My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 63: Chapter 63

Chapter 63 - Penelope

What came into their view was unlike an ordinary prison.

A typical prison was divided into sections by iron bars.

Here, coffin-like temperature-controlled capsules stood at an angle, with one captive sealed inside each of them.

Not only humans were imprisoned there.

Orcs, elves, goblins, and even rare races that were seldom seen all lay quietly inside, devoid of any trace of color in their faces.

One of the knights, after observing them, realized something.

"These people are all alive. Every one of them is still breathing."

"We have to rescue them immediately!"

As they were about to open one of the capsules, Zed stepped in to stop them.

"Rescue them? What are you talking about? The only thing we’re here to save is a demon."

"Are we supposed to stand by and watch innocent people die? That goes against a knight’s code!"

"And you still call yourselves knights, Sir Zed?"

Looking at them with a face full of contempt, Zed replied,

"They’ll either freeze to death slowly in the blizzard or explode and die instantly. The latter is at least the better option. I’m going to find that damned demon."

As Zed turned to leave the room, he added one last remark.

"And that’s an order."

Don’t waste your sympathy.

They had no choice but to admit that Zed was right.

Though each of them left carrying a burden of guilt, Zed did not retain such trivial emotions.

They proceeded to inspect each room containing the temperature-controlled capsules.

Yet despite their careful search, they were able to identify the target almost immediately.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Waaaaah! Let me out! I said let me out! What did I ever do to deserve being locked up in a place like this?!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The loud voice of a woman rampaging echoed thunderously through the corridor.

"Doesn’t that sound like our target?"

"I sincerely hope it isn’t."

They headed toward the source of the commotion and found one violently shaking temperature-controlled capsule.

"Open this! Open it right now! Do you even know who I am?! I’m Penelope, daughter of the Great Demon Sitri!"

"Ah, damn. It’s really her."

Even after achieving their objective, none of them looked pleased.

With bitter expressions, the three knights opened the capsule.

The demon, who had been pounding on the door in a frenzy, froze in surprise.

"What? You actually opened it? Wait, time out! Time out! Waaah! Please don’t hit me! I’ll behave this time! I swear, I really will... Huh? Wait... You’re not the guards?"

Slowly opening her eyes, Penelope cautiously looked around at the men surrounding her.

"You’re—"

"Where are the real guards? Who are you people? Did you come here to kill me?"

"Are you Penel—"

"Wait a second! I didn’t do anything! I have absolutely nothing to do with those bastards! Please spare m— Mmph!"

Zed covered Penelope’s mouth.

The noise that had filled the chamber vanished in an instant.

"From now on, you’re only allowed to answer yes or no. Nod if it’s yes, shake your head if it’s no. Understood?"

"Mmph! Mmph!"

"Shut your mouth, woman."

"..."

The moment he pointed his sword at her, Penelope became obedient.

She nodded.

"Is your name Penelope?"

Nod, nod.

"You’re certain?"

Nod, nod.

"I made a deal with your mother, the Great Demon Sitri. The condition was that we’d infiltrate this facility and take you out of here. So quietly come with us."

"Mmph?!"

"Ah, I told you to answer only yes or no."

"Mmmmmph! Mmph!"

"She’s resisting pretty fiercely."

"Don’t you think she’s trying to tell us something?"

"Is that so? Hey, pink hair. I’ll uncover your mouth for just a moment. Give me a concise answer within three seconds."

With that warning, Zed removed his hand.

"WaitjustlistentomeyouseeaboutbeingcapturedhereactuallyIwasn’tcaptureditwasactually— Mmph!!"

"So it was just pointless nonsense. Gag her and carry her."

"Agreed."

The woman, who had been firing off words like a machine gun, failed to finish even a single sentence before she was tied up and hoisted onto someone’s shoulder.

She struggled so violently that one of the knights smacked her across the head, knocking her unconscious.

***

As they walked through the raging blizzard,

Ferda sensed a strange current above his head.

It was no mere illusion.

Consilus, who was leading the way, turned around and asked,

"Did you feel that just now?"

"Yes. I did."

"What exactly did you feel?"

Marco, who was struggling just to walk, had no attention to spare for his surroundings.

"A wind that isn’t the wind."

"A wind that isn’t the wind?"

"Silver Dragon Spawn. They’re searching this mountain for intruders."

Marco, whose complexion had already been pale, turned even whiter.

"Then isn’t this a disaster?"

"Not necessarily. The fact that they passed over our heads means they still haven’t found us."

It was unsettling.

If the fighting strength of two knights were to descend from the sky like meteors, they would have no chance of surviving.

"We’ll increase our pace."

Following the path Consilus had opened, Ferda pressed onward.

A short while later, a black silhouette emerged from the endless white.

They had returned to the cave they had come from.

There, six people, including Zed, were waiting.

"You’ve returned."

"The target?"

"We brought her."

Zed nudged the unconscious pink-haired girl beside him with his foot.

Pink hair.

Snow-white skin.

Unlike most demons, her skin shone like polished white jade.

Yet the ram-like horns, black sclera, bat wings, and long spade-tipped tail unmistakably declared her to be a demon.

"Th-that was fast."

"The research wing was empty. There wasn’t a single person there. I could’ve handled it alone. What about the residential wing?"

"There were no major obstacles. It seems neither side encountered anything unusual. Let’s head back."

After confirming that everyone had completed their assignments, they began ascending toward the Gate.

Ferda reflected on the situation.

It ended too easily.

There were about three minutes remaining.

Just enough time to finish and return.

Not rushed, yet not overly generous either.

It was almost as though someone had calculated everything in advance.

Everything went too smoothly.

The balance of the deal had aligned perfectly.

That was strange.

Demons only ever make deals that benefit themselves.

"We need to move quickly."

The mage guarding the Gate spoke.

"What is it?"

"The Silver Dragon Spawn that were circling overhead are approaching this location."

"They’re coming here?"

"Yes. It seems they’ve noticed us."

"Erase every trace! Wipe away all evidence and leave this place immediately!"

They could not allow anyone to discover that people from Grand Duchess Valdrova’s territory had come here.

Everyone hurriedly used the tools they had brought to erase every trace.

Only two minutes remained.

Ferda thought to himself.

I have to figure out why this still bothers me before those two minutes run out.

"Mmm... Mmm?"

Penelope slowly woke up, looking around in confusion.

The moment she spotted Zed’s face, her eyes widened.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

"Hold still. I’ll make things easier for you."

"Mmph! Mmph!!"

As Zed raised his dagger, Penelope frantically shook her head.

Tears and mucus streamed down her face.

There was no mistaking the fear she was displaying.

Ferda found it strange.

"Wait."

Zed’s dagger stopped.

"What is it?"

"Remove the gag. I want to hear what she has to say."

"I doubt she’ll say anything worthwhile..."

Even so, Zed removed the gag.

"Mmph... Phew! Thank you! No, more importantly, I need to explain what I was trying to say earlier! I—"

"Silence. I’ll decide what you’re allowed to say. Otherwise, I’ll cut your head off."

"Eek! Please don’t! Don’t kill me! I’ll answer anything! I will!"

"That’s the spirit."

Ferda gestured toward Penelope with his chin.

"Why are you so afraid of dying?"

"I-Isn’t everyone afraid of dying?"

"When a demon dies in Cerdes, they’re merely reverse-summoned back to Hell. It may be painful for a moment, but to your kind, it’s nothing more than going home. Isn’t that right?"

"Th-that’s true, but my situation is different! If I go back... I’ll really die!"

Penelope screamed as though having a panic attack.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is... my mother would rather see me dead than rescued! I can’t go back to Hell!"

Penelope desperately cried and begged for her life.

"Then explain why she wants you dead."

"Because... because I..."

Penelope hesitated, choosing her words.

"Don’t think. Tell me the truth."

"No, I can’t tell the truth! I absolutely can’t! Waaah! This is so frustrating! Why is my brain so stupid?!"

Something she could not speak of truthfully.

She knew it, yet could never reveal it.

And the Great Demon, Sitri, wanted her dead.

What did all of those facts point toward?

Ferda thought.

There had to be an answer.

It was something he had heard once before.

Something he had dismissed as meaningless small talk.

Yet, when considered carefully, it had been incredibly important.

Never make a deal with a demon.

"...Right."

At that instant, realization flashed through Ferda’s mind.

Looking down at her, he muttered,

"So it was you."

"Your Excellency, Regent!"

Zed shouted at the top of his lungs.

One foot was already on the Gate.

"You need to come now! There’s almost no time left! How long? Thirty seconds!"

Having watched the exchange between Ferda and Penelope, he urgently called out to him.

Having reached his conclusion, Ferda rose to his feet.

"Sir Zed."

"Yes?"

"Please take good care of these burdens."

"What? What do you mean by tha—"

Ferda threw his bag toward Zed.

"Whoa!"

Zed caught the suddenly thrown bag.

His exceptional reflexes allowed him to catch it with ease.

But another object immediately came flying toward him.

It was a mass of pink fur.

"Eek?!"

"Gah!"

It slammed into Zed’s body and carried him straight through the Gate.

The one who had shoved Zed was none other than Penelope.

Catching her in his arms, Zed’s eyes widened.

This Bending Bridge Magic could only transport eight people.

"Your Excellency, the Regent—"

The dimensional gate closed.

Zed’s shout was cut off.

Only Ferda remained behind in the freezing mountains.

If he had truly been left alone, it would not have been a serious problem.

He would simply wait to be rescued.

However, things would not unfold as Ferda had expected.

He’s coming.

That bastard.

At that moment, the howling sound of the blizzard gradually faded away.

Instead, another sound reached his ears.

The crunch of footsteps on snow.

Soon, a figure emerged through the pure white blizzard.

Even though there wasn’t a trace of moonlight that night, his appearance was unmistakably clear.

"Oh? Now this... this is a situation I really didn’t expect."

Silver hair.

Sharp horns.

Silver eyes.

Without a doubt, he was a Silver Dragon Spawn.

The very one who had been circling overhead.

"When I heard the report, I was told there’d be a little rat hiding around here... but it seems I’ve found a rather different kind of rat."

He grinned.

Like a cat staring at a mouse trapped in a cage.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Regent Valdrova."

***

After returning to Valdrova Castle, Luri immediately began cleaning.

The place had been left unattended for a full twenty days.

She had left the basic cleaning to the spirits, but without supervision, they never worked diligently.

That was why she began cleaning late into the night.

"Have you finished cleaning?"

"-Kyung."

"Good work. You may return now."

"-Kyung!"

At the mention of going home, the spirits became visibly excited.

The spirits that had been helping Luri clean were reverse-summoned.

Soon, she was the only one left in the room.

Luri looked around the room she had cleaned.

It was the master bedroom.

More precisely, it was the room where Valdrova and Ferda would one day spend their first night together after their wedding.

As they were only engaged, that day still lay far in the future.

Even so, Luri never neglected her duties.

She was a maid.

A maid’s duty was to prepare and maintain the environment surrounding her masters.

To create such an environment properly, more than fifty attendants would normally be required.

If perfection was the goal, over a hundred would be necessary.

Yet in this castle, there were no attendants besides Luri.

But that was enough.

Unlike ordinary human maids, she was a Dragon Spawn.

Even among the Silver Dragon Spawn, she was one of the strongest.

With her abilities, maintaining the castle in perfect condition was entirely possible.

Even after decades, it remained spotless without the need for major renovations.

That’s what I can do.

Maintain perfection.

Perfection meant everything remained within expectations.

If everything remained within expectations, everything could be controlled.

Within this castle, there was nothing beyond her control.

Her life had formed a perfect circle.

Ferda...

At least, until he appeared.

Ferda Rosnova.

When she first met him, he had been a weak human.

On the surface, he looked like nothing more than a young noble slightly older than herself.

Just another third-rate human from whom nothing could be expected.

No... he wasn’t.

Ferda was nothing like she had expected.

Nor was he simply the opposite of her expectations.

He was impossible to predict.

He acted arrogantly, yet always took responsibility for his actions.

He seemed like an emotionless psychopath, yet whenever he stood before Valdrova, he resembled an innocent young boy.

Too mature for his age.

Yet somehow perfectly suited to it.

Impossible to define.

Incomplete.

A variable...

Yes.

The reason the once-peaceful flow of events had become disturbed...was because of that variable.

Luri hated variables.

Anything beyond her control made her feel powerless.

And she hated feeling powerless.

Therefore, such things had to be eliminated.

But Ferda could not be eliminated.

Because he was Valdrova’s fiancé.

From that moment onward, everything began to change.

Situations beyond her control continued to arise.

It wasn’t a bad thing.

Those changes had been positive.

The stagnant territory had begun to prosper.

Ferda was steadily establishing both recognition and prestige.

He boldly accomplished things Luri herself would never have attempted, changing everything.

The emotions she felt while witnessing those remarkable achievements were complicated.

She already knew what that feeling was.

Impatience.

Compared to that child who had lived only eighteen years...

She had lived for centuries longer.

She had served for centuries longer.

Yet she feared that one man, in less than a single year, would change everything.

That he would take everything away.

That was why she had gone to meet Silverwind.

As everything else was changing, perhaps they had changed as well.

And even if they hadn’t, perhaps there had still been something she could do.

There was nothing I could do.

She had been powerless.

Against the situation.

Against strength.

Everything had gone beyond her expectations.

And then... I...

She had lit the fuse on that tightly stretched powder keg.

She had needlessly contacted Silverwind.

She had needlessly caused Ferda to confront Goz.

Of course, perhaps things could have been resolved more peacefully.

If only Ferda hadn’t spoken so harshly.

If he hadn’t displayed such open hostility, perhaps things could have ended amicably.

Yes.

Ferda had certainly escalated the situation.

It would have been easy to blame everything on him.

But Luri couldn’t do that.

If I hadn’t interfered in the first place... none of this would have happened.

She had been the one who started it all.

And yet the words she had spoken were—

"Who... asked you to help?"

Clench.

Her hand tightened into a fist.

Things were already awkward between them.

And now that awkwardness would only last even longer.

How should she face him from now on?

How should she look at him?

Luri simply didn’t know.

An uncontrollable variable.

Now it had even begun to interfere with her own emotions, leaving her utterly confused.

As Luri stood there absentmindedly, the air before her rippled.

A Lower Wind Spirit hurriedly manifested and stopped beside her.

"-Kyung! Kyung!"

The spirit was flustered.

Luri recognized it immediately.

It was the spirit she had sent to Count Consilus’s castle to monitor the situation.

"Speak."

The Lower Wind Spirit delivered its report in a panicked voice.

Luri had intended to listen calmly.

But she simply couldn’t.

"...Is that... truly the truth?"

The variable continued to move without pause.