Chapter 53 - An Unacceptable Precedent

The council, where only those of duke rank and above gathered, ended with that.

Ferda followed the other nobles out of the assembly hall.

"Regent."

Zed and Arwen, who had been waiting for Ferda, approached.

Zed asked as he examined Ferda's complexion.

"Did you suffer some kind of insult inside? You look like you're about to kill someone."

"If you can call it an insult, then yes, I was insulted."

Because he had to brush it off even after hearing the insult that Valdrova was an Evil Dragon.

It was not easy for a man who became a Great Mage through vengeance to ignore his surging emotions.

So it was better not to bring it up in conversation at all.

Ferda changed the subject.

"What about Luri?"

"Lady Luri is... come to think of it, where did she go?"

"She moved out of her seat before the meeting ended, saying she had business to attend to. As for where she went... I am not entirely sure."

"Is that so?"

"I apologize, I should have kept track of her beforehand..."

"It's fine. She's not an easy woman to handle anyway."

Ferda did not press the issue.

He already knew where she was going, anyway.

If things went exactly as Luri had said beforehand, she must have moved to speak with Silverwind.

'Speak, huh.'

Ferda recalled the look in Goz Silverwind's eyes when he brought up the subject.

He was suppressing his fury with incredibly clumsy restraint.

If Ferda had spoken to Silverwind right there, wouldn't a brawl have broken out?

If it hadn't been Blancaros's neutral zone, he might have suffered something even worse.

'I'm not sure if the conversation will go well.'

It was while Ferda was thinking that.

"Regent Ferda Valdrova?"

A pure white man befitting the pure white space.

He had a disciplined posture, fitting for the confidant of the absolute ruler of the neutral zone.

It was Blancaros's Hand.

"My master is calling for you. Could you accompany me?"

"In private?"

"Yes. He says he wishes to discuss the proposal you made earlier."

It was an unusual occurrence.

Blancaros did not summon humans to private meetings, if only to maintain his neutrality.

'But this is a situation where he has no choice.'

Since Blancaros, who claimed a position of neutrality, had arbitrarily dismissed the agenda, he probably needed to offer some compensation to the proposer.

To begin with, the reason Ferda endured that unfairness was for this very moment.

"Understood."

"I will guide you. This way."

Ferda followed his guidance and started walking.

* * *

Blancaros's reception room was a place unfitting for a dragon's quarters.

For a dragon, it should have been massive and extravagant.

It should have been so delicate and magnificent that no emperor would even dare to compare theirs to it.

The Grand Council hall certainly possessed an appearance fitting for that majesty.

However, Blancaros's reception room was different.

It was a place overflowing with a human touch.

It was not unnecessarily large, nor was it unnecessarily grand.

It had a small and practical appearance, much like the office of a minor lord.

"Come in."

Sitting in front of a marble desk at the far end, Blancaros welcomed him with his physical voice.

Ferda's footsteps abruptly stopped as he stepped inside.

Blancaros wasn't the only one inside.

A presence shining blue within the pure white space.

Erica Iorga.

She was sitting there, occupying one of the seats.

Erica was looking at Ferda.

As her fierce glare fell upon Ferda, his expression grew even more displeased.

Zed and Arwen, standing behind him, broke out in a cold sweat for no reason.

"Why is she glaring at us like that? Did you do something wrong?"

Ferda shrugged his shoulders.

"Would it make sense for me to have done something wrong?"

"It kind of looks like you did, though?"

Ferda did not reply and simply walked forward.

He ignored Erica and offered a polite bow to Blancaros.

"I am deeply grateful for your invitation, Lord Blancaros, but..."

Ferda casually turned his head toward Erica.

"I have nothing to say to this bitch. May I take my leave?"

"Pfft..."

"Ahem!"

Ferda throwing out verbal abuse, and Zed and Arwen spectacularly bursting into coughs while standing behind him like background screens.

Even as a dragon spawn, the position of a representative was second only to a dragon.

Ferda had practically just called a dragon a 'bitch'.

It was the action of a human practically begging to die before his time.

"Hmm..."

"What, b-bitch...?"

Blancaros let out a low groan, as if he had expected this.

The party in question, Erica, glared at Ferda with a dumbfounded expression.

However, she endured it.

This meeting was arranged for conversation, and above all, the use of force was prohibited in this space.

Erica forced a smile.

"We meet again, Regent Ferda. Let's speak with our actual voices instead of using petty telepathy."

"Do whatever you want."

Ferda covered his ears.

The smile Erica was wearing completely vanished.

"Are you going to keep acting so childishly?"

"I'm completely justified. You insulted my fiancée, and you expect me to speak kindly to you? How would you feel if I called Lord Iorga a water lizard?"

"Gasp."

"A-ahem..."

Zed and Arwen were choking on their own breath.

If it were up to them, they would have bolted out of there right this second.

At those words, Erica held her temper.

She bit her lower lip tightly and forced herself to take a deep breath.

"Let's consider us even on the insults. I will offer an additional apology for using abusive language. However, there was a reason I had to do so."

Ferda removed his hands from his ears.

Since she had endured the insult and let it slide, it was certain that she had the will to talk.

"First, let's dismiss the attendants and speak amongst the higher-ups."

"Understood. Both of you, step back."

"Yes!"

The moment Ferda gave his permission, they retreated at a brisk pace.

Only the three of them remained in the pure white space.

"As our emotions are highly strung, I will keep this brief and clear. I am on Grand Duchess Valdrova's side."

"What incredibly trustworthy words."

Ferda sneered at her words.

"The entirety of Iorga has taken a stance of keeping Grand Duchess Valdrova in check, but our core executives have always highly valued her contributions."

Yeah, right.

"You don't believe me. I stood on the front lines of that war. I witnessed and felt the sight of all the dragons fighting with my own two eyes. Her appearance is still vivid in my mind."

The fine hairs on her arms stood on end.

"Her appearance when she alone stood in the way of Godwin at the very moment he tried to take this continent down with him..."

Hearing those words, Blancaros silently closed his eyes.

He, too, had participated in and witnessed that battle.

Erica continued speaking.

"It was an immense risk to deliver the final blow to Godwin, who was trying to destroy everything, regardless of whether they were Evil Dragons or Guardian Dragons. All the dragons knew this. And they hesitated. But Valdrova pure-heartedly threw herself in there. It was like a black mass being pierced and scattered by a crimson spear. Of course... the aftermath ended up being horrific as it led into another tragedy. Even so, she was not someone who deserved to be labeled as an Evil Dragon."

"I watched you mock my claim like it was nonsense, itching to tear her down, and you expect me to believe that?"

"That is why I am apologizing for my insults. But it was something I had to do."

"You mean to say you had no choice but to disgrace her? Does that even make sense?"

"Because it would be dangerous if I didn't mock your claim and cover it up!"

"What would be dangerous?"

"Silverwind."

The other faction of dragons.

Ferda recalled Silverwind, who had not spoken a single word.

"If I hadn't stepped up, Silverwind would have. I absolutely refuse to let those blockheads with nothing but ice in their brains turn this meeting into a complete mess. Before you even had the chance to declare your expedition to the far east, they would have demanded a war of dragons."

"Are you saying you blocked and mocked everything just to protect me?"

Erica was rendered speechless at his words.

She seemed to be debating whether or not she should speak of this.

"It is not just for you alone, Regent Ferda. If, as you said, her madness was not her true nature but the result of being corrupted by Godwin..."

For a brief moment, the look of a wounded beast appeared in Erica's eyes.

"The precedent of a perfect being becoming flawed is far more dangerous than you can imagine. Enough to shatter the balance of the continent."

Ferda understood upon hearing those words.

Why she had acted so fiercely hostile toward Valdrova.

And why Blancaros had unilaterally shut down the matter.

Ferda summarized what he understood into a single sentence and threw it at her.

"It seems Lord Iorga is experiencing the exact same symptoms."

Erica nodded with an agonized expression.

"At first, the symptoms were nothing more than a slight sense of discomfort. After all, many among the dragon spawns suffer from aftereffects of the fight against Godwin. However, over these past thirty years, she has begun failing to overcome that agony. She is becoming unstable."

"So what is her current state?"

"She has entered hibernation. She chose to remain immobile until a solution is found."

Meaning that Iorga, the Aspect of Magic, was absent.

Hearing that, Ferda suddenly grew curious.

"If so, then Lord Odograsado as well?"

"I do not know for sure. He does not keep any spawns, and as one who is practically a faith unto himself, he would not reveal his own weaknesses to anyone."

Those armed with faith would naturally believe him to be perfectly sound.

Put that way, everything made sense.

This was not merely Valdrova's personal problem.

'This was a problem that could shake the very foundation of dragon society.'

Seeing that Ferda looked somewhat convinced, Erica lowered her voice and calmly explained.

"If your claim—that her true nature isn't an Evil Dragon, but rather she is faltering because of Godwin—is accepted, then everyone will be in a perilous situation. Not only Valdrova's, but the authority of the others will waver as well. They would become perfect prey for troublemakers like the Purple Dragons and the Lightning Dragons. That is why we are buying time until a cure can be found."

"Is that so?"

Ferda stood up from his seat, looking as though he had heard enough.

"Then all it means is that you're nothing but a coward."

"A coward...?"

Unable to hold back any longer, Erica was about to explode with rage.

However, that thought only lasted for a moment.

The instant she looked into Ferda's eyes, she was completely overwhelmed.

"What will you do in the end?"

He asked.

"What end are you talking about?"

"When the crisis finally erupts and everything you've been hiding and covering up is exposed—when it reaches the point of no return, what were you planning to do?"

"That's..."

"You'd even sell out my fiancée's life if it meant keeping your secrets hidden."

"Do you honestly think I would commit such a shameless act!?"

"Am I wrong?"

Erica could not answer.

She could not confirm it, but she could not deny it either.

She could only tightly clench her fists, keeping her mouth shut tight like a mute.

"Let's end the conversation here. May I take my leave?"

Ferda asked Blancaros.

Nothing had been resolved, but it wasn't something that could be resolved right away either.

"... Do so."

With Blancaros's permission, Ferda walked out.

Erica stood blankly in her place.

She could not do anything.

To think that she, bearing the title of the leader of the dragon spawns, would show herself being overwhelmed by a human.

It was a ridiculous sight.

But if the exact same situation were to arise again, it was clear that Erica would freeze up just the same.

Ferda's disgust-filled eyes.

Within them, she saw a fragment containing her distant future.

* * *

Serdes Humanity Magical Society.

The one sitting in the chairman's office was not a cheeky young girl, but a burly man.

"Urrghhh..."

That man was scribbling away with his pen, making sounds like a ghoul crawling out of hell.

He was in the middle of processing the paperwork left behind by the chairman, Erdes, working non-stop for four days straight.

"Uurghh... Huh?"

A moment later, circular sparks began to crackle in front of him.

He knew exactly whose hands were behind this phenomenon.

Normally, he would have stood up to welcome her, but Lou no longer had the energy to even process such thoughts.

"Blue! I'm back!"

The one greeting him with a bright smile was Erdes.

"You're back already?"

"I clocked out the exact second the meeting ended. You know, they totally left me out, so it was no fun at all."

"For someone who says that, your attire looks a bit strange...?"

She had come back adorned with all sorts of trinkets, looking more like someone returning from a tourist spot rather than a council meeting.

"So strict. I went sightseeing in the city after it ended, got a problem with that?"

"... Would I dare complain?"

Lou let out a sigh as he stamped the last remaining document and collapsed onto his desk.

"Are you all done with work?"

"I've at least finished the backlog."

"Look at this. Isn't it great that the division of labor is so clear? I do the resting, and you do the working, Blue. It's a perfect division of labor, right?"

"It's clear, alright, but doesn't it feel a bit wrong...?"

"Besides, since I was there, I even dropped by nearby and bought some of their famous specialty honey bread! Where else would you find an angelic boss like me?"

She wiggled her eyebrows with a look that said, How about that?

Yeah, let's at least eat something good.

Lou opened the box she handed him.

"... Isn't it empty?"

"Really? Ah, it was so good I must have eaten it all. Sorry. Throw the box away for me, okay?"

Lou nodded his head like a man who had made a major life decision.

"I'm quitting. I resign."

"Aha, I can't let you do that. You have to serve me for another thousand years, Blue. You have no veto power. That's the contract we made."

"God damn it."

Lou mimicked sobbing aloud with a face devoid of all hope.

"So... how was he?"

"How was who?"

"Didn't you go because of that man named Ferda Valdrova?"

"That man? Hmm..."

She replied, resting her chin on her index finger and swaying her head back and forth.

"He was unusual."

"Unusual...?"

Lou's eyes widened.

"Was he so unusual that the entity hailed as humanity's strongest Great Mage would use the word 'unusual'?"

"Flattering me like that isn't gonna get you anywhere, you know? I just found him rather fascinating."

Erdes sat on the edge of the desk, looking down at Lou.

"That guy had a Red Circle, you know?"

"A Red Circle!"

"On top of that, he had learned dark magic too. He reeked of it."

"D-Dark magic!?"

Lou's face turned pale blue.

It wasn't that he was afraid of dark magic.

"Is-Is that man still alive?"

"Of course he is. Do you think I'm some crazy homicidal maniac who goes on a rampage without picking the time and place?"

"Well, seeing how you, the Chairman, came out without causing any major incidents... that man really must be an unusual human."

"I couldn't just lay a hand on him right away. He's the husband of a lunatic dragon. What kind of mess do you think I'd get into if I touched him carelessly?"

Erdes crinkled her brows in discomfort.

Her dangling legs began to kick back and forth.

"Blue. What do you think you would have done if your parents had suddenly left you?"

"Uh... I don't know. Wouldn't I be angry?"

"Would you just be angry? Hmm? Would you just scream, 'Ugh! I'll never forgive the parents who abandoned me!' and that's it?"

"It seems like you might do that, Chairman... but if it were an ordinary person, they'd probably be deeply sorrowful as well."

Erdes snapped her fingers.

"Yeah, exactly. It's what people commonly call a whirlpool of emotions. Ordinary humans just get crushed and overwhelmed without being able to tell which feeling is dominant. Even if you try to weigh them, it's virtually impossible to be completely consumed by just one."

"I suppose so?"

"Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?"

"I'm sorry. With my dull brain, I'm having trouble understanding..."

"Wanna write a 50-page apology essay?"

"Ah, give me a second. I think I'm starting to remember...?"

"You idiot. It means you can't create a Red Circle with just something like that."

"Ah, I was genuinely about to remember it."

"Being stubborn while being stupid. Make it 100 pages."

"Gah! That's too harsh! I even finished all the official work while you were gone!"

"Business is business, and personal is personal."

Lou grumbled, and Erdes clicked her tongue.

"So, what you're trying to say is that it should be difficult for Ferda Valdrova to possess a Red Circle?"

"Right."

"But isn't emotion a relative factor?"

"Right. The standard differs from person to person. But even taking that into account, that guy named Ferda has gone far beyond my parameters."

"Is it really to the extent that you would say that?"

"A Red Circle is formed when the scale of emotions shatters. But that teenager is at an age where the scale can't possibly shatter yet. In order for the scale to shatter purely out of rage, you have to be so mentally broken that you firmly believe even the reason you wake up stiff every morning is strictly because of that rage, you know?"

"Umm... That's a rather petty comparison, but still, wasn't there that incident where he was chased out of his family? I think that could explain it."

He became Valdrova's fiancé.

That, which was practically a death sentence, was more than enough to make Ferda's sorrow explode.

"That kid accepted it."

"You mean?"

"To accept it means he still has reason. Which, in other words, means his anger isn't sufficient."

"So what you're saying is, since there's no catalyst to break his scale, it should be impossible for him to form a Red Circle?"

"Right."

"And yet, the Regent possesses a Red Circle."

"That's exactly it."

"The conditions weren't even met, yet a Red Circle was formed..."

"And on top of that, he achieved the 4th Circle in less than a year."

"And... there were various other incidents, too."

The execution of Thessalos Vulture.

The battle that took place inside the Empire's warehouse.

"There is dark magic common to all of them."

"Dark magic..."

While looking at each other for a long while, Lou suddenly realized it.

As the saying goes, even a dog at the village school can recite poetry after three years.

Having served under her for a whopping ten years, he could finally read Erdes's mind.

"Are you saying you believe... the Regent of Valdrova has made a contract with a demon?"

Seeing him reach the conclusion, she smiled.

"Doesn't it reek of it?"