Chapter 177

I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 177: Purity

Purity
Chapter 177. Purity

Not for nothing do they call this place a zoo during the Spring Festival.
A place where more than 100 cases of adultery caught in the act took place in a space where about 500 people gathered.
It is an unwritten rule that everything that happened on that day is buried.
Because once people start talking, promiscuity and filth become uncontrollable.
Therefore, the fact that people began to murmur also meant that this matter would continue in a promiscuous and vile manner.
Ferda read the letter that had flown to Count Consillus’s territory.
The wording was formal, but the content could be summarized simply and brutally.
That Arwen Wolfhart, a knight of Count Consillus, had raped Ludmilla Purity, the third daughter of the Duchy of Purity.
And that they were currently heading toward Count Consillus’s castle to verify said fact.
“—Is it true?”
Ferda looked away from the letter subtly.
The man standing like a criminal replied with difficulty:
“—…It is not true.”
“—Did you not have relations?”
“—We did have relations, but that was also… with mutual consent between both parties.”
“—Right, I truly did not think it was like that.”
Without any sarcasm, he truly did not believe that Arwen was capable of such an act.
Looking at both Arwen and the woman named Ludmilla, neither conveyed an atmosphere of coercion.
The reason they were acting with such severity was simple.
“—It seems there is a separate purpose. What do you think it is?”
“—It is for the dowry.”
When noble families marry off their daughters, sending a dowry is the norm.
Since the head of the household assumes full responsibility after marriage, it was a custom they took for granted.
But since nothing in the world is fair, the sum of said dowry also varies according to rank and circumstances.
The lower the rank of the groom’s family compared to the bride’s, and the more faults there are, the more the dowry decreases.
At this moment, Arwen is just a nobody, a knight of the frontier.
If to that is added the accusation of having raped a noble lady, far from receiving a dowry, they would end up in a situation where they would have to pay compensation.
“—…I apologize.”
“—If this ends with just an apology, it would be fortunate.”
Count Consillus exhaled a deep sigh and covered his face.
With a heavy expression, he clicked his tongue and spoke again:
“—Arwen.”
“—Yes, Your Excellency…”
“—Can you take responsibility for that woman named Ludmilla for life?”
“—…Huh? Taking responsibility for life…”
“—What other way is there to take responsibility for an innocent young lady?”
“—W-well, of course I should reap what I sowed since I planted the seed, but I don’t think things will turn out so smoothly…”
“—Why wouldn’t they turn out smoothly? I can simply adopt you as my son.”
“—M-me, sir?”
Arwen blinked, bewildered.
Ferda saw Malcolm overlapping with Arwen’s appearance.
Count Consillus frowned and declared:
“—Why do you pretend not to know? Everyone in the knight order secretly knows it.”
“—I truly did not know.”
Arwen had often heard from other knights that he would become the young lord.
But Arwen, naturally, thought it was a simple joke among knights.
Count Consillus clicked his tongue and addressed Ferda:
“—Seeing his state, leaving this to this guy will bring a great disaster to the Far East. Let us hand him over to the House of Purity.”
“—Agreed.”
“—Ah, no! Please do not abandon me!”
Count Consillus laughed in disbelief at Arwen’s nervousness over the cruel joke.
Without wasting time, they immediately proceeded with the adoption process.
“—Arwen Wolfhart. From this day forward, as an adopted son of the Consillus family, you are granted succession rights, and Regent Ferda Valdrova, as the representative of the Queen Duchess, will bear witness to this fact.”
Arwen unsheathed his sword, placed it on the ground, and replied:
“—Knight Arwen swears to protect this territory as a knight of the count’s domain, and will uphold the will of my adoptive father without dishonoring the family name.”
“—You’ve already dirtied the name, haven’t you?”
Count Consillus replied in an amused tone and clicked his tongue.
“—Originally the succession ceremony should have been more splendid, but things turned out this way…”
“—…I am sorry.”
Thus, the relationship of lord and vassal changed to that of father and son, yet nothing was different.
It meant they were already as close as a father and a son.
Shortly after, a report arrived that a party was heading toward Count Consillus’s territory.
The flag fluttering on their banner bore the coat of arms of the Duchy of Purity waving in the wind.
— —
In the North, the concept of nobility differed from that of other countries.
The Alliance of Kingdoms had formed less than a hundred years ago, and only around that time did they begin to award known titles.
For that reason, the “foundation” of the nobles was sometimes called into question.
The Duchy of Purity was a family of warriors with a deep history, even within the Northern Alliance of Kingdoms.
The closer to the Northern Wall, the closer to death, and warriors close to death considered it an honorable thing.
The Duchy of Purity was one of the most honorable nobles in the North.
The people watching their march beyond the castle walls could notice it.
Wearing death like a cloak, they seemed to turn even this warm spring sunlight into frost.
Among the black-haired people with fierce expressions, a man with graying hair and beard stood out.
He was Valeri Purity, the Patriarch of the Duchy of Purity.
A warrior recognizes a warrior, and a true warrior is recognized by everyone.
At this moment he is an old man leaning on a cane, but everyone knew he was once a warrior who stood at the edge of death.
The person most out of place among them was the young lady, Ludmilla Purity.
Among the men with fierce glares, she was cheerfully waving her hand toward Arwen.
Arwen felt complex emotions upon witnessing that.
“—I pay my respects to the Great Guardian of the Snow Mountain, the Patriarch of the Duchy of Purity of the United Kingdoms.”
Count Consillus offered a formal greeting.
Immediately after, Patriarch Purity also greeted him politely:
“—I pay my respects to Count Consillus, the Protector of the Erdes Continent against the Demon Lands.”
His gaze did not stop there and turned toward Ferda.
“—And I also meet Regent Ferda Valdrova.”
“—I pay my respects, Patriarch. This is the first time since the Grand Council.”
“—We didn’t even exchange a single greeting, can that be called a meeting?”
“—The atmosphere was so bloody that I had to tread carefully.”
“—Tread carefully, huh… You made such an innovative declaration and yet you are truly shameless.”
Valeri Purity let out a hearty laugh.
“—Let’s just talk. Whether to kill or to spare, we should resolve this like nobles, don’t you think?”
“—Indeed. Right this way…”
Count Consillus guided him to his mansion and welcomed the guests.
After an exchange of small talk back and forth, Count Consillus seized the opportunity, patted Arwen on the back, and brought up the main topic:
“—The lad present here is Arwen Wolfhart.”
“—Mmm…”
Under the eyes drooping with age, a bright and sharp light flashed.
Arwen felt a chilling sensation, as if they were scanning and scrutinizing his entire body.
“—Those guys from the Empire are never impressive, so I thought he would be some pretty boy like a swallow, but the Far East is different, eh?”
“—We live in a world where a single mistake means a sea of blood, so how could we be the same as those guys from the center?”
“—Guys from the center! Now that’s a phrase I like!”
Valeri laughed heartily.
Count Consillus also laughed along and spoke cautiously:
“—Although we have endured this harsh environment together, Arwen is a lad who believes in chivalry. He has the conviction to protect the elderly, women, and children.”
He indirectly stated that he was not a shameless bastard who had committed rape.
At that, Valeri waved his hand, brushing it aside.
“—There is no need to worry. I know it isn’t true. Nor is it a shameless act to reduce the dowry. Ludmilla herself said he is the one she loves.”
“—Then, why did you bring up such a story…?”
“—Lately, for health reasons, my eldest son handles the duties in my stead. The man standing to my right is the eldest. The one to the left is the second.”
The giant warrior introduced bowed.
His eyes toward Count Consillus were rough, yet held courtesy.
Only the glare directed at Arwen chilled his spine.
It is truly mysterious.
The two looked like brothers, but adding Ludmilla, one wonders if they really share the same blood.
“—It seems the two brothers treat the third daughter like a precious treasure?”
“—Understand this. The first and second daughters took after me and were belligerent enough to fight often with these savages. But only Ludmilla took after her late mother. She embroidered and mended worn-out training clothes, prepared lunches… she was a child more maternal than a mother.”
“—Please, don’t say things like that…”
Ludmilla covered her face in embarrassment.
Count Consillus chuckled.
“—A virtuous young lady with warm family affection. It would be good for the marriage to proceed smoothly.”
“—Agreed.”
If the current Patriarch had no intention of firmly opposing, it meant things would go smoothly.
“—Then…”
Valeri Purity looked at Arwen and asked:
“—Since we will be family from now on, may I hear your resolution?”
“—My resolution…”
Arwen swallowed hard once and replied:
“—I will not dishonor the name of my adoptive father, the Consillus family, nor the name of my father-in-law, the Purity family, and I will protect Ludmilla as my life partner.”
“—Good spirit.”
Valeri nodded in satisfaction.
“—I am satisfied, but the man who will be the next Patriarch might not be.”
Valeri tilted his head back slightly.
“—You know, my head is a bit slow. If I don’t clash bodies, I don’t understand a single thing.”
The heir Igor Purity smirked and cracked his knuckles.
Crack!
Crack!
“—What about the second? At least you use your head, don’t you?”
“—An arrow got stuck in my head last year, maybe that’s why? I don’t understand with just words either.”
The Great Warrior Sergei Purity also stretched his muscles.
Pop!
Crack!
“—Is that so? Then…”
Valeri respected their opinions and suggested:
“—How about the future Patriarchs build some camaraderie?”
“—I’m in favor. Isn’t that right? Future Patriarch Consillus?”
He made a face similar to an avenger emerged from hell.
Arwen tried to look composed, but there was no way to overcome the impending terror.
“—…I will go.”
“—Hahaha, that’s the spirit!”
“—Guts approved. This will be a fun ‘conversation.'”
Arwen rose from his seat.
Igor and Sergei placed their hands on Arwen’s shoulders.
Hands the size of pot lids gripped both shoulders with enough force to crush them.
Trapped between them, Arwen was being escorted toward the door.
“—Brothers.”
Ludmilla’s voice sounded like rain in the middle of a drought.
The gentleness bent the icy atmosphere.
“—Is he going to be my husband now?”
“—Don’t worry. Would I make a widow of our cute little Ludmilla?”
“—I’ll do it with moderation. With moderation.”
As if pampering and comforting a daughter.
“—Just as practice, right?”
“—Of course.”
“—Only that. Promise it~.”
Ludmilla’s face brightened after securing her brothers’ promise.
But that warm atmosphere was brief.
The eyes looking at Arwen still contained dense murderous intent.
“—Easterner.”
“—…Yes.”
“—Do you know what practice is like in the North?”
“—…What is it like?”
“—The practice time is 5 minutes. If a guy passes out within those 5 minutes, it starts over from the beginning.”
“—…”
“—How many minutes can you endure?”
Arwen squeezed his eyes shut.
He felt he would faint at that very moment.
— —
Count Consillus and Duke Purity discussed the dowry and coordinated the engagement date.
Since it was nothing Ferda needed to be further involved in, he stepped out into the garden to quietly feel the spring sunlight and take a breather.
“—Regent Valdrova-nim?”
A woman’s beautiful voice disrupted his rest.
She greeted him with a pure smile.
“—Ludmilla Purity pays her respects to Regent Valdrova.”
Ludmilla lightly lifted her dress to bow.
Unlike her two black-haired brothers, she had lush brown hair.
She had dressed elegantly conveying a strong Northern woman vibe, but overall a clumsy appearance stood out.
“—We do not use the title Regent Valdrova, Miss Purity. Please call me Regent Ferda.”
“—Ah! I have committed a discourtesy.”
Ludmilla’s face flushed red as she apologized.
That embarrassment was brief, and soon she struck up a conversation with ease.
“—This Spring Festival was truly delightful. Thanks to that, I was also able to talk a lot with Knight Arwen. Come to think of it, I should have greeted the Regent…”
“—It’s fine. Receiving greetings one by one was troublesome anyway, so not doing so actually lightened my burden.”
“—Is that so?”
“—Yes.”
The conversation cut off abruptly.
Just when he tried to savor the silence again.
“—And also…!”
Ludmilla opened a topic.
She spoke cheerfully, not at all as if she were conversing with a superior.
“—You looked so cool dancing with the Queen Duchess!!”
Even bringing up the story he did not want to remember.
“—That dance was a disaster…”
“—No! I almost cried seeing how hard the Regent tried to dance well!”
Almost crying over that disaster of a dance.
Is this woman making fun of me?
That thought must have crossed his mind, but Ludmilla was genuinely on the verge of tears.
“—The two of you love each other, and you both want to make it work. That feeling that it doesn’t quite connect… felt so touching.”
“—…Thank you.”
“—The Queen Duchess doesn’t seem like such a scary person.”
“—Is that so?”
“—Have you ever seen the Queen Duchess’s face, Regent Ferda-nim?”
“—I have seen it twice.”
“—What is she like? She must be a beauty…”
“—She is a beauty.”
“—I’m curious…”
Ludmilla twiddled her fingers and murmured:
“—I want to talk with her sometime. In the North, I never had time to talk with other young ladies. Becoming friends with the Queen Duchess might also be nice…”
Friend.
At that moment, Ferda’s mind snapped awake.
When Ferda turned his head abruptly, Ludmilla covered her mouth.
“—Oh dear, I have said something rude again. Someone like me could never meet Queen Duchess Valdrova…”
“—Miss Purity.”
Ferda also committed an impolite act.
He closed the distance with the woman engaged to Arwen and clasped both of her hands tightly.
Ferda asked with a voice containing deep longing:
“—Do you want to go meet the Queen Duchess?”
“—Huh?”
“—Even right at this moment, it is possible.”
Ferda did not want to let this opportunity pass.