Chapter 161
Chapter 161
Declaration (2)
Irena and Nora, who had been listening intently to the story that followed after Kairus revealed his identity, both looked utterly shocked.
But if one had to name the most shocked among them, it was, without question, Nora.
"Oppa, can you see this?"
Nora showed Kairus the butterfly-shaped tattoo still on the nape of her neck.
"I have a duty to report this to the Rose Garden and Lunaseeker."
"You told me knowing that."
There was no hiding it anyway. The rumors would spread far and wide, and hoping they wouldn’t reach Bennett City was just a foolish thought.
"Me too."
Irena’s words were also expected. Even if she was cooperating with Kairus, a knight was still a knight. Now that she knew a direct Featherwing bloodline had survived, she had to report it.
"It’s okay."
"I’m not okay, though. What the hell are you planning to do?"
Kairus looked up at the ceiling for a moment. He had acquired the Veil of Plumed Mist. From now on, Kairus would not introduce himself by name alone.
He had reclaimed the surname Featherwing. But achieving something also meant having to bear the countless consequences that followed.
"First, I need to recover."
Ethan Vasella had promised to offer his support. At Kairus’s words, Irena nodded.
"I think that should come first. Your body’s completely wrecked."
Nora, who had been listening to the conversation, spoke up.
"Then, get some rest. I’ll go file my report and come back."
"Do that."
Kairus briefly closed his eyes. The Rose Garden and Lunaseeker would soon know that Kairus was a Featherwing.
Irena would likely inform the Empire through the Scarlet Leaf Order as well.
‘In truth, all I did was get my hands on a single sword.’
But so many things were changing.
Kairus received treatment and rested with Ethan’s support. In the meantime, Irena and Nora each contacted the places they needed to.
A week later, two people came, saying they wished to meet with Kairus.
The representative of the Rose Garden, Cecilia, and the president of Lunaseeker, Younia Fallon. While he had met Cecilia a few times before, this was the first time he was meeting Younia Fallon.
First, Kairus decided to meet the person he was already acquainted with.
"Hello."
Kairus greeted Cecilia, who was waiting in the reception room. Recognizing him, Cecilia stood up and bowed.
"It’s good to see you, Kairus Featherwing. Today, I’m here representing the Operations Committee."
Her attitude had clearly changed. It was only natural. Now that Kairus had recovered, he was no longer someone Cecilia could look down on.
"Indeed, you and I have had quite a few points of contact."
It was only expected that Cecilia would come representing the Committee. The Rose Garden was the organization Kairus had received the most requests from.
"By the way, what brings you here today?"
At Kairus’s question, Cecilia took a sip of her tea and smiled.
"I heard you've reclaimed your family’s emblem. First of all, congratulations."
She clearly had no intention of bringing up anything about him hiding his identity. At this point, none of that mattered anymore.
"I came to inform you of the Committee’s decision."
"Are you telling me not to return to Bennett City?"
Cecilia nodded.
"I hope you’ll understand."
Bennett City had no intention of embracing Kairus. To be precise, trying to do so could cause it to rupture entirely.
If the last remaining Featherwing entered Bennett City while holding the Veil of Plumed Mist, it would quite literally shatter the balance.
"If, by any chance, I do visit Bennett City…"
At Kairus’s question, Cecilia let out a quiet sigh.
"Do you remember the conversation we had the first day we met? The Red Ticket."
Just that much was enough for Kairus to grasp what fate awaited him if he arrived in Bennett City.
All five members of the Committee would confront him at once. No matter how powerful Kairus had become, facing five at once was impossible.
Kairus looked at Cecilia for a moment before opening his mouth.
"I understand the Committee’s position. Still, it’s a little disheartening."
Cecilia nodded at his words.
"I understand. Oh, but I didn’t want to come empty-handed, so I brought a gift. I got it myself—hadn’t moved like that in a while."
What Cecilia handed him was a small box.
"This is…"
Inside was a seal carved from jade. It was an item used by the head of the Featherwing family. It didn’t possess any extraordinary power on its own.
To others, it was little more than a luxurious collector’s item.
"It’s a nice gift."
It wasn’t something that would make Kairus stronger, but it was a deeply meaningful item.
"I hope you don’t come to Bennett, but hey, it doesn’t hurt to play nice, does it?"
That concluded Cecilia’s visit. She had come to deliver the Committee’s decision to keep Kairus away from Bennett and to personally hand over a gift.
Having completed her purpose, Cecilia stood, bid him farewell, and left the room.
"Next is the president of Lunaseeker, huh."
Kairus moved to another room to face Lunaseeker’s president.
"Kairus Featherwing."
As the name Younia Fallon suggested, the president of Lunaseeker was a woman. She looked to be in her thirties.
She wore a white sleeveless dress shirt, a black tie, and slacks.
What stood out most were her short pink hair and a cross-shaped earring hanging from one ear.
"I didn’t expect to meet the president of Lunaseeker like this."
At Kairus’s words, Younia grinned slyly and replied,
"Me neither. I thought we’d meet in a spot where one of us ends up dead."
"What happened to Nora?"
After filing her report to Lunaseeker, Nora was summoned back to the Republic.
"I got a fast promotion. They’re treating me like a department head."
She had brought back information on a surviving Featherwing and the Veil of Plumed Mist. Not rewarding that would be strange, given the significance of her achievement.
"Lunaseekers who’ve worked longer than her might feel a bit sour."
At Kairus’s remark, Younia made a curious sound.
"If they’re not competent, it’s only natural they don’t get treated as well. You Imperial folks really have strange ideas."
In the Republic, it was normal for a wealthy young man to speak down to a poor old man. Age meant nothing in that country.
"I’m curious why you came in person like this."
At Kairus’s question, Younia’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
"Work with us."
"Are you asking me to come to the Republic?"
At his question, Younia laughed heartily and shook her head.
"We’d actually prefer you go to Bennett City instead."
"…Oh dear."
Kairus hesitated on how to respond, then decided to share the conversation he’d just had with Cecilia.
"The Red Ticket, huh. So that’s how it is. Hm hm hm."
Resting her chin on one hand in thought, Younia made a slicing gesture across her throat with her thumb, her eyes gleaming.
"Pick one and kill 'em with a surprise strike."
"What?"
It was a shockingly aggressive statement coming from the president of Lunaseeker. Younia sipped her tea and continued.
"Create a vacancy among the Operations Committee. How about it?"
It felt like a lot more explanation was needed in the middle, but Younia had a habit of skipping over such things in a flash.
Still, Kairus, thinking through it on his own, spoke up.
"If a vacancy is created… someone has to fill it."
Younia, still grinning, set down her teacup and pointed at Kairus.
"A nobody couldn’t fill the seat. But ta-da! There’s someone who could."
Kairus, as he was now, had the power to fill a vacant seat on the Committee.
‘It’s not completely absurd.’
To put it simply, he just had to become someone Bennett City needed.
"But just beating one powerful figure might not be enough to qualify as a Committee member, right?"
Personal strength was important, but fame to match it was also necessary. Rising above others required both power and reputation.
"Wouldn’t the fame of surviving a Red Ticket be enough?"
Younia’s plan was simple.
Take out one of Bennett’s Operations Committee members in a surprise attack. Then Kairus would be issued a Red Ticket and have to face the remaining four members.
He’d definitely die if he fought all four, but the situation wouldn’t allow him to die.
‘Once one of them dies, the other four will realize how things are now.’
Now that one person would be gone, someone of comparable strength would have to fill that vacancy.
If used wisely…
With the fame of surviving a Red Ticket, Kairus could become a member of the Operations Committee. It wasn’t impossible.
"Well? Sounds pretty good, right?"
"As long as it’s clear what the Republic gains, then yes, it sounds plausible."
At Kairus’s words, Younia snapped her fingers and replied.
"The first strike target will be Tapas Aiola, the Pathfinder."
"From the Lantern Gang? Why him?"
The reason was simple and intuitive.
"Election season is coming. Our President is aiming for re-election."
To boost approval ratings, he had declared a war on drugs. If there were tangible results, the chances of re-election would skyrocket.
And the standard of success? Completely uprooting the drug distribution network.
"Lantern specializes in drug distribution. Other organizations are involved too, but none compare to Lantern."
Once Kairus takes down Lantern, the Republic would immediately mobilize and begin a nationwide cleanup.
"The Republic’s gains would be the President’s re-election, the dismantling of the drug network, and having someone on the Operations Committee who understands our interests. Do we still sound like we’re doing charity work?"
Kairus shook his head at Younia’s words.
"The motivation seems more than sufficient."
There appeared to be plenty to gain. The problem was just one thing.
"Can I actually win?"
At Kairus’s question, Younia gave a thoughtful hum.
"I’d say fifty-fifty. If we treat it like a gamble, the odds aren’t bad."
Kairus let out a small sigh.
"Maybe it’d be better to just defect to the Republic instead."
"What kind of image do you think the name Featherwing has among Republic citizens?"
That stopped Kairus in his tracks. He hadn’t thought about it before. How many families had the Featherwings destroyed in the Republic? How much wealth had they burned down?
"You said it’s election season, right?"
Kairus’s words made Younia chuckle.
"Accepting the defection of a traitor is about the same. The citizens, you see, don’t always care about the national interest."
A Featherwing who had killed people’s family or friends. A Featherwing who turned everything people worked hard for into nothing.
What kind of reaction would they have if they heard Kairus wanted to become a citizen? And how would they look at the government that allowed it?
You could already hear the sound of the President losing the election.
The Republic had no intention of accepting Kairus’s defection. And staying in Valorn was something Kairus didn’t want either.
"There’s more to the world than just Valorn and Aylan. There’s the Daeyeon Kingdom too."
"If the Valorn Empire demands your return, how do you think Daeyeon will respond?"
Daeyeon Kingdom had no particular reason to protect Kairus. And the moment he fled that far, his path of revenge would become all the more difficult.
Even if he escaped to the Daeyeon Kingdom, Kairus would eventually have to return to exact revenge.
In the end, after all the detours, only two options remained.