Chapter 17: Glimpsing the Weakness of a God
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 17: Glimpsing the Weakness of a God
The attendant asked back, startled.
“Pardon? You mean you will take her with you, milord?”
“Think about it. Based on what you’ve said, this girl will only continue to fail at her tasks. That means you’ll have to keep cleaning up after her, won’t you?”
“……”
The attendant’s lip curled in a disgruntled pout.
That was exactly what was happening now, and the thought of it continuing indefinitely made a surge of irritation rise within her.
“You have the authority to give her orders, do you not?”
“Well, yes, I suppose I do.”
“If you have that authority, then you surely have the power to tell her to get out of this house.”
“Mmm… but she’s still a child I’ve cared for.”
“You say that, but consider the reality.”
Ferda began to weave his web around the attendant.
“The brighter a gem shines, the easier it is to spot its flaws. In the long run, who do you think will suffer? Your master is currently making a name for himself as a Sage, and his fortunes are finally rising. Wouldn’t it be the mark of a loyal servant to prune away his flaws and cover up his defects?”
“……”
The look in the attendant’s eyes shifted.
Ferda’s persuasion was beginning to sound strangely logical. The fact that she was even considering it meant she had already been swayed.
Ferda decided to deliver the finishing blow.
“I shall help make that decision easier for you.”
He pulled out three gold coins and pressed them into the attendant’s hand.
“O-Oh! Oh my… oh my goodness!”
The attendant’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
Three gold coins.
For a commoner, seeing even a single gold coin after a lifetime of tilling the fields was a rare feat. Having three of them dropped into her palm was enough to make her head spin.
Yes, to cover up the Master’s flaws, a brat like this is…!
The attendant cleared her throat and immediately began to rub her hands together obsequiously.
“Oh, milord. What would you have me do?”
“It is simple. All language carries power. You need only give the command. Tell her to discard her name, starting now.”
“Oh, I see, I see. Hey, brat! Put that down and get over here!”
The girl stood up and walked over to the attendant’s side.
“Now, listen well, you miserable brat.”
The girl nodded blankly.
“From this moment on, you are to discard your name. And from now on, this gentleman will be your master. So, follow him. Understood?”
The girl’s eyes slowly drifted up to look at Ferda. Her vacant, unfocused gaze seemed to pose a silent question.
Ferda looked into those eyes and asked, “Do you accept me as your master?”
The girl responded with a slow, rhythmic nod.
“Good. It is settled then.”
Ferda looked up at the middle-aged attendant, who was already preoccupied with fondling the gold coins.
“Since the deal is done, I shall share an interesting fact with you.”
“An… interesting fact?”
Now that he had obtained what he wanted, it was time to reveal the truth.
“I’ll tell you why your master cherished this girl so much, despite her being so incredibly dull-witted.”
“Well… it’s probably because she’s pretty enough to look at…”
“No. Your master, Helus Fobidas, prefers women with large breasts. He likes women who giggle and swoon at his pathetic jokes. He is a man consumed by a terrible inferiority complex. He lacks the confidence to best intelligent women, so he surrounds himself with those who are empty-headed. And even if she is pretty, there is absolutely no reason for him to favor a wooden, adolescent servant like this.”
The attendant’s face began to stiffen. She couldn’t understand why he was telling her this, but the tone of his words felt like a scream telling her she had made a grave mistake.
“Would you believe me if I told you that this girl is actually the source of the ‘insight’ your master possesses?”
“What does that mean? How could a stupid thing like her possibly…”
Confusion clouded her eyes. Only then did the attendant realize she had been blinded by her own greed and lack of perception. She realized she had fallen into a trap.
With trembling hands, she held out the three gold coins.
“I-I want to cancel this. I’ll give the money back, so please, the girl—”
“No. There is no need. And even if you were to return it, you would not leave this place alive.”
“W-Why?”
“You understood what I said, didn’t you? What you just heard is equivalent to glimpsing the weakness of a god. I hope you understand the weight of that.”
She had no choice. Those who peer into the dirty secrets of a god must die.
The attendant’s face turned deathly pale.
“The reason I am telling you this is an act of mercy. It is a sign for you to take that money and run as fast as you can.” Ferda gave his advice with his usual coldness. “The moment your master catches you, you will vanish without a trace.”
* * *
“Do you believe a human can suddenly achieve enlightenment?” Ferda asked Ruri.
Ruri gave her answer. “I do.”
“Why?”
“Humans believe they live by the knowledge accumulated over years, but one cannot survive on accumulation alone. I believe we have survived because of flashes of brilliance that cannot be reached through mere study.”
It was a perspective befitting the attendant of an immortal.
“You are right to an extent. But you are also wrong.”
“In what way?”
“It is said that one cannot dig a well in a place without a water vein, no matter how long they dig. No matter how much one ‘realizes,’ it is impossible for wisdom that wasn't there to suddenly spring forth.”
Ferda looked down at the name on his list: Helus Fobidas.
“This man is the same.”
“If what you are saying is true, then the Sage of Water is merely a puppet…”
Ruri turned her gaze. A blonde girl, roughly her height, stood there demurely. Her eyes were unfocused, making it impossible to tell where she was looking—a face perfectly suited to be called a simpleton.
“Are you saying this vacant child is the source?”
Ferda made a gesture as if pulling a leash. “Have you ever heard of a Slave Sage?”
Humanity learns from the past by storing and compressing knowledge to forge a future. In Ferda’s world, where people do not rely solely on physical experience, that is what they are called.
Predicting the unpredictable, and controlling the uncontrollable. That is the core for those who pursue knowledge, and they each find their own way to reach that point.
Some combine pieces of knowledge to derive new conclusions. Some excavate lost technologies through exploration and research. Some plead with the gods to receive the answers they desire.
And some step into forbidden territory where they should never set foot.
And among those, the forbidden territory is, of course, the most effective.
Not receiving a smile or a kiss from a god, but glimpsing the god’s weakness. This girl Ferda had brought in was also one who had stepped into that forbidden realm.
To possess wisdom capable of shaking the world, a massive price was required. And that price was quite simple.
‘Who am I?’
One becomes unable to ask that question. It is a deceptively simple question, yet it is everything. Knowing who you are is linked to why you live, and why you live leads to action.
But at the same time, it was because she could no longer think that thought that she survived. The ultimate knowledge and wisdom that cannot move on its own, and cannot think for itself.
The ultimate tool.
“That is how a Slave Sage is born.”
“To lose oneself in exchange for power… what a foolish choice,” Ruri remarked.
“Yes, a truly foolish choice,” Ferda murmured bitterly.
Ruri couldn't understand why he wore such an expression.
“So, what kind of forbidden knowledge did she obtain to end up like this?”
“It’s simple.” Ferda tapped the girl’s head. “The Library of All Things.”
“The Library of All Things?”
“Would you believe me if I told you that more books are contained within this tiny head than in all of Escoleia?”
“……”
Ruri glanced at the girl. She was an ordinary girl with not a speck of mana or any ominous aura. If Ruri had passed her on the street, she would have dismissed her as a simpleton.
To think she held more books than the Library of All Things, the collective assembly of human intellect. It was hard to believe, but Ruri didn't argue. It was Ferda’s choice, and thus Ferda’s responsibility.
“Look at me,” Ferda instructed the girl.
The girl’s eyes focused on him.
“Before I grant you a name, I shall give you your highest priority command.” Ferda spoke each syllable clearly. “This command shall be your breath; it shall be remembered like your heartbeat, and it shall become an immutable truth.”
She nodded.
Ferda commanded her as if reciting an incantation. “The ruler of great power, the Red Dragon, the Archduchess of Valdrova, shall be the beginning of your existence and your end. You shall devote your entire life to her.”
She nodded.
“I, Ferda Valdrova, as the proxy of the Archduchess of Valdrova, shall hold the right of command and shall issue orders to you.”
She nodded.
“However, if I take an action that goes against the Archduchess’s beliefs or contradicts them, you may raise an objection. And if, in the end, you cannot understand…” After a very brief silence, he spoke again. “I permit you the final resort: to rebel. Do you remember everything?”
She nodded.
“Good. From now on, your name is Mori.”
The girl was given the name Mori. A strange spark of life began to flicker in her eyes.
* * *
“Excluding Marquis Burnell, you have succeeded in recruiting everyone.”
In the office of Valdrova Castle, Ruri reviewed the progress.
“He will come soon enough.”
“Are you certain?”
“If he doesn't come even after I’ve said all that, then I’ll just have to give up.”
There was no obsession or passion, no sense that he must have him. It felt as though he was simply letting fate flow like the passing of time.
It’s exactly how the immortals behave.
Even Ruri, who clearly distinguished between the two, found herself confused. She looked down at the paper with four names and four lines drawn through them.
“So, are these four the end of it for now?”
Ferda shook his head. “Actually, there is one more.”
“Who is it?”
Ferda wrote down the name of the person he had in mind.
—Ruri Valdrova.
“It’s you.”
When Ferda said that, Ruri looked at him with genuine disgust.
“I have absolutely no intention of standing by your side. Do not misunderstand just because we’ve become slightly closer.”
Ferda did not overlook her loyalty. “That’s fine. That isn't what I’m looking for anyway. In fact, it’s closer to wanting you to keep watching me and hating me just as you do now.”
“…What does that mean?”
“If Mori ever leads a rebellion, you must be the one at the vanguard.”
“……”
Ruri’s expression froze. She was more shaken by this than when she had been called an ally.
“Does that mean… I have to kill you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Ferda answered, “Unlike immortal beings like dragons, humans are destined to die one day.”
“…!” Ruri reflexively clenched her fists. These were the very words she had once said to Valdrova.
“Because we die, we change, and our vision becomes clouded. When I become like that, I might start making excuses about doing things for the Archduchess while only satisfying my own greed.”
His eyes were warped with a strange sadness. They slowly drifted up to meet Ruri’s. His blue eyes gazed at her, filled with deep emotion. Ruri could feel it clearly.
“So, as her attendant, you must watch over me.”
This man was prepared to sacrifice even his own life.
“So that my King, my fiancée, is never hurt.”
Ruri forced the words out through trembling lips. “…You speak just like those humans who don't know their place.”
The sharp words slipped out reflexively. Ruri nodded, accepting the proposal.
“Fine. Since you put it that way, I suppose I can do that much.”
“I’m grateful. You truly are a loyal Dragon Spawn.”
“However, there is one thing you seem to be mistaken about, so I will correct you.”
Ruri crossed out her surname. It was a declaration that she was not Valdrova’s Spawn.
“This is my real name.”
—Ruri Silverwind.
“If you’ll excuse me…”
As Ruri left the office, Ferda stared silently at her name.
I didn't expect that.
The surname Ruri had written gave Ferda quite a shock. When a Dragon Spawn completes their Ascension Ceremony, they receive the dragon’s name as their surname. Just as Ferda had gone from Rosnova to Valdrova, Ruri should have carried the name of the one she inherited from.
She was not a Valdrova, but a Silverwind.
That means she is a Silver Dragon Spawn.
If he thought about it, the signs were there. The mobility that allowed her to move in the blink of an eye. Wind-based magic. All of it was possible if one carried the blood of a Silver Dragon.
But it didn't make sense in Ferda’s mind. Because…
Silverwind died at the hands of Valdrova.
After killing the Evil Dragon Godwin, Valdrova had gone on a rampage. The one who had sacrificed their life to stop her was the Silver Dragon, Silverwind.
Because of that, they are practically mortal enemies.
The reason Valdrova was branded an Evil Dragon was largely due to the influence of Silverwind’s faction. He had many Spawns and possessed great popularity.
A Silver Dragon Spawn swearing loyalty to the Red Dragon…
Ferda rested his arm on the chair and tapped his chin. Does that mean she’s only pretending to be loyal?
Ferda immediately dismissed the thought. Ruri is more loyal than anyone.
There was no room for doubt. The way she handled everything for her solitary master was not something that could be done out of mere duty.
Then does it mean she is rejecting her blood as a Silver Dragon Spawn?
He dismissed that as well. Blood is thicker than water. That phrase was an even more absolute truth in dragon society than in human society.
“I don't know.”
Ferda retraced his memories of the future. Thinking back, there were a few things that bothered him. It was from the time he had gone to her to kill Valdrova.
Ruri wasn't there then.
The castle they had built was half-destroyed, and the only thing inside the lair was Valdrova, who looked as if she were simply waiting for death. Even in her final moments, Ruri had not appeared.
I wish I knew the reason why…
But back then, it had been outside Ferda’s interest, so he had no way of knowing. For now, he only knew the fact that this incredibly loyal woman would one day turn her back on Valdrova.
I might need to look into this.
Whether he liked it or not, it was something that would undoubtedly bring sorrow to his partner, so Ferda did not hesitate.
* * *
The next day, a carriage arrived in front of Valdrova Castle.
Marquis Burnell had arrived.