Harmony (2)

"I know you had a human friend who saved your life, and I know she died, and I know it was from the war with House Reinhafer. One."

I finish my reminiscence calmly, then continue.

"That's why it has to change. This country is rotten to the core. But if we try to shake it up from the bottom with war, Arkheim, who has always had his eye on this place, will consume it."

"...So. How do you propose to remedy this situation?"

"I'm going to put a prince on the throne."

"Ha."

I hear Liese's sigh, seemingly forgetting her manners for the first time.

Elena's anxious gaze turns to me. I place my left hand over hers as she grabs my sleeve.

Too much agitation will not help the increasingly innocent unit that is Elena.

I listened intently to Liese's next words.

"Let me be clear: do I blame Reinhafer? No! You're welcome! Honestly, I have no connection to Tahalin, and as far as I'm concerned, elves are outsiders here, forced to hide their race, but… the Prince. Kushan is different. He has to blame Reinhafer."

Liese gritted her teeth.

"Since when did children become destitute, orphans relegated to shantytowns? It's because no one has been crowned since the war, and the high nobles have been looking out for their own interests! If he had been crowned sooner, if he had come to his senses... and taken the opportunity to make things right, it wouldn't have come to this, and that child... Serin wouldn't have died."

"You're right."

As emotionless as possible,

and perhaps even inorganic, as I could muster.

Lest she think I had a flimsy understanding of her feelings.

I wanted Liese to know, deep down, that it was the only consideration I had for her after the loss of her friend.

But I can't allow this to continue. I squinted at Kushan's information in the Character View system.

[Character's confidence in Kramsar increases to 50%].

[Character's confidence in Kramsar increases to 60%].

[Character's confidence in Kramsar increases to 70%].

'I've persecuted him for delaying as long as I can, I've persecuted him for agitating as much as I can... but in the end, he relies on others, and I can't help it, because that's how he was designed from the beginning.'

In a sense, Kushan is truly a character who will never be the king's vessel.

But I know. Tahalin became a vassal state about two years ago.

That means he was only 15 years old at the time. That means he was too young to be in charge of something so important, the future of a nation.

But he couldn't help it.

It was his seat, and he could not avoid it. He had to endure, hold on, and fix it.

The weight of the name Kushan Adrian was too heavy for him to abandon them all, and this resentment was justified.

Just like Kushan's resentment of House Reinhafer.

It was understandable.

'Maybe….'

Maybe they are alike.

It suddenly occurred to me.

What kind of a writer am I to feel sorry for one and pity the other? I chuckled at the absurdity of it all.

Then, wide-eyed, Liese clenched her fists.

"What do you mean, you're confirming my story?"

Liese says bluntly. I nodded, stepped closer to her, and then affirmed lightly.

"I said you were right. Kushan. That bastard messed up. Even if he lost his parents, his family, he should have tried to help the rest of his people. Your friend died because of him, but."

I gripped Liese's shoulders, straining against her neck.

"Don't let your feelings of revenge get the better of you. Elf. If you're going to do this, make sure you're going to protect everyone. Your current methods are flimsy."

Now, it's time to drive a wedge.

Stay as calm as possible, even my breathing.

I'm in the position of having to comfort the blonde, green-eyed girl in front of me, not console her.

What's more, I'm about to tell her a lie, a lie that's cunningly mixed with the truth.

At the thought of this, I feel my heart pounding in my chest like crazy.

I calmed myself.

[Talent 'Master of Acting' is stretched to the limit].

"I know a friend of yours, Serin."

"...What does that mean?"

A shaky voice. Liese took my words in a near sobbing voice. I could tell from the way she was looking now.

How much Liese cared about Serin.

However, I exude hypocrisy.

Lies and truths casually. Riding a tightrope on that line.

"You would have told her to leave this place, but she wouldn't have done it. Because she loved this place."

"How could you… know that."

You can't help but realize it.

Anyone who's watched all the behind-the-scenes episodes of Kingdom of Tahalin can't help but know what tragedy or catastrophe came between them.

But do I really know this?

Well, if you ask me, I'm not sure.

I didn't go through it myself.

I didn't see it with my own two eyes, I didn't hear it, so I was just looking at it through a monitor. I can only tell her that same murky, gray story.

"Is that what she wants, for the country to fall?"

"...."

"Is the choice you are making now, to sow discord, the choice she would not have wanted you to make?"

"...."

"I'll ask you one last time."

I ask, both as Yoochan, the gamer, and as Nox, the one who's merged into this world.

"Do you think this child is guilty?"

It's Arya Adrian. I ask if this girl, suffering under Kramsar's brainwashing, is "guilty" of anything.

There is a moment of silence.

Just a few seconds, a heart-stopping second. But those few seconds seem longer than any other, and they make your heart pound to the limit.

Just like that.

After all the time had passed.

A voice of approval finally escaped Liese's mouth.

"...First, let me hear what you mean by a method, and then I'll decide."

* * *

"Prince Kushan, as I've already told you before, Nox von Reinhafer… he's a very dangerous man, and if you don't get rid of him now, he'll be a great threat to Tahalin in the future...."

Behind the chair Kushan sat in.

An old man whispering behind him with his eyes closed.

Kramsar has no idea what is going on right now.

He decided that the first priority was to completely brainwash this foolish prince.

Therefore, he declares.

Let's eliminate Nox von Reinhafer.

'Nox von Reinhafer... is the youngest son of a scoundrel, so I thought he was trash… but he is quite dangerous, and must be dealt with somehow if the Archduke is to be restored.'

Kramsar.

A demon who serves a different Archduke than Rick.

A woman who rides a horse through the harsh desert, she dispenses justice and judgment in ways that are alien to demons.

그레모리 geulemoli (Gremory). {sic}

Hidden among the ruins of the northern kingdom of Tahalin was an ancient site dedicated to the worship of Gremory.

It would not be long before I would have to dust it off.

I calmly let my thoughts wander to Kramsar.

Demon worship.

Determined to do what no man should do, he became the greatest court mage of all. The power of the Gremory, it cannot be dismissed with empty words.

'We must break the seal. Only then can I become the true leader of Tahalin, for my sake and yours.'

His words are tinged with bitterness.

He intended to bring all of Tahalin under his control.

Then he would summon the demons, and then the archdukes, one by one, and bring them with him to conquer humanity.

The first of which would be the princess. Arya Adrian's corruption.

'Nox… there may be a reason why he took her. She's in danger if we don't do something fast....'

There was more.

The worst of the past was intertwined between the Archduke he served and the Reinhafers, and it would be bad if it wasn't stopped sooner rather than later.

The Archduke he serves is at odds with House Reinhafer.

He was determined to kill Nox as soon as possible.

The one to be sacrificed in his stead is Kushan Adrian.

The prince of the country, the one to be eliminated.

While he was thinking about it.

Suddenly, Kramsar heard the voice of the boy in front of him.

"Kramsar… tell me. What the hell am I supposed to do? If I keep this up, I'm going to end up in the worst possible situation with Arya...."

"Don't worry. I, Kramsar, am working to ensure the safety of Princess Arya. You will hear from me soon enough."

"I am a coward."

Kushan dropped his head in despair.

"I sold my own brother into the hands of my own people. I should have stood up to them, even if it meant being decapitated right then and there…. But I never did. I was indecisive and stupid."

Even so, Kushan had found Arya's behavior strange in recent years. His sister, the one he relied on and trusted, had been cold lately.

Because, he thought.

His incompetence had finally turned her away.

His incompetence had caused his only blood relative to disown him.

Of course, his own weakness was partly to blame for this feeling, but Kramsar was the one who had gotten between them and manipulated her emotions.

But he was the one who couldn't figure it out for himself.

He despaired.

"This morning, I poisoned the wine of the feast I prepared for Young Master Nox when he first arrived."

The sound of Kramser's voice then was like hope to Kushan.

A savior.

His words were like a savior to Kushan, who always regretted them a beat later.

He glanced up, and Kramser continued, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"It's a concoction of [Solar Herb]… When consumed with the [Silver Screen Scorpion's Tail], it is an extreme poison that immediately restricts the movement of the entire body. Using this poison, Nox, I believe you should be able to paralyze him. He will not be able to move, nor will he be able to shout... I will take care of the others, so you, Prince, sneak into Nox's place and take revenge on him."

With that, Kramser pointed to the kukri in Kushan's hand.

"I say again. Take the Weapon of the Good King... and dye it with the blood of House Reinhafer, for that is the only way to avenge him, and the only way to return Arya to her rightful place."

It was a whisper of insidious lies.

No sane person would ever accept this offer.

Common sense dictated that the scion of House Reinhafer was murdered here, so how could he avoid suspicion?

And then there were the nearly 300 knights that Knox had somehow brought with him.

They may not be strong, but they have ears to hear and eyes to see.

In many ways, the plan is doomed.

But Kushan, brainwashed by Kramsar, had already fallen for the plan.

Kramsar smiled wickedly.

"It doesn't matter to me what happens now. I've already begun to build my power, and I've managed to sway all of the hungry nobles to my side. Even if the Reinhabers hit Tahalin, all I have to do is stall long enough and resurrect the Grand Duke, and I win the game.

He was right.

The Archduke's resurrection was imminent, and he was ready for it.

The only question was how to get rid of the useless, savvy heir, the prince, in the process. No good could come of it, unless the other side did it for him.

"... I see. I'll do it. I will avenge my father, my mother… and the bleeding hearts of the people of Tahalin with this very blade."

Kushan vowed again, but there was one thing he wasn't sure about.

The target you have to avenge yourself. It is by no means Nox, Theo von Reinhafer. Maybe it was the Black Sword Knights who participated in the tragic battle.

For now, he had only one thought.

"I will have my revenge... Theo von Reinhafer. I will make you pay for all the years I've lost my family and groaned in pain."

With the same vengeful intent as the first time, he rose from his seat.

It was time to kill Nox.