Chapter 165

“H-How could you!”

The elders’ horrified gazes fell upon Kaiel.

Unlike before, none of them dared to call him a slave. They struggled to hide their displeasure.

“In Akron, I’m just a Hunter. I move under the Branch Manager’s orders. So, you’d better ask him nicely. You need to defeat the Dark Knight, after all.”

“Must we… do this? We wish to negotiate with Guild Master Astell.”

“Oh my! Are you disregarding our Branch Manager? Ah, this is suddenly making me want to go back to the Taikan Empire.”

All traces of dissatisfaction vanished from the elders’ faces. Fearing I might storm out, they forced a smile and tried to appease me.

“N-No! When did we ever disregard him! O-Of course we must negotiate with the Branch Manager. Y-yes, of course. So, what should we do now?”

“Branch Manager, you may begin.”

“Yes.”

Kaiel took out a stack of blank documents and placed them on the table.

*Tap, tap.* No one spoke a word as he straightened the papers and took out a pen.

Once he was finished organizing, Kaiel met the elders’ gazes.

He was as cool-headed as ever. There was no triumphant smile, nor was he reveling in his revenge.

Looking like a ruthless businessman, Kaiel spoke.

“We will now draw up the contract. Please state the terms you can offer.”

The elders let out heavy sighs.

Kaiel unleashed his nasty side on the elders without reserve.

He played the ‘me’ card so masterfully that it felt less like a negotiation and more like extortion.

The first thing Kaiel demanded was the abolition of the slave system. His reasoning was that he didn’t want to do business with a country that maintained such a backward system. Something about them not being on the same level?

The elders surprisingly accepted it with little fuss. It seemed there were so few slaves left that maintaining the system was impossible even if they wanted to.

He also secured funding for all expenses required to establish the branch. The elders even agreed to handle guild member recruitment themselves.

Akron would cover 50% of the reward for successfully clearing the Gate, and they also promised to actively help sell the artifacts made by Guardian.

All profits from items obtained in the Gate and from the sale of artifacts would belong entirely to Guardian.

Of course, Kaiel didn’t only use the stick.

After securing everything he could, like a seasoned negotiator, he saved the elders’ faces by agreeing that the branch would pay taxes to Akron once it was stabilized.

Well, it wouldn’t start for another three years, so it probably wasn’t much of a consolation. But it was better than nothing.

“Well, it seems we’ve settled most of it.”

“…Is it over?”

“Yes.”

“Th-Thank you.”

The elders and Kaiel exchanged a copy of the contract each and then stood up.

After three long hours of having their energy completely drained by Kaiel, the elders all looked haggard.

Elder Maga massaged his back and made a request to Kaiel.

“Branch Manager, can you mobilize now?”

“Of course. Where is the location?”

“Phew… Follow us. We will guide you.”

The elders led the way, sighs erupting from all around. Their slumped shoulders were a pitiful sight.

I gave Kaiel a thumbs-up and followed the elders.

A low sound came from behind me. It was the sound of Kaiel’s laughter.

***

“Astell, the treatment is finished. Please let me know if you feel any other discomfort.”

“I was treated with your divine power, Johan. I don’t feel any pain. I’m really okay.”

“…”

Johan hung his head low. A deep sense of melancholy emanated from him.

“Johan?”

“Looking at you, Astell… makes me feel so incompetent.”

“Incompetent? Who was it that just healed this arm?”

I playfully waved the arm that had been broken. It had fractured while I was fighting the Dark Knight, but now it was seamlessly healed.

“Still, maybe because this is the third attempt, I have fewer injuries than last time. I didn’t pass out, and I even have a little bit of mana left. I think I can clear it next time without getting hurt.”

“Third? Isn’t this the second time with the Dark Knight?”

“Ah… R-Right, it’s the second. I must have gotten confused in the heat of the moment. Anyway, Johan, I’m all better now. So, cheer up. Okay?”

I playfully poked Johan in the side. But his expression remained clouded.

It wasn’t that I didn’t know why he was acting this way. He was trapped in his own contradiction, tormenting himself.

The mindset of a clergyman and the heart of a man. He couldn’t find his balance between the two.

From now on, Johan would continually face the choice between the world and me.

No matter how much it pained him, he would ultimately choose the world. That was just who Johan was.

And he would shed tears while healing me as I got hurt and bled to save the world, cursing himself for having to send the woman he loved into the jaws of death.

There was a simple way for Johan to escape his suffering. All he had to do was not love me.

“Johan.”

I carefully took his hand. After quietly feeling its warmth, Johan gave a weak smile.

“I’m… thinking of leaving the Temple.”

“Why?”

“I don’t think I’m qualified to be a clergyman.”

“Not qualified? I’ve never seen anyone more suited to be a clergyman than you, Johan.”

Johan was the kindest person I knew.

Of course, being merely kind doesn’t make one a clergyman.

He possessed a deep love for humanity and a noble spirit of sacrifice. It was so sublime that a selfish person like me couldn’t even dare to look upon it.

“…If you knew what I was thinking when you were fighting the Dark Knight, you wouldn’t say that.”

“What were you thinking?”

“That I should have told you not to help Akron.”

“…”

Johan slowly raised his head. His blue eyes were moist.

“Even though I knew many people would be in danger if you gave up, that’s what I thought. I hated seeing you get hurt, and I resented Akron for asking for help.”

The one Johan resented most was himself. He must have hated his own weakness.

“Do you still think I’m suited to be a clergyman?”

“Yes.”

Johan’s eyes widened. He looked so cute, staring at me with his innocent face and tear-filled eyes. Is this what it would feel like to have a younger brother?

“Clergymen are people too. Anyone can have those thoughts. But do you know what makes you different from other people, Johan?”

“…No, I don’t.”

“You struggle with it, Johan. And you torment yourself over the fact that you had those thoughts.”

“…”

“Do you think leaving the Temple will stop you from having those worries? Do you think you can suddenly become selfish? No, you’ll struggle and suffer just the same, Johan.”

I squeezed his hand firmly.

“You’re the kindest person I know, Johan. That’s not because you have to be as a clergyman, it’s just how you were born. You can’t hide your true nature.”

Suddenly, I remembered the first time I saw Johan. I couldn’t take my eyes off his brightly smiling face, clad in a Paladin’s plate armor.

I thought he was an angel. I even wondered if the Temple selected Paladins based on their looks. He was so dazzling I almost had to shield my eyes.

Thinking back to that day made me smile. Indeed, being a Paladin suited Johan best.

“Johan, I know you love the Temple. Don’t quit because of me.”

“But if I stay in the Temple, then you and I…”

“The Temple isn’t a prison, so what’s there to worry about? I can just visit whenever I want to see you. You can come visit me too if you miss me. Or we could see each other at the guild.”

Johan’s hand flinched. He must have realized I had just gently rejected his feelings.

Johan stared at me quietly. A tear finally escaped his large eyes and rolled down his cheek.

I hastily wiped it away. I felt like I had relentlessly teased a child until I finally made them cry. He looked so pitiful and pathetic that I didn’t know what to do.

“Johan, don’t cry. I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I should have told you sooner… Oh dear, please stop. There, there. Okay?”

Johan, who had been silently shedding tears, took my hand and lowered it. After a good cry, he looked slightly relieved. With the tip of his nose red, he smiled.

“You don’t have to be sorry. I actually knew.”

“Knew what?”

“How you think of me, Astell. And that someone else already occupies your heart.”

“…Who’s in my heart?”

“His Highness.”

The answer came so easily that my mind went blank. After blinking for a long moment, I asked foolishly.

“H-How did you know?”

I had only just become aware of my own feelings, so how did Johan know?

“Your gaze.”

“My gaze?”

“You’ve almost never been flustered while looking at me, Astell. Because you think of me as a younger brother.”

“Ah…”

“Your gaze does change sometimes… but it’s less like looking at a man you like and more, well, like you’re looking at a pet. You know, that expression you make when you see something so cute you just want to pat it.”

Ouch.

How did he know I saw him as a puppy? Johan was more perceptive than I thought.

“But it’s completely different when you look at His Highness.”

“How so?”

“Your eyes waver. You can’t seem to look away. And words you would mercilessly ignore from anyone else, you always respond to when His Highness says them. That’s you, Astell.”

Did I do that? I thought I’d rebuked Dante plenty of times for the absurd things he said.

“Did you know? You don’t show your emotions easily, Astell. It’s not that you’re blunt, but rather that you draw a line and don’t allow anyone to cross it.”

I’d heard that in my past life too. That I was cunning because no one could read my thoughts.

“But in front of His Highness, you show all your emotions. You get angry, laugh out loud, get annoyed…”

Johan’s voice trailed off. Lost in reminiscence for a moment, he smiled sadly.

“When it came to His Highness, it was as if that line never existed in the first place. That’s how I saw you, Astell.”

“…Then why did you confess to me?”

Johan wrinkled his nose in displeasure.

“It was so obvious you had feelings for him, yet you insisted you were just contract lovers… I didn’t want to be the one to tell you. I was too jealous.”

Suddenly, his age felt real to me.

When I thought about it, Johan was only twenty. He just hid it behind the calm and mature demeanor of a clergyman, but underneath, he was a young man who had just come of age.

‘Cute.’

I couldn’t resist ruffling Johan’s hair. I was so proud of him for not despairing over his first love’s failure and accepting it with grace.

“My, my, does our Paladin get jealous too?”

“Paladins are people too.”

“Right, right, Paladins are people too. You’re right about everything, Johan.”

“Don’t treat me like a little brother.”

“I wasn’t treating you like a little brother, I was treating you like a baby.”

“You do know there’s only a one-year age difference between us, right?”

“How adorable. Were you born yesterday?”

“…”

“Be my little brother. Your big sister will take good care of you.”

“…Were you always like this, Astell?”

“Oops, you found me out.”

Johan frowned for a moment before letting out a soft laugh. His clear, smiling face was truly beautiful.

Though he was smiling now, I could see it. The raw, red wounds etched into his blue eyes.

But wounds are bound to fade someday. With time, they would disappear without a trace, and a day would surely come when he’d wonder, ‘Did something like that ever happen?’