Chapter 155

I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 155: Golden Congress

Ferda arrived at the entrance of the Golden Congress.
The nobles who had come as spectators fixed their gazes upon him.
Their gazes were like those of someone watching a person who had committed a horrific murder and walked away unpunished.
Shortly after, a man came running, pushing his way through the petrified spectators.
It was Alexander.
«As expected, my imagination is shallow».
Ferda thought that if Alexander had witnessed that procession, he would naturally come looking for a fight.
However, there was something unexpected: his appearance was more unpleasant than he had imagined.
— I greet the Crown Prince of the Empire —he offered a greeting pretending ignorance, as if to make him boil with rage.
— Do you know what you have done?!
— What are you referring to?
— As a noble of the Empire, do you have no pride?! What is that behavior that disgraces the nobles of the Empire?!
In reality, what Ferda had prepared bordered on taboo.
Nobles are beings who must always shine.
Given that they are figures to be admired, earning the sympathy of commoners only makes them appear weak.
— I was informed that there was no suitable ceremonial armor for us.
— There was no ceremonial armor?!
— That is correct. The armor that the soldiers of the Far East received from the Empire was only that.
— Do not make me laugh! You are in collusion with the Pascal Company and yet you do not even have ceremonial armor!?
— I say that what is not there, is not there. Would saying that there is when there is not be a deception?
— You dare……!
Alexander, glaring at Ferda, tried to unleash his energy.
Yet Ferda remained immovable.
Rather, he turned his head at the unease he felt, as if he were going to be absorbed by those eyes.
— Count Consillus!
— Yes.
He directed the arrow toward the old man standing as Ferda’s aide.
Consillus bowed his head in silence.
— Do you believe that procession conforms to the dignity of a noble?!
— I consider that there is no problem.
— What, what?!
Consillus responded calmly.
— From my point of view, I believe everyone showed reactions fitting this situation.
— Fitting reactions?
— Yes. Instead of laughing and cheering. Shouldn’t we take a moment to honor the annihilation of an entire legion and the soldiers who died in the Far East? I believe it fits the situation.
— You dare……! So it is my fault, and you did nothing wrong?!
— How could that be? The Crown Prince will soon be His Majesty the Emperor…….
His head was bowed, but his words were clear.
Alexander felt like executing the two insubordinates who defied his authority at that very moment.
Just when he could not contain himself and was about to utter curses.
— A pleasure to meet you, Regent.
A voice that dominated the atmosphere resonated.
Valdemar Golt, the true power of this Crisis Countermeasure Headquarters.
Even that Crown Prince, a runaway locomotive, changed his countenance when he took a step forward.
Ferda tried to step forward as a representative.
Then Consillus stepped forward first and made a subtle hand signal to Ferda.
Signifying that he would handle this.
— It is a true honor to see the Great Hero, Archduke Golt, again.
A slight chill lingered in the polite voice.
From that greeting, Ferda noticed that the two knew each other.
— I am glad to see you, Ulbera. Life in the Far East must have been hard.
— Where in the world is there a place that is not difficult?
— There is no place that is not difficult. But, isn’t it important to show an unshakeable appearance in such places?
He alluded to the story of the ceremonial armor.
Consillus bowed his head once more.
— I apologize. The knights of the Far East did not have the means to reserve ceremonial armors.
— Finances must be tight. Did you not send a request to the Empire?
— Isn’t everyone in a difficult situation? The Empire is also going through hardships, so how could we send such a letter?
— Nobles do not cross the Wall, so they would not know, but ordinary soldiers are different, aren’t they? If weapons are old and cannot be used at crucial moments and they die, what happens then?
Consillus’s body shuddered.
That content was from before Ferda joined forces with Stefan, when old weapons could not hold up and broke, and a soldier met an absurd death.
Consillus remembered his own incompetent self from that time.
— You no longer have to worry about that. I will not show any more disappointing appearances.
— Mmm, if so, then good.
Ending the conversation with Consillus, Valdemar directed his gaze at Ferda.
— A pleasure to meet you, Regent Ferda.
— It is an honor to meet you, Archduke Golt.
— I truly admired it. To think that you would change public opinion by dressing them in that armor.
— We simply showed the kind of work we have carried out.
— True. Even if work is done, if it is not shown, everything is in vain.
Valdemar looked at Alexander and then stepped aside.
— I will also look forward to the other preparations.
Ferda knows, and Valdemar knows.
That this public hearing would turn into a fight not with Alexander, but with the Far East.
Ferda silently watched that retreating figure.
«A strangely peculiar old man».
It seemed fitting for a wrinkled ninety-year-old man with a hunched back, but his body was straight as an arrow.
In fact, Ferda found it suspicious and verified it several times, but it was accurate.
«The skin may be ninety years old, but the inside remained in its thirties».
It was ironic.
Normally, if one could rejuvenate, one would restore both skin and internal organs, and if one had to choose only one, one would prioritize the skin.
Because looking old makes people take you lightly.
«He is trying to make people lower their guard».
If he had returned to his thirties, one would be on guard, but an old man?
It is more profitable to flatter than to oppose an old man who is on his last legs.
Because later, when he leaves his inheritance, having even a single line with your name in his will is a gain.
Using himself as bait, huh?
Olivia’s face suddenly appeared in his mind.
— Regent-nim, you must enter…….
— Understood.
Ferda crossed the hallway and headed toward the council chamber.
There, a crowd of nobles and the knights flanking them were visible.
In this congress where battles are fought with words, the only ones permitted to use force were the security officers.
Unlike the Grand Council, being a human building, they conducted searches one by one.
They repeated the same phrases like parrots to every noble.
— Weapons are prohibited in the post-war conference. If you bring weapons, regardless of the reason, you may be expelled or face corresponding disadvantages, so please keep this in mind.
— Understood.
Consillus handed his sword to his escort knight, and Ferda also untied his ceremonial sword beforehand and handed it over when his turn arrived.
Similar to what Consillus did, but one more phrase was added for Ferda.
— Am I correct in understanding that Regent Ferda is a mage?
— That is correct.
— Then, please wear this.
What the security officer handed him was a mana inhibitor.
A magical tool that interferes with magical incantations, suppresses mana emission, and has the effect of knocking out the wearer when they suddenly concentrate a large amount of mana.
He did not like a mage being treated like a criminal.
However, a historical precedent existed of a mage who attempted self-destruction, so it could not be helped.
— Understood.
Ferda accepted it humbly.
As Ferda put on the restrictor and attempted to enter, he was blocked again.
— That staff cannot enter either.
He said, glancing at the splendid staff Ferda was holding.
— Do I look like someone who would beat someone to death with this staff?
— A normal staff is fine, but magical tools are prohibited.
— Regrettably, it is not a magical tool.
— Then, may we request an appraisal directly from a mage?
If this were a magical tool, it would be common sense to feign ignorance and pass it off here.
Having another person touch your magical tool is disgraceful for a mage.
— Appraise it.
Yet Ferda had nothing to be ashamed of.
The security officer felt doubt at that attitude and requested an appraisal from the mages.
In reality, that staff was an object made by the First Witch, Lucy Philias, so it was indeed a magical tool.
However, the reason Ferda could be so confident was that he had verified it several times before coming.
That staff could not be used as a magical tool by anyone other than Ferda.
Without residual mana, without traces of spell formulas, it could not be identified as a magical tool.
‘Is the First Witch stronger, or the Empire…….’
The result came to light.
— It is just a staff. My apologies.
The appraiser, returning the staff, added.
— It is a splendid staff.
— Even if it is flattery, thank you.
Ferda entered, holding the staff.
The chamber of the Golden Congress, which he was seeing with a sober mind for the first time, unfolded before him.
He had never seen the Grand Council before, but he had seen the Golden Congress several times.
Even so, the feeling was the same.
Grand as befitted the Empire, splendid and, at the same time, novel.
A place designed to inflate the pride of the nobles who set foot in it.
‘And a place that amplifies the desire to somehow maintain one’s seat.’
Factionalism deepened: new factions aiming for advancement, old factions aiming to protect status; neither side hesitated to do dirty work against the other.
Not only commoners, but nobles as well were nothing more than consumable goods to them.
Ferda had no interest in that struggle.
Whether new or old, he had clearly demonstrated what happens to those who touch him.
People gathered in the Golden Congress.
The assembly seats were full of nobles, and the second floor was crowded with reporters and spectators.
— We now convene the Arken Empire Crisis Countermeasure Meeting.
The man conducting the opening ceremony was Valdemar’s close aide and one of the members of the Supreme Committee, Acad de Belung.
Unlike the slender old man Valdemar, he was middle-aged, plump, and gave a gentle impression.
His smile was warm, making people involuntarily feel warmth.
Such a man stood at the chairman’s seat and solemnly opened his mouth.
— Our Empire.
That solemnity carried a weight that pierced to the bones.
— Possesses a long history and bore the motto that there is nothing humans cannot conquer. We have the duty to receive, protect, and develop the legacy of our ancestors. However, one month ago, due to this large-scale monster summoning incident, one-tenth of the Empire’s territory was contaminated. A legion of great loyal subjects was wiped out. Nearby small villages also suffered immense damage. Had we responded more swiftly to this situation, we could have cut that damage in half.
A suffocating tone guided the flow of the opening emotionally.
— Unable to overlook this, we convene the Crisis Countermeasure Headquarters committee for the first time in twelve years. From this moment, we begin the post-war conference, the post-mortem.
Acad turned the document.
— Witness, Imperial Representative and Crown Prince, Alexander Arken, please approach the podium and testify.
Alexander, seated at the front, rose from his seat and approached.
His expression was heavy and grimly distorted, but even that was clearly an act.
— I am Crown Prince Alexander Arken. I swear to tell only the truth in this sacred Golden Congress. First, I would like to begin by expressing my deepest condolences to the soldiers of the legion sacrificed in this incident.
Alexander’s story continued like that.
How he built the strategy, how he attempted to deal with the monsters.
It flowed exactly like the scenario Ferda had grasped.
— Crown Prince.
— Yes, Committee Member-nim.
— I see a record here that you spoke with Regent Ferda through an Imperial Court Mage. What did you discuss?
— That was when the first colossal monster formed a siege formation for the first time, a contact from the Far East.
— Then, what did you discuss?
— Regent Ferda requested it, and I responded that I would send reinforcements.
Naturally, the part where he had a staring contest with Ferda was omitted.
— But you did not send reinforcements, correct?
The one who suddenly raised her voice was Erdes.
The woman who had been lazily braiding her hair suddenly threw a question.
— Assemblywoman Roton, please obtain the right to speak before doing so.
— Ah, yes. Yes. So you are not going to give me the right to speak?
— ……I will grant it to you.
De Belung cast a very displeased look, but Erdes did not care and asked again.
— As far as I know, the annihilation occurred one month after the incident, right? It is said that you did not send a subjugation force during that month and then suddenly deployed it. Is that something I misunderstood?
— Ah, that part is somewhat distorted from the facts…….
Alexander began to give excuses desperately.
— The organized force is the Fourth Legion, a unit specialized in monster subjugation. To face not large monsters, but demonic beasts, we had to construct the strategy meticulously. As you know, demonic beasts and regular monsters are different; you know that well, right?
— I know. But did your idiots from the legion spend that month figuring it out and still do something stupid?
— Yes. Regarding this point, I feel responsibility as commander-in-chief.
— Mmm, alright.
She waved her hand dismissively as if bored, trying to move on as if saying ‘let’s get this over with’.
Just when something unsatisfactory was about to pass, someone raised a hand.
— I find myself unable not to ask a question regarding this, so I shall open my mouth.
— Yes, please speak.
Valdemar politely obtained the right to speak and looked at Alexander.
The old man’s eyes harbored a famous sword capable of splitting a mountain in two.
— Crown Prince Alexander. In the case of the Grand Duchy of Valdrova, it moved divided into two divisions. The first division is the existing Far East Alliance, and the second is recorded as being commanded by the Princess, Olivia Arken.
— That is correct.
— After carefully reviewing the records sent by the Grand Duchy of Valdrova and the legion’s records, I have reached two conclusions. First, the Far East achieved an absurd victory with divine blessing. Second, the entire Fourth Legion got drunk and agreed to absurd tactics, rushing in like moths to a flame. Which direction do you personally believe?
Alexander wore a worried expression and answered without confidence.
— T-that…… The Far East knew how to deal with demonic beasts normally, and their forces were also overwhelmingly different from ours.
— Did the Far East not fight alongside a colossal monster?
— From what we confirmed, excluding production, it had no combat power, so it should be considered a non-combatant entity.
— Then, if you had attacked earlier, would the probability of this disaster not occurring have been higher?
— ……That is correct.
As expected of the Archduke.
Ferda thought he was skilled at driving people crazy precisely because it was familiar.
‘Of course, that is probably a scenario as well.’
If he had not received Helus’s report, Ferda might have been slightly deceived and thought Alexander was cornered.
However, Valdemar’s target was Ferda, from beginning to end.
That was merely preparation.
Ferda glanced sideways and signaled Consillus with his eyes.
Asking if things would proceed smoothly.
Naturally, Consillus shook his head.
— We will conclude the questioning here. Next, let us proceed to the following witness.
Alexander, having broken into a cold sweat, withdrew.
Acad called out.
— Representative of the Far East, Regent Ferda Valdrova, would you please step forward?
Ferda stood up from his seat at those words.
— May the blessing of Alte be with you.
Consillus muttered a prayer.
Would that kind of god really help him, who had spent an entire lifetime cursing?
‘Only humans can help humans.’
Ferda stood on the podium.