Chapter 5: Truly Beautiful
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 5: Truly Beautiful
“I understand.”
Ruri finally stopped trying to dissuade the stubborn Ferda. Though she had issued a stern warning and fully expected him to back down, she ultimately chose to comply with his wishes.
Once Ferda finished his meal, Ruri led the way toward a clearing in the garden.
“I will have to touch you for a moment.”
Ruri, who had previously been loath to even brush against him, now offered to take hold of him herself.
“Go ahead.”
“Then…”
Ruri gripped Ferda’s clothes. In that instant, the intense, blazing sun vanished as something massive obscured his vision.
A pair of gargantuan wings had sprouted from Ruri’s back. They beat powerfully against the ground, and she took to the sky.
Whoosh!
Gravity vanished, replaced by the sheer resistance of the air buffeting Ferda’s body. It wouldn't have been strange if he had thrown up his breakfast then and there. He swallowed hard, fighting through the crushing atmospheric pressure and the biting wind.
The dizziness and pain lasted only a moment.
“We have arrived.”
At Ruri’s words, Ferda opened his eyes. The scenery had changed in the blink of an eye; they were standing at the very summit of the mountain.
It felt like barely three seconds. We reached the peak in that short time?
It wasn't teleportation magic. If she had achieved that through pure speed, she was the fastest even among Dragon Spawn.
No, she might be the fastest even among Dragons.
As Ferda stared intently at Ruri, lost in thought, she spoke.
“It is not me you should be looking at.”
“What?”
“Look down.”
“Ah, right.”
Ferda turned his head. From the summit of the Lonely Mountain, he gazed toward the east. Below him stretched a vast plain that had lost all color.
The Land of Demons.
It was a wasteland completely contaminated by the death of the Demon King. Even from this height, he could see something writhing in the distance.
Monsters.
They were the invaders of the continent, creatures that had been steadily flowing in since the birth of the Demon King. Even up until the time Ferda killed Valdrova in his past life, nothing was known about where they came from or how they were created. The only certainty was their purpose, which remained the same as the Demon King’s from 150 years ago: to turn the world into a land where only death remains.
Their goal was to destroy and rule over all living things. And now, Ferda was watching the monsters surging up from the East.
As expected of the East, these monsters are gargantuan.
They were massive. Having crawled out of the Land of Demons—a blighted region that could not be purified—they boasted sizes so immense that simply rolling over would be enough to level a fortress. They were disaster-class threats that no human could hope to handle.
Amidst the dull, gray hues of despair, a single flame of primary red surged. No—looking closer, it wasn't a flame.
The Red Dragon, Valdrova.
The one who was to be Ferda’s fiancée was fighting down there.
Valdrova was large, as all dragons are, yet she was barely half the size of the monster she faced. Though she was far outclassed in weight, Valdrova was no easy opponent.
Rumble!
The bodies of the monster and Valdrova collided. Despite the massive difference in scale, she didn't give an inch. Instead, the air vibrated violently, sending a shockwave sweeping through the forest that reached all the way to the high peak where Ferda stood.
“Ugh…”
Ferda’s body went stiff. An ordinary person might have been paralyzed by simple fear, but the cause here was clear: the Dragon’s mana had mixed into the shockwave and pierced through his skin.
Dragon Fear… I assume.
It was on a completely different level compared to when Ruri had released hers. Even though he knew the pressure wasn't directed at him, it felt as if she were staring right into his soul.
So that is the Red Dragon.
A sense of helplessness on a different dimension—one he hadn't felt even as an Archmage—swept over him.
Valdrova’s battle continued.
Crunch! Snap!
The Aspect of Power and the Master of Fire—the Red Tyrant’s combat style was overwhelming. She stripped away thick hide with razor-sharp claws and severed the monster’s blood vessels and tendons with her powerful jaws. She moved so nimbly that the thrashing monster looked sluggish in comparison. She targeted blind spots relentlessly, leaving her opponent no openings.
Strength, speed, and an innate battle instinct.
— Skreeeeeee!
With its tendons severed, the monster could no longer resist and collapsed. It would have died even if left alone, but Valdrova’s violence did not stop.
Rip! Tear!
Her claws pierced the monster’s belly, tearing it wide open. Even from his distance, Ferda could see the monster’s purple blood and green entrails. At the same time, Valdrova’s chest swelled immensely. A brilliant, crimson light shone intensely through her white underbelly.
Fire Breath.
Fwooooosh!
The Red Dragon’s breath, said to be more powerful than the fires of hell, incinerated the monster’s insides.
— Kieeeeeek!
The monster let out a final, agonizing scream, but even that cry was short-lived. Valdrova’s red flames erupted violently from every single orifice in the monster’s body. Its insides were more than just cooked; they were reduced to ash. Its form dissolved into smoke and soot, leaving only the Red Tyrant standing upon the cursed land.
— Roaaaaar!
Valdrova’s roar echoed thunderously, shaking the very foundations of existence.
“Gah!”
Ferda could no longer hold on and collapsed to his knees.
I see… so a Dragon Roar possesses this much power?
It was a sensation of being overwhelmed that he had never experienced as an Archmage. His limbs trembled and his teeth chattered. Ferda was, quite literally, neutralized.
“This is the true form of the one who is to be your spouse.”
Ruri crouched down and looked at the fallen Ferda.
“The blood of a Red Dragon carries a ferocious murderous intent—the essence of what you humans call an Evil Dragon. It is not a matter of personality, but of essence.”
Ruri emphasized the word essence. Ferda knew exactly why she was saying that.
An essence cannot be changed.
An Evil Dragon would always be an Evil Dragon. Her murderous intent could not be removed, and there was no guarantee it would never be directed at Ferda.
“A Red Dragon is a being that cannot live without destroying. If you stay by her side, you must be prepared to be crushed in the crossfire every single day.”
Ruri’s expressionless eyes seemed to ask: Do you finally realize how shallow your decision was?
Her power certainly triggers fear.
Even from afar, her gaze was so vivid it felt as if it were burrowing into his mind. It was an unavoidable, undeniable fact.
But I am not afraid.
While her gaze lingered in Ferda’s mind, Valdrova’s emotions were also contained within him. The feelings regarding what she saw and felt helped him understand all her actions up to this point.
Those actions are for the sake of this world.
Just as she hid her true self because she loved this world, she hunted monsters personally to protect what she loved.
She is an Evil Dragon.
But at the same time, she was a knight with a noble heart and the Guardian Dragon of the continent. She was a pilgrim walking toward an ideal that could never be reached.
“Truly…”
And so, the emotion of fear transformed into wonder.
“Magnificent.”
A light shone in Ferda’s eyes. He was smiling.
* * *
Ruri hated humans.
As someone with dragon blood, it was only natural to harbor such feelings. However, her master, Valdrova, loved the beings beneath her.
And she was hurt because of it.
Since the assassination of the 3rd Imperial Prince, Ruri’s hatred for humans had become deeper than that of any other Dragon Spawn. Because she hated them more than anyone, she understood the gap between humans and dragons better than anyone, and she knew exactly what to despise.
Therefore, she already knew what happened when an ordinary human witnessed the true form of a Red Dragon.
He brought this on himself.
Ferda had insisted on seeing it. Ruri had warned him sufficiently and even tried to stop him—though she had ended up carrying him there just to ensure he saw the end of the fight. She believed she had tried her best to dissuade him.
Up until that point, everything was going according to Ruri’s expectations. Ferda had simply stared blankly, trembling from the overwhelming Dragon Fear.
A typical reaction.
That face would soon turn to terror. He would regret his shallow choices and beg for his life.
By then, my Master will also realize.
She would realize that a human and a dragon could never become one.
Ruri thought he was following her predicted script, but that wasn't the case.
“Truly… magnificent.”
Absurd words tumbled from Ferda’s mouth. Ruri turned her head, wondering if she had misheard. But as she looked at him, she was even more shocked.
He’s smiling?
She couldn't understand. How could he smile while watching that ruthless tearing and burning? Shouldn't he be terrified that he might meet a similar fate, like a mere mayfly crushed underfoot?
Wait…
In that moment, a realization struck Ruri like a bolt of lightning. She finally understood why this man could remain so composed after becoming Valdrova’s fiancé, and how he could smile in this situation.
If it was that, then everything made sense.
You crazy masochist.
Ruri’s disgust toward Ferda deepened even further.
* * *
That day, Ferda lay in bed, unable to move a muscle.
He had been hit by Dragon Fear and exposed to a Roar. An ordinary human would have lost their mind. Conversely, because Ferda’s mind remained intact, his body took the brunt of the damage.
Can I really not move?
Just in case, he tried to twitch his hand. Instead, his toe wiggled. When he tried to blink, his thumb flicked. When he twitched his mouth, his nostrils flared.
I guess it’s no use.
It was a miracle his mind was this clear. The best thing to do was to lie still and sink into thought.
I’m going to lose an entire day.
He didn't have enough time as it was to focus on piercing his Circles, yet here he was, bedridden.
Why did I want to see that in the first place?
Perhaps it was a gut feeling that the battle would provide him with an answer.
So, was that gut feeling right?
That was what he had to find out now. Ferda decided to replay everything he had witnessed. He returned to the moment he arrived at the mountain peak. The scent of the air, the temperature on his skin, even the sensation of the jagged pebbles beneath his feet—he recalled it all vividly.
In the world of his mental image, he looked down and recalled her battle. It wasn't the battle of a notorious Evil Dragon.
It was a noble battle fought by a noble Red Knight.
She was the one who would soon be his spouse. In that moment, he felt a writhing sensation within his Dantian.
This is…
Ferda knew this sensation well. It was the same upheaval he had felt when he was exiled from the Rosnova family.
A Red Circle is forming.
A Red Circle, created by an upheaval of emotion. Since Ferda had intended to create a Blue Circle, he should have naturally rejected this.
This is strange.
But Ferda didn't. He felt that this Red Circle was of a different quality.
This emotion does not stem from anger or a desire for revenge.
It was an upheaval caused by an emotion different from what he had felt before. This emotion possessed a potential no less than that of anger or revenge.
I felt this while imagining her fighting.
It was the same now. As he thought of Valdrova, the circuit began to take a clear shape. Was this why he felt he had to see her fight?
If so…
Perhaps this was the answer. Ferda no longer hesitated. He focused on his feelings toward Valdrova—the sense of wonder he felt and her magnificent form. He shaped his vague feelings into words, organizing and intensifying them.
His mana circuits swirled violently. The dizzying centrifugal force grew stronger, threatening to swallow Ferda like a storm-tossed sea. However, Ferda was a man who had already reached the level of Archmage with Red Circles. He delicately controlled the vortex created by the upheaval. He gathered the stray energy, compressing and shaping it.
Finally, he drew a single circle.
A Circle.
Feeling the lingering afterglow of relief and exhilaration, he reaffirmed the source of this emotion.
It was not built on hatred and revenge.
That meant there would be no identical future, and no identical mistakes.
It’s done.
Ferda rejoiced at that fact, his breath hitching as the new power settled within him.