Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Iztal Eriez.

He was the person I trusted the most in the world. He was one of the youngest of our group, but physically, he was the strongest. He was a skilled combatant, and he also was blessed with good looks. With his pleasant personality, he was liked by everyone, and therefore, people listened to him.

There was more to him than that; the point was, he knew what to say in times like this. Of course, when we were alone, he could be blunt yet honest.

After he quickly pushed away Manar and his friends, Eriez suggested we go out for some fresh air. I thought he wanted to show me how much progress the guys made on building the new streets, but instead, he took me to a quiet lake near the castle.

He muttered, “Those stupid, weak bastards. If they panic at the first sign of danger… If their trust and belief in Ara can be shaken this easily… How could our nation last?”

“Eri… They are still our brothers, so you shouldn’t rebuke them…”

I tried to calm him down, but it seemed that he already made a significant decision. Eriez said to me, “The thing is… Do you remember that messenger we sent to the capital regarding our plan for the upcoming conquest to the west? When that messenger returned, he apparently had some private messages from the capital for Manar and a few others. I assume the messages were from or about their families… Did something happen to them? Who knows… But if these guys desert us to go see or help their families in the capital, how many of us do you think will be left in Minurd? Even today, there was obvious unrest at work, so that was why we were all dismissed early… Gosh….”

Eriez grumbled and sat on the ground, looking out at the lake. I sat beside him and enjoyed the beautiful sunset.

“Eri… Aren’t you worried about your own family back home?”

I was an orphan, so I couldn’t help having a hard time understanding how it felt to worry for a family. However, Eriez was different; he was from an excellent family that lived near the capital. If something did happen in the capital city, there was no guarantee that something didn’t happen to his parents, brothers, and sisters.

“Oh, me? Everyone in my family is part of the ‘Innocent Ones,’ remember? So dying in a battle is the most honorable thing for us, so I am fine.”

Eriez smiled, but I wondered if he was being honest. I knew he was strong, but he was a human after all. He tried to act positive and outgoing in front of everyone, but I knew he had his own secret burdens to carry. I was the only one Eriez could show at least a little bit of his true self.

The ground was slightly wet, but Eriez laid down on it anyway and continued, “But still, Juya, I am a little envious of you. You don’t have to keep reminding yourself of your duties and to forget your old home. After all, Minurd is your only home in this world. Your only master is the Goddess’ warrior Hakim Karid, and your only brothers are us, ‘The Innocent Ones.’ No matter what happens, you won’t ever encounter a situation where you are forced to deviate from our principles and loyalty.”

I didn’t know what to say to him, so I remained quiet. The black lake remained calm, but Eriez’s voice became louder, “Man! I feel so distressed that I would prefer to just go to war right now—to go west and conquer the world. I want to forget everything. Perhaps our Goddess’s warrior knew how I felt, and that is why he ordered this war? It would make sense; such conquest would force all of us to focus and stop thinking nonsense. I just wish the capital would smarten up and stop killing one another. They need to send us more soldiers right now!”

With a deep sigh, he finally became quiet. All I could do was pat his arm comfortingly. I was happy that he trusted me enough to share his deepest thoughts. In the end, Eriez again was selfless as he said to me, “I will try my best to calm Manar and his buddies, so don’t worry too much about this, Juya. They are only angry because of the uncertainties, and they are trying not to show their weaknesses.”

“…”

“I wish all ‘The Innocent Ones’ are like you in Minurd.”

I felt uncomfortable at his flattery, so I lowered my eyes and said to him, “Eriez, I am not as blindly loyal to the Goddess’ warrior as you think. If his order was the right thing to do, I would follow it. If he decided something regarding the capital, I would trust his wisdom. However, it doesn’t mean that I never doubt his orders. I do wonder if there can’t be a better solution.”

“Better solution… and what would that be?”

“For example, I don’t think this conquest to the western region is a bad idea.”

When it seemed that this was not the answer Eriez wanted to hear, I continued, “… but of course, it can’t be helped. It needs to happen, so…”

“Juya.”

He sat up and turned towards me. The way he looked at me reminded me of how I looked at the prince earlier. Eriez continued, “I understand your hope for peace, but unused strength and power always end up becoming corrupt.”

Eriez gave me a bitter and dark smile, which was rare. He talked like he was talking about someone else, but his voice sounded too knowing as if he had experienced some darkness before.

“Juya, the old conqueror’s kingdom was powerful. When he stopped his conquest because he thought he had done enough, his kingdom ended up splitting into five separate nations. Minurd is a paradise. The land of the blessed. It is surrounded by a lake, which makes this castle very hard to attack. Since ‘The Innocent Ones’ have been feeling too safe, the new Goddess still hasn’t been born yet. On top of that, we, ‘The Innocent Ones,’ are slowly forgetting how to use our swords.”

“But isn’t it a good thing not to use our swords? Not to have to use our weapons?”

When I murmured weakly, Eriez suddenly lunged to get on top of me.

“…?”

He began to whisper as if he was afraid someone might hear him.

“I wish everyone thought like you do, Juya. If we can all be safe without using our weapons, that would obviously be the best thing, but because we have been left alone for too long, the idleness is slowly making our brothers crazy. Do you know what they were talking about today?”

Of course, I didn’t know. Eriez hesitated before telling me, “Some guys were saying that there was no point in us remaining pure and loyal when the Goddess refused to come back to us for this long, so…”

He lowered his head to whisper the rest into my ear.

“What?”

My eyes widened in shock because what he said was too ridiculous. Eriez must have felt the same way because he growled.

“So do you get it now? Hakim Karid made the right decision. It’s the best thing to do at this point. Before these crazy guys lose it completely, we need to begin our conquest. It would be even better if our request is heard, and more soldiers are sent from the capital. The capital needs something else to focus on too.”

“…”

Eriez then finally sat up away from me and pretended that we didn’t just have a serious conversation. I realized that perhaps I was wrong all along. War was a horrible thing, but maybe it was necessary at this point. Perhaps the Goddess’ warrior made the right decision.

Nevertheless, I still wasn’t wholly convinced. Suddenly, my thoughts turned naughty. I pulled Eriez towards me and whispered, “Eri, does this mean that you will blindly trust and follow Hakim Karid?”

“Of course!”

Hmm… I wanted to test how far he was willing to go.

“Then… what if he asks you to use your mouth to pleasure him? What would you do then?”

“W-what? Huh…!!!”

Before he could protest, I pulled his face towards me into an abrupt kiss. I wanted to show him that I, too, was just as loyal. It was a short but hot kiss, and I hoped that I got my message across.

I asked again, “So will you do it for him?”

“Ahh… W-why are you asking me this question?”

His hands that pushed me away felt warm. Before I explained myself, I wanted to hear his answer.

“Eri, if you answer me, I will explain.”

“… I would. If he orders me, of course, I will do it. He would have a good reason for asking me to do something like that, so… Wouldn’t you do it?”

I stared at his stiff lips. I reached to touch his chin, which felt a little rough. I expected this answer from him. He was a loyal man, after all. To “The Innocent Ones,” the Goddess’ warrior was basically our king. We had no choice but to follow him blindly. He was the king of this paradise. I smiled and sat up to answer him.