Chapter 67
The story continues off the page
The Last Dance Before Midnight
A masked dragon asks the lanternwright for one slow dance
Ferda looked over everything happening in Valdrova Castle.
He had been gone for an entire month and wondered if anything had happened, but everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
The first place he stopped by was Vernel's laboratory.
Even Vernel's difficult-to-understand theories were gradually being refined to the point that they were becoming easier to follow.
It was an achievement made possible by the fifteen assistants helping him.
‘The biggest mountain is still a long way off, though.’
His greatest challenge was, as expected, Malcolm.
“Mr. Malcolm, could you put this in the right inlet?”
“The right one!? Understood!”
“No, the right! The hand you eat with! No, not there! Aaargh!”
To people who had spent their lives competing with geniuses, Malcolm was nothing short of a disaster.
The moment anyone used the slightest difficult term, he immediately put a question mark over his head,
making him the greatest idiot in history, unable to tell east from west, north from south, or even left from right.
They had to make an idiot understand things that even geniuses couldn't understand.
Vernel had pulled at his hair so much that his once-luxuriant hair was nearly thin enough to reveal his scalp.
Meanwhile, the cause of it all, Malcolm, was as cheerful as a dog out for a walk.
‘Magic engineering is ultimately meant for humans who aren't mages to use.’
If someone like Malcolm could understand its purpose and operate it, even if he couldn't apply it himself, ordinary people would be able to use it too.
That was Ferda's ultimate goal.
‘At any rate, this place seems to be proceeding smoothly.’
As he passed by, watching Vernel rack his brains, Ferda heard a noisy voice from the corner of the hallway.
“Hyaaaah!?”
He knew who it was the moment he heard that hysterical voice.
It was the demon Penelope.
“What's this witch doing here?! Why is a witch openly walking around in a dragon's castle?!”
The witch she was referring to was undoubtedly Echidna.
“Hehehehehehe, if a demon can wander around, why can't a witch do the sameee?”
He wondered why the two were tangled up together, but the reason soon became clear.
“Miss Echidna? Would you calm down and listen to me?”
It was because of Zed.
When he approached, there was no doubt about it.
Penelope was clinging to Zed's leg, Zed was flustered, and Echidna was pointing a knife at him.
Echidna's eyes were unfocused.
“Ah, Lord Zed. Don't worry. I won't hurt you. I'm only doing this because I'm going to perform Contract Separation.”
“Contract Separation?”
“Yes. It's a method of avoiding the curse by severing the place where Lord Zed's mark was inscribed and granting it a new life. Then your body will be as clean as it used to be.”
“……You mean cutting off my arm?”
“And you'll have to live in pain every day. But that amount of pain is nothing!”
Zed was so dumbfounded that he ended up revealing his true feelings.
“Are you crazy?”
“It's all right! I'll love you forever even if you only have one arm!”
“I love my arm, you know?!”
“We'll overcome it! With our love!”
A disaster of a different kind was unfolding here as well.
He could infer the cause well enough just by listening to them.
‘This is because of the pact with Penelope.’
On the day they rescued her, Ferda had made Penelope and Zed enter into a contract.
It was meant to keep Penelope's body from being sent back to Hell while also allowing them to monitor her movements.
He had also firmly installed a gagging mechanism that prevented her from ever speaking about Sitri's Lifebessel without his permission.
Though Zed was the one wearing the dog collar, the terms were nothing short of excellent from Penelope's perspective.
Wasn't it safer to hide in a dragon's nest than to live as a fugitive, running from place to place?
‘Is it good for Zed, too……?’
He was the kind of man who instinctively threw himself at any woman.
Since Penelope was a woman, Ferda thought it should be fine.
Ferda hadn't explained Penelope's exact purpose to Zed.
It was enough for him to know only that she was a daughter whom Sitri cherished immensely.
While Zed was caught between the demon and the witch, Ferda's eyes met his.
Zed spoke with his eyes.
Please save me.
A man was supposed to speak with his back.
Ferda turned his back like a man.
You're on your own.
‘At any rate, everything is proceeding without a problem.’
Things continued on without a hitch, though he had no idea what had happened while he was away from the castle.
“Lord Ferda.”
Luri, the petite girl in a maid's uniform, approached him as usual.
“It's ready.”
“I see.”
Ferda unnecessarily straightened his tie.
Black hands reached out from his clothes and adjusted them once again.
He had risked making a deal with a demon to obtain information.
He had killed the one who threatened Luri so that she would not be taken away.
Two crises that endangered the survival of the nation had befallen him.
Yet even combined, none of those moments had been as nerve-racking as this one.
It was like hiding a blanket wet with childhood urine inside a wardrobe.
Like hiding a secret that might not be discovered immediately, but would eventually come to light.
That anxiety vanished as the door to the arcade opened.
What he saw was a balcony standing wide open and a tea table.
And an incongruous suit of dragoon armor.
‘Today as well.’
He had already seen it twice, so it was not particularly surprising.
She was sitting still, gazing at the place.
The helmet modeled after Valdrova's dragon face intimidated anyone standing before it.
‘Why is she just sitting there?’
Ferda started walking forward for the time being.
He tried to imagine what expression she might be wearing behind that helmet.
Before he reached the worst possible conclusion, he realized the truth.
“Snooore…….”
She was asleep.
Valdrova's head tilted forward.
It leaned as if it were about to plant itself into the floor, then returned to its original position.
“Mmm…… um…… huh?”
Valdrova's helmet lifted and turned toward Ferda.
“Mmm…… Mr. Ferda……?”
Her voice echoed faintly.
After staring at Ferda blankly,
“Huh!? Mr. Ferda!?”
she hurriedly rose from her seat and welcomed him.
“Y-you're here!?”
“Yes. It's a pleasure to see you, Grand Duke Valdrova.”
“W-welcome, Mr. Ferda. I, um…….”
Valdrova could not think of a suitable excuse.
Ferda helped her out.
“It seems you had a great deal to think about. You were even lost in deep contemplation.”
“What? Ah, well, I was actually dozing off……”
“When a king wakes from a nap, it is polite to say something like that.”
“Ah, r-right. Yes, exactly. I was th-thinking. Yes!”
Perhaps pleased to have found a good excuse, she nodded repeatedly.
She was a woman who was terrible at lying.
“Are you all right, Mr. Ferda?”
“Yes.”
“I heard there was a problem with your carriage. So you stopped by Count Consilius's estate……”
Ferda glanced at Luri.
She had been standing there like a folding screen and gave him a slight nod.
So Ferda nodded as well.
“Yes, that's right.”
“You weren't hurt, were you?”
“It wasn't a serious problem. Minor repairs were enough to resolve it.”
“That's a relief. I was a little worried.”
She was genuinely relieved.
That reaction was the reason the secret was necessary.
“What was discussed at the Grand Council?”
Ferda told her what had happened at the Grand Council.
It was simply a territorial dispute.
“I see. On the continent of Serdes…… Of course, I had heard that wars broke out from time to time.”
A territorial dispute between elves and dwarves.
“Are they still fighting? It seems they were doing that in the old days, too……”
Most of their conversation was like that.
Conflict and anger.
There was nothing in it that could make laughter bloom.
Yet Valdrova listened intently.
That was frightening.
He was afraid that he might be swept up in her innocence and make a mistake.
It was not easy to step muddy feet into that pure field of snow.
“And……”
They were nearing the end of the conversation.
“We discussed the conquest of the East.”
“The conquest of the East?”
“They declared that they would conquer the Demon Lands along our border.”
“Ah.”
The Demon Lands.
At those words, even Valdrova, who had been responding with little acknowledgments, fell silent.
She fidgeted with her forearm for no apparent reason.
Her gaze turned beyond the balcony.
The early-autumn scenery, when the colors changed most luxuriantly.
And the view that ordinary people of the Serdes continent saw.
“Even that place now called the Demon Lands……”
Her voice was steeped in wistful memories.
“There was a time when it had scenery that was just as beautiful.”
Complicated emotions filled her voice.
“It is a place stained black now, but it can regain those pretty colors again, can't it?”
Of course.
He could have ended the matter simply with those words, but Ferda could not do so.
“It won't be easy.”
Ferda did not offer any certainty.
“But I will do anything to restore the scenery you once saw.”
Instead, he revealed his resolve.
“Is that so?”
Valdrova brightened as if his words had reached her heart.
“If there is anything I can do to help, I will do everything I can.”
She clenched her fist tightly.
“My fiancé is working so hard. I can't just sit around and do nothing.”
“If Your Highness would lend me a hand, it would be an honor beyond compare.”
Watching her, Ferda felt his heart grow lighter.
He could accept her words as they were, without needing to read deeply into her hidden feelings.
This must be true innocence.
“Um…… Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?”
“There is nothing else.”
“Ah, yes……”
Valdrova's voice trailed off uncertainly.
What could it be?
What had she been hoping he would talk about?
Ferda brought the cooling tea to his lips.
“Luri told me that……”
“Yes.”
“You also held hands with a woman named Olivia.”
“Pffft.”
He choked and sprayed a grand arc of tea.
Valdrova was more flustered than Ferda, who had sprayed out the tea.
“Mr. Ferda? Are you all right?!”
“Yes, I'm fine.”
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you…… I just wanted to talk……”
Ferda wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and looked away.
His eyes met Luri's as she stood there like a folding screen.
You told her everything, too?
When he glared at her with that question in his eyes, Luri looked away.
It would be a lie to say he did not feel resentful.
His head began to ache in an instant.
What could he say to escape this situation?
Did she grab my hand first?
I held her hand, but it didn't mean anything?
Dozens of excuses came to mind, but Ferda immediately erased them.
“I'm sorry. To hold another woman's hand in front of Your Highness……”
“What? Betrayal? I don't care about that!”
She waved both hands as she spoke.
“You're a man, Mr. Ferda…… And I heard she's very pretty, too. Yes, I think I can understand.”
She muttered as though she understood, but her fidgeting fingers and lowered head said otherwise.
Guilt began to weigh heavily on Ferda's heart.
“That's why……”
Her eyes cautiously looked down at him.
“Perhaps……”
She tilted her head slightly and asked Ferda,
“Perhaps you would like to hold my hand too……?”
Ferda's head rang.
“……Yes?”
He asked stupidly.
“Your Highness's…… hand?”
“Yes. I held it once before…… and I think I can do at least that much too……”
I still can't show you my face, though.
She mumbled the words and waited for his answer.
“W-what do you think?”
Unlike her casual attitude, Ferda proceeded more carefully than ever.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
He could not let it slip away on a whim.
He forced himself to calm his trembling, then swallowed to clear his throat and speak in a rational voice.
“I…… want to hold it.”
“All right. Just a moment.”
She removed her gauntlet.
Unlike the enormous gauntlet, the small and delicate hand beneath it was revealed to Ferda.
It was a frail arm that did not seem capable of wielding the Aspect of Power.
When she shyly curled that hand into a fist, it became even smaller.
“H-here!”
She held it out with the palm facing him.
Ferda stared down at it as if entranced.
Even her slender fingers and the lines etched across her palm looked like a painting.
Ferda carefully placed his hand on her palm—.
“Hic!?”
Valdrova's hand jerked away.
He had not even had time to feel how soft it was.
“Why did you do that?”
“No, it's just…… Well, you see…… I-I don't think I can control my strength very well…… I just need a moment to prepare myself……”
Her words dragged out, and her breathing sounded harsh inside the helmet.
His heart sank at the thought that she was about to say she had changed her mind.
She pressed her mismatched hands to her chest and caught her breath.
When her tension showed no sign of fading, Ferda made a suggestion.
“Since controlling your strength is difficult, what if I place my hand over yours?”
“Huh! There is a way to do that! Then…… let's do that.”
Valdrova gently placed the back of her hand on the table.
Ferda placed his own hand over hers once more.
Crrrk—.
At that moment, he heard something breaking.
Looking closely, he saw that the table had cracked.
‘Was this the table made of granite?’
It was made of a material so durable that it supposedly would not break even if a meteor fell from the sky.
If the table had been made from it, it was the hardest table on the continent.
‘They said it hardly ever even cracked, but as expected…….’
It was no wonder she was called the Aspect of Power.
As Ferda thought that, he suddenly recalled something he had done.
Their first meeting.
What he had done on impulse because he wanted to see Valdrova's face.
‘I'm pretty sure I even interlaced our fingers back then.’
Ferda was grateful that his right hand had not been mangled.
Even as he felt that ominous sensation, Ferda could not let go of Valdrova's hand.
It was small and soft.
Its warmth and clearly perceptible pulse.
A small part of her that he never wanted to let go of for the rest of his life.
If he had to let go, he wanted to feel it at least once without regrets.
‘Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if my hand were crushed a little.’
He considered just going through with it, but Ferda's reason suppressed the thought.
“Are you still suffering because of your bloodlust these days?”
Valdrova shook her head.
“Nooo…… I'm fine.”
“Lady Valdrova was unable to hunt yesterday.”
“L-Luri?”
Valdrova was flustered.
Luri tossed out the information like someone who had suddenly appeared, then fell silent again.
“Is that true?”
“Well…… yes……. But nothing will happen. Just because I didn't go out yesterday, there's no guarantee the monsters won't come today.”
“But there is no guarantee that they will come, either.”
“Yes, that's…… right.”
“If you cannot hunt, you will hurt yourself instead.”
“……”
Valdrova closed her mouth.
In this atmosphere, she found herself at a loss for what to say.
However, they did not need much conversation.
“Ah……”
Valdrova felt something flowing in through the back of her hand.
She knew this sensation well.
It was the thing that had calmed her bloodlust before.
“Mr. Ferda……”
“It's all right.”
Valdrova fell silent.
As it entered her body, it gently calmed her heart.
Even though she had already felt it once, she nearly gasped in admiration.
The sensation that could only be relieved by rampaging was subsiding so calmly.
“Um, Mr. Ferda……”
“Yes.”
“I think that's enough.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Ferda stopped infusing her with mana.
Silence fell.
An unbearably awkward silence.
Yet neither of them dared to break it.
The moment either of them opened their mouth, it felt as though one of them would stand up and leave.
As though the hand they had worked up the courage to join would be pulled apart.
Just a little longer.
He enjoyed this uncomfortable silence.