I Married the Dragon I Killed

Because he dealt in human pleasures, Ahmad Hashim was one of the richest men on the entire continent.

And yet, it was difficult to imagine him as the lord of an entertainment city based solely on first impressions.

His tanned body was firm and muscular, without a trace of unnecessary fat, and his eyes seemed to radiate brilliance.

He was completely different from the nobles of Hallim, who usually had dull and empty gazes.

Ahmad personally handed Perda the tea a maid had prepared and spoke.

“It is Assam tea. I heard rumors that you enjoy tea, so I prepared this instead of alcohol.”

“I will drink it gratefully.”

“It is an honor to receive you privately like this. I did not attend the Grand Council, but I heard you made very impressive declarations. I sincerely wish for the development of the Far East.”

Anyone could say words.

“I am already grateful just for hearing them.”

“Just words? Do you think this Ahmad Hashim would do something that angers Set?”

Set was the god of the southern deserts.

Ahmad stroked his long beard as he spoke.

“Even so, I would like to offer you a more direct gift, Regent. Ah…”

Ahmad snapped his fingers.

“I just thought of a good idea.”

Ahmad whispered something into the ear of the maid fanning him at his side.

The woman understood and left the room.

Ahmad smiled while looking at Perda.

“You know that those who come to our city greatly enjoy gambling, right?”

“Of course. I myself gambled here once.”

“For those who regret leaving after wagering only the money they brought, we prepare certain options.”

“A pawnshop?”

Ahmad nodded.

Although Ahmad was called the lord of Hallim, out of the city’s twelve casinos only two operated directly under his command.

However, every pawnshop functioned under his subordinates.

And with that alone, they generated three times more profit than all ten casinos combined.

“We take objects as collateral and give a six-month deadline. After those six months, we are free to dispose of those belongings however we wish.”

“So you mean you will give me one of those objects.”

“Exactly. You may expect something worthy.”

It was obvious that the auction after the exhibition would also mainly consist of items originating from Ahmad’s pawnshops.

And by mentioning it directly, he made it clear he planned to give him something from there.

‘This goes far beyond a simple pawnshop.’

Most of Hallim’s customers were wealthy nobles and merchants.

Not only ordinary jewelry, but also family heirlooms and valuable magical items ended up there depending on the circumstances.

‘Of course, most of those heirlooms end up reclaimed by their families, even if they have to drown themselves in debt.’

Using a family heirloom as collateral was practically equivalent to turning to loan sharks.

So the treasures that truly remained were usually jewels or magical objects with moderate effects.

Even so, Perda felt curious about what Ahmad planned to show him.

Ahmad had spoken with enough confidence that it was worth anticipating.

Shortly afterward, four maids dressed like dancers entered while carefully carrying a palanquin.

The delicacy with which they transported it made it obvious that it was an object no one should touch lightly.

Naturally, Perda also began feeling anticipation.

On top of the palanquin rested a long box.

Just the right size to store a dagger.

Ahmad personally opened the box and displayed its contents on the table.

“This is…”

Perda’s eyes widened.

He had pursued power his entire life as a mage, so he recognized it immediately.

“You know what it is?”

“A branch of the World Tree struck by Reverse Lightning… is it not?”

Ahmad was surprised upon hearing Perda’s answer.

“Exactly. You recognized it immediately. Not just anyone could do that…”

Branches of the World Tree contain pure mana until the moment they break, but when struck by lightning their properties change and amplify electrical power.

It was one of the indispensable materials for crafting staffs among lightning-specialized mages.

However, ordinary World Tree branches struck by normal lightning existed by the thousands, so they were not especially rare.

But Reverse Lightning was different.

‘The lightning only the First Witch, Lucy Philiaz, could use.’

Lucy Philiaz, the witch who defied providence and possessed the only power capable of confronting the gods.

Her representative symbol was precisely Reverse Lightning.

Unlike ordinary blue lightning, this one was red and seemed to pierce the sky itself.

Only seven branches of the World Tree struck by that lightning existed.

One was in Erdes’s possession.

Another belonged to the Blue Eyes Magic Tower.

And the other five were distributed among prestigious mage families.

However, two of those families vanished along with the fall of their houses.

‘So one of the missing branches ended up here?’

There were many possibilities.

Perhaps some gambling-addicted mage heir stole the family heirloom and pawned it, later pretending it had been lost.

Or perhaps a thief truly stole it and ended up spending all the money gambling here.

Whatever the process, nothing mattered compared to the impact of that branch.

‘1.2 million golden.’

Even many kings would struggle to offer such an amount.

It was such an absurd price that Perda remembered it perfectly.

For lightning mages, it was one of the most valuable materials in existence.

“There is something I am curious about.”

“Yes, yes. Ask whatever you wish.”

“How much was this branch pawned for?”

Ahmad smiled broadly, as though he had expected that question.

“For 10 thousand golden.”

No less than one hundred twenty times less.

Perda once again understood just how much gambling could destroy people.

Had they handed over something worth 1.2 million for such pitiful scraps?

But that was not what mattered.

‘Ahmad knows perfectly well how valuable this is.’

Even if it did not reach 1.2 million, he surely believed he could sell it for more than 500 thousand golden.

It was not an object one could casually gift while simply saying “it is a present.”

What that meant was simple.

Perda was worth more than that enormous sum.

Ahmad had already finished his own calculations.

“Are you certain you can give me something this valuable?”

“Objects always find their true owner. Is it not fitting to gift lightning to one who commands lightning?”

The spells Perda used during the wolf monster incident were Lightning Spear and Lightning Bolt.

Because of that, Ahmad seemed to have assumed that Perda was a lightning mage.

‘Even so, if I make a staff with this, it will undoubtedly be useful.’

It was a material that could only bring benefits; it would never become a burden.

Perda accepted Ahmad’s gift.

“I will receive it gratefully. After accepting such a valuable gift, I do not know if I can simply remain idle.”

“You need not worry so much. Should comrades who share the same circumstances not help one another?”

“The same circumstances?”

“That is correct. We are both in the position of having to build everything from nothing.”

Ahmad rose from his seat and walked toward the window.

Perda followed him.

When he looked outside, what appeared was a wasteland beneath a scorching sun.

“Hallim was once one of many cities doomed to disappear upon barren lands. When mages expanded their ambitions, our city also became one of their targets.”

The interference of mages in internal affairs was something common in the south.

Water was always scarce there.

Because of that, anyone capable of manipulating the water element received privileged treatment.

And if they also mastered ice, they could set whatever price they wished.

“That is why my grandfather fought to revive Hallim. He made every kind of sacrifice for this land manipulated by mages and abandoned by the gods.”

Ahmad’s eyes became moist.

It looked as though he himself had lived through that bitterness, his expression filled with accumulated resentment.

“Everyone said this city was doomed. But look at the result! Everyone called this place an impious land abandoned by the gods, yet we grew to the point where no one can ignore us! All of this was built by human hands!”

A prosperous city completely detached from the nature of a wasteland.

There were many small cities adapted to the southern desert, but none reached Hallim’s level of luxury and civilization.

“And my father, Abdul Hashim, always said that we must never hesitate to help our brothers who endure the same circumstances. The Far East is our brother! A sister nation walking the same path and deserving to share the same prosperity!”

Ahmad radiated a passion capable of setting the entire world ablaze.

Anyone would have been moved by the intensity of his words.

But Perda did not simply believe him.

To protect a land where no one was sane, one had to remain sane all 365 days of the year.

That was not a choice, but a necessity.

It made no sense for someone to offer such an enormous favor solely out of gratitude.

‘It seems Vernell truly made a strong impression on him.’

He had surely understood the value of magitechnology.

The opportunity to obtain an object capable of killing monsters with a single shot.

Ahmad did not want to let such an opportunity slip away.

After organizing his thoughts, Perda spoke.

“We are currently building villages under the domain of Castle Valdrova for the conquest of the Far East.”

“I heard about that as well. I imagine you are severely lacking in materials and manpower. What was the estimated completion date?”

“They say that the foundational work and water system alone will take a year. And including the walls, even optimistically, it would take at least five years.”

“Five years?!”

Ahmad stroked his beard while thinking.

Then he raised two fingers and said.

“Two years.”

“What?”

“We will provide materials and workers to reduce the project to two years.”

It was such a radical proposal that it was difficult to believe it was real.

He was saying he could cut three entire years from the project.

The only things lacking were materials and manpower.

And if Ahmad covered precisely those shortages, construction would advance at brutal speed.

“Naturally, for an urban project of this scale, a direct road to Castle Valdrova must also be opened. We will support that part as well.”

“But does a road not already exist?”

“That one passes through the Empire. It is not a direct route. Taking that path is far too troublesome. And above all…”

Suddenly, Ahmad pretended to look around like a conspirator and spoke in a lowered voice.

“One cannot trust those people from the imperial capital.”

Perda silently nodded in agreement.

Despite his exaggerated gestures, the depth of his thinking exceeded expectations.

‘But even so… can he truly make such an extreme offer?’

Reducing three years of construction and additionally building roads went far beyond the usual “we will cooperate with development” exchanged between nobles.

‘Just as they say all roads lead to the Empire, all roads in the south lead to Hallim.’

Hallim was the most active commercial center in the south precisely because it was an entertainment city.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the finest products of the south ended up there to be sold to nobles arriving from all directions.

In other words, Perda was securing a direct commercial connection with the south.

‘Vernell was even more useful than I imagined.’

If he had not created this opportunity, they would never have been able to reach such a position.

The progress brought forth by the winds of innovation made Perda smile on his own.

But even at the end, Perda did not lower his guard.

Ahmad’s true intentions began to reveal themselves then.

“Everything before this was merely my contribution. And now, allow me to make you a proposal.”

Ahmad extended his hand.

“What would you think about forming a commercial alliance with Hallim?”

***

After finishing his conversation with Ahmad, Perda returned to Stephan.

“Hahaha!”

Meanwhile, Stephan was holding Vernell’s hand and laughing like a madman.

“What’s going on?”

“Hahahah! We hit the jackpot! The jackpot!”

“Huh? Huh?”

“Look at this!”

The pile of papers Stephan pulled out and placed on the table were all investment proposals.

From 100 golden to 10 thousand golden.

The highest one even reached 100 thousand golden.

“Not only merchants, but nobles from all across the continent are interested in our products!”

“Is that a good thing?”

“The mere fact that they sent these documents means we have the advantage! The fact that they’re making such aggressive offers without even testing the waters first carries enormous meaning!”

“So you’re saying we have control.”

“Exactly!”

Perda, who had been completely left out, silently observed the scene before speaking.

“Then what do you plan to do?”

“Ah, Regent, you’re back. How could we possibly let this opportunity slip away?! Accepting immediately is something only an idiot would do! In this situation there are much better strategies. Would you like to hear them?”

Excited, Stephan handed Perda a business model plan.

“The big shots want us right now! Since magitechnological weapons are attracting interest from many places, I plan to discuss things with the new administrator and prepare investment strategies and real estate auctions.”

Everything coming out of his mouth was money, money, and more money.

Precisely the money that Administrator Isabella feared so much and that could now be obtained through these methods.

“With this amount of money… we could even establish a new trading company. One that has the Far East as its main headquarters…”

“A new trading company?”

Perda interrupted his words.

“Yes. It would not be part of the Pascal Trading Company, but a completely independent company established in the east. You would hold 31% of the shares, Vernell 20%, I would take another 20%, and the remaining 29% would go to outside investors.”

“If it’s our company, why do we need outsiders?”

“To open trade routes with large companies, they usually demand a certain percentage of shares. In exchange, we also buy shares from them, so it’s more of an exchange than anything else. It doesn’t present a major problem.”

They were professional merchants, and the people they dealt with were as well.

It was a complicated conversation.

That was why Perda did not try to delve too deeply into the matter.

“What do you think?”

“I have no objections if it will help the development of the village, but I do not understand why you are so excited.”

Perda reviewed the documents Stephan had handed him once more.

However, several of the strategies Stephan proposed felt strange.

Even though Perda was not an expert in economics, he could still sense it.

“Among the proposals you presented, there are too many that seem to start completely from scratch.”

It was like having a well beside you and still insisting on digging another one.

As if they were trying to build everything again from an empty plot of land.

Perda’s intuition was correct.

“Yes. There are things we will have to start from scratch.”

“Why?”

“Because we can control a trading company without depending on the Pascal Trading Company.”

“Then…”

Perda’s gaze sharpened.

Stephan unconsciously tensed under those eyes.

“What I’m asking is why you don’t want to depend on Pascal.”

“The company… still isn’t mine. It belongs to my father. And besides…”

The words did not come easily.

But Perda’s gaze practically forced him to confess them.

“To be honest… it’s not even necessary for that company to become mine.”

“I see.”

Clack!

Perda threw the documents he had been reading onto the table.

To Stephan, the sound felt like a slap striking his face.

Perda’s blue eyes seemed to grow even colder.

“Then you are not useful.”