Chapter 46: Chapter 46
Chapter 46 - Vain Hope
Leaving Vernel behind with a face emptied by despair, Ferda began speaking with Count Consilus.
"It’s about the Grand Ducal Council..."
The topic of their conversation was the Grand Ducal Council, attended by all high-ranking nobles.
"I received word that they would like you to participate in the matter."
"Ah, that is wonderful news. At last, the Far East will finally have a voice worthy of representing it..."
A single tear rolled down from the wrinkles around Consilus’s eyes.
"My apologies. The older I get, the more easily I find myself shedding tears."
"Think nothing of it. I hear only those of ducal rank may attend. Do you know anything about it?"
"I wouldn’t claim to know everything, but I’ll do my best to answer whatever questions you may have."
"Where do you think my standing will be there?"
Consilus let out a quiet sigh before carefully choosing his words.
It was obvious this would not be good news.
"To be completely honest, it won’t be favorable. Your Excellency the Regent has held the position for less than a year and is still very young. Furthermore, you are serving as a regent rather than as an autonomous ruler. If I were to interpret that..."
Consilus stroked his beard, putting on the air of an arrogant noble as he answered.
"It would be something like... handing a real sword to a child who should still be playing with a toy one, just to see what happens."
"So even you see it that way?"
Ferda asked sharply.
Consilus let out a hearty laugh.
"Of course not. Though you may still lack experience, the fact that you seek my advice for the development of the Grand Duchy tells me that you sincerely wish to see it prosper."
"I’m grateful to hear you say that."
"At any rate, only five people, including attendants, may enter the White House, Blancaros’s neutral territory. Bringing an excessive entourage is prohibited."
"Nothing looks more ridiculous than showing off in front of those who know better. Do most nobles fill every available spot?"
"They do. Attendants dress as proper attendants, heirs dress as proper heirs, all to flaunt their status. If Your Excellency wishes, I can assign my knights as your escort and prepare the most magnificent entrance possible."
"That won’t be necessary."
Although appearances were important among nobles, Ferda had no desire to compete through fake smiles and extravagant displays.
"If you already have companions in mind, that is fine. But would you consider taking at least one of my people? I assure you he will not disgrace the face of the Grand Duchess."
Ferda frowned.
He had grown tired of the way nobles concealed their true intentions beneath indirect words.
"I dislike people talking in circles. If you trust me and I trust you, then speak plainly. What exactly is your objective? Are you asking me to take you along?"
"What glory would an old man like me gain from showing his face at the Grand Ducal Council? Ahem..."
Ferda’s question struck directly, and Consilus coughed awkwardly with an embarrassed expression.
"You know the knight named Arwen, don’t you?"
"Your knight."
He was the knight Ferda had first met during the hunt for the demonic bear and who had later escorted him all the way to the Empire.
"I want that child to witness what the Grand Ducal Council is like."
"You wish to broaden the horizons of an ordinary knight?"
"He may be just a knight, but he is loyal and possesses true knightly virtue. He has devoted his entire life to serving the Far East, and because of that, his view of the world is painfully narrow. He has never seen what lies beyond these lands. I believe seeing the Grand Ducal Council and the wider world would inspire him."
Count Consilus’s request was unusual even among nobles.
To bring an ordinary knight to the Grand Ducal Council simply to broaden his horizons...
For a moment, Ferda wondered whether the two might secretly be related by blood.
"Tell me, what exactly is your relationship with Arwen?"
"Haha, none at all. We are complete strangers. We met once upon a battlefield. Though I forgot the encounter long ago, it seems he never did."
Count Consilus had no family.
To be precise, they were all dead.
His wife had died, and after losing his son as well, he abandoned all thoughts of remarrying.
Instead, he came to the Far East of his own accord.
To Consilus, who no longer had any children, Arwen was probably as close to a son as anyone could be.
"Very well. I’ll take Arwen with me."
"Thank you for indulging this old man’s foolish stubbornness. Is there anything else you wish to ask?"
"What do you think about submitting an agenda to the Grand Ducal Council?"
"An agenda... Well, you possess the same rights as everyone else, so no one would openly object, but..."
His expression became even darker than when answering Ferda’s earlier question about his standing.
"It would be more than merely unfavorable. It could easily backfire. Rather than making allies, you’re far more likely to create enemies."
"I don’t mind."
Ferda’s face showed complete resolve.
"If I may ask... would it be acceptable for someone like me to know what this agenda concerns?"
"I intend to ask whether it is truly right to continue calling Valdrova an Evil Red Dragon."
"Valdrova..."
Almost instinctively, Consilus pressed his fingers against his temple.
"You know she is not truly an Evil Red Dragon, don’t you?"
"Of course. I cannot claim to know her well, but I do know that, at her core, she is nowhere near as wicked as the rumors make her out to be."
"The reason she was branded an Evil Red Dragon is because she could not suppress her true nature. Is that not correct?"
"According to what is known... yes."
"But what if she could suppress that raging nature?"
"If she could suppress her bloodlust and had no intention of harming humans, then she would surely be able to cast off the false accusation of being an Evil Red Dragon. Still, I advise you not to expect too much. There won’t be anyone in the Grand Ducal Council willing to stand on Valdrova’s side."
"Then I’ll simply change their minds. Though if, after hearing my explanation, they still insist on clinging to their position..."
Killing intent flickered in Ferda’s eyes.
"Then they will naturally have to provide an answer—or pay a price—worthy of that choice."
Consilus swallowed hard.
It was the suffocating sensation he had felt the first time they met.
The same eyes that had killed Teshalos Wolcher without the slightest hesitation.
"The conference hall lies within Blancaros’s territory. I sincerely hope matters do not escalate into violence."
"Don’t worry. I’m not a fool."
Ferda rested his chin on his hand.
One month from now.
Those attending the Grand Ducal Council would be nobles of ducal rank or higher, along with kings.
"And the Dragon Spawn."
The representatives of beings powerful enough to overturn entire nations.
It was both the society of mankind and the society of dragons.
If Ferda claimed the weight of carrying both on his shoulders was not heavy, he would be lying.
Even so, he had no choice.
That was the very reason Ferda existed in this place.
***
Ferda decided who would accompany him.
First was the knight Arwen, as Count Consilus had requested.
Then came Zed Swallow, unrivaled when it came to serving as the perfect public face.
’Including myself, three people should be enough.’
Although nobles attending the Grand Ducal Council normally brought six people in total, Ferda had no intention of filling every available position.
Bringing along other lords did not suit his temperament, and none of them dared make such a request.
Just as he had settled on traveling with only the three of them, an unexpected person approached him.
"I would like to accompany you to the Grand Ducal Council as well."
It was Luri.
Ferda answered her.
"There won’t be anything delicious to eat there."
"Do you take me for some kind of pig?"
"Pig or do—"
"If you say anything strange, I’ll scrub you down with that towel all over again."
Ferda immediately fell silent.
She was the type of woman who always followed through on her words.
"At the very least, I won’t do anything that would damage your dignity, Master. So... will you permit me to come?"
"I’ll say it again. There’s nothing good waiting for you there. I heard Silverwind attends regularly."
The Silver Dragon, Silverwind.
Luri was not one of Valdrova’s Dragon Spawn but a Silver Dragon who had inherited Silverwind’s bloodline.
The Silver Dragon Spawn hated Valdrova.
After all, she was the one who had killed Silverwind.
Even the Regent’s presence would be unwelcome to them, so what would they think of Luri, a Silver Dragon Spawn?
To them, she was little different from a traitor.
There was absolutely no reason for her to attend a gathering where she would hear nothing but hostility.
Contrary to Ferda’s belief that she would understand, Luri answered differently.
"That’s exactly why I want to go."
Hearing those words, Ferda’s expression turned even more serious.
"Then tell me clearly what your purpose is. Don’t even think about hiding it from me."
His voice grew harsher.
"...I simply wish to exchange information."
Luri mumbled something under her breath before answering.
"I’ve lived separated from Silverwind for far too long. I need to know whether they still bear resentment toward you, Master."
"Isn’t that something that doesn’t even need confirming?"
Luri was a Dragon Spawn.
Not just any Dragon Spawn, but one of the Silver Dragon.
Which meant she understood the way Silver Dragons thought better than anyone.
"They will never feel goodwill toward Valdrova."
"So much time has passed. Perhaps their hatred has faded."
"When a dragon holds a grudge, it never stops. You know that better than anyone."
Dragons never abandoned revenge.
Even if the one who originally bore the grudge died, that hatred would be passed down, and the target of revenge would remain the same.
Silverwind would never forgive Valdrova.
A Dragon Spawn as capable as Luri knew that better than anyone.
"Even so... I still want to speak with them."
Ferda looked directly into Luri’s eyes.
She, too, wanted to place her hopes in that fragile possibility called "what if."
"No."
Ferda’s eyes drew a cold line.
That was precisely why he refused.
Because he knew that hope had no chance of becoming reality.
"The three of us will go. You will remain here and guard this place."
Luri’s body trembled noticeably.
She tried desperately to conceal her feelings behind an expressionless face.
Yet the deep resentment within her was impossible to hide.
"...Understood."
Without even offering a farewell, Luri turned around and left.
***
From time to time, Ferda attempted the Mana Cultivation Method again.
He could enter a state of concentration and reach awakening without issue.
But the rotation of the Red Circle that should support it never came.
’What am I lacking?’
If vengeance was lacking, then one could cultivate more vengeance.
To accomplish that, Ferda envied those stronger than himself and fought relentlessly to challenge their power and status.
But how was he supposed to fill this feeling?
Did it require him to think of her every year, every month, every day, every hour, every minute, every second?
" ’Fill’..."
What a ridiculous expression.
Desire was not like thirst.
Once thirst disappeared, an even greater thirst simply took its place.
As one continued satisfying that craving over and over, reason eventually became nothing more than a tool for fulfilling those desires.
Ferda had pursued revenge for the sake of revenge.
And in doing so, he had killed countless people.
Emotions came entirely from within Ferda’s own heart.
The more impatiently he tried to force an answer, the more likely he was to lose his way.
’What is it that I’m missing?’
Closing his eyes, he quietly entered the landscape of his own mind.
Her face.
More than anything else, he wanted to see again the face he had only seen once.
But Valdrova would never reveal her face.
She suffered from severe social anxiety.
So he erased that thought from his mind.
Someday, it would consume him whole.
"...As expected, meditation just doesn’t suit me."
He was a man far more accustomed to filling his heart than emptying it.
Rather than sitting still and feeding endless fantasies, it was better to take a walk and fill his mind with other distractions.
With that thought, Ferda rose from his seat.
It was late at night, with the moon already leaning toward the western sky.
The quiet corridor was bathed in pale blue moonlight.
Standing by the window, Ferda gazed up at the moon.
It was a full moon.
"Anna Rosnova."
The name slipped from his lips as naturally as a breath.
It was the name of his mother.
Whenever the full moon rose, he always found himself thinking of her.
As a child, Ferda had hated the night.
He imagined monsters lurking within the darkness, waiting to pounce on him.
Of course, he still didn’t like the night.
Whenever Ferda unknowingly found himself in danger, it was always at night.
And yet, despite how much he hated it, looking up at the moon brought him one of the few comforts he had left.
That brilliant light shining brightest in the deepest darkness was the only thing that allowed him to recall his mother’s faint smile.
Until the very moment he was consumed by his thirst for revenge, that was where he had always found his solace.
’Mother...’
His beautiful mother, with her golden hair and blue eyes.
Ferda filled his thoughts with her.
He filled his heart with the memory of his mother so that he could distance himself, even a little, from his growing obsession and see himself objectively.
It was then.
The sound of footsteps began echoing through the long corridor.
Clink... clink...
In any other castle, he might have assumed it was a guard or a knight making their rounds.
But in Castle Valdrova, only Luri patrolled the halls.
And Luri wore a maid’s uniform instead of armor.
’Which means...’
Ferda doubted his own conclusion.
There was no way something so impossible would happen at a moment like this.
Yet as the footsteps drew closer and the figure gradually emerged, certainty settled over him.
Stepping out from the darkness was the armor of a Dragon Dragoon.
Only one person could wear that armor and walk freely through this castle.
My fiancée.
Valdrova.
She was standing right before his eyes.
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