Chapter 135
The story continues off the page
The Last Dance Before Midnight
A masked dragon asks the lanternwright for one slow dance
“You mean me?”
“Who else would she summon but you, Lord Ferda? It’s not as if she knows anyone else.”
Luri replied curtly.
It was such a foolish question that her irritation was understandable.
“I see.”
Ferda changed clothes more quickly than usual and headed for the lair.
An iron door far too enormous for a human body.
This was the first place Ferda had visited since Valdrova had first suffered from her bloodlust.
Ferda carefully knocked on the iron door.
The door opened as though someone had been waiting for him.
“Mr. Ferda.”
Valdrova, who had opened the door to greet him, was wearing a dress rather than armor.
Ferda nearly forgot how to speak as he felt his soul slipping away, but he pulled himself together and greeted her.
“Your Highness, Grand Duke Valdrova. Thank you for inviting me to the Great Dragon’s Lair.”
“Not at all. I wanted you to come here at least once, Mr. Ferda….”
Shyness colored her delicate voice.
That soft voice tugged at Ferda’s heart.
Ferda looked around and observed the surroundings.
This was a large, dark, barren place.
But it was Valdrova’s room.
His fiancée’s room.
In other words, a woman’s room.
Even though it was far from an ordinary woman’s living quarters, he felt tense.
“M-May I ask why you called me?”
He was so nervous that he ended up stammering.
Valdrova answered without paying any attention to it.
“I heard you were setting out on a campaign. You’re going to where the colossal monsters are….”
“That’s right.”
Ferda wondered if she was anxious, so he added,
“But there’s no need to worry. Their numbers have decreased considerably, so we can handle them with human strength alone.”
“Yes, I trust you, Mr. Ferda. That’s why I called you.”
Valdrova fidgeted with her fingers.
“I wanted to help you, Mr. Ferda… so I could be a source of strength for you.”
What kind of help could she offer?
When Ferda asked the question with his expression, Valdrova cleared her throat.
Then, as though performing in a play, she extended both hands before her.
“Ferda!”
She called out.
“If you safely complete your conquest and return, I shall grant you the treasure I cherish most from my hoard…!”
Ferda simply looked at her.
Valdrova hesitated, then extended her hands again and said,
“N-nooo….”
Realizing that she was expecting some kind of reaction, Ferda lowered his head.
“I am deeply honored that you would reward me so generously for my service.”
Only then did the awkward atmosphere ease.
“However, there’s no need for you to give me a treasure.”
“But that’s what the other dragons do. They give people valuable things when they do their work for them….”
“That’s something other people do. I’m your fiancé, after all, Your Highness.”
She made a gesture as though the world had just collapsed.
Had he said something wrong?
“If you’re my fiancé, does that mean you don’t need a treasure from me?”
“I meant that I would do it even if you didn’t give me one.”
“Oh.”
Valdrova finally understood what he meant.
She covered her face with her hands.
The shame of having misunderstood him and the embarrassment of hearing that he would devote himself to her made her face burn.
“Even so, I want to give you something. You’ve worked so hard even when I wasn’t here, Mr. Ferda…. Is that all right?”
“Yes. Refusing any further would not be proper conduct toward my fiancée, either.”
“Y-yes….”
The conversation came to a halt.
They were both at a loss over what to say next.
“Master.”
Luri cut in.
“How about deciding on a gift for Lord Ferda?”
“Hm? Oh, yes! Right!”
She nodded rapidly and cleared her throat.
“W-Would you like to see my storeroom…?”
Had a lewd demon possessed me?
Those words were about to be interpreted in an entirely different way.
“If you’ll permit me, I’d be delighted to accompany you.”
“Yes, then come with me.”
Valdrova led the way toward the treasure vault.
When they reached the entrance, Luri stopped following them and bowed.
“I hope you two take your time and enjoy yourselves.”
Only the two of them entered the vault.
Unlike the cave-like lair, the treasure vault connected to it had been properly furnished.
“Wow…….”
Valdrova was even more excited than Ferda, who was visiting for the first time.
“There’s so much now that I’m in human form. I always thought there wasn’t much because I only saw it as a dragon….”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, yes. There’s an awful lot, right?”
“Yes.”
Honestly, Ferda wondered if it was really that much.
It was a considerable amount for a human, but very little for a dragon.
The hoards possessed by ordinary dragons were dozens of times larger than the treasure piled up here.
Evil dragons openly pillaged as a matter of course.
Even those calling themselves guardian dragons took vast quantities of gold and relics as funds for protection or development.
However, the infamous Valdrova had not engaged in such thuggish behavior and had only secluded herself, so there was no way her hoard could have grown.
Valdrova said while fiddling with a gold coin,
“I heard you’re using this money to build your village, Mr. Ferda.”
“That’s why I always feel guilty about it, Your Highness.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because I’m using your belongings….”
“Why is that a problem? I’m only happy about it.”
She radiated a bright, beaming aura like the morning sunlight.
Ferda could sense how pleased she was.
This woman was happy simply because he had used her belongings.
Ferda found that pure side of her utterly endearing.
“Please say things like that only to me.”
“Why?”
“If you said things like that to that tiny attendant, she would surely come charging at you with a murderous glare.”
“Ah, I-I will!”
Valdrova looked frightened and nodded repeatedly.
They resumed their tour of the treasure vault.
Ferda followed behind Valdrova and looked around.
‘There’s nothing useful here.’
Dragons have a collector’s instinct, and most collect things related to their own attributes.
Iorga collects water-related objects and magical tools, while Silverwind collects things related to wind and products made of steel.
Following that pattern, Valdrova naturally ought to collect objects related to fire or weapons.
Yet Ferda could not find a single object befitting her aspect of power.
He had thought there would at least be one lost or sealed magic sword.
He looked around, wondering if there really was nothing at all, and finally found a weapon.
“That’s….”
It was a weapon, yes, but he wondered whether it could truly be called one.
It was an ordinary, extremely old spear.
Its gray color contrasted with the room’s dazzling golden glow, and even its material was unclear.
“Do you want it?”
When Valdrova noticed him staring at it, she asked.
“May I ask what that is?”
“It’s something I used a very long time ago.”
“How long ago?”
“Hmm… That would be… around the beginning of time?”
It was an ancient relic whose age was measured in entirely different units.
“It’s the weapon I used when I fought the chaos covering the world. It’s an object that has been with me throughout my life.”
It was, quite literally, an object that had shared the history of her existence from birth.
Since the conversation had turned toward weapons, Ferda followed the flow and asked her,
“Are there any weapons other than that spear?”
“Probably not…? I haven’t used anything called a weapon since then…. Even when I did use them, they all broke after a single swing, so I stopped touching them.”
“I see.”
That made it sound less as though weapons were useless and more as though she was afraid they would break.
“If you want it, I’ll give it to you.”
“No. How could I accept something that has been with you your entire life?”
It was an object with too much history for him to ask her to give it to him.
Above all, it was useless.
“Would you like to receive something like a weapon, Mr. Ferda?”
“I was hoping for one, yes.”
“There probably aren’t any weapons…. Hmm, then shall I give you the material instead?”
“The material?”
“Then… shall I remove one of my reverse scales and give it to you?”
A dragon’s scales were, naturally, an extraordinary material.
They were difficult to work with, but a single one could be used to create a historic relic.
Some Dragon Spawns were granted scales and used them to make weapons or armor.
A dragon’s scales grew more potent with size, and the reverse scale was the ultimate example.
The reverse scale, which covered the weakness behind the ear, was the largest of all.
Offering it meant that she trusted him enough to lay down her life for him.
“If you want it, I can give it to you.”
“……I’ll accept the sentiment. Please take good care of yourself, Your Highness.”
Ferda naturally refused the offer.
Their exploration began again.
Valdrova guided him only loosely, darting over whenever she spotted something that looked interesting.
Ferda passed by gold that was pleasing only to look at as he searched for a magical artifact.
“……Hm?”
He saw an object whose shape was as unfamiliar as the spear’s.
It was a large framed picture.
It was the kind of painting large enough to be placed in the most conspicuous spot at the entrance to a castle.
‘It doesn’t seem like she has a hobby of collecting art….’
Wondering what kind of painting it was, Ferda turned the frame around.
“Ah, that…!”
Valdrova belatedly tried to stop him, but Ferda had already turned the frame over.
“Ah.”
He understood why she had reacted so strongly.
The painting in the frame was Valdrova.
She was wearing a dress, her long red hair cascading down, and smiling at the painter.
Her mouth was unmistakably smiling.
Her eyes had been slashed apart by something large and sharp, leaving them impossible to see.
As he silently stared down at the painting, half of her face missing, Valdrova said,
“I received that a long time ago, but I accidentally drew a line through it….”
“……”
“I didn’t really like the painting, either. So I, um, just left it in the vault.”
She explained in a flustered voice, trying to smooth over the situation with a laugh.
But Ferda knew.
He knew that her lie was terribly clumsy.
If she truly had not liked the painting, she would not have left it here like this instead of throwing it away.
“It’s an ugly, scary picture that looks like a ghost might come out of it, so stop looking and find something else.”
Valdrova tugged lightly on Ferda’s collar and urged him on.
Ferda neither answered nor reacted.
The painting was whispering something to him.
The life she had lived and her desires.
Even the emotions trapped within her endless contradictions.
As he continued looking at the painting, the lower dantian beneath his chest began to stir strangely.
Was this regret—or love?
“I’ve found something.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve found something I want.”
Ferda looked down at Valdrova and asked,
“If I return safely, would you give this to me?”
“Y-yes?”
Valdrova was flustered.
“Why, why? The painting’s torn, and besides, why would you want to keep something this hideous, Mr. Ferda….”
Valdrova’s voice gradually faded away.
Ferda’s eyes were fixed on her.
He said nothing, merely staring at her, yet she faltered as though being pushed back by his gaze.
“All right.”
Valdrova finally accepted.
“If you return safely, Mr. Ferda, I’ll give you this painting.”
The human heart was fickle; once she accepted, Ferda felt oddly guilty.
Wanting the torn painting could have sounded like he was asking her to expose her shame.
So Ferda took a step back.
“If you don’t want to, I’ll give it up.”
“No. You want it, don’t you? I can’t give you a gift you don’t want.”
Ferda could tell what she felt from those words.
That was why he asked,
“Are you afraid of my leaving?”
“……”
Valdrova found it difficult to open her mouth.
Silence was said to mean yes.
She was afraid.
She had called him here late at night to soothe her own anxiety.
Her offer of treasure was also born from her wish for him to return alive.
All of it stemmed from her fear of Ferda’s death.
Moved by her distress, Ferda carefully took her hand.
“I am your fiancé.”
He comforted her, hoping to ease her anxiety even a little.
“Half of my life already belongs to you. As long as I live as your fiancé, I will think only of you and live for you.”
“……”
“Therefore, I will definitely return alive for you.”
Valdrova’s hand fidgeted within Ferda’s palm.
Ferda’s imagination could not tell what expression she wore behind the white mask.
“Mr. Ferda. May I ask you one favor?”
“Please, go ahead.”
Ferda prayed inwardly.
Please don’t ask me not to go.
“Would you… hug me?”
“……Yes?”
Ferda asked again, wondering if he had heard her incorrectly.
But Valdrova answered clearly.
“They say good energy comes out when a man and woman hug. Bad thoughts disappear, too, and I want to give you good energy, Mr. Ferda.”
“Good energy….”
Ferda unconsciously placed a hand against his own face.
The skin beneath his fingers was as hot as the flames of a fireplace.
Why was he getting embarrassed over something like this?
He had held her body once before, when they danced.
“All right.”
“Y-yes…!”
Valdrova also composed herself and solemnly opened her arms.
Ferda carefully slid his arms around her neck.
Ferda wrapped his arms around her first. When he drew close, Valdrova’s hands moved as well, embracing him.
Her hands moved from his waist up his back.
‘Warm.’
The sensation through the single thin layer of cloth was soft and warm, like a baby’s skin.
A warm, subtle scent like sunlight drifted from her red hair and soothed him.
That made him a little worried.
She was so warm that he wondered whether she might dislike him for being so cold.
‘Warm.’
But Valdrova felt it too.
She had never known that embracing someone could be this warm.
‘It’s similar to receiving mana, but different.’
Receiving mana felt like something settling down.
But this embrace made something within Valdrova’s chest boil.
‘More…’
A bud of greed began to sprout in the heart of the timid girl.
‘If only more warmth could seep deeper….’
She tilted her face against his chest and hugged him tightly.
Pook.
‘……Pook?’
The sound and sensation ruined the pleasant atmosphere.
Feeling something catch on the horns, she pulled her head away.
“Huh?”
Valdrova blinked.
What she saw was two holes in Ferda’s chest.
Those holes were precisely where she had wanted to rest her head.
How had those holes appeared?
“Huhhh??”
Even for a fool, she was not so stupid that she could not understand what was happening.
The realization arranged itself into a complete sentence in her mind,
“Huhhhhh?!??”
Valdrova panicked and recoiled in horror.
“Huhhhhhhh!?!??!?”
“Master, what on earth were you doing to make such a fuss…?”
Luri, who had assumed it would be the usual fuss over nothing, went wide-eyed.
There were two holes in Ferda’s chest.
Luri shrieked in turn.
“What is this!? What on earth…?!”
“I-I don’t know!”
Valdrova wondered if a cursed weapon had somehow been mixed in and she had touched it incorrectly, but that was not the case.
There were exactly two holes in Ferda’s chest.
And two weapons with exactly matching widths were attached to Valdrova’s head.
A vein bulged on Luri’s forehead.
“Master!!”
Luri shrieked.
“How many times have I told you!? Your horns are sharp, so you need to be careful! How could you possibly think of hugging him like that?!”
“I-I’m sorry….”
“Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to Lord Ferda! What is this, seriously!? Can’t you see that Lord Ferda is completely out of it?!”
“I’m sorry I’m stupid! Mr. Ferda!”
“No, I….”
“Stay still! Shut your mouth! Ah, seriously!! I’ve seen so many things while accompanying you, Master, so why do you put me through this every single time…!!”
Luri scolded Valdrova, huffing angrily,
while Valdrova repeatedly apologized, saying she was sorry for being stupid.
And Ferda, the victim, was genuinely fine.
Although the two horns had pierced him fairly deeply, they had missed his blood vessels, so there had been little bleeding and no pain.
However, Ferda had to admit that he was indeed in the state Luri had called being out of it.
This was what he was thinking.
Now he could die without regrets.