Chapter 114
The Demon King of the North repeated in a doubtful voice.
“Dragon musk? That can’t be. Even if it comes from a monster, for it to have such an effect means…”
Schwarz quickly thought of a possibility.
“Don’t tell me that Sea Serpent was… a Demon King–class monster?”
“Yes.”
Schwarz’s poker face began to falter.
Ariella held out the perfume bottle.
This time, he didn’t bother pretending disinterest. He took it immediately.
“What kind of effect does it have?”
“Mind-related magic.”
His hand, which had been about to open the lid, stopped.
“Don’t worry. It’s not harmful. You’ll understand once you try it yourself.”
Cecile’s research had already proven it.
She and the research team had discovered the effect after spending nights experimenting.
“If you spray this perfume before sleeping, you can dream of whatever you want.”
Schwarz’s brow twitched.
His expression showed he wasn’t ready to believe so easily.
He looked down at the label attached to the bottle.
“‘Key of Dreams?’”
“That’s its name.”
Ariella had personally given it the brand.
Below, a few promotional lines were written:
‘Lingering notes crafted with magic – Design your own dreams.’
‘Dragon musk held for centuries by the Sea Serpent, ruler of the southern seas! Extracted essence of the ocean’s jewel!’
Of course, these dreams were just dreams.
They had no effect on reality. All they did was stir memories and emotions.
That was why it had to be sold in the North—where people were willing to pay big money purely for luxury and pleasure.
“The way to use it is simple. Right before sleeping, breathe in this scent while imagining the dream you want.”
Ariella spoke passionately.
“The types of dreams? Endless. You can relive the happiest moment of your life. You can reunite with a family member or lover you’ll never meet again. Or recall precious childhood memories.”
Her voice grew hotter.
She sounded like a merchant with decades of experience.
“Or you could live the thrilling life you’ve only imagined. What about dreaming you became the Great Demon King and united the demon realm? Or walking through a city in the clouds that doesn’t exist? Or attending a banquet of the gods? There are no limits. In your heart’s world, anything is possible.”
“……”
Schwarz’s eyes deepened as he looked at the bottle.
“And one more bonus. As long as you use this, you’ll never suffer nightmares again—unless you’re someone strange enough to want them.”
“Side effects?”
“Addiction, physical or mental, is highly unlikely. Think of it this way: you have to sleep anyway, so why not sleep with the dream you want? Anyone can accept that.”
In fact, Ariella explained, it even calmed the mind and raised average productivity.
Seeing Schwarz waver, she drove the nail deeper.
“This perfume isn’t just a luxury. It’s a key—a key to moments scattered beyond time, to sensations we only imagined, to every possibility we long for.”
* * *
After Ariella and Ludwig left the room,
Schwarz summoned his best magic researchers and alchemists.
They tested the brandy for poison and confirmed whether the perfume’s magic was harmful.
“There are no toxins. It really is a distilled liquor made from grapes.”
“The perfume truly holds a trace of mental magic. But it isn’t the harmful kind. Its power is limited—suitable for entertainment, nothing more.”
After the experiments, Schwarz called a subordinate.
“Echelon.”
The demon who entered had short blond hair and horns twisted in a peculiar direction.
“You called?”
Most of the people in Schwarz’s domain feared him—because of his cold aura and terrifying power.
But the high-ranking demon Echelon showed no fear at all.
Though his face looked boyish, he had served Schwarz for over a hundred years.
“Take this.”
“What is it?”
“Liquor. Call in some merchants and have them test its market value. See if it’ll sell well even at a high price.”
“Liquor from the South? You think it’ll sell here?”
“…The taste and aroma aren’t bad.”
“What? If you say that, then it must be incredible!”
No one knew Schwarz’s picky tastes better than Echelon.
“Strange. To think the South could create something like this.”
He scratched his golden hair.
“They don’t have much, yet they even managed to sail across the sea. Honestly, I thought it was creepy. That’s not ordinary persistence.”
“They didn’t cross the sea by willpower alone. Seems they have some technology. …And the strength to hunt a Demon King–class monster.”
“Oh?”
Schwarz handed him the liquor bottle, but kept the smaller perfume bottle.
The one labeled Key of Dreams.
He intended to test it personally tonight.
“By the way, my lord.”
“Hm?”
“Did you hear? Among those who came from Ludwig’s territory, there’s a Gold Dragon hatchling.”
“Yes. Debel reported it.”
That news had already spread throughout the Demon King’s castle and even into the city outside.
Not just any dragon, but a Gold Dragon—believed to exist only in legend.
Why it was with demons, no one knew.
“A dragon has never visited a Demon King’s castle before.”
Naturally, there was no precedent to follow.
“The steward was panicking about how to treat it diplomatically, what kind of room to prepare for it, but…”
“But?”
“The hatchling insists on sharing a room with the human woman. You know, Ludwig’s contractor. What was her name?”
“Ariella.”
“Ah, right. Ariella.”
Echelon clapped as if remembering at last.
In his flat voice, Schwarz asked:
“Why is the dragon so insistent?”
“It says it has to stay close and protect her in this unfamiliar land. Ridiculous. As if we’d harm her.”
Schwarz fell silent, turning the words over in his mind.
Echelon voiced the thought that came to him.
“Maybe the Gold Dragon’s reason for being with them isn’t Ludwig… but that human. Strange, isn’t it?”
Speculation was rampant throughout the castle.
Most believed there must have been some deal between Ludwig and the dragons.
But what they observed told a different story. It looked more like the hatchling was tied to the human, not the Demon King.
Schwarz cut off his subordinate’s rambling.
“Echelon.”
“Yes?”
“How much do we know about Ludwig’s territory?”
“Honestly? Almost nothing. Our information network doesn’t reach the South. And until now, there was no reason to care.”
“Gather as much intel as you can.”
“…Really?”
Echelon sounded surprised.
“You always said that backwater held no interest for you.”
Schwarz thought of the woman—
the one who hadn’t flinched before him, who spoke with the confidence of a seasoned merchant,
the one a Gold Dragon insisted on guarding.
Her face surfaced in his mind as he answered.
“It does now.”
