Chapter 102 - Sitting on Her Knees

After finishing his conversation with the armor knight, Erica came to see Ferda.

Her features were familiar to him, but the defining traits were slightly different.

She was completely mimicking a human, lacking horns, a tail, and wings.

Nominally, it was a visit from the Platinum-rank adventurer, 'Eri'.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. The seizures have subsided, and I have recovered to the point where I can use light magic."

For a human, it was an injury that would take three years of pure mana cultivation to recover from, but she had healed in a mere three hours.

True to dragons who spend their lives studying magic, she showed a rapid healing ability that treated even deep internal injuries like minor scratches.

"I heard that not many adventurers participated in this incident."

Erica brought up the uncomfortable topic first.

"Yes. So it seems."

"Please don't worry about those pieces of trash; I'm currently compiling a list and revoking their qualifications."

A cheap curse was mixed into her formal tone, yet it didn't feel out of place at all.

Besides, what was there to worry about?

If he hadn't expected anything in the first place, there wouldn't be any feeling of betrayal.

The greedy ones trying to claim everything first were all like that.

'Still, this is a village being built to accommodate adventurers, but it's only attracting bugs.'

At this rate, wasn't there no point in building it?

Revoking their qualifications was one thing, but countermeasures were needed regardless.

"We will somehow figure out the countermeasures on our end. You only need to lend us your name, Regent."

"Will my name be of any help?"

"If the master of the Blue Eye Tower joins forces with Valdrova's Consort, we can at least take the head of the current guild master."

How could a mere human avoid the influence of two dragons?

It was a grave issue that even mobilizing connections couldn't solve.

"Well, since talking about this will only bring out harsh words, let's not mention it anymore. There's something else we need to face right now."

Erica was referring to one thing.

"You mean Gokma."

"Yes. That bastard we naturally assumed was dead because he hadn't shown himself."

Gokma.

Also known as one of Godwin's seven baleful stars, they were the Demon King's seven officially recognized confidants and disaster-like entities that exerted the deepest influence over the continent.

Among them, the most underrated baleful star was undoubtedly Gokma.

The situation made it inevitable.

Because he lost his life to the kitchen knife of a newly awakened hero, there was a lack of data to view him objectively.

His death served as an opportunity to awaken wariness toward humans, leading them to struggle desperately to prevent the birth of another hero.

"I didn't know someone like Gokma would be this strong."

"Is he strong even compared to the other six baleful stars?"

"It wasn't even comparable. At least, from what I felt just now..."

He might even be on par with the Demon King.

However, she didn't go so far as to say that out loud.

Because Erica wasn't certain either.

She thought her judgment might just be an excuse born from the fear and shame of her defeat.

Ferda also recalled Gokma's appearance, which he had confirmed with his own eyes.

A body entirely obscured by a robe.

Beneath it was a slender body similar to his own and red eyes.

'White hands.'

The Demons Ferda knew had dark skin.

"Are Noblesse-class Demons white?"

"No. Even the Demon King had dark skin, and the other confidants were the same."

"Gokma was different."

"Yes. Right. I was actually wondering about that myself."

Ferda remembered it clearly, and so did Erica.

The fingers sticking out of his robe were unmistakably white.

"Perhaps that might be one of the reasons why he was so strong. If he used the power Godwin left behind to repeatedly undergo transformation and mutation to maximize his strength..."

"That's a possibility."

He couldn't know the truth, but Ferda somewhat agreed with her statement.

Wasn't the dark elf named Linne also making a potion that could instantly create a Knight-class Demon?

They were learning from the past and preparing to advance into the future.

If given the chance, they wouldn't hesitate.

So that humans wouldn't be left with a 'next time'.

"I don't know why guys like that messed with Hestia village. It doesn't seem like they intended to finish it off just because it was an eyesore..."

The number of wolf demonic creatures Gokma sent to the village was 15.

However, the number of demonic creatures he poured out to cover his escape was a whopping four times that.

If he had unleashed that many on the village from the start, at least dozens would have died, and hundreds would have been injured.

That half-hearted attack was likely just testing the waters.

If so, what were they testing the waters for?

It was hard for them to understand why Demons, who usually only sought absolute destruction, would bother testing the waters.

"You'd better build a wall first."

Erica suggested.

"Do you think the Demons will come again?"

"Considering their methods, it's unlikely they'll come back, but the people living there think differently."

"You make a valid point."

Right now, he had to look at things from the public's perspective, not a leader's.

Whatever the case, an incident had occurred, and casualties had arisen.

That corpse lying on the road could have been them.

The seed of anxiety had been planted in them.

If we stay in this city, we'll meet that fate someday.

Before this winter passes,

Maybe tomorrow,

No, maybe even tonight.

It was better to let them know they were being protected, even if only for show.

'They always say they're short on manpower...'

If they built a wall, the manpower deployed for the city planning would naturally decrease.

The progress of building infrastructure would naturally slow down as well.

It was a headache-inducing variable for Isabella, who was in charge of the city planning.

"We'll leave the city matters at that, and should we talk about the item I brought?"

Erica took something out of her pocket and placed it on the table.

It was an amulet holding an orange-colored jewel.

"It's an anti-demon talisman."

The conceptual item she had mentioned before they formed their alliance.

Ferda, who had heard it was still in the research phase, felt this was fast.

"We still need to test how much demonic energy it can block in the actual Land of Demons, but if I had to guess, it can shield against 95% of the penetrating demonic energy."

"So you're saying 5% will get through."

"Even that 5% is an astonishing achievement based on the interior of the Land of Demons. It allows humans to slightly step foot into a place they normally shouldn't enter."

"How long can they last doing that?"

"Three days if they take the risk. A safe margin would be about one day."

One day.

"Wouldn't they also need time to detoxify after being exposed to demonic energy?"

"Our scholars of Blue Eye recommend about fifteen days of rest."

"So they work for one day and have to rest for 15 days."

"Yes, it's too long."

Adventuring was naturally a job where the preparation period took longer, but fifteen days was too long.

Since they would be exploring unexplored regions, producing results would be difficult.

Above all, the flaw was that it gave them too much time to think.

'Deep thoughts are poison in an adventure.'

When one has to take risks, they shouldn't overthink.

If they overthink, they naturally get scared, and fear leads to depression.

Depression is a lethal poison that cuts short an adventurer's life.

"The adventurer profession isn't exactly viewed in terms of efficiency, but even taking that into consideration, it isn't great. If we could reduce it to about a week, that would be wonderful..."

"A week..."

Was there a way to solve this?

He thought about it, but Ferda soon stopped.

This wasn't something that could be solved with Ferda's abilities anyway.

Therefore, he answered like this.

"I'll let Burnel know."

"You mean that genius scholar? The one who recently made a contribution in Halim too?"

Erica asked with a face full of anticipation.

It was her first time looking forward to something so much after hearing a human's name.

"Will he be able to solve it?"

"He should be able to."

She didn't know how he would solve it, but Erica didn't raise any questions.

'If it's Regent Ferda's person, it might be possible.'

His resourcefulness was among the top not only of humans his age but of all the humans she had ever encountered.

She was even afraid that trying to look into his mind might instead reveal her own shallowness.

Erica assumed there was a unique wisdom to Ferda that she couldn't understand.

In truth, he didn't really have a plan either.

Ferda thought to himself.

'Burnel will figure something out.'

Ferda still didn't know how magical engineering worked.

In fact, the assistants working under him could barely understand the material, so how could Ferda?

So his internal answer was that it was unknown whether he could actually pull it off.

Still, since it was Burnel, a genius in magical engineering, he would provide some kind of answer.

The only one being ground to dust by such vague expectations was Burnel.

Late at night, when all the work was finished,

Luri went down to Valdrova's lair.

She held a summary of the political situation to discuss with her as usual.

However, her expression was not her usual one.

It was a face that looked as if she were going to face a prisoner locked in an underground dungeon.

"My master, it is Luri. I am coming in."

She entered Valdrova's lair through a small side door.

"My master, what I have to tell you today is—"

Luri's words were cut off.

Inside the large dragon's lair, the great Aspect clad in red scales wasn't there as usual.

Instead, a small woman had taken off her armor and was kneeling on the floor.

"Why are you sitting on your knees?"

She looked down at the sight and asked, dumbfounded.

"Well..."

Valdrova answered in a flustered voice.

"Because Luri is going to be mad...?"

"I am not mad."

"Really?"

"I am just... a little disappointed."

Valdrova twiddled her fingers and hung her head low.

Those words hurt her even more than if Luri had been mad.

"But, Luri..."

"Yes."

"How did you know?"

"... Seeing your behavior, Lady Valdrova, I couldn't help but notice. Your behavior is what made me think of the armor's functions."

"Was it that obvious?"

"But it seems it wasn't too obvious either. Ferda doesn't know, does he?"

"I see."

Valdrova breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that, Luri's expression grew a little fierce.

"It is too early to be relieved."

Luri took something out and showed it to her.

The rumors of disaster were opened.

"Checking the records, you have been acting under the name of the 'armor knight'."

"Y-Yeah..."

"You've already been working here for several months."

"That's right..."

Valdrova's shoulders slumped heavily.

"A vow of silence. Truly ingenious. If you had spoken, Ferda would have noticed right away, after all."

"That just sort of happened unintentionally as I went along..."

"I assume so. There is no way you would be that meticulous, Lady Valdrova."

Luri let out a sigh.

"Is what you are doing now your amusement as a human?"

"It's not an amusement. I-I'm helping the humans."

"..."

Right.

This couldn't even be called an amusement.

A dragon's amusement mostly referred to when they did things ordinary humans couldn't handle.

Leaving behind a great achievement or infamy and then suddenly disappearing to flaunt the greatness of dragons to future generations could be considered the main goal.

That was how it was supposed to be, but,

What kind of dragon would disguise themselves as a human just to work as a laborer carrying loads at a construction site?

It was neither a great achievement nor a mere amusement; it was just becoming a laughingstock.

As the dragon's female servant, Luri was not pleased with it.

She wished Valdrova would treat her own power and reputation more preciously.

"But you know..."

However, completely unaware of those feelings, Valdrova smiled brightly and held something out.

"I worked hard and saved up this much money, see?"

She proudly brought out a pouch to show her.

Inside was a mix of copper and silver coins.

Luri felt her emotions boiling up.

She could get more money than this just by carelessly kicking some items out of the warehouse.

She couldn't stand seeing her feel rewarded by mere pennies.

I need to get mad at this.

"Are you happy?"

"Yeah. I'm happy."

"What are you so happy about?"

"Because it made me realize I can build things without breaking something."

"..."

Hearing those words, her anger subsided surprisingly fast.

Luri knew.

That within the self-loathing casually thrown out while smiling so purely, there was an unfathomable abyss.

Because only Luri had looked deeply into that inner self, she was able to both reprimand and sympathize with her.

That joy was also brief.

Valdrova's head tilted toward the floor.

"But... I ended up breaking things again. Is that the only thing I can do?"

Valdrova scratched her cheek and smiled weakly.

"How could that be? Lady Valdrova, you are the Aspect of Power; you can do far greater things than that."

Luri hugged her shoulders.

Valdrova gently rested her head against her.

"But people were scared. Because I broke things again..."

"They were just overwhelmed by the situation. Don't you know? Humans are foolish. Even if they fear what's immediately in front of them, once they reflect on it, they will quickly realize your deeds, my master, and sing your praises."

Valdrova lifted her head and looked at Luri.

Her golden eyes were moist.

"Will they?"

"Why don't you confirm it with your own two eyes? By wearing that armor, of course."

At Luri's words, Valdrova's eyes went wide.

"Am I... allowed to keep doing that job?"

"You may do so."

"Even though Luri hates it?"

"How could a mere servant like me possibly stop my master's will?"

Now that it had come to this, she wouldn't dare.

'If such a trivial amusement can soothe her heart and heal her wounds even a little...'

How could she condemn it as foolishness and tell her to stop?

Even if it went against the dignity of a dragon, if it made her a little happier, she was willing to endure it.

"Then, then..."

With an excited face, Valdrova asked her for one more favor.

"Could I also become Ferda's knight?"

She had already reached the limits of her endurance.

"... Why do you want to do that?"

"Well... because I'll be able to see Ferda more often?"

She said, twiddling her fingers.

"Don't you see him often enough already?"

"O-Of course I see him often... I do, but..."

Valdrova replied, scratching her cheek.

"It's just that seeing a different side of him was a bit... cool."

"... Cool?"

"Ferda always treats me so gently, so I always thought he was a gentle person. But..."

"But...?"

"Seeing him act a little cold made it feel like we were strangers, and maybe because of that..."

Valdrova blushed.

Her face was no different from a smitten female's.

"It kind of made my heart flutter?"

"..."

At that, Luri's newly calmed heart was instantly set ablaze.

A light called responsibility was blazing brightly in her eyes.

"My master."

"Yeah?"

"Sit on your knees."

"H-Huh?? Why?"

"I will now begin a lecture."

The rumors of disaster opened up in earnest, and Valdrova's complexion turned pale.

She teared up with an agonized face, but those tears only led to new material for the lecture.

Just as Luri said, Valdrova went to Hestia village again.

The exact same armor and behavior.

She was the unconcealed armor knight, just as before.

'They're looking at me.'

She clearly felt their gazes.

And the murmuring sounds at the same time.

-A monster is here.

-The monster that kills people is...

-Kyaaaah!

The auditory hallucinations she felt from their gazes heavily tormented her.

'Should I just go back after all?'

Her two legs, which never faltered from any attack, trembled from her fragile heart.

"Sir Knight."

The fog cleared, and she returned to reality.

A young girl had boldly approached and was standing in front of her.

It was the small child who had been caught by the bad adventurers.

The child who was almost eaten by the maw of a demonic creature.

And

The child who had looked at me like a monster.

"Th..."

The girl struggled to open her mouth and held something out.

"Thank you for saving me."

It was a flower.

The kind of common wildflower you could kick around everywhere if you went to the forest.

However, Valdrova grasped the flower as if it were more precious than anything else.

The girl's smile, missing her baby teeth, was incredibly beautiful.