Belamus remained silent, carefully weighing Linden’s words. The reality was complicated. Lazalit had been the one issuing orders, and the special forces had merely obeyed, many under duress. In truth, they were victims too.
There was the mission itself as well. With their skills, they could easily have killed both Kuusha and Mimi, completed the assignment cleanly, and returned to report their success. But they hadn’t. Kuusha had been fatally wounded, but Mimi had escaped. That failure didn’t seem accidental. It was hard to imagine these elite soldiers had simply let her slip through their fingers by mistake.
Which meant… they’d hesitated.
They hadn’t wanted to carry it through. Not all the way.
In any other scenario, Mimi likely would’ve died out there in the forest, lost to monsters or starvation. But she hadn’t. She’d survived. And part of that, Belamus knew, was thanks to the fact that the special forces hadn’t pursued her with full intent.
Belamus looked over at Linden and was silent for a long moment. Mimi’s a smart girl. She’ll see the bigger picture. She’ll weigh the cost, the circumstances… and the benefit of having a soldier like Linden on her side.
Still, he said nothing aloud. This wasn’t his judgment to make. The final choice belonged to Mimi. Until then, all they could do was wait. And so, they waited for Mimi, Delarosa, and Meira to return.
The longer the silence stretched, the more the tension grew. Every rustle of wind through the trees set nerves on edge. The minutes dragged on with no sign of them. Worry clung to the air like fog.
Then, finally—
“There they are! It’s Belamus and the others!”
The voice rang out clear and familiar, laced with relief and excitement. Mimi.
Belamus felt the weight in his chest lift slightly as he turned to see them. The three of them, Mimi, Delarosa, and Meira, were making their way toward the group, alive and whole.
“Did it work?” Belamus asked, his voice laced with hope.
Mimi nodded, smiling tiredly. “Yeah. Somehow, we managed. The Emperor Treant promised to help… said it would grow the ranma grass for us.”
Belamus let out a slow breath, the relief settling deep in his bones. “Good. That’s very good.”
Mimi’s expression grew more serious.
“What about Lazalit?” she asked quietly.
Belamus didn’t hesitate. He reached into his satchel and drew out the gem, a flawless, radiant magic stone that shimmered faintly in the light.
“I killed him,” he said simply.
“You… you killed him?” Mimi asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
She looked up at Belamus with wide eyes, a faint tremor in her tone that was half fear, half disbelief.
“He wasn’t someone who could be taken alive,” Belamus replied quietly. “And more importantly… he wasn’t someone who should have been left alive.”
Then, calmly and without embellishment, he told her everything Lazalit had confessed before the end. As the truth settled over her, the color drained from Mimi’s face. But then, slowly, something changed. Her expression hardened, not in cruelty, but in resolve. As the third princess of the kingdom, it was only natural. There were some sins too great to forgive.
Her gaze shifted to the bound men nearby: Linden and the rest of the special forces.
“These men… they’re from the special forces, aren’t they?” Mimi asked quietly.
Belamus gave a slight nod. “They were forced to follow Lazalit’s orders. Threats, coercion, the usual tools of control. But none of them bear a personal grudge against you. They believed the truth about the so-called curse, but they understand now.”
“I see…” Mimi looked over at them again, this time with a softer expression. “Thank you.”
Linden winced, as though the words physically hurt.
“I’m not someone you should be thanking,” Linden said softly, his eyes cast downward, voice heavy with guilt. “I raised my blade against you. And more than that… I took the life of your attendant, Kuusha.”
Mimi’s smile faltered, and her breath caught. She hadn’t known, not until that moment.
“You?” Her voice was quiet, stunned. Pain flickered across her face. She looked away for a moment, struggling to compose herself. But when she looked back at Linden, her expression had changed again to be gentler, but still full of sorrow.
“The fault lies with Lazalit,” she said softly. “None of you is to blame.”
“No, Princess,” Linden said firmly, his voice catching. “I made a choice. I weighed my life, and the lives of my family, against yours and Kuusha’s. And I chose to protect my own. I drew that blade. That was me, not Lazalit.”
Mimi was silent for a long time. Then, quietly, she replied, “If I were in your position… I might have done the same. When it comes to protecting those we love, we all carry the weight of terrible choices.”
Tears began to spill from Linden’s eyes, falling without restraint. He bowed deeply, his voice breaking with emotion.
“I swear I’ll atone for it. Please, allow me… no, allow all of us here to serve you as your vassals. Let the special forces fight for you.”
“W-What?” Mimi blinked, completely caught off guard. “My vassals? But… you’re the strongest fighters in the palace! You serve my father, don’t you?”
Linden lifted his head, his voice steady now, resolute. “No. From this day forward, we wish to serve you, Princess Mimi.”
One by one, the remaining members of the special forces bowed their heads in unison, following Linden’s lead in solemn silence.
“I-I understand,” Mimi said at last, her voice hesitant as she looked at the men kneeling before her. “If you’re that sincere about it… I’ll accept you as my vassals.”
She looked overwhelmed. It was clear she’d never had this many people swear loyalty to her before, and certainly not soldiers of such renown. The weight of command was new to her, and it showed in the unsure way her eyes flicked between them.
Belamus stepped in to give some direction. “First, I’d like the special forces to return to the palace and spread word of two things: that Lazalit is dead, and that Mimi is not cursed. You’ll need to make that crystal clear. I’ll have Rugen show you to his archives; you can take the documentation as proof.”
“Understood,” Linden replied with a respectful nod.
“And one more thing,” Meira added, stepping forward. Her voice was calm, but beneath it lay years of exhaustion and quiet longing. “Tell them that Gagagamoor is not an evil organization. That’s a lie Lazalit spread to silence us. It’s time that lie ended.”
She’d spent years in hiding, years watching her people be branded as criminals. It was no wonder she wanted it to end here and now.
“She’s right,” Mimi said gently. “If it weren’t for Gagagamoor, we would never have uncovered the truth. Honestly, they deserve medals, not condemnation.”
Linden bowed again, accepting the charge. “Consider it done. Clearing Gagagamoor’s name should be easy enough, now that we know the slander came directly from Lazalit.”
At that, Meira couldn’t hold back the emotion any longer. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she murmured, “At last… our efforts will be recognized. You see, ancestors? Your struggle was not in vain!”
Belamus glanced at her, quietly moved. There was no question in his mind: if anyone deserved the title of true heroes in this battle, it was the dwarves of Gagagamoor. For generations, they had resisted Aled’s shadow in silence, keeping hope alive when no one else dared.
After that, they made a brief stop at Rugen’s laboratory to gather the necessary documents. While Linden and his men prepared to return to the palace to begin clearing names and setting records straight, the others remained behind waiting, for once, not in fear or uncertainty, but in quiet hope.