IMTDIK 69

Episode 69. The Fuse

Ferda checked the bag he had taken from the demon research facility. Inside were a research journal and a few ampoules. He had given them to Jed in the same condition. ‘He gets the job done properly.’ Ferda admired his own decision to recruit Jed Swallow. It was a good move. The only thing he could give Jed was a bonus. ‘And Emilia’s whereabouts.’ He had to figure that out before Jed complained. That was the condition to keep someone uncontrollable in place. Before Jed expressed any dissatisfaction, Ferda had to act. ‘I’ll just think about it for now…’

Ferda carried the bag to his study. There, as always, a young girl waited for his orders.

“Mori.”

Mori turned her head to look at him. With her voluminous curls, she looked like a noble lady as usual.

“Can you decode this?”

Ferda handed her the journal. Rinne’s journal was encrypted. Using Mori’s Universal Library ability, she could easily decipher codes.

• Decoding is impossible.

But the response was unexpected.

“What do you mean impossible?”

• The letters contain no clues that I can interpret. Letters that had no references in the Universal Library…

That meant only one thing.

“It must be an oral language.”

A language not recorded in writing, passed down only by speech, and understood differently by each individual. There was only one race that used such a language.

‘High Elves.’ The nobles among nobles, the only ones who could enter the depths of the World Tree. Each had their own unique language that no one else could understand. If Rinne, the research director, had been a High Elf, it made sense.

‘So that Dark Elf was originally a High Elf?’

A strange thing. High Elves were the most conservative and isolated, thinking only of the World Tree. For one to fall and serve Godwin… it was like a headless chicken walking or a fish surviving on land.

“Do we have any records on High Elves?”

• A few observation reports exist.

“Anything related to their language?”

• No.

It would be a shame to stop here.

“Can’t you try deciphering it somehow?”

Mori nodded. Then she stared silently into the air. Creak. Creak. Her body twisted unnaturally, like a marionette. Her face turned bright red, trembling as if she would explode.

“I canceled the order.”

Pshhh… Like steam escaping, she returned to normal. Even if he wanted to know the letters, Ferda wouldn’t break Mori just for that.

Mori, now looking tired, rested her head on her shoulder and gazed up at him.

“Is your work manageable?”

Mori nodded.

• There are no major issues within the Holy King’s territory. However, there are external problems.

“What kind?”

• The first is Hellus Povidaz. A man Ferda had controlled using the Purge Squad. In return for his loyalty, he had been given Mori’s wisdom and continued to live as a sage.

“What about him?”

• He asks too many inefficient questions. Sometimes, they don’t even make sense and sound like wild fantasies. Conversations without answers were always exhausting. Thinking back to when Mori strained herself to decode earlier, he could tell how inefficient Hellus was being.

“So, he’s interfering with work. And?”

• There have been eight implied attempts to steal Valdrova’s authority. That wasn’t surprising. Ferda had already expected such behavior from him.

“Limit his questions to five. And if you think they’re pointless, you can refuse to answer. Will that improve efficiency?”

• Efficiency will increase, but there is one more issue.

“What is it?”

• Echidna Philiaz. It wasn’t surprising. Ferda had seen her acting strangely multiple times.

“If her actions are a problem, I can put some restrictions, but I can’t control her completely.”

• Echidna has three times the negative impact of Hellus. Sometimes, she asks to be called by strange names.

“What kind of names?”

• From ‘sister’ to ‘mom,’ ‘mother,’ and even ‘Your Majesty, Mother.’ Titles that don’t fit her role.

Ferda thought it was a simple request.

“Then why not just call her that?”

• If I do, she follows with role-playing demands. And once I comply, she becomes completely immersed, deepening her delusions.

So, she was three times as exhausted.

‘Because she’s a witch.’

Ferda understood Mori’s struggle. But Echidna was the only one who could take care of Morri. And lately, she had been obsessed with Jed’s matters.

“For now, just go along with it. We need that witch. Is there any other way to boost your efficiency?”

Mori thought for a moment. She tapped a pen on paper lightly before answering.

• Praise me.

“What?”

• When I accomplish something, praise me. The level of praise should match the difficulty of the task.

A completely unexpected request. The Universal Library holding slave sage, asking for praise?

“Do you need something like that?”

• Studies show that praise increases work efficiency and reduces stress.

“That applies to humans.”

• In the gladiator city of Colosenia, gladiators who were praised had a 20% higher win rate.

“I don’t think you need that.”

• In the mining city of Opheles, miners who received praise increased productivity by 12%.

She refuted every word with facts. How strange. Mori was a slave sage without a self. A being of pure reason, without emotions. Why did she need praise?

Ferda decided to stop arguing. Rather than wasting time debating, it was easier to say three simple syllables.

“Good job.”

That should be enough. Then, Mori quickly wrote something down.

• Research shows that when an adult male praises a child, patting their head is most effective.

‘So annoying.’

Ferda sighed and placed a hand on her head. Her hair was smooth to the touch.

“Good job.”

A casual compliment. Yet, Mori’s gaze carried an unusual light. Her head, which had been lolling to the side, steadied.

“Is that enough?”

Mori nodded and turned away. Ferda wasn’t sure if it really worked.

He set the journal aside and opened a box. Inside were 11 ampoules. Three Doppler Serums and eight ampoules labeled with names of knight-level demons and the word prototype. They were all black and viscous, indistinguishable without labels.

‘If I count the Bouncer Serum, that makes 12.’

Ferda recalled the one who had turned into a Bouncer. The Bouncer lost intelligence but gained immense strength. If the same situation happened again, the next one would be even stronger.

‘That woman must have survived.’

Ferda had to act before Rinne, the research director, made her next move. He had samples, but she had knowledge. The starting conditions were fair, but no one knew who would win in the end.

‘Who should I assign to research this substance?’ That was the real problem. Ferda thought of potential candidates.

Verrnell? He was smart, but his expertise was in magical engineering. He needed to focus on that.

Then… Echidna? Ferda didn’t want to touch this kind of material. He was skilled in runes, but this was different.

Bernard, the headmaster? Ferda didn’t trust him yet. He didn’t even know what that man was doing.

‘So, do I have to do it myself?’

Ferda had experience in research before. He had trained in mana techniques and forms to become stronger. His dedication was strong. If he used that dedication for research, wouldn’t it be fine?

Just as Ferda was deep in thought—

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A bell rang loudly across the castle. It was a strange sound. The warning bell of the Red Dragon Valdrova’s stronghold had never rung before.

A moment later, someone burst through the door. It was Ruri. Her face was full of urgency.

“Ferda!”

“What is it?”

“They’re coming.”

Ruri spoke again.

“The descendants of Silverwind are coming here.”

So, it had finally come.

Ferda walked to the balcony. In the sky, small dots appeared. Soon, those dots grew big enough for Ferda to see clearly. Leading the group was a massive pair of wings.

“That must be their leader.”

“Yes. It’s Goz.”

The fact that their chief came himself meant this was important. No matter what, they had to prepare.

“What should we do?” Ruri’s voice had a trace of fear. She usually hid her emotions well, but now, she was clearly anxious.

“We wait.”

“They’re coming, and we just wait?”

“We’ll know soon whether they’re enemies or not.”

Ferda kept his eyes on the approaching figures. His hands were already sweaty from gripping his fists.

‘Sitri.’ That damn demon. Had she betrayed him? She could have twisted the truth and made it seem like Ferda was guilty. But he didn’t jump to conclusions. Demons feared for their own lives. Even though demons in this world acted recklessly, they were actually more cowardly than humans.

After a while, the descendants of Silverwind landed outside the castle gates.

“That’s good news.”

“…Them standing outside the gate is good news?”

“If they came to fight, they would have stormed the balcony. If they wanted to cause trouble, they would have gone straight to the inner gates.”

Ferda looked down from the balcony. His eyes met Goz’s. A strange tension filled the air.

“Ruri, prepare to welcome our guests—”

Ferda stopped mid-sentence. Ruri was staring at the Silverwind warriors. If she was just looking, Ferda wouldn’t have reacted.

“…Ruri?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you holding my clothes?”

“…What?”

Ruri looked down and realized she was gripping Ferda’s clothes. Her eyes widened in surprise. She quickly let go and made an excuse.

“…There was dust.”

“Really?” Ferda’s clothes weren’t dirty. And even if they were, Ruri wouldn’t normally wipe them for him.

“I’ll go prepare for our guests.”

Ruri left. Ferda also went down to meet Silverwind.

The alarm had rung. Inside the castle, non-combatants hid, and the warriors took their positions. In Valdrova’s castle, only two knights were ready for battle. Jed and Malcolm. Since they were knights, they were positioned outside the outer gates.

‘What kind of crazy situation is this?’ Jed cursed silently. He scanned the enemies again. They were Silver Dragons from the textbooks. Silver hair, silver eyes. Rough faces and sharp horns. They wore armor, but their muscles looked ready to burst out. Facing even one of them would be nerve-wracking. And there was a whole group of them. Even with the magic rings that reduced fear toward dragons, their sheer presence was overwhelming.

Especially that one. A man stood in front of the soldiers. Wearing a silver cloak, he was clearly the leader. That man alone made up 80% of the pressure in the air. His aura was terrifying. Then, he opened his mouth.

“Where is your master?”

His voice was cold, filled with the weight of countless battles. The deep tone sent shivers down Jed’s spine. But he forced himself to answer calmly.

“Please wait a moment. He will be here soon.”

“…A moment?”

The man’s face darkened with displeasure. Even though his hostility wasn’t aimed at them, it was still terrifying.

But Jed had another problem.

“Sniff… Sniff…” Beside him, Malcolm was whimpering.

“Oh, great light of Althe… Please save me…”

He wasn’t just crying. He was praying. Jed sighed and whispered.

“You should just leave.”

“Sniff… I-I am a knight… I cannot abandon my duty…”

“Yeah, but you’re being a nuisance. Just go.”

Despite the offer, Malcolm refused. Even though his legs were shaking, he stood his ground.

‘Damn it… My life is a mess.’

Whenever things seemed peaceful, something crazy always happened. Maybe he should just quit being a knight?

Just as he was thinking that, salvation arrived. Step. Step. Footsteps from behind.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Ferda had arrived. He stepped between Jed and Malcolm and looked straight at Goz.

“You made your guest wait.”

Goz threw a sharp remark.

Ferda smirked.

“Well, real guests send a letter before arriving. Those who don’t… are uninvited.”

The tension thickened. Jed and Malcolm realized this was just the beginning.

“…I accept that. I apologize for not informing you in advance.”

Surprisingly, Goz agreed. But Ferda narrowed his eyes.

‘That’s not like him.’

Goz wasn’t someone who backed down easily. And Ferda was right. A step back only meant a stronger step forward.

“But just as I apologized, you must also give a clear answer.”

Here it comes.

“The Regent Ferda—you are suspected of using demonic magic to kill Abel Silverwind and cover up the evidence.”

Ferda immediately thought of one name.

‘Sitri?’ His instincts shouted that name. Sitri was the most likely suspect. Demons never did things cleanly. Was she trying to set him up? Ferda kept thinking. But to his surprise, Sitri wasn’t the one behind this. He soon found out why.

“Hello, Regent Ferda!”

A cheerful voice suddenly rang out. Between all the strong, sweaty men, a small woman appeared. She wore a wide-brimmed wizard’s hat. On it was the crest of the Serdes Human Magic Academy. Only one person in the world wore a hat like that. The President of Serdes Human Magic Academy—Erdes Roton.

“We’ve met before, right?”

This mess was her doing.