Revol was dutifully watching the proceedings at the King’s Plaza.
General Molton had specifically asked him to watch over the venue, and so he lurked between the spectators that were growing in numbers the more time passed. He was even dressed in civilian attire and not his uniform so he could mingle better. He did keep his trusty knife on him, however.
He thought it was careless of the Queen to hold this highly public event while under the threat of assassination, but it wasn’t his place to criticize her, only do what he was ordered to. His job was simply to watch the crowd for any suspicious activities.
Well, even if an assassin appeared it would be quite difficult for Revol to act within this thick crowd—but then again, the same went for the enemy. As well as the Queen, come to think of it. Many guards kept a protective circle around the constructed stage, but he was still unsure how Levia could even approach it.
This stage had been built by Lord Qumisson, who even now stood near it, seemingly watching the crowds just like Revol. Revol also took time to look at him as well; he’d been warned that the old Lord would possibly be up to something. Even he, a mere young officer, heard that the man was a major part of the anti-Levia faction, so this could be a rare chance for the nobleman. Revol never did like people like that.
As he kept walking and glancing around, he also noticed from afar the familiar figure of Professor Saburn due to how prominent his wheelchair was even within the masses of people. And sure enough, next to him was his protégé, Mallew.
There was something about the young woman that caught Revol’s eye from the very first time he’d met her. Revol didn’t have much experience with women, unlike his brother, but she was just… different. It wasn’t even the fact that she wasn’t quite feminine, really, and it wasn’t like he had no other female acquaintances in the army, but he still found himself attracted.
Yes, he admitted it.
Revol tore his gaze away; he couldn’t focus on her right now, as his mission was far more important. The supposed time of the address had already passed and the Queen was late, so she might show up any moment now, which might also mean her enemies would make their move as well.
He still caught himself stealing glances at Mallew from time to time. This in turn also led him to recall the rude Callun, something that annoyed him so much that he bumped into a young man while not paying attention.
“Watch your step, idiot,” the other party spat, but then froze and widened his eyes. Revol did the exact same, because that man was none other than the person he just had in mind. Talk about bad luck. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you think?” Revol answered sarcastically, gesturing at the crowd. This caused Callun’s frown to deepen.
“Stay out of my business,” he said, his neat features distorting in anger.
“Excuse me? This is a public—”
“I’m not talking about this,” Callun hissed, jabbing a finger in Revol’s shoulder. “I’m talking about my other dealings. You should be wary, soldier. The ruler of this country might change at any given moment.” This last sentence he said with an eerie smile.
Revol arched his brows in confusion. “What exactly are you…” he barely managed to mumble, but this time another thing entirely cut him off. There were a few shocked exclaims from the people around.
“What’s that?”
“What, where?”
Following the tumult, both men looked up to the sky, where something was approaching the plaza, growing closer and closer. It seemed to be not quite human.
“Is it a bird?” Callun wondered aloud.
“Or the beasts?!” Revol said, feeling his body tense up. “No, wait… it’s Molton!”
The silhouette only seemed so strange because it was not a single person, but two people, one carrying the other in their arms. General Molton gently lowered himself toward the stage with Queen Levia in his embrace.
Apparently, it was finally time for the public speech.
There was no time to waste, so even while still running down the stairs and hearing worrying sounds of destruction from the giant tree she was currently inside of, Niu focused on the image of the sleeping woman and called out to her.
O great Goddess, have you come to pay me a visit? I do not wish to fight you or the man, Niu told her. What is your goal?
As expected, just like during her previous attempt, the answer arrived as a jumbled mess of sentences and faint images inside Niu’s mind.
“Wishing for the sun to shine ever brighter/sinking into the bottom of the ocean to seek reprieve/understanding that this world will one day perish.”
As always it was incomprehensible, but even so Niu felt she could understand the general gist. The Goddess held some strange malice, and wasn’t about to let go of it so easily. This much Niu could understand.
There were now the shouts and other accompanying sounds that indicated an ongoing fight—and they were growing closer with each passing second.
“Do you think they’ll, be able to hold her back?” Niu asked, surprised at her own casualness. Her heart was beating loudly, but she somehow found herself not as anxious as she thought.
“I don’t know,” Roah admitted, looking pale. “According to Gen we should try to focus our attacks on the man, but that would apparently still be difficult…”
“Then I’ll try speaking to that man,” Niu said without even slightly hesitating.
“What?” Roah immediately replied, nearby stopping in place. “No. We have to get you to safety.”
Niu wasn’t impressed. “Is there any safety, here?” she asked. “Can we even defend, against that attack?”
The direct answer to her question came in the form of the nearby wall simply being torn off as it was made of paper instead of thick wood. At first came the mass of tentacle-like hairs, then the two figures held by it, and finally the peaceful Goddess herself.
“How did they even find us? Dammit!” cussed Roah and turned to the side. Niu had a feeling that her earlier action had contributed to this, but said nothing. “Take her!” One of the accompanying laborers grabbed Niu and leapt away exactly as the stairs were hit and crumbled under them. Stunned, she watched Roah and a few of the other laborers lose their footing and fall down.
“Stop this!” Niu called through NiU. This was not the time, but she felt regretful that the small laborer’s voice was quite low and didn’t sound authoritative enough. “I wish to talk with you!”
She focused on the two figures other than the Goddess. One was a gaunt man, a horrible expression on his face along with stubble, dirt and blood. In his arms he was holding a delicate fairy with long hair that seemed to be only half-conscious, bleeding from some wound. Was he actually carrying them while creating a battlefield around him?
At the very least he now seemed somewhat hesitant, so Niu hurriedly spoke again. “We will take care of them,” she said, gesturing toward the fairy. “But there is no need, for us to fight.”
The man glanced downwards and then back at Niu as if trying to comprehend her suggestion. “You will… take care of her?”
“If you wish for it,” said Niu, nodding. “We do not desire combat. I am not yet aware, of your full, circumstances, but we were looking for, you. We wanted to bring you here. Someday, we can all go, home together.”
The man widened his eyes. “Listen… to them,” said a low voice that Niu took a short while to realize came from the wounded fairy.
“But you… you abandoned me!” the man slowly raised his voice. “You haven’t come to get me all these years! And when I tried getting you there, I—”
“I believe that there, has been a, misunderstanding,” Niu interjected. “We believe that you’ve, been manipulated by, the Stroba. We can discuss all of this. All you need to do is, stop fighting.”
“But I… I want…!” he insisted, his eyes darting all around and his body shaking. The Goddess stood still, her hairs gently caressing the destroyed wooden floor and wall. “I can’t… how do I…”
“Give us the fairy,” asked Niu. “You want them to be, treated, right? Then there’s no time, to spare. We can reach an, understanding. Please!”
She was almost getting through—she could feel it. She was very nervous about this, but found herself valiantly withstanding the pressure. This lone fact almost made her break into a smile.
Niu was no longer the weak girl she’d been a few years before. Now she was a dignified Queen who could solve anything. Now that she had a voice, she also had people who would listen to her. Back in Plainland she would have never managed anything like that no matter how much she tried.
She was in full control: both of herself and of her destiny. Some damage was done, of course. They probably piled plenty of casualties by now. She didn’t want to think about any of them right now, Roah included. As long as she herself was alive, she would solve this entire mess.
Now, all Niu had to do was wait for him to accept.
Qumisson couldn’t believe his own eyes. He was just wondering when Queen Levia was finally going to grace them with her presence when he’d heard a commotion among the crowd and noticed something descending from the skies. His own bodyguards swarmed around him but he already realized that it was Molton.
Molton was bleeding and roughened up, with Levia also bruised to a certain extent, her luxurious dress and hair ruined. Even so she was smiling as naturally as ever when she got off to the ground.
All sorts of thoughts immediately ran through Qumisson’s mind. When he got over the what in the name of the Gods? phase, he immediately connected the dots and realized that something happened to her while on the way.
Was it an accident? An attack? Most likely the latter. And if so, had it been perhaps carried out by his assassin?
In order to be as safe as possible and leave no trails, he made no direct contact with the agent, giving them total freedom. He’d left everything up to them, including the opportunity and method, so he couldn’t tell whether it was their work or not.
Qumisson cursed himself for thinking about all of this just as the Queen approached him. Dangerous, but he was pretty sure that she couldn’t actually read his literal thoughts. Probably.
“Great Gods above, Your Majesty, what happened?” he asked her.
“I will address everything shortly,” she said softly, patting her dress as she walked toward the stage, “I have to focus on the crowd now.”
“But you are in no condition to—”
Levia smiled. “On the contrary, Lord Qumisson. This is the best condition for me to have the speech. Excellent work here, by the way.”
She definitely knew how infuriated he was. If she really was going to perform her public address after whatever it was that happened as if everything was normal, she would be making a mockery of both the occasion and her station.
Not even giving him a chance to reply, Levia climbed to the stage, her torn dress fluttering in the wind. “Greetings, my subjects and citizens!” she called, her voice barely rising above the tumult of the great crowd. “Please be silent!”
After a few more shouts from the surrounding guards, the crowd finally began to quieten down, slowly but surely, until there were only a few murmurs and coughs. Everyone gazed at the obviously battered Queen on top of the stage.
“As you can all see—there has been a bit of an incident on my way here, if you will allow me an understatement,” Levia prefaced. There were again murmurs among the crowd until Levia raised her hand and lowered it. “I will be frank with you all. There was an attempt on my life.”
This time there was a shocked silence. So it was just as Qumisson had suspected. Common sense indicated that this huge happening would cancel the event—and indeed he hoped for it to be so—but apparently the Queen had different plans. And she would definitely know how furious he was at that.
“You might be wondering why I am here, then,” she continued as if to answer his question. “Firstly, to show my good citizens that I will never yield to any violent attempt to threaten my life or my rule’s stability. To show you I have emerged victorious from this vicious attack.” She wore a smile like that of a flower in full bloom. An artificial flower, perhaps, but masterfully recreated and almost indistinguishable from reality to the casual observer. “Secondly, because I have made a promise to appear in front of you—and I take that promise seriously. After all, I have something very important to tell all of you.”
Qumisson barely stopped himself from widening his eyes. Something very important? This was supposed to be a simple speech to raise morale and calm the Kingdom in these trying times. Even so, he had the feeling that Levia was referring to more than that, despite nothing else appearing in the script he himself had written and she’d approved.
Suddenly he had a bad feeling. What if she was going to expose him in public, somehow? Had she managed to get proofs or evidence? Had she organized this entire thing and made sure he’d attend it as a trap?
If so, he had a trap of his own, even knowing how dangerous it was.
It was difficult to manage, but he’d installed something small in the stage… an inconspicuous board, able to be folded and set the entire stage to collapse by a simple mechanism. All he needed to do was send a sign to one of his personal guards to use his channeling. Of course, it was unlikely to actually kill the Queen, but it could at least injure her enough to stop this entire mess.
Even so he hesitated. She was playing with his mind either way. She might even be trying to purposely provoke him. He’d been suspicious of her from the very moment she’d nominated him for this job. Whether or not she was actually aiming to catch him in some sort of trap, she certainly wanted him to think so.
Curse you, he shouted in his heart, I will have you killed for sure, one way or another… you will be following my wife to the other side!
“These are difficult times,” the Queen said, “times when all of us live in uncertainty, with people preparing to fight each other for their gain—as you can see from my present appearance.” She tugged at her half-ruined dress. “But this is why I have come to inform you that there is nothing to fear. I have come to tell you… that we have unexpected allies.”
Many different feelings and desires were fighting one another inside Zade.
He’d managed to come all the way here to Kalden—to the place he wanted to unleash his wrath on. Even so, he found the one he thought he’d hate the most to be understanding and kind. The so-called Queen of Kalden offered him help and support.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Was it fine for him to just believe her?
Moanin had claimed that the people of Kalden were always scheming, lying and manipulating. That if they truly were interested in him, they would have already come long ago. However, Zade already realized that he, too, had been deceived and controlled all along. That Moanin and Monan lied to him as well.
On the other hand, one side being his enemy didn’t necessarily mean that the other was his friend, either. The same went for the Goddess, the powerful being that even now was whispering an eerie chant of death and blood in his ears.
Simply put, Zade was overwhelmed. There was too much to think about, too much to consider, too much to decide—his head felt like it would explode.
The girl still looked at him expectantly. Although her words were firm, he could see she was actually slightly shaking. She tried putting a brave face, acting her part as the Queen of Kalden, but Zade could tell that she was likely about a decade younger than him, barely an adult.
“Reject the chains of the cruel fate/unleash the concentrated rage of years untold/announce the end of both light and darkness,” the Goddess insisted.
The loss of his wife, the most important person in his world, and then his prolonged seclusion wrapped up in lies—many things during these years filled him with wrath, wrath that he wanted to find release for. It urged him to act.
“I have to…” he mumbled.
I have to, save her. I have to, kill myself. I have to, destroy everything.
Tears were streaming down his eyes. He couldn’t bear any of this any longer. It would be so simple to give up and leave them to figure out this mess. He was so, so tired. He wanted to sleep, he wanted to die.
“Behold your dance of futility/your limited point of view ensnares you/can you reach the answer before you expire?” the Goddess kept urging him.
Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut the fuck up, SHUT UP!
“When reality breaks, wield it!/when the sun explodes, throw it!/when you drown in your sorrow, end it!”
No one cared for him. That was the truth. Everyone was lying to him; he could see that clearly. He couldn’t trust anyone but himself. None of the three surrounding him at that moment really supported him.
Monan was a seductress. The Queen was a liar. The Goddess was a manipulator. They all wished to use him for their own gains, unheeding of his actual situation and needs—
“I have to… end this! I can’t do it anymore!” he shouted, clenching and raising his fists. There was a small shriek and a thud as Monan fell and faint crackles as the hairs around him began whipping at the floor.
The Queen, her face distorted with fear and surprise, also took a step back. “Please,” she told him, although strangely she hadn’t even opened her mouth, “you have to end this—but in the right way… there is no need to fight!”
Of course she was telling him that, when he had her life in his hands. Anyone would have done the same, Zade himself included. She was going to pacify him and then kill him at the earliest convenience. The Goddess, too, might tire of him at some point and destroy him as easily as she’d done to others. Even so, he was going to make full use of her powers for the last time.
“No… I’ve had enough. I will now end this stupid world of fairytales,” he announced dully.
“These allies are from a far, far place only spoken of in legends—a world of fairytales. I refer, of course, to the place known as Fairland.”
It was hard for Levia to keep a dignified, serious face, not only because of her present state, but also due to the flood of emotions blasting into her after she uttered that final sentence. Before there was mostly confusion and an especially strong wave of hatred and fear from the nobleman standing near the edge of the stage—but now almost all of it was replaced with pure shock and astonishment.
It was natural for them to be shocked. This was information she’d been sitting on for two years now. Possibly even Qumisson hadn’t found out about it, although he surely at least suspected. Either way, it was a world-shaking revelation.
It all began in her father’s time, under the supervision of the so-called mad scientist Larkson, when they managed to establish a miraculous correspondence with the other side. Unfortunately, when the ruler in Fairland suddenly changed—a fact that they found out much later—they immediately stopped all contact. Now, however, things were different again.
“Not only have we established direct communication with them, but there are also some of our own countrymen there. This means, of course, that a method to traverse between the worlds exist!” Levia announced.
They weren’t making any progress toward that just yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time. As long as something was possible, man could recreate it. Did the audience even realize how much of a historical event this was? That they might speak of this moment for generations to come?
If they survived the otherworldly attack, anyway. And Levia would have to make sure that they did.
“We will cooperate, support each other and persevere. We will stand united against any enemy, be they our neighboring countries or the Gods themselves.”
The various emotions surrounding her began to simmer, boil and erupt. If any extra assassin existed within the crowds at those moments, they would definitely be able to camouflage themselves enough to attack Levia at that very moment. There was no longer just a stunned silence but again a general murmur as people tried digesting the meaning of her words, as they tried processing their importance and consequences.
“Rumdon will prosper. Rumdon will not be defeated. There will be many challenges and obstacles lying ahead, that is for sure, but I count on you—just as you all count on me—to make our dreams come true. That is why I had to let you know this!”
Qumisson was obviously caught by surprise, perhaps even more than the general populace. Levia planned on revealing all of this a bit later, but Salom had advised her to seize this opportunity and the momentum it created to flare up her subjects. Sacrona, and perhaps other places as well, would respond to this, sooner or later, so there was no harm in being prepared for that response.
Now came the moment of truth. The moment she would understand if her gamble had been a successful one, and set the tendency for here and beyond.
“I ask for your understanding and acceptance. I ask for your help in moving toward the future. I ask for you to do it not for the royal family—not for me—but for Rumdon!”
A moment of silence, of brief hesitation, and then a few shouts came: “All hail Rumdon!”
“All hail Rumdon!” many more joined.
“ALL HAIL RUMDON!” almost the entire crowd erupted at once, shaking the air. “All hail Rumdon! All hail Rumdon! All hail Rumdon!”
After about a minute of this, the queen clapped a few times until the cheers gradually stopped, scanning the crowd with a wide, beaming smile on her face, as if she herself had been infected by their enthusiasm. There would be plenty of trouble later on, especially among the nobles up to and including the increasingly displeased gentleman behind her, but for now it was a huge success.
“Thank you, thank you all! I promise that I, as well as the Queen of faraway Kalden, will continue to live and serve you!” she said, challenging fate itself.
Niu barely had enough time to say anything or even think. The mass of hairs immediately whipped at her.
Luckily, one of the laborers standing nearby jumped in front of the attack, successfully shielding her, but getting torn apart in the process. Niu could only watch this with horror. What had she done wrong? Had she said something she shouldn’t have?
Or was this attempt simply doomed in the first place?
“Die!” the man screamed, with the Goddess behind him attempting to unleash another attack—until something came flying from below. A small stone, that immediately erupted into a burst of light, blinding both of them.
“Run!” Niu heard a voice from below.
It’s Roah, she realized as one of the nearby laborers grabbed her. That meant he was safe, or at least alive—a thought she’d postponed until now. He probably waited and watched over their conversation, taking action when he realized that Niu’s words weren’t working.
Will he always need to bail me out like this? Why have I failed like this?
Even though there were much more urgent things to worry about, she found herself stung by this gigantic failure. She felt so elated just a moment ago, which was perhaps why it was all the more painful.
No, she couldn’t give up just yet. Not while she was still alive, not while people and laborers were trying to save her. Please, both of us are humans from the same country! We can still— Niu stopped herself when she noticed something was missing. That was not her voice, but just her thoughts. Meaning, she’d lost NiU at some point, probably in the attack just now. Whether she just couldn’t hear it or if it was destroyed, she couldn’t tell. She bit her lips.
The laborer holding her tried running upstairs, but something burst from below, wrapping around it. It hurriedly threw Niu above, where she bumped against the ceiling of the narrow space and crashed onto the floor.
Some parts of her body were aching, but even so she hurriedly tried getting up. As she did her side pulsed with pain and the floor itself shook, so she fell again.
That apparently gave the man enough time to catch up, as he appeared with the waves of hair billowing around him like some sort of hideous marine creature. His eyes were cold but then lit in a cold flame as he noticed Niu—his prey.
Please stop! She desperately flung those words at him while shaking in fear. She was reduced to begging for her life. Pathetic and powerless as she always was.
The surprising thing was that it seemed to work.
Her vision somewhat blurry due to her tears of fear, she nonetheless saw Zade freeze in place, even the writhing hairs around him slowing down. Had she managed to reach through to him?
“No… I will kill—” he mumbled, but then something caused him to grunt.
“Don’t…! stop this, Zade…” a horribly weak voice sounded from nearby. Having only looked at the face of her hunter until now, Niu hadn’t noticed a small, battered figure clinging to his legs. It was his fairy companion. Actually, Niu thought that they’d already been dropped and thrown away.
“Alima… no, Monan… why do you stop me?” Zade’s voice was surprisingly calm, and yet it was obvious that some horrible shade was lurking under the flat surface of that sea.
Even so, the wounded fairy slowly rose to their feet, dragging their bleeding body to stand before the taller man. Their clothes were ripped and covered in blood, their hair tangled and dirty, with the remnants of a flower somehow barely hanging from them.
“Do you… still ask? Even though I already told you so many times? Why must I repeat myself?” the fairy spoke in a voice barely more than a whisper.
“Because it never made any sense!”
“That’s… just the truth.”
Niu wasn’t sure what held her back at that moment. Since her enemy was distracted, perhaps it was her moment to run away. However, she had the feeling that any sort of movement would draw their attention.
And perhaps she also hoped that this dying fairy would be able to reach Zade’s heart. That they would succeed where she failed.
“Everything is… full of lies,” spat Zade, gradually raising his voice again. “This entire fucking world! I just have to destroy it, right? Wouldn’t that solve it all?” Moving in tandem with his words, the many hairs flapped around, raising dust.
“T-that would solve nothing,” said Monan. “Look at them… look at how scared they are… we all are. Don’t let the Demon sway you, Zade!”
“Shut up!” he barked, pushing the fairy aside so strongly they nearly tumbled to the floor and began stepping toward Niu again. The Goddess’s hairs bristled, coiling like snakes.
No, Niu begged, no, please, please… She rose to a sitting position, finding herself unable to rise any further due to her entire body shaking.
This was going in circles for a while now. There seemed to be no way to convince him to stop. Niu had been foolish to think otherwise. Men couldn’t be stopped by words; if it was like this, there would be no wars and no hatred. She herself had authorized and led the operation on Marmony after failing all negotiations.
She was no longer listening to the arguing pair. She was thinking of a way out. She’d never be able to escape. She couldn’t count on anyone’s help. Meaning, she had to defeat this man by herself. Somehow.
Gen apparently made a decent attempt. She had the feeling that Roah could do it with some time to prepare, too. But Niu, once again, couldn’t do anything. Nothing at all
No… she couldn’t think like that anymore. Hadn’t she sworn to take control of her own life?
Niu scanned the dark ground. Near the still angry man’s foot there was a small engraving caused by the Goddess’s thrashing. If she strained her imagination, would she be able to perhaps interpret that as some sort of icon? It kind of looked like a heat icon. It could work. It might work.
She focused on the mock-icon as hard as she could. In recent years she’d barely done any channeling at all other than using the Board or talismans, so she was quite rusty, but even so the wooden floor glowed red for an instant.
“Wha…?!” Zade yelped in pain, moving his foot. It didn’t seem to do much damage, but the Goddess immediately sent a few hair-tentacles hitting nearby, perhaps spurned by his pain. “I’ll kill you!”
“Zade, no!”
That wasn’t enough. Niu realized this as she saw the wrathful Zade turn back to look at her, leaping ahead with the tidal wave of hair behind him. She barely had time to realize that she was going to die—until something blocked her vision. A petite body that threw itself in the way.
“A-Alima…” muttered Zade, his entire body quivering. “No… no!”
Even Niu was dumbfounded at seeing this scene. Dangling from the masses of hairs piercing their entire body was the wounded fairy.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty. It seems that you have successfully and singlehandedly managed to raise the morale of our loyal citizens.”
Levia smiled as Qumisson told her this. She was feeling slightly uncomfortable due to the burning rage he was radiating, almost enough to scathe her mind, but it was better than the slowly receding waves of fervor from the audience.
Just like he said, the public speech was a success. Although she sacrificed one secret, she believed that the gains were large. Well, she would have needed to reveal this bit of information at some point anyway; it couldn’t remain a secret forever.
“Thank you, Lord Qumisson. I do apologize for keeping this a secret from you, but I needed some time to have everything under control.”
“Of course, Your Majesty, that is quite understandable,” the man bowed with excellent self-control. “It seems you have been dealing with quite a lot, today. Even so, it would be advisable for us to have a long, thorough discussion about that shocking revelation of yours as soon as possible.”
As expected, he was pushing her to negotiate. No doubt he wanted as much information as he could possibly get. Soon the other nobles in support of him would also circle her like a bunch of starving vultures. She was perhaps saved from death, but not from harassment.
“Sure, Lord Qumisson. Why don’t we have a preliminary discussion on my way back to the castle? You can come and board my carriage.” Just in case he was still planning something. He seemed surprised at this suggestion, but not distressed. “Unless you wish to wait for me to become a bit more… presentable,” she added, pulling at a torn part of her clothing.
“No. We should strike while the iron is hot, as they say,” said Qumisson. “I will take on your offer, Your Majesty.”
A surprise, to be sure, but Levia didn’t mind it. She had already been prepared for the possibility and since he’d been caught by surprise at these last developments, he was sure to be in a disadvantageous position.
After waiting several minutes, the guards finally managed to pave the way through the crowds to allow them to board their carriage and be on their way back to the castle. The site of the attack was probably still guarded and searched, but luckily there were two different routes leading to the castle.
The talk on the way was… uninteresting. It mostly consisted of Qumisson pestering Levia for details and wishing to speak with Kalden himself. It would probably cause no trouble for Levia even if he did, but she was still wary of his machinations.
“Have you seen any of these so-called fairies?” Qumisson asked her as they passed the gates to the castle and parked.
“Unfortunately, the Heavenly Board does not possess that sort of function,” Levia admitted, “although some of our engineers have discussed the possibility that—”
“Your Majesty!” came a shout from the open doors and a man rushed forward, his forehead glistening with sweat. “You are finally back. There is—what has happened to you, Your Majesty?”
Worry and surprise mingled together as Swen gazed at her, wide-eyed. Levia was sure the message about her circumstances would have already reached the castle, so did something happen to it? Or did he think something happened on the way back?
“Do not worry, Lord Swen. Despite present appearance, I am perfectly fine. Though, I would like to rectify that, so if you do not mind—”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” he interjected with uncharacteristic forcefulness, “but this is more important right now.”
“…What could possibly be more important right now?” asked Qumisson, and she could tell he was somewhat worried.
“Lord Qumisson, you are to come with us,” Swen said seriously, a fist clenched to his chest. “We have caught your assassin red-handed.”
Monan had already long since realized that they didn’t actually love Zade.
That was obvious. If anything, it was more like an obsession—or an attempt to fill a hole. A replacement for their true, lost love… a way to fool themselves into continuing to live. Yes, just like Zade himself did. Except made by their own choice, deluded as it was.
Only by supporting Zade could Monan finally escape the curse of their uselessness. Perhaps that was all there was to it. That was why they willingly took part in the manipulation, in the deception, and that was also why they ran away with him and followed him to his heart’s desire.
Coming all the way to Kalden, Zade started wreaking havoc, though Monan started having second thoughts way before that. They tried persuading Zade to no avail.
Perhaps Monan realized the full weight of this when they’d seen Queen Niu Kalden for the first time. Having grown up in Marmony, they’d been taught to hate everyone from Kalden—though the faeries were obviously different. On the other hand, the Queen was different from Zade as well.
The faerie was, to put it simply, delicate yet strong. She tried appealing to Zade, and seemed to almost convince him, but in the end, it was all for naught. In the end she was only a frail faerie, unable to withstand the depths of Zade’s hatred. Yes, rather than a so-called Queen, she was more like… a princess.
Monan desperately clung to Zade even when he threw her away, even with their still-bleeding wound that burned and threatened to take their consciousness away. Because something had to be done. Even if Monan didn’t really love Zade, they still wanted to stop him.
Monan wanted to be useful. Destroying Kalden would accomplish nothing. Even if it led to the Stroba’s victory, it would still be a hollow victory. Boum was already dead, after all.
Monan didn’t mind dying as well.
The Queen made a feeble attempt to attack, but was met only with Zade’s rage. Monan knew that once the Queen was killed there would be no going back. So they did the first and only thing they could think of.
Hundreds of hairs sharper than any needle pierced Monan’s body, causing them to groan, and yet they still wore a forced smile. Until now, Zade had shouted at Monan and even threatened to kill them, and yet he wept at their unexpected wounds during the battle outside of Kalden. That was why they wondered—if this way would be effective as well.
“No,” they heard Zade blurting, “No, no, nononono… Alima, Monan, NO!”
The hairs immediately retracted, causing another round of intense pain and letting Monan fall to the floor. They felt the last remnants of a flower detach from their hair, perhaps symbolizing the coming end of their life.
“Alima, Monan, no!” Zade repeated the same words, rushing toward them. Lifting their bloody body. Seeing his crying face through blurry and rapidly darkening vision, Monan couldn’t help but smile. Why was that?
Aah… maybe I do love Zade after all?
“Get up, get up! I can’t let you die again!” Zade screamed. “I hate you, I love you, ahhhh!”
He held Monan so tight that it was starting to hurt even more, whether he was pressing on their wounds or crushing their bones. Even so, this pain seemed negligible. All bodily sensations were being slowly sucked away and flowing out—
“I was wrong!” Zade insisted. “I was wrong, please, Monan… I won’t do this anymore, Monan… don’t leave me again!”
What was he even saying? Wasn’t this something he wished for? He was calling their name, so he was definitely—probably—not mistaking them for his wife. Then why was he crying? Hadn’t he threatened to kill them and everyone around them?
It was so funny that they nearly laughed, but instead they only had enough energy to smile. Should they try saying some final words? Would there be any meaning in that, either for Monan or for Zade?
“I love you,” Monan lied. “So please—”
That was all that managed to come out of their mouth. Whether or not Zade managed to hear them, they had no idea—for the next moment they sank away, never to return.
They say that love is blind.
Rather than that, I think people in general are blind. They fail to notice their own faults and their own advantages—and the same goes toward their loved ones.
I loved and I hurt. I was loved as well. My feelings weren’t the vivid green or the painful red. No, they were a mix of everything, from the ugly to the beautiful, good and bad. Perhaps mostly bad.
Could I even give them any color at all, except by sacrifice? Rather than a rainbow, it is full chaos.
Ah, I wish I was blind.