I Married the Dragon I Killed

Chapter 20: Carrot and Stick

“Is this a monster?”

Jed looked down at something with a disgusted expression.

It was a monster brought in by the soldiers of Count Consilus.

A bear monster, locked inside a sturdy, thick stone container.

It was tightly bound with chains, and its joints had been broken and sealed, leaving it completely powerless, even if it tried to heal itself.

“Yes,” Ferda replied.

“I’ve never seen a monster before. I didn’t realize they were this revolting,” Jed said, grimacing.

“You sound like a sheltered noblewoman.”

“Well, I was raised with a certain level of care, you know. On the Red-Eye Clan’s side…”

Jed trailed off, his face bitter as he mentioned the Red-Eye Clan. His gaze shifted toward Ferda.

“So, why did you call me here?”

“I called you to perform your duties as an attendant,” Ferda said.

“Does it have something to do with this bear?”

Ferda nodded, looking down at the monster.

“…What exactly are you planning to do with it?”

“This thing is continuing to grow in size, even while restrained like this,” Ferda explained. “We’ve temporarily immobilized it, so it looks harmless now, but in about an hour, its heart will start beating again.”

“…I see,” Jed muttered.

“And when it’s in a life-threatening situation like this, it grows several times faster than normal.”

“So, what do you plan to do?”

Ferda raised his index finger and sliced the air sharply.

“Every three hours, you’ll have to cut off its flesh—all of it, including the tendons and nerves.”

Ferda patted Jed on the shoulder and added, “That’s what you’ll be doing.”

“…You’re saying I have to do this every three hours? How am I supposed to sleep?”

Ferda replied nonchalantly, “The followers in the southern region pray every three hours. Without fail, every day.”

“That has nothing to do with me! I’m not even from there! How can you expect me to do this every three hours like some machine?”

“If they can pray every three hours, you can manage this too.”

“Can’t I take turns with that maid girl instead?” Jed asked.

“As I said, she’s not my loyal servant. If you can convince her, I won’t stop you.”

“…”

Jed clamped his mouth shut.

Even someone like Jed, who thought he could charm women as easily as eating cake, found the dragon-spawned maid intimidating.

“Don’t worry too much. I’m not asking you to do this forever. Just until Vernel’s research produces results.”

“And how long will that take?”

“It could take months.”

“Months…?”

A hollow laugh escaped Jed’s lips.

He’d have to keep cutting into this monster every three hours for months?

-Grrrk, grrrk

The bear monster exhaled disgusting, guttural breaths.

Even though he hadn’t started cutting into it yet, Jed felt like he could already smell its nauseating stench.

“…Did you bring me on board just to make me do this kind of thing?”

“When else would I use you if not for this?” Ferda replied bluntly.

“Fine… I’ll do it. I just need to keep it up until the research is done, right?” Jed asked, his tone filled with hidden intent.

“Of course.”

“Haha, thank you so much for this wonderful task.”

Although his words were polite, his eyes burned with fury.

Jed’s eyes glowed red, radiating an intense light.

What the future held for Vernel was anyone’s guess, and Ferda wasn’t interested in the outcome.

He’d handle it however he saw fit.

—

Two days later, a horse returned to Valdrova Castle, carrying a passenger.

It was Vernel, who had been recuperating under Count Consilus’s care.

Having survived a brush with death due to mana burnout, he had finally returned.

‘Today’s me is different from yesterday’s me.’

Vernel was filled with excitement.

He believed that the new experiences he’d had had elevated him to a higher level.

‘From now on, I’ll dedicate my life to my research.’

If he wanted the power to change the world, he had to work for it.

He resolved to abandon his complacency and was prepared to burn himself out in pursuit of his goals.

With these thoughts, he set his sights on even greater heights.

After leaving his horse at the stable, Vernel noticed someone standing at the castle gates.

It was a stranger—someone he hadn’t seen before at Valdrova Castle, aside from Ruri and Ferda.

‘What a handsome guy…’

The man had brown hair tied back in a ponytail and a tall, imposing figure.

Even Vernel, as a man, couldn’t help but admire his looks.

The man smiled at him and began walking over.

As he got closer, Vernel noticed something he hadn’t been able to see from afar.

‘He looks tired…’

The man had faint dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t been sleeping well.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Jed,” the man said with a bright smile, introducing himself.

“Oh, hello. I’m Vernel,” Vernel replied.

“I’ve heard about you. By the way, how old are you?”

“Uh, I’m twenty-seven…”

“Ah, so you’re older than me. I’ll call you ‘hyung’ (big brother).”

“Uh… okay.”

“Let me guide you to the lab, Hyung,” Jed said cheerfully.

As Jed led him to the lab, Vernel thought to himself, ‘I never imagined someone this cool would call me hyung!’

Had all his hardships been worth it?

After struggling with the bear monster and barely surviving mana burnout, he was now being called “hyung” with pride.

The resentment he’d felt when he first came here was starting to fade away.

“This is the bear monster we captured alive,” Jed said, gesturing to the creature.

“Oh, right. It’s alive and well taken care of…”

“Of course. Do you know who’s been managing it?”

“You, Jed? Thank you.”

“Haha, no need to thank me,” Jed replied with a laugh.

He dragged a nearby chair noisily toward the entrance.

*Drraaaag*

For some reason, the sound was eerie, like something out of a nightmare.

Jed placed the chair in front of the entrance, sat down heavily, crossed his legs, and folded his arms.

It was as if he was blocking the entrance on purpose.

“Alright, get started.”

No, he *was* blocking the entrance.

“Sorry… what?”

“Your research. Let’s not waste time—start working now.”

Jed’s figure, dimly lit by candlelight, appeared far more intimidating than he had in daylight.

“Because of *hyung’s* research, this little brother here has to wake up every three hours with this dagger—”

*Bang!*

“Eek!”

“—and slice up that damn monster over there!”

“S-Sorry…!”

“Oh, no need to apologize. If hyung needs anything, just say the word, and I’ll get it for you. *Anything.* So don’t worry about a thing—just focus on your research,” Jed said with a blazing look in his eyes.

His gaze burned like the flames of hell, while the dagger he slammed into the table emitted an icy frost, as if from the depths of a frozen underworld.

“And if you’re tired? Well, you can just sleep when you’re dead, right?”

One word echoed in Vernel’s mind.

*Checkmate.*

—

The army moved along the main road.

At the front were two knights on horseback, followed by a flag bearer holding a banner emblazoned with a family crest.

In the center of the procession was a luxurious carriage, moving slowly.

Inside was Baron Guillot, traveling for official business.

His destination? Valdrova Castle.

The castle, perched on the lonely slopes of a mountain in the eastern region, was visible even from afar.

“Ugh…”

Baron Guillot groaned as his stomach churned.

The closer they got to the castle, the worse it became.

“Damn it. My father always said there’d be no reason to go to that place, but that was a complete lie…”

“Master, please take a deep breath,” his servant urged.

“Right, deep breaths. Hoo… The third son of the Guillot family can’t afford to be scared of something like this.”

“Exactly, Master! That’s the spirit!”

Baron Guillot took a deep breath.

Although he was now sluggish and overweight, he had once been a knight.

Granted, he was a knight in title only, never having set foot on a battlefield.

With no heroic tales or medals to his name, it was only natural that he was relegated to a remote barony.

“Don’t be too intimidated by that red lizard bastard’s fiancée. The Guillot family has strong connections, remember? Blood is thicker than water!”

“Y-Yeah, you’re right. But didn’t that guy kill someone from the Walcher family?”

“The Walcher family didn’t retaliate, did they? Honestly, it wouldn’t have been surprising if they’d been wiped out entirely. No one will dare to mess with the Guillot family.”

“You think so? Yeah, that’s probably true.”

Trying to reassure himself, Baron Guillot nodded at his servant’s words.

In the meantime, the carriage entered the castle grounds.

The carriage door opened, and a red carpet stretched out in front of Baron Guillot.

Standing in the middle of the carpet was a silver-haired maid.

The dragon-spawn of Valdrova.

“You’ve arrived,” she said.

“Y-Yes, I have,” the baron stammered.

“This way,” Ruri said, leading the way.

Baron Guillot, accompanied by his trusted knights, walked along the red carpet.

Though the castle was well-maintained and lacked any ominous aura, the empty halls, which should have been bustling with attendants and soldiers, unsettled him even more.

It felt as though he were crawling into the belly of a leviathan.

‘Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it…’

Finally, they arrived before a large door.

The door, engraved with the heroic tales of dragons, had a phrase clearly inscribed at human eye level:

*”Honor the master of strength and the primordial flame.”*

The door opened.

Inside, a man stood to greet Baron Guillot.

The Baron flinched and trembled.

“You’ve come a long way,” the man said.

Gray hair, blue eyes.

Those deep, lake-like eyes seemed to suffocate him just by looking into them.

It was Ferda Valdrova.

“You’re sweating a lot. Was the journey difficult?” Ferda asked.

“N-No, not at all. Haha…”

“I see. Then I suppose you’re out of shape. You should lose some weight. Obesity leads to early death, after all.”

“Thank you for your concern about my health.”

“This way,” Ferda said, gesturing for the Baron to sit on the opposite side of the table.

The sweat pouring down Baron Guillot’s face showed no sign of stopping.

“You’ve been working hard in the far eastern region.”

“It’s nothing worth mentioning! Compared to the burdens His Majesty carries, my tasks are as insignificant as a speck of dust.”

“True. Your duties are nothing more than a speck of dust.”

Ferda’s words, which had been flowing naturally, suddenly grew cold.

The atmosphere shifted.

Even Baron Guillot could sense it.

He had stepped into a trap.

“I didn’t want to look into it, but as regent, I’ve become more interested in such matters. So, I took the liberty of reviewing some of your documents.”

*Thud!*

Ferda dropped a stack of documents onto the table in front of the Baron.

“They show a lot of signs of forgery.”

Baron Guillot’s Adam’s apple bobbed nervously.

It would have been reasonable to get angry and ask why such a thing was being brought up now, but the baron couldn’t do anything of the sort.

He could only let Ferda continue speaking.

“There are far too many discrepancies. Do you know how much has gone missing as a result?”

Ferda pointed to a figure he had highlighted in the documents.

“3,000 goldens.”

Goldens were the unit used for counting gold coins.

“You pocketed 3,000 gold coins—an amount most of your people would never even dream of seeing in their lifetime.”

“Uh, uh, but I didn’t personally…”

“Of course, it wasn’t you who wrote this. Someone like you couldn’t possibly have such elegant handwriting.”

The handwriting in question was so refined that it practically screamed, *’This was written by a professional scribe.’*

Ferda already knew this.

“You probably took a small amount for yourself and gave some to those beneath you to make them accomplices. Those below them likely passed it along further, so the amount you actually pocketed is probably less than 3,000 goldens. But what is the nature of nobility? As much luxury as you enjoy, your neck should carry an equally heavy responsibility.”

Ferda moved on to the next document and began reading aloud.

“Embezzlement, forgery of official documents, violation of dignity…”

With each word Ferda spoke, Baron Guillot’s face seemed to age by a year.

“…According to imperial law, these crimes carry a minimum fine of 10,000 goldens. At worst…”

Ferda’s blue eyes bore into him.

“…you could be executed and have your head displayed on the castle gates.”

Suddenly, the image of Tesalos Walcher’s gruesome end flashed through the Baron’s mind.

His face pale, Baron Guillot dropped to his knees.

“Please, forgive me! I swear it won’t happen again! I beg you, Regent!”

“Hmm.”

Ferda stood up and patted the Baron on the shoulder.

“Listen carefully. I’m not telling you not to do such things.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t care how much you take for yourself. Whether it’s food or women like that prostitute, Rosemary—I don’t give a damn.”

“Then why are you…?”

“What I value is competence,” Ferda said.

“C-Competence…?”

“I prefer someone who’s a bit corrupt but capable over someone who’s clean but incompetent. A little deviation for the sake of the greater good is none of my business. But…”

Ferda leaned closer and whispered into the Baron’s ear.

“Prove your competence. Resolve the food supply issues and deal with the monster problems quickly. Bring stability to the lives of the people. Otherwise…”

Ferda waved the document in his hand.

“…this report might accidentally make its way to the imperial capital. The Emperor, as well as your family, would learn about your corruption. And then we’d see a fierce race to decide whether the imperial executioner or your family’s knights would be the first to claim your head. Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes, I understand! I’ll prove myself, I promise!”

“Good. That concludes our discussion. You may go.”

Baron Guillot left the room as if he had just escaped a guillotine, fleeing as fast as he could.

Ferda, looking satisfied, checked off Baron Guillot’s name on the list of meetings.

“Having someone to think through this for me is convenient,” he thought.

Despite being a grand mage, Ferda wasn’t particularly skilled in tedious administrative work.

To identify discrepancies and determine the penalties based on imperial law, one needed knowledge and experience—neither of which Ferda possessed.

The one who had become his brain for these matters was none other than Mori.

Though she looked like an innocent girl, she had encyclopedic knowledge in her head.

Ferda had given her the following instructions:

*”Review all the ledgers and reports. Summarize any inconsistencies and calculate the penalties based on imperial law.”*

Mori had nodded and quickly begun scanning the documents.

*Flap, flap—!*

Her reading speed was so fast it seemed inhuman, like she was only pretending to read.

She managed to complete in a short time what would have taken a team of people a week.

As a result, she compiled reports on the corruption of 14 lords, and Ferda was meeting with them one by one.

“Corruption doesn’t matter to me,” Ferda thought.

Just as there’s no fish without a fishy smell, there’s no noble without some corruption.

If they weren’t competent, he’d simply get rid of them.

As long as they could prove that their position wasn’t just inherited but earned, that was enough for him.

“That makes another lord leave crying like a child,” Ruri said, watching from the side.

“There are still about five more left,” Ferda replied.

“Are you planning to scare all of them like this? Are you trying to become a tyrant?”

“Scare them? I’ve only used the whip for the first time today.”

“The whip…?”

“It’s about the carrot and the stick. Alternating between the two is the key to strategy.”

Ruri tilted her head, recalling their interactions so far.

“But you’ve only been whipping them mercilessly.”

“Have I?”

“Yes. It seems like you’re crushing them with fear. Or have you become so used to inflicting pain that your standards have changed?”

“Hmm…”

Ferda hadn’t realized that he’d been using the whip exclusively.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

Even if Ruri was right, Ferda had no intention of handing out carrots just yet.

“These fools have been squandering the carrot supply for far too long. It’s time to put them to work.”

“You’re not wrong about that,” Ruri said, nodding in agreement.

Ferda Valdrova.

For the sake of the principality’s development, he continued wielding his whip with vigor.