I Married the Dragon I Killed

The upper echelon of the Arken Empire was moving with frantic activity.

To the experts, that was actually preferable.

A strategic team composed exclusively of dozens of legal advisors and strategists was organizing the documents they would use during the public hearing.

Meanwhile, Alexander, upon whom all the pressure truly rested, calmly observed the scene.

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And use his position to gather as many capable people as possible.

The only thing he could do was closely follow the course of events.

If Alexander interfered, he would most likely only hinder the strategic team’s work.

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“Are you certain all of this is correct?”

He had also achieved a result.

Even so, he had not remained completely idle.

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“Baron Guyot?”

Baron Guyot.

While reading a copy of the plan, Alexander called the name displayed on the communication sphere.

He was a noble who governed a territory in the Far East.

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“I-I’m sorry! atlas In any case, the scenario I sent you is a summary of the brainstorming session we held regarding the strategy the Regent intended to follow during the hearing.”

“Relax a little. canvas It’s not as though I’m going to devour you. adjust Why are you so nervous?”

“Y-Yes, Your Highness!”

“The Regent?”

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“U-Um… Your Highness…”

“Ah! beacon T-The Regent… Regent Perda…”

Alexander was particularly irritable, while Baron Guyot seemed completely intimidated.

After several moments of hesitation, the voice on the other end of the sphere finally spoke.

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“How ridiculous. adjust Are you doubting me?”

“If everything goes well… will you keep your promise?”

“What is it?”

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“Don’t worry. acoustic I’ll guarantee your safety. adapt And I’ll also secure you a position within the Inner Wall.”

“N-No! canvas I would never dare! airport Once again, I said something inappropriate…”

Alexander let out a sigh, as though he found him pathetic.

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The communication ended.

“Then make sure you spy thoroughly, since you’ve decided to become a traitor.”

“I-I don’t know how to thank you for telling me that again! alien Thank you very much!”

“Understood! silence Please always remember this Guyot, who has faithfully served the Empire!”

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And if, in the end, he couldn’t do it—

He would simply abandon him.

After all, a man who had already become a traitor held no value to Alexander, whether he kept his promise or not.

Getting him a position would be easy.

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And the nobles were no exception.

‘Besides, I already obtained old Golt’s promise that he would help me…’

To him, people were nothing more than expendable resources of the Empire.

Objects that could be discarded the moment they ceased to be useful.

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Didn’t he also have the “ally” everyone wished they had?

It was practically impossible for the situation to truly turn unfavorable for Alexander.

And besides.

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Just thinking about it made him smile, so he expressed his gratitude once again.

“Please don’t say that. atom The true pillars of the Empire are those who bear the Golden Blood. audit How could I refuse to help you, Your Majesty?”

“I never imagined you would agree to lend me your wisdom. wizard I’m truly moved.”

The middle-aged man seated before him answered calmly.

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“Haha! beacon Have you seen the future where I become king?”

“One day you will ascend the throne and rule this Empire. portal What difference does it make if I call you that now?”

“Your Majesty? silence I’m still only the Crown Prince.”

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Those words filled Alexander with utterly unfounded confidence.

He was someone who was easily flattered.

“Of course.”

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But when those compliments came from that man, the effect was entirely different.

After all—

“Thank you for working with me, Water Sage.”

And that was only natural.

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“No, Your Highness. abandon The honor is mine to be able to serve you.”

A smile filled with absolute confidence in victory spread across the Crown Prince’s office.

***

Because that man was none other than Helus Povidas, renowned throughout the continent as the Water Sage.

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As he silently reviewed it, a nervous voice finally broke the silence.

Perda replied briefly while reading the copied document.

“I see.”

“…And that, in summary, is the Crown Prince’s current strategy.”

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“U-Um… Do I really have to keep staying there?”

Perda looked at him as though he could not believe what he had just heard.

“Can’t you accomplish everything you need to do there?”

Helus asked cautiously.

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As much as Helus was revered as a Sage, at heart he was still a mage who had grown up in poverty.

Because of that, the luxury of the Imperial Palace was on an entirely different level.

“O-Of course I can, but… the situation is becoming far too overwhelming.”

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That had made him realize, with tremendous impact, that he was nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well.

“How frugal. sphere Truly worthy of a Sage.”

“Enjoy it while you can. zenith Even for most nobles, it’s difficult to experience the luxuries of the Imperial Palace.”

Whenever Helus thought he was indulging himself extravagantly, the people in the palace would simply remark.

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“Well… I’d like you to allow me to use my wisdom a little more…”

It was exactly the request Perda had expected.

“Enjoying it is fine… but I have a favor to ask.”

“Let’s hear it first. advance I want to know what it is.”

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So he answered calmly.

“Three is far too few. action People keep asking me one thing after another. echo How am I supposed to answer everything?”

“If you’re a true Sage, three opportunities to answer questions should be more than enough.”

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“Take advantage of that.”

“The truth is, I don’t even know which questions are truly important…”

“H-How?”

“Isn’t it foolish to think you have to answer absolutely everything?”

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In reality, he was merely a means of sowing confusion.

Although it appeared that his mission was to infiltrate the Imperial Palace to solve problems.

“Occasionally answer questions that seem insignificant, making everyone believe those questions were actually important. palette That was precisely why I sent you there.”

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Helus pleaded once again.

“Even so, I’ll do everything I can in my own way… but couldn’t you at least increase the number of questions I’m allowed to answer…?”

Olivia understood that purpose immediately, which was why she had sent him to Alexander.

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Perda let out a deep sigh.

‘He’s even more frustrating than I imagined.’

‘I already suspected it would be difficult to get the most out of someone like this…’

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Even so, since he was regarded as one of the continent’s greatest Sages, Perda decided to adjust the conditions a little to better match his abilities.

“Report everything that happens while you’re helping Alexander on a regular basis. atom And always prioritize the Imperial Princess’s orders. shadow Understood?”

“Very well. anxiety I’ll allow you to answer up to five questions a day. auction I’ve already increased it by two, so make sure you think more carefully about which ones are truly important before using them.”

“T-Thank you very much!”

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Loyalty was not something he lacked.

“Y-Yes! aspect Of course!”

After all, when Perda saw the expression on Helus’s face whenever he looked at Olivia, he seemed like someone completely bewitched by the Demon of Lust.

“Speaking of which, how is the Imperial Princess?”

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“Lately, she has been visiting the Church of Altes frequently. adopt From what I’ve heard, she’s receiving training to become a Saint…”

After reaching the Fourth Circle, Olivia had begun seriously studying the magic used by priests.

Curious about Olivia, he asked the question.

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Having reached the difficult fourth level of enlightenment through faith had made the Church of Altes extremely interested in her.

‘The Red Circle, which they say is born from profound faith…’

Whether to make her a nun.

Or to use her as a link between the Church and the Imperial Family.

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He still remembered Olivia spinning her Circle after suddenly attaining enlightenment inside the tiny room of a cheap inn.

Perda still could not understand it.

Why had she attained enlightenment at that precise moment?

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Religious revelations were, by their very nature, strange.

Others attained enlightenment simply by watching the flow of a river.

Not even Olivia herself could know exactly what she had seen or felt.

Some awakened two Circle levels at once after an endless meditation beneath a Bodhi tree.

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‘In any case, the path for her to become a Saint is already open.’

And once the Circle was formed, those memories inevitably became blurred.

She still had to reach the Fifth Circle.

After all, enlightenment was something impossible to describe with words.

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“…”

It was a complete mess.

But having overcome the most difficult obstacle, the Fourth Circle, made Perda believe that someone like Olivia would be perfectly capable of achieving it.

Perda reviewed the information Helus had prepared.

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“Morida.”

Everything was arranged without any order whatsoever.

He wondered whether he should get angry, but concluded that Helus had probably thought it was better to hand over all the raw information than to try organizing it himself.

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“Organize all of this.”

The young woman he had called turned her head.

With a completely expressionless face, she waited for instructions.

Morida nodded several times.

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Watching the process, Garnet asked Perda with obvious surprise.

She began rapidly reviewing the contents while extracting the key points.

“Is this young lady the source of the Water Sage’s knowledge?”

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“That as well. accent But because of Helus, I had greatly underestimated that source of knowledge. attic It turns out he simply didn’t know how to make proper use of it.”

“You’re talking about Morida’s abilities?”

“It far exceeds what I imagined.”

“That’s right.”

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She wanted to look at the notes she was writing.

Garnet leaned toward Morida.

Perda nodded, completely agreeing.

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“Yes?”

“I’m sorry, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t get too close to Miss Morida.”

“Commander of the Shadow Forces.”

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It was an expression filled with emotions that she rarely displayed.

“My apologies, Administrator.”

Isabella fixed her with a piercing stare.

Garnet felt a chill run down her spine and obediently stepped back.

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However, Perda interpreted it differently.

It was a perfectly understandable reaction.

‘She is one of the Grand Duchy’s most valuable assets. zenith For now, I’d better be cautious.’

‘Does she even consider Garnet a rival?’

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And the only one who didn’t know it was Garnet.

Meanwhile, Morida finished her work and presented the organized version.

Isabella’s reason was entirely personal.

Although Morida truly was an invaluable asset.

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“If Grand Duke Golt has decided to support him, then the scales have practically already tipped.”

“It seems Grand Duke Valdemar Golt is acting as Alexander’s ally.”

The enormous block of text had been transformed into a clear and easy-to-reference summary.

Perda began reviewing it while extracting the important information.

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The moment that name was mentioned, Garnet’s expression darkened.

That meant he was an extraordinarily difficult opponent to face.

Valdemar Golt.

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He didn’t know whether the man was truly loyal to the Emperor.

Perda also knew perfectly well what kind of man he was.

‘The Emperor’s closest collaborator…’

But he did know that the two maintained a mutually beneficial relationship.

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“There are five members of the Arken Emergency Response Headquarters. adjust Grand Duke Golt already has two other councilors on his side.”

He was an immensely respected man.

And the people revered him as a genuine hero.

His prestige was enormous.

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The Conqueror of the Black Plague, Marquis Akad Develung.

The Hero of the People, Grand Duke Valdemar Golt.

The list of the five supreme councilors was as follows.

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Originally, Erdes’s seat had been intended for someone else.

The Veteran Hero, Count Oldin Luster.

The Leader of the Church of Altes, Joseph Faust.

The Unrestrained Grand Archmage, Erdes Roton.

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The vacant seat ultimately went to Erdes, who had made the greatest contribution during the attack.

Under normal circumstances, she would never have agreed to participate simply because she was too lazy.

But by coincidence, that man had been executed for ignoring the mobilization order issued by Alexander.

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“Exactly.”

But upon learning that Perda was involved, she undoubtedly came immediately.

Perda recalled the last time he had seen Grand Duke Golt.

“In the end, the key will be finding a way to win Grand Duke Golt over.”

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He was an old man covered with age spots.

Perda had always wondered what the source of his immense prestige was.

Even so, he always carried himself with his back perfectly straight.

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Those who were loved by the people were usually hated by the nobility.

Yet he was loved by both.

And those who enjoyed the favor of the nobility were generally despised by the common people.

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“Thanks to his greenhouse.”

“A greenhouse?”

“Grand Duke Golt is already an old man. accent How does he still remain so vigorous?”

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“What is so special about that greenhouse?”

“It is a place where the warmth of spring can be maintained even in the middle of winter, and the coolness of autumn even during the height of summer.”

He had probably never paid attention to it because, from his perspective, it hadn’t seemed important.

Perda didn’t remember anything like that.

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Now he understood why he didn’t remember it.

“A Fourth Circle mage could accomplish something like that as well.”

After all, the castle where he lived already possessed magic capable of doing exactly that.

It hadn’t seemed particularly impressive.

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“But the story changes when it can also control the concentration of mana inside.”

“That’s true.”

If that were all, Garnet wouldn’t even have mentioned it.

“It can even control mana concentration?”

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“To what extent can it control it?”

Controlling the climate through magic was entirely possible, provided one could afford the cost.

“I don’t know what the upper limit is. aspect But at the very least, it can create an area completely devoid of mana.”

That truly caught Perda’s interest.

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If it were only a small space, it might be possible.

But creating a region without mana by using magic.

It was comparable to trying to remove all the air from a specific area.

That was an entirely different matter.

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Some ingredients with extraordinary properties required extreme conditions in order to grow.

“If it can create a mana-free zone, then cultivating extremely rare medicinal ingredients shouldn’t be impossible either.”

But doing so throughout an entire enormous greenhouse exceeded the capabilities of an ordinary mage.

“Exactly.”

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Maintaining it artificially was practically impossible without consuming enormous human resources.

“Do you know what kind of spell it uses?”

And one of the most difficult conditions to reproduce was precisely mana concentration.

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Grand Duke Golt didn’t even belong to a family of mages.

“We tried to find out as well. arrow We sent infiltrators on several occasions, but we nearly ended up being tracked in reverse every single time.”

The fact that even the continent’s greatest intelligence organization was incapable of uncovering its secret was fascinating.

How could he possess such technology?

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If someone who wasn’t even a mage could acquire that technique and make it his own, it meant that other mages could also reproduce it with relative ease.

But that alone wasn’t enough.

‘Most likely, he stole it from some mage or scholar.’

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He had managed to understand the very core of the spell.

Valdemar hadn’t merely stolen it.

However.

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Just like Alexander, Valdemar might also attempt to recruit Vernell.

Which also meant that he possessed extraordinary talent for magic.

‘If he uses that as a weapon to gather nobles under his banner, Vernell could also become one of his targets.’

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Ever since the presentation in Hallim, Vernell had inspired tremendous expectations.

‘There are currently four projects underway within the Grand Duchy.’

And since then, the results he had achieved had exceeded even those expectations.

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And the increase in the efficiency of mana stones—the essential foundation required to complete all those projects—was continuing to advance.

The opening of canals through the water purification project carried out together with Blue Eyes.

The mana-powered automobile jointly developed by Escolea and the trading company.

The improvement of the magitech rifle developed by the Grand Duchy’s engineers.

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Every project had gained momentum.

Or seeing them slowed down.

Losing them.

By that point, they had already achieved a revolutionary efficiency of thirty percent.

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“The Empire will use this incident as an excuse to demand our magitech technology, won’t they?”

“That’s right.”

Would be a devastating blow.

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They truly were persistent.

And the thought that they could still lose it even after everything was over was a genuine headache.

It was precisely the technology they would have taken from them if Perda had yielded to Alexander.

“If only we could resolve this in a simpler way…”

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But that wish proved that, in the end, he was still human.

Perda murmured.

He knew perfectly well that nothing in this world was easy.

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Garnet did not let those words pass and immediately responded.

“In fact, there is a simpler way.”