Volume 1. Chapter 25. Bound by Honor, Torn by Love

When everyone was asleep in their rooms, only Vail was still awake. He gazed at the stars above, remembering the dark times he had gone through before being summoned.

"Licia..."

Vail found himself thinking about his ex-lover, who vanished just two years after their love began.

Licia's parents' accusations brought dozens of journalists, eventually causing Vail to fall into depression and develop a trauma toward crowds.

"Because of you, our child disappeared..."

Vail said, remembering one of the sentences that Licia's mother had told him.

"Can't sleep?"

He turned around and saw Mansa standing there, holding two cups of warm drink.

"Mansa,"

"I just stare at the stars in the night sky. What about you?"

Vail said slowly, seeing his friend approaching.

"Drink this warm water to maintain body temperature," Mansa said, giving Vail one of the cups.

"Thank you."

Vail took the glass Mansa had given him.

"I woke up thirsty when I opened the door. I saw you looking at the sky. Are you missing your world?"

Mansa asked curiously, looking at the sky in the middle of the night.

"I've long forgotten the world we were born in,"

Vail replied, showing the water in the cup.

"But, if we could go back. I want to go back to the world I was born in. That world is where we once lived and where we will one day return—or fade away."

Mansa was amazed by Vail's words, looking at the sky and secretly gathering courage.

"Vail, I'm sorry for being unable to protect them."

Mansa deeply regretted his failure to stop the people of Norf City from killing Cindy and Nia in such a tragic way.

"There's no point in apologizing, what happened to them wasn't your fault either."

After saying that, Vail drank warm water and stared at the silence of the night in the city.

"If only we hadn't refused to say it then, maybe that incident wouldn't have happened."

While remembering Nia's first words, Vail said regretfully and wanted to bring them to meet all the kings in the union.

"Maybe we should change the subject."

Vail said he didn't want to disappoint Nia.

"What about your world? What do you miss?"

Vail asked, curious about Mansa's life in his original world.

"Of course, I miss my old life, but among all that. I'm worried about my mother, who is not alone after my father passed away, then ..."

"Before being called, my lover Juli and I were on a date at an amusement park. A mysterious circle appeared when we were queuing to enter the underwater aquarium."

Mansa explained that he was summoned while on a date with Juli as they were queuing for the underwater aquarium. Without knowing it, he had vanished and was later reported missing by the authorities.

"Mansa,"

"Yes?"

Mansa replied, glancing curiously and waiting for Vail to say something.

"Never mind."

Vail said, feeling no need to talk about the past that befell him to Mansa.

"What are you doing? You keep talking..."

Mansa was a little disappointed because he had been waiting for another conversation. He saw Vail leave the balcony and enter the house.

"You should go to sleep soon. The air at night is not good for the body."

Vail said and left Mansa on the balcony.

In the morning, after they finished eating together. Mansa and his party decided to continue their delayed journey.

Seeing Clara tidying up the dining table herself made Tiara want to help. But Vail immediately stopped her, telling her that Tiara was their guest.

"What's wrong? Surprised to see your foster brother?"

Tiara asked, looking at Zein like someone curious to see Vail helping Clara.

"No, maybe just a strange feeling, I guess."

"Premonition?"

Zein's answer made Tiara curious, thinking about her lover's feelings.

"Zein, can we talk?"

Cini and Rii returned after saying goodbye to Mansa and his party. They looked at Tiara curiously, wondering who the woman was.

"What do you want to ask?"

Zein walked over to his two foster brothers' house, leaving Tiara to tidy up the dishes at the table. She also tidied up the chairs and cleaned the table of leftover food.

"May we know who the woman you brought is?"

Cini was curious about Tiara and the woman's relationship with their adopted brother.

"Ah, sorry. I forgot to introduce her to you. Her name is Tiara. The daughter of the noble Baron family and my betrothed."

Zein replied, prompting his two foster brothers to gasp in surprise. This left Clara, Vail, and Tiara, who were there, amazed.

"Wait, Zein. When have you been engaged?"

Rii asked curiously about his adopted brother's life.

"We were in a relationship in our third year at the academy, but…"

Zein replied, his expression suddenly turning sad.

"But?"

"Tiara's father, the Baron nobleman, disapproved of our relationship. Because of that, Tiara asked me to take her away."

Zein's words left Rii and Cini speechless, unsure of what to say after knowing what their adopted brother had done.

At the same time, Vail and Clara returned after finishing their assignment.

"What happened?"

Vail asked in surprise, seeing Cini and Rii as if they had a headache.

Rii told his friends everything about what Zein had done. The explanation made Zein cornered. Vail was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Zein, why did you do something that could be a problem for your family?"

Vail asked, reprimanding Zein for taking Tiara away from her home.

"But brother Vail, I don't—"

"We understand what you mean. You two love each other to the point of thinking of running away. What disappoints us is how you acted as a man,"

Vail said, making Zein speechless.

Tiara felt guilty, realizing it was her suggestion that led to her lover being scolded by his adoptive siblings.

“Brother-in-law—”

"You've just come back, yet you still don't understand anything!"

Zein replied, running away from home with an annoyed and disappointed face.

"Zein!"

Clara tried to stop her younger brother, but Zein had run far enough.

Having no choice, Vail asks Rii to chase their adopted brother and asks Cini to take Tiara back to her home.

Thinking that he had lost Zein, Rii found his adopted brother sitting on a bench in the city park.

"Can I sit?"

Rii asked, appearing from behind and sitting on Zein's left side.

"Brother Rii…"

Zein said softly, glanced at him, and then looked away.

"Vail asked me to persuade you, and Clara worries about you. But I didn't come because of those two things, but because of my will."

Rii said he came of his own will, not because he was asked.

"Then why did you come?"

Zein pulled his knees up to his chest, curling up sadly.

"In a story, a beautiful witch could summon heroes. With great hope, the witch asked if the hero she summoned would help."

Zein just kept quiet and curled up, hugging his legs.

"But the hero she summoned didn't get her wish. The hero said that they didn't have any experience."

"The witch tried to convince him, but the hero didn't want to sacrifice themselves on the battlefield."

"Until the end, the witch died at everyone's hands because she didn't bring back a hero."

Zein was silent for a moment after listening to the story told before finally speaking again.

"What does it have to do with the situation I'm currently in?"

Zein said in a low voice, still hugging his legs.

"Of course, there is. All the events that happened leave lessons for all of us and you,"

"Do you want to be like that hero? Choosing to run away instead of facing difficulties and challenges."

Rii said and made Zein's heart move slightly.

"Previously, the Baron nobleman asked his daughter to approach me. But, when the Baron nobleman learned that Tiara loved me so much."

"He forbade me from seeing his daughter, even after I had met all his conditions."

Zein said that if the Baron nobleman lied about the agreement that had been made to marry Tiara and accused the achievements that had been achieved thanks to the three demon kings in the castle.

Rii was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Seems like you're still too young to stand and fight, Zein."

"Are you mocking me?"

Zein complained about Rii's words.

"If you truly love Tiara, then as a man, you should fight for her with honor—not run away."

"You won't even—"

"That means you surrender before the war starts."

Rii replied firmly, making Zein speechless.

Not accepting Rii's words, Zein stood up from his seat and stared at Rii in annoyance.

"I will prove it. I will prove it to you, Tiara, and the nobles. That I won't run from this fight!"

Those words made Rii smile, get up from the seat, and slowly leave Zein.

"Then, let's go back and get ready to pick her up."

A little surprised by Rii's words, Zein didn't expect his adoptive brother to support their relationship.