# Chapter 75
“What do you mean by that?”
Devan calmly asked in return. But his face showed the same bewilderment as mine. I quickly organized the thought that had just struck me into something more plausible. The more I gathered my thoughts, the more reasonable it sounded.
“Devan. You said it before. That whether it’s Kadilen or Luan, they’re both just enemies to him. That he went with whoever offered the greater reward.”
Devan nodded.
“That’s right. I was curious about what Luan might have promised him.”
We had been trying to figure that out. We thought that if we knew exactly what Arzel wanted, we could separate him from Luan. Since Luan was very limited in what he could do without Arzel, it was important for our victory to isolate him. Therefore, if we could just find out exactly what that reward was, we believed there was a possibility of diverting Arzel’s attention. But now…
“That wasn’t the true reward.”
I spoke deliberately. I tried to appear as calm as possible, but I couldn’t hide the complexity in my expression.
“Arzel wasn’t looking for a reward from Luan. No promise could satisfy him. Whatever Luan promised, Arzel couldn’t be happy as long as a son of Zendal becomes king again.”
“Then what Arzel wanted was…”
“Something else entirely. He was using Luan as a means to an end.”
Devan’s expression changed. He looked at Kadilen, who hadn’t said a word until now.
“…He wanted to become king himself.”
“Probably.”
Everyone’s gaze awkwardly or worriedly passed over Kadilen. Although Luan was openly preparing for treason, no one was particularly concerned about it. They didn’t believe it was possible. Luan had no power except for holding the antidote. His ambition for the throne was like a ten-year-old boy wildly swinging a weapon around while making absurd threats. We were just trying to carefully extract the frantic weapon from the boy’s hand.
But Arzel was different. If he had truly made up his mind and started deceiving us, it wasn’t good news. Of course, it wasn’t something to worry about excessively either. It was shocking news, but looking at it hopefully, there was a solution. We could trap Arzel who firmly believed the information I had given him. When Arzel tried to threaten Kadilen with that information, Kadilen could present the evidence he had prepared in advance. Arzel would lose the trust of the nobles while having his schemes exposed, and then Kadilen could punish him, allowing things to proceed safely.
The problem lay elsewhere. If Arzel’s behavior until now had been deception, the trap we had set for Luan would become useless.
“Once Arzel starts revealing the information, Luan will run away.”
“We can find that bastard easily enough.”
Wimu said positively. But Devan immediately rebutted.
“That doesn’t help. Even if we find Luan, we won’t be able to persuade him this time. When Arzel reveals the information, Luan will know it was a lie. He’ll realize we were never on his side, not even for a moment.”
I nodded and added:
“Right. In the worst case, Luan might dispose of all the medicine. Just to get revenge on us.”
The more we cornered him, the further the antidote would get from us. The situation was becoming increasingly complicated. No matter how I combined the information we had gathered to find a suitable solution, there seemed to be no way to deal with both Arzel and Luan.
“We can’t stop Arzel from revealing the false information. We need that to corner Arzel. We don’t know what else he might do for rebellion. If he starts something new, it’s too dangerous. We’d have to monitor him from square one, and this time we wouldn’t even have a pretext. So we need to handle this when we can predict it.”
After finishing, I looked around. Everyone nodded quietly, seeming to agree with me. As I looked at each face and met Kadilen’s calm gaze, my anxious heart became firmly resolved. I continued with confidence.
“But before that, we need to get all the medicine from Luan. When Arzel sees himself cornered by that information, Luan will flee immediately and try to avoid any contact with us. We might not even be able to confirm the existence of the medicine anymore.”
“…”
“So now is our chance. A chance to approach him, or Arzel. We need to reveal to one of them that we know the situation.”
Kadilen, who had been waiting silently, spoke up.
“I think the same. If the two enemies have split, we should approach one and destroy the other together.”
A brief silence fell. In the quiet room, Devan slightly frowned. He seemed to be considering various variables. After finishing his calculations, Devan slowly answered.
“…Alright. I understand. But not Luan. If we tell him, he’ll know we’ve been monitoring them, and he’ll turn away immediately. Telling him about Arzel’s betrayal would just be revealing our own betrayal too.”
Wimu also nodded and joined in.
“To regain Luan’s trust, we don’t have anything to offer him right now. We’re going to keep it secret that the information given to Arzel was false, right? Luan would want revenge on Arzel, but we need Arzel to reveal that information as much as possible. That’s the only way to completely stop Arzel’s rebellion. So there’s nothing beneficial for Luan. It’s better to side with Arzel.”
“What can we offer Arzel? He already has information to defeat Kadilen. At least, that’s what Arzel thinks.”
“Better information.”
Kadilen simply answered Devan’s question. We all turned to him. Meeting the gazes that demanded explanation, Kadilen spoke in a low voice.
“The information Arzel has is threatening enough, but it requires convincing the nobles. After that, armed conflict will inevitably occur. I now have a professionally trained royal army at a large scale, no longer at a level that the nobles’ private soldiers can handle. Arzel will be preparing for that.”
As the minister managing the army, Wimu proudly agreed.
“It’s on a different level from what Zendal commanded. Whatever they prepare, it won’t be an easy fight.”
“So Arzel is taking the long way around. He has no reason to refuse better information. And at this point, he knows that only Ludin… has access to that information.”
Everyone detected the strange atmosphere of the last sentence. No one failed to understand exactly what it meant. During the awkward silence, I tried not to blush as I organized what I had just heard.
Approach Arzel and reveal that I know his intentions. Since he has also betrayed Luan, the fact that I monitored them shouldn’t matter much to him. Promise Arzel better information, and in return, demand his cooperation in obtaining the medicine from Luan.
In fact, this seemed advantageous to us. We had been trying to find Luan’s weakness before they took action. But now, that weakness has become Arzel. We could bring someone who was once on his side to our side. With Arzel’s help, retrieving the medicine Luan had hidden would become easier.
“I’ve decided. Let’s approach Arzel.”
Everyone showed silent agreement, but their faces were still ambiguous. I was a bit confused whether their expressions stemmed from concerns about the new strategy or from emotions regarding the new relationship between Kadilen and me. But when Devan flashed his characteristically playful smile at me, my anxious feelings melted away like snow.
“Then Wimu and I will return right away. We’ll keep monitoring Arzel’s movements for now.”
He bowed to Kadilen. It was a respectful gesture, but the smile on his lips still held a playful edge.
“See to it.”
Kadilen replied awkwardly, as if he had noticed the same thing I had. As I watched them blankly, I hurriedly stopped Devan as he turned to leave after finishing his words.
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
I ignored his troubled expression and expressed my opinion.
“I want to go with you. I’m the one who will persuade Arzel anyway. I want to check Luan’s residence in person first. Maybe even have a conversation with him.”
“You personally?”
“Yes. Let me join in monitoring Arzel.”
I waited for Devan and Kadilen’s answer with a tense face. They looked at me alternately with slightly anxious eyes. I knew why they weren’t giving an immediate answer, but it wasn’t such a worrisome course of action. After all, Devan and I weren’t like Wimu, banned from entering Arzel’s castle, and although it was called monitoring, we could essentially move freely within the castle. It shouldn’t be as dangerous as they thought. Of course, I would try to find out the location of the medicine if I had the chance…
“No.”
At that moment, someone strongly rejected my proposal. It was neither Kadilen’s voice nor Devan’s. Turning toward the source of the sound, I saw Jiman slowly walking toward me from the doorway.
“Absolutely not.”
“Jiman! How long have you been there…?”
“As your physician, I cannot allow it. It’s too far to go with your sick body.”
He clearly stated his intention even with his calm voice. I protested vigorously, feeling wronged.
“Devan is here! He can move us in less than a second!”
“You won’t be with him 24 hours a day. What if a dangerous situation arises and Devan is too far away to provide emergency care? Especially in Arzel’s castle where there are several dangerous individuals?”
Taking advantage of my momentary loss for words, Jiman bowed to Kadilen. His polite voice gently resonated through the room.
“Your Majesty, please do not allow it. Ludin’s condition has been worsening recently.”
“…”
“If you truly… care for him, you must not permit this.”
