Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Reverse Scale

Valdrova Castle in the Grand Duchy of Valdrova.
That day, Ruri was in the middle of her weekly report before Valdrova.
— The latest news is that Ferda-nim has arrived safely in the Empire and is having a discussion in the Imperial Palace.
It was precisely a report on Ferda’s movements.
Valdrova, who had been listening to that story, huffed as if exhaling a sigh of relief.
— I see. It is a relief that he arrived safely.
— …Haven’t I already told you several times? Common monsters will not attack that carriage.
The Far East was treated as abandoned land, so there were many undeveloped areas.
That was why there were many dense forests, and with many trees came many monsters.
Encountering monsters while traveling was more than double compared to other regions.
But even so, the carriage Ferda was traveling in had absolutely no chance of that.
When making the carriage, a single dragon scale was hidden inside it.
Monsters with strong wild instincts would hesitate to even approach due to the scent and energy of that dragon.
Monster attacks were nonexistent, and just in case, they traveled with Arwen, Count Consillus’s knight, as an escort, so even if they were attacked, they could move safely.
‘Even so…’
Valdrova could not feel at ease.
She simply did not like the fact that he left the Grand Duchy’s territory.
The Red Dragon, Valdrova, who felt anxious even when he was out of her sight right before her eyes, him going to a land outside her influence was like a bolt out of the blue.
— I wonder if he is eating well.
— There are no monsters lurking nearby, right?
— He is not injured anywhere, is he?
These were the questions Ruri had heard when barely six hours had passed since departure.
‘It’s not as if she were taking care of a sick chick or anything of the sort.’
She treated him like a fragile creature that could die at any moment, worrying and fretting.
It could not be helped.
In the eyes of an immortal who had existed since nearly the beginning of time, an 18-year-old mortal adult was no different from an ant on the ground.
On top of that, Ferda’s body was at a weaker level than that of an ordinary person.
Ruri had no choice but to attach her spirit to Ferda’s carriage and have it report every 3 hours.
And Ruri truly disliked this reporting.
‘Every day she strays further from the dignity of an Empress.’
Originally, she was a dragon far from being an Empress.
Ruri knew Valdrova’s two faces.
When Valdrova took her Red Dragon form, she always used a solemn and serious tone.
Her appearance as a solitary and isolated guardian made one feel a palpable tension.
On the other hand, when she took human form, she entered a state where she released all that tension.
Her face, expression, gestures, everything made her feel like a different person, turning into a pure woman, far from dignity.
‘I can accept all those appearances, but…’
Ruri wished that at least that boundary would not crumble.
But the more Ferda entered Valdrova’s life, the more it seemed that dignity leaked even from her dragon form.
Mixed feelings crossed her mind.
Ruri wished for her master’s happiness.
And at the same time, there was a desire for her to maintain dignity as a Phase.
‘Ferda.’
Everything changed like this after that man entered.
He was a man with many points to be grateful for, but with the same amount of points to hate.
— I will not report on the return journey.
At those words, Valdrova flinched and moved.
— Why?
— Since we know that the path Ferda-nim takes is safe, there is no need to deliberately report his return, right?
— …However, the return path could also be treacherous, couldn’t it?
Again, she sounded like a grandmother worried about her grandson.
— Then why don’t you go out to meet him?
— Mmm…
Valdrova let out a muffled groan/sigh and lowered her head.
Compared to the worry she felt, facing humans was still uncomfortable for her.
Seeing her unable to continue speaking, Ruri pressed the point.
— There is no need to worry so much about Ferda-nim. 18 years old may be a child in our eyes, but in human society, he is a full-fledged adult.
— I know.
— And he is handling well even the things that you could not do, Master.
— I know that too…
— So please do not worry too much. As long as you are alive and well, Master, there will be no time when Ferda-nim faces a threat.
It was while she was soothing Valdrova with those words.
The wind rose inside the quiet lair, then took on a white form.
The high-grade wind spirit, Storm, floated beside Ruri with only a face formed.
— It seems news has arrived from Ferda-nim. Just a moment…
— Understood.
Valdrova corrected her posture and waited for Ruri’s words.
Ruri’s eyes, which had been listening calmly, suddenly opened wide.
— What? What do you mean…?
Too shocked, she asked that aloud.
Ruri lowered her voice again.
But Valdrova did not fail to hear it.
— Why are you like that?
Ruri did not answer.
She only listened intently to the spirit’s whisper.
— What happened?
— Please wait a moment, Master.
Valdrova’s golden eyes shifted.
It could be felt well enough from her words.
— What happened? To my fiancé?
Her patience reached its limit.
The Phase of Power lost her composure.
Crunch—.
Claws dug in, crushing the ground.
A rumble—.
The cave shook violently as Valdrova’s emotions overflowed.
— Tell the truth. What happened to my fiancé?
The Red Dragon, Valdrova.
She, who is called the Master of Fire and Power, was gradually releasing her suppressed power.
Ruri, who had been listening to the spirit’s story, finally opened her mouth.
— It was nothing you need to worry about.
— Then what happened?
— It is only political content. She only came to deliver that message quickly.
— Then is the fiancé alright?
— Yes.
The vibration of the cave stopped.
Valdrova, who had risen, exhaled a breath and curled up again.
— Then why were you making such a serious face?
— I was just concentrating. I apologize for causing you concern.
— Mmm… Is that so? No, it is alright.
Valdrova trusted Ruri and calmed her startled heart.
— Then I will take my leave. Since the documents within the territory are still piled up…
— Alright, go ahead.
Ruri left Valdrova’s lair just like that.
She walked without saying a word.
Like that, she moved slowly out of the cave, toward the forest, then stopped upon discovering a sign.
Up to here should be enough.
When she thought she had moved far enough that Valdrova could not detect her, she opened her tightly closed mouth.
— Storm.
The high-grade wind spirit that had only shown a face was summoned at her call.
— Yes, Master.
— Among the contents your kind delivered…
Her sunken voice trembled faintly.
— Do you swear there is not a single lie?
The wind spirit Storm flinched for a moment.
An expressionless and professional face, but beyond it, a deep hidden agitation could be felt.
It could not be helped.
The news he had heard and transmitted was not simply political content.
— Yes. It is recorded that he was attacked by a Magic Researcher in the Sealed Vault and was injured. I received that urgent report and am delivering it as is.
The Regent of the Far East was injured inside the Imperial Palace.
With ordinary human politics, it would be the kind of content that could somehow be resolved through mutual concessions.
But the other party is the one who will become the spouse of a dragon.
‘He is also my Master’s fiancé.’
Valdrova was greatly agitated when she suspected something had happened.
If she had said he was injured there, it would not end as a simple matter of diplomacy and politics.
‘My Master, having lost her reason, would move…’
Other dragons would also move.
That was something that had to be stopped at all costs.
‘Dragons must not move.’
But a Dragon Spawn is different.
— Understood.
Wings spread from Ruri’s back.
Her silver, gleaming wings were larger than ever, spreading with power.
Fwoosh—!
With a single flap of her wings, Ruri’s figure vanished.
Master of Wind and Steel, Silver Dragon.
Famous for being impossible to track with sight once taking flight, she was also called the Silver Comet.
As someone granted that power, Ruri could also move extremely fast.
A suffocating emotion kept welling up in Ruri’s chest.
Why did he enter the Sealed Vault?
And why did he almost die inside the Imperial Palace?
‘Did they look down on my Master that much?’
Ruri did not like the Empire from the start.
The Third Prince, bearer of that lineage, had approached Valdrova from the beginning with the intention of using her.
As if that were not enough, the nobles even used it as a pretext to expel him from his family.
It is blasphemy.
An unforgivable blasphemy.
But Ruri did not move.
Not because Ruri did not care, but because Valdrova did not want it.
She believed her unhappiness was natural and let go of the hope she had held onto without clinging unworthily.
‘Just now…… she finally caught that hope.’
How dare they endanger the person who will become the spouse of a dragon?
Grrr—!
After flying at full speed for about 5 minutes, the appearance of the Empire came into Ruri’s view.
The place that had taken Ferda a week to reach was only an instant for her.
Her silver eyes turned toward the Imperial Palace.
‘Whatever it is, it does not matter.’
Someone must take responsibility for this situation.
The Silver Comet, tearing through the sky, plunged into the Imperial Palace.
— Level 1 Alert! Notify all knights and mages of the Imperial Palace! Everyone enter combat status and gather at the entrance of the Palace Garden!
The landing spot was the Palace Garden.
Knights and mages, caught by surprise while asleep, were hurriedly running there.
Ferda also walked there, pacing his movements.
Seeing him walking calmly, a knight drew his sword toward Ferda and asked.
— Who the hell are you?! Is this the first time I see you in this Imperial Palace?
He was a young man who seemed full of justice and a sense of duty.
And unlike other knights, he also seemed somewhat clueless.
— I am Ferda Valdrova, Regent.
— Ferda Valdrova? Ah! You are the one who came today…… Excuse me for not recognizing you, Regent!
— It is alright. Are they gathering right now at the entrance of the Palace Garden?
— Yes. Since it is a Level 1 Alert situation, could you please evacuate to your room?
— It is also a good idea, but it would be better to go together.
— Huh?
— Guide me toward the Palace Garden. I do not know the geography well.
— I cannot. It is something that could put the Regent in danger in a Level 1 situation.
Ferda felt it from those words.
This guy does not have the slightest idea of what is happening.
— You are already in danger because of me.
— Because of the Regent……?
A face that could not understand in the least what he meant.
He sighed at that stupid face.
— What is your name?
— Ah, I am Malcolm. I am from Pitch Hill, so I have no last name.
— Good, Malcolm of Pitch Hill. Do not try to understand with that poor comprehension of yours. All you need to do is guide me to where I must go from now on.
— B-but I have the duty to protect the subjects……
— A friend who does not understand reason. Would you rather lose your life or end things in a more favorable manner?
— I came here prepared to give my life.
……
He is someone incomprehensible.
One should never associate with those who cannot understand reason.
— I will simply go on my own.
— Ah, you cannot go that way! Seriously……!
Leaving behind the man named Malcolm, Ferda moved.
He kept saying no, but he did not dare lay a hand on him, so he only circled around him.
In front of the Palace Garden, precisely at the entrance of the Imperial Palace, many knights and mages had gathered.
— Third Knight Order! Dense Battle Formation!
— Fifth Knight Order! Dense Battle Formation! Form Wing Formation!
Moving according to the Knight Commander’s order, they blocked the entrance.
— Second Mage Corps! Defense Preparation!
— Third Mage Corps! Bombardment Magic Preparation!
The mages also finished attack preparations and prepared to face the intruder.
— Intruder on the move! Coming toward the entrance!
The mage deploying Detection Magic shouted.
— All troooops! Ready position!
Tension tightened.
What lay before them was a wall made of rose vines.
Shortly after, a silver flash or something flickered in a rectangular shape.
With the flash, the vine wall collapsed in the shape of a rectangular door.
The intruder revealed herself.
The one who broke in was a silver-haired girl in a maid outfit.
‘It is Ruri.’
Just as Ferda expected.
In this situation, if there was an intruder in the Imperial Palace, he thought she would be the first to come.
But she had an appearance not usually seen.
Silver wings and a thick tail protruding from her skirt.
A pair of horns extending backward in the shape of lightning.
And a dense aura that provokes an instinctive threat.
— D-Dragon?!
At someone’s shout, morale plummeted.
Those who had not seen not only dragons, but not even Spawns, resonated with that atmosphere.
— Do not be afraid, the opponent is merely a Dragon Spawn!
Dragon Spawn.
They are dragon subordinates created after inheriting dragon blood and undergoing the Ascension Ceremony.
Each of them is at the level of a well-trained knight, and basically they are beings who can bring down three or four human knights and still have energy to spare.
The commander shouted that it was merely a Spawn.
But they were only words to raise the morale of the Imperial Palace knights; not even that commander could accept it as is.
‘A Dragon Spawn broke through the barrier of the Court Mages in a single go and entered?’
The Imperial Palace is the safest place built among those created by humans.
The magic circles that block falling objects from the air consist of three full layers, and if not all are pierced, a magic circle forms again, characterized by preventing aerial infiltration.
That girl alone broke through a barrier that not even meteorites could penetrate and would disintegrate against.
‘And can a Dragon Spawn create so much Dragon Fear?’
This was an element that confused even the knights who had faced Dragon Spawns.
Dragon Spawns cannot create Dragon Fear.
But that girl was emitting Dragon Fear.
Like a dragon whose Reverse Scale was touched.
Hands and feet tremble, cold sweat runs.
The battle formation was about to collapse, and among the mages, concentration broke and casting was canceled.
— Aaaaaah……
Malcolm, who had been hovering around, also could not resist the Dragon Fear and collapsed on the spot.
At the same time, his eyes witnessed something incredible.
‘How can the Regent be so calm?’
Not only was he not breaking into a cold sweat, he was the only one standing properly on two legs.
His appearance, looking straight at that without flinching, was wonderful.
— Your name was Malcolm, right?
Ferda tossing words casually to Malcolm.
— Huh? Ah, yes…… t-that’s right.
— You understood well.
— Huh?
In his gaze below was Ruri.
Ruri’s eyes were also directed toward him.
— I might be in danger.
She was extremely angry at Ferda.