Chapter 101: The Alliance
"So, you’re saying all that government propaganda is total lies? Unbelievable. Those rotten bastards!" one of Tendy’s companions shouted angrily, clearly enraged by the revelation.
"If this goes public, the military side would suffer a huge blow. They’ve messed with forbidden magic circles. There’s no way the church or the temples will stay silent about that," another said.
Rex who is still keeping an eye on everyone’s reactions, added calmly but with purpose, trying to stir them up further. "They caused a huge loss. That alone gives grounds to hold them accountable. If the truth gets out—that they’re trying to blame Rosaria, which hasn’t taken any hostile actions, just to start a war—their credibility will crash."
Rex couldn’t help but be impressed by how effectively this information could be used.
"Rosaria doesn’t want war," Rex said. "But if we work together with you, maybe we can stop this crisis before it gets even worse. Don’t you think that’s possible?"
Rex made the suggestion with a tone of friendly sincerity, as if speaking to a comrade.
Working with Rosaria... it could be a trap. It might be dangerous. Even without their help, Rosaria wouldn’t really suffer much. After all, this was a domestic problem in another country.
But the truth was, Tendy and his group had hit a dead end. They had the will but no way to act. If they could get help here, maybe they could finally move forward. Maybe they could even fulfill their goal of restoring the monarchy—something they had long hoped for. This might be the opportunity they’d been waiting for.
Seeing their hesitation, Amal offered to stay behind as a hostage.
He was the only one who could testify to the military’s blunders. And for that same man to offer to remain behind... that was a sign of trust.
It was a clear statement: "We trust you, so please trust us." With that kind of offer, Tendy and his group had no choice but to show resolve in return.
"Alright. We’ll cooperate. From now on, we’re allies."
As the representative of his group, Tendy went with Rex to the inn where their companions were staying.
There, The dy met some very unusual people.
The moment he saw them, Tendy was hit with a sinking feeling, wondering if he’d made a huge mistake.
Captain Dominic—Rex’s superior—was a handsome blond-haired, blue-eyed man.
But... why was he holding a boy on his lap? His icy, terrifying stare was sharp enough to freeze blood and yet here he was casually cradling a child?
Was this man... some kind of pervert with a strange taste? Was his mind sound? And why were the others just letting it happen? Was it really safe to entrust their future to these people?
Tendy’s thoughts were swirling in confusion when the boy on the knight’s lap locked eyes with him.
The child’s black eyes began to shine faintly, and suddenly, Tendy felt a strange kind of fear—as if everything inside his mind was being drawn out and exposed.
...
Stuart sat on the driver’s seat and took the reins of the horse. He was a man who could handle anything with ease. Truly a capable one. And above all, he was huge. Being Louis-class in size, when he slowly climbed up onto the driver’s platform, the carriage looked small in comparison. The sense of pressure he gave off was overwhelming.
As Shiao Yi stared blankly at him, Dominic felt displeased, so he reached out and covered Shiao Yi’s eyes.
"Who are you looking at?"
To think he would get jealous over something like this—Dominic was just too adorable! Shiao Yi reached out and gently touched the cuff on Dominic’ left ear, smiling as if to say, "Don’t worry."
"Let’s get in the carriage. We’re pushing through today, right?"
Of course, he was in Dominic’ arms again.
During this journey, Shiao Yi could hardly remember walking on his own feet.
Maybe it was because of the kind of mission they had in the capital, but Dominic’s overprotectiveness and obsession felt even stronger than usual.
When Shiao Yi was held like this against Dominic’ chest, he could feel the man’s unease as if it were his own.
The trip to the capital city of Rabanastre would usually take two days by carriage, but the plan was to push the horses and camp out, cutting the travel time as much as possible.
The goal was to reach Rabanastre by around noon the next day.
The reason for the rush wasn’t just because the military was starting to move—there was also a growing sense of urgency among the royalist faction who are trying to restore the monarchy.
There was no time to lose.
Inside the carriage were Shiao Yi and Dominic, sitting together, and across from them sat Aaron and Tenby.
Aaron had planned to do a little trading in Mitromica, but those plans had been canceled. Not that Aaron seemed to care—he had probably forgotten all about it.
Ever since he returned from the church, his mood had been sky-high.
No matter what anyone said to him, he seemed completely spaced out.
It looked like he had found something that had truly captivated his heart.
They decided to leave Aaron to his own world and continued their in-depth conversation with Tenby.
Compared to the rooms at the inn, the inside of the carriage offered better confidentiality.
Last night, when Tenby finally took off his traveling gear after coming down from the northern region of Dalmasca, Shiao Yi had once again felt a deep realization that this world was truly not his own.
Tenby’s hair, wild and unruly, was green. Not a soft green like grass or moss—no, it was a vivid intense green.
The moment Shiao Yi saw it, he jumped off Dominic’s lap without thinking and reached out to touch Tenby’s hair.
After all, it was a color no human hair should naturally have.
It wasn’t Shiao Yi’s fault that he wanted to confirm if it was real.