Chapter 22: You Also Want to Believe

A fierce growl echoed deep within the lair.

If someone else had heard it, they would undoubtedly have described it as the echo of a terrifying rage.

But Ruri, who was standing inside the lair, knew what that sound really meant.

It was Valdrova’s groan.

She was suffering.

The dragoness, who normally should be curled up resting, was now crushed against the ground.

With her sharp claws she scratched the floor uselessly while her body trembled.

— Ruri…

Valdrova carefully called her servant.

As always, Ruri responded calmly.

“Yes.”

— Today… are there… no demonic beasts either?

Ruri shook her head.

“Unfortunately, no.”

— I see… then a difficult period has begun…

Valdrova slowly stood up.

Her mind felt as if she were walking inside a fog where she could not see even one step ahead.

At least she wanted to divert her attention for a moment, so she asked.

— My… fiancé… what is he doing?

Ruri answered.

“He is meeting with all the territorial lords of the Grand Duke. Although saying meeting is an exaggeration, it is more like a threat. Basically he tells them that, if they are incompetent, he will reveal everything they have done.”

— So he is doing well?

On Valdrova’s exhausted face appeared a strange smile.

An expression that was both happy and sad.

A face she had never shown before Perda arrived.

“I think Perda-nim has realized.”

Valdrova’s face tensed.

— What are you talking about?

“That you are hurting yourself. Last night you struck your body so hard that the entire castle shook once. I think that is why he deduced what you are doing.”

— I see…

“So this time it would be better if you were careful.”

— Yes… thank you for telling me.

Valdrova turned her head and stepped back.

— You have worked hard. You may retire.

“…Yes.”

Ruri slightly bowed her head and turned around.

But her steps were not light.

She knew what Valdrova was going to do now.

With that overflowing power she could not contain, she was going to destroy herself.

— Ruri.

Valdrova called her again.

“Speak, my lady.”

— No matter what happens, do not allow my fiancé to enter here. This is an order.

A voice filled with authority.

But inside it there was deep sadness.

Ruri could feel it.

The ghost of the third prince still haunted Valdrova.

“Understood.”

A loyal servant only obeys orders.

***

Late into the night, inside the castle, Ruri stood in front of the entrance that led to the lair.

— KROAAAAAA!

A distant roar reached her ears.

Her hands, which were joined respectfully, tightened strongly.

She forced herself to keep them that way to prevent them from moving on their own.

‘I must not cover my ears.’

That roar disturbed her.

It did not sound like the cry of a warrior running toward the battlefield.

It sounded like the heartbreaking scream of a woman who has lost her child.

Hearing the screams of her lady and being unable to do anything was torment even for a loyal servant like Ruri.

‘In any case, even if I went in, I could not do anything.’

Ruri had tried to become a competent servant.

She always kept Valdrova Castle in perfect condition.

She kept up with politics and trends so that, when Valdrova returned, she would not be left behind.

She lived every second of the twenty-four hours of the day for Valdrova, without wasting a single moment.

‘But even so there are things I cannot do.’

The murderous intent emanating from Valdrova was something Ruri could not control.

The only thing she could do was enter after she finished hurting herself to treat her.

From the beginning, she had no way to prevent it from happening.

— KROAAAAAA!

The scream echoed again.

‘That is why I must listen to it.’

It was the punishment received by an incompetent servant who could only watch her lady suffer.

Ruri’s hands, which had previously held the edge of her skirt, were now interlaced.

She knew what that posture meant.

‘Am I… praying?’

It was ridiculous.

Dragonspawn do not believe in gods.

Their god is the dragon.

The rulers of the continent, living incarnations of power, were living gods and objects of worship.

For Ruri it was the same.

Silverwind, who shared her blood, was her god.

And at the same time, Valdrova was as well.

One was dead.

The other was powerless.

Then Ruri asked herself,

‘To whom should I pray now?’

She found no answer.

So she prayed silently to an unknown god she did not even believe in.

Please…

Let someone free my lady from this suffering.

At that moment—

“What are you doing here?”

Ruri awakened from her prayer and raised her head.

The soft moonlight entered through the window.

Under that pale light stood the figure of someone she knew well.

That man.

The man who had intruded fearlessly into her lady’s life.

“Return.”

As always, she warned him coldly.

“I am sorry, but I cannot do that. The place behind you is precisely where I must go.”

The man who had been calm for several days suddenly made that demand.

He had noticed that Valdrova was suffering.

‘Did he hear that sound? Even I can barely hear it…’

If it was not even audible, how had this man been able to notice it?

She set the doubt aside and answered again.

“You cannot enter. It is an order from my lady.”

“Did the Grand Duchess say not to let me enter?”

“That is right. She said she does not want to see a human like you.”

She had added words that Valdrova had never said.

But even Ruri was emotionally shaken.

“Yesterday I withdrew, so today it is your turn to do so.”

“This is not a negotiation.”

“I am not negotiating either.”

Perda took a step forward.

“Do not take another step.”

Ruri’s silver eyes shone like moonlight.

A white and sharp wind began to surround her body like a blade.

Perda knew it instinctively.

If that wind touched him, his body would be cut cleanly like a stalk of grass in autumn.

“I can stop it.”

Said Perda.

“What is it that you say you can stop?”

“The self-harm of your lady and of my fiancée.”

“…!”

Ruri’s eyes widened for an instant.

But she regained her composure immediately.

“That is not something that can be resolved so easily. How could a mortal like you suppress the nature of a dragon?”

“I can do it.”

“No. You only want to see what you want to see.”

“Yes. I only see what I want to see and run toward it.”

He took another step forward.

“Is that not what life is?”

“I told you to stop!”

The wind blade surrounding Ruri’s arm shot toward Perda’s right hand.

Perda’s arm shook violently.

His right arm hung down, completely dislocated.

Seeing that, Ruri was surprised.

‘I only struck him lightly…’

Just before touching him, the sharp blade had turned into a heavy impact.

At most it should have left him with a bruise.

“Look.”

But Ruri maintained the pressure.

Surely he had already realized that she was not a woman easy to deal with.

“I can defeat you easily with my own hands. This is my last warning. Return quietly.”

Perda looked at his dislocated right arm.

“…Is the order that important?”

“I am a servant. I have the duty to obey my lady’s orders.”

“I see.”

When Perda raised his head again, Ruri was startled.

Perda took another step forward.

“Then make sure to cut me this time.”

In his blue eyes there was absolute determination.

Ruri prepared the wind blade again.

“Do not risk your life for something useless.”

“You say that without even knowing the value of what I am trying to do.”

“You are nothing more than a simple human. How do you intend to resolve something that not even dragons, who have investigated and tried to understand it for eternities, have managed to resolve?”

It was something that, in terms of common sense, made no sense.

Mortals cannot defeat immortals.

They are pitiful creatures that can die weakly with only the movement of a finger.

What mortals must do is live always grateful for the mercy of immortals.

So how could a simple mortal resolve the problems of immortals?

“I asked you a question before, do you remember? I asked if you believed a human could obtain sudden enlightenment.”

“……”

“And what did you answer me at that time?”

He knew.

But she did not want to say it.

So Perda answered for her.

“You said humanity survived because it possesses flashes of inspiration that cannot be reached merely by accumulating knowledge.”

Again.

This man was returning exactly the same words she had spoken.

Perda, who had been far away before, was now only three steps away.

If she fired, his arm would be cut off.

There was no time to control the force.

Ruri’s hand began to tremble.

The sharp wind surrounding her hand dispersed.

“Why…?”

Ruri looked at him.

She no longer had her usual expressionless face or her expression of contempt.

“Why… do you keep approaching?”

She had the face of a defenseless child.

“It is simple.”

Perda placed his hand on Ruri’s head.

“If you had truly wanted to stop me, you would have already done so.”

Ruri’s physical capabilities surpassed the weak Perda dozens of times.

Before he even approached, she could have knocked him unconscious or thrown him away without difficulty.

There was no need to threaten him with wind magic or argue.

If she had wanted to, she would have simply acted.

“You also wanted to believe in the same thing that I believe.”

In the miracle that a mortal can bring.

Perda passed beside Ruri and began to descend the stairs.

Ruri could only remain there watching him disappear.

The sound of his shoes echoed through the corridor as he moved away.

‘It hurts like hell.’

The deadly wind that Ruri had launched had left his hand numb.

The impact traveled up to his shoulder and dislocated it.

‘I had already been dislocating it frequently before.’

He was also accustomed to setting bones back into place.

Perda pulled his arm and set the bone back into place.

Crack!

“Ugh… haah…”

He took a deep breath and regained his composure.

He still had something to do.

Perda raised his head.

A massive iron door appeared in his field of vision.

‘It is… very different from usual.’

He remembered the first time he had stood before that door.

Back then he was weak and had not yet drunk the engagement wine.

But now it was far more severe than then.

Perda felt as if he were standing before the gate of hell.

If he entered there, he would surely die.

— KROAAAAAA!

A roar that froze the bones.

Just because he no longer feared dragons did not mean their killing intent had disappeared.

‘Worthy of the incarnation of strength.’

Perda opened a small side door and entered.

The interior resembled a common cave.

A dry, comfortable, and dark space.

— Ruri… why have you come here? I told you not to come…

The voice stopped.

She realized that the one who had entered was not Ruri.

The sound of her body shaking violently could be heard.

— Why… are you here?

The voice of the sovereign was filled with confusion.

— Why… have you come at a time like this?

At that question, Perda spoke.

“I will not say it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Perda looked forward.

His human eyes could not pierce that darkness.

“I cannot see your face, my night vision is poor.”

— Leave here immediately!

A shout filled with dragon fear resounded.

But it was not enough to shake Perda.

“Your Majesty, I have found a way to resolve your suffering.”

— I do not need it. Who asked you for something like that?

Perda took a step forward.

The movement of Valdrova could be heard.

She had stepped back.

— I… do not want to hurt anyone. So please, do not come closer.

Valdrova pleaded.

“I cannot do that.”

Perda refused.

— Please…

“I do not care if someone dies or is injured.”

— Do not come closer…

“But I cannot stand by and watch you hurt yourself.”

Golden eyes shone in the darkness.

“I told you not to come closer!”

The blood she had been suppressing burst forth.

With Valdrova’s fierce roar, something tore through the darkness.

It was her claw.

It lunged toward Perda’s small body.

BOOM!

The claw fell upon the place where he stood.

— Ah!

Valdrova regained her reason too late.

But the water had already been spilled.

— Ah…

A lament escaped her lips.

The ghost of the third prince whispered in her ear.

Once again you have killed your fiancé.

Confusion enveloped her.

The voice of Valdrova, the immortal Red Dragon who had lived through eternities and crossed the skies, trembled.

— I… did not want…

The blood that dominated her enveloped her body.

Self-hatred transformed into an uncontrollable outburst.

But then—

Between her claws something could be seen standing.

It was Perda.

He was there, standing still, looking at Valdrova’s paw.

“Thank you.”

He said.

“I did not expect you to extend your hand to me even before I spoke.”

The exact moment Perda had been waiting for had arrived.

He placed his hand on Valdrova’s.

***

— There is a logical reason why Perda can stop Valdrova.

Morida explained it to Perda.

— Perda-nim, you made the Red Circle spin by evoking your emotions toward the Red Dragon Valdrova. Is that correct?

“Yes, that is correct.”

— The reason why the Blue Circle is called cold mana is because it grants a uniform effect to all magic. In contrast, the Red Circle is specialized in certain elements, so depending on the nature of the magic and the ideology of its creation, its effects present significant differences. This is because mana is not completely pure, but contains emotions.

He knew that as well.

That was why Perda had much stronger effects in destruction magic than other magicians.

— The Red Circle is normally created from negative emotions. That is why contact with that mana is forbidden.

“Because it can cause mental contamination.”

Morida nodded.

— If your mana is composed of emotions toward dragons, I believe it could have an effect if that mana is injected into a dragon.

Perda found it absurd.

Resolve it using a mana created from an emotion that even I myself do not understand?

“Is there no other method?”

No.

Morida shook her head firmly.

Only a single possibility had been granted to him.

“I see…”

Then nothing remained but to believe.

***

Perda released his mana.

He concentrated his entire mind so that, from the tips of his fingers, it would penetrate into the interior of Valdrova’s skin.

— What are you doing?

Valdrova asked.

Then she felt something rising inside her body.

When what was rising against the current reached her heart, her golden eyes opened wide.

— This… what exactly is it?

Valdrova’s voice, which had previously been distorted by pain, became clearer.

— What was inside me… what was boiling… is disappearing. Perda, what is this?

“I do not know.”

Perda gently covered her mouth.

“But if this is beneficial to you, then you only have to accept my mana.”

— I understand…

Valdrova focused her attention on the changes in her own body through her skin.

The violent beating of her heart began to diminish.

The uncontrolled blood she could not contain calmed.

The impulse to destroy, her very nature, everything sank beneath something called tranquility.

‘It seems the hypothesis was correct.’

The mana generated by Perda’s Red Circle could suppress Valdrova’s violent blood.

‘There is something I can do for her.’

If he could suppress that blood, she would no longer have to keep destroying herself.

‘And she will not have to suffer.’

There would no longer be a need to dig up her painful past to torment herself.

‘To achieve that I must introduce as much of my mana as possible.’

Meanwhile, the Red Circle inside Perda’s dantian spun violently.

Mana was being generated several times faster than usual.

Perda released that mana without reservation toward Valdrova’s skin.

— Perda!

Valdrova shouted in surprise.

— You are bleeding!

Blood began to flow from Perda’s nose.

Mana burning out was beginning.

— Stop now. I am fine!

Normally Perda would have stopped before reaching that point.

But not this time.

‘Just a little more…’

He squeezed out the last of it and gave everything to her.

Until she entered complete stability, Perda did not stop.

Even if it meant dying.

“Ah…”

Finally the overload arrived.

His vision began to blur as if a thick fog covered his eyes.

Pushed beyond what his mental strength could endure, Perda would remain bedridden for days without being able to rise.

‘It was something I had already decided.’

For that reason, he did not regret that impulse nor his recklessness.

Perda was about to close his eyes.

Then it happened.

Something that was touching the palm of his hand began to move.

That movement conveyed a single piece of information.

‘Is it getting smaller?’

It was not his imagination.

The rough and hard skin of the dragon was becoming softer and smaller.

It shrank little by little until it became something resembling a human hand.

‘It is small.’

So small that it could not even completely wrap around Perda’s hand.

‘And soft.’

That sensation made his heart beat with an intensity he had never experienced before.

‘She transformed into a human with Polymorph.’

It was the moment to see her true face.

“Why…?”

A sweet voice, heavy with moisture.

She spoke with a voice that sounded as if it were about to cry.

“Why do you not listen to what I tell you…?”

A weak question, unworthy of Valdrova.

But even though she asked it, the words did not reach Perda’s ears.

His mind was pushed to the edge of a precipice.

He could barely hold his blurred vision.

The only thing maintaining his consciousness was an intense desire.

‘No matter what happens…’

And a selfish wish.

‘I want to see it.’

Perda gathered the last strength he had left.

He tightened the hand he was touching.

He interlaced his fingers firmly so as not to let go and pulled her by the waist.

Within his blurred vision, a woman with red hair appeared clearly.

“Ah…”

Perda let out an exclamation.

That sound contained all the emotions that lived within him.

It was a sigh of regret for having been arrogant enough to believe his imagination was sufficient.

And at the same time, the joy of understanding that the world possessed a beauty he had never imagined.

“At last I can see you.”

Perda smiled.

“Pleased to meet you. My heart.”