Chapter 55 To Risk It All on a Daring Plan

“Rein is ready, Verron. I saw it in his eyes. He’s no longer running, no longer doubting. Whatever Arthur throws at him, he’ll stand. Which means it’s time we prepare as well. We’ll move in a small team for the confrontation—just you, Silvia, and me. The rest of the generals will remain here. If Arthur sends another wave of monsters, Demon Plains must hold. We can’t afford to leave them defenseless, or this war ends before it begins. Meet me at the café. I’ll go on ahead.”

“A small team against a king… bold as ever. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. As you command, my lady. Silvia and I will be ready. I’ll see you at the café. Do try not to start without us.”

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Rein, Aura, and Liora sat around the same corner table as before. Rein broke the silence.

“So, what’s the plan, Liora?”

“My plan is to expose the truth to the people. Arthur has built his throne on lies, so we’ll make those lies collapse in front of the entire kingdom.”

She reached into her pocket and set a small crystal on the table. It glimmered faintly, pulsing with stored magic.

“This,” she said, tapping it lightly, “is the same type of crystal Arthur uses for his public addresses. Every word he speaks through it is heard across the land. If we can reach the throne room, I’ll activate this one in secret. Then, the recordings I’ve gathered—his whispers, his orders, every word that condemns him—will be broadcast everywhere. And while that runs…”

Her gaze shifted to Rein. 

“You will be the key. You will confront him directly. Force him to respond. Provoke him. Make him lose that calm face of his and admit what he’s done. Once the people hear it from his own lips, they’ll have no choice but to believe. I’ve already prepared the route. A safe path through the castle—no detection crystals, no alarms. I can lead us straight to the throne room. But once we’re inside… it’s all on you, Rein. You’ll have to stand against your grandfather. If you fail… then all of this dies with us.”

“Yeah… He’ll never expect me to walk right up to him and tell him that I know everything. And seeing Aura next to me… that’ll force him to show his true colors. Pride, anger… whatever it is he hides behind that crown. That’s the moment we strike—get him to reveal himself, admit the truth. That’s when the people will listen. You're right, Liora, It’s risky. But that’s the only way this ends on our terms. No more lies, no more tricks.”

"You won’t have to do it alone, Rein. I’ll be by your side. We’ve prepared for this. The path is clear, the people will hear the truth, and Arthur won’t be able to hide behind his lies."

The café door burst open with a crash, and Mari stormed in, her eyes scanned the room. Her gaze locked on Rein, and without hesitation, she barreled toward him.

Selene and Kaia followed close behind, trying to keep up with Mari’s energy.

From across the room, Mari waved dramatically at Mira. 

“You must be Aura! Rein told us everything! I’ve missed you since our Hero Candidate days—we used to spar all the time, remember?”

 She suddenly froze. Her nose twitched. She inhaled sharply, a faint smirk forming on her lips. Then she crouched slightly, took a giant, exaggerated sniff.

“You!” she shouted, pointing directly at Aura.

 “You’re the girl Rein’s been meeting with at night! I found you!”

Before Rein could react, she jabbed her elbow sharply into his gut, stepping back with a triumphant laugh.

 “Ha! Told you I’d find out! Not even a mystery woman could escape me!”

Selene gave a quiet sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. Kaia merely glanced between them, her hands clasped tightly, worried about how Mari was going to escalate next.

“Ah…” Verron’s voice echoed across the room as he stepped from the void.

 “We meet again, flame of the Hero’s party. Twice now fate has seen fit to put us in the same room. I must admit… I’m starting to feel spoiled.”

Mari froze mid-celebration, her finger still pointed dramatically at Aura. Her jaw dropped, eyes going wide before she clasped her hands against her cheeks with a loud gasp.

“What—what—what’s a handsome devil doing here?! Rein, don’t tell me he’s coming with us. Is he? Is he?!”

 “If that is what my lady commands,” he said, glancing briefly toward Aura with a bow, “then yes… I will be by your side. A rather dangerous honor, wouldn’t you agree?”

Mari staggered back a step, her face bright red. 

“Dangerous?! More like deadly! Rein, why didn’t you tell me we’d have him along?!”

 She jabbed her finger at Verron, then whispered loudly enough for the whole room to hear, “I’m not ready for this much temptation this early in the morning!”

Silvia sighed, folding her arms.

 “You’ve barely seen him twice. Try to contain yourself. Bean sprout.”

Mari spun on her, pouting like a child.

 “Bean sprout?! Says the ice queen who wouldn’t notice my temptation if it smacked her on the face with my curves!”

“Pfff, curves... more like polished board. But you really should calm yourself. All this shouting… it makes you look even smaller than you already are. Besides, even if I wanted to compete… how would I? You’d have to look up just to glare at my chest. Poor thing, being so… compact.”

Mari’s head whipped around so fast her hair nearly slapped Rein in the face. Mouth dropping open in theatrical offense.

 “P-p-p-polished board!? S–SMALLER?! Compact!?” She stomped her foot, fists clenched. 

“You Amazon tree! Just because you’re tall enough to change light crystals without a ladder doesn’t mean you get to look down on me! Petite is adorable, you musclebound saber-junkie! At least men actually look at me without thinking I’m about to arm-wrestle them to death!”

Silvia let out a flirty laugh.

 “Oh? Adorable? Is that what you call it when people mistake you for the little sister or a lost child instead of a woman? Don’t worry, Mari. I’m sure someone, somewhere likes… pint-sized firecrackers.”

Mari gasped loudly, slapping her hands over her chest as though mortally wounded. Then, she jabbed her finger at Silvia.

 “Ohhh, I see how it is. Tall, muscly, all business. But tell me, Silvia… what’s the point of having all those curves if you don’t even know how to use them? That’s right! You’re probably more interested in dating your scimitar handles than an actual man. You and those twin scimitars… don’t think I haven’t noticed how much attention you give them at night! Listen here, Miss Towering Temptress—at least I know how to use my charm! You’re probably more interested in polishing your precious handles at night than even looking at a man!”

Kaia gasped, her hands flying up to her cheeks as if the sheer scandal of Mari’s words might set the café on fire.

 “M-Mari! That’s… that’s indecent!”

 “Oh, I said it! Yeah! You heard me right, alright! And I’ll say it again if I have to!”

 “M-Mari! That’s too much!”

Silvia’s eyes narrowed at Mari.

 “Careful, little flame. You’re starting to sound like you want a duel.”

Mari cracked her knuckles as she bounced on her heels.

 “Name the time and place, muscle queen. I’ll roast you until that smug face of yours is medium rare.”

“My, my… so much bark from such a tiny puppy. Careful, or I might have to show you just how I ‘use’ my scimitar handles on you. But don’t worry—I’ll be gentle.”

Verron let the heated words swirl for a moment, watching Mari and Silvia spark off each other like flint and steel. Then, with a soft sigh, he stepped forward.

“Ladies… ladies… If you keep throwing fire and scimitars at each other here, this cozy café will be rubble before we even reach the castle.”

He stepped closer, smiling faintly.

 “And what a shame that would be—two beautiful women, wasting their energy on each other when there are far greater enemies waiting. Surely, your charms are better suited on the battlefield than tearing one another down here.”

Mari’s face burned red, her lips twitching between a pout and a grin.

 “Hmph. Handsome devil’s got a point…” she muttered, though her eyes still darted toward Silvia with sparks exploding in the air.

Silvia rolled her eyes.

 “Fine. I’ll let the puppy bark another day.”

Verron chuckled softly, “That’s better. After all…” His gaze flicked to Rein, “I imagine our dear Hero has enough on his plate without looking over a lovers’ fight.”

“Well?” Liora snapped, “Is this comedy show over? Or do you plan to waste the whole morning sniffing perfume and measuring egos?”