Chapter 49

Chapter 49 : Nonaggression Pact (6)

Karon’s expression cracked.

Watching that, the first thing I felt was surprise rather than satisfaction.

It was because he did not feel like the terrifying final mastermind I had encountered in the Original Work all this time. He seemed more like a slightly prickly king, a lord, a tyrant?

He had not seemed human, but now that I had peeled him open, he did not feel all that different from any other person.

Just as he was now, revealing his expression and putting instinct first when his plan went awry.

“It seems I was mistaken.”

“I get that misunderstanding often.”

“However, the matter of you attacking our aide does not disappear.”

“That matter was self-defense. Your side tried to kill our member first.”

“Then is that not why I am suggesting we exchange punishments?”

The Nonaggression Pact was starting with the handover of criminals.

A treaty that should have been built on mutual trust was being stained by a one-sided power struggle.

I glanced at Ariti and rolled my eyes.

The result of the negotiations in the Original Work had been an overwhelming defeat for the Surface Folk.

If the negotiation table had been the middle of a battlefield, Karon had cut them all down and collected the spoils.

I did not want that to happen again.

Once was enough for the Original Work to flow as it pleased because I made the wrong choice.

“Mm, may I say something as a party involved? Rulers, and Underworld Lord.”

I dismissed the Frame I had made and swept my gaze over the gathering, now smeared with chaos.

I stared quietly at one plant that had bloomed on its own in the warm heating, regardless of the cold outside, then opened my mouth.

“Why do we not negotiate properly? Is it not because everyone’s purpose is impure that this has turned into some strange hostage negotiation?”

Because of her obsession with peace, Ariti had actually given up on persuading Karon. It was no different from shoving evidence of their earlier schemes in his face and threatening him.

As for Karon, what was there even to say? He had openly done suspicious things, set a trap, and waited for prey to fall into it.

Both of them were a mess.

“Listening to you, I honestly cannot tell whether you want to wage war or prevent it.”

I dropped into one of the prepared chairs, crossed my legs, and folded my arms.

“Let us try this thing called conversation. Because right now, all of you look as though you would stop at nothing and use any means necessary for revenge.”

I brought over a copy of the treaty sprawled roughly on the table and skimmed it.

Would a peace agreement decorated with lengthy flowery rhetoric, and a treaty stating that each territory would be respected and not invaded, really become a shackle capable of stopping them?

I was skeptical.

“I am saying this because bloodshed seems likely to start before anyone even signs this.”

I fluttered the paper and shrugged.

As expected, manipulating things with my own hands was far more fun than leaving them in someone else’s.

Of course, that was under the condition that their sharp knives did not point toward me.

“You mean this is a hollow negotiation.”

Unexpectedly, the one who understood my words was Karon.

He had taken a seat at the negotiation table with that intention in the first place, so it made sense that his mind would turn that way easily.

“Good. Riwin has a point.”

Ariti shook off Pan’s attempt to stop her and came closer.

Standing side by side, Ariti and Karon looked even better together than I had expected, making me wonder whether this was the influence of the Original Work.

Would it not be fine to bring the ending in a direction where the two of them simply lived well together?

If war did not break out, and if they did not hold knives to each other’s hearts, it looked as though there was a chance.

Of course, it would be a bad ending for Pan, who was making his dissatisfaction extremely obvious behind them.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and cheered on Pan’s romantic front.

‘Usually, the second male lead’s arc is more interesting.’

I had seen Pan lose his reason whenever Ariti was involved far too many times in the Original Work, so seeing this vivid scene of jealousy in real life felt a little fascinating.

“Before someone dies, survives, or gets dragged away as a hostage, I should have stepped forward first.”

This feels a little uneasy.

“If the fact that I, a ruler, go there proves trust, then so be it. However, I will decide the time and timing.”

Karon’s expression looked at me with moved eyes that seemed to say, ‘As expected, you were taking our side because you are Underfolk.’

‘No, no. I am telling you, that is not it.’

At this rate, I was cooking porridge just to feed it to the dog.

The route where Ariti was dragged to the Underworld as a hostage and suffered according to the Original Work’s flow had not been in my expectations. On top of that, if things flowed that way, it was only natural that my identity would be exposed to Karon.

I smiled on the outside, but cold sweat ran down my back.

Perhaps it would be better if I prepared an alternative myself. Perhaps I really had to interfere to that extent.

Just as I thought that, Pan, his face twisted into a deep frown, strode over and pulled Ariti toward him.

“Trust is not something one side unilaterally adjusts to. What are you going to give?”

“How about handing over that criminal?”

“I believe we already said that is obvious. What are you planning to do with a useless card?”

“Then what do you want?”

“Should someone from your side not step forward as well? A ruler from this side is stepping forward to prove exchange and peace, after all.”

“Ah…… that issue.”

Karon thought for a moment, then gestured toward the aide standing far away.

The aide, who had been standing one step back from the chaos and quietly hoping the negotiations would end soon, startled and came trotting over.

“We ought to send someone of ruler-level standing as well, but unlike the Surface Folk, we have a one-person lord system. If I leave, things will collapse quickly.”

Karon gripped the shoulder of the aide, who still stood there stupidly without understanding, and said,

“Instead, I will send my closest confidant. They are of no lesser standing at all.”

The person who had suddenly been saddled with a long-term assignment still looked dazed, glanced around, then met my eyes and turned subtly red. Why?

“Quiro.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“I will send you to a place where you can understand the Surface Folk and discuss ways to resolve our mutual hostility.”

“Pardon……?”

“Go to the Surface World as a token of harmony.”

Quiro, their mouth hanging open, finally understood the words and their eyes trembled.

I felt a strange sense of kinship from that expression.

If they ended up coming to the forest later, I should say a word to them.

‘Hey, life gets better.’

Ding!

[Clearing 【Time】 Quest 〈Negotiations Are Best When My Side Wins No Matter What〉.

The negotiations, which had nearly collapsed, have been concluded dramatically.

Whether this is your achievement is unclear.]

[Selecting reward & penalty based on negotiation result.]

[……Processing……]

Ding!

[Reward selected for 【Time】 Quest 〈Negotiations Are Best When My Side Wins No Matter What〉.]

[Fragment 〈Memory Fragment of Phantasm〉 bound to Executor.]

[Auxiliary Fragment cannot manifest independently.]

[Required Item ▶ Travel Log of an Ancient Civilization]

[Executor’s Contribution to the Original Work increases significantly.]

[Executor’s current grade: Minor Role A → Supporting Role F.]

[Congratulations! Minimum grade for 〈Designated Original Work Loading〉 achieved.]

[▶Designated Original Work Loading (╶20P)]

---

The negotiations were concluded dramatically.

The details were handled as top secret, but the section concerning the Nonaggression Pact would soon be officially announced to everyone.

As for the concrete implementation of the pact, each side needed time to prepare, so it was decided that it would be carried out after a set period. The specifics were out of my hands now.

I roughly packed my things at the lodging in Sky’s Domain.

Quite a long time had passed since the commission to obtain Ice Blue for Selly, and it was about time to return.

As for Blue Etel’s side, I only needed to visit once every month or two, so there was no reason to go for the time being.

‘Is it really over now?’

It felt as though I had been swept up in a frantic storm, but it had not been bad.

I even thought it might be nice to come back when I had time later and travel around at leisure.

Now that I knew the Gigantic Phantasmal Species had Ruling Phantasmal Species, and that I could communicate with them, my curiosity was stirred.

Would it not take years just to go around meeting the ones scattered in each place?

I had not brought any luggage to begin with, so I was roughly shoving things into a single bag when Pan abruptly stuck his head in from beside me.

“What were those wings? How did you manifest them?”

I pushed Pan aside where he was pressing his head against the opening of the bag and getting in the way, then tightened the bag strap firmly.

“What are you so curious about?”

“An Underfolk suddenly appeared with the wrong wings from the sky, so of course I am curious.”

I slung the bag over my shoulder and stared at Pan as he clung to me.

When Ariti had first said she would volunteer to go to the Underworld, I had been worried about Pan.

I had worried he might snap and cause some kind of accident.

What was fortunate, at least, was that she would not live there permanently but revisit periodically.

Thanks to that, the quest reward had improved.

I had finally shed the Minor Role title and taken Supporting Role onto my back. While I was at it, something called Designated Loading had appeared, but I did not have enough points after draining them completely, so I could not even try using it.

I opened the door with a hand on the handle and casually answered Pan’s curiosity.

Karon and the other Underfolk had already returned, so there was no reason to hide it now.

“Obviously, they were fake.”

“That is what I am asking. Why were the fake ones attached like real ones?”

“Part of Etel’s clone.”

Pan’s face distorted strangely. As expected, Pan knew Etel’s ability very well.

Etel could detach her clone outside herself. It could act independently, or be controlled by the main body.

And that clone was not limited to a physical body; the mental part was possible too.

Well, that was not particularly important.

In other words, those Red Wings had not been my Frame unlocking, but Etel’s.

“But why were they red? If they were Etel’s, they should have been white as snow…… so they were not entirely Etel’s.”

“Right. My energy had to be mixed in for that Karon to be fooled.”

Pan covered his mouth and stared at me, then shook his head. As a bonus, he muttered that he had not raised me like this.

“Wow…… you fraud.”

“I learned fraud from you.”

How many times had Pan hit me in the back of the head?

More importantly, I had to figure out how to go back.

Pan said he would pass through the Spring’s Domain because he wanted to have various conversations with Ariti before she had to leave for a long period, and Pering had returned to the forest early at dawn, saying he had urgent business.

Since I had come outside anyway, I had wrung souvenirs for the four little brats out of Pan, but still.

It felt as though I was forgetting something big if I simply went back.

I stared blankly at the wide snowflake garden outside the lodging and rolled my eyes.

“Ah.”

The legend Selly had told me.

“They say there is a hottest flame that blooms in the coldest place. Look for it if you ever have the chance. There is a legend that says it grants wishes.”

When I first heard those words, I had let them pass in one ear and out the other, but the more time passed, the more questions I had.

Whether the system’s prodding, which had sent a commission to Sky’s Domain at that exact timing, had truly been only because of the negotiations.

And why, of all things, Selly had told me that story as though she had just remembered it before I left…….

The situation where I suspected every coincidence was bitter, but the system was the one training me that way.

I grabbed Pan, who had become friendly with some other Surface Folk near the immigration hall and was idling with them.

“By any chance.”

“Mm?”

“Do you know about the hottest flame that blooms in the coldest place?”

I had no expectations. Even when I asked Etel, I had not gotten a definite answer.

But Pan could not hide his pride, as though I had finally asked about it, and he grinned loosely while needling me.

“I was wondering when you would ask about that. You cut it close.”

You bastard.

“You were the one who told Selly to say that.”

“Yeah. It was me.”

So that was how he had known about the commission too.

Ah, I feel dizzy.