Chapter 43: Chapter 43
Chapter 43 - I’m Angry
Luri’s actions in invading the Imperial Palace might have appeared impulsive.
However, in reality, they were closer to a rational decision founded on reason.
She destroyed the Magic Circle and forced every Mage and Knight to assemble because she wanted them to recognize the severity of the situation and remain vigilant.
It was a small warning of what could happen if the Dragon’s Fiancé were harmed.
That was why Luri revealed everything she normally kept hidden.
Her tail, her horns, and even the whites of her eyes.
Once they realized she was someone they could communicate with, their commander would naturally ask whom she served.
Luri would simply answer that she was an Attendant to Grand Duchess Valdrova and speak with them.
"Lord Ferda will be safe anyway."
Even if he had been injured inside the Imperial Palace, priests were permanently stationed there.
Each of them possessed holy power on the level of a bishop, so healing Ferda’s wounds would be effortless.
"And yet..."
The thought kept circling inside Luri’s mind.
She simply could not feel at ease.
Just as Immortals and Mortals were fundamentally different, Dragon Spawn and humans were different as well.
What if his injuries were so severe that even after his wounds were healed, he never regained consciousness?
What if some Demon inside the Sealed Vault had placed a curse on him?
What if he failed to resist its temptation and ended up making some absurd Contract?
Those worries—all of which would eventually become Valdrova’s sorrow—filled her mind with turmoil.
A master’s worries were also the worries of their servant.
Even so, Luri did not allow herself to be consumed by anxiety and maintained her composure until the very end.
She knew all too well that emotions would be of no help in a situation like this.
With that, Luri cut down every palace gardener who stood in her way, clearing a path forward.
After smashing through even the wall of climbing roses, she finally saw the noisy formation of Knights waiting to confront her.
Among them, she spotted one familiar man.
"Ferda."
Gray hair.
Blue eyes.
He was tall, yet his build remained slender.
And despite his age, he wore a remarkably composed expression.
Ferda Valdrova.
Everything she saw matched the Ferda she knew.
Contrary to the report that he had been injured, he appeared completely unharmed.
"You’re safe."
At that moment, she felt the burden that had weighed upon her heart finally slip away.
Now that her worries had disappeared, she should have felt relieved.
But this feeling was different from the sense of relief she usually experienced.
It wasn’t the satisfaction of watching stubborn grime finally wash away.
Nor was it the comfort that came from escaping maddening anxiety.
What filled Luri’s heart now...
"...I’m angry."
She was furious.
The empty space left behind by her overwhelming worry and concern was immediately filled by anger.
"The Regent... the Grand Duchess’s Fiancé... went somewhere completely unnecessary, got himself into trouble, and even ended up injured?"
The taut thread of reason snapped.
Luri unleashed her Dragon Fear.
Toward Ferda.
The innocent Knights, who had no idea what was happening, became collateral victims.
"C-Commander! Please give the order...!"
If this standoff continued, they would collapse before the battle even began.
The Knights guarding the Imperial Palace had to decide whether to fight or retreat.
"G-Go...!"
Just as the commander was about to give the signal to attack, someone placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait."
Unlike the trembling commander, the man’s voice remained perfectly calm.
"I’ll handle this."
"Y-Yes? Forgive me, but may I ask who you are...?"
"I’m Regent Ferda. One of today’s invited guests."
Ferda pointed his chin toward Luri.
"And that Maid over there is an Attendant serving Grand Duchess Valdrova."
"Ah... I see."
The captain of the Knights relaxed ever so slightly.
After all, the person standing here was Valdrova’s Regent.
That meant this could be settled through conversation.
"So, could you give us a little time?"
There was no reason to refuse.
Why she had broken through the Magic Circle and even released Dragon Fear—
Everyone wanted to know how all of this had happened.
But restoring order came first.
The Knights maintained their formation and slowly retreated, while Ferda walked forward.
With every step he took, the Dragon Fear grew denser.
His expressionless face gradually tightened, and veins bulged along his neck.
"It really feels like I’m walking straight into a dragon’s jaws."
He stopped five paces away from her.
Luri traced a circle on the ground with her index finger.
A pure white wind began circling around the ground beneath the two of them.
The wind rose upward, forming a hemispherical barrier that enclosed both Ferda and Luri.
Luri, who had kept her mouth tightly shut, let out a long sigh through her nose.
It was as though she were releasing all the pressure that had built up from her anger.
"Within this space, we are completely isolated from the outside. No matter what we say, nothing will leak beyond it."
"I see."
"So..."
Luri finally released the emotions she had been suppressing.
"Have you lost your mind?"
She was brutally honest.
"The Fiancé of the Grand Duchess... Do you even understand what your position means? Why are you running around doing reckless things?"
"It was necessary."
"That is not an answer. Even if it was necessary, if this news had reached my Master, everything would have become an Utter Disaster. Do you understand that?"
"I do. And I also knew you wouldn’t tell her."
"Why?"
"Because you care about your Master. You wouldn’t want her to make a move."
He had already known that if someone came from Valdrova Castle, Luri would be the first to arrive.
"Yes. It is my duty to serve my Master. But it seems you do not love her as much as you claim."
"I cherish her as well."
"And yet you let word spread that you were injured inside the Sealed Vault? Fine. Let’s say I’m willing to overlook that a hundred times."
As Ferda drew closer, Luri became even angrier.
There was another reason for it.
Even he had overlooked one thing.
Luri grabbed Ferda’s wrist and brought it to her nose.
"And yet the scent of another woman’s perfume is all over your hand?"
"..."
Holding his wrist up, she demanded,
"Who is she?"
"...Olivia Arken."
"The so-called Flower of the Empire with that vulgar body?"
The hostility in Luri’s expression deepened.
The hand gripping his wrist tightened even further.
It felt as though she might crush it.
"...She does have a title like that."
Ferda pretended he hadn’t heard that part.
As if getting injured weren’t enough, her Master’s fiancé had even held hands with the Empire’s greatest beauty.
Luri’s entire body trembled.
Unable to continue looking at him, her gaze dropped to the ground.
"So you’re the type of man who grabs any woman’s hand the moment he gets the chance? Was approaching my Master nothing more than an excuse to hold her hand too?"
"Don’t jump to conclusions. She grabbed my hand on her own. If I wanted to speak with her, I had no choice but to go along with it. It’s not as though I enjoyed it."
"...I don’t believe you."
Luri clenched her left hand into a tight fist.
Watching her simmer with anger, Ferda finally asked with a resigned expression,
"Do you want to hit me?"
"..."
"You may. If that’s what you want."
Only then did Luri slowly raise her eyes from the ground.
She looked at Ferda’s angular jaw and cheek.
That face that always tossed out blunt remarks...
She had often thought she would be satisfied if she could hit it just once.
Yet her emotions only continued to swell.
In the end, Luri reached out her hand.
Like a condemned prisoner awaiting execution, Ferda quietly closed his eyes.
Several seconds passed.
No sharp sting landed on his cheek.
Instead, the collar of his clothes rustled.
"So... did you obtain what you wanted?"
Ferda nodded.
"I did."
"There were gains."
"I see."
Having finished straightening his collar, Luri withdrew her hand.
Everything she had touched was now perfectly neat.
"Please do not disappoint my Master."
"I won’t."
As he answered, Luri quietly studied his expression.
Only after seeing the lifeless look in his eyes begin to return to life did she finally feel reassured.
"Then."
With another wave of her hand, the hemispherical barrier dissolved and the surroundings returned to normal.
Luri briefly swept her gaze across the Knights before spreading her wings and flying away from the Imperial Palace.
The Knights and Mages, who had watched the entire scene while scarcely daring to breathe, stared silently at the place where she had vanished.
"...Situation resolved."
"Haaaah!"
"Pant... pant..."
Although they had allowed an intruder to leave unhindered, not a single person dared to criticize the decision.
Except for one Knight who completely lacked tact.
"But... is it really okay to just let her go? She was an intruder."
***
After the Level-One Alert was lifted, the commander approached Ferda and respectfully bowed.
"Thank you for resolving the situation."
"No. I should be the one apologizing. This all happened because of my carelessness, and the entire palace was thrown into chaos."
"Not at all. We should simply be grateful that something which could have incurred a Dragon’s wrath was resolved without bloodshed. How would you like us to handle this matter, Lord Regent?"
If they chose to press the issue, it would only lead to endless arguments and a messy conflict.
But that was not what Ferda wanted.
Now that he had gained Olivia Arken as an ally, there was no reason to make unnecessary enemies among the Imperial Family.
"As you said, let us simply bury the matter. There’s no need to argue over who was at fault. Thanks to this, we discovered that even a single Dragon Spawn is capable of breaking through the Magic Circle."
"That’s true. I had already thought those fools in the Ministry of Magic cared only about protecting their own interests. Now we finally have an excuse to deal with them."
The commander nodded with a satisfied expression.
Ferda did not know exactly how court politics worked, but it was obvious that fierce battles were constantly being fought behind the scenes.
"It seems everything has been settled. May I take my leave now?"
"If your business is finished... of course. But how about spending the night at the Imperial Palace? You were injured today, after all. I think it would be better if you rested for a couple of days while we observed your condition."
Although the sun was still in the sky, sunset would arrive before long.
As the commander suggested, resting for at least one day would be the wiser choice.
"My apologies. I’m rather busy."
"Ah, I see. You have other engagements. I understand."
He didn’t actually have any.
Ferda simply wanted to leave this uncomfortable place as quickly as possible.
"Oh, one more thing."
As though something had just occurred to him, Ferda spoke again.
"Yes?"
"I’d like to take one of the Knights here with me. Would that be acceptable?"
"A... Knight?"
The request was completely unexpected and difficult to accept.
Every Knight serving in the Imperial Palace was an exceptional talent.
Even the weakest among them would become an outstanding Knight in another kingdom.
However, the one making the request was the Grand Duchess’s Fiancé.
Refusing him outright would be discourteous.
"May I ask which Knight has caught your eye, Lord Regent?"
"It’s someone I’ve seen before... though I can’t quite remember his name."
Ferda slowly swept his gaze across the area, searching for the man.
Soon, he found him.
The man was lying face-down on the ground while enduring a relentless scolding from his seniors.
"Malcolm, you bastard! You were missing when we were forming the defensive formation, weren’t you?"
"Hey, you idiot! While we were working our asses off, what were you doing? Taking a nap?"
"I-I’m s-sorry! I was trying to stop Lord Regent..."
"Stop the Regent? So did you stop him, you moron?!"
"I clearly saw you just strolling through the garden!"
"I couldn’t stop him! I couldn’t lay a hand on a noble..."
"In a Level-One Alert, don’t you know that we come first, right after the Imperial Family?!"
"I-I didn’t know!"
"If you don’t know, your military career is over! Do you really want to ruin your life?!"
Ferda pointed toward the man, who was drenched in sweat while being punished.
"That one."
"...That worthless fool?"
The commander looked at him as if asking whether he was serious.
"Is he well known?"
"For all the wrong reasons. I have no idea how that guy managed to get into the Imperial Palace Knights, but he’s completely useless. He can’t use a sword, and all he does is ride around on a donkey-looking beast... Other than that, I have no idea how he even got in."
"Is that so?"
"I was actually considering throwing him out. Even so, you still want him?"
The commander asked with genuine concern.
It wasn’t because he was worried about losing valuable talent.
Rather, it felt like he was handing someone a ticking time bomb.
But Ferda nodded without hesitation.
"Perfect. Wrap him up for me."
"Understood."
Every Knight of the Imperial Palace was valuable.
Malcolm, however, was the sole exception.
***
By the time the sun had dipped beyond the pale western mountains and the evening glow spread across the sky, Valdrova Castle’s official carriage had already left the Imperial Capital.
At that very moment, a man who had been hiding silently beneath the carriage finally emerged.
"Whew!! It’s finally over."
It was Zed.
After escaping from the Sealed Vault, he had somehow managed to sneak aboard the carriage.
"You’ve worked hard. The item?"
"I kept it safe right here. And I didn’t open it."
Zed pulled out the golden bundle he had been hiding inside his clothes.
Wrapped in Golden Silk was a black-covered book bound by silver chains.
There was no ordinary way for Ferda to break those chains and open it.
Besides, he had no intention of reading it immediately, so he simply wrapped it back up and placed it beside him.
"But... are we really going to be okay? No matter how you look at it, we stole a book from the Sealed Vault. There’s no way things will quiet down after this..."
"We’ll be fine. Things have become much easier now that we’ve gained an ally."
"Who?"
"Olivia Arken."
Zed’s eyes widened.
"Oh! You actually met the Flower of the Empire? They say she’s unbelievably beautiful and innocent. So, what was she like?"
"She’s quite devious underneath."
"Well... she is a noble lady. There are actually quite a few people like that."
Zed had dealt with plenty of nobles before.
Even so, the envy never left his eyes.
She truly was a woman with irresistibly enchanting charm.
Heeheeheeing!
Just as they were leisurely making their escape, the sound of horses neighing came from where the Knights were gathered.
"Hey! Hey! You there! Stay in line while you’re moving! How many times do I have to tell you? If the mounts get too close together, it’ll turn into complete chaos!"
"S-Sorry! Roshi, you idiot! Stop bothering them!"
Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Zed poked his head out of the carriage window.
There he saw a man who had hastily packed up all his belongings and loaded them onto a saddle.
"I’ve never seen that guy before. Who’s he?"
He was dressed like a wandering Knight, but he looked painfully inexperienced.
His appearance alone gave it away.
"...And why is he riding a donkey?"
Instead of a horse, he was mounted on a donkey.
"His name is Malcolm. He’s a Knight of the Imperial Palace and also an apprentice Knight. I’m planning to use him as a sample."
"A sample?"
Zed tilted his head in confusion.
"That’s right. A sample."
Ferda offered nothing more than that simple reply.
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