Volume 2 Chapter 102 Quest： Sun Fantasy, Part IV
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After returning to the Main Castle, Kian told Owl about Oswald’s words and headed back to Maribel’s residence.
He asked Natra to lead Liam and the others to the moat──near Serena’s location.
Owl said he would prepare to activate the vampire’s special ability ‘Night’ and parted ways.
”Oswald’s ability isn’t weakened just by covering the castle in black mist. It requires a highly complex process—creating a large-scale barrier, severing the interior from the real world, and transforming it into another realm.”
That is what Owl’s Knight said.
Moreover, he could only maintain the activated special ability ‘Night’ for a limited time.
He said that during activation, he would be completely consumed by maintaining the barrier against the outside world’s correction force, so his ability was powerful but had many restrictions.
Well, if he could activate ‘Night’ continuously, it would have been better to activate his ability beforehand, covering the area from the end of the town to the entire Main Castle.
That’s why Owl can’t defeat Oswald alone.
Entering the mansion, he went up to the top floor Hall where Christy and Maribel were waiting.
After he told them about Oswald, he would listen to their thoughts.
If they say they only want to surrender, having nothing else but their lives, then the Quest will end forcibly.
But, if they say they will fight to the end for their freedom──
’Kian, you are doing foolish things. Why don’t you think rationally? Don’t side with Princess Maribel. It’s clear that there are a hundred harms and no benefits to doing so.’
(I would decide whether to fight or not after hearing their story. If they choose to give up, the battle with Oswald will not happen, and if they choose to flee, I would help them escape with all my might while avoiding responsibility for them.)
’What is the reward? Just work for it? I can’t believe you can calculate profit and loss.’
”‘Glasses’, as you know, I’m an exile.”
He stopped at the top of the stairs.
Owl’s soldiers just crossed the nearby hallway, their footsteps crunching loudly.
’So what?’
”No one helped me, after all.”
Kian looked down at his own right hand and twisted his face in a grimace.
A hand that had grown much larger than it was 15 years ago.
A hand that could grasp a sword, and if he wished, could challenge Oswald with the power it held.
”‘Glasses’. When I was exiled by Azrael 15 years ago, no one would help me.”
’…Ugh…!’
’Glasses’ seemed to be at a loss for words.
Kian continued.
”Not the wet nurse who raised me, not the retainers, not the slaves I employed as Servants, not the monks I interacted with, not my fellow students, not the Nakash family, not the children of the other Twelve Divine Generals, and not even Sarah. They all let me be killed. If they had all pleaded with Umar Vahid to spare ‘Kian Vahid’, I might have been allowed to live, but it wasn’t rational for them to side with me, so they ignored me.”
He knew how difficult it was to throw himself into the fray.
He even thought it was better not to.
But being abandoned was hopelessly lonely.
’…Kian…’
”Of course, it’s not like I was completely blameless. I know that my personality was the reason everyone abandoned me. I understand that. But… being in a world where no one is on your side—it’s unbearably sad.”
’────’
”I can understand the pain of being surrounded by enemies due to an unfair power. I don’t want Christy and Maribel to taste the same fear and sadness. They’ve been very kind to me these past few weeks, and Christy is the woman I’ve embraced. That’s why I wanted to be on their side. Am I saying something strange?”
’You’re too nice. Far too nice. Don’t fight for others like that’
”I don’t intend to side with everyone the same way. If it wasn’t Christy and Maribel, I would have ignored it. This time is an exception.”
’That exception is too fatal. You can’t beat Oswald now’
”I admit there is a difference in strength. ‘Glasses’, perhaps our journey together will end here, but I will fight for this ‘justice’ that I believe in. …I’m sorry”
’…Foolish’
’Glasses’ only muttered so and then did not want to speak anymore.
Kian let out a sigh and ran down the hallway and entered the room at the back.
When he entered the room, Rufna, who had been left as a guard, turned to face him.
Christy was kneeling beside the lying Maribel, holding her knees.
Rufna seemed to have been informed that Kian had returned, and she did not show a surprised reaction.
”Master, what about Natra (Milady)?”
”I had her, Liam, and the guards temporarily retreat toward the moat. If Oswald wanted to, he could kill them all, but as long as they stay there, they should at least avoid getting caught up in the battle and killed.”
”I see. So, how did the talk go?”
”It was doomed from the start. Everyone’s going to be killed by Oswald.”
It seemed like Christy was slipping into one of her bad moods again.
Entertaining her would only stall the conversation, so he decided to get straight to the point.
”Oswald is demanding the custody of Her Excellency Maribel and the surrender of the Main Castle. He promised that he would not kill Her Excellency, and that he would not harm Christy or Liam.”
”Eh…? Really? But it’s just a verbal promise, right?”
”There’s no reason for Oswald to lie in this state. Whether we trust his promise and open the castle gate or wait until sunrise, it doesn’t change much in a few hours.”
”Well, I guess so…”
Christy muttered that and then regained the sparkle in her black eyes.
”So…we’re saved?”
”Your lives will be spared. But he said he intended to exile Christy and Liam. Christy, if you surrender, I will safely escort you to outside Izerland. To your father’s territory──”
”Manon?”
Christy leaned towards Kian almost crawling.
”What about this child?”
”…It seems she’ll be under stricter house arrest than when McCutchen was around. Of course, she can go outside for Izerland’s events or if there’s a matter requiring her to visit the capital. But aside from that, she’ll be confined to the mansion. In my opinion, Oswald isn’t as lenient as McCutchen. You should assume that she won’t be able to wander the territory as she did before.”
”Then… what about Manon’s freedom? Is she just supposed to stamp documents for Oswald and smile in front of everyone for the rest of her life? What kind of future is that for her?”
”No freedom, no future. Once she’s an adult, she’ll be married off to some suitable man to produce an heir. After that, she’ll just continue playing her role as the mother of the next king until she dies.”
”…That’s too much… What did Manon ever do to deserve this… She finally got her freedom from McCutchen…”
Droplets of tears plopped down from between the black-haired Head magician’s fingers.
Kian continued, raising his voice slightly.
”You have 3 options. The first is to obey Oswald. The second is to escape from this Main Castle.”
”Can we really escape?”
”I don’t know. But if we work with Mr. Owl, we can get away no matter what.”
”So… after we escape, do we go to Manon’s territory or to Renaud?”
”That’s up to you, but I wouldn’t recommend either. I think you should leave this country with me and live somewhere else. You’ll have to be an adventurer for a while, but once you’ve saved up some money, you can explore other paths.”
”Will we be safe in another country?”
”You should know the answer to that better than I do, right?”
As Kian replied, Christy bit her lip.
”If Oswald finds Manon’s relatives and sets them up as king, Manon will have to kill them all. Keeping them alive would just be a hindrance.”
”……”
”Even if you escape, you’ll still have to live in fear of assassins every day.”
”I intend to take care of you, but the threat of assassins isn’t going to disappear, is it?”
”────. What’s the third option?”
”To fight Oswald. Mr. Owl is preparing, but if we can defeat Oswald, I think we can manage somehow after that, just the two of us. I believe we can cover the situation sufficiently.”
”I can’t imagine a scenario where Oswald loses.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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