Episode 117. The Price
The temple surrendered to Renisha Lottera.
Laxus stared out the window with a cold smile.
This was all expected.
The sacredness of Hientri had long since been abandoned.
Over the years that Hientri had existed, the royal blood had thinned to the point of being practically watered down.
In fact, seeking legitimacy from Laxus was pointless. After all, a vagrant Prince had become Emperor.
Laxus's face was much more relaxed than before.
A face of emptiness transcended all else.
His sharp eyes were dead and black, his face as dry as an old tree.
A newspaper lay on the table in front of Laxus.
Count Flans seemed to be running around trying to find a way to reinstate Laxus as Emperor, but who knows?
The world has already sided with the victor.
No one will side with Laxus.
Couldn't Renisha know that Laxus was here?
Laxus could be sure that Renisha was observing everything.
Like a cornered rat, watching because she knew she couldn't do anything.
If she wanted, Renisha could snatch at the nape of Laxus's neck like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
With trembling hands, Laxus tore at his cigar.
The acrid smoke filled the room.
He felt helpless, yet simultaneously disillusioned.
His lips trembled as he bit down on his cigar.
"Just kill me, Renisha,"
Laxus muttered.
"Don't make me live like this..."
The temple surrendered to Renisha Lottera.
Laxus stared out the window with a cold smile.
This was all expected.
The sacredness of Hientri had long since been abandoned.
Over the years that Hientri had existed, the royal blood had thinned to the point of being practically watered down.
In fact, seeking legitimacy from Laxus was pointless. After all, a vagrant Prince had become Emperor.
Laxus's face was much more relaxed than before.
A face of emptiness transcended all else.
His sharp eyes were dead and black, his face as dry as an old tree.
A newspaper lay on the table in front of Laxus.
Count Flans seemed to be running around trying to find a way to reinstate Laxus as Emperor, but who knows?
The world has already sided with the victor.
No one will side with Laxus.
Couldn't Renisha know that Laxus was here?
Laxus could be sure that Renisha was observing everything.
Like a cornered rat, watching because she knew she couldn't do anything.
If she wanted, Renisha could snatch at the nape of Laxus's neck like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
With trembling hands, Laxus tore at his cigar.
The acrid smoke filled the room.
He felt helpless, yet simultaneously disillusioned.
His lips trembled as he bit down on his cigar.
"Just kill me, Renisha,"
Laxus muttered.
"Don't make me live like this..."
His voice cracked and burst out. Laxus didn't even dare to take his own life. He couldn't let Renisha forget him in such a miserable state. He had to die at Renisha's hand. Laxus crushed his shortened cigar and put it out.
"I have to return to the palace."
"I have to return to the palace."
He must die in front of Renisha, by her hand. A strange longing filled Laxus. He could use that foolish Count Flans. If he could ignite his vain hopes, he would carry Laxus on his back and race to the imperial palace. Laxus's thin lips curled up. He shook the bell that sat eerily on the table.
"Tell him I must see Count Flans."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Laxus still acted as Emperor in this isolated, small mansion. Laxus licked his tongue against the bitter inside of his mouth. His future, like the cigarette smoke that clouded his vision, was as murky.
Ah... Laxus let out a small gasp. The ghosts who had left him returned. The Duke of Lottera stood at the forefront, his face heavy. His pale face, always a shade of purple, now seemed to have cleared. The ghosts pointed at Laxus.
Laughs, laughs. Look at that, Laxus.
“Haven’t you lost everything!”
The souls who lost their lives at Laxus’s hands snickered and mocked him.
“I’ve been waiting for you to end up like this! You get what you pay for! What kind of Emperor are you?”
Laxus squeezed his eyes shut. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t see.
“Didn’t I warn you?”
Duke Lottera’s voice clung to him.
“This moment!”
***
Meanwhile, Hiloshine was soaked in a different kind of silence. The last of Rosha’s Tears left in this generation. Haylin fiddled with the bottle in her hand. She had been looking through the records regarding Rosha’s Tears for the past few days.
The most recent person to take this medicine was the princess of Shamdir. Meteo, currently in the archipelago, answered as honestly as he could to the best of his knowledge. Meteo’s sister can no longer see. That was the price she paid for saving her life. According to Meteo, the Princess was traumatized by her blindness, but she was doing relatively well. She was happy just to be alive and able to embrace her family with her arms.
Haylin felt like she understood, yet was completely lost. What choice would Brixton want? Haylin's expression softened as she watched Brixton, who lay as if dead, sleeping.
"Brixton."
It was a voice that sounded like it had been scraped with a hook.
Brixton's future would be determined by Haylin's choice.
Haylin stared blankly at Brixton.
Brixton's body, lying on the bed, was rising and falling.
Haylin and Isabella needed Brixton.
Even if Brixton couldn't walk, she wanted to see him speak and move.
Haylin clutched the vial in her hand.
Now was the time to decide.
"...Give him the medicine,"
Haylin ordered in a heavy voice.
The doctor who took the vial from Haylin bowed his head.
It might have been a selfish choice.
But Haylin believed that Brixton, she knew, would forgive her.
The medicine slipped through Brixton's open mouth.
Haylin balled her fist. There was no turning back now.
Haylin held many things besides Brixton in her hands.
One of them was the matter of the Yi tribe.
The temple had revoked the heretical mark on them.
There was no longer any reason to persecute the Yi tribes.
“The Yi tribes can now exercise their legitimate rights, Yenika.”
Haylin pushed the newspaper article in front of Yenika.
Yenika stared at the article with trembling eyes. Her hazy eyes couldn’t see anything, but she knew what it was.
Haylin continued.
“The official announcement from the temple has been published in the newspaper. Now, the entire continent will learn of the Yi tribes’ grievances.”
“...”
“The Yi tribes are no longer heretics to be ostracized.”
The long, sorrowful history of persecution had ended.
Yenika ran her trembling hands over the newspaper.
“...I guess this is why they survived.”
Yenika’s lips trembled.
“The new Emperor has promised the Yi tribes ample compensation.”
“What do you mean by the new Emperor...?”
“Renisha Lottera. She hasn’t had her coronation yet, so she’s only temporary. There’s no one left to replace Renisha.”
Haylin smiled faintly.
Renisha, who promised to return soon, had settled down in the imperial palace.
She had finally fulfilled her promise.
“A new world will open, Yenica. The Yi tribes will no longer be oppressed, and Hiloshine..."
Haylin gazed at the land bathed in the crimson light of the sun.
It was no longer a wasteland.
People were bustling about, building a home for themselves.
Hiloshine, too, had shed its history of oppression and sorrow.
The oppression of Laxus had loomed over the entire continent.
With the tyrant gone, light filled its place.
“The imperial palace will move to Hiloshine.”
Haylin’s voice hardened.
“Renisha desires a completely new empire. She intends to abandon everything old.”
Yenika stared in Haylin’s direction, her face awestruck.
“That won’t be easy.”
“Nothing Renisha has done has been easy. Becoming Emperor was no exception. Much blood has been shed, and the Imperial Palace is rotting away. Not just in Laxus. The poison that has accumulated over the past few centuries has pooled within the Empire. It is time for renewal.”
Yenika clasped her hands.
“Then we...”
“The Yi tribes will support the new Emperor and rise again as a race that helped usher in a new era.”
Haylin held out the letter.
“This is a letter from Emperor Renisha. It also contains information Yenika needs to know.”
“...”
“The Yi tribes have contributed greatly to protecting Hiloshine and driving out the tyrant, and they deserve to be rewarded for their service. I will bestow appropriate rewards upon those who are worthy, so depart for the Imperial Palace immediately.”
Haylin read the letter in a slow voice.
Yenika’s face was changing by the minute.
“Yenika, you must select the people who will go to the Empire.”
"...Does this mean the new Emperor will bestow upon us titles?"
"I think so. Originally, during reforms, meritorious subjects were granted titles and lands."
Yenika's eyelids trembled.
Her feelings were complicated.
The Yi tribes would no longer be able to exist as an independent race.
Ultimately, their culture would disappear and be absorbed into the Hientri.
It would be different from their past as fugitives, but in some ways, it was similar.
Fear filled her heart.
Renisha was practically forcing a choice.
She was offering a reward, but ultimately, she was trying to absorb the Yi tribes into her fold.
“...I know what you’re thinking, Yenika. Renisha is a gentle tyrant.”
Haylin said with a sigh.
“What would happen if I refused?”
“With Duke Kassius Lottera, what could happen? But Renisha will not give the Yi tribes another chance. Yenika, do not forget the past. The Hientri sinned against the Yi tribes, but the Yi tribes also owed a debt to Hientri. Renisha wants us to forget all that and start anew.”
Yenika’s hand twitched.
She couldn’t deny Haylin’s words.
The sins of the Yi tribes, passed down from generation to generation, were gripping Yenika’s ankles.
“Choose someone and go to the capital yourself,”
Haylin said with a strong voice.
“This is not a request, Yenika. I am ordering you, the Yi tribe, and Hiloshine. As the temporary lord of Hiloshine.”
Yenika gazed at Haylin absently. She couldn’t see anything, but she didn’t sense any hostility.
“...I will follow.”
Haylin walked slowly through the empty hallway.
The news of Brixton’s awakening pounded in Haylin’s heart.
Joy surged along with fear.
‘Rosha’s tears seem to be a miracle cure.’
Haylin took a deep breath and exhaled.
It was time to face the consequences of her choice.
The area in front of Brixton’s bedroom was bustling with people.
Isabella, who had squeezed through the crowd, clung to Haylin’s leg.
“Mother...! Father is awake! Father, Father... called me Isabella!”
Isabella’s voice was filled with agitation.
This child had been swept up in time and had endured things she shouldn’t have.
Haylin patted the child's back with a pitying heart.
The child's unusually thin body stirred Haylin's heart.
"Thank goodness, Isabella."
The people who noticed Haylin's presence made way.
Brixton appeared among them, sitting on the bed, watching her. Brixton slowly opened his arms toward her.
"Haylin."
The call was as affectionate as ever, just as before.
It was a voice that sounded like it had been scraped with a hook.
Brixton's future would be determined by Haylin's choice.
Haylin stared blankly at Brixton.
Brixton's body, lying on the bed, was rising and falling.
Haylin and Isabella needed Brixton.
Even if Brixton couldn't walk, she wanted to see him speak and move.
Haylin clutched the vial in her hand.
Now was the time to decide.
"...Give him the medicine,"
Haylin ordered in a heavy voice.
The doctor who took the vial from Haylin bowed his head.
It might have been a selfish choice.
But Haylin believed that Brixton, she knew, would forgive her.
The medicine slipped through Brixton's open mouth.
Haylin balled her fist. There was no turning back now.
***
Haylin held many things besides Brixton in her hands.
One of them was the matter of the Yi tribe.
The temple had revoked the heretical mark on them.
There was no longer any reason to persecute the Yi tribes.
“The Yi tribes can now exercise their legitimate rights, Yenika.”
Haylin pushed the newspaper article in front of Yenika.
Yenika stared at the article with trembling eyes. Her hazy eyes couldn’t see anything, but she knew what it was.
Haylin continued.
“The official announcement from the temple has been published in the newspaper. Now, the entire continent will learn of the Yi tribes’ grievances.”
“...”
“The Yi tribes are no longer heretics to be ostracized.”
The long, sorrowful history of persecution had ended.
Yenika ran her trembling hands over the newspaper.
“...I guess this is why they survived.”
Yenika’s lips trembled.
“The new Emperor has promised the Yi tribes ample compensation.”
“What do you mean by the new Emperor...?”
“Renisha Lottera. She hasn’t had her coronation yet, so she’s only temporary. There’s no one left to replace Renisha.”
Haylin smiled faintly.
Renisha, who promised to return soon, had settled down in the imperial palace.
She had finally fulfilled her promise.
“A new world will open, Yenica. The Yi tribes will no longer be oppressed, and Hiloshine..."
Haylin gazed at the land bathed in the crimson light of the sun.
It was no longer a wasteland.
People were bustling about, building a home for themselves.
Hiloshine, too, had shed its history of oppression and sorrow.
The oppression of Laxus had loomed over the entire continent.
With the tyrant gone, light filled its place.
“The imperial palace will move to Hiloshine.”
Haylin’s voice hardened.
“Renisha desires a completely new empire. She intends to abandon everything old.”
Yenika stared in Haylin’s direction, her face awestruck.
“That won’t be easy.”
“Nothing Renisha has done has been easy. Becoming Emperor was no exception. Much blood has been shed, and the Imperial Palace is rotting away. Not just in Laxus. The poison that has accumulated over the past few centuries has pooled within the Empire. It is time for renewal.”
Yenika clasped her hands.
“Then we...”
“The Yi tribes will support the new Emperor and rise again as a race that helped usher in a new era.”
Haylin held out the letter.
“This is a letter from Emperor Renisha. It also contains information Yenika needs to know.”
“...”
“The Yi tribes have contributed greatly to protecting Hiloshine and driving out the tyrant, and they deserve to be rewarded for their service. I will bestow appropriate rewards upon those who are worthy, so depart for the Imperial Palace immediately.”
Haylin read the letter in a slow voice.
Yenika’s face was changing by the minute.
“Yenika, you must select the people who will go to the Empire.”
"...Does this mean the new Emperor will bestow upon us titles?"
"I think so. Originally, during reforms, meritorious subjects were granted titles and lands."
Yenika's eyelids trembled.
Her feelings were complicated.
The Yi tribes would no longer be able to exist as an independent race.
Ultimately, their culture would disappear and be absorbed into the Hientri.
It would be different from their past as fugitives, but in some ways, it was similar.
Fear filled her heart.
Renisha was practically forcing a choice.
She was offering a reward, but ultimately, she was trying to absorb the Yi tribes into her fold.
“...I know what you’re thinking, Yenika. Renisha is a gentle tyrant.”
Haylin said with a sigh.
“What would happen if I refused?”
“With Duke Kassius Lottera, what could happen? But Renisha will not give the Yi tribes another chance. Yenika, do not forget the past. The Hientri sinned against the Yi tribes, but the Yi tribes also owed a debt to Hientri. Renisha wants us to forget all that and start anew.”
Yenika’s hand twitched.
She couldn’t deny Haylin’s words.
The sins of the Yi tribes, passed down from generation to generation, were gripping Yenika’s ankles.
“Choose someone and go to the capital yourself,”
Haylin said with a strong voice.
“This is not a request, Yenika. I am ordering you, the Yi tribe, and Hiloshine. As the temporary lord of Hiloshine.”
Yenika gazed at Haylin absently. She couldn’t see anything, but she didn’t sense any hostility.
“...I will follow.”
***
Haylin walked slowly through the empty hallway.
The news of Brixton’s awakening pounded in Haylin’s heart.
Joy surged along with fear.
‘Rosha’s tears seem to be a miracle cure.’
Haylin took a deep breath and exhaled.
It was time to face the consequences of her choice.
The area in front of Brixton’s bedroom was bustling with people.
Isabella, who had squeezed through the crowd, clung to Haylin’s leg.
“Mother...! Father is awake! Father, Father... called me Isabella!”
Isabella’s voice was filled with agitation.
This child had been swept up in time and had endured things she shouldn’t have.
Haylin patted the child's back with a pitying heart.
The child's unusually thin body stirred Haylin's heart.
"Thank goodness, Isabella."
The people who noticed Haylin's presence made way.
Brixton appeared among them, sitting on the bed, watching her. Brixton slowly opened his arms toward her.
"Haylin."
The call was as affectionate as ever, just as before.
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