Chapter 83

I Married the Dragon I Killed

Chapter 83: Golden Blood

A nobleman’s tea party.
No tea party is held in an austere manner.
Even if it requires excessive effort, on the day of the tea party they decorate with the greatest possible opulence, as that represents the financial power, history, and capability of the host.
For that reason, tea parties held in the imperial capital boast a completely different scale and scope.
Given that young people of noble blood who would become the next lords, knights, and heads of family gathered in a single place, it was an enclosure endowed with extraordinary vitality.
Young lords and nobles dressed in neat formal uniforms displaying family crests on their chests, and ladies and princesses wearing dazzling dresses resembling inverted flowers.
All attended dressed up with the fervent desire to become the protagonists of that gathering.
However, despite such fervent desires, there was an overwhelming presence in the empire that made them look like simple blades of grass on branches rather than flowers.
Olivia Arken.
A beauty capable of toppling nations, with golden hair and blue eyes; so beautiful that even the act of waking up in the morning and opening her sleepy eyes was rumored to be enchanting.
Daughter of the Emperor, possessing both beauty and talent, she was the most coveted bride of all time.
— Look, there is Lady Olivia.
— I heard she would attend this tea party, and it turns out to be true.
— How can she be so beautiful…?
A beauty that drew exclamations regardless of gender.
All the young lords loitered around her, stealing glances while pretending to stroll aimlessly.
They knew well that, with their status, they could not dare speak to her.
However, now and then there were those who firmly believed that without courage, one cannot conquer a beauty.
— Greetings to the Imperial Princess. As Guardian of the Golden Dawn and Edge of the Frontier, I would like to introduce myself…
— I am sorry, but…
The one who interrupted his words was the woman sitting beside her.
She smiled brightly and declared:
— We are currently in a gathering among young ladies. Only members of the Golden Rose may participate in this conversation.
— Ah, yes…
— Anyway.
The man finally withdrew without even being able to utter his name, utterly humiliated.
The seated young ladies watched the back of the loser as he walked away and let out mocking giggles.
— Mayflies with no sense of reality keep appearing.
— Right? Even Duke Mersel’s son was rejected, and still a mere frontier marquis arrogantly attempts to court Princess Arken.
Mocking, they let out suppressed laughter.
Olivia tilted her head while holding her teacup.
— Even so, if he is someone who guarded this frontier, shouldn’t you have at least greeted him?
— Heavens above, that is not necessary at all!
— Exactly! If you don’t treat those below properly, they end up getting ahead of themselves!
— My, is that really so?
— Of course it is!
— Ah, as expected, Princess Arken is so pure…
— I truly want to protect her until the day I die!
The gestures of the young ladies expressed excessive fascination.
Olivia watched such reactions with an expression of feigned innocence.
She smiled and probed her thoughts:
“Protect me, my ass.”
Olivia knew with absolute precision how beautiful she was.
She knew how to use it and, simultaneously, knew how to protect herself.
These escorts actually admired Olivia while, at the same time, felt jealous of her.
“Because men only look at me.”
No matter how many jewels worth a thousand gold pieces they wore, no matter how many famous designers had dressed them, they didn’t even receive a glance next to her overwhelming presence.
From the perspective of luxury goods, Olivia’s presence could only be a visual nuisance.
If you shine alone haughtily, you only attract envy and jealousy.
Olivia knew how to handle them.
She chose to fill her surroundings with those people who envied her.
In the form of an elite social club called the “Golden Rose.”
This was a perfect form of symbiosis.
“I can protect myself without saying a single word, and the escort girls can get close to the men they like.”
Olivia guarded her flower, and the escorts could filter and catch the suitor candidates flying toward her.
Once romance began, they had to leave the Golden Rose; but since the positions would continue to be filled, there was nothing to worry about.
It was a social structure where loyalty increased the more it circulated.
— As expected, you are perfect in every way, worthy of a lineage through which Golden Blood flows!
Golden Blood.
It was a term born from the saying that the Arken lineage contained the qualities necessary for a Supreme Ruler.
Olivia truly despised that word.
The same Golden Blood flows, and yet, instead of extending my hands toward political circles, wasn’t I wallowing in this flower garden?
— Yes, well, that’s how it is.
Olivia answered in a reluctant voice.
The atmosphere turned frigid.
Having answered reluctantly, the gazes of the young ladies turned murderous.
— Ah, I-I’m sorry, Princess! I didn’t mean to offend you…
— Heavens, even if the lady of the Hons family didn’t mean it that way, it sounded quite unpleasant to us.
— True. How could you bring up such a topic in a gathering like this?
The young ladies intervened in unison and pressured her.
The lady of the Hons family began to become flustered.
They intended to bite the weak point and expel her.
“Truly, damn vipers.”
Olivia loathed them while replying with a brazen face:
— My, why are you all like this?
— I feel I was rude to Princess Arken…
— How could that be? I was just reflecting a bit. I am sorry for not being able to focus on you all in a gathering like this…
Olivia moistened her blue eyes.
The escorts were startled and desperately tried to fix the situation.
— No way. That is impossible!
— The contemplative Lady Olivia looked great. She looked like a painting.
The women chuckled slyly and let the matter pass.
Inside, they were certainly tearing her apart for being a wench who only pretended to be kind.
Let them tear her apart if they wanted.
A mask worn until the end becomes the real face.
Someone lightened the heavy atmosphere with another topic.
— Beyond that, has everyone heard?
— Heard what?
— The news about Regent Ferda.
At those words, Olivia’s hand stopped for an instant.
— It seems that person caused a great stir in Halim this time.
— Heavens, Halim… do you mean that unholy land?
— There, women in terribly indecent attire bewitch men…
— What an imagination! That’s not it! There was an exhibition in Escolleia.
— Was there only an exhibition? I heard all the men who went to Halim had their souls sucked out…
As expected of chatter among women, it tried to drift off anywhere else.
— There.
Olivia opened her mouth.
Despite having attended many tea parties of that kind, it was a very rare occasion where she spoke up about a man.
— What happened there?
— Eh? Ah, well, a monster rift formed and beasts came out. They say there were seven monster wolves.
— Heavens, seven of them?
— It was supposed to cause a great stir there, but there wasn’t a single casualty, can you believe it?
— Really?
— My…
The young ladies blinked, letting out reluctant exclamations at such words.
It was a story in which they had no interest and did not know how remarkable it was.
But Olivia was different.
“In a surprise attack situation, not a single casualty… that is practically a miracle.”
She also felt great interest in tactics and strategy.
Thinking that one day she might command an army, she had examined various historical records to understand military strategy, and regularly studied the enemies she would have to face.
She knew exactly the enormous feat Ferda had achieved.
“Could he have used dark magic?”
The lost Grimoire of Shadow Arts of Barbatos circulated in her mind.
During the imperial visit, after a fierce battle with the investigator, the seal had loosened and it was reported to have disappeared in that oversight.
That was also only reported that way because Olivia exercised her influence; the truth was unknown.
“Doubts must remain as doubts.”
That was the work Olivia did for the greater good.
— I hear rumors circulating that he used dark magic.
Just as she thought about that, someone brought up that story.
Looking to see who it was, it was the lady of the Hons family who had made the verbal slip.
As soon as the gossip started, everyone pricked up their ears with interest.
— Dark magic?
— Yes. Since it was such a sudden moment, they say only Regent Ferda reacted and pierced the head of the creature emerging from the rift.
— Isn’t it a bit exaggerated to say he used dark magic just because of that reaction speed?
— According to higher-ups, the one who caused this monster rift was Regent Ferda himself. They say he used tricks to look good in Halim.
The easily influenced young ladies nodded as if it made sense.
Olivia observed those reactions and felt nauseous inside.
— What do you think, Princess?
The lady of the Hons family passed the word to her.
Olivia blinked with her innocent eyes.
— Lady.
— Yes, Princess.
— Even so, I consider that it is not right to brand someone who saved people without serious injuries as a dark mage.
— Eh? Uh, well…
The lady of the Hons family became flustered again.
The atmosphere of trying to tear the gossip apart changed in an instant.
— True. You really have no tact.
— A young lady speaking ill of a hero… this is something for which accounts must be properly settled, isn’t it?
They revealed an even more brazen disgust than when they first cornered the lady of the Hons family.
There would be no possible recovery.
She was effectively exiled from this Golden Rose and would spend her life wandering from tea party to tea party.
“Without malice.”
This was a grave she had dug herself, so she had to own it.
“In any case, the Regent is moving everything forward smoothly.”
Since the declaration of conquest of the Demon Realm, Iorga supported him and he even made a huge impact in Halim.
There would be no one who could immediately block that hero’s path.
He would definitely create the Second Capital.
“I also need to do something…”
Compared to him, Olivia had made no progress.
What she needed to build power in the empire was to become a Saint.
But all she did was care for her figure, have useless chats with young ladies, and instill in herself knowledge about formalities in which she had no interest.
What the tea tastes like, how the cookies were prepared.
Being a Princess was that suffocating.
“It is too far from becoming a Saint.”
Becoming a Saint was impossible even if you dedicated your entire life as a monk, so how could it be possible while enjoying such a glorious life?
“Even so, I have to do it.”
If only I become a Saint, I will also be able to possess that damned Golden Blood.

Ferda returned and first checked the progress of the town’s construction.
The landscape before his eyes was different from the future that had been mapped out through Isabella’s reports.
— It has progressed quite a bit.
About three weeks had passed, but the somewhat chaotic atmosphere had settled to a certain extent, and several buildings had gone up.
Enough space had been created to dismantle all the tents used as temporary shelters.
— Indeed. It has exceeded the projected range.
— How much is it ahead of schedule?
— Two months.
— That is not just exceeding expectations.
The blue-haired dragon spawn, Administrator Isabella, adjusted her glasses.
It was a statement that deeply wounded the pride of the Phases of Knowledge, but Isabella explained calmly:
— The speed of the existing workers was within projections. Of course there are aspects to consider regarding labor attrition and supply, but this was an unforeseen event like lightning in a clear sky.
Isabella was not simply trying to save face.
Ferda also knew this, so he asked her:
— What is that unforeseen event?
— They call him the Armored Knight.
— Armored Knight?
Isabella nodded.
— Yes. He seems to be an itinerant knight and, whether he has taken a Vow of Silence, the nearby workers call him the Armored Knight.
— Mmm…
Ferda looked over the personal information and the payment statement written there.
The personal information had only been extracted from what could be confirmed externally.
Ferda deduced from that.
— It is not a Vow of Silence.
— Is that so?
— Usually, someone with a Vow of Silence would accept a badge with their name and affiliation. It means that, even if they don’t communicate, they at least reveal their name.
Ferda knew this well given that he came from a family of knights.
Someone with a Vow of Silence could live as a wanderer, but working as a laborer on a construction site did not fit.
Then are they paying him a fortune? Ferda looked at the payment statement.
— He is already receiving more than twenty times what other workers get.
A whopping two hundred donghwa, receiving two silver coins.
However, Ferda frowned.
— It is too little.
Isabella nodded in agreement.
— In reality, not even thirty silver coins would be enough for a talent like his.
— Why not?
— He does not seem dissatisfied. He acts as if receiving money were strange and does not accept more than two silver coins. But why would we give him more?
— Mmm…
Considering the wages and value of knights, what value do two shillings of daily pay hold?
It was such severe exploitation that you could put a knife to the employer’s throat and they would have no excuse whatsoever.
Working on a construction site that crushes pride and, on top of that, having low pay; he has a character more incredible than most adults.
“Or he has a secret to match.”
A shady past, or he killed someone.
But if he has such a secret, it seems strange that he does not accept more than two silver coins.
— In what exact way is he of help? Does he know construction methods by any chance?
— No. He is a complete novice with no basic knowledge of construction, but he handles tasks that are easily solved with sheer strength alone, which is why we were able to erect buildings well ahead of schedule.
Superhuman strength.
Ferda remembered a certain person at those words.
— That Armored Knight.
— Yes.
— By any chance, did he look so burly and heavy that you felt out of breath?
At those words, Isabella reflected deeply and replied:
— No. He wore a half-plate armor like ordinary itinerant knights.
— I see.
Ferda thought of the Walking Fortress, Alberto.
Given that there were still no eyewitness accounts about him, he must move quite stealthily despite that heavy body.
“Superhuman strength…”
A person who moved the schedule forward two months solely with his strength.
— If it bothers you, do you want me to investigate?
At Isabella’s suggestion, Ferda shook his head.
— No, leave him alone for now. Showing signs of an investigation and making him flee would be bad.
Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs is something only fools do.
— However, the value of that man cannot be overlooked. Think of ways to continue utilizing him.
— A wise judgment.
If he is a talent that helps the Grand Duchy, recruit him somehow.
If he cannot recruit him, make it so he has no choice but to be recruited.
“If even that doesn’t work, we will squeeze the sweet nectar to the very end.”
Without leaving a single drop, he will turn him into nutrients for this city being built.
That is the course of action for this town being erected for Valdrova.
— By the way.
Isabella inquired of Ferda:
— What name will you give to the city?
— Isn’t the name Valdrova enough?
Isabella’s tone of voice lowered in intensity.
— It is already the name of this castle and the name that refers to the Grand Duchy. If it passes through too many mouths frequently, its dignity naturally wears away.
— If that is the purpose, won’t it serve?
— Even I, a Spawn of Iorga, cannot tolerate it. I will flatly refuse that matter, so please understand.
Ferda listened to her words and decided to give up.
She, who usually respected the Regent’s will, used the word “flatly.”
Among dragons, this matter must carry great significance.
— Then we need a new name.
— That is why I called for a public contest.
Isabella took a document out of her folder as if she had been waiting and handed it to Ferda.
— Many good names were mentioned, but in the end it came down to two. Diariene, which means the Brow of the Demon, or Alterios, which means the light that illuminates the darkness. What do you think?
Diariene and Alterios.
— Diariene looks gloomy, and Alterios seems related to the Church of Alte.
— Actually, that is the goal as well. Since ninety percent of the Empire are believers of Alte, it wouldn’t be bad.
It was a strategy to attract visitors.
There would be strategic advantages, but Ferda did not want to do that.
He had had bad experiences with the Church of Alte more than once or twice.
The Church of Alte has no mercy for heretics.
When he possessed the Red Circle and darkness emerged in the Revelation of Attributes, they were desperate to kill him.
Therefore, he wanted something that would not remind him of the Church of Alte as much as possible.
What good name could there be.
Ferda suddenly remembered that moment.
— What was the name of the project underway to save my fiancée?
— Project: Hestia?
— Hestia…
It was the name of the woman who guarded the fire since ancient times.
Now it is hardly used, and in history class it is a passing figure barely mentioned.
The woman who guards the fire.
Not bad.
— How about Hestia?
— I prefer a heavy and serious atmosphere… but a bright one is not as bad as I thought. I will reflect it and move forward with it.
Ferda repeated that name several times.
Hestia, Hestia…
The sound stuck to his mouth and the meaning pleased him.
Valdrova is the Lord of Power and Fire.
This place will be a city for those who guard the fire, and a stronghold.
“So I need to squeeze that damn Armored Knight for all he’s worth.”
Until he changes his mind, do as much as possible.
That was Ferda’s will.