Chapter 58
Karun Davis.
There was no way I could forget that pale face that used to listen to me like some bumbling fool. Now he was just a discarded card, no longer useful.
“I didn’t expect her to ask me about Karun. If she’s suspicious of me, wouldn’t it make more sense to investigate me first? Why bring up Karun so openly?”
Perhaps this woman was a strategist far beyond President Jang’s expectations.
Suddenly, the black magician’s warning surfaced in his mind.
“Be cautious. That woman possesses truly strange power.”
Damn it, that might be right. I underestimated her.
President Jang clenched his teeth and quickly worked his brain.
“First, I need to deal with the dragon she keeps by her side.”
The dragon that once ruled the seas was now stuck inside her bag, refusing to come out.
It only popped out briefly when they fought goblins and then immediately dove back inside.
To observe the dragon closely, President Jang had no choice but to suggest riding in the same carriage as Jiana.
After tolerating a few annoying questions, he finally got to touch the dragon.
As he examined the dragon up close, he flinched in surprise.
“It regained its reason…?”
Five years ago, President Jang had placed the newborn dragon in its sea territory and planted a suggestion on it—one that would make it ferocious and tyrannical.
But now the careful suggestion had been completely undone.
Even if the dragon was young, it was still a dragon. Re-implanting that suggestion into such a powerful being would take immense time and effort.
Annoyance flared up, and losing control of his power, he startled the baby dragon, which immediately sensed it and shrieked.
“Kkeuaaaaah!”
“G-Ga-Gari? What’s wrong?”
Apparently unable to endure the sensation it hadn’t felt in so long, the baby dragon shattered the window and bolted from the carriage.
Jiana and the Grand Duke jumped out after it, startled.
President Jang murmured to himself while watching them run.
“Well, at least I stopped the immediate threat, I suppose.”
Restoring it to a cruel tyrant would take more time, but at least he no longer had to worry about losing track of the dragon.
Slowly raising his hand, he rubbed the gem embedded in his ring.
“…This is Jang Wonsing. It seems you were right.”
His low voice lingered in the quiet carriage.
Where Gari disappeared to was a desolate plain.
After wandering around for a long time, I finally managed to find Gari trembling far away from the carriage.
“I-I hate that man! And that carriage too! I’d rather you ride on my back!”
Gari stubbornly refused to go anywhere near President Jang.
Even when I asked why, he only shook his head and trembled like a leaf, so we had no choice but to part ways with President Jang right then.
Suspicious as he was, Gari’s condition worried me more.
“I’ll get Karun’s and the mages’ approvals soon and contact you, President Jang.”
“Very well. I’ll wait.”
After he left in his carriage, we rented our own and headed back to the capital.
Letting us ride on exhausted Gari felt like animal abuse at that point.
Gari, still trembling, soon collapsed asleep on my lap from exhaustion.
Across from me, Grand Duke Ruppelen stared out the window.
“Your Grace, can we talk?”
“…About what.”
“You’ve been sulking for days.”
“Don’t make me sound like some petty man.”
“You just confessed you are one. You are petty.”
“I said I’m not.”
Without looking at me, he continued staring out.
Ever since my “Operation: Raise Favorability With President Jang,” he had been like this.
I leaned toward him.
“Feelings don’t get understood unless you talk about them. Otherwise, they pile up and your heart closes.”
“My mermaid knows so much. How admirable.”
“But you’re still calling me mermaid, so you’re not completely sulking.”
I tapped his knee, and finally he looked at me in defeat.
“Can I be honest?”
“Of course. Expressing your feelings is good.”
“I don’t like that you let people drag you around doing favors.”
“When did I ever get dragged around?”
“Why lend the hero’s name to those Fen-Sing brats? They can catch goblins themselves.”
“The Emperor himself asked. I can’t just dump the responsibility.”
“And why do you care about those mages who signed with Karun?”
“I can’t just let people who might die be ignored.”
“See? That’s exactly why I stopped talking to you. You don’t listen.”
“I said express your feelings, not that I’d agree to all of them.”
Traveling with the Grand Duke had improved me in one area—arguing.
I used to always lose. Now I sometimes won.
This must be what “surpassing the master” feels like!
The Grand Duke finally surrendered.
“Fine. Who could ever win against my mermaid.”
“You don’t need to win. It’s peaceful if you don’t even try.”
“Hmph. As long as you don’t get yourself taken advantage of.”
“So what if I do? You’re rich, Your Grace—you’ll cover me. Won’t you?”
“…You even say the right things sometimes.”
I giggled and stroked Gari.
The dragon’s breathing grew calmer as it slept on my lap.
Dragons weren’t ordinary beings.
If someone could inflict this much fear on Gari, then President Jang definitely wasn’t ordinary either.
Once I freed all the mages, I might have to clash with him.
With the calm before the storm hanging in the air, our carriage sped toward the capital.
The hero inauguration prepared by the Astrian Empire was on a different level from that of Tian Kingdom.
Everything glittered with gold, jewels adorned every surface—it was blinding.
“W-What is this? Why is it so luxurious?”
I stuttered in shock, and Grand Duke Ruppelen looked pleased, as if he had organized the ceremony himself.
“Of course. You can’t compare a grand empire to a mere kingdom. My duchy alone pays as much annual tax as Tian’s entire budget.”
“Wow…”
Honestly, if they were going to plaster the walls with gold like that, they could have just peeled some off and given it to me instead.
And the jewels—oh, how tempting!
While I was gawking, Emperor Eveline entered.
“Grand Duke, did you return safely? Did you happen to feel like marrying me yet?”
“Not at all.”
“That makes the 206th rejection. Then Hero, will you marry me?”
“I’m sorry, but I must refuse…”
“That makes your second rejection. Oddly painful.”
The audience seemed used to the emperor’s serial proposals.
Thankfully, that let me laugh it off like a joke—can’t have rumors spreading that the hero rejected the emperor seriously.
After a brief greeting, I received my hero maintenance fund—a bag so heavy I peeked inside out of sheer curiosity.
And—oh my goodness!
“How many coins is this?”
The Grand Duke peeked in and chuckled.
“Shocked because the unit is completely different from Tian’s?”
“It’s—like ten times more…? Are you sure the Empire budget can handle this?”
“You worried about my duchy’s finances last time, and now the Empire’s? So selfless.”
The bag was too heavy for me, so I handed it to the strong Grand Duke.
“Don’t you dare sneak even one coin. Got it?”
“Sneak one coin? Jiana, you still don’t know me. You should fear receiving double back.”
He muttered in disbelief and began introducing nobles and famous figures at the banquet.
“This is Count Winston. Over there is Duke Crimson—stuffy old man, be careful. And someone you’ll really want to meet—Olivia Karenne, the head of Karenne Trading Company.”
“Oh! The one who’ll handle fans for me in the Empire?”
“That’s right. Hero Jiana, pleased to meet you. You won’t regret choosing our merchant guild.”
Great—next summer, my business in the Empire could finally begin!
I happily chatted with Olivia until the Grand Duke nudged me.
“Jiana, someone you’ve been wanting to meet is here.”
“Who?”
He pointed to a woman with neatly tied white hair. She bowed politely.
“I am Melina, head of the Imperial Magic Academy.”
