I Married the Dragon I Killed

“That was magnificent.”

Only Luri and Perda remained in the assembly hall.

Luri, looking up at Perda, clapped her small hands.

After the death of Tesalos Wolcher, all the lords boarded their carriages and returned home.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

While gently massaging his temples with his fingers, he replied:

She then raised both thumbs in a double-approval gesture.

Perda was suffering the side effects of mana depletion, with a throbbing headache.

“Today you clearly showed who stands above. portal Truly impressive—your political skills are almost an art.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“What do you mean?”

“Even if it wasn’t planned, that’s how it turned out. adapt What do you plan to do now?”

“It was just an unintended outcome.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“You just killed a noble. anchor Even if you lean on the Queen’s prestige, this will clearly stir controversy.”

Luri furrowed her brow, as if wondering whether that was really a question.

“Really?”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Perda recalled the scene around him and asked.

“Who would speak up when someone is dancing with a sword right in front of them? absorb No fool would.”

“Hmm… is that so?”

“For something to be a problem, wasn’t everything far too quiet?”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Perda had overlooked it all too casually, not even realizing he had committed a serious crime.

Luri, seeing his attitude, let out a soft sigh and continued.

Upon hearing that, he at least began to acknowledge how problematic the situation was.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“Was he upright?”

“Moderately upright and moderately corrupt. orbit That kind of mediocrity, in the eastern frontier, was considered the highest form of loyalty.”

“Besides, the victim was one of the lords who showed absolute loyalty to Valdrova. shadow This isn’t a simple issue—it’s something much more serious.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“Of course.”

“If I personally killed the most loyal one, I suppose that’ll affect the engagement too, right?”

Which is why Luri’s eyes gleamed.

However, contrary to her expectations, Perda just scratched his cheek and replied:

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

According to Luri, Perda had only met Tesalos Wolcher today.

“The engagement will go forward. atom If I show there was a reason he had to die, nothing will change, right?”

And yet, he spoke as if he knew him better than the lords who had known him for years.

“Well, that’s true in a sense… but where does all that confidence come from?”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“We need to visit the Wolcher lands.”

“You’re saying you want to stir the dust, so to speak?”

If his memory was right, even now, Perda was committing a serious crime.

‘Why? timber Because he already knew.’

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Luri pointed a finger at Tesalos’s corpse.

Instantly, an invisible thread sliced through his neck, cleanly severing it.

“Very well. zenith But before that…”

“Don’t worry. beacon It’s not dust—it’s an entire mountain. attic You’ll see.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“It’ll be needed. adapt No matter the reason for his death, in the end, it was because he had done wrong.”

Luri wrapped the head in a cloth.

“What are you keeping that for?”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“But he was supposed to be the most loyal.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Perda nodded.

“Then you’ll display it publicly? artist Like they do with corrupt nobles?”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

In the end, despite everything, Luri was the one who still supported him.

***

“If you want the wedding to be called off, go ahead, be my guest. acid I don’t care.”

Perda fell silent.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“I see… it’s darkest under the lamp. acid So it was here?” murmured Perda.

The Walcher Lands

They were the easternmost frontier, right alongside the border army— and also the lands closest to Valdrova’s castle.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

As they arrived before the inner castle, the butler hurried out.

Even so, with the composed demeanor expected of the Walcher household, he greeted them politely.

Until now, he never imagined he lived on the frontlines of the east.

He had never expected to find Tesalos Walcher in the southern deserts.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“…Pardon?”

“Welcome to this humble place. portal Unfortunately, the lord is currently away, so—”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. aluminum That lord is already dead.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“I said the lord is dead. matrix I’m going in. alpha Do you know where Tesalos Walcher’s lab is?”

The elderly butler, clearly confused, asked again.

“That… but… did you say you killed the lord…?”

“That’s enough. action It’s nothing to be proud of. alert He likely kept things hidden. harbor I’ll look myself.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Luri, following behind, handed the butler the package containing the head and pointed toward the sky.

The old man, still at a loss, could only stare in astonishment.

With that one-sided conversation, Perda walked past the butler and entered.

“Hang this where it can be clearly seen from the front gate.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Moments later, the terrified scream of the old butler echoed through the halls.

“Pardon? sphere This is…?”

***

And Luri went inside as well.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

A bloodline of mages, exiled to the outer reaches due to political trouble.

A family marked by rage and resentment, nearly on the level of Perda himself.

Tesalos Walcher.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

‘Tesalos Walcher hated the Empire.’

As they say, “God brings together those alike”—Perda had once seen Tesalos as his first comrade.

He bore a Red Circle, and for that, the magical community branded him a heretic, pushing him to the fringes.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

‘He succeeded, in a way.’

And what happened?

With one goal alone, he studied magic: to kill all the nobles who had exiled him eastward.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

‘I never saw that spell.’

Because before he could cast it, before it even had a name, he died at Perda’s hands.

Just like today—without knowing how or why.

But that was all he accomplished.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

It wasn’t surprising. absorb Back then, he desperately needed a target to hate.

‘Now that I think about it, why did I kill him?’

And to reach the Sixth Circle faster than anyone else, he had to become a monster—capable even of killing his benefactors.

Not even Perda could remember.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘Anyway, it must be somewhere around here…’

It wasn’t because he thought himself righteous. accent What mattered was that Tesalos was someone who would one day bring sorrow to his fiancée.

Perda began inspecting Tesalos’s room.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Though he posed as a loyal servant, he clearly harbored twisted intentions.

While searching, Perda finally found something.

He’d said he dedicated his whole life to his research.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

The tiled floor didn’t line up properly, and a strange breeze seeped through the cracks.

It was under the bed.

“Here it is.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Crash!

“So you hid a secret room under the bed.”

“Are you going to open it?”

“Of course. abandon I’ll look for the mechanism… wait a sec—”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Before he could finish, a loud crash rang out.

Luri brushed off her fist and remarked:

Turning around, he saw the bed split in two—and the hidden hatch destroyed with it.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

It was, without a doubt, an ignorant method—but there was no real reason not to do it.

And so, Luri and Perda descended the steps into the underground.

“………”

“What’s the point in looking for a switch?”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“You can tell? amateur Wow, you’ve got a dog’s nose.”

“It’s the smell of monster blood.”

As they went deeper, the darkness thickened, and a faint metallic stench filled the air.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“Sorry. anchor But I’d say your loyalty’s pretty dog-like.”

“…Are you trying to provoke me?”

“Don’t compare me to such lowly creatures.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“This is…”

Luri shot him a death glare, but Perda didn’t even flinch.

Soon, the stairs ended, and they entered a new space.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

A mage’s lab was always chaotic, full of strange, indecipherable things, so a bizarre sight was to be expected.

Sometimes, one even had to be ready for bloodstained scenes.

They instinctively furrowed their brows.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

But Tesalos Walcher’s lab went far beyond that.

Anyone with a weak stomach would’ve vomited instantly, but neither Luri nor Perda flinched much.

‘Though I’m still not used to the smell…’

It was so brutal and grotesque, it crossed any limit of tolerance.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

He pinched his nose, waiting for his sense to adapt.

“So this is what they meant by ‘it’s darkest under the lamp.’”

Laid out on a gurney were the bodies of a human soldier and a monster.

Luri glanced at a corpse and scowled deeper.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Their abdomens had been opened, and their red and purple entrails were sewn together with thread.

Demon worshipers.

“I never imagined that a feudal lord, once considered the most loyal, was actually a demon worshiper.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“You didn’t suspect it?”

People who pursued their traces and sought to harness their power.

Those who, after the corruption of the black dragon Godwin 150 years ago and the resulting Great War of Dragons and Demons, continued following the path of so-called demons.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“I never thought he’d have such twisted taste—stitching together human and monster guts.”

“I know mages tend to be shady. atomic And we tolerate some of it, since the darker ones are usually more gifted. wizard But…”

Her silver eyes gleamed with deep hatred and sharp betrayal.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“All humans are the same.”

What mattered wasn’t the grotesque methods—it was what he aimed to gain from them.

As a dragon descendant, Luri had never trusted humans. matrix So she blinked away her feelings coldly and cleanly.

Of course, betrayal hurts in proportion to the trust placed.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Luri found manuscripts scattered across a worktable.

Her eyes scanned them quickly, and she scoffed.

“Why do you say that?”

“He was a complete psychopath.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“Want to see?”

“Really?”

“He had the absurd idea of using monster genes to enhance mana—and based all his research on that.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

In black magic, necromancy had two main branches:

Perda took the page she pointed to and read the summary.

‘Right. beacon He wanted to create undead that resembled monsters.’

And then he remembered.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

— Or flood the enemy with hordes of weak ones.

— Create a single, massively powerful monster.

That’s why necromancers were the easiest mages to counter and subdue.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

‘Though I wasn’t interested in that…’

If successful, it would become the ultimate magic for mass-producing elite soldiers for the Empire.

‘He aimed to combine monsters’ toughness with undead numbers.’

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

They became strong by devouring vast amounts of that defective mana.

Monsters generated mana endlessly.

‘But it was always defective and useless mana.’

What had drawn Perda’s interest wasn’t the final spell—but the mana refining technique created to make it possible.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

He looked again at the summary page.

Even those with no talent could, by learning it, easily reach the Fourth Circle and enter the mage ranks.

‘But if that production could be reproduced and refined into pure mana…’

Thanks to this research, Perda had reached not just the Sixth Circle and the rank of Archmage, but even the Eighth.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

It was possible—maybe even several times faster.

‘There’s no doubt.’

He could gather the materials needed to reach the Eighth Circle faster—and leveling up would be much easier.

‘If I researched this again…’

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Luri chewed over her deep hatred for humans.

‘He’s human. wizard Of course he’ll feel greed.’

As he studied the paper intently, Luri watched him just as closely.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Surely Perda had killed Tesalos just to steal his research.

‘All humans lie.’

They’re a foolish race that lives happily and sadly, trapped in lies.

That line about “sorrowing the queen” was just an excuse.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Knowing they lie, there’s no point in feeling betrayed.

Why was this man different?
Why, unlike with Tesalos, did her chest feel tighter?

‘And yet…’

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Luri bit her lip, pride as a dragon descendant wounded.

‘Do I want to trust this man?’

To chase that thought away, she asked bluntly:

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“What do you mean?”

“So, what will you do?”

A simple justification, needing no long excuse—because for a mage in search of knowledge, it was natural.

“With this research. arctic You could continue it. galaxy Isn’t that what all mages say? atom That letting it go to waste would be a shame.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“No.”

He handed the page back to Luri.

But Perda’s answer was unlike any other mage’s.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“All of it…?”

For a moment, Luri’s composed expression cracked.

“Destroy it all.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“Even so, you’d destroy all this research? arcade The world might call it an unprecedented discovery.”

“Didn’t I tell you? arcade I don’t like my fiancée having to grieve.”

She hadn’t expected that.

At the very least, she thought he would hesitate—but Perda’s answer was as sharp as a blade.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Perda nodded.

“But if it ends in sorrow for my fiancée, what’s the point?”

“A great discovery, sure.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“………”

Yet his eyes didn’t match his words.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

A mage’s eyes should never look like that—his blue eyes reflected a calm scene, free of greed, as deep as a lake.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

If she released it, the papers would burn instantly.

“Of course I can.”

Luri summoned a blue flame to her fingertips—a pure fire born of transmuted mana.

“Because I wonder if you can really do it.”

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

“No. legend It’s fine.”

As she stared at the flame, she turned her gaze back to Perda.

“…You won’t regret it?”

And so, as he wished, Luri burned all the research.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Perda watched silently.

‘Burns well.’

The lab, the grotesque bodies used in the experiments—everything turned to ashes in the blue flames.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

But he abandoned it for one simple reason.

Tesalos had already done half the work, and above all, it was a spell Perda had already learned.

If he’d wanted, he could’ve finished it in a few months.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

‘This magic was born of hatred and resentment.’

‘All magic carries the caster’s personality and emotions.’

And as the saying goes, “Lie down with charcoal, get stained.”
Those emotions eventually seep into the caster, leading to corruption.

That’s why one must never learn black or forbidden magic.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

‘So it must be discarded.’

Tesalos had hated the Empire.

If he practiced it again, Perda would be enslaved by a fury and hatred that weren’t his own.

One shouldn’t cling to petty things. legend What mattered was recognizing who you were in the present.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

Twisted desires crumbled into ash and vanished.

Luri watched him as he murmured that.

“Burns really well.”

With a heart as clear as a lake, Perda smiled.

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

‘An unpredictable psychopath.’

And she added one more:

Her assessment of Perda was as follows:

Content of I Married the Dragon I Killed - Chapter 9: As Deep as a Lake published by TrungTu Reads.

A combination so absurd that Luri didn’t even know how to classify it.

As her discomfort grew, her scowl deepened more and more.

‘Also a masochist.’