Chapter 123 - An Everyday Occurrence

The scandal between Ferda and Olivia.

Valdrova only learned of it for the first time today.

'Why didn't Luri tell me?'

The reason Valdrova had not known about it until now was because Luri, her source of information, had never mentioned it at all.

'She doesn't really talk about things like that to begin with...'

If Luri decided something was likely to weigh on Valdrova's mind, she filtered it out on her own.

Valdrova had known that, in a vague way.

'And it must be nothing more than a false rumor.'

Ferda was someone who had always been devoted to her.

Valdrova never doubted that.

And yet, anxiety kept creeping in at one corner of her heart.

'Olivia Arken.'

She had heard of that woman's reputation endlessly.

A woman blessed with intelligence and beauty, praised as the finest possible bride with social grace and etiquette as well.

Valdrova had never actually seen her, but there had been one opportunity.

She had heard that Olivia would visit Valdrova Castle once.

But Valdrova had not been interested in such things.

To be precise, even if she had been interested, she had been absorbed in building the village at the time.

For her, it had been more important to find fulfillment at the sweaty construction site.

'Should I have seen her once back then after all?'

It had been the kind of thing other people would have abandoned their work to go see, so should she have gone and checked then?

Just how beautiful was she, for people to praise her like that?

And whether she truly suited Ferda.

'Mr. Ferda... is too good for me.'

Ferda had created this place.

He had interacted with many people.

At times, there had been voices of criticism, but she had heard far more often that he was a virtuous ruler who looked after his people.

What, then, was she?

A Red Dragon shut away in her lair.

A dragon who was afraid to face people and hid herself in armor.

A wretched dragon who could not even properly show her face to her fiancé.

'He is... too good for me.'

No matter who looked at them, Ferda seemed better suited to someone like Olivia, whose beauty was praised, than to herself.

Feeling depressed, she needlessly dug at the ground with her finger.

She needed something to cut off these gloomy thoughts.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Just then, an alarm bell began to ring violently.

It was an alarm bell connected to the equipment that predicted demonic creature appearances, so it was a signal that demonic creatures were coming.

The workers jumped in surprise and rose from their seats.

"Looks like demonic creatures are coming?"

"They've been quiet lately, and now they suddenly come in with a raid at a time like this."

Demonic creatures.

Thinking that she had to protect the people, Valdrova rose from her seat.

Then the workers stopped her.

"Ah! Sir Knight! There is no need for you to step forward."

?

"Please let us handle this one. So please, sit back down!"

Their faces held confident smiles.

What could they possibly do, when they were merely ordinary humans?

The workers hurriedly ran somewhere and brought something out.

They were staves.

No, they had too many things dangling from them to simply be called staves, like something a voodoo shaman would carry.

Every one of them moved with the disciplined posture of soldiers.

They climbed atop the wall under construction, then all knelt and aimed their staves down below.

It was a posture similar to that of crossbowmen.

At a guess, something would shoot out from those staves.

But what could possibly shoot out?

That was when it happened.

A powerful force was felt from inside those staves, enough to make her anxiety seem foolish.

'How, when they can't even use mana?'

As someone who did not properly know magic, she had no way to resolve the question.

A short while later, the women who had been gathering things in the forest appeared.

They were flustered, but they showed no sign of panic.

"Why aren't you running like hell!? Do you want to get eaten?"

"The demonic creatures were shambling over, so we came slowly too."

"Shambling? What did they look like?"

"I don't know. They all looked like lumps, and they were moving slowly too."

"Fine, just get inside already!"

Hearing that, one man spoke as if he knew.

"They're Melted."

A short while later, the demonic creatures revealed themselves.

GROOOOAN...

Unlike the other demonic creatures that had taken beastlike forms, these were closer to lumps.

They were monsters that had been exposed to too much junk mana, causing their bodies to mutate so excessively that they had become neither one thing nor another.

Because of that, their strength was unknown, but their speed was on a level similar to zombies raised by a Dark Mage.

Still, demonic creatures were demonic creatures.

Even one Melted was something a unit of spearmen had to stab hundreds of times to kill.

In the process of killing one, one or two men always died.

There were six such things in total.

One foreman raised his hand high and shouted.

"Aim!"

The workers shouldered their staves and lined their sight over the front sights.

The foreman brought his raised hand down hard like the blade of a guillotine.

"Fire!"

BANG BANG BANG BANG!

Sounds and flashes shook heaven and earth.

Valdrova's eyes saw it clearly.

From inside those pipes, something pierced the demonic creatures' bodies at a speed like light.

GROOOOAN...

The bodies of the Melted horde were pierced through, and their forms collapsed where they stood.

"Woooooo!"

"We killed demonic creatures!"

They roared like soldiers who had achieved a great feat in a massive battle.

Though they were slow, dull demonic creatures, they were still demonic creatures.

Once those who had nothing confirmed that they had gained the power to protect themselves from demonic creatures, they felt a thrill of exhilaration.

Valdrova could not hide her shock.

'Ordinary people can kill demonic creatures like this...'

Even if she was not very clever, she had lived for thousands of years and watched countless things as she fought.

Valdrova had never imagined such a situation even once.

No, had anyone ever imagined it?

Even when the Demons were created, most had voiced the opinion that they had no choice but to submit to Godwin.

But humans had not done so.

And they had overturned the predictions of immortals, which had been thought to be absolute wisdom.

Humans were beings this wondrous.

Where their strength could not reach, they squeezed out wisdom and courage, producing a power more tenacious than anyone's.

Valdrova was terribly proud of Ferda, who had created that power.

At the same time, the question she held in her heart grew larger.

She clasped the hands she had gathered at her chest tightly.

On the night before the Start of Spring Festival, Valdrova came to see Ferda.

Wearing her armor, as always.

Ferda knew that she had gone out to fight today.

But he also knew that without such an excuse, she would not come to see him.

"Do you need mana?"

Normally, she would have answered yes, but today was different.

"No."

"Then...?"

"I just wanted to talk a little..."

Ferda felt as if someone had struck him on the back of the head.

This was the first time she had come to him saying so directly that she wanted to talk, without looking for an excuse.

His heart pounded.

It felt as if they had become a man and woman truly enjoying a secret meeting.

When Ferda said nothing, Valdrova fidgeted with her fingers.

"Am I bothering you after all?"

"No. Please come in."

They sat down.

She slipped off her gauntlets and placed them on the table.

"I want... to hold your hand."

"... Yes."

Something about her was proactive.

He liked seeing her suddenly change like this, but on the other hand, he was uneasy.

Because most of Valdrova's driving force began from anxiety.

Ferda laid his hand over hers.

He could feel that she was more stiff than usual.

"W-Well...!"

Valdrova struggled to bring up a topic of conversation.

"Today... demonic creatures were approaching from the wall... I saw them."

"Yes. You watched from the summit."

"What? Ah, yes! That's right!"

Valdrova nodded repeatedly.

"And there, you see. Ordinary people killed demonic creatures."

"I did not see it myself, but the report said they caught six Melted. Though they were only Melted, even those are monsters difficult for ordinary people to handle. It must have been an unfamiliar sight to Your Highness, but how was it?"

"It was truly... amazing. Seeing it made me realize all over again just how incredible you are, Mr. Ferda."

From beyond that helmet, he could feel a gaze of admiration.

Ferda replied to it.

"I did not do that. A man named Burnel worked hard to create it."

"Even so, if you had not been here... those people would never even have thought they could kill demonic creatures. Isn't that right?"

"No. Now that I hear you say it, it seems I did contribute in that way."

If Ferda had not taken the lead, it would indeed have been impossible.

At this point in time, demonic creatures would still have been perceived as beings difficult to kill.

"Mr. Ferda... you are changing many things here."

A village was being created, and people were creating the power to protect themselves.

She had felt something from that.

To say it, she struggled to open her mouth.

"I, um, have been practicing the wildcat."

"... Do you mean the waltz?"

"Yes! That... I said it strangely again..."

It did not matter.

The sight of her floundering was so very cute.

Though she wore a fearsome dragon-headed helmet, the young woman inside it was vivid in Ferda's eyes.

"Tomorrow... right? The day we dance."

The day we dance.

We was the same as us.

Us meant you and me.

Ferda and Valdrova.

"That is correct."

"I... will wear a pretty dress and try to stand proudly beside you, Mr. Ferda. As a ho, ho... pushover?"

"Hostess..."

"Yes, as a hostess!"

He could feel a surge of determination from her, as if she were conscious of something.

Ferda knew.

He knew how much courage it took for her to say she would step forward so proactively.

He was happy that he had been the first to hear that courage.

Ferda smiled slightly.

"I will look forward to it."

The entrance to Hestia village was impossibly busy.

Before the morning sun had even risen, lines of carriages carrying young noblewomen and young noblemen from every region continued to arrive.

The invited nobles numbered 250 in total.

It was not simply 250 people arriving.

There were coachmen and several servants, and at least ten more elite knights and soldiers serving as escorts.

Since 250 young noblewomen and young noblemen were participating, their servants alone numbered at least more than 2,500.

The village, which had still only been on the scale of a few hundred people, instantly became crowded with thousands.

Where many people gathered, much money changed hands.

Stephan properly showed a merchant's true strength.

Under the supervision of the Pascal trading company and the Hestia trading company, various events and charity activities were held.

Using vacant lots where buildings had not yet been built, they held martial tournaments and athletic meets, striving to improve the region's image and attract merchants.

They even worked hard on security by receiving troops from the far eastern alliance, and things passed until evening without any major trouble.

The evening of the Start of Spring Festival was when the nobles began to truly enjoy the banquet.

Chandeliers illuminated the hall as brightly as broad daylight, along with a luxurious atmosphere.

Since it was used as a dragon's dwelling, the interior boasted a splendor that did not lose out to the imperial palace, and the visiting nobles could not hide their admiration.

While the participants were busily socializing among themselves, Ferda also slowly prepared to make his entrance.

In the meantime, Isabella reported several matters.

"They say that after confirming the defense results, they will now begin numbering rifles in earnest."

"Numbering?"

"From what I hear, numbers will be attached as they proceed with modifying them into mass-production models. So they can turn out dozens a day."

"I see."

They certainly had achieved a great result in the area of defense.

Since several commoners had killed six Melted together, did it not mean commoners could use power similar to mages?

"This may be needless concern, but the young noblewomen and young noblemen may steer the conversation toward the rifles with them in mind. Please be careful not to give out information if possible."

"I will keep that in mind."

If he could not be of help, then at the very least he must not become a hindrance.

He resolved again and again not to create any room for the balance Isabella had set to collapse.

"Have you finished preparing?"

"Yes."

At Luri's appearance, Ferda asked reflexively.

"What about the Grand Duchess?"

"..."

Luri did not answer.

The way she lowered her head and stayed silent was answer enough.

She would not come tonight.

Ferda fastened the remaining buttons.

"I see. There must be a reason."

"I am sorry to disappoint you."

To think the word sorry would come from Luri's mouth.

It meant Luri had wanted Valdrova to attend this banquet that much as well.

"No. Is this not something that always happens?"

"I am sorry my master always stands you up."

No, perhaps she was simply angry.

It would be a lie to say he was not disappointed because it always happened.

The words she had come to say last night echoed vividly in Ferda's ears.

Even when he had opened his eyes this morning, the first thing Ferda thought of was Valdrova's hand.

His empty hand was still retracing the sensation of her right hand resting upon it.

But today, this hand would overlap with another woman's hand.

'... Let us not think useless thoughts.'

Ferda clenched at empty air.

Just because she was not here today did not mean there would be no tomorrow.

If so, he must not waste today for the sake of tomorrow.

Thinking that, Ferda moved his feet toward the banquet hall.

"The great Consort of Fire, Regent Ferda Valdrova, now enters!"

A planner dispatched from the Empire shouted powerfully.

As Ferda, the host of the banquet, appeared, the music stopped.

The young noblewomen and young noblemen lightly paid their respects to Ferda in turn, and Ferda followed the red carpet to take his place.

"I sincerely welcome you all to Valdrova Castle."

A clear voice captured everyone's attention.

"Today, we are gathered here after passing through a harsh winter to welcome spring. This Hestia village is a small village that has been under construction since late last autumn. I likely began to feel the responsibilities of a lord far later than all of you here."

Ferda eased the mood with words that lowered himself.

"And yet, you accepted this novice lord's invitation and came here. What does that mean?"

Olivia Arken.

Everyone knew it was their intense desire to make the acquaintance of the Princess of the Empire.

Because they knew that, they could only wait for Ferda's words with some anxiety.

"It means that there is hope in your hearts."

Ferda said so.

"Now, 150 years after the end of the Dragon-Demon War, the territories in the far east are gradually shrinking, and the Land of Demons still stands strong. Godwin, who was a baleful dragon, is dead, and even the Demon King is dead, yet that will has not died and is now revealing its ambition."

Ferda met the eyes of each person below him one by one.

"As humans of Serdes, as nobles who do not tolerate injustice, I was able to confirm here today that all of you sincerely wish for the development and peace of the far east. With the coming of a new spring, you have become a new spark that will reforge this tattered armor."

Ferda picked up his glass, raised it, and delivered his closing words.

"So please, for the sake of that flame, laugh, talk, and dance tonight. As long as love and friendship exist, our will shall stand firm as one."

Ferda ended by bowing politely.

Applause burst out, and at the same time, the musicians skillfully laid down cheerful music.

The banquet had begun.