Chapter 63: Penelope
The place they found was nothing like a normal prison. Instead of iron bars, strange upright chambers stood at an angle, like coffins. Inside each one, a person—or creature—was trapped. Orcs, elves, goblins, even rare species—all lay motionless, their skin pale as if lifeless.
One knight leaned closer and noticed something.
“These people… they’re alive. They’re still breathing.”
“We must rescue them!” another knight said, moving to open a chamber.
Jed stopped him.
“What do you mean, rescue? Our mission is to find the demon, nothing else.”
“We cannot just watch innocent people die! That goes against our duty as knights!”
“And yet, you call yourself a knight?” Jed’s expression was cold and disappointed.
“They will either freeze slowly… or explode instantly. The second option is better. I’m going to find the demon.”
As he walked away, Jed added, “And don’t waste your sympathy. It’s useless.”
The knights felt guilty but couldn’t argue. Jed was right. They continued inspecting the chambers.
Then, a sudden commotion made their search easier.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Hey!! Let me out! Let me out right now! What did I do to deserve this?!”
The furious voice of a woman echoed through the hallway.
“Doesn’t that sound like our target?” one knight whispered.
“I really hope not.”
Following the noise, they found a single chamber shaking violently.
“Open this now! Right now! Do you even know who I am?! I’m Penelope, daughter of the Great Demon Sitri!”
“Damn it… it’s really her.”
Even though they had located their target, none of the knights looked happy. With bitter expressions, the three knights opened the chamber.
The woman inside froze, staring at them.
“What? You really opened it? Wait! Wait! Timeout! I promise I’ll be quiet this time! Please don’t hit me! I swear, this time I’ll— huh? Wait… You’re not the guards?”
She looked around, panic in her eyes.
“You are—”
“Where are the real guards? Who are you? Did you come to kill me?”
“You are Penel—”
“Wait a minute! I didn’t do anything wrong! I have nothing to do with those bastards! Please, don’t kill me— mmph!”
Jed covered her mouth, silencing her.
The noisy room fell silent.
“From now on, answer only with yes or no. If yes, nod. If no, shake your head. Understand?”
“Mmph.”
“I said, shut up.”
Penelope became quiet under the threat of the sword. Then, she nodded.
“Is your name Penelope?” Nod.
“Are you sure?” Nod.
“We made a deal with your mother, the Great Demon Sitri. We came to take you out of this place. Follow us quietly.”
“Mmph?!”
“I told you—yes or no only.”
“Uuuugh! Mmmph!”
“She’s struggling a lot,” one knight remarked.
“Maybe she has something important to say,” another suggested.
“Fine. Hey, pink hair. I’ll give you three seconds to speak. Quickly.”
Jed removed the gag.
“Wait! Listen! I have to tell you something important! I was not actually captured, but in fact I— mmph!!”
“Useless. Gag her again.”
“Agreed.”
She spoke too fast. They couldn’t understand a word. They gagged her again, carried her over their shoulders, and left. When she struggled too much, one knight punched her, and she fainted.
Through the Blizzard
As they trudged through the snowstorm, Ferda felt something strange above him.
“It isn’t my imagination,” Consilus said, looking back.
“Yeah.”
“What did you feel?” Marco asked, exhausted.
“Wind that isn’t just wind,” Ferda replied.
“Wind that isn’t just wind?”
“Silver Dragon Spawns. They’re searching for intruders in this mountain.”
Marco turned pale. “Then we’re in danger, aren’t we?”
“Not yet. Since they flew past us, they haven’t noticed us.”
If even two knights were caught, the mission would fail.
“We should move faster.”
Following the path Consilus cleared, they soon saw the dark cave where they had entered earlier. Inside, Jed and his team waited.
“You’re back?” Ferda asked.
“The target?”
“We got her.”
Jed kicked the unconscious woman. Her pink hair glowed like white jade, her skin pale and flawless. She didn’t look like a demon—except for the sharp horns, black eyes, bat wings, and spade-shaped tail.
“She’s truly a demon.”
“This was easy.”
“There was nobody in the research lab. I could’ve handled it alone. How about the living quarters?”
“No problems. Nothing unusual. Let’s head back.”
With the mission complete, they stepped toward the gate.
Ferda felt uneasy.
That was… too easy.
They had finished with three minutes to spare. It was as if someone had planned everything perfectly.
“Move quickly!” a mage guarding the gate urged.
“What is it?”
“The Silver Dragon Spawns above… they’re heading this way.”
“They’re coming here?”
“Yes. I think they’ve noticed something.”
“Erase all traces! Get out immediately!”
No one could know people from Valdrova’s royal territory were here. Tracks were erased. Only two minutes remained.
Penelope woke up, blinking at her surroundings. She saw Jed and panicked.
“Mmmph! Mmmph!!”
“Calm down. I’ll make this easier.”
“Mmph! Mmmph!!”
Jed raised his dagger. Penelope shook her head frantically.
Ferda found her reaction odd.
“Wait.”
Jed paused. “What is it?”
“Remove her gag. I want to hear what she has to say.”
“She has nothing important to say.”
Even so, Jed removed the gag.
“Phew! Thank you! But listen! About what I said before—”
“Shut up. Answer only my questions. Otherwise, I’ll kill you.”
“Eek! Okay! Okay! I’ll answer everything!”
Ferda nodded.
“Why are you afraid of dying?”
“W-Who isn’t afraid of dying?”
“When demons die in Serdes, they return to Hell, right? Painful, but like going home. Isn’t that true?”
“Y-Yes, but my case is different! If I go back to Hell, I’ll really die!”
Penelope sobbed, clinging to Ferda’s leg.
“My mother doesn’t want me rescued. She wants me dead! If I return to Hell, she’ll kill me!”
Ferda frowned.
“Then tell me why she wants you dead.”
“Well… because…” Penelope hesitated.
“Don’t think. Just tell the truth.”
“I can’t! I can’t say it! If I tell the truth—Ahhh! I hate this! Why am I so dumb?!”
She knew something, but couldn’t say it. And Sitri wanted her dead because of it.
What is it? Ferda thought. There’s an answer somewhere…
A flash of realization came.
Never make a deal with a demon.
“Yes.”
At that moment, an idea struck Ferda. He looked down at her and muttered,
“You were the one.”
“Regent!” Jed shouted from the edge of the gateway.
“You have to come now! There’s no time left! Only thirty seconds!”
Seeing Ferda and Penelope talking, he became impatient.
Ferda finished thinking and stood.
“Jed.”
“Yes?”
“Take care of these burdens for me.”
“What? What do you mean—?”
Ferda threw his bag to Jed.
“Ugh?” Jed caught it with reflexes.
Then—something else flew toward him.
It was pink hair.
“Waaahhh!?”
“Urgh!”
Penelope crashed into Jed, pushing him into the gate. Jed’s eyes widened in shock.
The teleportation gate could carry only eight people.
“Reg—”
Before he could finish, the dimensional gate closed.
Jed’s voice was cut off. Only Ferda remained in the freezing mountains. Alone.
If alone, he could wait for rescue—but things wouldn’t go as expected.
It was coming. That thing.
Suddenly, the snowstorm’s roar faded. Footsteps broke the silence. Through the thick white blizzard, a figure appeared. No moonlight, yet its presence was clear.
“Oh? This is unexpected.”
Silver hair. Sharp horns. Silver eyes. A Silver Dragon Spawn. The same one that had flown above.
“They told me I’d find a small rat here… But this rat is a little different.”
The figure smirked, like a cat with a trapped mouse.
“Nice to meet you, Regent of Valdrova.”
Valdrova Castle
Ruri returned to Valdrova Castle and immediately began cleaning. The castle had been untouched for twenty days. Though she had sent spirits to clean, they were lazy without supervision.
Kyuu!
“Good work. You may go back now.”
Kyuu kyuu! The spirits cheered and disappeared.
Ruri stood alone in the room—the bedroom Valdrova and Ferda would eventually share. Though they were only engaged, she never neglected her duties.
A maid’s role was to maintain the master’s environment. Normally, fifty servants were needed; for perfection, one hundred. Here, Ruri was enough. Unlike human maids, she was a Dragon Spawn. Among Silver Dragon Spawns, she was one of the strongest. Her power maintained the castle perfectly, even over decades.
Perfection meant predictability. Control meant stability. And in this castle, she could control everything. Her life was a perfect circle—until Ferda.
Ferda Rosnova. At first, he was just a weak human noble, unremarkable. But he wasn’t. He wasn’t predictable, either.
He was arrogant but responsible. Cold yet childish in front of Valdrova. Mature yet unpredictable.
He was a variable—and that variable ruined her perfect world.
Ruri hated variables. She hated the powerless feeling. She should have removed him—but she couldn’t. Because he was Valdrova’s fiancé.
Everything began to change. Her control faltered. But it wasn’t all bad. Valdrova’s territory grew stronger. Ferda gained fame and power. He was doing things Ruri would never attempt. And he was changing everything.
She felt… impatience.
She had lived for centuries. But in less than a year, one man had changed everything. Would he take everything from her?
That was why she decided to meet Silverwind. Maybe she could act. But she couldn’t. The situation, the strength, the timing—everything was beyond her control.
And worst of all—
She had started it. She had contacted Silverwind. She had led Ferda to Goz. If things had gone differently… If Ferda hadn’t spoken so harshly… Maybe things would have gone smoothly.
Yes. It was Ferda’s fault. Blaming him would feel better—but she couldn’t. Because without her interference, none of this would have happened.
Everything began because of her.
Yet the words she had said to him rang in her mind:
“Who asked for your help?”
Clench. Her fingers curled into a tight fist.
Things were awkward between them. And it would remain that way.
How could she face him? How could she speak to him? She didn’t know.
A variable. And that variable was controlling her emotions. She was confused.
A Wind Spirit suddenly appeared beside her. Kyuu! Kyuu!
The spirit was flustered. Ruri recognized it—it had been sent to Count Consilus’s castle to observe.
“Speak.”
The spirit hurriedly reported. Ruri tried to remain calm. But she couldn’t.
“…Is that… really true?”
The variable was still moving.
