I Married the Dragon I Killed

Morning arrived indifferently with the rising sun.

Everyone who had participated in the meeting at Castle Valdrova began acting based on the measures they had established during the night.

Isabella rang the alarm bell located in the center of Hestia Village and officially declared a state of war.

The cheerful day before scattered like a midsummer night’s dream.

And the nightmare began.

Even so, Isabella did not try to spread panic indiscriminately.

She simply informed the population that the current situation required caution.

The cooperation of the adventurers who remained in the village proceeded smoothly under Erika’s leadership.

“The legendary adventurer Eri is here?”

“Of course we have to take part!”

Although Perda did not know it, Erika—or rather Eri—was a legendary figure even among adventurers.

Throughout the world she was known as the Great Sage Eri or Eri Golden Hands.

Her fame came from the fact that even a Bronze-rank adventurer could rise to Gold rank after passing through her guidance.

‘After all, she was one of the twelve members of the expedition that defeated the Demon King.’

Her experience, wisdom, and improvisational ability were more than proven.

The fact that such a legendary figure had become the head of the Far East Adventurers’ Guild branch was enough to ignite the enthusiasm of those who admired her.

Then Perda, feeling curious, asked Isabella.

“Has she resigned from the position of Master of the Blue Eyes Tower?”

“Probably not. The situation has not stabilized yet, so she could not afford to act that irresponsibly.”

Then how exactly did it work?

He was curious, but decided not to worry about it too much.

After all, she was a Dragon Spawn who had lived far longer than he had.

While Erika persuaded the adventurers, Olivia gathered the nobles inside the castle and began convincing them.

There was no better cure for a hangover.

Even the young nobles who were not yet fully sober regained their senses the moment they heard that they could die.

“S-Shouldn’t we escape as soon as possible?”

“I… I think I should leave right now…”

Some immediately began thinking about fleeing.

Chaos erupted within seconds.

Controlling them was Olivia’s task.

“Everyone! Please calm yourselves and listen to me!”

Olivia’s beautiful voice echoed throughout the hall.

The charisma of an Imperial Princess captivated everyone present.

“Currently, the Far East is isolated. If we panic and flee now, that will mean a loss of strength. And not only a loss of strength! We will also lose our hope of overcoming this crisis!”

Her words made them understand that panic would only make them lose even more.

Little by little, they began to calm down.

“Now is not the time to run, but to unite. Do you know why wild wolves can rarely bring down a cow easily? Because cows always stay together. Even if each of your individual strength is small, united you can become the light that guides us and the spear that pierces through this adversity. So…”

Tears began to run down Olivia’s cheeks.

“Please… so that this land… so that the continent of Serdes… is not swallowed by darkness…! Lend us your strength…!”

The tears of an Imperial Princess.

That sincerity was enough to move everyone.

“As inhabitants of the same continent of Serdes, we cannot stand by and do nothing!”

“She is right! We will only survive if we remain united!”

Acceptance spread like wildfire across a dry autumn field.

“Thank you! Thank you all so much!”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Olivia left the scene barely supporting herself with the help of others.

However, the moment she stepped off the stage, she wiped away her tears with her thumb.

“Fuuu.”

All the moisture vanished from her voice as if it were a parched desert.

A victorious smile appeared on her face.

With a shrewd expression, she asked Perda.

“What did you think of my speech?”

“…Magnificent.”

She had not merely asked the Empire for help.

She had guided everyone into acting as inhabitants of the continent of Serdes.

That way, they would no longer be reinforcements sent by the Empire, but people fulfilling their natural duty as members of Serdes.

That meant that even if they later demanded rewards, the scale of those demands would be far smaller.

She understood the situation.

She understood the masses.

And she also understood herself perfectly.

‘How could a woman like her break her own plan and do something so impulsive that day?’

For a moment he considered asking her.

But he remained silent.

After all, that incident had ended up benefiting him.

And this was not the time for pointless arguments.

Now they had to capitalize on the momentum.

“What will you do next?”

“I will organize a strategic competition to select the supreme commander and chief of staff. Becoming supreme commander will be a great opportunity for social advancement.”

“It seems we are not the only ones trying to turn this crisis into an opportunity.”

“If we could die anyway, then it is worth trying everything, don’t you think?”

Erika and Olivia had already fulfilled their respective roles.

Now it was Perda’s turn to act.

So he went to find Vernell.

He was working frantically alongside the researchers and laborers of the castle.

“We have managed to increase the efficiency of the magic stones by 25%. We have also reduced mana loss. In practical terms, the actual performance increase is 20.32%, a little more than one-fifth.”

The incident at Hallim seemed to have served as motivation.

The progress was astonishing.

Perda picked up one of the crystals.

Compared to the first versions, the shape was becoming increasingly refined and the interior had become much clearer.

“How many shots can a single magic stone fire?”

“If we adjust the power, two shots.”

“And how many rifles and magic stones do we have?”

“At present we have 150 magitech rifles and 520 magic stones to use with them. Since each stone allows two shots after adjusting the power, that gives us a total of 1,040 projectiles.”

“That means that if every shot hits, we can kill 1,040 monsters.”

That was not exactly encouraging.

“We have little time left. Can we increase production?”

“The rifles can be manufactured somehow. The problem is the magic stones.”

“How many more can you produce?”

“Based on available materials, three hundred at most.”

Magic stones were produced by processing monsters.

They obtained them through the Pascal Company.

But now that supply chain had been cut off.

They could not produce any more.

‘So the limit is 1,600 shots.’

Wasn’t there a better solution?

As he looked at the magitech rifle created by Vernell, Perda asked him.

“Out of curiosity…”

“Yes.”

“Could I recharge this rifle myself with my own mana and fire it?”

After all, it was still mana.

He thought it might work.

However, Vernell’s answer was negative.

“It is not possible. The mechanism only works with magic stones.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Mana crystals can store mana and release it later. But magic stones do not work that way, right? They operate through a type of mana and a principle that humans cannot reproduce.”

“So the magical power we use and the power contained within magic stones are fundamentally different things.”

“Exactly.”

Though, come to think of it.

If both forms had been identical or similar, it would have been possible to transform it into a form capable of using Waste Mana.

Then, suddenly, he thought of the distant future.

‘How was the revival of magitech even possible?’

The extraction of magic stones was possible thanks to the existence of monsters.

This was not an era like the present one, where monsters were abundant everywhere.

Naturally, the resources that could be obtained were limited.

Perda let his imagination wander.

Had Vernell illegally bred and slaughtered monsters on a massive scale?

‘Could it be that Vernell was also trying to overthrow this continent…?’

Perda quickly shook his head.

He erased that useless speculation from his mind.

It was disrespectful to suspect someone outside his field using baseless assumptions.

‘I should have investigated more thoroughly.’

He cursed the days he had wasted focusing only on useless anger and returned to reality.

He had to prepare for the war that was approaching.

“For now, focus first on processing the magic stones. We need to find an immediate use for them.”

“Understood.”

It was necessary to deploy soldiers equipped with magitech.

One hundred and sixty rifles.

That meant they could equip one hundred and sixty magitech soldiers.

‘No. Not even one hundred and sixty.’

Using crossbowmen as a reference, they always carried an additional crossbow as a spare.

Even stretching the situation, they could barely form one hundred soldiers.

One hundred soldiers.

One thousand six hundred bullets.

One thousand six hundred monsters if every shot hit.

It would be wonderful if everything worked out so perfectly.

But Perda was not optimistic.

In his entire life, optimism had never been of any help to him.

“Lord Regent.”

As if to prove it, Isabella appeared.

“We have already distributed all war supplies and completed support for the camps.”

“Good work.”

The Spring Commencement Festival was a celebration that prayed for the abundance of the new season.

Spring was the beginning of life.

But ironically, it was also the poorest time of the year.

However, thanks to the region’s characteristics and the provisions prepared for the festival, they had accumulated an enormous amount of food.

That was why they could respond to the sudden increase in mouths to feed.

If another territory had faced this situation, it would have been a true disaster.

‘Calculating it simply, we have enough provisions for more than a month.’

But it did not seem that Isabella had come only to deliver that report.

The proof was that her hair was disheveled.

Normally she was always immaculate.

If she had reached that state, it meant there was a problem even she could not solve.

Forcing apart her dry lips, Isabella spoke.

“However, a problem has arisen.”

Just as he expected.

“Drinking water.”

“Has something happened to the canal system?”

“Yes.”

Isabella unfolded a map.

It was a diagram created after she became administrator, where she had recorded the flow of all important resources.

“If you look here, our primary water source comes from the north.”

“That’s right.”

“The monsters have blocked that route, and we have also confirmed that the water supply has been contaminated.”

Now he understood why her hair was so disordered.

It was the worst possible situation.

“And what measures were taken?”

“It seems the Blue Eyes have already acted. To prevent the contamination from spreading, they diverted the river away from the affected area.”

“That is good news.”

At least they had prevented secondary damage.

But they still faced a water shortage.

“What about groundwater?”

“There is still water in the reservoirs. If we purify it properly, we will be able to drink it, but it will only last a week at most.”

“We’ll have to ration it.”

One week.

In war, surrounding a fortress and laying siege to it was commonplace.

It was a struggle to see who surrendered first.

That method caused less damage and was the most efficient.

The current situation, surrounded by monsters, was even more effective than any human siege.

Because they had attacked the most important resource of all.

Water.

They had contaminated the water necessary for human survival and cut off the lifeline.

‘And all the distributed provisions are preserved dry foods…’

Having been dehydrated as much as possible, they required more water than usual.

They needed a solution.

“What if we use water magic to replenish it?”

“Even if we gathered all the mages and cast water creation spells, it would barely be enough for the nobles inside the castle. In a situation like this, what would truly be useful is rain cloud magic. But except in the far south, using it consumes the lifespan of the territory, so it must be used with caution.”

“Because it manipulates the climate…”

Water creation magic was not enough.

And the problem with weather magic was its enormous side effect.

It could cause a severe drought during the summer, precisely when they would need water the most.

The southern regions, accustomed to torrential rains or extreme droughts, were the exception.

Missing a few meals was not a major issue.

But water was different.

Perda’s decision had become extremely important.

If they created rain clouds, they would consume the lifespan of the territory.

If they chose a rapid resolution, they were still unprepared.

And the one who could solve the situation was Iorga, but if she intervened, their ability to exercise autonomy would diminish.

‘Do I have to solve this in a week instead of a month…?’

It was brutal.

He was beginning to wonder whether it was truly possible to solve this using only human means.

He thought for a long time.

Then he opened his eyes.

‘We have to find water.’

Whether it was dirty water or sewage water, if it could be purified, it could be drunk.

Perda examined the map spread out by Isabella.

The original water routes were marked with blue lines.

And a similar blue line caught his attention.

“There’s another water source here.”

“There is, but…”

Isabella’s reaction was uncomfortable.

Only after pointing at it did Perda understand the problem.

The source lay deep within the Demon Lands.

In other words, it was contaminated water filled with impurities similar to Waste Mana.

Even someone like Perda, who was willing to seek out any type of water, could not cheerfully say, “It’s still a water source.”

What would happen if someone drank it?

The Waste Mana would twist the molecules inside the body.

The person would lose their humanity and transform into something close to a Melted.

It was not merely a disease.

It was a lethal mutation.

That was why the Blue Eyes had diverted the river even without receiving any request.

“Lord Regent.”

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Isabella spoke cautiously.

“I fear this is no longer something we can solve by ourselves. We still have time. What do you think about formally requesting aid from the Lorga?”

“……”

Perda felt himself beginning to lean toward that option as well.

If only he possessed some extraordinary ability to resolve the situation.

But he was nothing more than an ordinary human.

‘If only water could suddenly spring from the ground…’

But reality would never be that simple.

They needed a solution.

“Uh… Lord Regent…”

While he was thinking, Vernell spoke up.

“What is it?”

“What we need is drinkable water, correct? And the situation has reached the point where we even need the water from the Demon Lands.”

“That’s right.”

After hearing that, Vernell fell into deep thought.

Then he raised his head, as if he had found a clue.

And held up three fingers.

“Three days.”

“…?”

“Just give me three days. I’ll find a solution without fail!”

Isabella looked at him irritably.

“You’re saying you can solve this problem?”

“I-I can’t guarantee it. But we only have a week. And if we’re in a situation where we have to gamble, then I want you to give me a little time!”

Even Isabella, a Dragon Spawn of the Lorga whose attribute was water, looked at him with obvious skepticism.

That was why Perda hesitated over whether he should really entrust the matter to him.

However, he suppressed his impatience and thought a little longer.

‘Now that I think about it…’

Perda had forgotten who Vernell really was.

He was not a man who made weapons.

He was a man who wished to offer a better life to ordinary people.

“I’ll trust you.”

When the entire future of the territory was at stake, there was no turning back.

Perda decided to trust the people he himself had chosen and recruited.

Vernell ran off at full speed as if every second mattered.

Watching his back disappear into the distance, Isabella asked,

“Do you really think that magitech engineer can solve this?”

“I’m not certain.”

But Perda knew, at least in part, who Vernell would become in the future.

He was the pioneer of magitech.

The man who would spark a technological revolution.

The reason he created magic stones was to improve the lives of the people.

Instead of rifles, he developed agricultural tools and machines capable of performing work too difficult for ordinary people and too insignificant for mages.

Perhaps that improvement in quality of life was also connected to the treatment of contaminated water.

Vernell had always been strong in times of crisis.

Perda had no choice but to trust his intuition.