“Damn, I wasted too much time.” Al had unexpectedly bumped into two guests at the dining hall: Luna and Saaya.
“Sorry, Al. Is it bad we came here so late?” They told him that they were looking for some snacks, since Saaya was hungry. He’d gotten the cake from the kitchen, but questioned if it was really the best choice considering Sharon’s lack of exercise lately. Regardless, on his way back, he decided to share half of it with them and stay for a small chat.
Then, he rushed toward Sharon’s room, but hearing Ranbolg’s voice from the corridor leading there, he stopped and hid against the wall. He snuck his way along the wall and peeked out, acting like a voyeur.
“What in the world are they talking about?”
He considered using wind magic to listen in, but that could have easily revealed his position, so he decided against it.
Wha—!? Why is he going inside now!?
He was invited into the room by Sharon after exchanging a few words. Al wasn’t able to get a good look at Sharon’s expression, but it was clear that she was hanging her head for a reason other than embarrassment.
“What’s going on?”
On one hand, he wanted to kick the door down and learn what was happening, but on the other hand, he was afraid that he’d regret learning about it. His indecisiveness had left him at a crossroads.
✦ ✦ ✦
“So, what did you want to talk about?” Sharon bottled up her feelings and tried to look as neutral as possible. She offered Ranbolg a seat while she remained standing—to leave herself the opportunity to make a quick escape if things went south, not because it was rude to sit down in the presence of royalty. Naturally, Ranbolg stood no chance against Sharon in a physical fight, but due to the chains cast on her by the Freiyan royalty, she was unable to disobey their orders.
“Hmph. I’m not here to hurt you.” Ranbolg smirked, seeing through Sharon’s earnest efforts, but she didn’t budge. Annoyed at being ignored, he glared at Sharon and continued. “Either way, let me cut to the chase. I was ordered to murder the king of Althos.”
He dropped a crucial piece of information like it was common knowledge. When she thought about it, however, that order made a lot of sense. It wouldn’t be unexpected for the king of Freiya to send another assassin Al’s way after Sharon’s failure and Al’s victory in the battle against the Empire.
“Hm? Are you okay? You look pale.”
Sharon touched her own face in disbelief after seeing Ranbolg’s slight grin, wondering what expression she wore.
“I received another order besides that as well.” He squinted to check if the trembling girl was still listening, and proceeded to spell doom for Althos. “I am to break our alliance with Althos and declare war.”
If the small, fragile country of Althos were invaded by both the Empire to the north and Freiya to the south, they would undoubtedly be swallowed up.
“B-But, wouldn’t it be better to keep using Althos as a shield while you prepare for war with the Empire?” Sharon recalled what Al had said about the relationship between Althos and Freiya.
“You of all people should be very well aware that the king is not a patient man, Sharon.” Ranbolg was right. The Freiyan king was infamous for throwing away thousands of lives in the name of territorial dominance. “He told me to take my army and trample Althos if I failed to assassinate Alnoa.”
He had eight thousand soldiers on standby. Against an army of that size, no matter how superior Jamka’s strategy was, no matter how many Divas they had, it would be an extremely difficult fight. If the Empire were to attack while Althos was occupied with Freiya, then...
The gruesome image of Althos in ruins flashed through Sharon’s mind, draining all the color from her face. Ranbolg couldn’t contain his laughter upon seeing that.
“There’s a catch. What if I told you there was a way to make your dream a reality and save Althos?”
“Wh-What is it? What do I have to do?” she asked without a second thought.
I’ll do anything to save this country.
Ranbolg was ready to give her an ultimatum.
“You have to marry me.”
“What!? Marry!? Me and you!?” Sharon was completely dumbfounded.
“Hahaha, learn to speak, you dumb tramp! But it’s okay; I’m a generous man. I will forgive your shortcomings.”
Sharon almost gave him what for, but she managed to restrain herself before it was too late. Disregarding her clear confusion, Ranbolg continued.
“Listen to me. If we were to marry, I could easily usurp the throne. You are popular amongst our people, so starting a revolution would be child’s play. Once the king caves under the pressure, the country is ours to govern. If you so desire, we can behead the king once my plan succeeds. An enticing offer, is it not?”
Ranbolg was confident in his master plan, but Sharon had her doubts. The Freiyan king was known for his iron grip on the country, so uprooting him with a revolution may not have been as foolproof as Ranbolg thought it to be.
“What do you say? You won’t need this sorry excuse for a country anymore once you get your hands on the great Freiya, and you’ll even be able to enact your revenge. You get to fulfill your dreams by agreeing to this one simple proposal.”
It’s like making a deal with the devil himself—an enticing offer in exchange for my soul.
“Also, I have a little something here.” Interrupting Sharon’s thoughts, Ranbolg pulled a pale green crystal from his pocket.
“What? How!? Where did you get that?” Sharon knew all too well what that crystal was.
“It’s from a certain someone. I don’t plan to reveal their identity to you, however,” he said with a creepy smile. Sharon knew exactly where that crystal came from and how dangerous it was, yet all she could do was stare at it.
“This crystal will help me realize my dreams by creating the strongest army that has ever tread in this world. I have tested it on a lowly slave, and it was a tremendous success! He may have died in the process, but subduing the power of this crystal should be simple for a man of my caliber!”
What a fool. It was painfully obvious that things wouldn’t work out well for Ranbolg. The person who gave him that crystal must’ve had a silver tongue, considering his unwavering confidence despite having watched someone be killed by the power of that crystal. Not long ago, Sharon would’ve jumped on the idea of letting him go berserk with power and finishing him off, but things had changed.
“Give me some time to think.” That was the best she could do now.
“Huh? Are you trying to disobey me?” Sharon kept silent in the wake of Ranbolg’s rage. “Tch, do as you wish. You couldn’t disobey me even if you wanted to. But just to make sure we’re on the same page: I’m sure you know what will happen to the Lost Children if you dare to pull any stunts.”
Sharon grit her teeth to hold her emotions back.
“You have until tomorrow. Prepare yourself before I head back to my army.” Ranbolg stormed out of the room.
“What should I do?” Sharon was paralyzed with shock.