Chapter 223

I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 223: Mind Your Own Business

Ferda answered that question.
— You have a keen eye. That is indeed Sir Alberto.
— I suppose you can recognize him even without that bulky armor. What happened to that armor?
— I melted that armor down to make a weapon.
— A weapon, you say?
What kind of weapon could he be talking about?
The only different thing about his attire was that object shining golden.
His characteristic rocky armor had disappeared, but the shield and club he held still possessed the imposing appearance of a fortress.
— How did you convince a wandering knight who served no lord?
— We simply had a common enemy in the demons, so the conversation was easy.
— I see. Demons, huh…
Wouldn’t Ureas have thought of that too?
Even when he said he would fully support the demon slaying, Alberto did not respond.
Ureas drooled envy endlessly from his mouth.
His own knights were beginning to look like third-rate trash.
Like a child standing in the toy aisle watching Alberto, Olivia took a step forward and greeted Ferda.
— It must have been difficult to come from so far away. Rest comfortably and stop by the command post for a moment to share information.
— Of course I will, but Princess Olivia.
Ferda looked at her.
— Could we speak alone for a moment?
— With me?
— Yes. I have a proposal regarding the tactical infantry command.
Olivia made a face as if it were something sudden.
Ferda, who already knew that the story was basically finished, was almost deceived for a moment.
— It cannot be helped, just for a moment…
— Wait.
The moment Olivia tried to move forward, Ureas blocked her.
— If there is something to talk about, how about we do it here? It seems that otherwise another story might arise.
— What story are you referring to?
— Isn’t it about the scandal? That is what made my sister suffer so much.
At those words, Olivia replied.
— Suffer? I don’t care, since that kind of thing happens all the time. Rather, it was the Regent who worried a lot.
That was indeed true.
Ferda tried to reassure the Ureas who was blocking her.
— She is going to become the Saintess of the Arken Empire, how could I touch her?
— Then, can’t you at least tell the person who will become her brother what you are going to talk about?
He clung persistently.
Ferda had no choice but to answer him.
— Princess Olivia demonstrated excellent tactical infantry command during the monster subjugation. That is why I came to ask if she could take command of this army as well.
— Why should my sister command your army?
— The current head of the tactical infantry is Sir William. Sir William was also Princess Olivia’s second-in-command. Valuing the skill of a comrade he fought alongside, I hoped they could share strategy this time as well.
At that, Ureas crossed his arms and said viciously.
— Would it be fine if I slit that bastard William’s throat?
Ferda frowned.
— Why would you do that?
— It is obvious he is trying to flirt with my sister, how can I let that pass?
Is this bastard serious?
Seeing the veins bulging on Ureas’s face, it certainly seemed like he thought so.
There are many people who throw themselves at her, but William was not that type of person.
Olivia lightly touched Ureas’s arm and called him.
— Oppa. I understand what worries you. How about I speak with him first and then tell you…?
— Stay still, Olivia. Your oppa is speaking, isn’t he?
— …
— Olivia came here as the leader of the relief corps of the Alte Order to do support work in the rear. What is the difference between throwing a sister who knows nothing of the battlefield into a death trap and making her a commander just because she coincidentally won a great victory?
I could roughly realize how Ureas treats Olivia.
— So you don’t believe what happened in the subjugation.
— I truly cherish my sister, but war is not a game. Common sense, how would my sister achieve such merit? That duke’s son confessed that he gave her the position to gain her favor. Regardless, don’t try wagging your tail at her this time…
— Ureas.
Ureas’s words stopped.
It was a voice much quieter than his, but clearer than ever.
It was not her usual cheerful and smiling tone.
Like a blade sharpened for decades, cold and chilling.
Although it was Olivia’s voice, one doubted if it was really her.
Ureas lowered his head to look at her.
The look in her eyes was familiar.
It was the hatred and contempt she had shown to the First Prince, Alexander.
She said this.
— Mind your own business.
Leaving those words behind, Olivia walked toward Ferda.
Before the Far East United Operations Base was even established, Olivia entered Ferda’s tent.
Even if they made a fuss about men and women being separated, no one dared enter that tent after seeing the face of Ruri, the maidservant.
That is why the atmosphere inside the tent was peaceful.
Olivia’s cold expression melted with the warmth of the black tea.
— Ureas is starting to have strange thoughts.
She said.
Since she had come to report a strange situation without reason, the meaning felt ambiguous.
— Strange thoughts, you say?
— You know that King Heinkel is using black magic with the lives of his people, right?
That was it.
— Yes.
— The kings are targeting that magic.
That weak King Heinkel became an Archmage.
After investigating the kingdom’s situation and every possible scenario, he must have deduced that it was a magic called Legion.
And he must have known that Legion was a paradise that not even the Great Demons could achieve, and that it had become a reality in the present world.
So they are desperate to obtain it somehow.
Because they are people in power, people who have faced countless threats, they yearned for the path to paradise more than anyone else.
— And that idiot is trying to become one of them.
— Does he not listen at all?
— I didn’t say it directly, but I told him that if it is related to black magic, he must never have it. A demon will try to sink its claws in somehow. Every time, he shouted that, as someone born of Arken blood, how could he do such a thing?
— And…
— The plan has not changed. He is aiming for that magic.
Human disgust could be felt in Olivia’s expression.
— That is why obedient dogs are annoying.
No, it seems she doesn’t even see Ureas as human.
— Even if you train a dog to listen well, a dog is still a dog. It cannot suppress its instincts, it just follows the bigger bone.
— I see.
— I ended up complaining again. I don’t know why I become so soft-hearted around the Regent.
She cast a slightly resentful glance.
Is this my fault?
Olivia aimlessly stirred her black tea with a teaspoon.
— Just in case you ask…
— I don’t have the slightest interest in that magic.
— Oh, have I not even told you yet?
— I was already questioned about it once, so saying more would only hurt my mouth.
— Understood.
Olivia did not try to question further.
A scene kept playing vividly in Ferda’s head.
Ureas watching Olivia’s back as she left the base.
His face looked as if his world were collapsing.
— Will your sibling relationship be alright from now on?
— Taking an interest in someone’s family affairs, unlike the Regent?
— It is politics.
— Hehe, that’s true.
Olivia smiled as if amused, then quickly spoke with distaste.
Olivia sipped her black tea calmly and spoke.
— You won’t be able to beat me. That bastard is just a child who misses his mother too much.
— Mother… you say?
— Why do you think he cherishes me so much?
— Because you are a pretty younger sister?
— That is not a sufficient answer. Ureas sees me overlapping with Mother. He says I am starting to resemble Mother’s face from childhood, and he obsesses over me.
— …….
— No matter what abusive words I say to hurt him, Ureas cannot abandon me. Mom already went far away and will not return.
— I understand.
Mom will not return.
It was a terribly cruel statement, but very characteristic of Olivia.
It sounds plausible, but on the other hand, one wonders if this is truly right.
But the thought soon stopped.
Because Olivia was a woman who always handled her own affairs well.
However, just like Ferda’s concern, Olivia lacked confidence as well.
Because this was an impulsive act.
The usual Olivia would have let it slide even if Ureas had said that.
Or she could have soothed him well.
But before she could even worry about those two options, she exploded.
Because it happened in front of none other than Ferda.
He was showing the image of him holding onto her like a stuffed animal right in front of Ferda.
“My heart belongs to that man.”
She could not tolerate that shameless bastard claiming possession over her in front of Ferda.
Thinking about it again, it boiled and bubbled in her chest.
— I should rot Ureas’s insides a little more. May I have another cup?
— Please, go ahead.
And let’s enjoy that face a little longer.
Olivia smiled radiantly.
The stationed troops from the Far East were superstars inside the Empire’s forward base.
They had brought a bunch of novel things never seen in the Empire, so everyone flocked in droves to spy on them.
— They say that thanks to that mana automobile thing, it only took them a week to arrive from the Far East to here.
— They traveled in an automobile? Some people complain saying that just placing a hand on a carriage makes it heavy.
— I heard the legs are comfortable but the stomach churns. They say it’s worse than a carriage.
— Walking comfortably my ass! A churning stomach is a hundred times better than blistered feet and applying ointment!
Vehicle transport was a privilege that only nobles could enjoy, so they couldn’t believe that regular infantry obtained that benefit.
They seemed more envious of that fact than of the magitech rifles.
At the same time, the knights scanned the Far East equipment with their eyes and spoke.
— The infantry has all these changes, but the knights have nothing different.
— That’s not true. The knights also have something each. Short and thick cane-like things and fruit-like things.
— What is that?
— They said it is a shotgun and grenades. They said they can also use magic.
— How can petty tricks with such objects surpass mages?
— The infantry already does the work of a mage, so wouldn’t it be possible?
— Hmm…….
Hard to believe, but not a baseless story either.
At least if the word ‘Far East’ is attached.
— But I think that shotgun thing might be a bluff.
— Why?
— You know the Walking Fortress, right?
— You mean Sir Alberto.
— Correct. Sir Alberto’s shotgun was shorter and golden.
— If it’s a gold weapon, they would make it ceremonial armor or something like that.
— If Sir Alberto carries a weapon made of gold, wouldn’t that mean it’s something useless?
— In any case, the hillbillies’ bragging is nothing new.
The knights murmured and tried to move on.
But a knight who knew a little more did not let it slide.
— Wait, did you say golden weapon?
— That’s right.
— Golden weapon… that weapon is not made of gold.
— Then what?
— I heard that Frontesis visited the Grand Duchy of Valdrova.
All the knights were startled at that name.
— Frontesis! The Bronze Dragon called the God of Blacksmiths?
— Why did that person come to the Far East?
— He got angry saying someone had mishandled his things and left, but if a golden-looking object appeared, what would that mean?
— Don’t tell me… Frontenium?!
The only unique mineral that even the Imperial Workshop, proud of being the best in the Empire, could never handle.
It was practically the best proof in the continent that made even the title ‘Best of the Empire’ seem insignificant.
— No way…….
— That object was something even our grandfather would only utter as nonsense when he was senile…….
But if it really is Frontenium, they couldn’t help wanting to see it more.
Given that an object made of that mineral is right here, they couldn’t help stealing glances as they passed, wanting to engrave it into their eyes.
Jed the knight, watching all of that, nudged him with an elbow and said.
— Hey.
— Yes?
The person sitting next to him was Arwen.
— At the Grand Council, what did I say?
— I don’t remember.
— You don’t remember, but you remember perfectly judging by how you flinch every time I call you a hillbilly.
— Ah, shit, why do you keep bothering me?!
— No, I’m trying to tell you something fun.
Arwen glared at him, and Jed chuckled, pointing his chin toward the Imperial knights.
— Do you see their faces?
Arwen directed his gaze there.
There, a Far East knight and three Imperial knights were talking.
With an outsider knight and knights from the capital in one place, I thought a fight might break out, but it didn’t.
They were examining the magitech shotgun with curious eyes.
— I see.
— Were their eyes just now exactly like yours back then?
Arwen’s face hardened upon seeing the eyes of the Imperial knights.
— ……Don’t make me laugh.
— Accept it.
— It makes no sense that I made such a pathetic face.
— That is reality. Hillbilly.
— Ah, seriously!! Stop talking nonsense! I’ll cut you!
— Euhahahahaha!!
Arwen shouted uncharacteristically, and Jed achieved his purpose and vanished far away.
Arwen tried to forget it, dismissing it as nonsense.
But those words had already become a curse lingering in his head, his face and that pathetic expression continuing to overlap.
Unable to bear the embarrassment, he ended up punching the innocent ground with his fist.
The next morning, Ureas went looking for Ferda.
— I was too emotional yesterday. Allow me to apologize.
It was a considerably unusual sight.
That big Ureas apologizing to someone.
His younger sister is indeed terrifying.
— Not at all. Given that you value your sister’s chastity, I think it is understandable.
— Thank you for saying that. I went too far with someone who has a fiancee. Let us end the uncomfortable conversation here.
Ureas got to the point.
— So, regarding the territory, I am thinking of going to talk with the allied forces’ side with half a mind set on yielding. Three of my people, Count Rooster, and you, a total of six people will sit down. What do you think?
— Thank you for the proposal. I will attend.
In any case, I was curious about it.
When they share the same dirty purpose, what kind of conversation do kings have?
It was a good time to confirm it.