Chapter 419 - 414 — Stubborn

Chapter 419: Chapter 414 — Stubborn

Zephyrion found Nourald quite a distance from the party, lying on a small boulder near the entrance of the cave. He had both arms crossed behind his head, staring at the full moon with a strangely distant look in his eyes. Since he’d met him, it was the first time he’d seen him with such an expression. Then again, he was starting to understand that this jolly Aerelith wasn’t quite as carefree as he appeared to be.

Zephyrion approached and sat down beside him, turning his gaze towards the full moon in silence. The stench of alcohol hung thick in the air. He must have had quite a lot to drink.

Nourald didn’t acknowledge his presence. The silence stretched on for several seconds before he finally broke it.

"Do you know the story of Emperor Gladys?"

Even his voice sounded different from usual, lacking its usual playfulness and warmth.

Unlike Ferrans, the Aerelith were ruled by an emperor and empress beneath the banner of the Sky Throne. While Zephyrion was well-versed in matters concerning the general continent, there was still much about Aerelith history he knew little of.

"No."

"...Brother, I swear, the more I talk to you, the more convinced I become that you were raised under a rock. How do you know so little about our empire?"

"...Something like that."

Nourald chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Emperor Gladys was the third emperor of the Aerelith Empire, but before he ascended the throne, he was merely the 45th child of the previous emperor.

"Unlike his brothers and sisters, he was born weak, sickly, and practically talentless. He even awakened an entire year later than he was supposed to. Naturally, everyone dismissed him, including his own parents and siblings. They told him to forget about the throne and live an ordinary life. After all, what chance did someone like him have against forty-four older siblings?"

Zephyrion listened patiently, wondering where all this was going. Nourald seemed to notice his curiosity and turned to him with a faint smile.

"I’m guessing you’re wondering why I’m telling you all this. Well, despite everything, despite all the setbacks and the countless people telling him to give up, he never did. He kept pushing forward until he eventually became one of the greatest emperors our empire has ever known."

Nourald turned his gaze back to the full moon, a wistful smile on his lips.

"Sometimes, when I look at my own life, I like to think I have a little of his spirit in me. That same stubbornness, that refusal to give up no matter what anyone says. But then... I can’t help wondering if I’m just fooling myself. What if I fail, brother? What will all those people who told me I couldn’t do it say? Will they laugh? Pity me? Tell me they knew all along? What if, after everything I’ve done, I end up with nothing to show for it?"

"Is that what you want?"

Nourald turned towards him, a slight frown forming on his face.

"What I want..." He fell silent for a moment, seemingly considering the question, before slowly clenching his fists. "No. Of course not."

"Then why are you already worrying about it?" Zephyrion met his eyes. "When you walk a path, you either reach your destination or fall along the way. That’s just how it is. But if you’re so afraid of falling that you refuse to take another step, then you’ve already failed. You’ll remain exactly where you are, never growing, never changing, while everyone else keeps moving forward."

Nourald’s eyes slowly widened, and a moment later, a gentle smile spread across his face.

"Brother, since when did you become such a wise man? Have you been hiding this side of yourself from me? How cruel!"

Zephyrion sighed. "Looks like you’re back..."

"Huh? Back? Did I go somewhere?" Nourald looked at him in disbelief. "Wait, don’t tell me. Were you hoping I’d disappear? Brother, how could you? After everything we’ve been through together? Forget it! You’re stuck with me now!"

Nourald grinned so brightly that Zephyrion nearly forgot how troubled he’d looked just moments ago.

He was honestly curious about the circumstances surrounding this Aerelith, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. He’d long since seen through his facade. Nourald was the type to smile and joke around with everyone while hiding a great deal of pain beneath that cheerful exterior.

Since they’d met, he’d shared all sorts of things about himself and others, including personal details that were frankly unnecessary, yet he’d never once spoken about his deepest fears or feelings. Which, in Zephyrion’s view, was perfectly fine. After all...

’Everyone has something they’re hiding. I suppose he’s no different. Still... I wonder what it is.’

"So it seems," Zephyrion finally said. "Honestly, it’s barely been a day, and I’m already feeling overwhelmed. Any chance we can take this party outside the bastion?"

"Ah, if only, brother! Believe me, if we could leave, I’d have dragged you out of here myself." Nourald tapped the sigil on his chest, his face twisting in annoyance. "But this damned thing is still active. The moment we step outside without permission, it’ll alert the masters, and they’ll come hunting us down like a pair of runaway dogs."

’Shit.’

Zephyrion had hoped that reaching the bastion would somehow deactivate the sigil, but that clearly wasn’t the case.

"Honestly, it’s ridiculous! We’re supposed to be the children of freedom, yet here we are, being herded around like livestock. Even cows get to wander around occasionally!"

"Then I suppose we’re stuck here until our service is over..."

’Please don’t tell me I have to spend the next few years trapped in this place.’

Fortunately, the moment Nourald shook his head, he felt the tightness in his chest ease considerably.

"No, no, of course not, brother! Can you imagine keeping a bunch of Aerelith locked up for years? We’d tear the whole bastion apart! You know how we are. Tell us we can’t go somewhere, and suddenly that’s the only place we want to be!"

"Then when exactly can we leave...?"

"Hmm, I’ll tell you, but first, you have to answer a question for me, brother."

"...What question?"