My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 77: Chapter 77

Chapter 77 - The Endurance Against Sleep Competition

Tilda was overwhelmed by the atmosphere. She stopped mid-greeting and quietly stepped aside.

From that moment on, Ferda did not spare Tilda so much as a single glance.

Humiliated, Tilda’s face flushed bright red as she hurried away from the scene.

Watching her leave, Stephan turned to Ferda and asked,

"Did you happen to hear what she said?"

"What are you referring to?"

"She mocked it, asking whether the exhibit would actually make any money..."

"Did she?"

His expression showed complete indifference.

Ferda had absolutely no idea what kind of situation Stephan was talking about.

"Then why were you so hostile toward her?"

Stephan wanted to know the reason.

Unless someone had overheard such vulgar remarks, there wasn’t a single person who became hostile toward Tilda upon first meeting her.

After all, she was a beautiful woman who had inherited her mother’s looks.

"I didn’t intend to speak badly of her at first. But once I saw her, my thoughts changed."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn’t like it. Those eyes."

"Her eyes? What’s wrong with her..."

"Your younger sister is the type who can’t be satisfied until she’s got everyone under her thumb, isn’t she?"

Stephan’s eyes widened in shock.

"H-How did you know that?"

"She had exactly that kind of look."

Ferda had hated countless people throughout his life.

To sustain that hatred, he had learned to classify every kind of person, and certain characteristics had become deeply engraved in his mind.

Tilda Pascal was exactly the type of person Ferda despised the most.

People with no ability who still harbored greed far beyond their place.

The kind who tried to manipulate other people like toys in the palm of their hand.

Astonished that Ferda had seen through Tilda’s true nature at a single glance, Stephan decided to change the subject.

Everyone was busy preparing for the exhibition, so there was no time for idle conversation.

"Have you met Mr. Marquis?"

"I have."

"By any chance... where did you leave the Mana Stone?"

"Can’t we exhibit it tomorrow? Everyone seems busy today, and I’d rather not disturb them."

"Well, understood. Then we’ll make it look as though we’re deliberately keeping our main attraction hidden."

It seemed like they needed to display at least the Mana Stone to attract attention.

Stephan muttered to himself.

Still, the exhibition itself was not particularly important.

It was merely a side attraction.

The real focus was the main presentation.

And the subject of that presentation would be the Mana Stone.

As well as the Magitech Rifle hanging over there.

Ferda and Stephan looked up at the Magitech Rifle.

"Your Excellency the Regent, have you ever seen that thing demonstrated?"

"I’ve seen something similar."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It didn’t look like that back then."

The rifle that fired mana rounds had once been something much larger and far more complicated.

Compared to the current model, that earlier version had so many attachments that this one almost felt streamlined.

"What does it look like to you?"

"To me?"

"To you—or to any other merchant."

"Well..."

Stephan scratched his head.

Earlier, Tilda had looked at the object and asked whether it could actually make money.

In truth, most of the other merchants had reacted the same way.

Stephan himself included.

It wasn’t easy to criticize something sponsored by the very people supporting you.

"If the exterior were cleaned up a bit more, I think people’s opinion of it would improve."

"So you’re saying it looks cheap."

"Yes."

"I suppose you’re right."

Even Ferda agreed.

Rather than looking like a functional machine, the current device resembled a work of art.

To Ferda, this Magitech Rifle was the most important thing at the moment.

"I hope this can attract merchants from both the Northern Tundra and the Southern Region."

"I’ll do everything I can to bring in the northern merchants."

Stephan deliberately said nothing about the south.

With his eldest brother, Merchit, still holding his ground there, he couldn’t make any promises.

Better not expect too much all at once.

That was what he thought.

But then, something completely unexpected happened.

***

Scholars who spent their entire lives buried in books were intellectuals.

People often mocked them as frogs trapped inside a well.

Yet there always came a time when such intellectuals became indispensable.

Especially for organizations dealing in information, filtering and processing that information was more important than anything else.

Black Bandana had never overlooked that fact.

Black Bandana.

A secret organization symbolized by black headscarves, spread across the entire Cerdes Continent, gathering and selling information.

To efficiently process the vast amount of intelligence they collected, they required the scholars of Escolleia.

That was why Garnet, one of Black Bandana’s members, had come here.

"Hmm."

She wore elegant ornaments and revealing clothing, appearing to be nothing more than an ordinary noblewoman from the south.

Her ash-gray hair contrasted sharply with her dark, sun-kissed skin.

She possessed exactly the appearance and ethnicity needed to pass as a desert native from the far south.

There was only one problem.

"Did you come alone, my lady?"

Men buzzed around her like flies, drawn by her voluptuous attire.

"Hm?"

"I was wondering if perhaps I could escort you—"

Cough!

The moment their eyes met, the man choked on his own words.

His face instantly turned pale, and he hurried backward.

"M-My apologies! Please excuse me!"

"...Huh?"

Garnet raised one eyebrow as she watched him flee.

The man bolted away as fast as his legs could carry him.

She had absolutely no idea why he had approached her in the first place.

A man dressed like a northerner walked over.

"Come on, Boss. Try smiling a little. Did you come here to kill someone? Since when are we an assassin organization?"

The man spoke casually.

He, too, belonged to Black Bandana and had come to Halim in search of information processors.

Which meant they were here on business.

Garnet glanced between his face and the drink in his hand.

"Are you seriously drinking while you’re working?"

"It’s essential for undercover work. If you want to persuade people instead of threatening them, you need to help them relax. And for northern warriors, alcohol is absolutely essential."

"If you’re trying to sweet-talk some scrawny little worm, a knife suits you better than that cup. Planning to recruit another slick bastard who pockets bribes after stealing all the documents?"

"Come on, Boss. I was overwhelmed back then. I handled him personally afterward, didn’t I?"

"That’s because you were drinking. Go ahead and have one more glass. I’ll shove my hand down your throat, rip your stomach out, and squeeze every last drop out of it."

Garnet’s words made her intentions perfectly clear.

She was the kind of person who always followed through.

"Geez, you’re scary as always. Smile a little! Women are prettiest when they smile. You look like you’re about to murder somebody."

"Shut up and do your job. I’ll handle myself."

Chuckling, the northerner raised his glass in salute before disappearing once more.

Garnet let out a sigh and covered her mouth with the folding fan in her hand.

This is exactly why I said I hated this noblewoman disguise.

She was certainly beautiful enough to carry luxurious clothing.

But that was all.

Her entire life had been spent in a brutal world of blood and flesh rather than flower-filled gardens.

Her gaze was naturally fierce, and her mannerisms inevitably carried a masculine edge.

She never wanted to wear these cumbersome clothes again—clothes that jingled constantly and exposed more skin every time she moved.

Yet despite enduring all that discomfort, she had still come to Halim.

There was only one reason.

One particular man.

Without wasting another moment, Garnet began moving.

The presentation would begin shortly.

The presentation was being held inside the opera house.

Its acoustics and large seating capacity made it the perfect venue.

Garnet entered.

Pretending to search for her assigned seat, her eyes swiftly swept across the surroundings.

There.

The orchestra seats closest to the stage.

The first two rows had been left entirely empty and surrounded by his personal guards, forming a perfect security perimeter.

Silently, Garnet spoke his name in her mind.

Ferda Valdrova.

Her investigation had first begun because of Hellus Fovidas.

She had been hired after hearing that the man’s young daughter had been kidnapped.

And while searching for the girl, she had learned about Ferda Valdrova.

The deeper I looked, the more fascinating he became.

The report that Valdrova had taken a fiancée had already been impactful enough.

But once she truly began digging into him, her interest only intensified.

Information from the far east was updated every single week.

And with every update came another astonishing development.

And today, he attended Halim.

Garnet had wanted to see the man with her own eyes.

At last, she had the chance.

Gray hair similar to her own.

A tall, well-proportioned figure.

Although hidden beneath a slim military uniform, she could instantly tell that his body had never been physically trained.

At first glance, there’s nothing particularly remarkable about him...

His presence was different.

She could see nothing more than the back of his head and neck as he sat on the sofa.

Yet he carried the dignity of a man in his fifties.

A calm composure and relaxed confidence untouched by youthful passion.

It wouldn’t be strange at all if many women admired him.

So the Headmaster of Escolleia actually gave him the main presentation slot?

The exhibition—and especially its main presentation—was something scholars fought for over many years through brutally competitive evaluations.

Even the Headmaster himself had competed against other scholars for a chance to stand on that stage.

The fact that he had personally granted Ferda sole approval meant he was willing to stake his own reputation on him.

His influence has been growing strangely strong lately. So he really did have connections with Regent Ferda.

He’s definitely worth investigating further.

Muttering to herself, Garnet pulled out a notebook and quickly began writing.

As a member of the continent’s greatest intelligence network, she faithfully carried out her duty.

"Excuse me, ma’am?"

"Hm?"

The moment the staff member met her eyes, he inhaled sharply.

"Gah! I-I’m terribly sorry if I’ve offended you!"

In reality, Garnet had simply been lost in thought.

She wasn’t upset at all.

Even if she had been, it would only have been because of the staff member’s strange reaction.

"No, it’s fine. Could you tell me where my seat is?"

"Certainly! Right this way."

Garnet’s assigned seat was one of the private box seats inside the opera house.

Positioned in the very center, it also gave her a clear view of Ferda.

Not bad at all.

Now I’ll wait.

She was about to witness with her own eyes exactly how discerning Regent Ferda truly was.

***

Meanwhile, Ferda was receiving greetings from countless nobles.

Although he had rented out the entire expensive front row—which should have kept people from passing through—many deliberately walked in front of him just to offer their greetings.

"I have the honor of meeting the consort of the Guardian of the Far East. I am the owner of the Jade Stone Trading Company..."

"It is an honor to meet the great Regent of the Far East! As for myself, I am currently working as a mercenary..."

Not only scholars, but also knights, nobles, and merchants all tried to slip their names into the conversation in hopes of catching his attention.

For someone who possessed both status and wealth, it was the best way to make an impression.

Ordinarily, nobles would block off the passage entirely to prevent situations like this.

One or two people could be dealt with politely.

But when dozens of them lined up, it inevitably became a nuisance.

Even so, Ferda allowed them to approach.

He wondered if he might recognize a familiar face.

Unfortunately, all he saw were complete nobodies he had never heard of.

It had been a waste of time.

Still, it wasn’t particularly unpleasant.

After all, there was nothing else to do until the presentation began.

There are quite a lot of people.

Stephan, who had arrived earlier, had told him that the opening presentation hadn’t even managed to fill half of the opera house.

Contrary to that report, today’s venue was completely packed.

People had even gotten into fistfights over tickets.

Since this was the event where the most promising and groundbreaking research among scholars was presented, both nobles and merchants were paying close attention.

Yet, the greatest rivals during the presentation weren’t the nobles or merchants.

They were the scholars standing on stage.

"It is a pleasure to meet you! I am a scholar—"

Grrrrrr...

Kuuuuu...

Before they had even finished introducing themselves, nobles and merchants alike were already collapsing asleep the moment they heard the lectures begin.

Even Ferda, seated in the VIP section, was struggling to resist the overwhelming urge to sleep.

He began to suspect this wasn’t a presentation at all.

Perhaps it was actually a competition to resist sleep magic.

"Malcolm."

"Yes!"

While everyone else was nodding off, Malcolm remained wide awake.

Since he understood absolutely nothing, there was nothing for him to try to understand.

And because of that, there was no reason for him to get sleepy.

"When is Vernel’s turn?"

"I’ll check! Hmm... It’s right after Bernard Wayne’s presentation on the Monster Appearance Prediction Device!"

"I see. Lower your voice a little. The presenter is looking this way."

"Huh? Ah!"

Since this was a stage where scholars presented the achievements they had devoted their entire lives to, they were naturally sensitive.

Realizing his mistake, Malcolm quickly shut his mouth.

As Ferda listened with half-closed eyes to one presenter after another, a familiar voice finally awakened his mind.

"The device I will be presenting today is the Monster Appearance Prediction Device."

It was the Headmaster of Escolleia.

His turn had arrived.

Apparently everyone else had been thinking the same thing as Ferda.

Those who had been dozing suddenly became alert again.

"To briefly explain how this prediction device works... whenever a monster appears, abnormal mana is momentarily detected in the surrounding atmosphere. We analyzed those mana patterns, developed an algorithm, secured the corresponding runes through those formulas..."

Unfortunately, his explanation was so overwhelmingly dull that even those newly awakened listeners quickly lost interest and drifted back to sleep.

By the time Vernel goes on, eighty percent of the audience will probably be asleep.

Even Ferda, his own sponsor, wasn’t confident he could survive what amounted to sleep magic disguised as a lecture.

Sorry, Vernel.

Actually...

No, he wasn’t sorry.

If Vernel didn’t like it, he should simply become a better presenter.

"Haha, I know many of you are getting bored. My apologies. I haven’t had many opportunities to stand on a stage like this. Instead, let me give you a simple demonstration."

Fortunately, as expected of the Headmaster, he had good instincts and moved on to the demonstration.

The device he had brought resembled a tall metal pillar.

"Basically, this prediction device was designed so that both Magic Walkers and Mana Walkers can operate it. Simply infuse it with mana like this and activate the formula..."

Hummmmm—

"And just like that, the device begins operating. Haha, now it’ll be much easier—and more interesting—to explain. As you can see, this display was designed so that anyone capable of reading a simple map can use it. If a monster were to appear here, it would emit a distinctive beeping sound..."

Beep—Beep—

"...Hm? Ah, yes, just like that. That doesn’t mean a monster is appearing. It’s merely a characteristic quirk during startup."

Beep—Beep—

"...Huh? Just a moment. I followed the blueprints exactly, and it passed every test. Why is this..."

Beep... Beep...

"W-What?"

Bernard panicked and began fiddling with the device.

He frantically inspected every component, searching for a defect while repeatedly tapping the machine.

Ferda knew immediately.

It wasn’t malfunctioning.

"Everyone, get ready."

"...Sir?"

"They’re coming."

The central point displayed on the screen began flashing.

At the same time, every candle illuminating the lecture hall flickered violently.

"Oh my, what’s happening?"

"Is it an earthquake?"

Most people still hadn’t realized the seriousness of the situation.

Those with actual combat experience, however, instinctively reached for their weapons.

The space surrounding the Monster Appearance Prediction Device began to crack.

Within the swirling, distorted fissure, something forced its way through.

It was the head of a wolf.

No—

A monster with the head of a wolf.

ROOOAAARRR!!

The beast’s deafening roar echoed throughout the hall.

"AAAAAH!!"

"RUN!!"

Piercing screams erupted everywhere.

Chairs toppled over one after another.

The lecture hall instantly descended into complete chaos as the monster suddenly appeared.

Riding its momentum, the wolf-like monster lunged fully out of the dimensional crack.

At that very moment—

"Lightning Spear."

The instant Ferda finished speaking, the spell he had already cast shot toward the monster emerging from the rift.

A brilliant streak of lightning swallowed the wavering light of the chandeliers and pierced straight through the wolf’s head.

Pshhh!

The lightning drilled in a perfect line from its brain straight through to its heart.

Green blood poured from its mouth.

There was no doubt—it had died instantly.

Looking at the corpse, Ferda thought,

One down.