Chapter 198

Chapter 198: Why Can It Not Be Done?

Storeus left the castle and walked down the hallway.
He could have stepped out onto the balcony, transformed into a dragon, and flown away, but Storeus deliberately chose not to do so.
There was a bastard he hoped to run into along the way, even if it meant doing this.
And by coincidence, that bastard came into view.
He had heard nothing about his appearance, nor did he feel curious, but the moment they crossed paths, he knew.
Gray hair, blue eyes.
That anchovy holding his head high, that was the bastard called Ferda.
Ferda greeted him first with a polite bow.
— I pay my respects to the Great Aspect of Lightning, Storeus-nim.
Storeus looked at him and spoke.
— So it was you. The one called Ferda.
— I am honored that you recognize me.
— Certainly, your words do not reflect what you feel.
Storeus unleashed his energy, attempting to crush him.
However, Ferda’s expression did not flinch.
He showed not the slightest hint of tension as he faced him.
— I heard the Archduke’s fiance was a sickly bastard, but this goes beyond imagination… With a body like that, you crawl into the Devil’s Land?
— …..
— It seems you do not know what kind of dragon your fiancee is, insignificant creature.
— Just because you observe for a long time, how much can you truly know about each other?
— At least I know a face that you do not.
Although the intent to provoke was obvious, he could not contain his emotional agitation.
— After all, you are nothing more than a fleeting amusement in the unstoppable flow of time. Do you truly believe you can handle that? How long do you think you and Valdrova will last?
— Ten thousand years.
— Ten thousand years?
— Yes.
Ferda answered without hesitation.
— She said she wants to spend ten thousand years with me, so I will be with her for ten thousand years.
Storeus stared at him with an astounded expression.
What was even more absurd was the fact that this was not merely a bluff thrown out of stubbornness.
In those eyes, there seemed to be a resolution to truly live a life close to that of an immortal.
— …I thought you might be a bit different, but birds of a feather flock together, huh?
He laughed in disbelief.
The dragon that had been throwing a tantrum with his Dragon Fear withdrew his Dragon Fear.
— I heard you are aiming for the Emperor’s throat, brat.
— I do not need the Emperor’s throat.
— To tear down the Empire, that is the only way.
Storeus spoke with a tone of conviction.
— Olivia will come looking for you soon. Help her.
Having said that, Storeus departed.
The warning thrown by that impossibly arrogant dragon, strangely, carried weight.

After the return of the Flint Expedition, they took time to reorganize.
Erika swiftly distributed the spoils among the expedition members.
Immediate rewards often lead to a loss of motivation, but for now, it was the best move.
They needed more adventurers, and to get them, they enticed them by displaying the items brought back from the mysterious eastern land.
The adventurers boasted before the merchants, inflating expectations to the peak.
Before the famous feast could even begin, it became bait to lure adventurers and merchants joining late, hoping to catch even a single noodle.
— For now, the other adventurers say they are willing to participate again.
— They went through a rather difficult time, yet they have not broken.
— A difficult time is not the problem. At this level, it is a massive success for an adventure!
The reason it was a massive success was similar to what was explained at the beginning.
First, no one died or was seriously injured, and everyone returned.
Second, it was an exploration that could be completed in a single day.
Third, they brought back meaningful information and results from the first exploration.
— Although the exploration itself was only a part of it, and we have to enter again, we brought this back. The harvest is also definite.
What she showed was a map related to the Gyeonghui Palace.
Adventurers are those who blindly walk into dead ends, so gaining two eyes is nothing short of welcome news.
— Escolea’s side said they are also constantly developing new mana cars, and if we move just twice more, we will be able to sweep everything in the Gyeonghui Palace and leave.
— I understand.
— So now we are preparing for the next exploration. We will depart in two weeks. What about you, Regent Ferda?
Erika asked, thinking the obvious answer would come, but asking nonetheless.
— For now, I will just keep it in mind.
— Two weeks is short. You need to give an answer now.
— Then that means I will not participate in the next exploration.
Ferda answered without a shred of hesitation.
Erika’s eyes widened.
— Is it because of the Trauma?
A monster that amplifies each person’s pain.
One cannot say it was not a factor.
Just now, Ferda almost died due to the illusion the Trauma showed him.
However, if asked whether the Trauma was the main cause, it was not that either.
— No. I learned that much can be gained from the Devil’s Land.
What does not kill you makes you stronger.
The Shadow Circle is at the Second Circle, and the Red Circle has reached the Fifth Circle, so the mana circulating in his body has already reached the level of the Sixth Circle.
Ferda was an experienced mage who could easily wield magic difficult to handle at the Fifth Circle.
He certainly could be active in the exploration, and if he ventures deeper, he will become even stronger.
However, that was only possible because it was the East.
Ferda had already found the answer, and that answer was not far away.
Having found the answer, going in search of another answer would only cause confusion.
— Just in case.
— Yes.
— …There is truly nothing else besides that, right?
— …Only what happened while I was unconscious?
Erika could not reply.
— Understood. Then, let us go select a new mage candidate.
— Yes.
And so she saw Ferda off.
Now that he was gone, Erika could not hide her inner regret.
“He was quite a capable person…”
She did not say it on purpose, but he was far more capable than the middle-aged mage she brought this time.
“I thought he would soon reach a new realm… but to think it would happen during the exploration.”
Since Erika learned magic through human training methods, she knows how exhausting it is.
She is a Sixth Circle Archmage, but that was only possible because she had more time than anyone else.
“Serious training probably began after becoming an adult…”
Fifth Circle in just a short year.
Impossible with a Blue Circle, and near impossible even with a Red Circle.
“The reason he was able to reach that Fifth Circle…”
The Armored Knight and the Eumyangsil…
No matter how hard she tried to imagine, only unpleasant images came to mind.
“Have I gone mad?”
Should she cast an Oblivion Spell to erase that scene entirely?
Perhaps enduring the side effects would be better.
“Or rather, making myself think about Regent Ferda instead… no, that is torture.”
If someone with a fiance recalls such a humiliating scene, they might make an extreme decision out of shame.
Let’s just not think about it.
She shook off the scattered thoughts and was writing the report when…
Knock, knock—.
— Come in.
Someone entered.
When she looked up, she was startled.
The very person who was at the center of those dirty thoughts just moments ago, the Armored Knight, had entered.
— What brings you here?
She walked cautiously and handed her something.
A neatly folded piece of paper: an ominous premonition that would not go away.
— Resignation Letter
That premonition was spot on.
— Are you trying to resign here?
She nodded her head.
Erika stared fixedly at the resignation letter and thought.
“What on earth happened in that damn Eumyangsil?”
Did the two who were together perhaps confirm their mutual love and decide to elope?
Before that absurd, dirty imagination could taint her head, her mouth formulated the question with politeness.
— Why?
Unlike with Ferda, she appeared slightly more aggressive.
Naturally, the Armored Knight did not answer.
As the silence dragged on, Erika answered for her.
— It is not permitted.
She pushed the submitted resignation letter back toward the Armored Knight.
The Armored Knight made a gesture as if asking why not.
— You contributed more than anyone else in this adventure. That is why it is not permitted.
— …?
— You almost killed me, and it was dangerous. But even that is a truly trivial problem to me. Do you know why?
— …..
— Because your contribution in this exploration was the greatest.
If Ferda’s combat power was something she judged she could replace, the Armored Knight was someone no one could replace.
Even that belligerent Jonathan Sina looked like glass that would shatter at the first scratch.
The Armored Knight hesitated a bit, then pushed the resignation letter onto the desk again.
Erika finally could not contain her frustration and told her.
— Armored Knight-nim. How about you start talking now?
— …!!
— I know you did not take a Vow of Silence. You are a person who serves neither a religion nor a lord. How long did you think we would keep pretending not to know?
— …..
— If there is a justifiable reason, I will accept it. But right now, we are all in a difficult situation, and if you leave, we will not be able to do anything.
Erika crossed her arms and legs.
Come as you may, there is no way you will convince me!
Her posture said exactly that.
It was practically a threat.
Erika had no choice but to do this.
To Erika, the existence of the Armored Knight was one that drove her crazy.
She needed her desperately while, at the same time, it filled her with curiosity.
Erika had always held the line while investigating her.
Until now, that was definitely the case.
Until she saw the Thunder Dragon, Storeus, back down meekly.
The current situation shattered Erika’s scales.
Now she could not contain that curiosity.
— If you have any secret, I will swear upon my name to protect it. Until then, this resignation letter cannot be processed.
At the words “I will swear upon my name,” the Armored Knight seemed to hesitate.
Then, a movement as if she had made a decision.
She thought she was going to pick up the resignation letter from the desk, but the action was outside the realm of prediction.
The Armored Knight’s identity—the armor—sheds.
It did not come off layer by layer like that of a human.
Like a butterfly shedding from a chrysalis, it tears and emerges.
The armor tears apart, and the contents inside are revealed with grace.
Erika’s eyes, which had maintained an insolent posture, widened as round as the moon.
What was visible in her eyes at that moment. Two pairs of horns, red hair, and golden eyes.
Just like the Valdrova she had seen a long time ago.
Erika’s mind seemed to turn completely blank.
Erika could think no further.
No way.
That cannot be real.
I must be under attack by a Trauma that snuck into my office right now.
Those contents asked.
— T-that… how… could it not work?
That cautious tone was also familiar to her from somewhere.
In dragon form, she conveyed a solemn feeling, but in human form, it was a tone like that of a timid woman.
The facts that pierced her eyes and ears could no longer be avoided.
Erika carefully rose from her seat.
— T-that… Erika, no, E…ri…-ssi?
Erika stood in front of Valdrova, and her height gradually shrank.
Erika knelt down and brought her hands together politely.
Unlike the quiet bodily movements, her voice rang out loudly.
— Please forgive this girl’s disrespectful behavior!!!
They say that when a human faces a life-or-death crisis, a spinning lantern appears.
Erika, who had faced death crises countless times, believed that was nonsense.
No matter how many times she experienced it, only Iorga’s face floated in her heart.
However, now it was different.
In her head, past events paraded rapidly.
The starting point was from the moment she first met the Armored Knight.
From the moment she met the Armored Knight, Erika was searching for where and what she had done wrong.
Why didn’t I realize sooner?
That the only thing that can oppose a dragon is a dragon.
— Uhm…
Valdrova looked at Erika and spoke.
She released her human form, keeping her horns and tail visible, and took an apologetic posture.
— I am fine, so can’t you stand up already?
— That is not permitted! Please allow me to stay like this! Only then will my mind be at peace!
— Mmm…
“I am the one who is uncomfortable…”
She could not say that.
— I should have realized from the moment you stopped wearing ordinary armor, but because this girl is ignorant and foolish, she dared to treat a noble person in that manner…!
— I am truly fine, so do not worry…
Erika looked as if she were going to cry at any moment, and Valdrova was at a loss.
Her clumsy hand kept patting her own leg repeatedly.
— T-that… if I dare to ask…
— Hm?
— When did you know that I am Iorga’s daughter…?
— When you ask from when… from the beginning?
— I-is that so?
She felt like vomiting blood.
Valdrova knew that she was Iorga’s daughter, and yet she listened to her orders and carried them out?
Then, suddenly, she recalled the time Storeus barged in and demanded things.
— T-then, by any chance, making Storeus-nim stop the kneeling…?
— That? That is because you are Iorga’s daughter.
— I-is that the only reason?
— Yes.
Only because of something like that?
Other dragons would never have done that.
If it is not my child, if it is not my family, they would either make them kneel, smash their faces into the ground, or protect them.
Valdrova smiled sweetly.
— If Iorga knew that Storeus made you do that, he would be sad.
— T-that… cannot be.
Erika looked up at Valdrova’s figure.
That smile, which she would normally have considered an empty and foolish grin, began to appear incredibly noble.
As she thought that, the memories she shared with Iorga also surfaced in her head.
— Valdrova acts like a lizard, right?
— That’s right, sir!
— Acting so stupidly, everyone sees her as an idiot easy to manipulate.
— That’s right, sir! The way she acts is just… .
— Cough!
— A-are you all right?
— O-of course I am…
There is a saying that karma comes around one day.
That karma was now striking Erika’s solar plexus relentlessly.