IMTDIK 23

Chapter 23

I Want to See Her Again

“What did you do last night?” The question came from Jed. The man with brown hair looked down at one spot with a face full of disbelief. His gaze landed on Ferda, who was lying on the bed.

“Nothing happened.”

“Nothing? Does someone who’s perfectly fine lie motionless in bed like this?”

Ferda could only move his face, his body limp from the neck down. Ferda always did his morning rounds. He hadn’t missed a single day, so his sudden absence was a clear sign something had happened. As Jed suspected, Ferda was lying on the bed, unable to move.

“I said nothing happened.”

“Sure, whatever you say.”

Since Ferda kept stubbornly denying it, Jed couldn’t press him further. ‘There’s no need to talk about it anyway.’

Getting smacked by a servant who tried to block him, nearly getting killed by his fiancée, and then using all his strength to pour mana into that fiancée—nearly dying in the process. If he told that story in the aristocratic circles, he’d probably be mocked as an idiot. So Ferda kept the story to himself, savoring it privately.

‘It was truly an intense night.’

The pain in his arm hadn’t faded yet, but he had been rewarded for it.

‘The Dragon’s face.’

The word typically referred to the face of a monarch, but in this case, it was literally the face of a dragon. Just as a peasant considered it the highest honor to behold the face of a king, Ferda considered seeing the dragon’s face the greatest honor of all.

‘That’s my last memory.’

Ferda thought back to his final memory: Valdrova’s face. That was the last thing he saw before losing consciousness. When he woke up, he was staring at the ceiling above his bed. And at Jed’s face, too. The man was still hovering nearby.

“I have a request.”

“What is it? Just say the word.”

“Get your face out of my sight. It’s ruining the mood.”

“…”

Ferda didn’t want the lingering emotions of his memory to be overshadowed by the sight of this annoyingly good-looking man. Jed complied, moving out of the way, though his expression twisted into a grimace, as if to say, “Is this guy insane?”

“How’s Vernel’s research going?”

“You mean that? Apparently, there’s no more need for the gruesome business of cutting tendons and slicing flesh. He’s doing a good job.”

Jed had assisted Vernel to ensure he faced no obstacles in his research. Jed felt he’d contributed quite a bit.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Pretty sure.”

“Do you know that ‘pretty sure’ and ‘absolutely certain’ are not the same thing?”

“I even kept that Vernel guy from sleeping properly. Normally, if you don’t let someone sleep for three days, they’ll lose their mind and give up, but he’s unusually stubborn. He kept crying about how the research was necessary and that he couldn’t cut corners, even though he wanted to sleep. So, yeah, I’m confident it’s solid.”

“I see.”

Even though Jed had put him through suffering, Ferda wasn’t particularly interested. After all, every meaningful task came with its share of hardship. Ferda was simply pleased that a major step forward in magitech had been achieved.

“So how much longer do I have to stay in bed? Can I get back to work today?”

“That seems likely. You’ll probably recover on your own after a day or so.”

“Hmm… do I need someone to look after me?”

Jed’s voice was clearly filled with annoyance.

“No, I’d like to be alone. I have some things to think about.”

“I’ve been waiting to hear you say that. Ugh. I’ll be taking a break, so don’t bother looking for me for the next two days.”

“Understood.”

Jed clicked his tongue and left the room. Ferda closed his eyes as he lay on the bed. Not to sleep again, but to recall his memories more vividly.

‘It was a huge gain.’

Ferda immersed himself in his thoughts.

‘A truly significant gain.’

A vivid image formed in his mind: The outline of a face centered around small, glossy lips. Two black horns and fiery red hair. Golden cat-like eyes, large and glistening with moisture, sparkled like jewels. This was the polymorphed form of the Red Dragon, Valdrova.

‘There were a lot of unexpected things about her.’

The first time Ferda saw her, she had appeared in armor. Her height was easily over two meters. But in reality, she was about a head shorter than him—a woman of average height.

‘And… her face wasn’t frightening either.’

Valdrova, as a dragon, had an overwhelming presence, the most terrifying appearance among all dragons. Her fearsome visage was enough to ensure no one would dare underestimate her. It was said that a dragon’s appearance in their polymorphed form reflected their personality. Ferda had expected something like a cold, imposing woman—a steel-clad warrior or an elegant rose, whose thorns would make anyone who dared touch her regret their arrogance.

‘…But that wasn’t it.’

Her face was unexpectedly gentle, unbefitting of a sovereign. A woman’s impression is often shaped by her eyes, and Valdrova’s eyes had a soft, downward slant, resembling those of a puppy. Instead of an elegant or mature smile, her face seemed better suited to a bright, childlike grin.

‘Considering her social anxiety and timid personality, it suits her.’

Everything about her was an exception, yet everything fit perfectly in its own way. Ferda thought of her image and mused.

‘I want to see her again.’

It was the first time since he’d developed the habit of memorizing everything in detail that he’d felt this way. Even though the memory was clear in his mind, he wanted to see her in person.

‘I really want to see her again.’

In that moment, Ferda understood what lovesick men must feel. The urge to tear his hair out, the desire to run to her immediately—it all made sense now.

“It seems like you’re having some strange thoughts.”

Suddenly, a voice interrupted him.

“I’d appreciate it if you stopped immediately.”

When he opened his eyes, he saw a girl with silver eyes looking down at him. Her demeanor and expression were as composed and professional as ever.

“How’s your body feeling?” Ruri asked.

“I think I’ve recovered.”

“Of course you’ve recovered. After all, I personally treated you.”

“Impressive. That must not have been easy.”

“It was more difficult than when I treated my master’s injuries, but it was manageable.”

Ruri frowned as she looked down at him. For some reason, Ferda seemed different to her than usual.

“You could’ve died.”

Her tone was filled with concern.

“Overloading your mana circuits in such a state… Most humans would’ve stopped long before that, unable to endure the burning pain.”

“It’s nothing to me.”

“I know. You’re the kind of person who enjoys that sort of thing.”

Ruri muttered something incomprehensible and then continued.

“Thank you.”

Sudden Words of Gratitude

“What are you thanking me for?”

“It’s the first time my master’s screams have stopped.”

Ruri’s face was expressionless.

“And it’s also the first time I’ve seen my master fall into such a peaceful sleep. That night, Ferda, you did so much for my master.”

But her eyes held a trace of sadness.

“And… I’m sorry.”

As her gaze lowered, she looked at Ferda’s right arm.

“You mean because you injured my arm?”

“…”

She bit her lip and nodded, acknowledging her mistake. A dragon spawn apologizing to a human—it was an unusual sight.

“It’s fine. I don’t hold grudges or hate you for something like that.”

“…Even though I hit you that hard, are you really okay?”

“I’ve always had a weak body. This kind of thing happens often, so don’t worry about it. I’ll be able to move just fine.”

“Can you move now?”

“Probably, when the time comes.”

For now, his body remained completely still, except for his face.

“Have I not always said this? I value your loyalty above all else. It’s almost as if—”

“Like a dog?”

“Yes.”

At that, Ruri nodded.

“That’s right. I’m like a dog.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant.”

It was only then that Ferda realized.

That really does sound like an insult, doesn’t it?

“Anyway, you’ve done your best at what you’re capable of. You didn’t overdo things and mess everything up by forcing yourself to do what you couldn’t. That’s more than enough.”

“…”

“I’m grateful that you’ve taken care of things until I could meet her.”

“If you say it that way, thank you.”

Ruri’s expression brightened a bit, and the heavy atmosphere eased somewhat.

“So, what’s the situation with my fiancée?”

“That’s what I was about to talk about…”

Her face grew heavy again.

“For the time being, you shouldn’t even think about meeting her.”

Ferda’s face also turned serious.

“You said it was thanks to me and all that. Now this?”

“That’s that, and this is this.”

Ruri had returned to her usual stern, no-nonsense demeanor. Ferda asked her for the reason.

“What’s the problem?”

“It’s about what happened when you met her.”

“What happened? Are you talking about holding hands? Is that really such a big deal?”

It wasn’t as if holding hands was something significant enough to call an “incident.”

“I’m talking about giving her your mana.”

“Why would that be an issue for your master?”

“If I had to say, both things are issues.”

Ruri’s eyes locked firmly onto Ferda’s. Realizing the seriousness of the matter, Ferda asked her again.

“What happened to the Archduke?”

“After meeting and coming into contact with you, she’s started making… female noises.”

A flurry of question marks filled Ferda’s mind.

“Female noises?”

“A sound that’s the furthest thing from what a king should make. It’s second only to her screams as something she hates.”

Ferda had no idea what Ruri meant by “female noises.” But he didn’t feel the need to find out.

“What’s my issue, then?”

“You pushed yourself to the point of nearly dying just to save her.”

“Well, as long as I didn’t actually die, it’s fine.”

“That kind of reasoning doesn’t work. If you want to stand proudly as her fiancé, you should at least reach the 4th Circle.”

The 4th Circle. It was the stage officially considered the beginning of a true mage. Ferda wondered why she’d set the bar so precisely. So he quietly recalled and calculated the amount of mana he’d used that night.

‘The mana I used… was roughly equivalent to a 4th Circle mage.’

If not for the Red Circle, that much mana wouldn’t have been possible. If the Red Circle hadn’t spun so rapidly, he wouldn’t have been able to recover mana quickly enough either. If even one aspect had been off, Ferda would’ve ended up either dead or crippled.

‘But at the same time, it was only possible because it was me.’

The sheer endurance to withstand and channel such turbulent mana was only possible because he was a 9th Circle mage.

‘But because I pushed myself so far, it’ll be difficult to properly use the Red Circle for a while.’

Ferda estimated it would take about a month for him to return to his usual condition.

“As someone who is to become her husband, you should take better care of your body from now on. Don’t take unnecessary risks.”

Ruri adjusted the blanket on him, tucking it warmly up to his neck. It was a service she had never offered before.

“And for today, don’t think about anything. Just rest. If you need anything, call for me, and I’ll come. Understood?”

“Yes, I understand.” Ferda nodded obediently.

“And congratulations.”

“For what?”

“You’ve reached the 3rd Circle, haven’t you?”

“?” Ferda didn’t know what she was talking about—at least, not until he focused on his core.

‘…What’s this?’

Just as Ruri said, three circles were now spinning inside Ferda’s body. He had reached the 3rd Circle.

The next day, after confirming that he could move his body again, Ferda returned to his office and began talking with Vernel.

“I heard your research has made significant progress. Congratulations.”

“Ah, no, it’s really just the beginning…”

“A month and a half, wasn’t it? That’s quite a remarkable pace.”

“Well… yes, I suppose so.”

Vernel replied in a shaky voice. It was indeed an extraordinary pace. In just a month and a half, he’d achieved more meaningful progress than in the past seven years of research.

‘The equipment is better, the environment is better, and the samples are better, too…’

But above all, the pressure he’d been under had played the biggest role.

‘Am I the type who gets stronger when pushed to the limit?’

The lack of sleep made him feel like he was going crazy. But it wasn’t all bad—it allowed him to identify flaws he hadn’t noticed before and fix weak points in his work. By doing work that only a half-crazed person could endure, he’d solidified his hypotheses enough to move on to experiments.

“I don’t need any more living specimens, but now I’ll need a large number of monster corpses…”

“Monster corpses?”

Like finding sand in the desert or trees in the forest. There were plenty of monsters in the Far East.

“Are you talking about the ones from the frontlines, where Valdrova is fighting? Should I get some from there?”

“I heard she’s catching monsters as big as houses. But, well… I can’t exactly use those for my research. They’re too large…”

“Then why not make yourself bigger? Couldn’t you just use an enlargement spell? Echidna could probably use something like that.”

“No, it’s not about size. The real issue is that if such large corpses stay in the East for too long, they could cause contamination, turning the area into something like the Black Lands in the Far East. We definitely don’t want that. Besides, monsters that large might have different structures.”

“What do you mean by different structures?”

“Well, monsters that grow that big usually do so by consuming junk mana. The hardness and density of their tissues become extreme. If it’s too compact and crystallized, it becomes useless for research.”

Sensing that the conversation was heading into highly technical territory, Ferda grasped the general idea and simplified it.

“I think I understand what you mean. So, to make steady progress, you’ll need to focus on smaller ones first, right?”

“Yes. The ones I’m researching now are similar in size to the ones you caught for me, or maybe even smaller. They’re well-documented and easier to acquire…”

“How many monsters will you need, roughly? A few hundred?”

“Well…” Vernel hesitated, looking nervous.