Chapter 67: The Second Tea Party

Perda observed how things were progressing in Castle Valdrova.

He had been absent for an entire month, so he thought perhaps some kind of problem might have occurred, but everything was advancing smoothly.

The first place he went to was Vernell’s laboratory.

Even Vernell’s incomprehensible theories were beginning to be refined into something relatively easy to understand.

It was the result achieved thanks to the 15 assistants helping him.

‘The great mountain is still far away.’

The biggest challenge was still Malcolm.

“Sir Malcolm, could you place this into the slot on the right?”

“The right, you say? Understood!”

“No, the right! The hand you eat with! No, not there! Aaagh!”

For those who had lived competing among geniuses, Malcolm was practically a calamity.

The moment someone used words that were even slightly complicated, he immediately made a face like he understood nothing.

He confused east, west, north, and south.

Even right and left.

The most stupidly idiotic being in history.

Even geniuses had to manage to make a fool understand things they themselves did not fully understand.

Vernell had torn out so much of his hair that his once abundant head of hair now revealed his scalp.

And yet the cause of it all, Malcolm, still kept smiling as innocently as a dog on a walk.

‘After all, magitech is something designed to be used by people who are not mages.’

If someone at Malcolm’s level could, even if he was incapable of applying it, at least understand its function and manipulate it, then ordinary people could use it too.

That was the ultimate goal Perda wished to achieve.

‘Anyway, everything here seems to be going well.’

As he watched them clutching their heads from stress, Perda heard a loud voice from a corner of the hallway.

“Hyaaaah!?”

Just from hearing it, he knew who it was.

The demon Penelope.

“W-what is this witch?! Why is a witch walking around so freely inside a dragon’s castle?!”

The “witch” she referred to was undoubtedly Echidna.

“Fufufufufufu, if a demon can walk around here, then why couldn’t a witch toooo?”

Perda wondered why they were involved with each other, but the answer appeared immediately.

“Uh… Miss Echidna, could you calm down and listen to me?”

It was because of Zed.

When he approached, it became clear.

Penelope was clinging to Zed’s leg.

Zed looked completely desperate.

And Echidna was pointing a sword at him.

Echidna’s eyes were unfocused.

“Aah, Sir Zed. Please do not worry. I am not going to harm you. I will simply attempt a contractual separation.”

“Contractual separation?”

“Yes. I will cut off the part where the mark Sir Zed made was engraved and grant it new life to avoid the curse. Then your body will once again become completely clean, just like before.”

“…That sounds exactly like you’re going to cut off my arm.”

“And afterward you will have to live enduring terrible pain every day. But that pain will be nothing!”

Zed, completely dumbfounded, finally said what he truly thought.

“Are you insane?”

“Please do not worry! Even if you only have one arm, I will love you forever, Sir Zed!”

“Well I love my arms!”

“We will overcome it! With the power of our love!”

There was another completely different disaster here as well.

Just listening to the conversation made it easy to deduce the cause.

‘Because of the pact he made with Penelope.’

On the day of the rescue, Perda had forced Penelope and Zed to sign a contract.

It was to prevent Penelope from returning to hell and, at the same time, monitor her movements.

And he had also placed a powerful silence mechanism on her to prevent her from revealing anything about Sitri’s Life Vessel without his permission.

Although technically Penelope was the one wearing the collar around her neck, for her the conditions were extraordinarily favorable.

After all, hiding in a dragon’s nest was far safer than living on the run everywhere as a fugitive.

‘And maybe it’s not entirely bad for Zed either?’

He was a man who reacted automatically to any woman.

And Penelope was still a woman, so perhaps he did not dislike it completely.

Perda never explained Penelope’s true use to Zed.

It was enough for him to know that she was an extremely precious daughter of Sitri.

While Zed was trapped between a demon and a witch, he made eye contact with Perda.

Zed spoke only with his eyes.

Save me.

A man speaks with his back.

Perda responded like a true man.

He turned his back on him.

Handle it yourself.

‘Anyway, everything is still functioning without problems.’

While he had been away, nobody knew what had really happened.

Everything continued moving forward without anyone realizing anything.

“Sir Perda.”

The small girl in a maid uniform, Ruri, approached as always.

“It is prepared.”

“Understood.”

Perda unnecessarily adjusted his tie.

Black hands emerged from his clothes and began fixing his outfit once again.

He had taken the risk of negotiating with demons to obtain information.

He had killed the one who threatened to take Ruri away.

Two situations capable of endangering the very existence of a country had fallen upon him.

And yet none of those moments had made him as nervous as this.

It felt like when, as a child, he hid beneath the wardrobe a blanket he had wet after peeing himself.

A secret that perhaps nobody would discover immediately but that would inevitably come to light someday.

However, that anxiety disappeared the moment the door to the recreation hall opened.

What he saw was a completely open balcony.

A table prepared for a tea party.

And a strangely familiar dragon knight armor.

‘Again today?’

He had already seen it twice before, so it was not that surprising.

She remained seated, silently observing that place.

The helmet made in the likeness of Valdrova’s draconic eyes imposed pressure on anyone who looked at her.

‘Why is she so still?’

Perda slowly walked forward.

And he began imagining what expression might be hidden behind that helmet.

Before he reached the worst of his imaginings, he understood.

“Zzz…”

She was asleep.

Valdrova’s head tilted forward.

It looked like she was about to fall face-first onto the floor, but she raised herself again.

“Mnh… hm… mm?”

Valdrova’s helmet slowly lifted toward Perda.

“Mm… Sir Perda…?”

A sleepy voice echoed faintly.

She stared at him.

“Huh!? S-Sir Perda?!”

She hurriedly stood up to greet him.

“Y-you came!”

“Yes. My respects to Grand Duchess Valdrova.”

“W-welcome, Sir Perda. I… um…”

Valdrova could not find a suitable excuse.

Perda decided to help her.

“It seems you had many things on your mind. You were deeply lost in thought.”

“Eh? Ah… well… actually, I had fallen asleep…”

“Normally, when a king falls asleep and wakes up, it is courtesy to say something like that.”

“Ah, i-is that so? You’re right! Yes, I was thinking! Of course!”

Happy to have found an excuse, she nodded repeatedly.

She was terrible at lying.

“Is Sir Perda alright?”

“Yes.”

“I heard there were problems with the carriage. That’s why you said you passed through Count Consilus’s territory…”

Perda glanced at Ruri.

She, standing still like background decoration, gave a slight nod.

So Perda nodded as well.

“Yes, that is what happened.”

“You weren’t injured, were you?”

“It was nothing serious. It could be resolved with some light repairs.”

“What a relief. I was a little worried.”

She truly looked relieved.

And precisely because of that reaction, the secret had to remain hidden.

“What did you talk about at the Grand Council of Dukes?”

Perda began recounting what had happened there.

Mainly matters related to territorial disputes.

“I see. On the continent of Serdes… although I’ve heard wars happen from time to time.”

Territorial conflicts between elves and dwarves.

“They’re still fighting? I think it was like that in the past too…”

Most of the stories were of that sort.

Conflicts.

Resentment.

There were no stories capable of bringing out a smile.

And even so, Valdrova listened attentively.

And that was precisely what made it frightening.

He feared that he might eventually make a mistake, swept away by her innocence.

It was not easy to stain that pure snow with mud.

“And besides…”

The conversation reached its final part.

“We spoke about the conquest of the East.”

“The conquest of the East?”

“I declared that we would conquer the Demon Lands that lie on our border.”

“Ah.”

Demon Lands.

Upon hearing those words, even Valdrova, who had responded with interest until now, fell silent.

Unconsciously, she began stroking her arm.

Her gaze drifted beyond the balcony.

The scenery of early autumn, when the colors were at their richest.

The ordinary landscape every inhabitant of the continent of Serdes saw every day.

“Even that place they now call the Demon Lands…”

Her voice became nostalgic.

“There was once a time when it had scenery just as beautiful as this.”

Complex emotions dwelled within her voice.

“Even though it is now stained black, do you think it can someday regain such beautiful colors?”

Of course it can.

He could have ended it with a simple answer like that.

But Perda could not do it.

“It will not be easy.”

He did not give her false reassurance.

“But I will do whatever is necessary to restore the scenery you once saw.”

Instead, he showed his determination.

“Is that so?”

Valdrova smiled happily, as if those words had truly reached her heart.

“If there is anything I can do to help, I will do my utmost.”

She clenched her fist tightly.

“My fiancé is working so hard that I cannot simply sit still and do nothing.”

“If Your Grace chooses to extend your hand to me, it would be my greatest honor.”

As he watched that, Perda felt his heart calming down.

He did not need to interpret hidden intentions.

He could accept her words exactly as they were.

That was true purity.

“Uh… don’t you have anything else to tell me?”

“No, nothing else.”

“Ah… I see…”

Valdrova turned her voice away uncertainly.

What had she been expecting to hear?

What kind of conversation had she wanted?

Perda brought the now lukewarm teacup to his lips.

“It’s just that… Ruri told me…”

“Yes.”

“That you held hands with a woman named Olivia.”

“Pffft!”

The tea went down the wrong way and he ended up spectacularly spitting it out.

The one most startled was not Perda, but Valdrova.

“Sir Perda!? Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you… I just wanted to talk a little…”

Perda wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and slowly turned his gaze.

He met the eyes of Ruri, who still stood there like a folding screen.

So you even told her that?

When he glared at her silently asking the question, Ruri looked away.

It would have been a lie to say he did not feel resentment.

Suddenly, his head began to ache.

What was he supposed to say to escape this situation?

That she was the one who grabbed his hand first?

That yes, he held it, but it did not mean much?

Dozens of excuses appeared in his mind, but Perda erased them immediately.

“I’m sorry. Holding another woman’s hand in front of Your Grace…”

“Huh? Betrayal? I don’t mind something like that!”

She waved her hands quickly.

“After all, Sir Perda is also a man, and I heard she was very beautiful, so I thought that… it was normal.”

She tried to appear understanding.

But her restless fingers and lowered head proved otherwise.

Guilt began crushing Perda’s chest.

“So…”

She carefully looked up at him from below.

“Maybe…”

Tilting her head slightly, she asked timidly.

“Maybe… you would also like to hold my hand…?”

Perda’s mind went completely blank.

“…Excuse me?”

He ended up asking stupidly.

“Your Grace’s… hand?”

“Yes. Last time you already held it once… and I think I could do it too…”

Even though showing her face was still too difficult.

She murmured that to herself while waiting for an answer.

“W-what do you think?”

Unlike that seemingly light question, Perda was more careful than ever.

This was an irreplaceable opportunity.

He could not waste it through a mistake.

He forcibly calmed the trembling in his body and swallowed to steady his voice.

“I want… to hold it.”

“Understood. One moment.”

She removed her gauntlet.

And beneath that enormous armor appeared a small and delicate hand.

A fragile arm incapable of conveying the majesty of her strength.

When she timidly clenched her fist, it looked even smaller.

“H-here it is!”

She showed him the palm of her hand.

Perda stared at it, completely absorbed.

The slender fingers.

The lines marked across her palm.

Everything looked like a perfect painting.

Perda carefully took her hand—

“Hiiik!?”

Valdrova’s hand instantly flew backward.

He did not even have time to feel whether it was soft or not.

“What is wrong?”

“N-no, it’s just… you see… I feel like I won’t be able to control my strength very well… so I need to… prepare myself mentally a little…”

Her voice became weaker and weaker, and her agitated breathing echoed inside the helmet.

Perda felt his chest twist, thinking for an instant that she was going to take it back.

Valdrova placed both hands on her chest while trying to regain her breath.

Since the tension would not disappear, Perda finally suggested—

“If controlling your strength is difficult… what if I place my hand on top instead?”

“Ah! That might work! Then… let’s do it that way.”

Valdrova timidly rested the back of her hand on the table.

Perda slowly placed his hand over hers again.

Crack—

At that moment, the sound of something breaking could be heard.

When he looked closely, he saw cracks spreading across the table.

‘Didn’t they say this table was made of granite?’

A material so durable they claimed not even a Meteor falling from the sky could break it.

If they had made a table out of that, it was probably the strongest table on the continent.

‘They said it was nearly impossible to even crack it, but as expected…’

She was not called the Incarnation of Strength for nothing.

As he thought that, Perda suddenly remembered something he had done before.

His first meeting with her.

The irrational impulse he had felt when he wanted to see Valdrova’s face.

‘Now that I think about it… I think I even interlocked fingers with her.’

Perda sincerely felt grateful that his right hand had not been pulverized back then.

And even feeling that much fear, he still could not let go of Valdrova’s hand.

It was small and soft.

The warmth of her body and the clear pulse beating beneath her skin.

A small part of her that he wanted to hold forever.

And if he had to let go, then at least he wanted to engrave that feeling into himself without regrets.

‘Maybe it wouldn’t matter even if my hand ended up shattered to pieces.’

For a moment, he thought about giving in to the impulse.

But his reason crushed that idea.

“Have you still been suffering lately from the blood impulse?”

Valdrova shook her head.

“No… I’m alright.”

“Lady Valdrova did not go hunting yesterday.”

“R-Ruri?”

Valdrova startled.

Ruri suddenly appeared, dropping that information before returning to silence.

“Is that true?”

“That… yes… although I don’t think anything will happen. Just because monsters did not appear yesterday does not mean they won’t appear today either.”

“But there is also no guarantee they will.”

“That… is also true…”

“And if you cannot hunt, you will end up hurting yourself.”

“……”

Valdrova fell silent.

In an atmosphere like this, she had no idea what she was supposed to say.

But words were not really necessary.

“Ah…”

Valdrova felt something slowly flowing onto the back of her hand.

It was a sensation she knew very well.

The same thing that had calmed that blood impulse before.

“Sir Perda…”

“Do not worry.”

Valdrova closed her mouth.

What was entering her body slowly calmed the violent beating of her heart.

Even though she had already experienced it before, it still felt incredible.

That impulse, which normally only disappeared after violently unleashing itself, was now fading away with absolute calm.

“Sir… Perda…”

“Yes.”

“I think… that is enough now.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Perda stopped injecting mana.

Silence fell between them.

A terribly awkward silence.

And yet, neither of them dared break it.

Because they felt that the moment either of them spoke, both would end up rising from their seats.

And the hands they had finally joined together with such courage would separate once more.

Just a little longer.

They enjoyed that awkward silence.