Chapter 165

I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 165: Everything According to Plan

Everything According to Plan
Chapter 165. Everything Goes According to Plan

An unpleasant green light burst from the body of Young Master Urey as it trembled violently.
Since preservation magic had been cast upon him, it felt less like a corpse being awakened and more like someone waking up from a long sleep.
— Who are you? —the mage Erica asked.
— Marcus… Urey… the only son… of Peri Urey…
The identity verification had originally been done superficially, but Erica probed deeper once more.
— I will ask again. Who were you before Marcus?
He spoke.
— Kevin… of the Red Fields…
Kevin of the Red Fields.
Introducing oneself that way meant being a descendant of common farmers.
It was a self-introduction that Marcus Urey could have never made.
No one could suspect it was fabricated.
The dead cannot lie.
— How did you become Marcus Urey?
— I kidnapped Marcus Urey… killed him later… used the Doppler Phial…
— What is a Doppler Phial?
— The path… to becoming the limbs… of the Great… Godwin-nim…
The Black Dragon, Godwin.
The worst evil dragon, the most absolute calamity, who can never be forgotten.
Those who follow him are demon worshipers!
Without even a moment to be astonished, Erica moved on to the next question.
— Did Regent Ferda kill you?
— N…o.
— Then how did you die from black magic?
— Ferda… framed me… chaos… ughwaaaaa!!
The green eyes faded.
All questions possible through the Dead Man’s Strike were over.
Which meant it was time for the counterattack.
— Bishop Joseph Faust.
Ferda, who had remained still as if he were dead, opened his mouth.
Joseph’s shoulders shot toward the sky in the crucible of shock.
— W-what is it, Regent Ferda?
— You said it, did you not? That the source of the black magic was me.
Ferda’s eyes, which had maintained a calm rationality, began to change.
— You did so fairly and clearly under the light of Alte, so can you explain how the source of the black magic became me?
Moving to a new topic without even the Chairman’s consent.
No, what consent was necessary?
The person who claimed to have nothing to hide under the light of Alte, and moreover the religious representative of the Empire, almost framed someone with such a fatal mistake.
— T-that is… I definitely investigated, and it was Regent Ferda Valdrova…
— It seems there is a mistake. May I re-investigate that trace?
Ferda inquired lightly, knowing it would not be permitted.
— It probably will not work. The trace was severely damaged during the investigation…
— Then let us see how damaged it is.
The one who interrupted the words was Erdes.
As a demon hater who also abhorred black magic, she arbitrarily extended her hand toward the corpse to verify.
— Oh, my! Does it seem like someone deliberately tore it off? How could they do it so roughly, hmm… well, fortunately I know how to restore this.
With a few gestures from Erdes, the blurred marks became clearer and returned to their original state.
— Let us see then… hmm… it definitely was not done in the Grand Duchy of Valdrova. The scent of the north remains.
She cheerfully recited the information coming from the trace.
Joseph Faust’s face turned pale in contrast.
He was the representative of the state religion of this country.
But Erdes was the President of the Magic Society representing the entire Serdes Continent.
— Committee Member Faust…
Valdemar called him like someone in shock.
— It is speculation! —shouted Joseph.
— There is also the possibility that when Regent Ferda cast preservation magic, the trace was covered…
— If you are at a level where you can be manipulated by the plan of a mere 4th Circle, is that not called incompetence? For someone called a High Priest?
— T-that is definitely a conspiracy! —Joseph pointed accusingly at Ferda.
As he was pressed further into a corner, his actions became frivolous.
— That demonic spawn from the Far East is definitely trying to frame me as a liar!
Foaming at the mouth, he tried to paint Ferda as a demon.
But which side held the truth remained a mystery.
It was difficult to accept that the High Priest of Alte, famous for his virtue, was actually the opposite: a heinous demon worshiper.
At that moment, Acad’s aide hurried over and whispered something in his ear.
Ferda, observing that, truly felt the devil’s temptation.
An urge arose to extend his shadow and eavesdrop on that conversation.
He could guess the content, yet it was undeniably something he wanted to hear directly.
— According to the latest news, new evidence has been secured!
Acad’s eyes turned cold toward someone.
— Committee Member Joseph Faust.
— Y-yes, Chairman…
— They say unidentified remains were discovered in your room at the Cathedral. How will you explain this fact?
Ferda quietly measured the time.
1 hour and 20 minutes.
Considering the delivery of the content, it was safe to say it took around 1 hour.
“Not as good as in his prime.”
An unprecedented outstanding achievement, but for Ferda, who knew his ability, it was not a satisfactory level.
— Remains? What do you mean…?
— We just confirmed. There is a decomposing corpse in the secret storage of your personal bedroom along with Class 1 Secrets.
Chairman Acad pressed hard enough to ignore even neutrality.
— If you cannot provide a proper explanation for this fact, you will not be able to take a single step out of here today, Bishop.
He neatly folded his trembling hands.
— I know nothing about that corpse either. I… I am the Great…
The trembling stopped.
An ecstasy forged by madness settled upon his face.
— I offer this body to the will of the Lord of the Void, Godwin-nim!
Joseph extending his arms and shouting.
He manifested self-destruction magic.
Just as the light was about to erupt from his body.
A sort of cube trapped his entire body.
The intensifying light faded helplessly.
— Oh, my? Trying to put on a self-destruction show in front of me?
It was Erdes’s magic.
— This damn bastard.
What she hated most were demons.
But if there was something she hated equally, it was demonkin.
Erdes’s hand, which had extended toward the cube, clenched the air.
Then a horrible sound echoed loudly from inside the cube.
Crunch!
— Kyaaaaaak! —Joseph Faust screamed in pain.
Erdes did not stop there.
Crunch!
Crunch, crunch!
Twisting, bending, crushing.
She did not stop until every bone in his body was crushed and his body hung limp like an invertebrate.
She tormented him until barely any breath remained and left him as a specimen inside the cube.
Having turned him into rags, Erdes looked at Erica and said.
— Since you let me investigate the black magic, I will take this and investigate it myself. No complaints, right, Eri?
— …Do as you wish.
— It seems there is nothing more to discuss, and I will not get any entertainment either… may I leave? I am dying to know what plan this damn bastard concocted.
Erdes asked Acad.
Though she spoke like that, Erdes arbitrarily opened a portal and returned to the Magic Society with Bishop Joseph before hearing a reply.
Her behavior, completely ignoring procedure, was exasperating, but it was not as absurd as the current situation.
Like a place after a storm swept through, everything was a mess once again.
The most shocked among them was Urey.
— That cannot be… My son… Was that not my son?
Since when had my son not been my son?
Countless questions seemed to burst out like a collapsed dam.
But those doubts could not be resolved.
Not anymore.
— Everyone, please be quiet. The session is not over yet.
It was not Acad, but Valdemar, who calmed them with those words.
— Duke Urey…
He looked at Duke Urey and spoke.
— It seems the one impersonating your son was a demonkin, or a worshiper.
— …
— So…
Valdemar rested his interlocked hands on the desk.
He let out a deep sigh and said.
— It seems we need to investigate your identity a bit.
— What… do you mean?
— What do I mean? You have to prove that you are human.
Duke Urey yelled.
— Of course I am human! The Ducal House of Urey that devoted itself to the kingdom, I am Peri Urey!
— How am I supposed to believe that?
Valdemar’s gaze was cold.
— You did not even know that the son closest to you was a demonkin, did you?
— I, I…
— Of course you might not be the one wearing that mask. But what if you joined demon worshipers?
— There is no way I would do something so absurd…!
— It is not absurd.
Valdemar shook his head.
— You lost everything and came here to end it, did you not?
That characteristic is what demon worshipers or demonkin worshipers do.
Thinking they had nothing left to lose.
They came with that resolve, but ended up losing something again here.
— Unfortunately, until the identity verification is complete, I cannot allow you to leave here.
And having lost even that, the truth finally began to reveal itself.
In the eyes of Duke Urey, who had been in a state of shock, a sticky and ugly truth appeared.
— Valdemar Golt, you raccoon dog bastard! You planned this from the very beginning!
His deep anger condensed into his fingers, pointing at Valdemar.
— Despite talking about a father’s grief over losing his son! Saying you would execute justice! Now that you have justification, you try to get rid of me like this!?
Valdemar responded to his fury like this:
— How disgusting it is to struggle when you could not even recognize your own son, demon dog.
— Heinous scum!!
Duke Urey finally lost his mind and threw himself from the witness stand.
His fingers gleamed.
Hidden inside his collar was a sharp awl.
— Today I will kill you and leave!
That awl was meant to punish the one who killed his son.
The object prepared for Ferda flew toward Valdemar Golt.
He lunged his body toward him but could not reach him.
His body was pressed down by something and slammed to the ground.
Oldin Rooster.
With an agility unbefitting his massive build, he subdued Duke Urey.
— You are not in your right mind, Duke. I am sorry, but I will have to be discourteous.
Snap!
— Kyaaak!
Oldin twisted his arm and neutralized him.
Valdemar looked at him and said.
— We will have to interrogate whether you are truly Duke Urey. Not only for the safety of the Arken Empire, but also for the peace of the Heinkel Kingdom and the continent.
— Golt…!
Duke Urey, glaring at Archduke Golt with bloodshot eyes.
That desperate scream echoed throughout the Golden Congress.
The Golden Congress meeting, turned into utter chaos, was thus adjourned just like that.
Ferda returned to the inn where he was staying.
As the representative of Consillus, Arwen welcomed Ferda.
— Do you have a schedule for tomorrow as well?
— No, since it is closed, there is nothing more to say.
— Then I will prepare so you can leave at any time tomorrow.
— Good work.
Ferda entered the tent and sat on the sofa.
And he reflected on today’s events.
As a result, the Far East and its assets that Ferda had to protect were safely defended.
“The plan was definitely a success.”
Ferda thought about how to safely protect the Far East.
If he tried to wage a public opinion war head-on, Ferda could never win.
Because the population and influence could not match the Empire.
That was why Ferda planned to prove that there were demon worshipers in the Empire.
And they actually existed.
Not in the audience seats, not in the congressional seats, but in the Supreme Committee seats.
Moreover, a Bishop of the Cathedral had lived without anyone knowing he was a demonic lackey.
“With this, I obtained justification for autonomy.”
The true face of integrity, concealed by golden light, was exposed, proving that the wall of the Far East was not the problem.
They could no longer put a brake on the Far East while talking about responsibility.
Since the Master of the Tower of Blue Eyes stepped forward to defend, the Archduchy of Valdrova had no choice but to be recognized not as the Empire’s border, but as the shield protecting the Serdes Continent.
“However…”
Strangely, the feeling of victory did not arise.
Alexander was famous for scoring own goals, so he did not even expect anything.
It was as bland as a 20-year-old adult practicing barehanded martial arts with a 7-year-old brat.
“Valdemar.”
That old man was strange.
Within the terrible wave of emotion, Valdemar flowed with a consistent sentiment from beginning to end.
Like a great river that nothing could block.
Why?
Ferda drank tea and thought repeatedly.
— Regent-nim.
Someone called.
It was Arwen.
He entered the tent and asked cautiously.
— A guest has arrived. It is the Princess. What should I do?
It was around the time the glow of sunset was setting.
It was not a good time for a woman to be wandering around.
— For now, tell her to come in.
Permission was granted, and shortly after, a woman in a discreet robe entered.
She took off her hood and revealed her hidden blonde hair.
— Congratulations. With this, you have firmly secured justification for autonomy.
— Do you see it as a great victory?
Ferda asked Olivia with his lingering unease.
— If we only count obtaining autonomy, it is a victory.
Her response was not comforting.
— What do you mean by that?
— If you look at the big picture, that is not the case.
As expected, it was not an unfounded concern.
Olivia must have felt exactly what Ferda felt.
The difference was that Ferda only sensed it, while Olivia knew it concretely.
— If we choose the greatest beneficiary of this incident as the winner, it turned out to be Archduke Golt.
The winner is, after all, the one who was not swept away by the current and watched from the sidelines.