163. An Enemy of the State
Chapter 163: An Enemy of the State
They didn’t shout.
That was the worst part.
If the Duchess had screamed, threatened, or slammed a fist into the table, I could have filed this moment under “predictable political theater” and moved on. Instead, she spoke the way surgeons do when explaining why something has to be removed.
Calm. Precise. Final.
“The Imperial Envoy will reach Torak within the week,” Duchess Helena said. “When they do, you will be part of the escort convoy to Avigate.”
I waited.
She folded her hands behind her back, gaze steady on me, as if daring me to interrupt.
“The King himself will receive the Envoy,” she continued. “This is not ceremonial. It is survival.”
Boromir shifted beside her. The City Lord looked ten years older than the last time I had seen him. The weight of a kingdom sat badly on his shoulders.
“You are aware,” Helena went on, “that the Philosopher’s Stone recovered from Fort Defal was intended as a bargaining instrument.”
I snorted before I could stop myself. “You mean a shiny bribe.”
Her eyes flicked to me. Cold, sharp. Not offended.
“A deterrent,” she corrected. “One that could have delayed war. Possibly prevented it.”
There it was.
The quiet accusation.
Boromir cleared his throat. “Rostalio has not recovered from the last war, Kaizen. Not in population. Not in infrastructure. Not in coffers. Another prolonged conflict with the Vermillion Empire would kill millions. Slowly.”
I felt heat creep up my spine.
“So let me get this straight,” I said. “Your plan to save millions involved a cursed artifact sitting in a ruin full of monsters. And when that plan went to hell, I’m the problem.”
“You absorbed it,” Helena said simply.
No denial. No hedging.
“You did not secure it. You did not return it. You consumed it.”
Neralia flinched.
I met the Duchess’s gaze. “If I hadn’t, that fucking beastkin would have killed all of us. You know that.”
“Yes,” she replied. “And if you had died, the Stone would still exist as a political asset.”
That landed harder than any insult.
So that was the math. This bitch is actually serious. My life weighed against a negotiating chip.
I laughed again. Not loudly. Not humorously. More like something cracked.
“I see,” I said slowly, “Well then I guess I can see where I stand in this kingdom. I should warn you to be very careful with your next words Duchess.”
Boromir looked away.
Helena did not.
“This is not punishment,” she said. “This is consequence.”
She stepped closer.
“The Empire knows something is missing. They know an anomaly was involved. They are sending an Envoy not to negotiate, but to investigate.”
Freya shifted at the wall. Her face remained composed, but her jaw was tight.
Helena gestured toward her without looking. “Your presence in the convoy will demonstrate cooperation. Transparency. Submission, if you prefer honest language.”
“And if I refuse,” I asked.
Silence stretched.
Boromir spoke this time. His voice was hoarse.
“Then you will be formally charged with treason.”
The word hit the room like a dropped blade.
“Treason,” he continued, “for the unlawful destruction of a state bargaining asset, for endangering diplomatic stability, and for acting independently of crown authority.”
I stared at him. “You sent me and I did the best with the situation at hand.”
“You were sent to retrieve,” Boromir said. “Not to decide the fate of nations.”
I clenched my hands until my knuckles burned.
“And after the trial,” I said quietly, “what then?”
Helena answered.
“You will be imprisoned,” she said. “And upon the Envoy’s arrival, transferred into their custody as a gesture of goodwill.”
There it was.
Handed over.
Packaged. Wrapped. Delivered.
A human apology letter.
Freya’s head snapped up. “Duchess.”
Helena finally looked at her. “Knight-Captain.”
Freya hesitated. Just a fraction. “You are condemning him without hearing his defense.”
“I am preserving a kingdom,” Helena replied. “And you are here to enforce the law, not debate it.”
Freya’s jaw tightened, but she nodded.
Duty won.
It always did.
I exhaled slowly.
“So those are my choices,” I said. “Escort the Envoy to Avigate like a compliant little problem, or rot in a cell until I’m handed over anyway.”
“Yes,” Helena said. “You have no other choice.”
No other choice.
The phrase echoed in my head, bouncing off another voice only I could hear.
Mandatory objectives. Immediate death upon failure.
The System had boxed me in from one side.
The kingdom had boxed me in from the other.
I looked around the room. At Boromir, drowning in responsibility. At Neralia, eyes full of guilt she could not act on. At Lashley, rigid and silent. At Freya, standing like a blade pointed inward.
And finally back to the Duchess.
“You realize,” I said, “that today you have shown me exactly the kind kingdom this is. It also means your majesty, that today you have made an enemy of me.”
“I am aware,” Helena said. “But that is tomorrow’s catastrophe.”
She stepped back, reclaiming the space of authority.
“You leave when the Envoy arrives. Under guard. Any attempt to flee will be interpreted as admission of guilt.”
I smiled thinly. “You already decided I’m guilty.”
“No,” she replied. “I decided you are necessary.”
That was worse.
The meeting ended shortly after. Formalities. Orders. Logistics.
I barely heard them.
As I was escorted out, I caught Freya’s eye.
For a moment, just a moment, the Knight-Captain cracked.
Something like anger flickered there. Or frustration. Or something dangerously close to regret.
Then it was gone.
Back in the corridor, the weight finally settled.
The kingdom would sacrifice me to avoid war.
The System would kill me if I failed its private conditions.
And somewhere between those two forces, I was supposed to keep everyone alive.
I walked forward, hands steady, face calm.
Inside, something ugly and determined took root.
If they wanted to use me as a shield, a prisoner, a bargaining chip, or a pawn, fine.
But I would not go quietly.
And I would not let anyone pretend this was justice.