I Married the Dragon I Killed

Crown Prince Alexander Arken was furious.

The aide who had delivered the report answered once more, completely intimidated.

“That’s correct. The knights attempted to attack the flank to break the enemy’s momentum, but they ended up isolated…”

“How can that be…?”

How could they have been defeated in such a stupid way?

No matter how much he thought about it, Alexander could not understand it.

The strategists listened and murmured among themselves.

“Even the tactics that had worked against the northern barbarians, who are famous for their bravery, turned out to be completely useless…”

“It was an operation that had more than a ninety percent chance of success…”

The strategists spoke as if they bore no responsibility whatsoever.

Alexander replied with an irritated expression.

“And the enemy’s losses?”

“They are estimated at three thousand… although two thousand five hundred were Melteds.”

“Then at least there were results, weren’t there? Right?”

“……”

“Why aren’t you answering?! Stop hesitating and answer me!”

“It’s just that… the Melteds are practically masses of flesh. The real main force consisted of the beast-type monsters…”

Killing piles of flesh was meaningless.

What mattered were the beast-shaped monsters.

And while only five hundred of them had died, the Empire had lost eighty thousand men.

It was enough to drive anyone insane.

Eighty thousand people, including non-combat personnel.

They had sent an entire legion.

How was it possible that they had all failed so badly?

That strategy had been designed by the Empire’s greatest minds and approved by all the relevant departments.

However, the result was due to the fact that they had treated the monsters as nothing more than slightly stronger beasts.

Furthermore, they had possessed more than four times the enemy’s numbers and two and a half times as many combat troops.

Naturally, they had expected a crushing victory.

Alexander gritted his teeth and ordered the aide.

“Send reinforcements. Crush them with numbers! Order the Second and Third Legions to reformulate their anti-monster tactics and dispatch reinforcements immediately.”

“We can prepare the reinforcements, but…”

That weak response was the final straw.

Alexander grabbed a piece from the strategy board and threw it at the aide’s head.

“What’s the problem?! Huh?! Are you telling me that a capital with thirty million inhabitants can’t replace those losses?!”

“It’s just that… all the commanders who were supposed to lead the reinforcements… are bedridden.”

Alexander was speechless.

“They’re all bedridden?! Does that even make sense?!”

“After receiving news of the annihilation, we immediately attempted to contact them… but they all reported that they were recovering in their residences. It appears to be an epidemic, so access to their homes has been restricted…”

An epidemic?

The same men who had been healthy and laughing that very morning?

It was obvious.

They had first heard the news that even an army of eighty thousand men had failed and had hidden themselves in their homes.

Because they did not want to die.

If eighty thousand had died, what could they possibly do?

They were simply washing their hands of the matter.

“Damn them… damn them…”

“Bunch of useless cowards!”

They boasted about bravery when it was easy to talk, but disappeared the moment they were truly needed.

His face turned from red to purple with rage, but he tried to restrain himself.

Getting angry would only hurt him further.

However, the situation remained merciless toward Alexander.

“News has arrived from the Far East forces.”

“And what have they done now?”

“They report that they have eliminated six giant monsters responsible for reproduction.”

Six at once?

Alexander was stunned.

But the messenger, unable to read the atmosphere, continued speaking enthusiastically.

“Since they encountered little resistance, they plan to divide their forces even further to pursue the monsters spreading toward the smaller villages.”

“They’re even going to pursue them…?”

“And they also requested that the message be delivered that they will eliminate the remaining six within three days.”

“In three days?”

It was absurd.

While elite legions were being slaughtered, a makeshift army was achieving incredible results.

For Alexander, it was impossible to accept.

“How many casualties did they suffer over there?”

Alexander calculated quickly.

About two thousand soldiers mobilized.

Facing hundreds of monsters.

At a minimum, they should have suffered fifty percent casualties.

One thousand dead.

Even if it were less, at least four hundred.

The messenger answered.

“Fifty.”

But his calculations failed spectacularly.

For a moment, he thought he had forgotten to add a zero.

But no.

“Fifty? Only fifty?”

“Yes. There were fifty casualties in total, of which only ten were deaths. They report that the overall situation is stable. Furthermore…”

Crash!

He could not continue.

Alexander had thrown a crystal goblet and split his head open.

“Get that bastard out of my sight!”

Eliminating giant monsters meant cutting off the supply of monsters.

And that news infuriated him even more than the death of eighty thousand men.

“If this continues… if this continues…”

Everything would end up being blamed on him.

And not only that.

Public opinion would begin calling him incompetent.

That was the real problem.

Failing was acceptable.

Being considered incompetent was not.

And for someone who already carried the reputation of being a useless Crown Prince, this was the worst possible situation imaginable.

Alexander squeezed every ounce of intelligence he possessed.

The legion had been defeated.

The commanders who were supposed to send reinforcements were pretending to know nothing.

If this continued, the entire operation would fall into the hands of the Second Prince.

The very same Second Prince who was already gathering mercenaries and forming his own army.

The moment the crisis ended and the political reckoning began, Alexander’s time within the Imperial Family would come to an end.

‘Olivia.’

My damned little sister.

The most beautiful woman of all.

So you’re trying to ruin me again?

‘The Empire…’

Alexander clenched his fist tightly.

His nails dug into his palm, and blood began to drip.

No matter what.

No matter what happened.

‘The Empire must become mine!’

With that thought, he abruptly stood up.

If it would solve this crisis, he was willing to sell even his soul to a demon.

“Your Highness! Where are you going?”

Ignoring the stunned strategists calling after him, Alexander continued walking.

Eventually, he arrived before a magnificent door located in the deepest part of the Imperial Palace.

That door had not been opened even once in fifteen years.

It looked like the kind of place where a demon might be sealed.

But what lay inside was not a demon.

It was something even more worthy of reverence than a demon.

An existence that not even the Crown Prince could control.

Everyone underestimated him.

But Alexander knew better than anyone that they should never do so.

Because he had learned that lesson in the most painful way possible.

That was why he approached with extreme caution and knocked on the door.

“Father.”

The only man he could call father was Emperor Godfrey Arken.

There was no response from the other side.

“It’s me. Alexander, Father’s son.”

He continued speaking while bowing his head submissively.

“The monsters are coming. I sent an army, but that army was annihilated, and now they are heading toward the Empire.”

“……”

“And now nobody wants to listen to me. If this continues, Ureas and Olivia will take everything.”

“……”

The silence that greeted him again made Alexander feel suffocated.

“Didn’t you always say it, Father? That Olivia was the best card you had. And now that card is moving on her own.”

“……”

“She undoubtedly intends to seize the political world just as you said. Are you going to let her do whatever she wants?”

No matter how many times he insisted, he received only silence in return. Finally, Alexander lost control.

“And you still call yourself a father?!”

He exploded and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“You never cared about me from the day I was born! You’re already old! If your son has reached adulthood, you should hand over the throne quietly! Do you intend to cling to it for decades more?!”

“……”

“The fact that I rebelled against you is already in the past! Isn’t everything you’ve put me through enough punishment already?! How much more do you have to torment your own son before you’re satisfied?! It’s not like you’re going to live forever! Damn you, you piece of—!”

Just as he was about to continue shouting, a note slid out from beneath the door.

It was a document as short as the space on the paper allowed.

Alexander read its contents, and a chill ran through his entire body.

To himself, he muttered,

‘I knew coming to this bastard was the right answer.’

People talked about his incompetence and all kinds of nonsense, but when it truly mattered, he always delivered.

Alexander grabbed the note and ran off.

The Crown Prince did not even thank him for that wisdom.

Meanwhile, the door to Emperor Godfrey Arken’s chambers remained firmly shut.

***

At dawn, Perda rode at the head of the soldiers.

The main strategy was to divide into two battalions and move ahead of the monsters’ route as they spread out, establishing defensive positions.

The sound of hooves striking the ground echoed like drums.

The horses had to keep moving without rest if they were to barely reach the first point in time.

After increasing their pace, the first location came into view.

The farmers who had come out early to inspect their fields looked confused.

Seeing the attire of Perda’s group, they realized these were important people and approached while removing their straw hats.

“You look like important people, but… what brings you here?”

“Has nothing happened here?”

“If you mean some sort of problem… nothing in particular has happened.”

Looks like we arrived ahead of schedule.

“Monsters! The monsters are coming!”

Correction. We arrived just in time.

Perda issued orders using voice-amplifying magic.

“The entire army! Defensive formation!”

Clank! Clank!

The synchronized sound of armor moving made their chests tremble.

Grrr! Grrr!

A farmer flinched as a wolf ran straight toward him.

A wolf monster had spotted him long ago and was chasing him.

It was impossible for an ordinary farmer to outrun a wolf.

There would be a casualty before he could even reach Perda’s defensive formation.

“Ruri.”

The moment he spoke her name, Ruri vanished.

She had already leaped high into the sky.

Gripping a massive axe with both hands, she drew it behind her head.

“Hup!”

Then she threw it.

BOOM!

“Aaaah!”

The vibration from the impact caused the farmer to fall forward.

He turned around to see what had happened.

The entire area had been devastated.

At the center lay the corpse of a monster bleeding purple blood.

A small figure descended onto the axe embedded in the ground.

As if it were nothing, she lifted the massive weapon and casually glanced at the farmer.

When her unsettling silver eyes met his, a chill ran down his spine.

“Run. Quickly, human.”

“Y-Yes!”

The farmer immediately ran again.

The wolf monsters did not dare move recklessly.

Though they knew no fear, for the first time they felt they were facing a superior being.

If she swung that axe, they would be cut down as easily as an autumn wheat field.

However, Ruri turned around and walked back.

The wolves could not understand her behavior.

But that brief hesitation quickly vanished, and they resumed following their instincts.

“Grr! Grr!”

The wolves charged at the knights holding the defensive line, beginning close combat.

“Hold the line, brothers! We’re behind you!”

“Don’t just stay behind us and help a little!”

The knights shouted while maintaining the line firmly.

The only mage present was Perda.

But that was enough.

Using the three Third Circle mages he had brought as mana reserves, he continuously received Mana Bolts from them.

Perda watched for the moment the wolf monsters attempted to attack and disrupted their movements, creating openings.

That was all.

But it was more than enough support.

The knights took advantage of every opening to drive their swords through the wolf monsters’ chests.

In the end, without relying on the traditional role of a mage, the knights managed to exterminate all the monsters.

“Uoooooh!”

“The victory is ours!”

They struck their plate armor while shouting triumphantly.

Perda’s First Pursuit Battalion consisted of a total of 108 men.

Five young nobles, their subordinates, and the forces of the young noblewomen were advancing together.

The Second Battalion consisted of 250 soldiers, an overwhelming difference of 142 men.

At first glance, it looked like an uneven distribution.

Yet nobody in the First Battalion complained.

They knew Ruri’s true strength.

Dressed in maid clothes and small in stature, she looked like an ordinary young woman.

But seeing her carry an axe much larger than her own body over her shoulder was incredibly reassuring.

Even though she had withdrawn to the rear, making the situation more dangerous, morale did not decrease.

Perda’s orders and support arrived exactly where they were needed.

Thanks to that, they defeated every monster without suffering a single casualty.

The young nobles who had fought on the battlefield puffed out their chests proudly.

“I don’t understand how the Imperial Army was annihilated.”

“I agree. These enemies are ridiculously easy.”

“Of course, without Regent Perda’s direction and support, it might have been impossible.”

And it was true.

Creating openings by staggering monsters with as little mana as Perda used was not a skill just anyone could imitate.

‘Because I fought alone many times while trying to capture them alive.’

He had learned where their weak points were.

And that knowledge remained unchanged even with the passage of time.

In any case, they had protected the village without relying on a Dragon Spawn.

That was what mattered.

The villagers, who would have become food for the monsters had they arrived only a little later, clasped their hands together and prayed.

“Thank you very much, Sir Knight!”

“May we know your name?”

“Haha! Of course! I am Dmitri Nazarov, the future heir of House Count Nazarov!”

The young nobles seized the opportunity to spread their names.

Even in a small village, having one’s name become known could be very beneficial in the future.

Ruri watched them with a look of disdain and asked,

“Lord Perda, don’t you intend to boast your name alongside those idiots?”

“And why would I?”

“If you weren’t going to do something like that, why bother taking on such a thankless task?”

Ruri asked in a complaining tone.

“I need something to boast about.”

“Something to boast about?”

When they had said they needed to divide the forces into two once more, Perda had thought of something.

That sacrificing small villages was normal.

Just like the other young nobles.

No, he probably cared even less about those sacrifices than they did.

But then Valdrova’s image had appeared in his mind.

Would she calculate losses and gains in a situation like this?

Even while being misunderstood as an Evil Dragon, protecting everyone and continuing to love them was the reason she lived.

So Perda answered,

“Because she would never stand by and do nothing.”

Perda had come here to do what Valdrova could not.

That was why he could not remain idle either.

At the very least, when he spoke to her again, he wanted to give her some good news.

That he had saved many people with his own hands.

He wanted to receive that pure and sincere joy from her as his reward.

That simple desire was what drove Perda forward.

“So in the end, all of this was because you wanted something to boast about in front of my Lady.”

“That’s right.”

“What a dog.”

Perda turned his head toward Ruri.

“Was that suddenly an insult?”

“You always tell me I’m like a dog or a pig and then claim it isn’t an insult. Why is it one when I say it?”

“Because I didn’t think you actually saw me that way.”

“I do think Lord Perda is a masochist. So may I call you a perverted masochist?”

“Not that.”

“And why not?”

Besides being simple slander without any basis, there was an even simpler reason.

“I’m the fiancé. You’re the maid.”

“……Would you allow me to poke once more at the spot where my Lady’s horns pierced you?”

Veins bulged on her face as she adopted a fierce expression.

Her slender finger pointed directly at Perda’s chest.

That was when it happened.

“An unexpected situation has arisen.”

One of the messengers they were using as mana reserves spoke urgently.

“What happened?”

“They say the speed of the scattered monsters has changed. They’re running at full speed toward the third point.”

Perda’s next destination was the place where Helus Povidas lived, the primary objective.

Besides having to pass through that location, considering the speed of the horses, it would already be too late by the time they arrived.

In situations like this, only the best possible decision remained.

“We’ll have to change the destination and save the village behind it.”

What could not be saved had to be abandoned.

It was cruel, but unavoidable.

Nothing in the world could be perfect.

“That won’t be necessary.”

The one who intervened was Ruri.

Resting her axe on her shoulder, she said,

“I’ll take care of that place.”

“You?”

“After all, I’m the only one who can get there immediately. Besides, I can handle the problem by myself.”

If Ruri intervened, the operation would proceed smoothly once again.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. This is for my sake as well.”

“For your sake?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to show off in front of my Lady?”

Ruri snorted.

“I’m going to show off a little in front of my Lady too.”

Even if she said it like that, it wasn’t something Ruri actually needed.

This was for Perda.

It was consideration so that, when he told the story later, he wouldn’t have to say that he had been forced to abandon a small village.

Perda appreciated that thoughtfulness.

“Come back safely.”

“You should worry more about taking care of your own body, Lord Perda. If you return with even a scratch, I’ll give your skin a good scrubbing.”

He didn’t understand what scrubbing his skin had to do with an injury, but it didn’t matter.

Because it also meant that Ruri wanted Perda to return safely.

Ruri spread the wings she had kept hidden.

And with a single flap, her figure shot forward like a comet.

“Woah…”

“That’s a Silverwind Dragon Spawn…!”

Since Ruri never showed off her horns or tail, the members of the battalion were captivated by the sight and stared in the direction where she had vanished.

They could not afford to lose even a moment.

Perda looked at them and shouted,

“We move as well!”

More than a hundred horses once again galloped across the plains.

Thanks to riding for about two hours, they managed to arrive before the monsters reached the location.

However, waiting there was a presence they had never imagined they would encounter.