Chapter 63: Penelope

What appeared before their eyes was not a normal prison.

A normal prison separates spaces with bars.

But there, there were temperature-controlled capsules, lined up diagonally like coffins.

And inside each one, there was a person.

Not only humans.

Orcs, elves, goblins, even rare races.

All lay there with no trace of color in their faces.

A knight who was observing noticed something.

“They’re all alive. They’re still breathing.”

“Let’s rescue them quickly!”

When they tried to open a capsule, Zed stopped them.

“What rescue? Our objective is a demon.”

“Are we just going to watch innocent people die? That goes against knighthood!”

“And you still call yourselves knights?”

Zed looked at them with disdain.

“They’re going to die frozen or they’re going to explode. The second is better. I’m going after the demon.”

Before leaving, he added.

“And don’t be idiots.”

They had no choice but to accept that he was right.

They left with guilt.

Zed didn’t.

They checked the rooms one by one.

But it didn’t take long.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Aaaah! Let me go! Let me out! What did I do to be here?!”

The screams echoed through the hallway.

“Could that be her?”

“I hope not.”

They headed toward the source.

A capsule was shaking violently.

“Open this! Now! Don’t you know who I am? I’m Penelope, daughter of the great demon Sitri!”

“Damn, it is her.”

With a grim expression, the knights opened the capsule.

The demon stopped banging, confused.

“Eh? You actually opened it? Wait! Time! Time! Don’t hit me! I’ll stay still! Really… huh?”

She slowly opened her eyes.

“What? You’re not guards.”

“You are—”

“Where are the guards? Who are you? Did you come to kill me?”

“Are you Pen—”

“Wait! I didn’t do anything! I have nothing to do with them! Let me li—!”

Zed covered her mouth.

Total silence.

“From now on, only answer yes or no. If it’s yes, nod. If it’s no, shake your head. Understood?”

“Mm.”

“Be quiet.”

Seeing the sword, Penelope calmed down.

She nodded.

“Is your name Penelope?”

She nods.

“Are you sure?”

She nods.

“We made a deal with Sitri. We get you out of here in exchange for infiltrating. Follow us.”

“Mm?!”

“I said yes or no.”

“Mm mm!”

“She’s resisting a lot.”

“Does she want to say something?”

“Yes? Hey, pink hair. I’ll let you go for three seconds. Speak clearly.”

Zed removed his hand.

“waitamomentletmeexplainthisisntwhatitlooksliketheycapturedmebutitwasntlikethat—mmff!”

“Useless. Tie her up and carry her.”

“Understood.”

The woman didn’t manage to say anything.

She resisted so much that she ended up getting hit and lost consciousness.

***

As they advanced through the storm.

Perda felt something.

It wasn’t his imagination.

Consilus, who was at the front, looked back.

“Did you feel it?”

“Yes.”

“What was it?”

Marco could barely walk.

“It wasn’t the wind.”

“Then?”

“Silverwind’s dragon spawn. They’re searching for intruders.”

Marco turned even paler.

“Then we’re in trouble?”

“No. They passed over us. They haven’t detected us yet.”

But it was dangerous.

If they descended from the sky like meteors, there would be no chance.

“I’ll increase the speed.”

Perda followed Consilus.

Shortly after, a black silhouette appeared through the storm.

They had returned to the cave.

The others were waiting there.

“Everything ready?”

“The target?”

“We have her.”

Zed lightly kicked the unconscious girl.

Pink hair.

White skin.

She shone like marble.

But her horns, black eyes, bat wings, and shovel-shaped tail revealed her as a demon.

“Quickly.”

“The laboratory was empty.”

“There were no problems.”

“Then we withdraw.”

They boarded the portal.

Perda thought.

‘Too easy.’

Three minutes remained.

Perfect timing.

Neither short nor long.

As if everything had been calculated.

‘Too perfect.’

Demons do not make unfavorable deals.

“We need to hurry.”

Said the mage.

“What’s wrong?”

“A dragon spawn is approaching.”

“Toward here?”

“Yes. They’ve detected us.”

“Erase all traces! Immediate retreat!”

It must not be discovered that someone from the domain of Grand Duchess Valdrova was here.

In a hurry, they began erasing traces with the tools they had brought.

Barely 2 minutes remained.

Perda thought.

He had to resolve that uneasy feeling within that time.

“Mm mm…?”

Penelope woke up, looking around.

When she saw Zed, her eyes widened.

“Mmff! Mmff!”

“Stay still. I’ll make it easy.”

“Mmff! Mmff!”

Zed raised the dagger.

Penelope desperately shook her head.

Tears and snot ran down her face.

Pure fear.

Perda frowned.

“Wait.”

The dagger stopped.

“What is it?”

“Remove her gag. I want to hear her.”

“There’s nothing to hear…”

Even so, Zed obeyed.

“Uff… thank you. No, wait, I have to explain what happened earlier, I—”

“Shut up. I decide what you say. Or I’ll slit your throat.”

“Ah! No! Don’t kill me! I’ll answer everything! Yes!”

“That.”

Perda gestured with his chin.

“Why are you afraid of dying?”

“W-who isn’t afraid of dying?”

“Demons who die in Serdes just return to hell. Momentary pain. For you, it’s going home. Isn’t it?”

“T-that’s true, but my case is different! If I return, I’ll really die!”

Penelope shouted, almost hysterical.

“What does that mean?”

“My mother doesn’t want me to be rescued! She wants me to die! I can’t go back to hell!”

Penelope cried desperately.

“Then tell me why she wants to kill you.”

“Because I…”

She hesitated.

“Don’t think. Tell the truth.”

“I can’t! If I say it, something happens! I can’t say it! Aaaah! I’m going to go crazy! Why am I so stupid?!”

She couldn’t say it.

She knew it, but she couldn’t reveal it.

And Sitri wanted to kill her.

Everything pointed to something.

Perda thought.

There was an answer.

Something he had heard before.

Something he ignored.

But it was important.

Do not make deals with demons.

“I see.”

At that moment, he understood.

Perda murmured.

“It was you.”

“Regent!”

Zed shouted.

They were about to cross.

“You have to come! There’s no time! 30 seconds!”

Perda made a decision.

He stood up.

“Zed.”

“Yes?”

“Take care of this baggage.”

“Huh?”

Perda threw him his bag.

“Huh?”

Zed caught it.

But another object flew toward him.

Pink hair.

“Uaaah!”

“Ugh!”

Penelope’s body slammed into him.

Both fell into the portal.

The Binding Bridge only allowed 8.

“Regent—”

The portal closed.

The shout was cut off.

Perda was left alone.

Alone on the frozen mountain.

If he were alone, there would be no problem.

He would just have to wait.

But it wouldn’t be like that.

It’s coming.

At that moment, the sound of the storm began to fade.

In its place, footsteps on the snow.

A figure emerged from the blizzard.

No moon, yet clearly visible.

“Well now, this I didn’t expect.”

Silver hair.

Sharp horns.

Silver eyes.

A Silver Dragon Spawn.

The same one who had been above them.

“I thought I’d find a rat, but I found something different.”

He smiled.

Like a cat before a trapped mouse.

“Nice to meet you, regent of Valdrova.”

***

Upon returning to Valdrova’s castle, Ruri immediately began cleaning.

No less than 20 days had passed without touching anything.

She had left spirits in charge of basic cleaning, but without supervision they didn’t work diligently.

So, late at night, she began to clean.

“Are you finished?”

— Kyu.

“Good work. You may withdraw.”

— Kkyuung!

At the word “withdraw,” the spirits became excited.

The spirits assisting her were summoned back.

Soon, she was alone in the room.

Ruri looked at the room she had cleaned.

It was a bedroom.

More precisely, the place where Valdrova and Perda would celebrate their wedding and share a room.

For someone who was still only a fiancé, it was something distant.

But Ruri neglected nothing.

Ruri was a maid.

The job of a maid was to adjust and maintain the master’s environment.

To achieve that environment, normally more than 50 servants were needed.

To reach perfection, at least 100.

But in that castle, aside from Ruri, there was no one else.

Even so, it was enough.

She was not a weak human maid.

She was a Dragon Spawn.

And among the Silver Dragon Spawn, she was one of the strongest.

Her ability made it possible to maintain that castle in perfect condition.

Even after decades, the cleanliness remained impeccable without major renovations.

‘That is what I can do.’

Maintain perfection.

Perfection means everything is within expectations.

And what is within expectations can be controlled.

In that castle, there was nothing outside her control.

Her life was a perfect circle.

‘Perda…’

At least, until he appeared.

‘Perda Rosnova.’

When she first met him, he was a weak human.

At first glance, a young noble barely older than her.

A mediocre being from whom nothing was expected.

‘He wasn’t.’

Perda was different.

Not exactly the opposite of what was expected, but he didn’t fit either.

He was unpredictable.

He acted arrogantly, yet always bore the consequences.

He seemed like an emotionless psychopath, but in front of Valdrova he behaved like a child.

Not fitting his age, and yet somehow fitting it.

Indefinable.

Incomplete.

‘A variable…’

Yes.

It was that variable that was breaking the current calm.

Ruri hated variables.

What cannot be controlled made her feel powerless.

And she hated powerlessness.

That was why it had to be eliminated.

But she couldn’t eliminate Perda.

He was Valdrova’s fiancé.

And so, everything began to change.

Situations beyond her control even began to appear.

‘It wasn’t something bad.’

It was a positive change.

The territory, once stagnant, began to develop.

And Perda was starting to establish his recognition and reputation.

He did things without hesitation that Ruri would never have done, changing everything.

The emotion she felt at those achievements was strange.

She already knew what it was.

‘Impatience.’

She had lived for centuries.

She had served for centuries.

And yet,

A boy barely 18 years old, in less than a year, could change everything.

He could take everything from her.

That was why she tried to contact Silverwind.

Amid so many changes, she thought that perhaps they had also changed.

Or that even if they hadn’t, she might be able to do something.

‘But I couldn’t do anything.’

She was powerless.

In situation, in strength, in everything.

Everything was outside her expectations.

‘And… I…’

The taut fuse finally ignited.

For approaching Silverwind unnecessarily.

For causing Perda to encounter Goz.

Maybe it could have been handled better.

If Perda hadn’t been so blunt.

If he hadn’t shown hostility so openly.

Perhaps everything would have been different.

Yes.

The one who worsened the situation was Perda.

It would be easy to blame him and find peace.

But Ruri couldn’t do that.

‘If I hadn’t gotten involved from the beginning…’

Everything started because of her.

And even so, what she said was—

“Who asked you to help?”

She clenched her fist.

The discomfort between them was already obvious.

And it would last much longer.

She didn’t know how to look at him.

Nor how to face him.

She didn’t know what to do.

That uncontrollable variable.

It was even affecting her emotions.

Ruri was confused.

Suddenly, the air in front of her stirred.

A wind spirit appeared hurriedly at her side.

— Kkyuung! Kkyuung!

The spirit was agitated.

Ruri recognized it.

It was one of the ones she had sent to watch over Count Consilus’s castle.

“Speak.”

The spirit reported, nervously.

Ruri tried to listen calmly.

But she couldn’t.

“Is that… true?”

The variable kept moving without stopping.