Chapter 162: Trust

[Edmund’s POV]

I froze on the steps.

My foot was still raised for the next one, and it stayed there. The Divine pressure from the throne room had been pressing on my shoulders the whole way up, but it faded into the background when I saw the notification the system had thrown across my vision.

[Quest Activated!]

[Quest: Do Not Kill King Culex]

[Reward: 2500 Plot Points + A Title]

[Failure Would Result In Absolute Death]

[Time: Until Escaped From The Realm of Evil]

I read it twice. The words did not change.

’What do you mean?’ I asked the system.

I already knew it would not answer. It never did. It behaved like a neutral entity, a wall with writing on it. But it had once given me an answer, long ago, so there was still a small hope that it would do so again.

As if it were listening to my thoughts, the system answered.

[The Original Edmund Died Because Of This Move. This Caused Sera Rhys To Be Emotionally Devastated. Creating The Various Problems In The Future]

My mouth went dry. The original Edmund. The boy whose body I had woken up in, whose sister I had been looking after as if she were mine. He had died on this exact road, and I had been walking up it without a single warning.

’Huh? But I won’t, right? And why couldn’t you say it sooner?’

[If The System Told Edmund About The Whole Truth. Then, Everyone Would’ve Stayed In The Palace. If This Happened, Sera Rhys Would’ve Definitely Caused Problems Which Would’ve Disabled The Sanctification of King Culex. If That Happened, Everyone Would’ve Remained Trapped In This Realm For Eternity]

I was broken. That was the only word for it. Something in my chest had given way quietly.

’What about all the people that I have killed?’

[They Were Not In Vain. If They Were Not Killed, The River of Fate Would’ve Been Disturbed Far Too Much. Causing Cosmic Problems]

"..."

My knees hit the stone before I decided to kneel. I stayed there with my hands flat on the cold step.

I had killed humans. I had gotten others killed. Quinn, who had screamed for three days. Rashford, with his last question.

The five loyal soldiers on the staircase. Saud, laughing against the gates.

And for what? For almost nothing? What was all of it for, if in the end we were not supposed to kill Culex?

’How would we even get out if Culex did become a Saint?’

[King Culex’s Original Plans Were Always To Get The People Out Of This Realm. All His Methods Were To Maintain Order. Until It Was The Right Time]

I was short on breath. I could feel my face twisting into something I had never practiced in any mirror, and I could not fix it.

I had continuously convinced myself that in the end it was always for freedom. Every plan, every lie, every number in my head.

That This is for getting everyone home. But freedom had already been there, sitting on a throne, waiting. My mind went blank, then flooded, then went blank again.

"What happened? Why are we not attacking him?" Mary asked me, loudly.

Her voice echoed off the high ceiling. Lee had stopped beside her, the bullet head still lodged in his shoulder, and he was watching me with concern all over his broad face. Neither of them could see the notification.

They could only see me on my knees.

I did not talk for half a minute. I could hear Lee’s breathing and the faint, wet sound from somewhere ahead, inside the hall, that I did not want to think about.

Then I stood up. My legs felt like they belonged to someone else.

"I received a revelation from Ouroboros. We are not to kill him. He is the one that will take us out of this realm," I said.

Mary was furious. "What do you mean?"

She grabbed me by the collar and shook me. My head snapped back and forth. Her hands were trembling, and I realized she was devastated too, in a way I had never seen on her quiet face.

"What do you mean?

"I asked what do you mean? This has already caused so much trouble! Couldn’t Ouroboros say so sooner? Do you know how many people have already been killed because of this man?!"

I did not answer her. There was nothing I could say that was not a lie or a worse truth. After a few seconds, she let go of my collar, and the cloth fell back against my neck.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Don’t you have any shame? This was all your plan. We believed in you!"

I flinched. I hoped she had not seen it.

Lee stepped in and took her by the shoulders, gently. His face had gone sad. "It’s all right..."

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, hard, as if they had insulted her.

And I could only look at them. What a misery it truly was.

I knew how I looked. Selfish. The boy who had dragged them all into this and then changed the plan at the last door. But this sacrifice had to be made, and I told myself so, three times, and I did not feel any better.

A moment later, footsteps came up the staircase behind us. Sera, Arthur, Theodore and Charolette entered the throne room, and behind them came the other survivors.

The number had been cut down to 107. I counted them without wanting to, one by one, and they were all hollow-eyed and scratched up, and some were still carrying their weapons.

The survivors were confused. They looked at the hovering king, at the blood, at the dying man on the floor, and then at each other. Nobody knew what they were supposed to be looking at.

Meanwhile, Sera, Arthur, Theodore and Charolette came straight to us.

Lee explained to them what I had told him. He kept it short and flat and left nothing out, and I stood there and listened to my own lie being repeated in someone else’s voice.

They were all shocked.

Theodore tsked and looked away.

Arthur’s single good eye moved over my face as though he was searching it for something. All of them were disappointed in me, and I could feel it on my skin.

But Charolette and Sera were not as devastated as I thought they would be. I noticed it and did not understand it.

They sat down near me. The stone was cold, and I could feel the Divine pressure pushing at the top of my head even there.

"So what do we do now?" Sera asked.

"Wait."

"And then?"

"He will take us all back to home."

"And how can we be so sure that what Ouroboros said was true?"

"Trust me," I said.

She snorted. "Trust?"

___

Author’s Note: I have exams coming up so there will be 2 chps/ day till 24 November. After that I will continue to upload 3-4 chps/ day