Side Story 16: A Question and Its Answer (3)

"...Was it really all right?"

Sakri's schemes in Golbel had just reached their final stage when Reis Stein completely thwarted them, bringing everything to a standstill.

But Sakri was hardly troubled. "Well, this is what one would expect from Reis Stein," he said, seeming completely unruffled.

After secretly slipping out of the royal capital and confirming the outcome of the battle on the Zetta Plain, Sakri and Munar turned their backs on the king of Golbel and decided to return to Lifrea.

It was during that journey that Sakri suddenly asked his question.

"What do you mean, 'all right'?"

"You could have stayed in Golbel. Or rather, you could have left Golbel and sought a peaceful place to live in another country. Of course, I wouldn't recommend Rudek, but..."

So that was another option. I had never considered it even once until Sakri pointed it out. It felt as though scales had fallen from my eyes.

I understood what Sakri meant. If I returned to Lifrea, people would once again look at me with contempt. I would often find it unpleasant.

Besides, Nero might use me as an assassination pawn again. But if it were assumed that I had fled amid the confusion, Nero probably would not search for me.

That man doesn't even see me. I doubt he even recognizes me as a human being.

I had begun to realize it recently. That man named Nero was probably broken in some way.

There was nothing strange about his demeanor or the things he said. And yet, something was definitely wrong. To Munar, it seemed as though the madness deep inside him were seeping out.

A new life in another country, huh.

What would it be like? I couldn't even imagine it.

Then, it suddenly struck me.

"What about you?"

Asked the same question in return, Sakri stared blankly, then slightly twisted his cheek and gave a small shake of his head.

"I have things to do—no, my elder brother and I have things to do. There is no other choice for us..."

Sakri spoke as though trying to convince himself, and a faint feeling of pity stirred in Munar's chest.

Was that really what Sakri wanted to do? Munar felt an urge to demand an answer, but he firmly swallowed the words.

It was none of my concern. To me, Sakri was merely the person Nero had ordered me to watch, while Nero was merely an employer who provided me food but whom I couldn't trust—nothing more.

However, if I fled to another country now, who would keep watch over Sakri?

That country had few red-haired people. They would probably send someone without red hair next. Would that person continue plotting while enduring contemptuous looks day after day...?

Munar wasn't particularly sociable either. When he had no business to attend to, he simply sat there in silence. He rarely spoke unless necessary. But at least he never mocked Sakri's red eyes or looked down on him.

Leaving for another country by myself now would feel like abandoning Sakri, and somehow that made Munar feel bad. He didn't really understand why he felt that way.

Thinking about it, there was no need to flee now. I had learned about countries other than Lifrea, and if I wanted to, escaping Lifrea would be easy now. So I could play along with this guy's schemes for a little longer.

"...I know no way of life besides watching over you, carrying out assassinations, and scavenging leftovers."

Whatever else he was thinking, Munar answered only that.

"...I see."

After hearing Munar's reply, Sakri looked just a little pleased.

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―― Did he lose? This man? ――

After their retreat from Golbel, the relationship between Rudek and Lifrea, along with the circumstances surrounding them, changed dramatically in the blink of an eye.

Sakri's all-out gambit wounded and felled Reis Stein; just when it seemed Sakri had even put a blade to Rudek's throat, Reis made a spectacular comeback and defeated the rebel army.

Furthermore, a renewed invasion centered on the First Knight Order ended in a crushing defeat at the hands of the new strategist, Roa. While Lifrea searched for a way to recover, Rudek, the Empire, and Golbel formed a three-nation alliance, suddenly putting Lifrea in a desperate position.

Reis, the greatest threat, was dead. But overall, Lifrea was being driven into an increasingly difficult position.

Even so, Sakri devised one countermeasure after another and tried to turn the tide.

Even to Munar, Sakri's moves seemed equal to or better than Roa's. But neither people nor timing favored Sakri.

Sakri had no allies in Lifrea to begin with. Munar had seen countless occasions when the foolish upper echelons ruined Sakri's moves.

And finally, even time itself turned against him.

An unprecedented crop failure, far beyond anyone's expectations. Moreover, Roa had apparently foreseen it and prepared for it. What a monster. Could he actually see the future?

Inevitably, Lifrea was forced into an all-or-nothing struggle with everything it had. Even then, Sakri continued to produce new moves, and at Femas he had pushed to the very brink of victory.

But he lost.

Even Munar could hardly believe it, but all that remained was the fact of defeat.

That day,

In the command room of a hidden fortress where no one but Sakri and Munar was present, Munar saw Sakri shed tears for the first time.