I Married the Dragon I Killed

A sickly green glow emerged from Prince Yurei’s body, which began to tremble violently.

Thanks to the preservation spell, he did not look like a reanimated corpse, but rather someone awakening from a long sleep.

“Who are you?”

Erika, as the caster of the spell, asked the question.

“I am… Marcus… Yurei… the… son… of Perry Yurei…”

Normally, confirming the identity would have been enough, but Erika went a little deeper.

“I’ll ask you again. Before you were Marcus, who were you?”

He answered.

“Kevin… of the Red Fields…”

Kevin of the Red Fields.

Introducing himself that way meant he was descended from an ordinary farmer.

It was an introduction Marcus Yurei could never have given.

No one could suspect that any of this had been manipulated.

The dead could not lie.

“How did you become Marcus Yurei?”

“I kidnapped… murdered… Marcus Yurei… afterward… used… the Doppler Ampoule…”

“What is a Doppler Ampoule?”

“The path… to become… the servant… of the great… Godwin…”

Godwin.

The Black Dragon.

The most terrible and merciless evil dragon that had ever existed.

And those who followed him were worshippers of the demons!

Without giving the audience time to recover from the shock, Erika continued.

“Did Regent Perda kill you?”

“No…”

“Then how did you die from black magic?”

“To… frame… Perda… sow… chaos… Uaaaaaah!”

The green glow in his eyes faded.

They had exhausted all the questions that Dead Man’s Knock allowed them to ask.

That meant only one thing.

It was time for the counterattack.

“Leader Joseph Faust.”

Perda, who had remained completely motionless until then, finally spoke.

Joseph, still stunned, flinched.

“W-What is it, Regent Perda?”

“You stated that I was the source of the black magic.”

Perda’s calm gaze began to change.

“If you conducted an impartial investigation under Alte’s light, could you explain how you reached the conclusion that I was the source of that black magic?”

Without even waiting for the chairman’s approval, he completely shifted the direction of the discussion.

Although.

Who needed permission?

The very leader of the Empire’s official religion, who had proclaimed that nothing could be hidden beneath Alte’s light, had nearly condemned an innocent man because of such a grave mistake.

“T-That… when I conducted the investigation, the results unquestionably pointed to Regent Perda Valdrova…”

“It seems there was an error. Would it be possible to examine those traces again?”

Perda made the proposal knowing perfectly well that the answer would be no.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. They were too badly damaged during the investigation…”

“Then let’s see just how badly they were damaged.”

The one who interrupted him was Erdes.

It was she herself—who hated both demons and black magic—who reached toward the corpse to inspect it personally.

“My, this appears to have been deliberately destroyed. Such crude work… Fortunately, I know a way to restore it.”

Erdes made a few gestures with her hand.

The traces, which until then had been barely distinguishable, gradually became clear until they returned to their original state.

“Let’s see… Hmm… This certainly wasn’t created in the Grand Duchy of Valdrova. It still carries the scent of the north.”

With obvious satisfaction, she listed all the information she obtained from those traces.

Meanwhile.

Joseph Faust’s face steadily lost all its color.

He was the leader of the Empire’s official religion.

But Erdes was the president of the Magic Academy of all Serdes.

“Councilor Faust…”

Valdemar called out to him as though he had just been struck.

“Those are nothing but speculations!”

Joseph shouted.

“It’s possible that the preservation spell cast by Regent Perda concealed those traces…”

“Are you telling me that the leader of the Church can be fooled by the trick of a mere Fourth Circle spell? That only proves incompetence, don’t you think?”

“T-This is a conspiracy!”

Joseph pointed directly at Perda.

The more cornered he became, the more desperate and reckless his actions grew.

“That bastard from the Far East, an ally of the demons, is trying to make me out to be a liar!”

Foam gathering at the corners of his mouth, he tried to portray Perda as a servant of the demons.

But.

The truth was still shrouded in uncertainty.

It was difficult to accept that the highly respected leader of the Church of Alte was, in reality, a ruthless follower of the demons.

At that moment, one of Akad’s attendants hurried inside and whispered something into his ear.

As Perda watched him, he felt the temptation befitting a demon.

He felt the urge to extend his shadows to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Even though he could almost guess what it was about.

He wanted to hear it with his own ears.

Then Akad made a firm announcement.

“We’ve just received an urgent report! New evidence has been discovered!”

His eyes fixed coldly on one person.

“Councilor Joseph Faust.”

“Yes, Mr. Chairman…”

“It has been reported that unidentified human remains were found in your room at the Grand Cathedral. How do you intend to explain this?”

Perda discreetly calculated the time.

‘One hour and twenty minutes…’

Considering how long it had taken for the report to arrive, it could be said that it had taken roughly an hour.

‘He’s not at the level he was in his prime.’

It was an extraordinary achievement, unprecedented.

But knowing that person’s abilities, Perda still did not consider it an entirely satisfactory result.

“Human remains…? What do you mean by that…?”

“We have just received confirmation. Inside a hidden compartment in your private bedroom, first-class classified documents were found together with a corpse in an advanced state of decomposition.”

Akad, the chairman of the session, pressed him so relentlessly that he even abandoned his usual neutrality.

“If you cannot provide a convincing explanation, you will not take a single step out of this place today, Bishop.”

Joseph clasped his trembling hands together.

“That corpse… I know nothing about it either. I… I, following the will of the great…”

The trembling stopped.

A look of jubilation born of madness appeared on his face.

“I offer this body in the name of the will of the Lord of the Void, Godwin!”

Joseph spread both arms wide as he shouted.

He had activated a self-destruction spell.

Just as an intense light began to pour from his body,

a transparent cube enclosed his entire body.

The light, which had been growing brighter and brighter, was helplessly extinguished.

“Huh? Did you really think you were going to put on a suicide show in front of me?”

It was Erdes’s magic.

“You damned insect.”

What Erdes hated most were demons.

But there was something she hated almost just as much.

The followers of the demons.

The hand Erdes had extended toward the cube clenched tightly.

Then a horrifying sound echoed inside the magical prison.

Crack!

“Aaaaah!!”

Joseph Faust screamed in agony.

But Erdes did not stop.

Crack!

Crack! Crack!

She twisted.

She bent.

She shattered.

She continued until every bone in his body had been crushed to powder, leaving him limp like a mollusk.

She did not stop until he was barely clinging to life.

She tortured him to the very limit and left him immobilized inside the cube as though he were a display piece.

After reducing him to a mass of flesh, Erdes looked at Erika.

“Since I let you investigate the black magic, I’ll be taking this one back with me for my own investigation. You don’t have any objections, do you, Eri?”

“…Go ahead.”

“From the looks of it, there’s nothing interesting left to discuss here. May I leave? I’m dying to find out what kind of scheme this bastard came up with.”

Erdes directed the question at Akad.

But she did not even wait for his reply.

She opened a portal on her own and returned to the Magic Academy together with Bishop Joseph.

She completely ignored all procedures.

As irritating as that was, at that moment, it was no longer the most astonishing thing.

As though a hurricane had swept through the place, the Golden Council once again descended into chaos.

The person who was the most shaken of all was Duke Yurei.

“This… this can’t be… Then… that wasn’t my son?”

Since when had he ceased to be his son?

Countless questions poured into his mind like water bursting through a broken dam.

But.

He would never obtain those answers.

“I ask that everyone maintain order. The session has not yet concluded.”

The one who spoke to calm the situation was not Akad.

It was Valdemar.

“Duke Yurei…”

He looked down at him as he said,

“It appears that the one impersonating your son was either a demon or one of their followers.”

“……”

“That being said…”

Valdemar folded his hands together on the table.

He let out a deep sigh before continuing.

“I believe it will be necessary to investigate your identity.”

“W-What… what are you saying?”

“It’s very simple. You’ll have to prove that you are truly human.”

Duke Yurei shouted,

“Of course I’m human! I’m Perry Yurei of the Yurei ducal family, which has faithfully served the Kingdom for generations!”

“And how exactly do you expect me to believe that?”

Valdemar’s gaze was icy.

“You didn’t even realize that the son closest to you was a demon.”

“I…”

“Naturally, it’s possible that you weren’t the one wearing that appearance. But what if you collaborated with the demons’ followers?”

“I would never do such a thing!”

“It’s not that impossible.”

Valdemar slowly shook his head.

“Didn’t you come all the way here after losing everything, determined to drag someone else down with you?”

That was precisely the kind of behavior expected from the demons’ followers.

He believed he had nothing left to lose.

He had come driven solely by that determination.

And yet.

He had just lost something else.

“I’m sorry, but until your identity has been verified, we cannot allow you to leave this place.”

And it was then.

When he lost even that.

That Duke Yurei finally saw the truth.

Shocked, he gazed upon a vile and revolting reality.

“Valdemar Golt, you old fox! So this is what you were after from the very beginning!”

The deepest fury gathered at the tip of his finger as he pointed at Valdemar.

“You spoke about the pain of a father who lost his son! You said you wanted justice! And now that you’ve found an excuse, you’re planning to get rid of me!”

Valdemar answered with complete coldness.

“You weren’t even capable of recognizing your own son, and yet you’re still thrashing about so pathetically. Demon dog.”

“You bastard!!”

Duke Yurei completely lost his reason and leaped down from the witness stand.

Something gleamed at the tips of his fingers.

Hidden within the folds of his clothing was a sharp awl.

“Even if it’s today, I’ll kill you!”

That awl had been prepared to punish his son’s murderer.

The weapon originally intended for Perda flew toward Valdemar Golt.

He threw his entire body at him.

But he never reached him.

Something slammed his body into the floor.

It was Oldin Luster.

With agility completely at odds with his massive physique, he subdued Duke Yurei in an instant.

“You don’t appear to be in your right mind, Duke. My apologies, but I’ll have to be a little rough.”

Crack!

“Aaaaagh!!”

Oldin twisted his arm until he was completely restrained.

Valdemar looked down at him.

“First of all, we’ll have to determine whether you are truly Duke Yurei.”

“This isn’t merely a matter of the Arken Empire’s security.”

“It also concerns the Kingdom of Heinkel and the entire continent.”

“Goooolt…!”

With bloodshot eyes, Duke Yurei glared furiously at Grand Duke Golt.

His heartrending scream echoed throughout the Golden Council.

And so the chaotic session of the Golden Council finally came to an end.

***

Perda returned to the inn where he was staying.

Since Consilus was incapacitated, Arwen came to receive him in his place.

“Do you have any engagements for tomorrow, Regent?”

“No. The session is over, so I don’t think there’s anything left to discuss.”

“Then I’ll prepare everything so you can depart at any time tomorrow.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Perda entered the tent and sat down on the sofa.

Then he began reviewing everything that had happened that day.

In the end.

He had managed to protect the Far East and all of its resources.

‘The plan was a success.’

Perda had sought the best way to guarantee the Far East’s security.

If he had tried to win a battle of public opinion head-on, he never would have stood a chance.

The Empire’s population and influence were simply too overwhelming.

So he chose another path.

To prove that there were followers of the demons within the Empire itself.

And indeed.

There were.

Not among the audience.

Nor among the councilors.

But at the Supreme Council’s own table.

The leader of the Grand Cathedral himself had been serving the demons all that time without anyone noticing.

‘With this, we’ve secured the justification for autonomy.’

The false image of integrity hidden beneath the Empire’s splendor had been completely exposed.

And it had also been proven that the real problem was not the Far East’s defensive wall.

From now on, they would no longer be able to blame the Far East to obstruct its decisions.

Moreover.

The Master of the Blue Tower herself had publicly defended it.

From that moment onward, the Grand Duchy of Valdrova could no longer be regarded as merely a frontier of the Empire.

It had come to be recognized as the shield protecting the entire continent of Serdes.

‘And yet…’

He could not bring himself to feel that he had truly won.

Alexander had never been a concern.

He was famous for ruining everything he tried.

It had been a victory as easy as watching a twenty-year-old adult fight a seven-year-old child with bare fists.

‘Valdemar…’

That old man unsettled him.

While everyone else had been swept away by a storm of emotions,

Valdemar had remained exactly the same from beginning to end.

Like a vast river.

That nothing could stop.

Why?

As he drank a cup of tea, Perda continued pondering the question.

“Regent.”

Someone called out to him.

It was Arwen.

He carefully entered the tent.

“You have a visitor. It’s the Imperial Princess. What would you like to do?”

The sun was already beginning to set.

It was not an appropriate hour for a lady to be walking about alone.

“Let her in.”

After receiving permission, a few moments later, a woman wrapped in a modest cloak entered.

She removed her hood, letting her long blonde hair fall free.

“Congratulations. With this, you’ve obtained unquestionable justification for autonomy.”

“Do you consider it a great victory?”

Perda asked somewhat uneasily.

“If we’re talking solely about obtaining autonomy, then yes. It’s a victory.”

Olivia’s reply did not sound very optimistic.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that if we look at the bigger picture, it isn’t.”

So his suspicions had not been mistaken.

Olivia had sensed exactly the same thing he had.

The difference was that Perda could only sense it.

Olivia knew the answer clearly.

“If we had to choose who benefited the most from all of this, it would be Grand Duke Golt.”

In the end.

The true victor was always the one who remained outside the current, watching everything from afar.