"I see. Very well."
"Then, this way..."
The murderous conversation they had shared moments earlier disappeared as if it had never happened.
Luri returned to her cold, businesslike demeanor.
Ferda quietly followed behind her once again.
***
Late that night, beneath Valdrova’s castle.
Luri, one of Valdrova’s attendants, returned to the dragon’s lair.
Passing through the tightly sealed iron gate, she stepped inside.
There, a massive dragon covered in crimson scales lay gracefully coiled upon the ground.
—Have you returned?
Golden eyes pierced through the darkness.
Luri bowed with graceful precision.
"I stand once more before one of the Great Twelve Rulers—the embodiment of absolute power itself. Truly, even at rest, Your Majesty possesses the dignity of one who rules the world."
—Do I? I am merely lying here.
"True elegance becomes ugly when imitated. The elegance one is completely unaware of because it has become second nature—that alone is genuine elegance."
—Is that so...?
Luri’s eyes sparkled with sincere admiration.
Valdrova, however, looked genuinely unable to understand.
"Do you truly intend to become engaged to a Mortal?"
—Was that not what I wished? You yourself respected my decision.
"At the time, I merely said so because I had no choice. Even now, it isn’t too late to change your mind. Having the courage to reverse one’s decision is also a virtue worthy of a ruler."
She continued urging Valdrova to reconsider.
But Valdrova slowly shook her head.
—I have no intention of changing my mind. Even now, my thoughts remain the same.
"Tsk..."
Luri clicked her tongue, her face filled with dissatisfaction.
Ignoring her disrespectful behavior, Valdrova asked,
—Tell me. The man who is to become my companion... what kind of person was he?
Luri shook her head repeatedly.
"Don’t even ask. He’s an incredibly weak human."
—How weak?
"I thought that since he came from a knightly house, he would at least be physically strong. But he nearly collapsed just from the journey here."
—And?
"He’s terribly ugly. I believed him when I heard he was only eighteen, but judging from his appearance, he looked like an old man who had never taken care of himself."
—Luri.
"My apologies. He’s actually rather handsome. The kind of face that looks like it’s made quite a few girls cry."
—That is not what I meant to ask.
Luri knew exactly what answer Valdrova wanted.
She didn’t want to admit it.
But she had no choice.
"He’s... no ordinary man."
—No ordinary man?
"I am a Dragon Spawn—one who has inherited the blood of dragons. Stirring fear in the hearts of Mortals is effortless for someone like me. And yet..."
Luri recalled the image of Ferda in her memory.
"Not once did he fear me. Which means..."
"...He will be able to look directly at you."
—Is that so?
Luri frowned.
A human being capable of meeting a dragon’s gaze without fear—
Such a thing should not exist.
—That is wonderful.
In contrast, a smile spread across Valdrova’s face.
—To think there is someone who can face me as though I were simply another person.
"...Simply another person?"
—Yes. Simply.
That definition of "ordinary" was nothing like the one Luri knew.
It was ordinary for one human to face another.
But for a human to stand before a dragon as an equal—
That was impossible.
The natural order dictated that dragons ruled, while humans submitted.
Luri had countless things she wished to say.
But in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
After all...
As long as her mistress was happy, that was all that truly mattered.
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