Chapter 56: This Isn't What I Meant
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 56: This Isn't What I Meant
Ferda stared at Goz, his eyes wide and clear.
Goz possessed the same silver hair and eyes as Ruri. His expression remained exactly as it had been when their gazes first locked during the Grand Council—cold and immovable.
“Welcome, Regent of Valdrova.”
“Chief Goz.”
They exchanged greetings with stiff, formal etiquette. However, there wasn't a shred of respect in either of their gazes.
“I wasn't aware such an esteemed guest was gracing us with his presence. Normally, my subordinates would have opened the door for you.”
It was a pointed jab: Why did you barge in uninvited?
“I told them there was no need for such formalities,” Ferda replied smoothly.
In other words: Because I felt like it.
Goz’s eyes flickered toward the entrance. Even if he looked, there was nothing his subordinates could do now except bow their heads in silent apology for failing to stop the Regent.
“This is a matter of our kin. A family affair, so to speak. An outsider should not meddle in the business of dragons.”
“I have no desire to get caught up in a family feud myself.”
Despite his words, Ferda took another step forward. Ruri felt a light weight settle on her shoulder—Ferda’s hand.
“However, this child is precious to the one I love. Am I supposed to stand by and watch a child she favors get hurt just because of a 'family feud'?”
Ferda did not back down an inch. It was a direct challenge to Goz’s authority.
And Goz loathed such challenges.
“I felt it when we first met, but you certainly have some nerve.”
Goz stood up. In that instant, the aura he exuded grew even more oppressive. Ruri immediately dropped to her knees and bowed her head. Every other Silver Dragon Spawn in the room followed suit, collapsing in instinctive submission.
Goz gestured toward Ruri with his chin. “So, Regent of Valdrova. How well do you actually know Ruri Silverwind, your fiancée’s maid?”
“She is my one and only fiancée’s attendant.”
“And?”
“That is enough.”
“I see. So that is all you see. It seems this girl hasn't told you everything.”
Goz pointed a finger at Ruri—a hand calloused and scarred by centuries of martial arts and slaughter.
“This girl is a spy sent by Lord Silverwind.”
He exposed Ruri’s true identity without hesitation.
“She was planted to monitor Valdrova and identify the moment she grew weak. She was ordered to send regular reports until the Lord passed away.”
“Is that so?”
“You look skeptical. Do I look like I’m lying?”
“Do I look like a fool who would believe the words of someone showing me such open hostility?”
“True, I suppose. Then why not ask her yourself? Ruri Silverwind.”
At the call of her name, Ruri felt her head grow even heavier.
“Tell the truth. Is what I said wrong?”
“I... that is...”
“Answer properly. Did I say anything false?”
Goz allowed no room for excuses. Ultimately, Ruri’s resistance crumbled.
“I was... acting under Lord Silverwind’s orders... to monitor Lady Valdrova.”
“And the purpose?”
“...As Chief Goz said, it was to monitor Lady Valdrova and identify her weaknesses.”
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Ruri struggled to breathe; the pressure was suffocating. But what hurt more than the physical weight was the fact that, with her head bowed, she couldn't see Ferda’s expression. She dreaded the look of betrayal she was sure he wore.
Finally, Ferda broke the silence.
“It’s not surprising.”
His voice was cynical.
Ruri’s blood ran cold. She felt as if the floor had vanished, leaving her plummeting into an abyss.
“I assumed there was a reason a Spawn bearing the name Silverwind would show such loyalty to Valdrova.”
Contempt. Betrayal. Negative emotions felt like a thick swamp, threatening to swallow her whole.
But that feeling was short-lived.
“So?”
At that single word, the pressure surrounding Ruri vanished like a mirage. Goz furrowed his brows in confusion.
“What do you mean, 'so'?”
“I’m asking what the problem is.”
Ruri lifted her head to look at Ferda. He wore the same stubborn, impassive face as always. Goz, on the other hand, looked irritated by the unexpected reaction.
“She is a spy planted by Lord Silverwind. Surely you didn't misunderstand my words?”
“Yes, a spy. But even so, she is my fiancée’s favorite attendant.”
Ferda clasped his hands behind his back and squared his shoulders.
“Even when everyone else turned their backs, this child remained a loyal servant by my fiancée’s side. She is a Spawn who has dedicated herself to Valdrova more than anyone else. That is her value now. Do you think that value will be shaken by the words of someone I met for the first time today?”
Ruri, still on her knees, reflexively clenched her fists. Her heart hammered against her ribs at his words.
“Fine. Believe what you want. I can't force a human who doesn't even carry the Silverwind bloodline to understand, but...”
Goz’s eyes flashed with a sharper, more lethal light.
“You’ve been acting quite insolent for some time now.”
The air began to fluctuate violently. The fuse of a bomb capable of leveling a nation had been lit. Goz’s face showed he had reached the absolute limit of his patience.
Dragon Spawn are not Dragons, but they are far from human. They are Dragon-kin supremacists who believe they are inherently superior to mankind. There was no way he would tolerate a mere human talking back to him.
An ordinary human would have bowed. A wise human would have stepped back to de-escalate.
“Shouldn't it be you who shows respect, not I?”
But Ferda neither stepped back nor bowed. A blue light flickered in his eyes. As the Regent of Valdrova, he stood his ground with absolute dignity, facing Goz as an equal.
“You, who tried to intimidate and drive a wedge between another man's servant—you think you can lecture me on manners?”
He spoke clearly, making it known that Goz wasn't the only one whose temper was fraying.
The veins in Goz’s neck bulged. Ruri knew him; he was a man better suited to being a hot-blooded warrior than a cold-headed leader.
“The only reason I haven't snapped your neck yet is because of Lord Blancaros’s mercy and my own patience.”
“Is 'patience' what Silverwind calls cowardice these days? You’re too afraid to face my fiancée directly, so you try to act tough in front of her attendant and her fiancé...”
A deep contempt colored Ferda’s narrowed eyes.
“Have you no shame?”
That was the final blow.
At Ferda’s provocation, a fierce gust of wind rattled the windows. Goz, who had been sitting heavily, stood up.
“Yes, it truly is shameful. To have to sit here and watch a mere human act so bold...”
Goz took a step forward. His hand, thick with bulging veins, let out a series of ominous cracks.
“I shall wash away that shame with your blood, right here.”
Just as he came within striking distance—
“Do not move another step.”
Someone stood in Goz’s way. Ruri, who should have been paralyzed by the Dragon Spawn's aura, was suddenly blocking Goz’s path.
“Ruri, you wench...”
“He is... Lady Valdrova’s husband.”
She was still trembling under the instinctual urge to submit. Yet, she stood firm.
“I will consider this threat a challenge to Lady Valdrova and respond accordingly.”
It was pure resolve—the determination to stop him even if it cost her her life.
Goz looked disgusted.
“A warrior of the North turned into a loyal dog. To think you’d serve a human as your master.”
Goz, who had been fuming, suddenly grew eerily calm. The wind rattling the windows ceased. He sat back down and retracted his oppressive aura.
“As the representative of Silverwind, I have nothing more to say to a dog. You may take her, Regent of Valdrova. I hope we never cross paths again.”
Ferda replied nonchalantly, as if the brush with death had never happened.
“Then, if you’ll excuse us.”
Ferda didn't push the confrontation any further.
“Ruri.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go.”
“...Yes.”
He led the trembling Ruri out, bringing the incident to a close.
* * *
Goz remained lost in thought, his eyes fixed on the empty doorway. Despite the silence, the image of Ruri standing against him remained vivid in his mind.
‘Blade Wind Ruri.’
The Silverwind Spawn fought against the horrors of the extreme cold beyond the Northern Ice Wall. Among them, the most vicious were the Frost Giants. Like the monsters of the Far East, no one knew their origin, but they emerged endlessly to spread frost upon the human realm. They were formidable foes that usually required five well-trained Dragon Spawn to take down just one.
But Ruri was different. Despite her small stature, she had once faced and defeated three giants simultaneously. She had been nearly killed, but she had survived. She was the pride and exemplar of those who protected the Serdes Continent.
Goz had felt a sense of dissonance regarding her more than once today.
‘And a girl like that...’
Their reunion had been the worst. She wore a pathetic maid uniform and carried herself like a common servant. And then there was that stupid question she had asked earlier—clinging to a sliver of hope. It was a far cry from the legendary 'Blade Wind.'
Everything about it irritated him. To think that girl was once someone I felt threatened by...
But what irritated him most of all was—
‘Ferda Valdrova...’
It was that human who had stood against him. There were always annoying humans—the kind who believed they could command dragons, or those who relied solely on their titles to treat dragons as equals. Such people were usually beheaded without hesitation. That was the law of dragon society.
‘He is different from those humans.’
He didn't want to admit it, but he had felt it clearly when their eyes met. Ferda had the presence of someone who stood closer to the immortals than any mortal should.
Because of that, Goz had an intuition.
‘As long as that arrogant man is around... this revenge will not be realized.’
He clenched his fist. He had never forgotten for a single moment since Silverwind’s death. His thirst for vengeance had never wavered. He couldn't let everything be ruined now.
‘Revenge... must be taken.’
By any means necessary.
* * *
Ruri followed silently behind Ferda. The surroundings were so quiet that the sound of their footsteps echoed down the long hallway.
“Did the talk go well?”
“...”
Ruri kept her mouth shut.
“Won't you say something?”
“...I don't want to talk.”
“Is that any way to speak to the person who helped you?”
Ruri’s boots came to a halt. She stood there, head bowed low, before finally speaking.
“...Why?”
Her voice, thick with emotion, squeezed out the words.
“Who... who asked you to help?”
“...”
It was a classic case of the offender playing the victim. Yet, Ferda said nothing. She was right. She hadn't asked for help. This might have been something she could have handled on her own. Perhaps it was his own rashness that had made him step in.
“I see.”
Ferda admitted it calmly.
“I’ve overstepped.”
He turned around. Ferda began to walk away, leaving her behind.
“Sorry for interfering.”
Ferda continued walking. Ruri stared blankly at his retreating back.
* * *
After leaving the Silverwind annex, Ruri followed silently behind Ferda. She didn't know what words to choose. Her emotions felt like a swirling vortex.
She stole a glance at his back. It was broad. It felt like a sturdy pillar that wouldn't collapse even if she leaned her entire weight against it.
Just like her father, Silverwind.
However, the emotion she felt from his back was quite different from what she felt for Silverwind. Her insides churned.
I’ve lived longer.
I’ve crossed the threshold of death many more times.
So why does my back feel so much smaller than his?
“Did the talk go well?” Ferda asked again.
When there was no answer, he glanced back over his shoulder. His blue eyes shone through his gray hair.
“Won't you say something?”
Ruri forced her mouth open.
“...I don't want to talk.”
Instead of a mature response, a childish complaint tumbled out.
“Is that any way to speak to the person who helped you?”
Helped? If Ruri hadn't stepped in, Ferda’s neck might have been snapped, and a disastrous war would have swept across the continent. And he called himself the one who helped after doing something so reckless?
She criticized Ferda inwardly, but Ruri knew the truth. This never would have happened if she hadn't clung to that small hope in the first place. She should be thanking him for stepping in. It was a matter that could be settled with just those few words.
And yet.
She didn't want to give him even that small bit of recognition right now. She was afraid that if she spoke, her trembling voice would betray her. She was afraid of appearing incompetent as the maid who served Valdrova. She was afraid of showing him her weakness once again.
She clenched her fists tight and lifted her head.
“Who...”
She suppressed her resentment and let out a sound.
“Who asked you to help?”
Only after the words left her mouth did she realize she had made a mistake. That wasn't the response of an adult. It was the pathetic display of someone who couldn't admit their own vulnerability. The image of a child with nothing to show but pride.
She felt pathetic, but her throat was tight, and she couldn't say anything more.
Ferda looked down at her. Those eyes, which looked as if his emotions had been submerged in the depths of a still lake, seemed to pull Ruri’s heart even deeper.
He eventually nodded. Ruri chewed on her regret.
“I see.”
This isn't what I meant.
“I’ve overstepped.”
That’s not what I’m trying to say.
“Sorry for interfering.”
Ferda started walking again. Ruri watched his figure move down the hallway. She reflexively reached out a hand to try and catch him.
But he was already too far away to reach.