I Married the Dragon I Killed [Novel] Chapter 252

Chapter 252: The Landmine-Type Sword Master

The Bankruptcy Knight, Jenin Clive.

She had been born the youngest daughter in a knightly household with three sons and one daughter, and no one had expected her to grow into a knight.

Yet after watching her much older brothers duel, she began learning to manipulate aura on her own.

At nine, she defeated her own master.

At fifteen, she defeated her eldest brother, who had already reached the level of Sword Expert.

Then, at twenty, she ascended to the realm of Sword Master and spent the next twelve years serving faithfully under King Hudret.

A swift swordswoman worthy of being called a one-man army, Jenin Clive was also an ideal many swordsmen aspired to reach.

“ZED SWALLOWWWW!!!”

And now that very woman was standing in front of someone else’s castle, screaming a man’s name at the top of her lungs.

It was practically a horror scene.

Isabella, who had been watching the situation unfold, greeted Ferda when he hurried outside.

“Greetings, Regent. And… Sir Zed is here as well.”

There was open disgust in Isabella’s eyes as she looked at Zed.

“Haha, good day, Administrator. You look as intelligent and beautiful as ever…”

“Shut up. You still have the nerve to say that after seeing what you’ve caused?”

“My apologies.”

Zed quietly shut his mouth and put on a contrite expression.

Ferda asked Isabella,

“The Bankruptcy Knight should be quite famous. Why wasn’t she allowed inside?”

“The Doppler incident has made the situation unstable, and anxiety regarding demons is at an all-time high. We’ve been ordered not to admit outsiders carelessly, especially uninvited nobles, so entry procedures have become extremely strict. And…”

“And?”

“She did that before the matter even reached my ears.”

Isabella’s gaze clearly said she did not like any of this.

She disliked Jenin immensely.

But she disliked Zed even more.

“We’ll handle things here. You may return.”

“Understood. For your own sake, I suggest resolving this quickly, Sir Zed.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

At those words, Zed climbed onto the castle wall.

But apparently he could not bring himself to show his face. After hesitating several times, he sought out his closest friend.

“Pepe. What does that woman’s expression look like?”

“Look for yourself. Why are you asking me?”

“The Bankruptcy Knight is supposed to be an incredible beauty.”

Drooling like a dog that had heard the dinner bell, Penelope poked her head out.

“Not my type, but for a swordswoman over thirty, she looks ridiculously young.”

“I’m asking about her expression, you crazy bitch.”

“Like a tiger that just had four nose hairs plucked out.”

“I’m screwed.”

Zed covered his face.

Ferda looked down at him, appalled by how badly he was hesitating.

“Shouldn’t you take responsibility?”

“Responsibility for what?”

“A Sword Master came all this way demanding that you take responsibility. Isn’t this the price of failing to control your lower body? Having your first child be illegitimate would hardly be pleasant.”

“What? Wait a minute. Do you seriously think I’m some idiot who goes around impregnating women without taking responsibility?”

“Isn’t that exactly what you are?”

“Hah. Just how low is your opinion of me?”

Zed looked genuinely offended.

Ridiculous as it was, Ferda understood why he sounded so confident.

The Great Thief, Zed Swallow.

Thanks to his handsome face and flamboyant exploits, hundreds of women had claimed to be his lovers.

Just as many women had claimed to be pregnant with his children.

‘All of them were lying, though.’

What those supposed lovers did not know was that Zed belonged to the Red-Eyed Tribe.

Those who inherited Red-Eyed blood possessed eyes capable of distorting the flow of mana.

None of the alleged illegitimate children possessed that ability.

Truly remarkable.

For a man who fooled around that much, he had somehow never gotten a single woman pregnant.

In any case, if the responsibility Jenin Clive demanded had nothing to do with that, then what exactly did the Bankruptcy Knight want him to take responsibility for?

“That’s not important.”

Apparently desperate to escape whatever responsibility awaited him, Zed started scheming.

“Let’s do this.”

He began drawing on the stone floor as he explained his plan.

“First, I’ll go out and talk to her until she’s all dazed and lovestruck. Then, Regent, you bind her in one shot with those sneaky shadows of yours! That should buy us a few seconds. Then Pepe, you rush in and wipe her memory. Perfect, right?”

“W-W-W-WHAT!? You want me to grab that lunatic’s head?!”

“The Regent will hold her down properly. Right, Regent?”

“Would you stop including me as though my participation were a given?”

Ferda could only marvel at the man’s audacity.

“Besides, do you honestly think a Sword Master like that would fall easily to memory-erasure magic from a third-rate demon? The Bankruptcy Knight has fought mages dozens of times.”

“What!? Are you saying my magic is garbage!? Are you looking down on me!?”

“Then will you charge in?”

“I am a pathetic third-rate demon. I bow my head before the Regent’s magnificent judgment. Woof!”

Penelope, eager to protect herself, immediately clung to Ferda’s side.

“Then… I suppose I really do have to seduce that witch somehow and…”

“ZED SWALLOWWWW!!”

First things first, they needed to stop that eardrum-shattering howl.

Ferda leaned over the castle wall and revealed himself.

“Lady Clive. May I ask that you stop shouting now?”

When Ferda addressed her politely, Jenin placed a hand over her chest and returned an equally formal greeting.

“I greet the Regent of the Principality of Baldrova! Regent Ferda! I am Jenin Clive, knight of the Kingdom of Hudret! Please forgive my discourtesy in setting foot on another lord’s territory and causing this disturbance!”

Her voice was certainly quieter than when she had been screaming Zed’s name, yet every word still reached Ferda clearly.

The resonance in her voice alone revealed how high a realm she had reached.

“I had a conflict with the sentries, who said outsiders could not be admitted without permission. I respect the relationship between the Kingdom of Hudret and the Far East, and I hope this matter can be resolved peacefully!”

“What fault could possibly lie with you? Bankruptcy Knight, I am certain you have done nothing wrong.”

Ferda looked down at Zed.

Cold contempt filled his eyes.

“Zed Swallow! I know you’re there! Show yourself! If you call yourself a knight, face me like one!”

Zed tried to inch away.

Not a chance.

Ferda flicked a finger, binding Zed’s feet with shadows before wrapping them around his entire body.

Zed looked startled as his body went rigid.

Before he could respond, Ferda forcibly hauled him upright.

Then something astonishing happened.

The instant Zed’s face came into view, his entire attitude changed.

The expression of a man facing certain death vanished.

In its place appeared the greasy charm of a born womanizer.

“You called for me, Jenin?”

“Zed…!”

Zed was not the only one who changed.

The moment Jenin saw his face, the rage covering hers melted away.

Her expression became so sweet it looked as though honey might drip from it.

Zed looked at her with wistful eyes.

“Jenin, I’m sorry… I couldn’t bring myself to face you, so I kept hesitating. Will you forgive me?”

“I-I understand. I want to see you up close. Could you come down here so we can speak?”

“I’m afraid I can’t.”

“Why…?”

“I am still a knight, after all. My body belongs in service to Regent Ferda, and the Regent is currently in extremely poor condition. It would be dangerous for me to leave his side.”

Ferda thought,

Should I just throw this bastard over the wall?

“So please accept that we must speak like this.”

“Very well. I understand.”

She nodded as though even that absurd excuse was perfectly reasonable.

“Why didn’t you answer my letters?”

“Letters… you say?”

“Yes. Haven’t I been sending you letters every day? Why haven’t you replied immediately?”

Zed struggled to keep disbelief from showing on his face.

“Jenin… even after a letter is sent, it takes at least three days to arrive.”

“Then why didn’t you hire an express courier? I sent an express courier every single day! Why didn’t you send one to me!?”

Express couriers were the fastest messengers available and charged more than fifty times what an ordinary postal runner did.

Zed, a man who pinched every coin he could, would never use one.

Even Ferda only used them when absolutely necessary.

More importantly, Jenin and Zed had only been apart for a week.

“Did you miss me so little?”

“That’s not it.”

“Don’t lie! Didn’t you say you would become my pillar!?”

Jenin’s anger erupted again.

Ferda quietly glanced at Zed, asking with his eyes,

What the hell is she talking about?

“Well, you see…”

* * *

“You truly are vigorous. You’re on a different level from men who only know how to flatter with empty words.”

“What are you talking about? Can’t you feel this final blaze of a man refusing to waste a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?”

“What once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?”

“I wanted to earn the title of not merely the man who held the Bankruptcy Knight, but the man who satisfied her.”

“Hmph. You have quite the shameless tongue. If you weren’t handsome enough to be worth looking at, your head would already be gone.”

“I’m honored you think so highly of me. I never imagined a Sword Master known for enforcing discipline so strictly could possess such a maidenly side.”

“W-What nonsense is that? Maidenly!? Do not insult me with words like that!”

“It’s fine. You can show that side of yourself to me whenever you wish. For this moment, at least, I will be your pillar.”

“Hmph. I don’t believe sweet words from men. If you truly love me, come at me with everything you have again.”

* * *

“And that’s what happened.”

“…”

“No, seriously. If she said she didn’t believe me, how was I supposed to know she’d actually believe it? Isn’t that unreasonable?”

“You don’t need to convince me.”

Ferda indicated the woman below with his eyes.

That was the person Zed needed to convince.

Every moment the conversation paused, anxiety crept further across Jenin’s face.

“My love… No, Jenin… No, Lady Clive.”

Zed drew a firm line.

“What happened that night was meaningful to both of us. However, weren’t you the one who suggested we end it as a single night’s flame? I respected that wish.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted me!? Was that a lie!?”

“It wasn’t, my love. No, Lady Clive!”

Damn this mouth!

The instincts of a born playboy kept tripping him up.

Jenin’s face filled with greater madness and venom by the second.

“See!? You just said you love me! How long will you keep deceiving yourself? How long will you toy with this maiden’s heart, Zed Swallow!?”

“Pfft! Calling herself a maiden at thirty-two. Does she have no conscience?”

For some reason, Penelope’s voice rang exceptionally loudly.

Silence fell.

There were now two mouths present capable of summoning ruin.

The air turned cold.

Ferda suddenly felt as though the entire castle might be blown away at any moment.

When he looked down at Jenin, her face had gone crimson as she screamed,

“What bitch said that!? What bitch dares insult a knight of King Hudret!?”

“Lady Clive! The insolent wretch who shouted that is named Penelope! If it will soothe even a fraction of your anger, I will gladly throw this damned woman down to you!”

“AAAAAH! What are you doing!? You lunatic! Let go! LET ME GO! KIEEEEEK!!”

Penelope thrashed in his grip like a pig being dragged to slaughter.

Ferda no longer cared how this ended.

He simply wanted it to end quickly.

“I heard there was some sort of incident… What in the world is going on here?”

Just as the scene descended fully into chaos, Garnet arrived.

She climbed onto the wall, took one look around, then nodded.

“I understand.”

“You truly do?”

“In summary, Sir Zed’s lower half is the problem, correct?”

Exactly right.

As expected of the leader of the Black Bandana, her ability to process information was remarkable.

Garnet looked at Zed as though he were an insect.

“Well, technically this was part of an intelligence operation…”

“Shut your mouth.”

Zed immediately fell silent.

Garnet let out a long sigh and bowed her head to Ferda.

“I will handle Sir Zed’s matter. If this situation has angered you, I ask that you set that anger aside.”

“Why would I be angry over something that was bound to happen eventually?”

Getting angry over an inevitable disaster was one of the most foolish things a person could do.

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“How do you intend to resolve it?”

“I’ll go down and speak with her. It seems like something that can be settled if I have a proper conversation with the Bankruptcy Knight.”

Could this really be settled peacefully?

Ferda had his doubts.

But Garnet was also the only person here he could trust completely.

Having effectively become an envoy, Garnet left through the castle gate and began speaking with Jenin.

It looked almost like someone walking unarmed toward a wild tiger, so no one managed to relax.

“Big Sister Garnet isn’t going to die, is she?”

It was an unlucky thing to say, but Ferda was quietly worried as well.

The conversation lasted about ten minutes.

Just when it seemed nearly over, something astonishing happened.

Jenin hugged Garnet.

Then she wiped away the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes and looked up at the castle wall.

“Regent Ferda! I will take my leave now. Please forgive the disturbance I caused within your territory.”

What was Ferda supposed to do if he refused to forgive her?

He simply raised a hand to signal that it was fine.

Jenin’s previously formal speech immediately became savage as she cursed Zed.

“You worthless, idiotic piece of trash! Stop living like that!”

Jenin raised her middle finger toward Zed, then turned her horse around.

An unavoidable catastrophe had been ended entirely through a few words.

Garnet returned looking exhausted and said,

“There should be no further conflict with the Bankruptcy Knight.”

To Ferda, she practically seemed surrounded by the halo of a savior.