My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 62: Chapter 62

Chapter 62 - The Black Drug

The lightning bullet that slipped free from Ferda’s grasp pierced straight through a man’s head.

The sight of him collapsing as blood sprayed through the air was so surreal that no one reacted immediately.

"W-What... what is that?!"

The enemy forces could not even grasp what had happened.

Following Ferda’s surprise attack, Consilus and Marco rose to their feet and stepped into the enemy ranks.

"Gah!"

"Urgh!"

Consilus and Marco cut down the two men standing at the front.

Only then did the enemy understand the situation.

"It’s an ambush!"

"R-Run!"

Just as they were about to descend into chaos, a woman shouted.

"You idiots! There’s no escape anyway! Pick up your weapons!"

At the command of the Dark Elf, Commander Linne, the panicked soldiers hurriedly drew the weapons they had been carrying.

Commander Linne raised her staff.

"You dare attack this place?! The one who fired that shot—show yourself!"

At those words, Ferda calmly stepped out into the open.

Commander Linne’s eyes widened.

"Gray hair and blue eyes... you’re... Ferda Valdrova."

She recognized Ferda.

"What a surprise. I wanted to see the face of the bastard who destroyed my home, and now you’ve come here yourself."

"Are you happy?"

"I suppose I am. It means I’ll get to kill you with my own hands. Kill them all!"

Her subordinates charged toward Ferda.

At that moment, a quiet aura began to radiate from Consilus and Marco.

The mana of knights—Aura—wrapped around their entire bodies.

A knight capable of using Aura was worth a hundred ordinary soldiers.

Dealing with twenty mere servant-class opponents was effortless.

Whoosh—!

Every swing of Marco’s and Consilus’s blades left another subordinate collapsing to the ground.

The henchmen, no more organized than a band of mercenaries, quickly lost their morale.

Watching them, the Dark Elf flew into a rage.

"You useless trash! Secretary!"

"Y-Yes? Y-Yes?!"

"Come here!"

At her gesture, the bewildered secretary approached.

The Dark Elf pulled something out of the bag slung over her shoulder.

It was a syringe filled with a black liquid.

Without hesitation, she plunged it into the secretary’s neck.

"Ghk?!"

The black liquid flowed into the secretary’s body.

"Ugh... Gghkekekek?!"

As the substance entered his body, violent spasms wracked him while his entire body twisted with sickening cracking sounds.

Consilus instinctively sensed the danger and shouted.

"Marco! We have to stop him before he transforms!"

"Leave it to me!"

Marco charged toward the mutating man with his sword raised.

"Not a chance!"

The Dark Elf extended her palm toward Marco.

A Magic Circle formed before her hand.

The spell she used was a human spell.

Force Rush.

Thump!

"Urgh!"

The space before her palm compressed before exploding into a shockwave that sent Marco flying backward.

They had failed to stop the man’s transformation.

"Ghek! Gekekek!"

The man’s body swelled as he let out grotesque noises.

At the same time, his skin began turning pitch black.

His body tore through his clothes and continued growing until it reached the size of a grizzly bear.

Only then did it stop expanding.

The creature slowly raised its head.

Black skin.

Red eyes.

Sharp fangs.

Every feature was unmistakably that of a member of the Demon Race.

"A demon...!"

"A Bouncer, to be exact."

A race of demons specializing in overwhelming physical strength, capable of breaking even binding magic through brute force alone.

Marco and Consilus instinctively felt intimidated.

"Ghehehe! I... I have received His blessing too!!"

The Bouncer rampaged excitedly like a child who had just received a new toy.

Unable to control its own strength, every stomp shook the entire room.

Even knights who had survived countless battlefields found themselves momentarily frozen by the vibrations.

Yet even that failed to attract Ferda’s attention.

His gaze remained fixed on the Dark Elf’s bag.

She took the syringe out of that bag.

And there was no way it contained only a single syringe.

I have to secure that item no matter what.

Turning his head, Ferda gave Consilus an order.

"Count, leave that Bouncer to me. Can you handle it?"

Consilus answered without hesitation.

"If I can’t overcome a wall like this, how could I ever hold my head high?"

"My sword belongs to the Regent!"

Consilus did not retreat.

Inspired by his resolve, Marco tightened his grip on his sword as well.

"I understand your determination."

Ferda extended his hand.

"But there’s no need to make things so difficult."

A Magic Circle formed in his palm.

Ferda cast his spell.

"Frenzy."

The Magic Circle, stained black, shot forward in the form of lightning and pierced through the Bouncer’s head.

"Ghehehe! Wh-... What?!"

The Bouncer stopped laughing and grabbed its own head.

"Ghh... GAAAAAH!! AAAAAH! It hurts! It hurts!!"

The hulking monster clutched its head and began rampaging wildly.

It smashed everything around it without discrimination.

"Gah!"

"What are you doing?! We’re on the same side—Guh!"

It became a massacre, as though a rabid dog had been unleashed into a chicken coop.

The henchmen were torn apart in an instant.

"It hurts so much! It hurts!"

Just as its rage was about to turn toward the Dark Elf, she quickly chanted a spell.

"Restrain!"

A rune-shaped spell pierced the Bouncer’s head.

The berserk creature calmed down instantly.

"Do you recognize who I am?"

"Y-Yes... C-Commander?"

"So you’ve finally come back to your senses. Then stop standing around and wipe out those pests!"

"Y-Yes, ma’am!!"

Having regained its sanity, the Bouncer charged toward the two knights.

"Making me embarrass myself in front of the Commander... I’ll never forgive you!"

Marco and Consilus received the attack from the front.

Boom!

"Ugh!"

"Hmph!"

The heavy impact forced both of them backward.

But they endured.

Because they endured, they were able to counterattack.

Slash!

Aura that could cut through flesh and bone as easily as slicing a radish...

Now it could barely penetrate the creature’s skin.

"Ahahaha! I’m stronger! I’m strong!"

The battle between the two knights and the Bouncer reached a fierce stalemate.

In such an evenly matched fight, the deciding factor would naturally be the mages.

Victory or defeat would depend on the support of Ferda and the Dark Elf.

The Dark Elf was the first to unfold a Magic Circle.

The spell she intended to cast was Slug Time.

It was a spell meant to slow the two Aura-clad knights and create an opening for the Bouncer.

"Slug Ti—"

Before she could finish the incantation, she sensed an incoming attack.

What she saw was a bullet made entirely of mana.

It flew with perfect precision toward her Magic Circle.

"Ugh?!"

The Magic Circle, already infused with mana, exploded on the spot.

"Destroying a Magic Circle with a Mana Shot..."

Commander Linne was stunned.

She desperately concealed the confusion rising within her mind.

Very few people can accurately identify and exploit a mana weak point...

A blue glow flickered in Commander Linne’s eyes.

She was measuring the strength of Ferda’s mana.

And she had not been mistaken.

A mere Regent who has only reached the Fourth Circle can manipulate mana weak points?

That only deepened her doubts.

Against a complex spell like Slug Time, such a technique was devastating.

"What are you waiting for? Go ahead and cast your magic."

Ferda taunted her.

"How disgraceful would it be for an elf who abandoned nature’s blessings to practice human magic, only to lose in magic itself?"

"You’re only at about the Fourth Rank. Don’t you think you’re getting a little too full of yourself for someone of the same rank?"

Ferda also condensed his mana to estimate her Circle.

Its size was roughly equal to his own.

"Don’t lie. I already know you’re a Fifth Circle mage."

"My eyes aren’t just holes in my face, Regent. Anyone who has reached the Fourth Rank can at least perceive mana circuits—"

"Do I look like an idiot who can’t even recognize someone using the Aquinas School’s cultivation method?"

At Ferda’s words, the Dark Elf’s eyes widened.

Before she could even ask How do you know that?, Ferda interrupted her.

"Don’t make that face. It’s rather unpleasant."

Ferda also began constructing a Magic Circle.

It was Magic Blast, one of the strongest Fourth-Rank spells.

Powerful spells required lengthy and complicated casting.

But Ferda was already an accomplished mage.

Every step of the process moved far faster than that of ordinary mages.

The intention behind using that spell was obvious.

He was looking down on his opponent.

"Such pathetic provocation!"

However, the Magic Circle soon lost its power.

Not because Ferda willed it.

"That’s right. Just as you said, I’m Fifth Circle."

Although Linne’s hidden secret had been exposed, it hardly mattered.

"So unlike you, I don’t need fancy tricks like exploiting mana weak points."

Once there was already a difference in Circle, all she had to do was crush him with overwhelming force.

Using purer mana of a higher rank, she forcibly unraveled the structure of his Magic Circle.

Ferda was therefore at a disadvantage in reality.

She’s using the Aquinas School’s cultivation method.

The Aquinas School was a school of overwhelming firepower that sacrificed lower ranks in order to compress mana.

Its advantages were the ability to deceive opponents and greatly amplify the effects of high-ranking spells.

Looking into the Dark Elf’s body, it appeared as though she possessed only Fourth-Rank mana.

But in reality, it was highly purified Fifth Circle mana compressed into that amount.

If it became a contest of raw power, Ferda’s defeat was already inevitable.

"Did you know?"

Ferda had always lived by looking upward.

If raw power wasn’t enough, then technique.

If technique wasn’t enough, then the next method.

And if even that wasn’t enough, he would fight with nothing but his gums if he had to.

That was the kind of man Ferda was.

"There’s a monster living under your desk."

"What?"

What kind of nonsense is that?

Just as she was about to ask, she sensed something beneath the desk.

A blue light shone from the darkness below it.

It was unmistakably part of a Magic Circle.

"How did a Magic Circle get under there—?!"

"Lightning Bolt."

Crash!

A bolt of lightning erupted upward, shattering the wooden desk.

It pierced straight through the Dark Elf’s head.

"AAAGH!"

The one who had cast the spell was Ferda’s Shadow Hand.

Amid the chaos of battle, Ferda had focused on moving his shadow beneath the desk.

Using Magic Blast had merely been a distraction to break her concentration.

It worked perfectly.

Ferda had wondered whether this tactic would actually be useful in real combat.

Now he was certain.

As long as he concealed his cards well enough, no one would ever see them coming.

"How disappointing."

Ferda spoke calmly.

"The Aquinas School is all about gaining the upper hand by keeping information from your opponent. Yet despite using that school’s cultivation method, you allowed yourself to be caught completely off guard."

It was mockery.

At the same time, it was genuine disappointment.

"Well... I suppose I didn’t make full use of my opportunity either."

That attack had been Ferda’s chance to kill Commander Linne outright.

Yet instead of collapsing to the floor, Commander Linne merely staggered before forcing herself back upright.

"Ghh...!"

Commander Linne groaned.

Clutching her left eye, she struggled to steady herself.

Ferda examined her wound.

Lightning Bolt had pierced through beneath her jaw and exited through her eye.

"Your survival instincts are remarkable. I intended to kill you instantly, yet you still managed to avoid a fatal blow."

"Damn you! You cursed short-lived bastard!!"

The Dark Elf glared at him with venom-filled eyes.

Ferda merely answered with a twisted smile.

"Ferda Valdrova! I will never forget this humiliation!"

As her final resort, the Dark Elf pulled out a scroll.

It was an emergency escape spell.

The moment she tore it open, brilliant light burst around her body before completely swallowing her.

"C-Commander...?"

The Bouncer stared blankly at the place where the Dark Elf had vanished.

Without a mage supporting it, the Bouncer was easily subdued.

Having fought a fierce battle, Marco and Consilus looked down at the defeated demon while breathing heavily.

"Huff... Huff... I never dreamed I’d end up fighting a demon."

"The same goes for me. I never thought I’d finally see one at my age."

"Save the conversation for later. We only have twenty minutes left."

"Yes."

Still carrying the heat of battle, they immediately began searching the facility.

Since the researchers had been sorting their documents before abandoning the laboratory, the highly classified information had already been separated from the less important records.

They searched through everything.

Meanwhile, Ferda headed toward the place where the commander had disappeared.

Emergency escape magic can’t transport possessions.

The spell’s speed came at the cost of leaving everything behind.

Not only belongings, but even clothing could not be transported.

What remained before him were discarded clothes lying like an empty shell.

And an alchemy bag made of leather.

Ferda opened the bag.

Inside he found a journal and a small case.

The case contained syringe ampoules arranged in a grid, each with its own label.

—Doppler

—Butcher (Prototype)

—Dark Sorcerer (Prototype)

.

.

.

Every single name was the title of a Knight-class demon recorded in history.

Besides Doppler, whom he had learned about during the Chancellor kidnapping incident, several entirely new names appeared before him.

So Doppler wasn’t the only dangerous one.

Everything he had seen until now had been only a single tree, not the entire forest.

This should be enough... Now, what’s in the journal?

Ferda opened the journal.

Unknown hieroglyphic symbols filled its pages.

It’s encrypted.

Even if someone stole the journal, they would never be able to decipher it casually.

Ferda knew instinctively.

Something far more valuable than all the scattered information in this place was hidden inside.

He placed the journal into the sample bag and locked it.

"Count, we’ve obtained everything we came for."

"Understood."

The intelligence theft had been a complete success.

The group quietly withdrew and began making their way back.

***

Meanwhile, the three men who had headed toward the research building...

Wearing heavy winter gear, Zed rubbed his arms vigorously as he forced his way through the snowstorm.

"Damn, it’s freezing. Who the hell builds a place like this in the middle of nowhere?"

"Could you keep it down? What if someone hears you?"

"Relax. In weather like this, even if an orc started howling, nobody would hear a thing."

Every icy gust that struck his face earned another complaint from Zed.

The two knights silently endured his grumbling as they continued walking.

Before long, they reached their designated point and entered the building.

"It’s quiet."

Unlike the residential quarters, the research building had already been emptied.

Only a few useless bulky objects remained.

Along with piles of trash.

And explosives prepared to bury the entire facility.

"So that demon wasn’t lying. They really were planning to blow this whole place up within six hours."

"I’m not so sure."

"What, you think that’s not true?"

"I mean it could happen right now. Why would we trust anything those demon bastards say? Let’s move."

Their mission was to rescue the captives.

According to the information they had received, the experimental subjects used for the research had been confined inside the research building.

There was no reason for the enemy to waste time transporting prisoners.

They had probably planned to leave them here and bury them together with the explosives.

That prediction proved correct.

"What... is this?"

But the moment they saw it with their own eyes...

They could not suppress their horror.