I Married the Dragon I Killed

“Hehehe! Hellooo!”

The moment Perda saw Echidna’s face, he felt something new.

It wasn’t that adorable sense of novelty he always experienced with Valdrova.

‘How strange.’

The gloomy aura he had sensed when they first met had become even stronger.

And yet, she seemed happier and more energetic.

Normally, darkness and vitality didn’t coexist like that within a person.

But that woman was the exact opposite.

And the more incomprehensible she seemed, the more unsettling she became.

“I heard you’ve completed the formula.”

“Yes! Me! At last! Finally! I finished iiit!”

Echidna waved her arms excitedly.

“Explain it to me.”

“Yes! If you look over here!”

Perda saw a doll about the same size as Zed.

The face that had once resembled the drawing of a carefree young noblewoman had now begun to acquire clearly sculpted features.

It was obvious who that obsession was directed toward.

“At first glance it looks like an ordinary doll, but in reality… it has been trained to perform every duty of a maid!”

“A maid…?”

In short.

A tall, male Ruri.

“Could you give me a demonstration?”

“Yes!”

As a demonstration, Echidna deliberately dropped a cup onto the floor.

Crash!

The moment the noise echoed.

The doll, which had been standing motionless, raised its head.

At first it moved awkwardly, but it soon began cleaning the place where the cup had fallen.

It swept.

Then it scrubbed the floor.

And finally, it left everything perfectly tidy.

“It doesn’t need to be given orders! All it takes is for a situation to occur, and it’ll automatically react in the appropriate way.”

“I see.”

Just as she had said, it truly acted on its own initiative.

“…Although it has a few problems.”

The biggest drawback was that the entire sequence had taken two hours.

If Ruri had been there.

She would have become so frustrated that she would have smashed it to pieces with a kick within three minutes.

And that wasn’t its only flaw.

Besides being painfully slow.

After about ten minutes of operation, the doll tilted its head and came to a complete stop.

“You’ll have to reduce its unnecessary mana consumption.”

“Yeees… you’re right…”

That could be solved by using the optimization methods employed by puppet masters as a reference.

They had spent a long time researching ways to make their puppets resemble summoned creatures.

‘Applying puppet masters’ knowledge to magic engineering…’

There were theories developed by puppet masters that humans could never put into practice.

If they managed to adapt them to magic engineering.

Those wooden puppets that looked like nothing more than children’s toys could become something entirely different.

And that wasn’t all.

Right now, it was merely a male model capable of performing household chores.

But in time.

They could be mass-produced with the appearance of adult men.

And if they learned the tactics and discipline of elite troops.

They could also be used in actual combat.

‘Although there’s one problem.’

Echidna’s golems looked too much like humans.

That meant that rather than golems.

They were closer to the concept of homunculi.

And homunculi were dangerous because they couldn’t be controlled.

In fact, the homunculus created by the great alchemist Edgar had nearly brought an entire kingdom to ruin in its pursuit of freedom.

Echidna’s golems could end up the same way.

“If someone ordered them to kill human beings, would they obey?”

“It depends on the model, but the war models couldn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because this world needs more love than hatred!”

“…”

The irony of hearing a witch speak about peace left Perda speechless.

It surprised him that someone with such a sinister aura could say something like that so naturally.

“And eliminating monsters?”

“They can do that! After all, monsters are bad!”

That was enough.

That was precisely the role Perda needed them to fulfill.

But Echidna’s words gave rise to another question.

“You said they can’t wage wars.”

“Yes.”

“Could you explain why?”

Echidna wasn’t the type of woman who boasted.

If she spoke with such confidence.

It was because she had good reason to.

“It’s thanks to this!”

She opened a built-in cabinet.

Instead of hanging clothes.

There was a small wooden doll sitting on a chair.

Unlike the tall, slender male doll standing in the middle of that gloomy witch’s room.

This one had a small body.

Roughly the same size as Ruri or Morida.

There was no need to ask who had served as its model.

“I call it the Hive Mind!”

“The Hive Mind?”

“You see… little ones are very curious and always want to learn all kinds of things, right?”

“Yes.”

“So they need someone to tell them, you can’t do that. Like this! No, no! This little one fulfills exactly that role. It filters everything in advance.”

“So it acts as the central unit.”

That raised another question.

If there was a watcher.

Who watched the watcher?

“And who controls the central unit?”

“No one. I simply made it remember three absolute principles that no one can alter.”

The three principles were as follows.

First Principle: All golems are tools, not human beings, and every tool has the duty to benefit humanity.

Second Principle: Absolutely obey the First Principle and follow the orders of the Hive Mind.

Third Principle: As long as it respects the First and Second Principles, every golem must protect itself.

“Not bad.”

“Right?”

Echidna grinned from ear to ear upon seeing Perda’s reaction.

If the obligation to benefit humanity was absolute.

Then they could never participate in a war between humans.

‘Perhaps that’s for the best.’

Echidna was a witch of the Red Circle.

What if?

No matter how unlikely.

She lost her sanity and became a war fanatic?

If she managed to seize control of an entire army of golems.

It would be a complete disaster.

“This…”

While Perda imagined that possibility, Echidna began fidgeting nervously.

She moved her lips before speaking.

“Since I worked so hard… then… will you give me custody now?”

“Custody?”

“Yes!”

Echidna nodded vigorously.

“That damn lizard kept butting in and picking fights over and over again! There were so many times I wanted to strangle her! And yet I held myself back and kept working! Is this what it feels like to be a mother?”

“…”

“Hehe… hehehe…”

Echidna’s smile was chilling.

At last, Perda understood what that unsettling feeling was that he had sensed ever since entering the room.

‘So that’s it.’

She was full of energy.

But at the same time, she was far more sinister than before.

Since Echidna was completely obsessed with Morida.

And Isabella felt exactly the same way.

It had been a true clash between an unstoppable spear and an unbreakable shield.

And in the end.

Echidna had ended up creating that very unbreakable shield.

’…Now that I think about it, this is completely insane.’

He had used a witch’s obsession to force her to work.

Perda felt the situation was becoming far too complicated.

He had used Morida as a hostage.

But Morida was also a valuable asset.

‘What matters is her productivity.’

Ever since Echidna and Isabella had begun taking turns looking after her.

Morida’s efficiency had improved significantly.

If he announced now that Echidna would get custody.

Morida would go back to being nothing more than a toy.

And her productivity would decline.

Since he couldn’t make the decision easily, Perda asked,

“How about letting Morida decide?”

He was shifting the responsibility onto someone else.

“Of course!”

Far from being offended, Echidna accepted happily.

“Are you serious?”

At Perda’s question, Echidna confidently thumped her chest.

“Come on! No matter how you look at it, I’m way better than that lizard woman!”

At last, he understood how Echidna was thinking.

She believed there were only two possible choices.

Herself.

Or Isabella.

She had never considered a third possibility.

— I have determined that neither of you is a suitable guardian.

“Whaaaat?!”

It was exactly the answer anyone would have expected.

The only one who hadn’t seen it coming was Echidna.

“N-No, don’t say that! Couldn’t you at least say who should be my guardian? For example… Echidna… or Echidna Philiaz… or the gloomy Lady Witchhh…”

Echidna kept offering all sorts of options.

But Morida answered with absolute cruelty.

— I have determined that the most suitable person to serve as my guardian is the Head Maid, Lady Ruri.

“Ruri?”

During the time the two of them had been at odds, Morida had been under Ruri’s care.

Unlike those two, who looked after her with almost maternal devotion, Ruri merely provided the minimum maintenance a tool required.

And from the perspective of a rational tool.

That was the best possible environment.

And, naturally, the most efficient one.

“You were the one who said we should respect Morida’s opinion…”

“Snifff…”

Echidna began sobbing like a mother who had just lost her child, while Perda let out a sigh.

“For now, we’ll keep things as they are.”

Echidna’s face lit up again.

She had never imagined that hearing the words we’ll keep things as they are could make her so happy.

On the other hand.

Morida’s expressionless face distorted ever so slightly.

“It is the best solution.”

Wanting to comfort her at least a little, Perda gently placed a hand on Morida’s head.

Morida carefully removed his hand from her head and wrote,

— That action reduces my efficiency.

Then she turned around and walked away.

Perda felt he vaguely understood what that expression had been trying to convey.

***

The Eastern Region belonged to the Grand King’s Duchy.

Since it had once been the stronghold of the demons, the enemies of the continent of Serdes, it was a region with very unique characteristics.

That was precisely why the broad autonomy and immense military power possessed by the border marquises of every kingdom were so important.

In that regard, the Arken Empire was different from the others.

The power of its frontier lords had never been particularly great.

And the Eastern Region was the weakest of them all.

That was why obtaining autonomy within an empire as centralized as Arken had been nothing short of a miracle.

As miraculous as the odds of victory for a wise king who had defeated the gigantic troll Goliath.

For the nobles of the Eastern Alliance.

It was a moment of immense joy.

Except for one of them.

“Faster! Move already!”

“No matter how much you rush us, if the horses collapse we won’t get anywhere! We can’t go any faster until we change mounts at the next relay station!”

“Don’t talk back to me, you worthless coachman! If we’re late, you’ll die too! Understood?”

Baron Giyot urged the coachman on as though his feet were on fire.

He was fleeing in the middle of the night.

If Perda had obtained autonomy.

That meant Alexander had been defeated.

And if he stayed.

He had no idea when he would lose his head.

He knew perfectly well the fate of the man who had sold his savior for thirty pieces of silver.

He had no intention of ending up the same way.

“M-My lord… are you all right?”

His loyal servant wiped the sweat streaming down his face as he asked with concern.

“I’m fine.”

“What do you plan to do from now on?”

“As I said, we’ll head north first. We’ll sell some goods there, and with the information we possess about the Empire, I’m sure I’ll be able to secure some position.”

He had believed that being nothing more than a border baron was the worst fate imaginable.

He had never imagined things could become even worse.

“Damn it… Why did I have to end up like this…? I… who carry the blood of House Giyot…”

“Exactly, my lord. You have always served the Arken Empire with absolute loyalty. How could they treat you this way?”

“It’s all because of that damned stone that rolled in from nowhere… Everything started going wrong because of him…”

While the baron lamented his misfortune and the servant flattered him.

He felt the carriage begin to slow down.

It wasn’t his imagination.

The carriage had stopped.

“Coachman! What are you doing?”

There was no reply.

Baron Giyot shouted toward the driver’s seat.

“You damned bastard! Have you already decided I’m no longer a noble? I asked you what the hell is happeni…!”

The carriage door swung open.

And the words caught in his throat.

Under the dim interior light appeared a face he knew all too well.

The very face he least wanted to see again.

“C-Count Consilus…”

“It’s been a long time, Giyot. How curious that we should meet again.”

“W-What a coincidence… What are you doing here…?”

How could that man possibly be here?

While Giyot sat frozen.

Consilus turned his gaze toward the servant sitting opposite him.

“Well done.”

He tossed him a pouch full of coins.

Unlike Giyot, who was still completely stunned.

The servant immediately understood the situation and bowed his head.

“…Thank you very much, Count.”

Then he practically fled from the carriage.

Only moments ago he had been encouraging his master, assuring him that everything would be fine.

Now.

The seat he had occupied belonged to Count Consilus.

“To… what do I owe the honor of your visit?”

“Do you really not know? I’ve only come to say goodbye.”

His voice was ice cold.

“And while I’m here… I also wanted to say goodbye to your wife and your son.”

“…”

“Are they in the carriage behind us? I didn’t have the chance to check.”

Consilus slowly raised his eyes.

There was nothing but death in them.

Baron Giyot’s body began trembling like someone who had just been doused with icy water in the middle of winter.

“After today, you’ll never see them again. The least you can do is say a proper farewell. I suppose I should go check on them.”

As Consilus began to rise.

Giyot dropped to his knees.

“P-Please! Spare my wife and my son! They bear no guilt! It was all my decision! Mine alone, Count Consilus!”

Consilus sat back down.

“Do you think simply saying it was your decision makes them innocent? The same seed always grows into the same plant. The son of a demon will become a demon. And the son of a traitor will also become a traitor. Why should I leave your wife and your son alive if they’ll only bring misfortune?”

“But… everything we’ve shared! You were there at my son’s baptism! You even blessed his future!”

Giyot appealed to their old bond.

“As a man… as a servant of Alte… I beg you to show mercy. I swear by Alte, by my father, and by His Majesty the Emperor. I will never reveal any of this. I’ll live quietly.”

He laid what little honor he still possessed before Consilus.

“As you said, children are innocent. So is your wife.”

He reached into a back pocket.

He took out a bottle of liquor and two glasses, placing them on the small table inside the carriage.

“I know they’re innocent people. They don’t deserve to die.”

As he poured the liquor, he continued speaking.

“But tell me, during a war, how many of those who die truly deserved it? War is precisely about sending ten thousand people to the slaughter for the sake of one.”

He carefully lifted the glass filled with the amber-colored liquid.

He gazed at his own reflection on its surface.

“My son didn’t deserve to die that day either.”

Bitterness filled his mouth.

“If I had been just a little more selfish, he never would have been there.”

He drank the liquor in a single gulp.

Then he filled the glass he had placed before Baron Giyot.

“Drink.”

“…Ugh… sniff…”

“There’s still time. It’ll make the journey a little less painful.”

Baron Giyot took the glass with trembling hands.

He brought it to his lips.

But he couldn’t bring himself to drink.

“Did it really have to come to this?”

It was something he simply couldn’t understand.

“Did you really have to do all of this for that man named Perda? Was it really necessary to bear such a burden… such a sin?”

After executing yet another noble.

Count Consilus would never live as he once had.

The trust and prestige he had built would crack apart.

And someday.

He would end up sharing the same fate as him.

Hearing that, Consilus let out a bitter laugh.

“Compared to the sins I’ll still have to bear, your head is nothing more than a pebble.”

“…”

“Wait for me in hell. It won’t be long before I join you.”

Finally.

Baron Giyot drank the liquor.

The moment the warm alcohol slid down his throat.

Slash!

An icy line cut across his neck.

Baron Giyot’s head flew off and rolled across the ground.

At some point.

A sword had appeared in Consilus’s hand.

Blood dripped slowly from its blade.

Consilus flicked it clean.

Then he grabbed the severed head by the hair and stepped down from the carriage.

Several men in lacquered armor were waiting for him.

“The wife and the son?”

“As you ordered. They passed without suffering.”

Consilus automatically looked at their faces.

It was the first time those men had killed a woman and a child.

All of them wore grim expressions.

“I’m sorry. I forced you to do something difficult.”

“Someone had to do it.”

Just as Consilus carried out what Perda himself had to do.

His knights carried out what Consilus had to do.

Because they understood the weight their lord bore.

Consilus handed them the head.

Then mounted his horse.

“Publish the report as planned. Charge them with conspiracy to commit treason and with every case of embezzlement.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Who’s next?”

“House Granducci.”

“Where’s the baron?”

“He’s still in the castle. According to our spies, he’s evacuating his wife and children first. Shall we begin the pursuit?”

Consilus nodded.

“Pursue them and bring me his head. I will tolerate no mistakes.”

“As you command.”

From that day onward.

Two families that governed the Duchy of Grand Duchess Valdrova vanished.

And from that very day.

Count Consilus received a new nickname.

***

“Valdrova’s Hound.”

Perda spoke Consilus’s new nickname aloud.

“Lately, it seems everyone calls you that.”

“A hound? It’s an undeserved honor.”

Even though it was clearly meant as an insult.

Consilus merely laughed calmly.

Perda couldn’t laugh with him.

“Did you really have to choose that path?”

Perda knew perfectly well everything he had done.

He knew through the intelligence network.

And also because Consilus himself had told him.

“Fear breeds instability. And from instability, new power is born. I am someone destined to disappear one day.”

“Am I that new power?”

“Exactly.”

Consilus answered with complete calm.

“Of course, not everyone will trust you or follow you. But at the very least, they’ll begin to see you as an option worthy of consideration.”

“…”

“And when the opportunity comes, you can become the new axis around which everyone gathers.”

Everything.

He had done it for Perda.

And Perda never doubted that.

Consilus had risked his life using Aura Reversal to buy time.

But even if his intentions were noble.

That didn’t mean Perda could simply rejoice.

‘When the day comes that Consilus is gone, I’ll have to bear everything alone.’

Every meeting inevitably ended in a farewell.

When that moment came.

What kind of decision would he make?

That vague anxiety tried to take hold of Perda.

But he decided to push it from his mind.

“I’ll repay everything you’ve done for me many times over.”

Under normal circumstances.

Consilus would have humbly replied that he had merely done his duty.

However.

“Now that you mention it…”

His reaction was much more awkward than usual.

“A problem has come up recently, and I could use your help.”

“What happened?”

“Well…”

Consilus let out a long sigh before beginning his explanation.

When Perda finished listening.

He understood perfectly why Consilus had sighed like that.

Because even summarizing the story sounded absurd.

“…You’re saying she attacked a young noblewoman?”