◈ Episode 065

It was quite a humiliating experience.

It wasn't humiliation like being personally insulted, being assaulted, or being sexually humiliated. Instead, the man provided easy-to-eat food and water.

The problem was that he didn't release her from her bonds. In other words, he needed help from others. But he didn't intend to follow along obediently, so Ainoa struggled.

"Get out of my way. Who would eat food given to them by a kidnapper? I don't know who you are, but you will never get what you want. Do you understand? No way…!"

Chul-chul.

"oh."

"hmm."

After being forced to eat food that had spilled on the floor, she stopped resisting. In the moment when she thought it was delicious, even for a moment, Ainoa's pride was torn to pieces.

Fortunately, the man was a relatively friendly kidnapper.

"You can use the bathroom in the room. I'll leave your legs untied. Escaping will be impossible, and even if you do somehow manage to get out, don't think about anything frivolous. It'll be more dangerous to wander around alone."

"...all right."

Ainoa suppressed her hostility. The advice she had heard from Sesa lingered in her ears. She was usually a worrier, so she would often give advice on how to deal with various situations.

'When I was caught, I was told not to provoke the other person for no reason.'

It is not a common teaching. The teachers of Wangseong were always admonishing them not to lose their pride. However, such mentality was not very useful.

The one who always helped Ainoa was Sesha.

'The priest will come.'

And let's say sorry. Let's hug Sesa and say that we were wrong and that we won't act like that again. Ainoa repeated this to herself as if praying.

'Just a little bit, just a little bit... If you just endure it... ... .'

I quickly became drowsy, perhaps because the effects of the medicine had not worn off. Or maybe I was just tired. The reason was good, no matter what. When I opened my eyes again, I just hoped that Se-sa would be there.

I wonder if my hope was in vain.

"...Ah, sir. Lady Ainoa, wake up!"

I opened my eyes to the sensation of my body shaking. When I came to my senses, there was a familiar face right in front of my nose. As soon as I recognized the other person, Ainoa's face brightened.

"Three, three! You came to save me!"

"No. I got caught too."

"uh?"

* * *

Cellbrox Lab Director's Office.

"What did you just say…?"

Kushan couldn't help but doubt his ears.

There were two reasons. The voice, shaking so shaky that it didn't feel like his own, and above all, what he had just heard was so sudden.

"I have captured, no, secured, the princess of Bastetira."

Kim Yi-hyeon quickly corrected himself. Words are different. He used the expression "kidnapping" to Ainoa herself, but he needed to package it in a way that would sound good to Kushan.

But it seems like it didn't even work.

"This crazy guy...!"

"That's what a crazy guy does."

"Then, did you think I would…! compliment you…!?"

Kushan tried to kick the chair and get up, but instead grabbed the back of his neck. For a moment, his head spun and his cervical spine felt tense. It was because he had been accumulating stress without realizing it.

He was handling a heavy workload every day.

As the director of the research center, his regular duties include investigating the dog tags discovered during Operation Ashbelt, tracking the movements of the dispatched agents and the Legion, and dealing with Ismail…

24 hours were not enough. In the midst of a difficult situation where no one was bothering him, how could he possibly say anything good when he was talking nonsense like a bolt from the blue? Even Buddha would have cursed him.

In fact, Kushan's patience was admirable. If the boiling point had been lower than this, it would not have been the back of his neck that he had grabbed, but Kim I-hyeon's collar.

'Should I have known when I asked to borrow the helicopter?'

No, there was a feeling of being cheap even then. However, it was difficult for Kushan to refuse. This was because Kim I-hyeon had come out boldly, bringing up his achievements so far.

So I told him not to cause any trouble… but this is the result. Today, Kushan realized. When the restraint of being a colleague disappears, Kim I-hyeon becomes no ordinary person.

"…Let me hear the reason. Tell me."

Kushan spat out each word as if he was chewing on it. The incident had already blown up. If there was time to regret, it would have been more constructive to listen to the circumstances and think of a way to resolve the situation.

"There must be a reason for kidnapping not only the son of the Atlanta President, but also Princess Pecatum. There has to be something."

"Isn't it a bit different from back then?"

"In what way?"

"Ismail was the rescue. Now, what."

"I see you admit to kidnapping her."

Kim Yi-hyeon gave up making excuses and kept his mouth shut. It was a situation he had expected to some extent from the beginning. On the contrary, Ku-shan showed a more calm reaction than expected.

'This is mutual trust.'

It's different from a relationship where they blindly trust each other. However, Kim Yi-hyun has never done anything meaningless until now. Even if it seems strange at times, his actions have a clear basis and purpose.

This time was no exception. The smile disappeared from Kim Yi-hyun's face. The somewhat playful atmosphere suddenly changed and a serious voice began to flow.

"This is information I obtained independently...."

* * *

Ainoa had a blank expression. It was difficult for her to react. The story she had heard as an explanation was so absurd.

"Is that, ah. Is that some kind of threat? Is it some kind of foreign expression?"

"No. I mean it literally. There's no room for misunderstanding."

In the room where the two Pecatums, one with white skin and the other with black skin, were locked up, Kim I-Hyeon spoke again.

"Ainoa Salviati, you were supposed to die in two days. If all went well."

"You bastard, what are you talking about!"

When he told Sessa about his master's death, he went into a fit of rage. It was a meaningless struggle. No matter how strong Pecatum was, he was not strong enough to tear off the handcuffs with his bare body.

"Even if I suddenly hear something like that, ugh."

Meanwhile, Ainoa still looked confused. Even though she had heard it twice, she still thought it was some kind of prank. Death, it was a word that felt far away.

Looking at her appearance, Kim I-Hyeon thought.

'Your head is a flower garden.'

Pecatum. Basteterra.

I thought that he had grown up so well without any sense of crisis, even though he was carrying such a big bomb. Even if it wasn't 'that incident', he would have experienced a big disaster at some point.

It seemed like both of them needed some further explanation.

"On October 10th, the only princess's coming of age ceremony, the whole country is in an uproar. The most prominent place in Bastitera... for example, in the central square, a body is found. Even if you say it's two days later, they'll kill her before that day comes. If I had to guess, it would be today."

"That's the delusion of a lunatic. Lady Ainoa, you don't have to take that seriously. That—"

"Shut your mouth and listen. Hyun said it."

Asterike gagged Sesa. Even though it was an act of terrorizing his own kind, he did not hesitate. He simply accepted Sesa's venomous gaze in silence.

Ainoa glanced at her fellow tribesman and then looked at Kim Yi-hyeon again. From the moment she first spoke, Kim Yi-hyeon's attitude had been serious.

She felt a chill creeping up on her.

"So what you're saying now is… you brought me here to protect me, to prevent that from happening to me. Do I understand correctly?"

"That's right."

Ainoa was lost in thought at the sight of her easily positive response.

I didn't believe that ridiculous story. As Se-sa said, I should consider it a delusion. In other words, the man who caught me was more dangerous than I thought.

The conclusion was soon reached. It was better to match the rhythm first.

"Why did you think so? Because I'm a member of the royal family?"

"That's one of the reasons."

"You're worrying too much. I have no power whatsoever. The military is already under my control, and the civil servants… frankly, they don't follow the crown very well. Do you think I can gain influence overnight just because I come of age? There's no benefit to be gained by eliminating me."

"The people really like you like that."

"That's too much, but...."

Ainoa bit her lip.

"You can't really do anything."

This was true. She was held in high esteem by the royal family, but that was all. She was the so-called face madam. She understood her position exactly.

"I'm not completely unaware of the current state of affairs in Bastitera. Public opinion is favorable toward the princess, but it would be difficult for her to succeed to the throne. Rather than being attacked by political enemies, it would be wiser to live without greed like she is now and get married when the time is right. That must have been the plan."

It was a correct view. Most of the upper class of Bastitera enter into political marriages when they become adults. It may be an anachronistic custom, but it is an isolated country. It is an environment where change is difficult.

Ainoa's life was on track from the beginning.

She walks the prepared path, as prepared. I have never had any major complaints. Since she followed along obediently, she was relatively free from the restraints that are bound to occur.

"But there is one way to use your life effectively."

Now, the rails were twisting.

"Kill them as brutally as possible. If it were me, I'd leave that pretty face alone. It wouldn't be bad to even put makeup on them. Instead, cut off their limbs, cut out their chests, take out their intestines and hang them up... And at the end, if you dress them in a coming-of-age ceremony outfit, it'd be perfect."

Ainoa flinched. Her indifferent tone of voice actually made her imagination more concrete. So much so that her face turned pale for a moment.

"The people will be angry. If chaos breaks out, it will be impossible to resolve. Depending on how the person who killed you acts, the very foundation of the country may be shaken. What will happen to your race that has lost its homeland?"

He asserted.

"He will be a warrior. A very good warrior. A carpenter who cuts wood will kill five, and a soldier who carries a spear and sword will kill ten. Hundreds of thousands of Pecatum mercenaries will wander the continent and take charge of the war."

It was an unfounded leap.

Common sense tells you that something like that can't happen with just one life. Even though she thought so rationally, Ainoa couldn't help but think about the possibility.

It was because of that man. His eyes and voice, as if he had seen the future, gave weight to his empty words.

"That's why I can't let you die. Or at least let you die in peace."

At the end of the conversation, Kim Yi-hyeon clicked his tongue.

"That was a long story. You can think of it more simply. In the end, you were dragged in, and the fact remains that I am a trash kidnapper. Once everything is sorted out, I will send you back."

He turned his back to the speechless Ainoa and glanced to the side. This was an explanation not only for the two main characters, but also for Asterike. She would have been surprised just like Kushan.

'I wonder if things have been sorted out a little.'

Since the matter was a matter, I tried it anyway, and as expected, there were many problems. Kushan seemed half-believing, no, he only believed it 5 percent at most. Asterike also seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

But the harvest was great.

'At least the fuse was stolen.'

Perhaps the expression 'detonator' would be more appropriate. In any case, we succeeded in getting the first button off.

Of course, I don't think this alone will be enough to stop the war. It's just a step. Even so, it's clear that a decisive measure has been blocked.

Now it's time to see the reaction.