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Episode 65. Salt and Sand
Thud!
A deep explosion sounded inside Abel’s body.
At the same time, Abel’s body went limp.
His groaning and trembling—everything stopped.
“Ah….”
Ruri gasped.
She thought.
This must be a dream.
She was actually in her bed, and a demon had sneaked into her room to show her this nightmare.
But she didn’t wake up.
The more she focused on waking up, the colder reality became.
“Aah….”
Ruri staggered forward, stepping toward Abel.
She flipped over his collapsed body.
His pupils had lost focus.
His pulse was gone.
His body was turning cold.
She tried using healing magic.
But she knew it was impossible.
His heart had shattered.
No Dragon Spawn could survive that.
Ferda must have known this, too.
Ferda had no intention of letting Abel live.
The sensation of this cruel scene, happening in the cold and dark snowstorm, stabbed into her mind.
The Silver Dragon’s Spawn was dead.
Her father’s other child had died today.
And what that child had seen—she could see too.
And the man who caused it stood right before her.
“You just….”
A voice squeaked out of her tight throat.
“Ferda… do you understand what you have done?”
“I do.”
Ferda answered calmly.
“It was murder.”
His voice was as cold as the northern air.
“This isn’t just murder, Ferda.”
Ruri’s hands trembled.
“You killed a child of Silverwind. You killed someone who carried that blood. Do you understand what that means?”
“I do.”
“No. You don’t.”
Ruri lifted her head.
She walked toward Ferda.
“You killed a descendant of a dragon. They will never stop seeking revenge.”
“I know.”
“They won’t stop until you die… They will never stop.”
“I know.”
“If you know that—!!”
Ruri grabbed Ferda by the collar.
“You wouldn’t have made this choice!”
Everything she had built—
“Because of your actions!”
Because of what Ferda did—
“The peace we protected for Valdrova is now broken!”
It crumbled so easily.
“Because of you… Because of you….”
Ruri lowered her head.
Her hands, gripping his collar, trembled.
Her legs wobbled as she barely supported herself.
She thought.
Can this be fixed?
Can this situation be smoothed over?
What will happen next?
She tried to predict what would come, but she couldn’t.
This was beyond her control.
There was no way to resolve this peacefully.
“Hah… Hah….”
Tension strangled her throat.
She gasped for breath.
Her head felt dizzy.
“This is… because of you.”
The words spilled from her lips—resentment.
“Valdrova was already happy without you.”
She spat out cruel words she didn’t mean.
“You…! You tried to enter her life…!”
But Ferda didn’t move.
Ferda simply looked down at her.
His eyes were like an adult gazing at a pitiful child.
“Ruri.”
“Don’t say my name with that mouth! Don’t—!”
“Ruri.”
A cold voice grabbed her, shaking her confusion.
“Look at me.”
Ruri raised her head.
Her lost silver eyes looked up at Ferda.
“Abel had to die. There was no other choice.”
“There were choices. And I made one.”
“The choice to abandon yourself was the worst one.”
“What does it matter if I’m there or not? You only care about Valdrova, don’t you? Wasn’t protecting peace the most important thing?”
“There was never peace to begin with.”
“There was! It was clear! The peace I created was real!”
Ruri snapped back.
A doubt rose in her heart—maybe she was wrong.
But she refused to believe it.
She didn’t want everything she had done to be meaningless.
“Ruri.”
Ferda asked.
“Was it me who broke the peace you made?”
“Yes.”
That was true.
“Was it me who put your fiancé in danger?”
“Yes.”
That was also true.
“Then… was I wrong?”
“……”
Ruri couldn’t answer.
She didn’t understand why she hesitated.
Ferda killed Abel.
Because of that, peace was broken.
Valdrova was in danger.
So, was he wrong?
No.
A part of her heart didn’t think so.
“You… are wrong.”
But she didn’t dare to admit it.
She stubbornly insisted.
“I see.”
Ferda pried her hands off his collar.
But her hands didn’t just fall.
Instead, he guided them up.
Ruri’s eyes widened.
He moved her hands higher, making them wrap around his neck.
“If I am wrong, then kill me here.”
Ruri’s voice trembled.
“Are you… Serious?”
“This is what I asked you to do.”
Ruri remembered.
When Ferda gathered his subordinates—
The last name he wrote was hers.
And he made a request.
“If I ever put your fiancé in danger or act wrongly, don’t hesitate to kill me.”
Ruri never believed it.
No living creature truly wanted to die.
Not humans, not Dragon Spawn.
Not even dragons.
But Ferda was different.
He had no hesitation in his eyes.
From the moment he killed Abel until now—
His resolve had never wavered.
Ruri spoke the question she had held deep in her heart.
“Ferda… do you not regret your actions?”
“I do not.”
Ferda had thought about it many times.
Before acting, he thought.
While acting, he thought.
Even now, he was thinking.
