I Married the Dragon I Killed

“U-understood.”

“An… absurd story?”

Stephan adopted a listening posture, just as he had been asked.

“It does not matter whether you believe what I am going to say from now on or not. atom Just listen.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 26: A man who knows how to imagine the future published by TrungTu Reads.

“This is the future I am imagining.”

Perda began to speak.

Although he was so dizzy he felt like he might die, it was still not completely impossible to listen.

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‘Carriages that move without horses. athlete Tools that work with magical power but do not need magicians…’

Perda did not emphasize it as if he were presenting something grand.

He simply focused on recounting exactly the things he had seen, heard, and felt.

While listening to the story, Stephan gathered key words one by one.

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Take the profits and discard the losses.

Stephan was a man who had grown up being called a genius and possessed an excellent commercial instinct.

So what was it that Perda was saying?

The instinct of a merchant is something simple.

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A story that should be discarded.

‘An absurd dream.’

‘And yet… it sounds convincing.’

For Stephan’s common sense, it was an impossible story.

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It was not a sweet whisper meant to set a trap.

It was as if a grandfather were telling a story to some children.

There were no exaggerations typical of a swindler nor traps hiding information.

As if he were simply calmly recounting something he had seen and experienced.

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He did not even know what to call that feeling, but a conviction arose inside him.

‘This will definitely make money!’

Because of that, even that absurd story began to draw clear images in Stephan’s mind.

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“That future… does it have anything to do with what you are researching, Lord Regent?”

“That is all. apron That is as far as the future I am imagining goes.”

Stephan opened the mouth he had kept closed while listening attentively.

Stephan’s mind began working normally again, but his hands were still trembling.

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He asked with his heart beating strongly.

“T-then! zenith Could you tell me exactly what it is? acoustic I beg you!”

“Of course.”

It was so shocking that he even forgot to stutter.

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“Magitechnology.”

Stephan could not contain his excitement and pleaded with Perda.

It was a name that seemed vaguely familiar.

“Magi-tech… nology.”

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But if Stephan did not remember it, it was undoubtedly because at the time it had not seemed profitable to him.

He could not let it escape.

‘If I thought it was useless then, it should still be the same…’

However, it was the first time he felt he was about to lose such an attractive product.

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“You mean you will help us?”

“If your research needs monster corpses, what would you think if we cooperated?”

“Yes. attic We will provide them.”

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Stephan clearly revealed his desire.

“We want to participate in the production and distribution of those magitechnology products.”

“What do you want?”

Perda leaned back against the chair and asked.

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“Only in the production and distribution?”

Perda asked in a more serious tone.

“Of course… we also want exclusivity.”

Stephan answered clearly.

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“I know it is a great ambition. amateur That is why everything can be adjusted according to your will, Lord Regent. antique I only wish that we can monopolize the products derived from that research.”

If something could be possessed alone, it always became a great weapon.

An exclusivity contract.

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“What we are researching will change the world. silence If you want to monopolize something like that, besides helping with the research you will have to prove your sincerity.”

Stephan made very clear his intention to have exclusivity.

“What would I have to do?”

Perda showed an expression of little interest.

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“I want to secure priority supply of materials for road development, the growth of the Duchy, and also food reserves.”

Perda used that moment to make his proposal.

Perda’s demands came out naturally.

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Stephan was surprised.

“You are asking for quite a lot…”

“No, none at all. academy Haha…”

“Is there any problem with the ruler of a territory wanting to work for its development?”

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Although he smiled outwardly, Stephan could not help thinking seriously.

The money and resources Stephan had accumulated far exceeded those of his two siblings.

‘Giving those three things is not impossible.’

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Road construction was something that would have to be done anyway if they were going to cooperate.

‘Priority…’

He also had enough resources and stored food to deliver them.

Even so, there was something that made him hesitate.

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“Your expression does not look very good.”

Stephan knew perfectly well how terrifying that word was.

Stephan’s commercial instinct screamed at him to avoid that kind of commitment.

It meant that even if someone else offered to pay more money, he would have to ignore it and fulfill that supply first.

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“It seems you do not like the idea of supplying with priority very much.”

Even if it were true, the correct thing was to deny it.

“Eh? abandon Eh?”

“No, not at all. galaxy How could that be?”

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Stephan shuddered.

“Think about it. adapt There is nothing more unfair than dying after accumulating a fortune.”

That was the basis of everything.

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“No. portal It is not a threat. apple I am talking about your future. legend Herman Pascal is already quite old, is he not?”

“Ah…”

Stephan understood what Perda meant.

“A-are you… threatening me?”

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‘That hateful brother and that sister…’

Merchit and Tilda.

He remembered something he had been avoiding thinking about.

Were they not pressuring him relentlessly?

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The Pascal Trading Company was everything to Stephan.

“The… owner of the company…”

It did not only mean wealth, but even his own life.

“Is it not an attractive proposal to become the owner of the trading company, even if you must assume some losses?”

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Stephan took out a scale in his mind.

Of course, it was an overwhelmingly unfavorable deal for Stephan.

“To the extent that you cooperate with me, I will also cooperate with you. abandon I will make what Herman Pascal built, and the trading company that you have grown, become completely yours.”

What Perda demanded and what he had shown, against what he himself had to offer.

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‘The Grand Duke… no, the regent… could become someone who supports my position.’

At first he had not considered him much in terms of connections.

Perda Valdrova.

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A man who knows how to imagine the future

Most people underestimated him.

If someone bragged about having the consort of Valdrova as a contact, the only thing they would receive would be ridicule, and people would think they were so desperate that they were even clinging to a rotten rope.

And Stephan had believed that as well.

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He was a man who possessed a brilliance comparable to that of the emperor.

‘But that is not the case.’

Now that he saw him in person, it was different.

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Even standing before him at that moment and feeling surprised, Stephan could not stop wondering whether he was still underestimating him.

‘This man knows how to imagine the future.’

Even if he drew rough lines, the shape he outlined was clear.

They were not childish drawings like those made by boastful nobles.

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He had conviction.

The absolute charisma Stephan had never possessed.

‘Something I could never have.’

And he also had the ability to sustain it.

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That was why he wanted to say it.

“May I ask a question?”

He wanted to say it no matter what.

Those words began to rise in his throat.

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Because answering one beat later is the fastest path to becoming a great merchant.

“I have an older brother and a sister. anchor Why did you not choose one of them?”

“Go ahead.”

But he did not say them.

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“I will be honest. atlas Because I would gain nothing by attaching myself to them.”

Perda answered frankly.

A cold and calculated judgment.

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Perda was too direct.

“Ugh…”

“And you are alone and isolated. galaxy That is why you are perfect to be used.”

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Stephan realized how short-sighted his thinking had been.

“That is why I am making this proposal to you. orbit Decide whether you want to survive by accepting losses, or if you prefer to fall behind.”

Stephan, who had expected to test him with that question, ended up confused instead.

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He had tried to test someone like that.

“I will do it no matter what.”

And he added something he had forgotten to say.

“I will do it.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 26: A man who knows how to imagine the future published by TrungTu Reads.

Stephan knelt and bowed before him.

“Then I will count on you from now on.”

Perda leaned forward and extended his hand.

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***

Territory of Count Consillus.

Stephan thought that no matter who or what proposal might be made to him in the future, nothing would ever make him feel an emotion as intense as the deal he had just concluded that day.

“I am the one who will be indebted to you, Lord Regent.”

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He had died heroically buying time to protect the peasants from the monsters that had attacked the fields.

Today a soldier died who was someone’s father and someone’s husband.

The priests sprinkled the body with holy water while performing the ritual.

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The soldiers raised their swords and honored his death.

Even Count Consillus attended the funeral of that simple soldier.

It was habitual behavior.

The old lord, already too aged to wield a sword, never missed the funerals of his soldiers and always honored the fallen.

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Even after the entire funeral had ended, Ulvera Consilus did not move from the place and remained watching the grave.

But today was different.

“Arwen…”

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He called the knight who stood behind him.

Arwen responded with an uncomfortable voice.

“Yes, my lord.”

“What did the Empire say? atlas What happened with the letter we sent requesting supplies?”

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Ulvera Consilus stroked his beard.

“First…?”

The life of Ulvera Consilus had been like walking on a tightrope.

“They say it will take time. agent That they must first supply the soldiers inside the Empire…”

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In a world where today’s emotion could become tomorrow’s death, he had always learned to smile kindly.

If something could not be achieved today, it would be attempted tomorrow.

Because of that he rarely showed his emotions.

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Even Count Consilus could no longer keep smiling.

“Those damned sons of bitches…”

And if not tomorrow, then the day after.

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“Calm yourself, my lord.”

“How pitiful. arch I may never have lived with pride, but at least I believed I had not lived with shame. advance And yet today I feel a shame like never before!”

“First supply the soldiers of the Empire? harbor Are we not also subjects of the Empire? apron We live every day fighting monsters on the front line! artist And the emperor is arming guards simply because he worries about the safety of the cities?”

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It was a military supply weapon.

When he heard the cause of the soldier’s death, Count Consilus’s heart seemed to collapse.

The sword the soldier had used to fight the monsters had broken just as he delivered the final blow.

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Count Consilus knew very well how important defense was.

And even so he had used it for five years.

It would not have been strange for it to break at any moment.

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Inside the Empire there was peace.

At least to protect his territory, he had never neglected the training of his soldiers and had always tried to set an example to strengthen their morale.

But on the frontier the situation was practically a constant war.

But not even the best morale can defeat the lack of supplies.

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“Forgive this useless old man… It was my fault.”

“Forgive me…”

Count Consilus grabbed the soldier’s grave and fell to his knees.

Casualties caused by monsters were something that occurred continuously.

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“It is my fault!”

“It is my fault!”

“My lord is not useless! arcade All of this is our incompetence!”

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Count Consilus began walking again.

Count Consilus wept bitterly for a long time.

After crying for a long time, Arwen helped him stand up.

Arwen fell to his knees, and the soldiers under his command also knelt.

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Instead of continuing toward his residence, Count Consilus asked the guard watching the main gate.

It was so loud it seemed to pass through the tall and thick walls.

Then he heard a great commotion outside the castle gate.

He was returning to his residence.

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“For me?”

“My lord! abstract We were just looking for you.”

“What is happening?”

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“Yes. abandon Outside there is a long line of carriages advancing through the forest. ability They appear to be merchants, but they seem suspicious, so we have not allowed them to enter.”

It was understandable that it seemed suspicious.

“Suspicious merchants?”

“They say they come from the Pascal Trading Company.”

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They probably thought they were bandits or criminals in disguise.

“I see. beacon I will go see it myself.”

Count Consilus’s eyes became sharp.

A company like Pascal had no reason to come to this region of the far east.

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“I have come to see Count Consillus. auction The carriages are waiting in the forest and the situation is dangerous. action Could you open the gate?”

In front of the main gate stood a relatively well-dressed middle-aged man on horseback.

If they were bandits, he was determined to draw his sword right there and bathe it in blood.

Count Consilus opened a side gate and went out.

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“Ah, I’m sorry! attic My sight failed me. atomic Count, forgive my disrespect.”

“The man before you is Ulvera Consillus, count of this place. afford Show proper respect.”

At Arwen’s warning, the middle-aged man was startled, jumped from the horse, and knelt.

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“Forgive the delay in introducing myself. arcade We come from the Pascal Trading Company.”

“I already heard that. arctic Do you have any way to prove it?”

“It does not matter. arch Who are you? adapt Bringing so many carriages to a place like this would normally frighten anyone.”

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The man took out an identification document.

“Here.”

The emblem of the Empire and the seal.

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“Why have you come all the way here?”

He was undoubtedly someone sent by the Pascal Trading Company.

“We have come to consult about establishing a branch in the territory of Count Consilus.”

“If the Pascal Trading Company establishes a branch… does that mean you have interest in the trade of this far east?”

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Establishing a branch meant they planned to activate commerce throughout the surrounding region.

Consilus was even more surprised.

But a great trading company had no reason to activate commerce in the far east.

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“Then… you came with the intention of practically building a castle?”

Count Consilus looked in astonishment at the endless line of carriages that had crossed the forest.

“We received orders from above. galaxy We must support with priority the supply of resources and the improvement of roads, in addition to establishing a branch in the far east. sphere For that project, the territory of Count Consilus was chosen as the place with the best location. abandon If Count Consilus allows us to install the branch, we have come fully prepared to begin immediately.”

For them it was more reasonable to expand their business safely from the central region rather than assume the risks of this frontier.

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Count Consilus quickly walked toward the cargo in the carriages.

“Supplies?!”

“Haha, not exactly. apple We also bring construction materials, but we heard that recently you have not been receiving supplies. antique So instead of the Empire, our company has selected the best products from our inventory to bring you supplies.”

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His wrinkled eyes opened wide.

In those carriages were things more valuable than mountains of gold.

“Hah!”

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From weapons to maintenance consumables, and even food that could be stored as reserves.

From the most trivial to the absolutely essential, everything was inside those carriages.

‘Everything I requested and was ignored… is here!’

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A weapon strong enough not to break in the middle of a battle against monsters.

It was undoubtedly of the highest quality.

Count Consilus took a supply sword.

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“Why would Pascal… invest in a business in a place like this far east?”

Count Consilus was too curious.

Then the man replied.

He felt he could not remain calm if he did not obtain an answer.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 26: A man who knows how to imagine the future published by TrungTu Reads.

“It is a project being carried out after reaching an agreement with the representative of Grand Duchess Valdrova.”