Chapter 4, “The Qualifications to Become the King’s Partner.”
Ruri led Ferda out of the dragon’s lair and guided him to another location. This time, it was inside a castle nestled on the mountainside—visible even from afar. The path leading to the lair had a direct route to this castle, and following that path led them straight to the main hall.
“Neat,” Ferda remarked.
He could feel how serious Valdrova was about marriage. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered to build such an impressive castle on top of her lair, nor gone through the trouble of aligning everything to human standards.
“It was built for the Third Prince’s engagement, right?”
If the Third Prince had married Valdrova, he would’ve gained immense power. Essentially, he would have become the king of the Eastern Region, so it made sense to prepare a residence fitting for that title. But, well, that whole plan had been blown to pieces.
And with the Third Prince dead, this place had basically become useless. Ferda had expected the castle to be abandoned and neglected, but surprisingly, it was well maintained. The attention to detail suggested it had been cared for consistently.
“Who’s in charge of maintaining this castle?” Ferda asked.
“That would be me.”
“Just you?”
“I am the only one who serves the master.”
“So all of this…?”
“Yes, I handle it all. That should answer your question.”
Ruri’s tone remained blunt and curt, as if the fact that the engagement had been accepted was deeply irritating to her.
“She’s like a dog,” Ferda thought, not as an insult, but in the most literal sense. A dog growls because it feels threatened when the affection it receives shifts toward someone else. That’s why Ferda let it slide.
“As long as she doesn’t bite me, it’s fine.”
A guard dog just needs to guard the house properly.
Ruri led Ferda to an incredibly spacious bedroom.
“This is about five times the size of the room I used to have.”
Even his father, Erembalt, or the Emperor’s chambers wouldn’t compare to this.
“This is the guest bedroom,” Ruri said.
“A guest bedroom, huh? This is quite something for a guest.”
“Well, the guest is none other than someone invited by the ruler—a dragon.”
Dragons were beings that matched, if not exceeded, the authority of an emperor.
In any case, being shown to this room gave Ferda a clear understanding of his current position.
“So, I’m just a ‘guest’ for now?”
“Yes. Since you’re not yet her fiancé, you’re nothing more than a guest.”
“And do you always treat guests with such hostility?”
It was an innocent question, purely out of curiosity.
“No. I just don’t like humans in general.”
“Fair enough.”
“And out of all humans, I dislike you the most.”
“You’re unnecessarily honest.”
“There’s no reason to hide it.”
Ruri shrugged with her usual blank expression. She was so annoying that it was almost as if she was asking to be slapped.
“Well, I suppose it’s better that you don’t hide it.”
Ferda actually found this refreshing. It was far better than nobles who smiled warmly while planning to stab you in the back. Every time Ferda took her bluntness in stride, Ruri would shoot him a glare, clearly irritated by his calm demeanor.
“I have a question,” she suddenly said.
“What is it?”
“Aren’t you scared of me?”
Ferda tilted his head at the odd question.
“Why would I be?”
“I tried to break your neck. If the master hadn’t intervened, I would’ve done it right then and there.”
Crack.
Ruri clenched her delicate hand into a fist, and a chilling sound echoed.
“Yeah, I probably would’ve died,” Ferda thought to himself.
He was already aware of the killing intent Ruri had shown earlier. Even so, Ferda had made no effort to avoid her hand.
“If the engagement didn’t go through, I’d have no reason to live anyway.”
Back then, the thought of dying didn’t seem so bad.
Hiding his true feelings, he shifted the subject.
“Let’s save the pointless posturing for later. When’s the engagement ceremony?”
“It will be held in one month.”
“Is it going to be official?”
“If by ‘official’ you mean inviting people you don’t even like and making a big fuss, then no. It will be a simple ceremony, held in the lair. Just the three of us.”
“The three of us?”
“The master, me, and you,” she said, gesturing toward Ferda with her chin.
“Got it. One month, then.”
“While we’re on the subject, there’s one more thing I should tell you.”
“Go on.”
“The engagement ceremony is scheduled for a month from now, but it’s also a deadline.”
“A deadline for what?”
“To prove you’re worthy of being her fiancé.”
Ferda sighed internally.
“Man, getting married is such a pain.”
“Was this Valdrova’s idea?”
“No. This is my decision.”
“Pretty bold of you. Is a servant even allowed to make decisions like that?”
“If necessary, yes. To be honest, my master is far too soft for someone with her reputation.”
Wow. She really didn’t hold back.
“I’m sure you’ve already noticed that yourself. That’s probably why you didn’t bow your head to her, even in front of the so-called tyrant, Valdrova. There’s no one else in history who would act like that in front of a dragon.”
“Fair enough.”
“While my master let it slide since she’s the one who wants to marry a human, I’m not as soft as she is.”
Ruri’s eyes glinted sharply, as if a finely honed blade were pressing against his neck.
“If you’re going to be the mate of someone as great as her, you need to have the appropriate ‘caliber.’”
A dragon and a human. The gap between them was far greater than that between an emperor and a beggar. In short, she was laying down an outrageous condition.
“So, what? Are you telling me to somehow gain power equivalent to a dragon in just one month?”
“Of course not. I don’t have such high expectations.”
Ruri smiled dismissively.
“All you need to do is show that you’re capable of something.”
Clenching her small fist, she emphasized her point.
“Willpower doesn’t matter. Not everything can be solved with willpower. What matters is proving that, even as weak as you are, you have even a sliver of potential within you. And you have to show it within a month.”
She spoke with a firm and confident tone.
“That’s the first step to becoming the fiancé who will inherit Valdrova’s legacy.”
Having taken all of this in, Ferda had a single thought.
“My fiancé really has a great servant by her side.”
Despite her harsh words and her extreme dislike of him, Ferda liked Ruri. She hated humans, but as a servant, she didn’t hesitate to demand what was necessary of him as her master’s fiancé. That level of loyalty meant her devotion to Valdrova far exceeded her personal feelings of hatred.
“If she’s this loyal… why didn’t I see her back then?”
When Ferda had attacked Valdrova’s lair in the past, Ruri hadn’t been there. It was odd, but it didn’t seem important enough to dwell on, so he set the thought aside.
“Alright. Let’s say I show you I’m capable. How far do I need to go? Do I need to become the Emperor of the Empire or something?”
Ruri shook her head.
“Just enough so that you’re not looked down upon by the other ‘Sovereigns.’”
In other words, he needed to surpass even the Emperor’s level of power.
“Got it.”
“?”
Ruri tilted her head, confused by his calm response.
“Aren’t you being a bit too arrogant? Are you stupid? Or do you think dragons are a joke? Either way, I don’t like it.”
“Neither.”
“Don’t think it’s going to be easy. Especially not for someone as weak as you.”
“Funny, I don’t think it’s going to be easy either.”
“Then why are you acting like this?”
“Don’t worry about my attitude. All you need to do is wait and see. I’ll show you enough in a month to convince you, won’t I?”
“Don’t worry about my attitude. All you need to do is wait and see. I’ll show you enough in a month to convince you, won’t I?”
“…”
Ruri pouted, sticking out her lips. She was clearly annoyed, having had her own words turned back on her.
“So full of confidence.”
She couldn’t figure out the source of that confidence, though. Ruri already knew how Valdrova’s so-called fiancé was usually treated in the Arken Empire. It had become a polite way of getting rid of incompetent fools. A tool to exile people with no real talent. And yet, could someone like that possibly have the kind of abilities required to stand on par with the sovereigns?
But Ferda was different.
“More than enough.”
He was the youngest mage on the continent to reach the 8th Circle and had even used the 9th Circle’s wish magic. This was a man who had once made the Emperor of the Arken Empire kneel before him.
“Matching the stature required to face a dragon isn’t impossible for him.”
And for Ferda, if it was possible, it was no big deal. The confidence was clear on his face.
“You’re such an annoying human,” Ruri muttered with an exasperated look.
The castle built above Valdrova’s lair was called Baldrova Castle, named after her.
Ferda had stayed in Baldrova Castle for a week now. Life there wasn’t bad, for the most part. The only real issue was that he had to handle nearly everything by himself.
As a noble, he was used to having servants take care of his needs. In fact, it was almost mandatory for nobles to have at least one servant with them at all times—being without one was seen as undignified. Any other noble in his position would’ve thrown a tantrum, demanding to know if he was being mocked.
But for Ferda, this was no problem at all.
“I’ve already gotten used to living on my own.”
If anything, it was more uncomfortable to have someone fussing over him, like offering to dress him. For someone who had learned to stand on his own, life in Baldrova Castle wasn’t particularly inconvenient.
“Honestly, it’s better than when I was back at the Rosnova estate.”
At the Rosnova household, he had never been able to relax. There was no one he could trust, not even for a moment. Anyone who acted friendly toward him always had an ulterior motive, waiting to drag him down the moment they saw the chance.
“Ruri may dislike me, but compared to back then, she’s an angel.”
At least Ruri didn’t pull childish pranks like putting strange substances in his food or soaping the marble floors to make him slip. That alone made her a tolerable “guard dog.”
“Though, who knows how long that’ll last?”
Ruri had given him a task: To prove that he wasn’t just a hopeless weakling and that he had potential.
“The deadline is one month.”
What could he possibly show her within that time?
Ferda thought about what he could do from every angle, but he kept coming to the same conclusion.
“Magic.”
Magic was his one undeniable talent. If he could show Ruri even a fraction of that talent, she might acknowledge him, even if only a little.
“But to use magic, I need to form a mana circle.”
A mana circle is created by condensing the mana flowing chaotically within the body into a circuit shaped like a single, unified circle.
The problem? Ferda didn’t know how to form one anymore.
“No, that’s not true. I do know how.”
All he needed was overwhelming rage and hatred. If he followed the same path he did before, he could probably become an 8th Circle mage even faster than last time.
“But I can’t let that happen.”
Ferda recalled his teacher’s words:
“The first step is the most important. Whether your first circle is red or blue will shape your entire life as a mage. But I guess that’s not something you’ll have to worry about, huh?”
His teacher had been a greedy, lecherous man who only cared about money, but when it came to magic training, he’d done his job.
- Red Circle: A mana circuit formed through emotional turmoil, driven by intense feelings like anger or hatred.
- Blue Circle: A mana circuit formed through calm meditation and inner peace.
Each has clear pros and cons. A Blue Circle forms slowly but is stable and reliable, which is why 80% of mages end up with one. A Red Circle, on the other hand, forms quickly but is unstable, fueled by emotions. While it allows for rapid growth, it also risks consuming the mage, turning them into a maniac.
“I need to form a Blue Circle.”
It was the right choice if he wanted to avoid repeating his past mistakes.
But the situation wasn’t on Ferda’s side.
“They say it takes at least three years to form a Blue Circle.”
He only had three weeks left to produce any meaningful results. The timeline was ridiculously tight, but Ferda wasn’t panicking.
“I’ll figure something out.”
“Are you making any progress?”
For the first time, Ruri broke her usual silence during breakfast and asked a question.
Ferda calmly stabbed a piece of salad with his fork and replied, “I’m working on it.”
“Doesn’t seem like you’ve made any changes.”
“I’m taking it one step at a time. It’ll happen when it happens.”
“…Alright.”
Ruri didn’t seem particularly hopeful.
Ferda had spent the past few days researching ways to form a mana circle and figuring out his approach. The one thing he was certain of was this: Even though both circles use the same mana, their “essence” is entirely different.
“At this rate, I’ll probably fail to meet the qualifications for the engagement.”
Ferda wasn’t the type to make bold claims and then accomplish nothing, so this was particularly frustrating for him. Still, he stayed calm and continued looking for a solution.
Just as he was trying to start his day, a loud boom shook the castle.
BOOM!
The sound of a massive collision echoed, followed by vibrations that rippled through the walls. It was close.
“What’s going on?”
Ruri answered, “The master is hunting monsters today.”
“Hunting monsters?”
“Yes. She’s clearing out the creatures that crawl in from the eastern edge of the Land of the Cursed.”
BOOM!
Normally, she would’ve just nodded and moved on. But today was different.
“Maybe…”
Ferda had a hunch. The answer he was searching for might just be there.
“I want to watch that fight.”
“…What?”
Ruri’s expression remained blank as she stared at him.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said.
“Why not?”
“Mortal minds are fragile. No one who has witnessed the master in battle has remained sane.”
Ferda thought back to his past self. Back then, he had been consumed by madness. He’d faced dragons, the so-called rulers, multiple times. But among them, the Red Dragon had scared him the most.
“Maybe it was because she saw me as an enemy.”
Even so, there was a level of inherent intimidation in her presence. Even as a former archmage, he had felt fear. What would his current, weaker self experience? Would he wet himself? Scream like a coward?
“Don’t let your useless curiosity get the better of you,” Ruri warned.
“No,” Ferda shook his head.
This wasn’t idle curiosity. This was about finding the answer.
“It’s something I need to see,” he said firmly.
For him, it wasn’t just about solving a problem. It was about fulfilling his duty as someone who would stand beside her.
