Chapter 2954: Guilt Vs Duty
Chapter 2954: Guilt Vs Duty
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City
"You really think you’ve got me, don’t you?" I asked Seraphina, who was smiling broadly, baring her teeth as though she had already won.
"Yes, I do," Seraphina nodded smugly in satisfaction and replied without hesitation. Then she spread her arms and looked at me provocatively. "Come on now. Don’t be shy. Show your true self to the people who chose to believe in you."
I stared at her calmly. Even now, she was trying to provoke me. Trying to force my hand to achieve her hidden agenda that was clear as day to me. Unfortunately for her, I wasn’t that easy to bait.
"You really believe I can’t throw the two of you out of here without harming you?" I asked with a steady and unhurried tone.
"And you don’t?" Aqualas shot back immediately.
Only now did she finally understand what Seraphina had been trying to accomplish all along. Her eyes brightened. Suddenly, she no longer looked frustrated. She looked hopeful.
At first glance, Seraphina’s actions seemed noble. She claimed she wanted to expose my true face to the people of the South. To reveal the real Southern Hope to those naïve enough to believe his honeyed words and rise against the Southern Royal Family.
It was a convincing story. One fitting for a veteran commander. Only... It was a lie. Or rather, only half the truth.
The real reason was far simpler and far more personal. Seraphina was trying to save her friend. She had already accepted the possibility of death. She had crossed that line long ago. If risking her life could free Veerott from what she saw as eternal servitude, then she would gladly pay the price.
That was why she refused to leave. That was why she kept provoking me. And that was why she was smiling now. Because she believed she had finally cornered me.
Yes, Seraphina believed that if I failed to send her and Aqualas away unharmed, then I would have failed to uphold my end of the wager. And if I failed to uphold my end... Veerott would no longer be obligated to uphold his.
The contract would become invalid. His servitude would end. Technically speaking, she wasn’t wrong. The wager had been very clear. And Seraphina was gambling on my willingness to honor it.
The moment Aqualas realized her true intentions, she immediately joined in without hesitation and fear. At this point, she didn’t even care if she were petrified and tossed into the void like Aero.
If there was a chance to free Veerott, she would take it. As she believed Veerott was the innocent one in all of this. Seraphina wanted to kill the Southern Hope and She wanted to kill Bloodette, but somehow they got to walk free while Veerott who was only helping them would end up paying a heavy price. She wouldn’t allow it. Not on her watch.
"Wyatt, what’s going on?" Petra finally asked the question she had been holding back all this time. She had tolerated many things. But Aqualas’s smug expression had apparently crossed a line.
Unfortunately for her, I ignored the question entirely. Instead, I looked at the troublesome duo. Then I smiled cruelly, calling out "Veerott."
"Yes, Master," The giant immediately straightened.
"If they don’t leave by the count of three..." I paused briefly before delivering the order. "Kill yourself."
Silence, absolute silence filled the surrounding. Aqualas froze while Seraphina’s eyes widened. Even Petra stared at me as though I had finally lost my mind to ask the enemy to kill himself, as if that would work.
The command was so absurdly ruthless that for a brief moment nobody reacted. Then came the truly terrifying part.
"Yes, Master." Veerott accepted the order without any hesitation or resistance. He didn’t argue or question. He accepted it as naturally as breathing.
The color drained from Seraphina’s face and Aqualas’ expression cracked. Genuine fear appeared in their eyes. However, this time the fear was not of me, but of Veerott. Because they suddenly realized something horrifying. He would actually do it.
I smiled smugly as I raised a finger, counting aloud, "One."
Veerott silently turned toward his friends. His gaze was calm, steady, and resolute. He didn’t threaten them nor plead with them. Yet his eyes conveyed a message clearer than words ever could.
*Leave. Because I will not disobey.*
Aqualas felt her chest tighten and Seraphina clenched her fists. Neither had expected things to escalate this far.
"Two."
The atmosphere grew suffocating. Even Petra looked if an enemy would really kill himself because you ordered him nicely. She had no idea about the wager, yet even she could feel that Veerott might do it.
The giant’s resolve was terrifying. Not because he wanted to die. But because he had already decided that his life was less important than gaining my trust. I opened my mouth, "Thr—"
"Wait, Hold on. We agree to leave!" Aqualas shouted immediately. She raised both hands in surrender. There was no hesitation in her voice nor bargaining out of stubbornness.
Because unlike Seraphina, who still entertained doubts, Aqualas knew Veerott better than anyone present. And she knew with absolute certainty that if the count reached three... Veerott would kill himself without a moment’s hesitation.
"Is this how you treat your people? Using them like disposable pawns? Is this the kind of person my southerners chose to follow?" Seraphina asked aloud, projecting her voice as if putting on a grand spectacle. In reality, she simply couldn’t accept this outcome. If her initial plan was to manipulate me with a moral trap, she was now genuinely weaponising ethics against me, feeling it was her only way out.
"Sera, shut up! I will die if that is what is expected of me," Veerott snapped immediately. He glared at her for stirring up trouble, even though just a breath ago, her own stubbornness had him a syllable away from taking his own life. "I’m begging you, leave me alone. Let me do this."