And that was it.
Adam accepted Yuruki's request—whatever it was meant to become.
It was something. Though I wasn't even sure what I had agreed to yet, or what would happen next. I just raised my hand, making a peace sign and smiling toward the camera.
The Knight beside me copied the gesture almost instantly, as if it were some kind of formal greeting rather than a casual act.
He probably thought it was a custom.
For a kingdom this large, with so many cultures and layers of social structure, misunderstandings like this were inevitable. No need to discriminate.
Still… it felt awkward.
I kept smiling anyway, even though I wasn't sure what I was supposed to feel. Around us stood rows of soldiers, watching—waiting.
I could've done something better. I *should've* done something better.
My thoughts tightened.
A rush of stress built in my chest as I closed my eyes for a moment.
The memory came back—helping that man escape the abandoned machinery… or maybe staying with Yoku and the others instead. Maybe things would've been different if I had chosen differently.
If I had… no.
That's stupid.
I'll never know what would've happened if I made another choice. I can only move forward—even if it feels selfish.
No… sigh.
I'm just trying to cope.
"Are you alright?"
The Knight looked up at me. He had noticed again—that shift in me.
It always happened like this.
"Umm… I've got somewhere to go!" I said quickly, forcing a smile. Then, almost too fast, I added, "So you want to change this world, huh?"
I redirected the moment. Turned the question into another question.
"Yes."
---
## {Inside the council tent}
The voices of the council members filled the space, overlapping in tension.
Adam spoke first.
"I propose this: free all the slaves, and I will comply with your condition of not interfering with this forest."
Silence cracked open into outrage.
"That is absurd!?"
Murmurs spread among the royal scholars. John—the Alchemist Master Magister—looked visibly disturbed.
"That… cannot be possible."
Alexander sat in his chair, hands clasped, watching quietly.
This person… no.
Was he even a person at all?
To command something like that… to speak as if such power were normal…
"I cannot break tradition," one of them said firmly. "The Order has always maintained the right to capture and govern weaker kingdoms that dare resist the Crown. To abandon that would destabilize everything. The citizens would descend into chaos."
A voice echoed inside my mind.
"Do you fear losing control?"
"Yes…"
One of the general's being also the Archer's, Swordsman and the Knight was annoyed at this unknown person talking back to the prince… With griffin calming them down.
[He's not entirely wrong.]
"What do you mean, Rehan?"
[Freeing slaves on a large scale… without structure… could lead to severe consequences. We don't even know their classifications—prisoners, criminals, or otherwise. Acting without understanding could cause instability.]
[Be gradual, Adam… be patient.]
And so it was summarized.
The slaves were not just captives—they were people taken from neighboring kingdoms. Citizens, stolen from their homes. Sold according to bloodline, reduced into property.
But a thought lingered beneath it all.
[There is a path forward. One where slaves can free themselves through ability and time. And eventually… laws will change. Laws that recognize a human being should never be property in the first place.]
The Knight was just looking at the table… In deep thought.
"Hey are you ok?"
"What does ok mean?"
"Being fine that's all" Adam smiled as he was spacing out..
"Yes"