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HE burned so many things and killed so many people, so much so that slaughtering became but a boring task. And all he gained from that was a mere twenty years. He’d led quite a wretched life.
Would he continue to struggle in a desperate attempt for a better future, or would he give up all hope here? Humans had the right to decide that for themselves. And he had just pulled the last chance of his lifetime. Was he lucky or unlucky—or was this fated to be?
Lawrence gazed up at the tiniest sliver of the moon that remained in the night sky as he stopped at a dead end in a deserted alleyway. Before he knew it, a quiet presence had appeared behind him.
“I knew you’d come, Prince Gerald,” Lawrence whispered.
The security of Lehrsatz couldn’t be overcome so easily. One needed to craft an elaborate plan to lead them away and take advantage of that opening while preparing many complicated spells, just as the commander of the Arks had done. Only then could infiltration become possible. No doubt he felt restless for being unable to do such a thing alone.
After the Arks attacked the city, more people began to leave and enter in hopes of aiding the restoration efforts. Finally, the crown prince had found his chance to sneak in. Lawrence turned around to find his former master.
The crown prince was a wretched sight. His mantle was so filthy and stained that one couldn’t tell its original color, and the yellowing cloth had frayed ends. His boots were caked with mud, and a tear ran along one side. His beautiful face, which once enchanted all the ladies, was coated with dust, and his silky, golden hair was matted with grease and dirt. There was a crack in one of his glasses’ lenses, and the frame was bent. Yet, his dark eyes remained as noble as ever.
“Give me an explanation,” the prince demanded.
“What is there to explain?” Lawrence replied. “Former king Rufus yielded the throne to Queen Faris, and a new reign has begun. I’m just helping out and plan to do my utmost best.”
“You let Faris get abducted by the Arks, yet you brazenly— Enough chatter. What did the King of South Kratos say to fool her? What is he trying to force her to do?!”
“You see, I apparently died after I betrayed you and my comrades,” Lawrence said softly.
Gerald furrowed his brows.
“When I heard about it, I oddly found myself nodding along,” Lawrence continued. “If Lady Jill Cervel got engaged to you and they became my friends, I would’ve misjudged myself. But I know that I must’ve done my utmost best. No matter the result, they were choices I made—even I’ve got a scrap of dignity for my decisions. But the gods are arrogant. They told me that I was wrong and to redo it all.”
“What are you on about?” Gerald asked. “I’m not here to listen to your story.”
“Even now, I’m grateful that you took notice of me.” Lawrence gave a genuine bow, displaying utmost respect from the bottom of his heart. “Perhaps I have the choice of going with you and my former comrades to evade the past tragedy, but unfortunately, I’ve got a few screws loose.”
Gerald took a step back and placed a hand over his hip.
“So, I ask that you also lead a different life this time,” Lawrence went on. “Not as the crown prince of Kratos, or the guardian of the Goddess. The queen herself wishes for that.”
When Gerald tried to unsheathe his dagger, he whirled around midway. A tiny shadow had teleported under the cloak of darkness, and a black spear pierced through the crown prince’s body.
“If only you had fled somewhere, Brother,” the young queen said.
Her older brother called her name, his raspy voice mixed with his own blood.
“Farewell, yoke of love. You’ve continued to violate me,” the queen said. “You cannot save anything.”
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She drew her spear back, her cheek splattered with her brother’s blood. His glasses fell upon the cobblestone with a clatter, and Gerald fell beside them. Blood gradually pooled around his body. Faris stepped in the puddle.
“I’m fine, Kratos,” she murmured. “Please don’t cry. That goes for you, too, Lawrence.”
Upon hearing his name called, the Kratos strategist gazed down in silent prayer, his lips moving faintly.
May the arrogant gods and his shameless self, spared by these deities, vanish from the face of this world.
Never shall they be able to nullify the choices of humans again.