Chapter 65

Chapter 65

I had to go through a pretty humiliating experience.
It wasn’t a humiliation in the sense of being personally insulted, assaulted, or sexually humiliated. On the contrary, the man offered them food and water.
The problem was, he didn’t break free of his restraints, which meant he needed help, and he wasn’t about to go along with it, so Ainoa struggled.
“Get that away from me, who would put food from a kidnapper in their mouth. I don’t know who you are, but you’re not going to get your way, okay? No way…!”
Ironpuck.
“Ouch.”
“Hmm.”
He stopped rebelling after he was forced to shove the spilled food into his mouth, and the moment he thought it tasted good, even for a second, his pride was shredded.
In the best of all possible worlds, the man was friendly for a kidnapper.
“You can use the bathroom in your room. I’ll untie your legs. Escape will be impossible, and even if you do manage to get out, don’t think about it. You’ll be more dangerous wandering around alone.”
“……Okay.”
Ainoa suppressed her gnawing hostility. Sessa’s advice echoed in her ears; she was a nagging nervous wreck and would often give her advice on how to handle various situations.
“When I was captured, I was told not to provoke them.
It’s not a typical lesson. Wang’s teachers often urged him to remain proud at all times. But there were few occasions when such mentalism was useful.
Helping Ainoa is, and always has been, Sessa.
“Sessa will be here.
And say you’re sorry. Hug Sessa and tell her she was wrong and that she’d never be mean again. Ainoa repeated to herself like a prayer.
‘Just a little bit, just a little bit… if you hang in there…….’
The medication hadn’t worn off, and I was soon drowsy. Or maybe I was just tired. Whatever the reason, it was good. When I opened my eyes again, I hoped Sessa was there.
I wonder if my hopes were in vain.
“……a. Ainoa, wake up!”
I woke up to the sensation of my body shaking. When she came to, she saw a familiar face in front of her. Ainoa’s complexion brightened as soon as she recognized the person.
“Seth, Setha, you’ve come to the rescue!”
“Nope. I got caught, too.”
“Huh?”
* * *
Office of the Director, Celbrosys Labs.
“Now… what did you say…?”
Kushan couldn’t help but doubt his ears.
There were two reasons. The shaky, trembling voice didn’t feel like his own, and most of all, what he’d just heard was too abrupt.
“I’ve led, nay, secured, the Princess of Bastitera.”
Kim hastened to correct herself. Words are different. For Ainoa herself, she would have used the word kidnapping, but for Kushan, she needed to make it sound good.
But it doesn’t seem to have worked.
“This lunatic is……!”
“That’s some crazy shit.”
“Well, did you think I was going to…! Compliment you on…!”
Kushan kicked off his chair and tried to get up, then grabbed his horse by the back of the neck. His head spun and his cervical spine pulled. The stress had been building up without him realizing it.
He was overworked, day in and day out.
Investigation of the dog tags found during Operation Ashbelt and his normal duties as director of the lab. Understanding the dynamics of the Legion and the agents who went on assignment, and the treatment of Ismail…….
Twenty-four hours was not enough. It was hard enough without anyone touching me, but I couldn’t think of anything good to say when I was shouting things like “heavenly power.” Even Buddha would have said something.
In fact, Kushan’s patience is admirable, because if he had a lower boiling point, it would have been Kim’s throat he would have grabbed, not his own.
“Should I have known when they asked to borrow the helicopter?
No, it felt cheap, but for Kushan, it was hard to say no. Kim Yi Hyun came out of nowhere, citing his achievements so far.
That’s why I told him to stay out of trouble… and here’s the result. Today, Kushan realized that without the inhibitor of his coworkers, Kim Yi Hyun isn’t just a normal asshole.
“…Let’s hear why. Tell me.”
Kushan chewed on each letter. The case had already been blown. If there was time for regret, it was more constructive to listen to the situation and think of ways to make amends.
“The reason they kidnapped not only the son of the president of Atlanta, but also the princess of Pekatum, yes. There’s got to be something, there has to be.”
“Isn’t that a little different?”
“In what way?”
“Ismail was a rescue, and now, well.”
“So you admit you kidnapped him.”
Kim gave up on excuses and shut up. It was a situation that she had somewhat anticipated from the beginning. Kushan’s reaction was much calmer than expected.
“This is what mutual trust looks like.
It’s not like they trust each other blindly. It’s just that so far, Kim hasn’t been going on mindless stunts. His actions have always had a clear rationale and purpose, even if they sometimes seem outlandish.
This time was no exception. The smile on Kim’s face wiped off his face. The somewhat playful mood quickly changed and a serious voice began to flow.
“This is information I obtained independently…….”
* * *
Ainoa looked stunned. It was hard to react. The explanation was too much for her to take in.
“Uh, is that some kind of threat, some kind of foreign phrase?”
“No. It’s literal, there’s no room for misunderstanding.”
In the room where the two fair-skinned and black-skinned Pekatums were locked up, Kim spoke again.
“Ainoa Salviati, you were supposed to die in the next two days. If things had gone the way they were supposed to.”
“What nonsense are you talking about!”
When I told him of his master’s death, Cessa went into a frenzy. It was a pointless struggle. No matter how strong Pekatum was, he was not strong enough to rip off the cuffs with his bare hands.
“All of a sudden, you hear that, and you’re like, ugh.”
Ainoa, on the other hand, was still confused. Even though she had heard it twice, she still thought it was some kind of joke. Death was a distant word.
Looking at her, Kim thought.
“The bamboo is a field of flowers.
Pekatum. Bastitera.
I thought to myself, “Wow, she’s grown up with such a bomb without a sense of crisis.” I’m sure she would have had a major meltdown at some point, even if it wasn’t “that one.
They seemed to need some clarification.
“October 10th, the coming of age of the only princess in the country. A body is found in the most prominent places in Bastitera… in the main square, for example. They say it’s in two days, but they’ll kill her before the day arrives, which, if I had to guess, would be today.”
“The delusions of a lunatic. Ainoa, there’s nothing serious to hear here. That-”
“Shut up and listen,” said the string.
Asterike gagged Cessa. She didn’t hesitate, even though she was terrorizing her own kind. Even Sessa’s venomous glare was met with silence.
Ainoa glanced at her kin, then back at Kim. From the first time he’d spoken, his demeanor had been serious.
She felt a chill creeping up on her.
“So what you’re saying is… you brought me here to protect me, to keep me from having that happen to me, am I understanding you correctly?”
“The iceberg is right.”
The easy affirmation made Ainoa think.
I didn’t believe the absurdity of it all. Sessa’s words must have been delusional, meaning that the man who had captured her was more dangerous than she realized.
We soon came to a conclusion. For now, it’s better to weigh the pros and cons.
“What makes you think that, because I’m a member of the royal family?”
“That’s one of the reasons.”
“You’re worrying too much, I have no power, the military is already controlled by my brother, and the courtiers… well, to be honest, they don’t really follow the royal family that much, and I don’t think I’m going to gain any influence overnight when I come of age. There’s nothing to be gained by getting rid of me.”
“The people love you for that.”
“Well, it’s undeserved, but…….”
Ainoa bit my lip.
“It doesn’t actually do anything.”
This was true. She is supported by the royal family’s forbidden jade leaf, but that is all. She was the face of the family. She understood exactly where she stood.
“I’m not entirely unaware of the state of affairs in Bastiterra. Public opinion favors the princess, but she’s not fit to inherit the throne. She’d be wise to live out her days in peace, and then marry when the time is right, as I’m sure she was planning to do.”
He was right. Most of Bastiterra’s upper classes are married off at the age of majority. It’s an anachronistic custom, but it’s an isolated country. Change is hard to come by.
Ainoa’s life has been railroaded from the start.
She walks the prepared path, as prepared. I’ve never been too unhappy with her, either, because her obedience has meant that I’ve been relatively free of the oversight that comes with it.
“But for once, I have an effective way to use your life.”
Now, the rails were warping.
“Kill him as gruesomely as possible. I’d leave his smug face intact, maybe even paint it. Instead, I’d chop off his limbs, slice off his chest, pull out his intestines and hang him out to dry… and finally, dress him in a bar mitzvah robe.”
Ainoa shuddered. The grave tone of his voice made her imagination come alive, her complexion instantly pale.
“The people will be outraged. Depending on how your killer behaves, the very foundations of the nation may be shaken. What will become of your race when you are displaced?”
He concluded.
“You’re going to be a warrior. A very good warrior. A carpenter who hammers wood will kill five, a soldier who wields a spear will kill ten. Hundreds of thousands of Pekatum mercenaries will roam the continent, fighting wars.”
It was an unfounded leap.
Common sense told him that such a thing could not happen with only one life. Even as her rational mind told her otherwise, Ainoa couldn’t help but think of the what ifs.
It was him. His eyes, his voice, his certainty, as if he had seen the future, lent weight to his ramblings.
“For that reason, I can’t let you die, or worse, die in peace.”
After we got to that point, Kim kicked me in the tongue.
“That was a long-winded way of saying, you can think of it more simply: you’re still in the position you were dragged into, and I’m still a garbage snatcher. I’ll let you go when it’s all sorted out.”
He glanced sideways at Ainoa, who was speechless. This was an explanation not only for the two masters, but also for Asterike. She would be just as surprised as Kushan.
“Maybe that clears things up a bit.
A problem is a problem, and once you commit to it, it’s a problem. Kushan was skeptical, or at most, 5% skeptical. Asterique was somewhat unhappy.
But the rewards were great.
‘At least I got the fuse out.’
More like a catalyst, but it got the ball rolling.
Of course, I don’t think this alone would have prevented the war. It’s only a step, but it’s a step nonetheless, and it cuts off a decisive means.
Now it’s time to see the reaction.