Change Boldly

Ferda was left a little dumbfounded by those words.

After laying out his reasoning so carefully, the conclusion came out of nowhere.

A demon’s child?

Was this woman just toying with him, spouting all that nonsense merely to mess around?

Yet Erdes’s expression was serious. No—she wore a smile laced with mischief, but her face held the certainty that the words were no joke.

Ferda pondered how he ought to react. Should he leap up and down in rage, or simply keep wearing that look of utter disgust?

In the awkward silence, it was Erdes who spoke first.

“I paid a visit to Erembalt Rosnova.”

It did not feel like a simple call. She had surely torn the place apart. The Rosnova family. From the moment she became involved, he had expected her to dig into the background.

At Ferda’s reaction, Erdes blinked.

“Oh my? Your reaction is a bit unexpected. Usually when someone touches their family, they get all worked up.”

“That man wanted to deny my very existence.”

After Mother died, Erembalt Rosnova no longer treated Ferda as his son. He turned a blind eye to the bullying from brothers and servants, and the atmosphere even seemed to encourage it. The father had been at the center of the torment.

“Father and son, such a lovely sight~. Still, he didn’t deny your existence. Maybe because you’re living well under Baldrova.”

Erdes continued as if drawing the next card.

“But your mother, now that was a different story.”

Mother.

“Oh my? You loved your mama dearly, didn’t you? Your expression just changed.”

Erdes found the weak point and grinned like a little devil.

“He said he was bewitched by that bitch, spent dreamlike years, and only came to his senses after she died.”

Her childish, immature gestures were starting to grate.

“It was truly fascinating. You know what that guy said? That he lived for ten years believing he loved a woman he never loved. For a full ten years he hypnotized himself? The mage bloodline seems properly inherited. Or is it the demon?”

The intent was clear without deep thought. That damned woman was defiling Mother.

“Anna Rosnova was a fine mother.”

“Even a hedgehog finds its own young pretty. Especially if it’s the child of the demon blood it so loved.”

“Hedgehog or goblin, I don’t care. If you keep running that mouth, I won’t sit still either.”

“If you won’t sit still, then what?”

Light blazed from Erdes’s eyes.

“You think your measly mother-love will change my conjecture?”

Erdes was shaking Ferda’s emotions. She hated black magic. She hated demons. She hated Red Circle users.

Ferda read her intent. She was trying to agitate him into a rampage. Look, this is the true face of those who follow black magic. Yes, an obvious ploy. Yet even knowing it was obvious, he could not help but take the bait.

Even Alte, whose doctrine was to show mercy, ruthlessly killed those who set foot in sacred ground. Mother was sacred ground. Anyone who touched her, he had killed them all without exception.

Erdes Roton.

So even in this life, you are fated to die by my hand.

“Don’t you think you’ve strayed far from the topic, Erdes Roton?”

A tone like a noble young lady’s was heard. Ferda remembered this voice. For Ferda, who remembered those he disliked better than those he liked, she was an unforgettable existence.

He turned his head, and there she was. A woman with blue hair in uniform. Erika Iorga. Head of the Blue Dragon Spawns.

Why was she here? Ferda glanced toward Ruri. Ruri, as if to answer, gave a small thumbs-up. So she was an ally for now.

“Strayed from the topic? Whatever do you mean by that?”

“The topic under discussion is clearly about Abel Silverwind’s death, is it not? Yet you’re so naturally claiming his mother was a demon and trying to shake his emotions—it’s blatantly obvious.”

“He’s a demon’s child, so of course he received benefits from Sitri, right?”

“Demons don’t help other demons. And for a Great Demon like Sitri to help him just because they’re the same race is absurd.”

Using the characteristics of demons, she defended Ferda. Erdes laughed and twirled her golden-thread-like hair around her index finger. A sign of irritation.

“Long time no see. Erika. How have you been?”

“Yes, it’s been a while. Erdes Roton.”

Erdes called her casually while Erika smiled with formality. Yet between them, a war of nerves no less intense than that between Goz and Ferda was underway.

“Iorga-nim is setting herself straight, isn’t she? Hmm? Lately there have been a lot of rumors about the magic tower.”

“There’s no need to worry. Compared to the criticism you received, Erdes, it’s a drop in the ocean, mere dust on a fly’s foreleg. It’s at a level we can handle.”

“Oh my, is that so? But a jewel that should sparkle brightly can’t have even minor flaws, right? At the very least, the leader shouldn’t tolerate such things.”

“It’s fine. We’re in a different class from those who claim to be jewels without even knowing they’re broken glass.”

The two maintained their smiles even in a situation where a mere brush would be a fatal blow. Unlike with Ferda, a deep chasm could be felt between them.

Watching that conversation, he felt the anger from the insult slowly subsiding.

“To continue the defense, what Ferda-nim employs is shadow magic. It doesn’t align with Sitri, who governs illusion and lust, so claiming he made a deal with a demon doesn’t hold up.”

“Amon could have given Marbas’s grimoire. That sort of thing isn’t impossible.”

Amon was a demon of fire, Marbas a demon of ice—bitter enemies of each other.

“If it benefited him, yes. But that has no meaning, and demons wouldn’t do something so meaningless. How can someone called an authority on black magic not know even that?”

It was as Erika said. It would mean he had gone to the trouble only to benefit someone else. Demons would never tolerate that. And Erdes knew it too. That she was throwing a tantrum. She was just forcing it, trying to shake things up by force. The sudden appearance of Erika throwing a wrench in the works was thoroughly irritating to her.

“So you’re saying it’s fine for the consort of a dragon to use black magic? Or is the reason you’re so viciously branding Baldrova as an evil dragon some scheme to induce her to take her own life? Our Eri’s insides are pitch-black, unlike her pure white clothes.”

“Just because Regent Baldrova uses black magic does not mean his nature is evil.”

She asserted firmly, and Erdes let out a hollow laugh as if flabbergasted.

“Eri. I’ve told you time and again. That damn black magic is filthy stuff that pollutes Serdes. I want to wipe out every last one of those bastards.”

That was the cleanliness obsession Erika possessed.

“Human Red Circles stem from emotions. The easiest among them are negative emotions. Those negative emotions draw out the darkness. Those who use black magic are threats.”

“Among a knight’s virtues is the saying to use anger. If one knows how to handle negative emotions, it is by no means bad.”

“It’s the magic of those demon bastards trying to swallow the continent.”

“While the demons’ own intentions are impure, one cannot claim that something derived from demons is unconditionally bad.”

“Ha, still hung up on that damn Dragon-Demon War. So? You participated in it too, and since you used black magic to help turn the tide, you have the right to speak?”

This was another surprising fact. Erika Iorga. Unlike other spawns, she was an Elemental Master who could handle all elements, and a Meister. That she used black magic was something he learned for the first time today.

“Eri, that’s not magic. It’s a tool that gives humans a sense of omnipotence, draws out their evil nature, and makes not only themselves but others unhappy as well.”

“No, you are wrong.”

Erika asserted firmly as well.

“Magic is a tool, and it is up to the one who wields it. Even if it is magic from hell, if it has value in research and development, then it must be used.”

“So you believe this little brat will use it well?”

Erdes pointed at Ferda with her chin. Erika also turned her eyes to look at Ferda. She had a look as if she had resolved something.

“When it’s time to change, one must do so boldly.”

Erika spoke, enunciating each syllable clearly.

“Erika Iorga, as the representative of all Blue Dragon Spawns, hereby proposes an alliance with the Grand Duchy of Baldrova on this spot.”

Using the shock of the sudden alliance declaration, she pressured the other side.

“If the Silverwind side declares an all-out war, then the Iorga side will fight to protect the Grand Duchy of Baldrova.”

Her voice, full of persuasive power, countered the opponent’s momentum. Erdes, who had been twirling her hair with her finger, made a face as if fed up.

“You’re making a huge mistake right now. It’s like jumping into a pit of fire.”

“Then and now, you are far too extreme. If we leave Regent Ferda as he is, I know full well how you will torment him, so how can I just stand by?”

“Just stand by, why not? Who asked you to step in? What does that have to do with you?”

“He is the man who declared the reconquest of the Far East, something no one had brought up for a hundred years. As one who stands for the protection of the continent, if he made that statement, I have no choice but to support it.”

“Hmm. So you’re saying you’ll take sides with that little one?”

Her eyes grew even more vicious. She looked itching to scrap the talk and start a battle right then and there.

Goz, who had been sitting quietly watching the situation, opened his mouth.

“Erdes.”

“Yes, you say something too! There are two of them and two of us, so maybe something can be done!”

“Let us leave now.”

“I’ll take that bitch, what?”

Erdes’s eyes widened as she glared at Goz.

“What are you talking about? I haven’t even finished talking yet!”

“All I wanted was the full story. Just to know what that vermin Abel did.”

“I told you!! That could be a trap set by Regent Ferda—!”

“He already made the deal before he died, didn’t he?”

“That may be so, but—!!”

“Then it’s over. That vermin made the deal, and the regent executed him. That doesn’t change.”

“Why not ask why he was executed so arbitrarily!? Why are you ice-brained ones suddenly starting to think!?”

“A guy who made a deal with a demon yet can’t even beat a single human deserves that fate cheaply.”

As if he had nothing more to say, Goz stood from his seat and walked to the door.

“Then we shall take our leave.”

His eyes briefly took in Ruri one last time before he left down the corridor. Watching his retreating back, Erdes made a dissatisfied face then glared at Ferda.

“Seems the talk is over. Regent Ferda, shall we end it like this?”

Eyebrows blinking at three times per second. It contained the question of whether he had anything to explain and a provocation to fight more.

With his head cooled, Ferda replied.

“I shall see you out.”

“No. That might not be necessary? Being next to black mages makes me want to die. Or is it that I want to kill them? Not sure. Anyway, that’s how it is.”

Now she revealed her disgust without any attempt to hide it. Then she whirled around and dashed down the corridor, shouting.

“Ah, shit! Come with me! Seriously!! You can’t even escort a lady and just abandon her—is that your species’ specialty!?”

Abel Silverwind’s death. The deal with the demon that Ferda had made. Contrary to the thought that those two storms would come and sweep everything away, it had been safely wrapped up for now.

He wanted to catch his breath, but he could not just yet. Ferda directed his gaze across. The seats that Goz and Erdes had occupied were now taken by Erika.

Ferda asked her.

“Why did you help me?”

At that question, Erika raised one eyebrow. It was a voice full of a Dragon Spawn’s pride.

“Shouldn’t you be saying thank you here? I helped you, after all.”

“It was something I could have handled sufficiently on my own.”

“You’re saying that after getting swept up in Erdes’s pace. That woman is extremely skilled at getting under people’s skin. I’ve fought her so many times that I can flexibly brush it off, but it’s not easy for others.”

It was true. Ferda had gotten drawn in without thinking as well.

“And you went and proposed an alliance on your own.”

“If you were dissatisfied, why didn’t you throw water on it or something? You even provoked those ice-brained fools?”

He had never asked for her help, but to say it had not been helpful would be a lie born only of pride.

“Of course, I express my gratitude for resolving the matter smoothly.”

“I gratefully accept that gratitude.”

“But regarding the alliance, it’s a matter that requires further consideration.”

“It seems my sincerity didn’t get through in this defense.”

“I don’t believe in such things.”

“Yes, I know. People like you need evidence, after all.”

As if she had been waiting, she flicked her finger. At that moment, a clipboard took shape in the air and was placed before the tea table.

“What is this?”

“You see the date here? One hundred fifty years ago.”

“Yes.”

“The day the Grand Council was held under the lead of the first Blancaros after the first Dragon-Demon War, the day before she was designated an evil dragon for her evil nature. It is the content proposed by our Iorga-nim the very next day.”

At the head of that document was written thus.

Hestia was the name of an ancient myth little known as the woman who guards the fire. Secret grade highest level, execution grade highest priority—it was additionally noted as such.

Ferda checked the contents. The overview was that Iorga was researching to remove Godwin’s madness dwelling in Baldrova’s body, and it was still ongoing. He roughly skimmed the dates after that and closed it.

“What are you trying to say?”

“Simply that Iorga-nim’s will was not using Baldrova-nim as a shield.”

“Why should we interpret it that way? If we think that Iorga-nim started it because she felt a threat from Godwin from then on, that ends it.”

“I expected you would think that, so I brought something else as well.”

So she set aside the document and this time took out a heavy object. It was a crystal orb.

“This is the record containing this proposal. I will prove that in this content, Iorga-nim had the intention of protecting Baldrova-nim.”

A voice recording was different. Above all, since this internal material was not made with the thought of showing it outside, their true feelings would be clearer.

Ferda nodded. He infused mana into the crystal orb, and the orb recreated the situation of that time.

“Iorga-nim, is this proposal what I think it is?”

It was Erika’s voice. Someone replied to that voice.

“That’s right.”

Though very short, Ferda knew this voice was that of the Blue Dragon Iorga. Even though it was simply a record, it was a resonance that let one feel how deep her mana was.

“I am opposed.”

The opposing voice was Erika’s again. She opposed more fiercely than any of the voices heard.

“We have no reason whatsoever to help that damned lizard!”

“Ahem!”

Erika cleared her throat and temporarily stopped the playback of the crystal orb. She tried to calmly explain the situation, but a flustered voice popped out.

“At that time, many of our spawns had died as well, so we were emotional. Please take that into consideration.”

“I will.”

Though the content of the words themselves was not pleasing, one thing was certain. The content of this crystal orb was the raw, unedited thing itself.

“No. We must help. That child has no reason to be called an evil dragon. The reason that child ran wild like that was because of Godwin’s influence.”

“Then shouldn’t we kill her? If she has become unstable, then that must be done, right?”

“We cannot kill her. Godwin is already dead, and Silverwind is dead too. There must be no more sacrifices.”

“I cannot understand, Iorga-nim. Does Iorga-nim not hate Baldrova more than anyone? To help your enemy?”

“I do hate her. But I only hate that the child is stupid. Not in the dimension of her nature being evil or anything. I cannot kill that child.”

It could be felt. Iorga understood Baldrova. And she worried.

“What if a second Godwin is born that way? If that is what awaits our future?”

“That won’t happen. That child will constantly resist and endure her own unstable self.”

That this research was purely to help Baldrova.

“She’s so stupid that she can even do that much.”

But then the insults began.

“She’s only good at fighting, dull-witted and not bright, knows nothing so her head is no different from a flower garden,”

“Ahem!”

“And despite that she’s full of fear, gets hurt easily, can’t even properly assert herself,”

“Ahehehem!”

“And a being of that power phase doesn’t even have a single spawn, trying to shoulder everything alone looks no different from a red lizard with wings attached flailing around trying to fly—.”

“Cough! Cough! Cough!”

Erika coughed as if she had something stuck in her throat and eventually stopped the record.

“......”

Cold sweat dampened Erika’s forehead. Only then could Erika recall what conversation there had been after this. And so she politely requested of Ferda.

“Um... would it be alright to skip ahead about ten minutes?”