I Married the Dragon I Killed

Chapter 9. Like a Deep Lake

After Tesalos Welcher died, all the lords boarded their carriages and left.

The only ones remaining in the assembly hall were Ruri and Ferda.

“You were truly remarkable.”

Looking up at Ferda, Ruri clapped her small hands.

“You’ve clearly demonstrated who holds the upper hand today. Incredible. Your political skills are beyond artistic—an actual masterpiece.”

Then, with both hands, she raised her thumbs, performing what one might call a “double thumbs-up.”

Ferda, however, was suffering from the aftereffects of mana exhaustion, which brought on a headache.

Massaging his temple lightly with his fingers, he replied,
“It was an unintended outcome.”

“Even if it wasn’t your intention, it turned out that way. So, what’s your plan now?”

“What are you referring to?”

Ruri frowned as if questioning whether that was even a legitimate question.

“You just killed a noble. Even with the prestige of the Crown Prince supporting you, this will undoubtedly spark controversy.”

“Will it?”

Ferda thought back to what had happened around him and asked,
“It’s been rather quiet for something supposedly problematic. Are you saying there’s an issue?”

“Who would be foolish enough to point out the obvious when there’s a sword dance happening right in front of them?”

“Hmm… is that so?”

The matter had been handled so smoothly that Ferda hadn’t even realized he’d committed a grave crime.

Hearing this, Ferda slowly began to recognize that he should feel at least a bit troubled.

Seeing Ferda’s demeanor, Ruri let out a small sigh and continued,
“Moreover, the victim was one of the lords already loyal to Valdrova. This is going to be far more than just ‘a bit of trouble.’”

“Was he an upright man?”

“Moderately upright, moderately corrupt—a decent man. And such decency, in the far eastern region, is considered the hallmark of the most loyal subject.”

“So I’ve killed the most loyal subject with my own hands. That will make my engagement a risk, will not it?

“Obviously.”

Somehow, this felt intentional.

It became clear why Ruri’s eyes were twinkling.

Contrary to her expectations, Ferda scratched his cheek and replied,
“The engagement will proceed as planned. Unless someone can present a compelling reason for why it shouldn’t.”

“That’s true, but… how can you be so confident?”

As far as Ruri knew, Tesalos Welcher and Ferda had met for the first time today.
And yet Ferda was speaking as though he knew Tesalos better than her or the other lords, who had spent years around him.

*Why?*

*Because I already know.*

If Ferda’s memory was correct, Tesalos was likely still committing serious crimes even now.

“I’ll head to Welcher’s domain.”

“Are you saying you’ll dig up some dirt?”

“Don’t worry. The dirt’s piled up in mounds—you’ll understand when you see it.”

“Well, alright. But first…”

Ruri gestured with her finger toward Tesalos’ corpse.

Then, a string-like distortion pierced through Tesalos’ neck.

It cleanly severed the head.

Ruri wrapped the severed head in a cloth.

“Why are you taking that?”

“It’ll be necessary. No matter the reason for his death, he died because he did something wrong.”

Ferda nodded, understanding.

“So you’re going to mount it for display? Like one does with corrupt nobles?”

“Of course. Isn’t that obvious?”

“And yet you said he was the most loyal subject?”

“If you want the engagement to be annulled, do as you please. I’m fine with that.”

Ferda shut his mouth.

Despite everything, Ruri was ultimately helping Ferda.

—

…Welcher’s Domain
Located at the farthest eastern frontier, it was the territory most closely tied to the border army.

At the same time, it was also the place closest to Valdrova Castle.

“So the darkest place is right under the lamp, huh? It was here all along.”

Ferda murmured to himself.

His first encounter with Tesalos Welcher had been in the southern desert.

Before that, he never imagined Tesalos would be stationed at the eastern frontlines.

Upon arriving at the inner castle of Welcher’s domain, a butler came running out in a panic.

As expected of the butler of Welcher’s estate, he composed himself and greeted them politely.

“We are honored to welcome such esteemed guests to our humble abode. Regrettably, the master is currently away—”

“Ah, you don’t need to worry about that. The master is dead, after all.”

“…Pardon?”

The old butler looked at him in stunned silence.

“I said the master is dead. Now, let’s go inside. By the way, do you know where Tesalos Welcher’s research lab is located?”

“Th-that is… but more importantly, did you just say the master has been killed…?”

“Enough. It’s not something to be proud of, so it must’ve been hidden. I’ll find it myself.”

Ending the one-sided conversation, Ferda bypassed the butler and entered the castle.

The butler, still bewildered, stared after him.

Trailing behind, Ruri handed the butler the cloth bundle and pointed to the sky.

“Hang this where it’s clearly visible from the castle gates.”

“Excuse me? What is this…?”

Ruri also passed the butler and entered the castle.

Moments later, the old butler’s scream echoed loudly through the halls.

—

### Tesalos Welcher

A mage from a family exiled to the fringes due to political conflicts.

A family harboring as much hatred and inferiority as Ferda himself.

They say birds of a feather flock together—Ferda’s first ally had been Tesalos.

*Tesalos Welcher hated the Empire.*

He possessed the Red Circle and, as a result, was ostracized by the magical academia and exiled to the outskirts.

Fueled by a single determination to kill all the nobles who had banished him to the far eastern region, Tesalos poured himself into developing magic.

And what was the result?

*He succeeded, of course.*

Though success was all he achieved.

*I never actually saw the magic.*

Before Tesalos could even use the magic—or even give it an official name—he was killed by Ferda.

Just like today, without ever understanding why.

*Now that I think about it, why did I kill him back then?*

Ferda couldn’t recall.

It wasn’t strange.

At that time, Ferda had needed something—anything—to hate.

In his desperate bid to reach the sixth circle faster than anyone else, he had become a monster willing to kill even his benefactor.

*Well, it doesn’t matter now.*

Ferda felt not a trace of hesitation.

Not because he deluded himself into believing he was righteous.

Only because Tesalos was undoubtedly someone who would have caused grief to his betrothed.

*Anyway, it must be here somewhere…*

Ferda meticulously searched Tesalos’ quarters.

The man had said he was dedicating his life to his research.

Even while playing the part of a loyal subject, he must have concealed his sinister intentions.

As Ferda searched, he eventually found something.

“Here it is.”

It was beneath the bed.

The tiles beneath the bed were not tightly aligned, and from between the gaps, an unnatural flow of energy seeped out.

“He hid a secret space under the bed.”

“Are you going to open it?”

“I am. Let me find the switch—hold on…”

*Bang!*

Before Ferda could finish his sentence, a loud crashing sound rang out.

Turning his head, he saw that the bed had been split in two, and the hidden door beneath it had also been smashed open.

Ruri was dusting off her tiny fists and said,

“Why bother looking for a switch?”

“…”

It was a remarkably crude method, but there was no reason not to do it.

With that, Ruri and Ferda descended the stairs leading to the basement.

As it grew darker, a faint smell of blood and iron wafted up to meet them.

“It’s the smell of demonic beast blood.”

“You can tell? You’ve got a nose like a bloodhound.”

“Don’t compare me to such an inferior creature.”

“Sorry about that. But that loyalty of yours reminds me of a dog.”

“…Are you picking a fight?”

Ruri glared at him, but Ferda didn’t even flinch.

Eventually, the stairs ended, and Ferda and Ruri stepped into a new space.

“This is…”

Their brows furrowed instinctively.

A mage’s lab is always a mess, filled with bizarre objects and peculiar sights—it’s practically a given.

Sometimes, you have to steel yourself for scenes painted in blood.

But Tesalos Welcher’s lab went beyond what could be excused as “typical.”

It was grotesque, even by those standards, and incredibly cruel.

Anyone with a weak stomach would’ve thrown up on the spot, but Ruri and Ferda remained unfazed.

*Though the smell still gets to you,* Ferda thought, holding his nose with his finger and waiting for his sense of smell to adjust.

Ruri looked up at a corpse and grimaced.

“So this is what they mean by ‘darkness under the lamp.’”

A dead soldier and a demonic beast lay side by side on a bed.

Their stomachs were slit open, purple guts from the beast and red entrails from the human stitched together with string.

“Who would’ve thought the lord we trusted most was a demon worshiper?”

Demon worshipers.

They’re people who, for 150 years since the fall of the Black Dragon Godwin and the ensuing War of Dragons and Demons, have followed demons and sought to harness their power.

“Did you not see this coming?”

“I know mages tend to be a bit shady. Their shady side often correlates with their skills, so we tolerate it to a certain extent. But…”

Ruri’s silver eyes brimmed with disgust and a sense of betrayal.

“I never imagined he’d have such a disgusting hobby as stitching together the guts of demonic beasts and humans.”

But betrayal hurts the most when you’ve trusted someone.

“Humans are all the same, after all.”

Being a Dragon Spawn, Ruri never had much trust in humans.

So for her, it was easy to dismiss her feelings and move on.

What mattered now was figuring out what Tesalos had been trying to achieve with such a twisted hobby.

Ruri noticed manuscripts scattered across a writing desk.

Her sharp eyes scanned the pages quickly, and at the end of it, she scoffed.
“What an absolute psycho.”

“What is it?”

“He was trying to use demonic beast DNA to enhance mana. That’s what he was researching.”

“Was he now?”

“Care to take a look?”

Ruri handed Ferda the first page of the manuscript.

He skimmed through the outline, and the memories started coming back to him.

*Right. He was trying to create undead creatures that resembled demonic beasts.*

Necromancy, a branch of black magic, tends to split into two extremes:
You either make one powerful monster or countless weak ones.

Necromancers are either overwhelming with numbers or relying on quality, making them one of the easiest types of mages to counter and defeat.

*He was trying to combine the toughness of demonic beasts with the numbers of the undead.*

If he had succeeded, it could have been the ultimate magic for mass-producing elite soldiers for the Empire.

*But that wasn’t what I was interested in.*

What had drawn Ferda’s attention back then wasn’t the magic itself, but the mana cultivation technique developed to use it.

Demonic beasts constantly generate mana.

*Though it’s defective mana that can’t be used for anything.*

Demonic beasts grow stronger by feeding on the massive amounts of mana they produce.

*But if that production could be replicated to extract pure mana…*

Even those deemed talentless could reach the 4th Circle and become full-fledged mages the moment they mastered it.

Thanks to the results of that research, Ferda had reached not only the 6th Circle but also surpassed the Archmage level to attain the 8th Circle.

Ferda glanced again at the outline on the page.
*If I research this…*

He’d be able to gather the materials needed to reach the 8th Circle faster than usual, and breaking through circles would also become much easier.

*No doubt about it.*

It was possible.

He could achieve it—maybe even several times faster.

As Ferda stared intently at the outline, Ruri stared just as intently at Ferda.

*He’s human, so of course he’d be tempted.*

Ruri’s deep-seated disdain for humans resurfaced as she watched him.

Making someone else grieve was just an excuse.

Ferda must’ve killed Tesalos just to steal this research for himself.

*All humans lie.*

They’re foolish creatures, happy or sad, all because of the lies they tell themselves.

Knowing they lie makes betrayal unnecessary.

*But still…*

Why does this man feel different?

Unlike with Tesalos, her chest felt heavier this time.

*Is it because I want to believe in him?*

Ruri bit her lip, frustrated at herself for even thinking that way.

Trying to shake off her thoughts, she directly asked Ferda,

“So, what are you going to do with it?”

“Do with what?”

“The research. You could continue it if you wanted. Isn’t that what all mages say? That it’d be a waste to let it go.”

*It’s a waste, so you continue it.*

Such a simple logic, one that doesn’t even require lengthy justification.

It’s just how mages think when pursuing knowledge.

But Ferda’s answer was different from that of other mages.

“No.”

He handed the page back to Ruri.

“Burn it all.”

“Burn… all of it?”

For a moment, Ruri’s usual blank expression cracked.

She hadn’t expected this at all.

She thought he’d hesitate at least a little, but his answer was razor-sharp.

“Didn’t I tell you? I hate making the Crown Princess sad.”

“And for that, you’re going to destroy this research? Do you realize how valuable this could be? It could make you insanely powerful!”

“Power is great and all.”

Ferda nodded.

“But if that power ends up bringing sadness to my fiancée, then what’s the point?”

Still, Ferda’s eyes weren’t those of an ordinary mage.

The calm, blue eyes reflected a still, pure lake devoid of greed.

“…”

“Why are you just staring at me like that?”

“I’m just wondering if you’re really okay with this.”

“I’m okay with it.”

A blue flame flickered at Ruri’s fingertips.

It was pure fire, created by converting mana into flame.

If she threw it, the papers would ignite in an instant.

As she stared into the flames, Ruri glanced up at Ferda.

“…Don’t regret it later, okay?”

“I won’t.”

As Ferda wished, Ruri burned all the research.

The lab, along with the grotesque corpses used for the experiments, was consumed by blue flames, turning to ash.

*It burns well.*

Ferda quietly watched the flames.

If he had invested a few months, Ferda could’ve completed the magic for sure.

After all, he had already helped Tesalos develop it once and had even mastered it himself before.

Yet Ferda abandoned it for a simple reason:

*Every magic reflects the caster’s emotions and character.*

And as the saying goes, “You are who you associate with.”

The caster inevitably adopts the traits of the magic, leading to their corruption.

That’s why forbidden magic exists and why dark magic should never be practiced.

*And that magic is rooted in anger and hatred.*

Tesalos hated the Empire.

Mastering that magic would surely trap Ferda in anger and hatred that wasn’t his own.

*So it must be abandoned.*

He wasn’t going to let himself be consumed by trivial things.

Instead, he would value the person he was right now.

Twisted desires turned to ash and scattered into nothingness.

With a heart as clear as a serene lake, Ferda smiled.
“It really… burns well.”

Ruri stared at him as he murmured to himself.

Her evaluation of Ferda was this:

*An unpredictable psycho.*

And she added one more thing.

*On top of that, a masochist.*

What a bizarre combination, she thought.

As the uncomfortable feeling deepened, her expression grew increasingly grim.