I Married the Dragon I Killed

“It’s short, but impactful. The audacity to threaten us like this.”

Isabella showed her displeasure.

That way of saying only what was necessary and ending there, along with writing it in red letters.

Everything made it feel like a threat.

Perhaps that was why Perda saw it differently.

“Don’t you think it would be too shameless if it were only a threat?”

If they had come intending to lurk around trying to squeeze a few coins out of him, they never would have used that final phrase, “we will soon come to see you.”

Moreover, the opponent was Black Bandana.

If it was the continent’s greatest secret information organization, they surely already had a rough idea of what kind of person Perda was.

‘That’s why I’m curious.’

Whether that “we will soon come to see you” would be beneficial to the Grand Duchy or not.

“Administrator. Is there a flagpole in Hestia?”

“Not yet, but one is scheduled to be installed soon.”

“Then put it up today and hang this in the center. That will serve as our response.”

Following Perda’s instructions, Isabella had a flagpole installed in the center of Hestia village and hung the handkerchief about halfway up.

Around it there were only lonely mountains and dense forests.

Placing it halfway up made one wonder whether anyone would even notice it.

However, only a few hours later, a group of six people riding black horses and wearing black robes arrived at Castle Valdrova.

At first glance they looked like secret envoys from some kingdom, but those who had already been informed knew perfectly well who they were.

Ruri went down to verify their identities and returned to report.

“Lord Perda, they say they came in response to your summons.”

“Allow only the representative inside.”

Since it was a secret organization, they had to handle the matter carefully.

The one who entered Castle Valdrova as the representative was a slender woman.

Light blue eyes, ash gray hair, and dark skin.

She looked like a woman raised in the southern regions and greeted them politely.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Regent. This young woman is called Garnet Swallow.”

When she spoke, sharp fangs could be seen between her slightly parted lips.

‘A dark elf?’

She was beautiful, but her fierce expression made one instinctively tense up.

Moreover, her rounded ears clearly showed she was a beauty born in the southern regions.

Perda asked her.

“Then explain why you threatened me and then came here so shamelessly.”

Garnet tilted her head.

“Threaten you? That would be absurd. How could beings who live in the sewers like us dare threaten the representative of the Grand Duchess and the fiancé of a dragon?”

“Then you’ll have to explain the contents of that letter.”

“The red letters are certainly provocative, but that is nothing more than an outdated tradition of our organization. If that caused you concern, we deserve to apologize a hundred times. However, if we had truly intended to threaten you, we would have had no reason to appear before you like this.”

It was a reasonable argument.

Garnet placed a bag she had brought onto the table.

“This is the first gift this young woman offers you as the representative of Black Bandana.”

Perda discreetly checked whether it contained any traps such as an explosive magic circle.

There were no traces of manipulated magic.

After inspecting it, he opened the bag.

Inside were documents.

“Please read them. I’m sure you will like them.”

Since she insisted, Perda quickly began reviewing the contents.

And he understood why she said he would like them.

It truly contained information that Perda urgently needed.

‘Everything about Tilda Pascal.’

It was a document compiling every plan she had prepared in order to become the owner of the Pascal company by stepping over Merchit, Stephan, and Herman.

From the organizational chart of the agitators infiltrated by Tilda Pascal to plans prepared even for a Plan C.

The contents were so detailed that they made the information Merchit and Stephan were trying to uncover look like a mere sideshow.

‘The accuracy will have to be verified later….’

But Perda did not doubt it.

It was information delivered by Black Bandana, the continent’s greatest secret information organization.

They would not do something as foolish as spitting in their own faces by spreading false information.

Even so, he had to ask.

“Why are you giving me this information?”

Black Bandana had repeatedly rejected the Empire’s offers, and now they were the ones extending their hand first.

Perda needed to know the reason.

Garnet answered.

“It is not simply a matter of giving it to you. It is more of a mediation.”

“Mediation?”

“Yes. Tilda Pascal was a target we had been following for a very long time. The first client began investigating and tracking her four years ago.”

Now everything made sense.

The reason they had accumulated so much information was because they had been investigating her for years.

And the fact that they suddenly appeared offering information about Tilda Pascal as a gift was the client’s will.

“She is truly an impressive woman. Do you know how many things she did during those four years while we investigated and followed her?”

Garnet spoke as though it still seemed unbelievable to her.

“She turned most of the mansion employees into her own people and poisoned her father-in-law until he became vegetative.”

“She didn’t kill him?”

“It seems she intends to alter the will.”

“So she plans to seize the inheritance through trickery.”

“Exactly. We had never seen a woman whose greed filled the place where conscience should exist.”

For Perda, it was not that surprising.

In fact, the Tilda Pascal he remembered was the mistress of the Dandollo company.

After the patriarch’s death, she quickly arranged the wedding, and a few months later the next family head also died.

And the one who inherited the Dandollo company, which had no other direct relatives, was Tilda.

That was how she positioned herself on the same level as Merchit as a future owner of the Pascal company.

After reading the documents, he could clearly feel it.

How much that woman desired the Pascal company.

“And do you know why a woman capable of such atrocities remains untouched?”

“No.”

The truth was that he was not particularly interested.

“After gathering all the pieces, we concluded that Philiaz is behind her.”

That changed things.

Philiaz, known as the origin of all witches.

Most women forcibly crossed the Red Circle driven by resentment, and that resentment was almost always related to men.

But Tilda Pascal was not a witch.

If she were, Perda would have already known.

“Then she made a Garden Contract.”

A Garden Contract.

A contract that allowed a woman incapable of awakening as a witch to use the power of witches.

Women filled with malice, comparable to witches themselves, made contracts with them and carried out their tasks.

But they were extremely rare, and since they showed no visible signs of a Red Circle awakening, they were difficult to detect.

“Did you discover which witch she made the contract with?”

“We cannot be certain, but the most likely candidate is Yor Philiaz.”

Yor Philiaz.

The witch of poison and snakes.

She was also an expert in illusion magic, and considering the charisma and organizational ability Tilda Pascal displayed, it was a very reasonable possibility.

“Then.”

Perda tossed the documents back into the bag and asked,

“So this is something like I get the information and the client gets their revenge, so everyone wins?”

“How could it be that simple? This information is only a gift. If you accept this deal, you will gain two advantages.”

Garnet raised one finger.

“The first, as I already mentioned, is that you will be able to resolve this matter quickly.”

Then she raised a second finger.

“The second is that, thanks to this, you will be able to obtain the Dandollo company.”

Perda thought he had misheard because of how extreme that second condition sounded.

“Obtain the Dandollo company?”

“That’s right.”

“Us?”

“Not us.”

Garnet respectfully pointed at Perda.

“It will pass completely into the hands of Regent Perda Valdrova.”

The Pascal company was the largest in the Empire.

And the second largest was precisely the Dandollo company.

‘If both companies were united….’

It was a proposal so enormous that it would not be an exaggeration to say it was equivalent to possessing half the Empire.

And precisely because of that, it was difficult to believe.

Even the words of Black Bandana, which lived on prestige and trust, sounded like lies.

“How could I obtain the Dandollo company?”

“Without a prior promise, I cannot explain it in detail. But everything is related to Tilda Pascal. Both Henri Dandollo and Rico Dandollo.”

Henri Dandollo was already famous for being a naïve person.

Even so, regardless of his personality, he possessed great business talent and had contributed enormously to stabilizing the aggressive expansion begun by his father.

‘If Henri manages to stabilize the company….’

Tilda would reveal the fangs she had hidden and bite his throat.

‘What a pitiful man.’

However, Perda felt no sympathy.

If he managed to keep his life when he had originally been destined to die, he should already feel grateful.

“If she falls, the Dandollo family will also lose credibility, and the Dandollo company will no longer want to remain under that family’s control.”

“Aren’t you underestimating the client’s greed far too much?”

“Black Bandana guarantees it. If they fail to fulfill this condition, we ourselves will act as the executors.”

Black Bandana was an organization with a long history and, no matter what happened, protected its credibility.

If the other party did not intend to honor the agreement, they themselves would seize it by force. That was their business.

And if he could obtain a trading company, there was no way Perda could refuse something like that.

It was a pie far too large and far too sweet not to think about again and again.

Could this matter really end so simply?

Black Bandana was trustworthy, but he knew absolutely nothing about the client behind all this.

What if, after finalizing the deal with Black Bandana, that client stabbed him in the back?

To deduce what kind of person that individual was, Perda decided to ask a few more questions.

“Then, what do you need?”

“We would also like to propose two things this time.”

“You seem to like the number two quite a bit.”

“It seems the conversation naturally led us there.”

“Speak.”

“First, we would like to borrow someone.”

“What kind of person?”

“Someone capable of finding the medium of the contract with Yor Philiaz.”

For a Garden Contract to be formally established, a medium was necessary.

Ironically, the easier that medium was to destroy and the more visible it was, the more powerful it became.

If they were talking about a poison capable of filling the mansion with her own people and completely immobilizing the owner of the Dandollo company, then it was undoubtedly an object that was easy to destroy and highly conspicuous.

“That woman’s medium must be inside the mansion. We do not know the exact location, but we need a specialist capable of finding it.”

“And it seems you already know who that specialist is.”

Garnet nodded.

“That’s right. We would like to borrow the power of Zed Swallow. Though now we should call him Sir Zed.”

Back then he had still been known merely as a womanizer, far from someone directly associated with theft.

If someone had observed his actions in Hallim, at most they would have thought his movements were better than those of a mere acrobat.

‘But no one is supposed to know that Zed also has talent for stealing.’

It truly was Black Bandana.

Their information-gathering ability was so immense it was frightening, and their deductions were outstanding.

Definitely an organization the Empire would want to possess.

After finishing his thoughts, Perda answered.

“I’ll lend him to you. And the second condition?”

“We want Tilda Pascal to be reduced to an idiot.”

“An idiot?”

“We mean that she should remain alive, but her body should become a prison for her soul.”

“So you want to leave her in a state where she is alive but incapable of truly living.”

That supposed client definitely desired revenge.

For someone like Perda, who had carried out thousands of brutal acts of vengeance, turning someone into a mental invalid was one of the cruelest forms of punishment.

‘Who would desire revenge like that?’

With Tilda Pascal’s reputation, it could be anyone.

But considering the entire situation, there was one much more likely candidate.

‘Rico Dandollo.’

Looking at it as a whole, he was the most likely.

Rather than allowing the company he built to end up in the hands of trash like his daughter-in-law, he would surely prefer to hand it to someone else.

‘Though the fact that they requested something like this means….’

Black Bandana was making this proposal because they believed Perda could accomplish it.

Then what had they seen in Perda to think that?

“What method exactly are you expecting from me?”

She slightly shifted her gaze toward the young woman standing diagonally behind Perda.

“Dragon Fear.”

It was Ruri.

“I heard that ordinary dragon spawn are incapable of using Dragon Fear. But those who train until they approach the level of a dragon can use part of those powers.”

Her eyes shifted back toward Ruri.

“And we know that maid is outstanding enough to use Dragon Fear. We want that power.”

Now he finally understood.

If they truly wanted to hand over a gigantic company like Dandollo, they needed an equivalent force.

Garnet did not only need the power of a great thief, she also needed the power of a dragon.

“Ha.”

Perda let out an incredulous laugh.

“What an arrogantly shameless request.”

Perda’s voice turned cold.

And the atmosphere chilled along with it.

Garnet’s throat moved violently.

Right now it felt as though she were walking on a tightrope in the middle of a typhoon.

If she took one wrong step, she would fall straight into the abyss.

That was why she spoke with extreme caution.

“This young woman already knows we are overstepping. That is why we are offering the Dandollo company as a condition and consider that sufficient compensation for the Valdrova Grand Duchy.”

“Ridiculous. Do you think this deal is balanced?”

Perda asked coldly.

“You think human treasures are enough to buy the power of a dragon? You think something as insignificant as money can bribe them?”

“Yes, it can.”

“?”

“?”

Ruri, who until then had been standing still like decoration, suddenly interrupted.

Perda glanced sideways at her.

The two stared at each other for several seconds before he spoke to Garnet again.

“She says it can.”

“Eh… really?”

“After all, she is not my servant. If she says it can be done, then it can be done.”

As if it were a completely unexpected turn, Garnet could not hide her confusion.

Even so, she bowed her head toward Ruri.

“Thank you for your assistance. For the maid of the great Valdrova family to accept such a shameless request is more than we could ask for.”

“You’d better keep your promise.”

“Of course. We are not so arrogant as to mock immortal beings.”

After confirming even Ruri’s cooperation, Garnet let out a sigh of relief.

“It seems there will not be any major problems with the deal, so we will proceed as agreed. Please read the contract and approve it.”

The work of reviewing the documents was personally handled by Isabella, who stood at the side.

After carefully checking that there were no traps, she handed them back to Perda and the contract was formally finalized.

Ruri’s power could be lent later.

“And what will you do with Sir Zed?”

As if they had already thought everything through beforehand, Garnet answered calmly.

“According to our information, he should arrive soon. Since the Regent has already granted permission, I will personally speak with Sir Zed.”

“I doubt it will go well.”

“There is no need to worry. Sir Zed and I already know each other.”

One of Perda’s eyebrows rose.

“You know each other?”

“We worked together in a mercenary company called Swallow. It was three years, so you could say we have quite a long relationship.”

“Swallow….”

Zed Swallow.

Garnet Swallow.

Only now did he notice that coincidence.

‘No wonder she knew so much about Zed.’

They had been close, so it was natural that she knew him well.

Shortly afterward, an outrageous and carefree metallic noise began echoing from the hallway.

The sound grew closer and closer until it stopped in front of the audience chamber.

“Regent, I’ve returned!”

It was Zed, returning arrogantly after being sent to training.

“After successfully completing my training and fully arming myself with knightly spirit, Zed Swallow makes his glorious entrance!”

“Welcome.”

“Oh, it seems there were guests. And the guest is….”

The two stared at each other for quite a while.

The proud Zed, who claimed to have armed himself with knightly spirit, turned pale the instant he saw that face.

“Ugh! Pindteeth!”

He flinched as though he had seen a ghost and covered his face with his helmet.

Garnet stood up and walked toward him.

“Zed.”

“……Who are you? I’m not Zed, I’m Malcolm, I come from Peach Hill.”

“Don’t speak in that ridiculous voice. I already know you’re a knight from here.”

“……No, miss. I’m telling you I don’t know who you are. I’m Malcolm. I’m stupid. I can’t count or tell left from right.”

“Haah….”

Garnet let out a long sigh.

And immediately afterward, she brutally kicked him in the shin.

A true joint.

Thwack!

The sound echoed throughout the entire hall.

Zed jumped as hard as the impact itself.

But even then, he did not forget to cover his face with the helmet.

“Khk! Hup! Hup! Hup!”

“You damned coward! Come with me! You were sold to me!”

“Aaaagh! W-what does that mean!? Regent!? What’s happening, Regent!?”

Garnet dragged him away by the ear while Zed demanded explanations.

But the last image Zed saw was Perda waving goodbye to him.

In the end, the ones who left through the castle gates were six black horses and one brown horse.

Zed was riding the brown horse.

And behind him rode Penelope.

She had also ended up being sold along with him and screamed noisily as they disappeared toward the forest.

“Hmm?”

Ruri, who was watching the scene, suddenly spoke.

“What is it?”

“All the horses left, but one person is missing.”

“Didn’t Zed and Penelope leave?”

“I know that already. One of the black-cloaked people is missing.”

Ruri felt that something was strange and immediately began searching for the missing person.

The search did not last long.

Because a man covered in a robe was standing motionless directly beneath the castle, where the representative had been waiting.

On his chest was a kindly written message.

— Second gift.

As though opening a birthday present, they removed the black cloth.

And then they understood why that man was the second gift.

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”

It was Frank Fontaine.

The man who had disappeared during the attack.

And perhaps the person who could testify about this entire matter.

When they removed the gag, he shouted desperately.

“I-I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything, so please spare my life!”