My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 79: Chapter 79

Chapter 79 - Short and Powerful

Five minutes before the incident,

Backstage, Vernel.

"Haah... Haah..."

He was breathing heavily.

How long had it been since he had stood on a stage like this after leaving home?

And had he ever dared to hope for something like this?

’I have hoped before.’

But had he ever truly believed that a day like this would actually come?

Others might have, but Vernel never did.

His entire life had been one of being looked down upon, even nearly having his organs harvested by a loan shark.

Everything changed after Ferda stepped in, but even then, he had never imagined standing here.

Vernel quietly lifted the curtain and looked outside.

The spacious seats of the opera house stretched before him.

His heart pounded with excitement.

But even greater than that excitement were the pressure and fear.

"Vernel, do you truly believe something like that can become reality?"

Headmaster Bernard’s words echoed inside his ears, making those feelings even stronger.

It was during his days as a cadet at Escolleia Academy, during the question-and-answer session of an academic conference.

"Anyone can propose such unrealistic ideals. But what if you become obsessed with fantasies like that?"

"Don’t believe you can overturn every law that already exists. You’re intelligent, but you’re not that kind of genius."

Bernard had tried to crush Vernel’s determination.

But Vernel had refused to give up.

Even so, after that day, he became uncomfortable around people.

Especially when it came to standing on a main stage like this.

Will they laugh at me again?

Will they confuse me with pointless criticism?

Will I disappoint the people who believed in me?

Those questions became hands that wrapped around Vernel’s throat.

’Even so... I have to do this.’

For the Regent and for Ferda, who had believed in him.

To shove Bernard’s insults back in his face after he refused to acknowledge Vernel’s success.

And for himself, who had devoted everything to this path.

"Haahhh!! Why is this damned medicinal tea so useless...?"

Despite drinking cup after cup of tea that was supposed to calm his nerves, the distracting thoughts refused to leave his mind.

He clasped both hands together and prayed.

He wished that something unexpected would happen and ruin everything.

"Aaaahhh!"

As though his tiny wish had been granted, a scream rang out.

Startled awake by the sudden shriek, Vernel jumped.

"W-What? What happened?"

The staff members running the event all began fleeing at once.

Instead of running with them, Vernel chose to understand what was happening.

"Gasp...!"

A Rift had opened.

A Rift inside Halim—

One that was pouring monsters directly into the opera house.

’Is that even possible?’

Although monster Gates occasionally appeared inside cities, such incidents were extremely rare.

Yet one had appeared while so many people were gathered here, during the very presentation introducing the Monster Appearance Prediction Device.

The timing was simply too perfect.

’Should I run?’

Just as Vernel turned to flee, something seemed to grab his ankle.

His eyes found Ferda.

Ferda stood there.

With calm, unwavering eyes, he was already responding to the Rift as though fleeing had never even been an option.

Noblesse oblige.

Ferda was fulfilling the duty of a noble.

Seeing those eyes inspired Vernel.

’I have to do something too.’

Even if he couldn’t risk his life the way he had before, he still had to help.

He quickly turned his head.

There sat the Magitech Rifle he had prepared.

Vernel picked up the rifle and activated it.

Adjust the mana output.

Preheat the system.

Set the selector.

Adjust the power according to the displayed calibration...

’Why are there so many steps?’

It required over twenty separate operations.

Originally, it had required over a hundred.

Vernel had continuously simplified it because Malcolm couldn’t use it, reducing the process to its current form.

’Even so... it’s still too much.’

Until just before today’s presentation, Vernel had believed this was acceptable.

Isn’t this usable?

People can manage this much, can’t they?

’No.’

If Malcolm could use it, that meant it had to be simple enough for anyone to operate at any moment.

Something this complicated couldn’t be used in an emergency like this.

Every second spent operating it would cost lives.

’Damn it.’

I’m an idiot.

The Headmaster was right.

I really am an idiot.

Instead of imagining what people actually needed, I obsessed over improving performance by one more percent.

That’s how I ended up creating this.

Even while filled with regret, Vernel never stopped moving.

Right now—

He would do everything he could.

Finally finishing the loading process, he pulled back the bolt.

Vmmmm—!

The Object Acceleration Magic Circle activated, causing the inside of the barrel to vibrate.

Carrying the rifle, Vernel stepped onto the stage.

The battle had already reached its final moments.

Only two Wolf Monsters remained, charging directly toward Ferda.

’They’re incredibly fast!’

Vernel would only get one chance.

With that single shot, he had to land an effective hit.

But merely holding the rifle was exhausting.

He wasn’t confident he could accurately track something moving that quickly.

Crackle!

A bolt of lightning shot from Ferda’s hand.

He successfully stopped one monster.

But not the other.

It slipped past Zed and lunged directly at Ferda.

Its jaws opened wide, aiming straight for his throat.

’No!’

Vernel hesitated no longer.

He pulled the trigger.

As the mana formula activated, a single sphere of mana formed inside the glass tube.

The sphere flowed into the long barrel—

Then burst forward in a flash of light.

Bang!

The bullet pierced straight through the chest of the monster charging at Ferda.

It struck its heart with perfect accuracy.

As the pure mana projectile embedded itself inside, the Wolf Monster let out a pitiful yelp, struggled briefly...

Then froze stiff.

One shot.

Just a single shot had brought down the monster.

Even Vernel himself stared in shock after firing.

He had increased the power beyond its usual setting, but he never imagined it would kill the monster in a single hit.

At best, he had expected it to buy some time.

But his intentions no longer mattered.

The thunderous report.

The death of the final monster.

Together, they drew everyone’s attention to Vernel.

Everyone stood there, mouths hanging open in disbelief as they stared at him.

"What is that?"

"It looked like magic came out of that thing!"

"Then is it a staff? Did he cast magic?"

"There’s no way a staff looks like that."

Everyone was only speculating about the object Vernel held.

After all, the primary purpose of today’s presentation had been the Mana Stone.

The Magitech Rifle had only been intended as a demonstration of one possible application.

"Uh..."

He had to say something.

Feeling crushed by the pressure to speak, Vernel finally opened his mouth.

"This... is the item I brought today..."

"...The Magitech Rifle."

That was all.

Nothing else came out.

He simply couldn’t continue speaking.

But it was enough.

That brief introduction alone was powerful enough to engrave itself into everyone’s minds.

***

While the presentation hall was in complete chaos, several people watched everything unfold from a considerable distance.

The situation had ended, and cleanup was already underway.

"Seven Wolf Monsters."

One man muttered with his arms crossed.

"How many deaths did we expect those seven wolf-type monsters to cause?"

The man beside him replied,

"At least three hundred."

"Including Escolleia’s Headmaster."

"And yet not a single casualty."

"Even Bernard survived."

"The one who planned this won’t escape responsibility."

This wasn’t merely a case of falling short of expectations.

It was a catastrophic failure.

"What do you think caused the failure?"

"Do I really need to answer?"

"I just wanted to see if we were thinking the same thing."

The cause of their defeat could be summarized in a single name.

"Ferda Valdrova."

"So it really was him?"

The two had reached the same conclusion.

Ferda Valdrova.

His name had been spreading throughout the Demon Race lately.

Ever since he began interfering, everything had started going wrong.

"I heard he even borrowed the power of demons to attack a research facility."

"Did we underestimate him and end up like this?"

"We didn’t underestimate him."

"If anything, we nearly overestimated him."

That "overestimation" had come from Director Linne’s testimony.

The demons had assumed Linne was merely making excuses for her defeat.

"And yet he’s exceeded even that overestimation."

Ferda was beyond imagination.

"He knows how to neutralize monsters using First and Second Circle mages who aren’t even suitable for combat."

"His assessment and allocation of manpower were flawless."

"He pushed them a little too hard, but it feels as though even that was calculated."

"He’s cold and composed."

"For some reason, he looks remarkably experienced in battles like this."

"He’s only eighteen years old."

"How is that even possible?"

"Maybe he’s been to war?"

"Look at that body."

"He’s skinny and barely has any muscle."

"What could someone like that possibly do on a battlefield?"

"If not..."

"Was he simply born that way?"

"If it were just natural talent, his actions wouldn’t feel this deliberate."

"He’s operating on an entirely different level."

They had countless theories about Ferda.

But none of them could arrive at an answer.

"Perhaps the people around him will provide the clues."

"What do you mean?"

"It means we should broaden our perspective."

"Let’s look for other contributing factors."

He gestured toward the brown-haired man.

"That fellow named Zed is strange as well."

"Can someone really move like that just because they’re under Haste?"

"Ordinary humans couldn’t."

"If someone can move like that, they must have spent their entire life living at those speeds."

"I thought it was strange that someone who made a living as a swindler was accepted as a knight."

"Now I understand why."

The other man nodded in agreement.

"And that Malcolm fellow..."

"He’s just an idiot."

"Even after everything is over, he’s still busy kidnapping mages."

"...I see."

Meanwhile, the other man fell into deep thought before speaking.

"We’ll have to change his threat rating."

"At the very least, to the Alberdo level."

"You mean Ferda Valdrova? That seems rather hasty. I’d say he’s still within our projected estimates."

At those words, the man shook his head.

"I’m not talking about him."

He gestured toward the blue-haired man standing on the stage.

The man who had killed a Wolf Monster with a single shot using something that was closer to a work of art than a weapon.

It was Vernel Marquis.

"That man’s influence will undoubtedly surpass even Ferda Valdrova’s."

***

With the deaths of all seven Wolf Monsters, the chaos at the presentation hall finally came to an end.

Although there were many injured, the fact that the battle had concluded without a single casualty was immensely significant.

Normally, even the appearance of a single monster would claim at least three lives, and as their numbers increased, the death toll rose exponentially.

Yet despite seven monsters charging into the hall, not one person had died.

Everything had been resolved before Halim’s reinforcements even arrived.

To simply call it impressive would have been an understatement.

It was nothing short of miraculous.

And the one who had led everyone through that miracle was Ferda.

"Thank you for saving our lives, Your Excellency the Regent."

"I sincerely admire and revere your radiant nobility, Your Excellency. Thank you."

Not only those who had fought beside him, but even those who had fled returned to shower Ferda with praise.

His refusal to retreat from the front lines and his willingness to fight embodied noblesse oblige itself.

Of course, Ferda wasn’t the only one receiving admiration.

Another person had left an equally unforgettable impression.

"Do you know who that man is?"

"They say he’s Vernel Marquis."

"I heard he was one of today’s presenters."

"Ah, I remember now."

"Wasn’t he the one Headmaster Bernard insisted on supporting all by himself because his invention was supposedly extraordinary?"

"Is that object the invention?"

"I don’t think so."

"If it were the Mana Stone, the name wouldn’t fit."

"A Mana Stone should literally be a stone, shouldn’t it?"

"Then what exactly is that thing?"

Since no one understood the concept of magitech, they had no idea what the object actually was.

But they didn’t need a lengthy explanation.

What mattered was simple.

Magitech was a technology capable of killing a monster in a single shot.

That alone made it something worthy of everyone’s attention.

Sensing the change in the way people looked at him, Vernel quietly approached Ferda.

"Your Excellency... there’s something I need to tell you..."

"Speak."

"I did kill the monster..."

"...But it actually wasn’t supposed to die."

Ferda turned toward him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... after thinking about it, based on the measured power output during the rifle demonstration, combined with the Wolf Monster’s muscle density and the projectile’s trajectory, the shot shouldn’t have been capable of reaching its heart."

"So you weren’t trying to kill it?"

"I only intended to buy us some time."

"So when I saw that it had died, I was completely surprised..."

"I see."

"You remember where I shot it?"

"The muscles there had separated just slightly."

"The projectile passed perfectly through the gap between the muscles, losing almost none of its force before reaching the heart, where it exploded."

After listening to the explanation, Ferda summarized it.

"So you’re saying everything happened because of an unbelievable chain of coincidences?"

"Yes."

Ferda stared directly at Vernel.

"And what exactly do we gain by telling everyone that?"

"Uh..."

"...Nothing?"

"Then don’t ruin the moment."

"Just enjoy it."

Ferda patted Vernel’s shoulder before walking away.

The moment Ferda left, numerous scholars and merchants immediately approached Vernel.

Each politely introduced themselves.

Watching them, Vernel smiled awkwardly.

It didn’t feel bad.

After all, this opportunity had been created by something he himself had built.

Meanwhile, Penelope grabbed hold of Zed and bounced up and down excitedly.

"Ze-Ze! Zed! Look over there!"

"Look at the way those women are staring at you!"

"..."

"Oh my goodness..."

"I already feel full just looking at it."

"C-Can I cry now?"

"...You’re so noisy, idiot."

Zed pushed Penelope’s head away.

With a complicated expression, he quietly walked off.

Seeing that conflicted look on his face, Penelope chased after him like an excited child.

"What is it?"

"Are you going for the mysterious man concept now?!"

"That’s not bad either!"

"Just don’t overdo the act!"

"You’re going to feast today!!"

While everyone else basked in attention, Malcolm alone received none of it.

"Are you insane?!"

"You threw me right into the middle of a battlefield?!"

"I’m sorry!"

"I thought you were the Witch..."

"You lunatic! What do you mean by that?!"

"Do I look like a Witch to you?!"

"N-No, that’s not what I meant!"

"I genuinely thought you were someone capable of using magic!"

Even five minutes after the situation had ended, Malcolm was still busily kidnapping mages.

Unfortunately, he had mistaken an elderly noblewoman covered in wrinkles for the Witch and dragged her here.

As a result, he was now being showered with spit and endless insults.

Within a single minute, his parents, his manhood, and countless other things had been verbally obliterated.

Unable to watch any longer, Ferda stepped in personally.

The situation calmed down within ten seconds.

Covered in cold sweat, Malcolm lowered his head.

"I’m sorry, Your Excellency."

"I made a mistake."

"No."

"Raise your head."

"Did you commit any crime?"

"You ordered me to bring only mages..."

"...But I brought a noblewoman instead and caused trouble..."

"That much couldn’t be helped."

"You fulfilled your duty."

"As a knight of the Grand Duchess’s domain, you carried out my orders."

"You did an excellent job."

Ferda was genuinely grateful to him.

What would have happened if Malcolm had tried persuading the mages instead of dragging them here?

None of them would have come.

Who would willingly step into a place where death awaited them?

Had Malcolm not forcibly brought them, the entire plan would have fallen apart.

This operation had succeeded because Malcolm had done exactly what only he could do.

"Thank you..."

"Sniff..."

Malcolm’s eyes filled with tears.

Just as everything finally settled down, someone approached Ferda.

The fact that no one else stood where he walked made it obvious he was an individual of extremely high status.

"I greet the consort of House Valdrova, blessed by the great power of fire."

"I am Ahmad, Lord of Halim, this land of pleasure."

It was the Lord of Halim himself.

Before Ferda could even respond to the greeting, Ahmad knelt on one knee.

"On behalf of Halim, I sincerely thank you for bringing this crisis to an end."

Everyone around them was stunned.

"My goodness..."

"The Lord of Halim actually knelt..."

"That’s the very man they say stood proudly upright even before the Emperor himself..."

The southern lords were known for never kneeling casually—not even before kings.

The sight of Ahmad kneeling publicly elevated Ferda’s reputation even further.

Not a bad outcome.

"I merely fulfilled my duty as a noble."

"But who would risk their own life to resolve a disaster occurring in someone else’s territory?"

"Rather than standing here, please allow me to escort you to my castle."

"Let us treat your injuries, and then we can continue our conversation."

Only then did Ferda remember that his neck had been pierced.

The bleeding had stopped, but it still throbbed with pain.

’This is definitely going to leave a scar.’

He needed a topic of conversation when speaking with House Valdrova.

But he certainly didn’t want that conversation to begin because of a scar like this.

"Can you heal it completely?"

"Of course."

"I’ll summon the finest healer available."

"We won’t leave even the slightest scar."

Together with Ahmad, Ferda headed toward the lord’s castle.