My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 87: Chapter 87

Chapter 87 - Cadet William

The man who had introduced himself as William began to explain slowly.

"We are farmers who served under Duke Yurei’s territory."

"As you know, after the Grand Ducal Council, Duke Yurei imposed excessive taxes, causing more and more people to abandon their homes."

"I know that well. Nearly a hundred people like you have already come here."

"We also came to this Far Eastern Region in pursuit of a dream."

"Does that dream include ambushing and killing a merchant’s caravan?"

"I understand why Your Excellency the Regent would naturally suspect us of that."

One wrong word, and his head would roll.

William swallowed hard and spoke with heartfelt sincerity.

"I swear it—we had absolutely nothing to do with that attack. We only found the caravan because someone told us about it."

"Someone told you?"

"Yes."

William explained what had happened.

"While we were on our way to the Grand Duchess’s territory, someone approached us. Their appearance was much like ours, but they were armed. At first, we thought they were bandits planning to rob us of our remaining belongings, so we stayed on guard. But that wasn’t the case. Instead, they showed us kindness."

"What kind of kindness?"

"They said they could give food to those who were starving."

Ferda tilted his head.

"You don’t look foolish enough to believe something like that."

"Would you have believed it if you had been that desperate?"

When people are desperate, what wouldn’t they believe?

He decided he could understand that.

"Continue."

"Anyway... that’s how we arrived at the horrific scene Your Excellency saw. There were dead bodies everywhere, fresh food scattered across the ground, weapons left behind for anyone to take, and even precious jewels."

Ferda immediately grasped his intention and asked directly.

"The fact that you specifically mentioned the jewels... are you trying to claim your innocence?"

"As I said before, we were starving refugees. All we cared about was satisfying our hunger. Gold cannot be eaten, so we left it untouched."

"And yet, you still took things that couldn’t be eaten."

Ferda recalled the missing weapons and questioned him.

"We took the weapons because we needed something to protect ourselves during the rest of our journey. After witnessing such an attack, there was no guarantee that we wouldn’t be attacked next."

"So your argument is that you collected the food because it would have spoiled anyway, and you took the weapons because you needed a way to defend yourselves?"

"That’s correct."

Watching him, Ferda let out a mocking laugh.

"Fine. Let’s say those reasons are acceptable. Then what about the gold coin you took?"

"...Pardon?"

"Did you take it in case we refused to accept you refugees?"

"I... I don’t understand what you mean..."

"Stop pretending. How do you think we managed to find you all the way out here?"

William genuinely looked completely bewildered.

It was impossible to tell whether he was simply shameless or if this truly was news to him.

"Lord Ferda."

At that moment, Isabella suddenly spoke up.

"The gold coin wasn’t taken by William."

"Then who took it?"

Isabella pointed toward one of the refugees with her head lowered.

Although her finger wasn’t aimed precisely, one person among them was trembling so violently that it was obvious.

"William. Bring that little rat over here."

"Yes."

William pulled the man Ferda had indicated to his feet.

The man’s lowered face was finally revealed.

Like a guilty thief, cold sweat poured down his face.

William glared at him.

"Empty your pockets."

"..."

"Well? Show His Excellency already!"

With trembling hands, the man turned his pockets inside out.

Clink.

A single gold coin fell onto the ground.

Ferda picked it up.

It was unmistakably a circulating gold coin.

"That’s quite a fortune for someone who’s supposed to be a refugee, isn’t it?"

William grabbed the man by the collar, betrayal written all over his face.

"Evans! Didn’t I clearly tell you not to touch the valuables?! Didn’t I warn you that stealing the possessions of the dead would only bring disaster upon us?!"

"I-I’m sorry! But opportunities like this are rare, and who knows if another will ever come? I thought... I thought having just one gold coin would be fine..."

"You fool! Do you realize what your greed has brought upon us?!"

"Enough."

Ferda cut off their argument.

"Enough with this farce. Kneel."

William and the man knelt once more.

The man called Evans trembled uncontrollably, while William desperately pleaded, recounting everything they had done.

"Your Excellency the Regent, I beg you to forgive this mistake born of ignorance."

"And why should I?"

"Although we couldn’t bury them properly because we feared it might interfere with the investigation, we gathered every single body and held funerals for them. And after learning the caravan had been headed toward Count Consilus’s territory, I personally went there and reported the incident. If you take me there, they will recognize me."

"So because you reported it and held funerals, you want me to overlook everything else?"

"I beg you, please forgive these foolish people’s transgression and grant them another chance. There is still faith in their hearts."

William pleaded with unwavering conviction.

Yet the eyes with which Ferda looked down upon him remained utterly cold.

"Once you laid your hands on the property of a merchant belonging to the Grand Duchess’s territory, I no longer consider you mere refugees. You are rats attempting to sneak into the Grand Duchess’s territory, unworthy of mercy. And how can I be certain you weren’t involved in the murders?"

"..."

"Even if you cleaned up the bodies out of respect for the dead, it doesn’t change the fact that you stole money from the merchant’s pockets. Saying you were hungry is nothing but an excuse. The next time you’re desperate, you’ll steal again. Am I wrong?"

It was impossible to answer that with certainty.

After an uncomfortable silence, Ferda spoke again.

"But there is one way."

William lifted his head, grasping at a ray of hope.

"What is it?"

"The guilty should receive the punishment they deserve."

Ferda tossed the sword lying beside him in front of the man called Evans.

"Wash away your sin with your own blood."

"W-What do you mean...?"

"Was that too difficult to understand? Let me put it simply."

Drawing a finger across his own throat, Ferda said,

"I mean, kill yourself."

The color instantly drained from Evans’s face.

"If you die, the rest of them live. That’s more than a fair bargain, isn’t it?"

"I... I..."

"Your Excellency the Regent!"

William stepped forward.

"He may be a fool, but he is a kind-hearted man. He only risked himself for his companions during this merciless winter. Please, show him mercy."

"I will not. Finish it."

Ferda’s tone remained absolute, but William refused to give up.

"I am the representative of these refugees. Please, take one of my arms instead and let your anger end there."

"One arm?"

Ferda looked thoroughly disgusted.

"What a ridiculous thing to say."

"If that is still not enough, then take something else..."

"Didn’t I already tell you? You are rats. If one little rat steals from the granary, do you think cutting off the mother rat’s arm would satisfy me?"

Only disgust filled his eyes.

"Whether mother, child, leader, or follower—a rat is still a rat. A life must pay for a life. If you wish to take Evans’s place, then only your own life will suffice."

His life.

William quietly glanced toward Evans.

The man was trembling in terror.

He didn’t want to die.

That was only natural.

William closed his eyes and thought for a brief moment.

"...Understood."

Without resistance, William accepted his fate and pulled the sword lying before Evans toward himself.

The refugees, who had all been bowing their heads, immediately cried out in protest.

"W-What?!"

"You can’t do this!"

"You brought us all this way...!"

Boom!

The explosive sound from Ferda’s hand instantly silenced the commotion.

"There won’t be a second warning. If you wish to die in his place, then keep talking. As I said, rats are all the same."

No one dared utter another word.

Everyone knew their own life was more precious than another’s.

When several minutes passed without anyone speaking, Ferda scoffed.

"This man stepped forward for all of you, yet none of you have the courage to do the same for him."

Ferda pushed the sword aside.

Instead, he placed a hand upon William’s head.

"I shall personally grant you a painless end. Do you have any last words?"

Standing before death, William spoke with a trembling voice.

"If you can safely bring these people into the Grand Duchess’s territory... then I have nothing more to say."

"I’ve heard enough."

Mana gathered in Ferda’s hand.

The impact of Mana struck William’s head.

Boom!

With a tremendous crash, William’s body collapsed limply onto the ground.

***

William had never been an ordinary farmer.

Nor had he ever needed to become the leader of a band of refugees.

He had been a knight cadet, one who stood out even among his fellow cadets.

He understood honor and never neglected the responsibilities that came with privilege.

His martial skills were exceptional, and he had earned military distinction during the war against King Hudret.

Everyone believed without the slightest doubt that he would become a knight.

But his path was far from smooth.

It happened shortly before his knighthood ceremony, when only one final trial remained before he could officially become a knight.

That very day, the war against King Hudret came to an end at the Grand Ducal Council.

The fate of the defeated was always miserable.

That was especially true for the people living under Duke Yurei.

As the defeated party, Duke Yurei had been ordered to pay sixty thousand Golden in reparations.

To an ordinary noble in times of peace, it would have been a trivial amount.

But Duke Yurei had already exhausted his wealth funding the war.

To him, sixty thousand Golden was an enormous burden.

And by then, it was already too late to borrow money from anyone.

In the end, he began squeezing every surrounding village to repay the debt.

As a result, the number of refugees abandoning their homes increased.

Naturally, Duke Yurei had no intention of allowing that.

Population was national strength.

Duke Yurei hunted down every refugee, enslaving all those he captured, while publicly executing others in brutal fashion as a warning.

Thus began a tyranny carried out in the name of unity.

William was ordered to take part in that mission as well.

His final trial before becoming a knight was to hunt down runaway refugees.

Leading a group of soldiers, William ultimately succeeded in tracking them down.

At the time he accepted the mission, his spirit had been overflowing with conviction.

Refugees were a threat.

When the territory was in turmoil, they had fled instead of helping.

He could not forgive such people.

They were troublemakers.

They were agents of evil.

They were criminals who deserved punishment.

Yet what stood before his eyes was a reality far different from his ideals.

No... it wasn’t even complicated.

While burying himself in books and pursuing honor, he had simply failed to see what truly mattered.

Those accused of throwing the duchy into chaos were gaunt and powerless.

Nothing remained on their bodies but skin stretched over bone.

Even the babies, who should have been chubby and healthy, no longer had the strength to cry, only barely managing to gasp for breath.

The only things they possessed were pokers and shovels.

And yet every one of them was desperately resisting an armed military force.

The reason was simple.

They wanted to live.

William wondered what it was he truly had to uphold.

"The people serve their lord."

"A king exists for the sake of his people."

"What remains of a king who does not serve his people?"

The answer was simple, yet amidst that merciless mission, William struggled with it.

One last time.

If he became a blind craftsman just once more and pretended not to see, his life would unfold smoothly.

In the end, he made his choice.

The sword that should have been turned against the refugees was instead turned toward the soldiers who followed him.

William deliberately wounded his own soldiers with his blade, making it appear as though they had been betrayed, and sent them away.

Afterward, he slit the throat of the horse he had ridden there and fed its meat to the refugees.

He could no longer become a knight, but William had no regrets.

He never doubted that this was the very reason he had taken up the sword, and so he did not consider even this death to be in vain.

***

"Gah!"

William sprang to his feet as though awakening from a dreadful nightmare.

He had been certain he had died, so he never expected to rise again.

Feeling over his own body, he muttered,

"I-Is this the afterlife?"

"No. You’re still among the living."

"Gah!"

William jumped once more.

The very voice that had insulted and despised him was speaking from beside him.

Turning his head, he saw Ferda.

"You were unconscious for an hour."

The look in Ferda’s eyes was no longer the same as before.

For a moment, William wondered if he had truly crossed into another world.

"I... I’m not dead?"

"Of course not. What struck your head was nothing more than a common stun spell."

"Then... why didn’t you kill me?"

"Because it would have been a waste to kill a well-trained knight."

William’s eyes widened.

Ferda looked at him as though he were pathetic.

"Did you think you hid it well? It was so obvious it nearly brought tears to my eyes."

"I see..."

Thinking about it, it wasn’t all that strange.

He had been wearing half-plate armor and carrying a sword.

"But I’m not a knight. At best, I’m nothing more than a mere knight cadet."

"Even so, it isn’t exactly normal for a knight cadet to be hiding among refugees."

"That’s true."

"Then you betrayed your lord."

At those words, William smiled bitterly.

"I committed an act worthy of death. A knight betraying his own lord..."

It was undeniably treason, and William did not deny it.

"It doesn’t matter. Didn’t you just say you were nothing more than a mere cadet?"

"That’s true, but..."

"You were never officially made a knight, so there was no oath for you to betray. You’re nothing more than an ordinary deserter."

Being born into a knight family, Ferda knew such matters well.

"There is something I want to ask a man who has returned from the brink of death."

"Please ask."

"Was it worth it?"

Ferda turned his head.

The refugees were there.

All of them were happily sharing bowls of stew.

"You sacrificed yourself for them, yet not one of them was willing to sacrifice themselves for you. Even so, was it worth giving your life for them?"

William remembered exactly what Ferda was referring to.

When death had been staring him in the face, Ferda had said that anyone willing to die in his place should break the silence.

But not a single person had spoken.

Anyone would have felt betrayed.

"No one wants to die."

Even so, William smiled.

"That is precisely why I must lead them."

He had betrayed his lord.

But he had not betrayed his convictions.

"I see."

Ferda watched William’s satisfied expression before turning away.

Beside him knelt another man.

It was Evans, the man who had stolen the gold coin.

"Your name was Evans, wasn’t it?"

"Y-Yes! Yes, that’s right!"

The kneeling man nodded vigorously.

"This man bore the burden of your foolish actions in your place. Do you understand what that means?"

"I... I owe him a debt."

"You owe him your life. From this day forward, you will become William’s loyal servant. And if he dies, I’ll personally show you what a miserable life truly is. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes, sir! I understand! I’ll engrave those words upon my heart!"

Having said all he wished to say, Ferda stood up.

"Then I’ll see you again another time, Sir William."

"Yes. Please take care on your way back."

As Ferda walked away, a single word echoed in William’s ears.

"...Sir?"

Sir.

A title reserved only for knights.

But William had never become one.

Had Ferda simply mistaken him?

Or had he acknowledged him as a true knight?

For the present William, it was a question with no answer.

***

As for the caravan attack, the investigation seemed to have reached a dead end without uncovering anything significant.

Just as Ferda was about to return to the castle with Luri, Isabella called out to him.

"Your Excellency the Regent. During our inquiries, we found people who may serve as witnesses. I believe you should hear what they have to say."

The seriousness in her voice suggested they were important witnesses.

Standing beside her were a woman and a child.

Ferda addressed the woman.

"Do you have something to tell me?"

"My deepest apologies, Your Excellency, but... it isn’t I. My child is the one who knows something."

The person he needed to question was a six-year-old little boy.

"What is your name?"

"I’m Ian."

"You should say, ’My name is Ian.’ Your Excellency, I apologize. He’s still too young to know proper manners..."

"I don’t concern myself with trivial formalities. Ian, do you have something to tell me?"

The little boy nodded.

"It was when the Grim Reaper mister and the knight mister were talking to each other."

"The Grim Reaper?"

The woman answered in his place.

"He said that because the man was wearing a black robe."

"I see. Go on."

"Yes. Then... the Grim Reaper mister rode away on his horse, and I saw something fall from him. I didn’t think anyone else noticed, so I secretly picked it up to give it to my mom."

"What did he drop?"

"T-This."

The woman, who had been keeping it safe, took something out and handed it to Ferda.

It was a scarf.

At first glance, the green scarf appeared perfectly ordinary.

But the moment he saw the emblem embroidered in one corner, his expression changed.

This is...

Ferda narrowed his eyes.

Unless he was mistaken, that distinctive emblem in the shape of a pair of Scales belonged to the Pascal family.

And among them... the one with two swords in the background...

There was no doubt.

It was the insignia of the Pascal Trading Company.