My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 273. Not a Single One

Ferda was looking out the window.

There, he could see Valdemar’s back as he walked away after finishing his business.

The road where the foxes had passed in the absence of the lion was beginning to bustle again, and before long, it was filled with people as though nothing had ever happened.

There was no sadness or worry on their faces.

That was what the Empire was like.

It was a land where every emotion was nothing more than something that quickly evaporated.

Ferda looked down at the scene, lost in thought.

Valdemar had warned that a usurpation would take place and that bloodshed would accompany the Tyrant’s descent, while first promising that he would not interfere with Ferda too much.

There were rumors circulating that he was preparing to receive enormous donations from the Pascal Trading Company and other Imperial trading companies.

Although he had pressured them to hand over Magitech weapons, he had shown a certain degree of respect by first proposing to purchase them at a reasonable price rather than demanding them for free.

His intention not to become enemies with Ferda was unmistakable.

Ferda had no choice but to accept the proposal.

As long as it wasn’t the Mana Stone manufacturing technology, he could give up the monopoly at any time.

"Olivia...."

Ferda carefully uttered the four-syllable name.

He roughly knew that she had not been killed, but had instead been imprisoned by someone.

Ferda had assumed that Valdemar was behind it all, and that the entire usurpation was a play born from his ugly desires.

But his assumption had been wrong.

Valdemar had also learned only later that Olivia was a fake, and although he informed the Emperor of this fact, the Emperor stated that he would not take any action.

Valdemar then killed that Emperor and became the highest authority.

It might have been an act, but judging from the circumstances, it was something Valdemar could never have done.

He had pulled himself up as quickly as possible, only to walk the path of a man heading toward his own downfall.

Like a piece of oil-soaked firewood that burns brighter than anything else for an instant, only to become white ashes immediately afterward.

His foolish and hasty actions left Ferda with no choice but to conclude that Olivia had been imprisoned by the Demon Race.

That was when Ferda began to worry.

If Valdemar had imprisoned her, at least he could have been certain that she was still alive and unharmed.

But after hearing that she had fallen into the hands of the Demon Race, he could no longer tell whether she was alive or dead.

Especially considering the recent atrocities committed by the Demon Race, he was deeply troubled by what might have happened to her mentally.

If she were to become trapped by something like Trauma...

Would she really be able to endure the illusions those horrible things showed her?

When they reunited, would Olivia still truly be the Olivia he knew?

It bothered him.

Normally, being bothered by something like this would not have affected him much, but now he could not feel at ease.

Valdemar’s words seemed to whisper to Ferda once again.

—That girl is in love with you.

Ferda denied it.

Perhaps the word "in love" carried some other meaning, but that did not seem to fit the current situation.

Olivia and I are partners.

The only difference between them was their gender. Aside from that, there were no feelings between them.

At least, that was how Ferda saw it.

But what about Olivia?

Could he really say that she had the exact same feelings toward him?

Ferda recalled Olivia when they had first met.

She was extraordinarily beautiful, and she maintained her appearance like a perfectly crafted mask.

What about Olivia now...?

There was no change in the fact that she was beautiful.

However, he had sensed that the thing forming her mask was somewhat different from that of other people.

He was certain of it.

Her mask was gradually beginning to crack.

Ferda did not know why her mask was breaking.

Was she showing her trust because he was a companion she trusted?

Or was she revealing her emotions because, as Valdemar had said, she was in love with him?

Or is she simply trying to drive a wedge between us?

It felt as though he were trapped in a thick fog.

There was one thing that had become certain because of those words.

Even if this matter passed without incident, there would be no way for him and Olivia to return to the relationship they had before.

"Regent, shouldn’t we be leaving now?"

Garnet urged him.

After hearing reports that swords were being brandished everywhere, they could not afford to sit around leisurely like this.

Ferda answered with a nod.

If he was going to sit here blankly anyway, he thought he might as well do his thinking on the way home.

"Understood."

Ferda climbed into the carriage.

And on the way home, he came up with one possible solution.

***

On the road back to Valdrova Castle, Ferda’s army traveled beneath the night sky.

It was the darkest night of the month, when the New Moon appeared.

Without letting the others notice, Ferda slipped out of the tent in the form of a shadow.

The sentries guarding the surroundings did not let down their vigilance, but their abilities were nowhere near enough to detect Ferda’s concealment technique.

Not wanting to disturb their senses, Ferda moved as far away from the camp as possible before returning to his original form deep within the complicated forest.

This should be far enough.

He restored his body, which had melted into shadow, back to its original form.

The moment he was about to catch his breath, Ferda sensed a presence.

A group of eyes that seemed to swallow the moonlight and emit it back was staring at him.

Goblins.

—Kikik?

They seemed bewildered by the sudden appearance of a human.

Ferda’s eyes could see as clearly as daylight even in places without light.

Those eyes surveyed the condition of the goblins.

They were firmly armed with plows, shovels, and pitchforks as though they were weapons.

Weapons they obtained by raiding human settlements.

Red blood and torn scraps of clothing clung to the sharp metal edges.

And they must have used those weapons to harm their owners.

Ferda raised his eyes and stared at the goblins.

The goblin caught in his gaze reflexively raised its weapon and screamed.

—Kikek!!

—Kekekek!!

They shrieked hysterically and charged at Ferda, trying to kill him.

They had foolishly rushed forward without even knowing that Ferda was strong.

Ferda raised his hand.

—Kuh...?!

The rampaging goblins suddenly fell silent all at once.

More than forty goblins were simultaneously bound tightly by black masses.

They struggled desperately to break free, but they did not possess enough strength to shake them off.

All that was permitted to them was silence and helpless observation.

In the dark forest, where even the moon above could barely be seen, a pair of blue moons appeared clearly.

Those blue moons raised a hand and clenched it into a fist.

Crack!

Crack-crack!

The sound of bones breaking rang out all at once, as though a detonator had been triggered.

Their necks snapped, and their hearts ruptured.

When the restraints were released, the bodies collapsed onto the ground one after another, and silence returned.

Ferda looked down at the goblins that had become corpses.

Then he examined his own emotional state.

These things deserved to die.

By examining their condition, Ferda knew.

They had raided human settlements, stolen farming tools, and used those tools as weapons to slaughter all of their owners.

If he had been an ordinary human, he would naturally have mourned the deaths of his fellow humans and killed these creatures out of anger and a desire for revenge.

But that wasn’t what I felt...

The thought that had first occurred to Ferda when he saw them was somewhat different.

The reason they died was incredibly simple.

They were just noisy.

They had simply been making noise around here.

He simply did not want the situation in which he had secretly slipped away to be ruined.

He had not felt even the slightest emotion toward the dead.

Ferda had always been like that.

—You’re too rough, Oppa.

A chilling coldness belatedly touched his skin, accompanied by the smell of sulfur.

A sticky, filthy sensation whispered directly into his ear.

Ferda uttered her name.

"Sitri."

—What a surprise. I was sneaking up behind you like this, and you didn’t notice me at all.

"That’s bullshit."

Ferda said so, but Sitri was right.

Until just moments ago, Ferda had been lost in thought and had failed to sense her presence.

If she had harbored even the slightest hostility, he would have been completely defenseless.

Sitri smiled with her eyes and stepped in front of Ferda.

True to the Demon of Lust and Illusion, who was most honest about her desires, her clothing was still vulgar.

—The reason you’re being this defenseless must be because of Olivia, that young lady, right?

"You know."

—She’s been captured by the Demon Race, so you must be terribly worried about her. I understand.

She casually leaked the first piece of information.

Ferda knew that it was a huge bait.

Sitri already knew that even though he recognized it as bait, he had no choice but to bite.

So Ferda got straight to the point.

"Tell me Olivia’s location."

—No~pe.

Sitri’s index finger traced Ferda’s chin.

—Should I be honest? Now, I’ve started thinking that I actually want something dangerous to happen to that girl.

"Are you saying you don’t care if I destroy your Life Vessel? Do you think I’m incapable of doing even that?"

Ferda’s eyes stared coldly at her.

—To destroy my Life Vessel, you’d have to kill Penelope. Do you think you could do that?

"I could do it and then some."

—Considering the mess you’ve been making, it’s amazing she’s still alive.

Even as she spoke as though she understood, she never stopped smiling leisurely.

—I hope you won’t take this the wrong way. I don’t underestimate you, Oppa. You’re the most demonic human I’ve ever known. But now you’re saying you don’t care what happens to my Life Vessel?

"That’s a pathetic bluff."

—And what if it isn’t?

For Ferda, it was unimaginable.

Just as humans clung desperately to life, demons clung desperately to their status.

A Life Vessel, which could be considered the source of a demon’s power, was one of the few tools capable of controlling them.

And for a demon like her—one who was even a Great Demon of Hell—to willingly abandon her own Life Vessel?

The moment she gave it up, she would fall into a state lower than a maggot.

It was unbelievable that she could simply not care.

—I swear on my name that I really can do that.

Sitri swore upon her own name.

It meant that she was not merely testing the waters.

Knowing the meaning of that oath, Ferda was almost bewildered.

"Why?"

Ferda asked her.

—A femme fatale. Apparently, that’s what they call a woman so beautiful that she could bring a nation to ruin?

The Most Beautiful Woman in the Empire. The Most Beautiful Woman on the Continent. A femme fatale.

Throughout all of history, there had never been anyone who could compare to Olivia when it came to words describing beauty.

That was the Olivia known to the world.

—Honestly, I didn’t know why I was so attracted to Olivia. She really is beautiful, and I do find her desirable... But I thought that even if I had to search for her again over the course of several centuries, that would be enough, you know?

She spoke with an expression filled with delight.

—There was a reason for that attraction. When I heard that that Ureas bastard had transformed into such a disgusting form, I finally understood.

Ureas had transformed into a form similar to Amon’s, killed Count Rooster, and even attempted to kill Ferda.

—Let’s make a deal. I’ll tell Oppa something very interesting.

"What I need is—"

—Not Olivia’s location. I told you, just the fact that she’s there is enough to make me willing to give up my life.

Sitri interrupted him, leaving Ferda speechless.

She smiled with her eyes as though she found him adorable.

"Don’t be too disappointed. It’ll be a very good indicator of whether Oppa should save that girl or give up on her."

Ferda hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"What do you want?"

—Tell me about yourself.

"About me?"

—Yeah.

Sitri continued.

—I mean, I’ve seduced and dealt with countless humans throughout my life, but I’ve never met anyone as fascinating as Oppa. You put a collar around a Great Demon’s neck and control her, don’t you?

"......"

—Being captivated by an attractive human like Oppa is an incredibly pleasant thing. But still... For some reason, I can’t stand the fact that there are things I can’t understand.

Sitri leaned her face closer.

At that moment, the appearance of the Great Demon Sitri changed into that of Olivia.

Then she quietly embraced Ferda’s body and whispered.

—Tell me. How did you know that Penelope, that bitch, had my Life Vessel?

Having one’s Life Vessel stolen was a humiliation for a demon.

And to suffer such a thing while holding the status of a Great Demon was truly a devastating blow.

It was impossible that some random human who had suddenly appeared could have figured it out so suddenly.

Ferda answered.

"Barbatos told me."

—Lie.

The answer came like a knife.

—I don’t know what kind of bullshit you’re going to say next, Oppa, so let me tell you this in advance. Do you know what we Great Demons call Barbatos among ourselves?

She answered herself.

—A phantom.

"A phantom?"

—That’s right. We’ve never seen him even once. He’s called the embodiment of shadows and secrecy, but none of us Great Demons have ever seen him. He’s a being whose traces cannot be found even if we search every corner of the end of the Abyss. A being that never existed in Hell suddenly appears and gives you advice? Don’t you think that makes no sense?

Excitement seeped into Sitri’s voice.

She opened her mouth like a snake that had found its prey right in front of it.

—I’ll give you one last chance. Tell me who you really are, Oppa.

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