Chapter 10:

I Trust You

My Knight


“What are you doing??!!” Ryou turned to Kushu, who had regained his consciousness. “He took away Kirihime!! I don’t care if you hate her or anything, but you should just mind your own business!!”
“Calm down.” Kushu flicked Ryou’s forehead and Ryou fell silent, too shocked with his drastic change.
“...I don’t want to hear that from you.” Ryou sulked after a while. “Start explaining yourself.”
“The one who should explain himself is you, idiot. Do you even know what it means to lay your hand on the demon king? If I didn’t stop you earlier, he’d have destroyed you and the whole mansion just to make sure you won’t get up again. [Demon King] isn’t a mere title.” Kushu crossed his arms and glared at Ryou.
Ryou took a deep breath to calm himself down. “...then, thank you, I guess.” He said grudgingly.
“So, what are you going to do about this? Recklessly chasing after him and getting yourself killed while trying to save the princess?” Kushu asked as he walked to the hole Ryou made earlier.
“That’s...” Ryou wanted to argue, but he knew that was exactly what he would do. “You have any better idea?” Ryou retorted.
“Of course. Has it ever occurred to you that I can help you?” Kushu replied.
“No. Never. Not one bit.” Ryou answered honestly.
“I’m offended.” Kushu grinned. “While it’s true that I’m more talented than you in terms of trickery and deceiving, I can’t reach my current self without the help of others. I’ll let you...” Kushu stopped in the hallway and bent down. “Is this sleeping pill?” Kushu frowned as he picked up the pills.
“Let me what?” Ryou chased after him.
“I’ll let you meet with the one who taught me. He’s kind of like a father too, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to decapitate him the moment you meet him.” Kushu said.
Ryou felt suspicious. “What do you mean? Why would you help me? I mean, we’re enemies.”
“No, you and I are simply opponents, remember? Besides, the princess let me live when you could easily cut my head off when I collapsed. I just felt like maybe I want to know the reason before I try to kill her again. By the way, that’s an impressive stunt. You changed your hand back to normal to free yourself, right? Then you knocked me out with that high-pitch sound. I never knew I could be defeated that way.” Kushu casually spoke.
“Well...Kirihime told me that.” Ryou shrugged. “She always noticed such things, and she’s a real genius after all.”
“Then, will you believe me in order to save your princess?” Kushu asked as they reached the outside of the mansion.
Ryou glanced at the mansion behind him. For him, it was a home filled with many memories. But they meant nothing if Kirihime wasn’t here with him.
“Yes.” Ryou answered decisively. “I’ll trust you. So please help me save Kirihime.”


Kathy Zero
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