# Chapter 59
“Arzel is the tail. We need to start by following him.”
Kadilen explained his movements step by step. Devan’s face wrinkled as he listened to the situation. He and Arzel were citizens of the same kingdom before Zendal’s rule. As a magician from Maran country, he was now the only person who could approach Arzel closely. Wimu seemed to have the same thought as he turned toward him.
“Devan. What’s the situation on your side?”
He quietly opened his mouth while propping his chin, tracing his memories.
“It won’t be easy. The last time I visited was several years ago, but even then, security was tight. I wondered why they were so concerned about such an unremarkable land, but now I understand. They had something to hide.”
“You can access fairly deep inside, right?”
“I have sufficient authority.”
Everyone nodded as if relieved. But problems still remained. There was a possibility that they would find it suspicious if he suddenly visited his homeland and wandered around the castle. Moreover, Devan was currently serving as a royal magician assisting Kadilen, recognized for helping with Kadilen’s rebellion. I asked worriedly.
“Do they know you helped Your Majesty?”
“Everyone knows, but they can’t know the details. I’ll have to fabricate my motives for betraying Zendal.”
In reality, only the people here knew the specific circumstances. Depending on how he framed it, it could even be used favorably. I fell into thought. How could I justify Devan’s actions while also making sure Luan wouldn’t consider him an enemy?
Suddenly, one method occurred to me.
“What if you say you helped me?”
“Tell the truth, you mean?”
“Yes. Say you did it for me, not for Kadilen. Then they’ll think you’re not a loyal minister to the current royal authority.”
Devan leaned toward me with interest.
“How does that connect?”
“I’m planning to act as if I’m genuinely on Luan’s side, not just because I’m being threatened. I’ll say I can bring you over as my person.”
Anyway, Luan already believed that I harbored negative feelings toward Kadilen. Since I had accepted his spy proposal and dropped hints, it wouldn’t be difficult to appear as if I was sincerely aligned with Luan’s intentions. If I joined his side, Devan, who had helped the rebellion for my sake, wouldn’t look like Kadilen’s man. Devan, who had been thinking deeply, grinned.
“That works.”
Wimu also nodded slowly.
“Then we can watch Arzel without being suspicious. He’ll think Ludin and Devan are a pair on his side.”
“That’s right.”
While everyone was considering various scenarios, I added words toward Kadilen.
“And Your Majesty must appear to believe our loyalty without doubt.”
Devan and I needed to appear as if we were perfectly deceiving Kadilen. At my words, he smiled gently.
“That’s not difficult, Ludin. I don’t need to pretend to trust you.”
When his lips curved into a gentle arc, I momentarily lost myself. Then Wimu, who had been deep in thought, said seriously.
“But won’t they wonder why Devan helped Ludin? You’ll need to prove that the trust between you two is solid. That’s necessary to avoid suspicion about Devan’s intentions. Outwardly, he appears to be Your Majesty’s loyal subject. They might ask why he risked overturning the existing royal family to help Ludin.”
A momentary silence fell. His point was reasonable. In reality, almost no one knew the exact nature of Devan’s relationship with me. Most people viewed our connection as a strange bond created by a one-night game. Luan was no exception. But if Devan suddenly claimed to have made such a significant decision for me, questions would naturally follow.
Devan, looking around the quiet room, shrugged his shoulders.
“That’s easy. I like him.”
“Devan!”
My face reddened with embarrassment. Despite my startled exclamation, Devan didn’t withdraw his smile.
“It’s the truth.”
Looking around uncomfortably, I met Kadilen’s gaze, who was quietly observing me. In the awkwardly frozen atmosphere, I tried to suggest another alternative, but nothing suitable came to mind. Devan tilted his head, pretending to be serious, and added more words.
“I’ll make it more obvious. So Luan won’t doubt my feelings at all.”
“Ha….”
Jiman’s heavy sigh followed. I could imagine Jiman grinding his teeth without even turning around. He had never forgiven Devan for imprisoning me. Even when I assured him all my pain had passed, he still swallowed his anger whenever he thought of Devan while extinguishing fires. As I was about to bring up a new topic, anxious that the situation was turning precarious, Kadilen, who had been quietly watching me, spoke first.
“I will personally monitor the behavior of nobles other than Arzel. I plan to arrange a setting where I can identify dishonest people.”
I happily nodded to his voice, which appeared like a savior.
“That sounds good.”
Kadilen glanced at Jiman, who was still clenching his fist, trying to control his anger.
“Jiman. How much time does Rio have?”
“The poison is spreading at least twice as fast as it did in Ludin. You’ll need to hurry.”
His subdued voice made the air in the room heavy. I knew the pain that poison caused. It was pain that made even me, an adult, collapse and crumble many times, barely able to endure. Thinking about a child experiencing that pain twice over made my chest tight. Wimu, who had been shaking his head with a frown, slowly began to speak.
“First, we need to draw Luan out of that fortress. Just monitoring from outside has its limitations.”
I rubbed my face dry, trying to focus on the current situation. I knew that suffering alone wouldn’t solve anything. I couldn’t collapse again, breathing heavily in front of everyone. Wracking my brain, I pondered ways to draw Luan out.
“What if we call him out under the pretext of proving he has the medicine? In fact, I’ve only seen that antidote once. Luan said it needs to be taken multiple times. I could try to persuade him that I need to be sure about this before I cooperate.”
This was the method I came up with. The only proof was that a man, supposedly sent by Luan before Kadilen’s coronation, had forcibly fed me the drug. To confirm the existence of that medicine, we needed to demand evidence from Luan. It was also a means to draw Luan out from the former Maran territory. Once he came out of the castle, Devan and Wimu would have more opportunities to assess his forces. Wimu looked at me in agreement.
“That’s a good idea. And we need to hear exactly what information he wants. Only then can we decide on the bait, whether to fabricate it or slightly leak the real thing.”
“Understood. I’ll propose a specific deal.”
Although the plan was somewhat organized, tension still prevailed. Breaking the brief silence that followed after I finished speaking, Kadilen opened his mouth.
“There’s one more thing I want to say.”
“Please speak.”
He composed his sentence neatly.
“I know there’s no suitable treatment for Rio. One bead won’t arouse Luan’s suspicion either, so don’t worry and use this for the child.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to the beads placed on the table. Kadilen picked up two of them and handed them to Jiman.
“Why two?”
“The other one is for Ludin. I removed all three out of concern for unforeseen circumstances, but one won’t be noticed by anyone. The connection is minimal, so a situation like last time won’t occur.”
He meant there wouldn’t be instances like before where he took my pain or collapsed in my place. As he said, with just one bead, suspiciously obvious situations might not unfold. I wouldn’t suddenly regain my health noticeably, nor would the king suffer from an inexplicable illness. Above all, it was fortunate that, in a situation where effective medicine was lacking, this could help Rio’s treatment, even if just slightly. Jiman, who had been silent, quietly thanked him.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. This will greatly help Rio recover his strength.”
Kadilen slowly bowed his head. When he raised his face again to look at me, I could read the distinct sadness in his eyes.
“There’s no need for thanks. Have you forgotten he’s precious to me too?”
“…”
“He’s a child I took in. He’s experiencing this because my virtue failed to reach him. If I had properly eliminated Luan from the beginning, this wouldn’t have happened.”
I shook my head.
“It’s not Your Majesty’s fault.”
“How can it not be my fault when a child who passed through me is hovering between life and death in my country? I will ensure Rio survives, no matter what. So don’t worry.”
Kadilen slowly rose from his seat. He looked at me without the slightest waver. A soft voice seeped through his red lips.
“No need to struggle, Ludin. I’ll be with you.”
I had no choice but to believe them. Kadilen, who promised me countless times, Wimu and Devan who surrounded him, and Jiman who still supported me.
A faint hope-like feeling bloomed thinly in my heart. If I could truly save Rio with their help, I would strongly embrace the child’s healthy body. I would apologize hundreds of times for the suffering caused simply by being close to me and help ensure the child’s future happiness, no matter what. And then…
It was a first. My end didn’t easily come to mind.
What choice I would make after that, what choice would be right, what would make me and all of them happy – everything was truly opaque.
