My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 257. The Way of Love

Hestia.

It was no longer a place anyone could call an outskirt or some remote backwater.

Halfway up Lonely Mountain stood a castle, and within that vast castle lived someone who could be called the very embodiment of everything Hestia had become.

Vernel Marquis.

The blue-haired man was looking out the window of his laboratory.

He gazed blankly at the sun sinking slowly in the west.

The setting sun meant that, for ordinary people, another day’s routine had come to an end.

Of course, that doesn’t apply to us.

The research facilities of Valdrova Castle operated day and night without rest.

The reason he had opened the window and looked outside was because he had wanted to watch the sunrise for the first time in a while.

He had been staring at the sun hanging precariously over the horizon when he realized it was actually the sunset in the west.

Still, he decided to look at it positively.

At least I got to see the sun.

Vernel recalled his former self.

Until just a year and a few months ago, he had been living in a semi-basement apartment with secondhand magitech equipment while being constantly harassed by loan sharks.

But what kind of life was he living now?

The latest magitech equipment within the castle, with materials supplied exactly where and when they were needed.

Dozens of researchers and entire teams working under him.

He had become the person overseeing all research.

He had received unprecedented levels of support, to the point where he could no longer say that something had failed simply because there was not enough budget.

He had become a pioneer in the field known as Magitech Engineering.

Vernel gazed out the window with a relaxed expression.

"So many things have happened."

He looked back on those memories.

So many things...

Things that should have become nothing more than memories still made his body tremble with anguish.

The day he had gone out to capture monsters for monster research.

The days he had been unable to sleep, threatened constantly, while throwing himself into his research.

The exhibition that had begun in Halim, where he had been put in charge of the main attraction, only for monsters to invade.

Malcolm of Peach Hill.

The endless overtime.

The development work that never seemed to end.

Malcolm of Peach Hill.

Malcolm of Peach Hill.

Still... it wasn’t all for nothing.

Hadn’t he made an outstanding contribution during this war and helped minimize the number of troops that had to be stationed in the Far East?

Furthermore, when monsters had surrounded the Far East, he had created a water purification device, demonstrating new possibilities while also solving the shortage in Mana Stone supplies.

Things that should have taken at least ten more years had progressed in barely a year.

Even now, it was difficult to believe.

Most importantly, Magitech Engineering was receiving attention in Escolleia.

Those scholars who had once treated him like a madman and called him the Utter Disaster were now bowing their heads and asking him for technical advice.

He was even able to experience the sense of superiority that came with being a pioneer.

It wasn’t always good, though.

Monopolizing the technology was not entirely beneficial either.

After all, it meant that explaining everything to them became entirely Vernel’s responsibility.

That was why training successors who could explain the technology was just as important.

And now I can finally reduce my workload.

The method of using the energy of Mana Stones had become relatively well established, and all the researchers within the castle now understood it.

They had finally reached the stage where design reviews could be conducted even without Vernel.

Once they formally published their research papers in Escolleia, he expected Magitech Engineering product development to enter its proper phase.

And once that happened, the dream of every developer would finally begin—

A life where he could live off royalties.

However, one thing was certain.

The nightmare was not over yet.

"Director Marquis!"

A voice that sent a chill down his spine.

Who would have imagined that hearing the bright voice of a young man could make someone flinch like that?

But anyone who had experienced it firsthand would have said the same thing.

"Y-Yes?"

He was the nightmare of every researcher.

"Could you please explain to me once again how I’m supposed to operate this thing!?"

Malcolm of Peach Hill.

He had been given exactly one task.

Repeatedly disassemble and reassemble the Magitech Rifle.

At first, it had been an absurdly complicated weapon that required 152 separate steps to assemble.

But in an effort to help Malcolm understand it, they had optimized the process.

They had achieved a miracle.

The rifle could now be completed in only ten steps.

Vernel had even confidently declared that there was no way to make it any simpler.

From the perspective of the man who had created that miracle, this was enough to make him go insane.

Because if Malcolm couldn’t understand it, then their optimization wasn’t finished.

And if their optimization wasn’t finished, that meant they had failed.

Even the exhausted researchers inwardly screamed when they saw Malcolm’s reaction.

"Director."

One of the researchers standing nearby spoke weakly.

He was a man who was good with words and had been responsible for explaining everything to Malcolm.

"Yes?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that I have taught him eighteen more times?"

"...."

"I even taught the mule that Sir Malcolm rides."

"...And what happened?"

"It memorized the assembly order perfectly."

"...No matter how you look at it, how can a human being be worse than a mule?"

"Even so, don’t say things that belittle Sir Malcolm..."

"No, I’m serious. I thought it might have been a coincidence, so I tried it three more times. This time, I completely disassembled the components as well and increased it by another twenty repetitions. It assembled everything correctly, pointing out each step without hesitation."

"....."

No matter how he thought about it, none of this made sense.

Perhaps he was simply too exhausted and had started accepting things without thinking.

But he couldn’t ignore it either.

Because if it was Malcolm, something like this was entirely possible!

Am I overestimating the intelligence of commoners, or is that man simply below the intellectual level of a mule?

His patience was reaching its limit.

If Vernel had been even slightly stronger than Malcolm, he might have run over and strangled him on the spot.

"There’s nothing we can do but research another way to reduce the number of steps."

"..."

"......."

"I’m sorry, everyone."

"It’s not your fault, Director."

The researchers glared resentfully at the back of Malcolm’s head.

The fact that he was so cheerful yet genuinely trying his hardest somehow made the situation even more frustrating.

Still, it’s nice that my workload has been reduced so much.

After all, it was ultimately his subordinates who had to deal with Malcolm.

Vernel took off his glasses, hoping to get even a little rest, and prepared to leave the laboratory.

That was when it happened.

The door suddenly swung open, and a man appeared from outside.

"I pay my respects to the Regent."

His benefactor—the person who had allowed him to sit in this position.

Ferda Valdrova.

"May I come in?"

"Ah, yes! Of course. Please, come in."

Vernel was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to rest immediately, but what could he do when his superior had come to see him?

He wasn’t in the middle of any urgent research, so Vernel welcomed him inside.

"How have things been lately?"

There had been an incredible number of things happening, but even explaining them felt like a waste of time.

Vernel decided to give an appropriately brief answer.

"Everything is going smoothly. Very well, in fact."

"What do you think of the research?"

"I was thinking of discussing some new weapons based on the information we obtained from this war."

"You seem quite busy."

"Not particularly."

He said it humbly, meaning that compared to his past, he was actually enjoying a remarkably relaxed workload.

"Is that so? That’s good to hear."

"Good... to hear?"

His instincts immediately sensed something ominous.

Ferda silently gestured with his hand.

Zed, who had been waiting outside, dragged something through the doorway.

Purple hair.

A frighteningly thin body.

Both hands were bound unusually and thoroughly.

But the strangest thing was that despite her appearance, the woman’s eyes were completely alive.

"You’re Vernel Marquis?"

Vernel stared blankly before answering.

"Yes, I’m Vernel, but who are you, miss...?"

"It’s really Vernel!? Vernel Marquis!? The very person known as the pioneer of Magitech Engineering!?"

Her eyes widened and practically shone with excitement as she rushed toward him.

But that only lasted for a moment.

A dog collar was fastened around her neck, and Garnet was holding the leash.

Even as the leash pulled at her neck, the woman was completely absorbed in getting her words out.

"You don’t need to know my name. I’m a huuuge fan of Vernel Marquis!"

A female fan.

For Vernel, who had always assumed that he would marry his studies and remain single for the rest of his life, the idea of having a female fan was almost unbelievable.

Is the day my life finally blooms really here?

Vernel wasn’t quick to believe it.

They said that a scholar’s greatest enemy was himself.

But for a successful person, the outside world became the enemy.

There were countless people who regarded scholars who had spent their entire lives buried in books as naive and tried to deceive them.

And among those dangers, the greatest was undoubtedly women.

How many scholars had cried and ruined their lives because of women?

I won’t fall for it so easily!

But it wasn’t that simple.

There was no way a man who had spent his entire life buried in books could have any immunity to a woman who claimed to like him.

Because of that, the woman’s face gradually began to look prettier and prettier to him.

Purple hair.

A painfully thin body.

Freckles.

Bright, sparkling eyes.

To Vernel, it felt as though he had encountered an unparalleled beauty unlike anyone he had ever seen.

"I absolutely love the Mana Stones you created... and all the things you’ve made with them!"

"Y-You do?"

"Yes! When I looked at the things you created, I thought about it! This person must be someone who thinks about the safety of others. Someone who loves people and is kind and considerate!"

But they said words had power.

Vernel couldn’t resist the sincerity in her voice.

"So I became certain! You would be able to make me complete... That’s why I thought I could..."

She moved shyly.

"I want to kill you. Would that be okay?"

There was nothing but boundless madness in her eyes.

"Yes... excuse me?"

Vernel came to his senses belatedly.

Had she just said she wanted to kill him?

That was far too violent and completely the wrong direction for a proposal.

"W-What do you mean, kill me...?"

"I told you, didn’t I? You’re a kind person."

"Yes, I... suppose I am?"

"I could feel it clearly from the weapons you created."

She clasped her own face, apparently overwhelmed by ecstasy, and spoke shyly.

"If it were you... I’m certain you’d find a way to stop the weapon I create."

Her breathing became rough.

She was becoming excited all by herself, as though caught up in some strange anticipation, and the sight was becoming increasingly grotesque.

"I want to break through that shield."

Vernel’s face turned pale.

"I want to pierce through that shield you created... and make you despair!"

This woman was serious.

Her admiration for him.

Her desire to kill him.

She was revealing everything to him without a single trace of deceit.

"Would it be okay if I dared to... do that?"

In vulgar terms, she was completely insane.

They weren’t alone, either.

Everyone had heard every word.

The researchers were horrified, while Garnet and Zed, who had followed them inside, also wore expressions of disgust.

Only Ferda remained calm.

He looked as though he had known all of this from the beginning.

No.

He probably knew everything.

What she wanted.

What she intended to do.

That was why he had brought a woman who openly declared that she wanted to kill him directly in front of Vernel.

Vernel asked with his eyes.

What in the world is going on?

"So that’s how it turned out."

"What?"

"This woman’s name is Gáe Bolg. She’ll be making weapons with you."

"W-Weapons?"

"Yes."

Ferda pointed toward Gáe Bolg.

"She will create a weapon capable of killing you."

Then he pointed toward Vernel.

"And you simply have to find a way to stop it."

Vernel’s back became damp with sweat.

"I-I have to stop a weapon designed to kill me?"

Ferda thought for a moment before nodding.

"That’s right."

"......"

"Don’t worry. She promised to do it only once a week."

"...."

"Although I’m not entirely convinced she’ll keep that promise."

Vernel felt his mind going blank.

Vernel Marquis.

He now had two disasters in his life.

One was Malcolm of Peach Hill.

The other was Gáe Bolg.

***

Ferda returned to his training room.

It was a small room where no light entered.

The only things inside were a candle that could provide a little illumination and a chair.

And one enormous portrait that filled an entire wall.

A portrait of the Red Dragon, Valdrova.

Ferda lit a single candle and silently looked up at the portrait.

Her smiling lips.

Yet the corners of her eyes had been torn apart cruelly.

The anger and sorrow she had expressed because she hated herself so much.

That anger complicated Ferda’s thoughts.

And at this moment, Ferda needed those complicated thoughts.

He had been replaying the events that had occurred when he faced Gáe Bolg hundreds of times inside his head.

As his tangled thoughts intertwined, Ferda was able to obtain a moment of tranquility.

Ferda tried using his mana.

Red Circle.

He drew upon it to the very limit of his power and examined the realm he had reached.

The narrow room was instantly dyed blue with light.

Ferda became certain.

Fifth Circle. It’s unchanged.

By repeatedly using mana and replenishing it, the speed of his circuits was now fast enough to generate the purest Mana possible even within the Fifth Circle.

Then what about the Shadow Circle?

He operated the Shadow Circle he had created through shadows.

The flow generated beneath the Red Circle began moving according to Ferda’s will, and he drew out the power of mana.

The Shadow Circle is unchanged as well.

Although it possessed an abnormal power, Ferda’s Red Circle was more than enough to suppress it.

Ferda believed that he could control his own power.

But no matter how I think about it, something is strange.

When he had stood on the brink of death, Ferda had felt as though his consciousness had sunk beneath a deep lake, while at the same time feeling as though he had lost his own body.

The same thing had happened immediately before the grenade created by Gáe Bolg exploded.

The voice had told Ferda that he could use it.

Ferda had used that power.

Otherwise, there was no way to explain how that grenade had simply disappeared.

At the very least, there was no ordinary way for Ferda to make an attack like that simply cease to have existed.

Ferda recalled that day and thought about it.

Had he been manipulated by that voice?

Had he been capable of resisting that power?

And had he even tried to resist?

After agonizing over it for a long time, Ferda slowly turned his head and looked behind him.

A single candle stood before him, casting a long shadow behind him.

Normally, it would have been nothing more than a phenomenon created according to the principles of light.

But that day, it was different.

The shape looked like a giant that could pounce upon him at any moment.

Ferda stared at the shadow and thought.

Could that enormous shadow... perhaps be another Circle that I don’t know about?

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