"Wait a minute." I intervened in their serious discussion. "To sum it up, Prince Lorenz has joined forces with the wizards of the Lawless Zone. And if they are members of the Frost Tower, they must have been against His Highness Kyle for quite some time, correct?"
"Yes," Belial confirmed.
"So, if Prince Lorenz wins this battle, he could help the mages exert pressure on the North?"
"I'm certain that will happen, brother," Belial replied, and Kyle cautiously added, "This might be your last chance to capture them. I haven't directly moved against them before."
"Well, it could be," I replied nervously. "Then, is it different if Prince Belial becomes Emperor?"
Just because their current fates had changed didn't mean their relationship had completely improved. That was a given. Belial had despised Kyle's origins and previously pressured the North. Without looking far back, he had even ventured into the territory himself to cause trouble during the Northern Festival. I was glad I had stopped the chandelier; otherwise, would Belial have ever questioned where it came from, given his character? Even if he became Emperor, it didn't seem like he would be considerate of Kyle. On the contrary, it would be a blessing if I wasn't set as his next target.
"Can His Highness Belial promise not to pursue a policy of repression against the North?"
Belial stared at me, his gaze sharp, as if he doubted my intentions. But I didn't hesitate or back down. It wasn't that my faith had been shaken; I hadn't believed in anyone from the start. I absolutely did not trust anyone, because I knew how undeserved and dangerous such trust could be.
"In a way, this is a natural point. It is good. I swear."
"..."
"I will not pursue a policy of oppression against the North, and I will swear on my name. I cannot joke that I have good feelings for Kyle, but I am not so shameless that I cannot distinguish between matters of state and personal sentiment."
Kyle looked at me, a little surprised. It seemed that his anger had prevented him from thinking so clearly.
No, that's not right, I thought. You have to ask for what you need and receive everything you deserve.
"Let's write a contract."
What remained was the contract. Oh, yes.
Belial asked if swearing on his name wasn't enough, but I replied flatly, "No, it's not enough." What was the use of a name and honor? Sometimes, what truly motivates a person isn't a fleeting will that might disappear with the situation. It's the fear of disadvantage. That's the only way to keep people on edge.
"What I'm asking for..." Belial, his face showing a hint of exasperation, eventually pulled out a parchment scroll and began to write.
"Cain Jane Meinhardt's 'Hunt' Participation in the War.Provide information on how to kill demons and beasts, and do not disclose any political secrets to the outside world.Escort Belial Serena Meinhardt as much as possible without threatening his life."
These were simple conditions, few in number, but each one was a significant issue.
"That's about it," he concluded.
"I agree," Kyle said softly and picked up a quill. Then he wrote down his conditions in a single line.
"After Belial Serena Meinhardt's accession to the throne, we will not pursue a policy of oppression against the North, we will respect the northern Blake estate, and we will honor Kyle Blake as the Grand Duke.The treatment of mages captured in the 'Hunt' should be handed over to Blake's estate.Actively share information related to 'Frost Tower' and 'Wizards of the Lawless Zone'."
Kyle's hand, which had been forming a beautiful typeface, paused.
"Shu."
Yes? Suddenly calling me? "What?"
"Is there anything you want?" Kyle stared at me and asked.
...I knew I was going to follow him. I didn't know if he would die or live in a political dispute, so I was going to be with him as a community of destiny.
"It's my destiny. I would like to include what my companion wants in the conditions."
He looked gentle, but there was a hidden firmness. However, his gaze that met mine was kind. His expression, as if telling me to say anything I desired, warmed my heart. I was happy that Kyle recognized me as someone truly important and needed. I felt like crying. How long had it been since someone told me to do whatever I wanted and asked me what I wished for?
"I have a wish." I took a short breath and spoke quickly. "I'm going too."
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared, but I thought it would be okay. I had the system, and if I encountered a problem, I could use items or turn off 'load' to avoid it.
"I know you're not used to horseback riding yet. It's the same with archery."
How many modern people were familiar with horseback riding and archery? Just imagining riding a horse still made my stomach churn.
"I'll go anyway."
Kyle was a little displeased, but he didn't want to break my will. I thought I would follow him anyway, so I asked, "And?"
"If Kyle's life is in danger, I will retreat immediately. Don't take any responsibility for that. Assistance is limited to the extent that it does not harm His Highness's safety."
Belial nodded obediently. "Good. Is there more?"
"Hmm..." I thought for a moment, then answered, "Please protect Sen."
"..."
"It means don't let your brothers see blood in quarrels. Aren't you going with Sen too? If His Highness hadn't come forward at the engagement ceremony, Sen would have been hurt. It cannot be said that His Highness Belial bears no responsibility."
"...I did."
"So, please protect him properly this time."
I couldn't tell them to love each other. That was their business. Whether Sen and Belial would join hands for revenge, or genuinely feel sorry for each other, or simply desire each other's destruction. I hadn't read
Belial didn't answer right away. He just stared at Sen, and then at me. An indescribably complicated gaze flowed through the conference hall.
Belial replied with a short sigh. "I promise."
The proposal I had just made was not written in the contract. However, I could see it. Belial would keep his promise. It was a slightly different emotion from awareness or conviction. It was as if I had a sad premonition, I just thought that it would happen someday.
Before I knew it, the time for 'importing' was coming to an end. However, Kyle and Belial seemed to have something left to talk about, so I decided to get up first.
"I'll take you there, Shu." Sen followed me to his seat. I hesitated for a moment, then said goodbye to Kyle and Belial and left the room with Sen. This is better than going alone... He seems to have something to say. It's sweet, I thought.
The door to the conference room closed. Only the sound of my and Sen's footsteps echoed along the hallway. Perhaps because the atmosphere of the whole castle was chaotic, there were no passers-by even in the wide corridors. As if the commotion of the previous day was a lie, only the midday sunlight shining through the thin glass shimmered softly.
How long did we walk like that? Sen, who seemed to have something to say, just walked ahead and said nothing. As if he was choosing his words or lost in thought, he simply walked with his head down, looking at the ground.
In the end, I slowed down and spoke first. "Are you okay?"
Then Sen turned to me. "It's okay."
"..."
"I didn't ask you not to help Belial, and I made a condition for His Highness Kyle's safety. Neither of you should blame you, Shu."
I said as if making excuses, "His Highness Kyle's safety is more important to me."
"I would have said that too." Sen was smiling. His voice was the same as usual, as if he really didn't care.
But I knew it wasn't really okay. I had no choice but to know, even if no one else did. Whenever someone asked me if I was okay, I would always say that and laugh.
"It doesn't have to be all right."
"..."
"It's just. I used to endure self-hypnosis to say that I should be okay, but now that I think about it, I don't think it was okay to ignore it like that. It must have festered. How can the world be made up of things that can be endured? That's ridiculous."
We must not just endure it. Sometimes you have to look at the wound and apply ointment, even if it hurts. If you just cover it up because you don't want to see it, you will live with a new wound on top of a wound that has never healed. If it's not okay, it's not okay. It can never be okay. Even if I said that, it wouldn't change the situation. Nevertheless.
I lived for a very long time without knowing it. I was only focused on saving myself and didn't take care of myself. I ate the word "okay" like a painkiller and thought that if I just ate and slept, I would live.
'I was so ignorant...', I mused. So, at some point, I couldn't control my rotten insides. I was always very sick during the rainy season. Sometimes I fell into a long sense of helplessness, and I just repeated the tasks given to me without knowing where the breakdown was. I wasn't happy. Maybe it was because it festered for so long that I only remembered that it hurt, and I couldn't rejoice in what I should be happy about.
So Sen, I hope you don't do that. He deserves to be happy more than anyone else, and he lives more intensely to be happy than anyone else.
"..."
Sen, who listened to me quietly, opened his mouth, his expression tearful.
"...I did it because I wanted to."
"I know."
"I killed my parents... I can't forgive Serena."
"Yes."
"It's nothing more than using people for revenge."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'm not as nice or naive as you think. If you knew how terrifyingly I lived... Shu, you might never want to see my face again."
Sen stopped walking completely and buried his face in his palms. "...But it was definitely like that." Tears came out of his voice. I waited patiently for Sen's words, until he found the courage to follow up with the next ones.
Soon, Sen said in a small voice that seemed to be whispering, "I'm worried about His Highness Belial. So much so that I don't want him to go... I want to tell them not to go. I know it's really embarrassing, but I still wanted to ask you and His Highness Kyle to help him."
Some sincerity can be relieved just by revealing it. Sen looked up; he wasn't crying, but he looked like he had let go of a heavy burden. I nodded to him and opened my mouth.
"His Highness Belial has become precious."
"..."
"Come to think of it, I couldn't say this."
"Congratulations on your engagement, Sen."
Sen bit his lip and smiled brightly. Bathed in the pouring spring sun, he truly looked radiant.