We Must Unite (3)
Damn. If this goes wrong, we're seriously screwed.
The truth was, Shuri was more tense than anyone. It was all because of the Unity evaluation.
Of course, this test usually wasn't that difficult—just like Grandpa always said.
What good would it do to be branded a traitor among the clergy? And more than anything, who would want to throw away their one easy shot at earning a King?
Traitors might pass the test, but they never earned a King. Which meant that no matter how hard you worked, the most you could get was four Kings.
"The problem's when one of the aristocratic powerhouses gets involved."
If it was just middling noble houses, betraying each other didn't gain much. But what if betrayal promised too big a reward?
"And this time, of all people, we've got a pureblood from the Red House."
The Red House was a powerhouse strong enough to dare challenge even the Papal House head-on.
That's why Shuri had gone to such lengths, carefully managing everyone on a personal level. She wanted to make sure there was no chance of betrayal during Unity.
Sure, Isaac had said, "These bastards are just leeches. Be smart." But even so, Shuri chose to believe.
"We've been together since we were ten. Sure, I didn't get along with some of them, but we're comrades now. We'll be on the battlefield together from here on out. They wouldn't do something that would make their comrade cry tears of blood…"
That's what she thought, and yet—
"Don't tell me you're actually thinking something naive like 'they wouldn't make me cry tears of blood,' Shuri Eshua."
"…!!"
Fifty minutes before the vote.
Shuri was dragging a groggy, half-asleep Isaac out of the restroom during a break in the meeting. On their way back to the team, they happened to overhear an unexpected conversation.
"Hey, how are we voting?"
"You got that proposal from Naizer too, right? Telling us to betray Shuri."
"…!"
Shuri flinched.
It was the members of Team Blue—her team—talking in the hallway.
They sounded troubled about Naizer's offer.
"I got it too, but don't you think it'd be better to get at least one King this year? I mean, I kinda wanna be the one to execute the Skull King's underling."
"Yeah. Plus, if we betray her, Isaac Eshua's probably gonna chase us all the way home with a rattle in hand…"
A few of them shuddered at the thought, while others burst into laughter.
"Idiots! Even Isaac Eshua can't do jack against the Red House. What's he gonna do once she joins them? Just betray her already."
Some of them frowned at that.
"…Come on. No matter what, Shuri's done a lot for us. Betraying her in Unity? That's just too much."
In fact, there was an unspoken agreement that Unity should be treated as a safe zone.
Sure, other evaluations had individual components, but Unity was the kind of thing where, if you were unlucky, you could end up in the academy's blacklist regardless of your personal ability.
And it wasn't like you'd never see these people again. So everyone tried to draw the line. No one wanted to be totally disgraced.
But the pro-betrayal guy's eyes gleamed.
"That's exactly why we should. When else will we get the chance to drag someone like Eshua down?"
"What?"
"Naizer said he'd sponsor a business venture and back a 10,000 Dallarc project! We're talking about gaining the protection of one of the Five Great Ducal Houses over a single vote!"
"T-Ten thousand?! That's enough to buy a territory! No wonder he's the next head of the Red House…! Damn, he's got deep pockets!"
"Right? But what about Shuri Eshua? Can she give us anything close to that? Let's just go with them."
"…Mollek, weren't you the one Shuri helped the most?"
"She didn't help me when I really needed it!"
"She was sick back then."
"So what? If you can't help when it counts, what's the point? Shouldn't have gotten sick in the first place. Her fault for being useless when I needed her. Our friendship? Over."
Listening to this, Shuri's fists trembled. Isaac sighed deeply.
"See, Bboongbboong. Kindness isn't always the answer."
There are people who appreciate your kindness—and people who take it as a sign they can walk all over you.
But still… he understood.
"If you've got no cards in your hand, what can you do?"
They weren't strangers—these were people she'd known for seven years. If it still came to this, no wonder she felt disillusioned. She treated them like humans, and it turned out they were beasts.
Isaac gently patted Shuri's clenched hands as if to say she hadn't done anything wrong.
"Don't cry. I'm not going back home just because I fail here."
This hyung will take care of it.
Honestly, those Red House bastards trying to manipulate things, and these kids already picking up dirty tricks—none of them had any sense of honor.
Isaac's eyes gleamed.
And now, the present—
"Team Blue, unanimous vote for
"…Huh?"
"Huhhh??!"
"What did you say?!"
"We actually passed? R-Really?!"
Shuri Was Overjoyed.
The apprentice priests from the Red House, who had been sneering with ease, froze stiff. Naizer Sephet's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Team Blue voted unanimously?! What the hell happened?!"
He looked to the people he had planted—surely they'd explain this nonsense. But none of them could meet his eyes; they just fidgeted awkwardly.
The apprentice priests from the Red House, realizing what had happened, stood there with jaws dropped in shock.
"They got bought out—by Blue?!"
…But wait a second.
Team Blue had passed unanimously, and they were all celebrating. So then why did Isaac Eshua look furious?
"You little shits. You really waited until the last second to decide? You wanna get slapped?"
Ah.
So they just didn't hand it in quickly enough.
Meanwhile, Naizer Sephet's expression grew even more baffled.
What the hell is going on right now?
He could understand if the others had caved. But the three he had personally planted? Those ones should've never betrayed him.
Hell, at least one of them—his personal attendant—should've stayed loyal!
Naizer glared at that very attendant.
But the boy lowered his head with a guilty look… and scampered off toward Isaac.
"...!!"
Naizer Sephet froze like a statue, struck by a massive wave of disbelief.
What the actual hell is this?!
***
"Wow, you're incredible, Isaac! Seriously, amazing job!"
After the Unity vote, Shuri's face looked somewhere between laughing and crying.
Isaac, who always had the same sullen expression like her dad, was now smiling—just a little. It was a weird sight. Creepy, almost like watching the Pope fake a grin. But Isaac didn't mind.
"My pretty little girl! How'd you manage to turn everyone's heart around during that short-ass meeting?!"
To be honest, Shuri had completely given up. After hearing those traitorous words, how could she possibly think they'd pass Unity?
She had already made peace with the outcome.
She was ready to return to the academy and be laughed at as a Blue House failure.
But she didn't want her friends to be humiliated too, so she was even planning to kneel to the ones who wanted to betray her.
She was going to beg: I'll go back after Unity. Just let the others pass…
But Isaac had stopped her.
– "Kim Shuri. Once is enough for you to kneel."
– "What?"
– "When I beat you up."
– "...???"
What the hell was that supposed to mean?!
She didn't get it, but Isaac had taken all the teammates except her into a room and said he'd handle it.
Then, twenty minutes later—
– "W-We're sorry, Shuri, Isaac. We'll keep the team."
Somehow, they'd all lowered their heads and swore they wouldn't betray her.
Which led to the obvious, totally lawful suspicion:
"…You didn't host another tea party, did you?"
"No? Violence is only a temporary fix. It doesn't solve the root problem. They just needed a reason to change their minds before the vote. You seriously didn't know that, hyung?"
God, he knew. And that's what made it even more heartbreaking. What happened to respecting your older brother?
"So I made a straightforward deal."
…Why did "straightforward" sound way more dangerous than violence?
"You know how the Gold Cardinal kept trying to find me? So I told him, if he really wanted to see me, he'd have to hand over a Golden Elixir."
"The Golden Elixir?!"
Shuri's eyes widened, hand going to her forehead.
That was an extremely rare sacred pill, even across the continent. A secret relic of the Faith of Gold.
It boosted abilities, enhanced the body—it was so valuable that people would literally die for just one.
"Only direct descendants of the Gold House can even touch that thing…!"
Which meant… wait.
"Don't tell me… you used that to make a deal with the team?!"
Isaac nodded.
Shuri stared at him, impressed.
"It's amazing that you even got that out of Gold, but—wow. Smart move. That's definitely a worthy trade."
So that's why they voted unanimously.
They must've thought eating that pill was ten times more valuable than joining the Red House.
And honestly, they weren't wrong. That pill was worth that much.
"So, I assume you haven't actually given it to them yet, right?"
"Nah, already handed it out before the vote."
"Ah."
Shuri sighed.
…He really is just a kid, huh.
Normally, you give the reward after they do what you want. That way they can't screw you over. Shuri shook her head like she'd have to teach this hyung how to live.
"Listen. We got lucky it turned out well, but seriously—you almost messed up big. If you give them something like that before, they'll just take it and backstab you. Always reward after the goal is met."
"Nah. They'd never betray me."
"???"
Shuri stared at Isaac in disbelief.
Is he fearless, or just stupid?
But still—look at that trust in his comrades. From a Blue House standpoint, this was an admirable attitude.
Good. He's getting closer to being a real clergyman! With this, Isaac could definitely become a great priest someday…
But the moment Shuri opened the dormitory door—all those noble thoughts vanished.
GURRRRGHH…!
"Ugh!!"
"Hey! Are you done yet?! IsaAAAAAAc!"
"I did what you told me! Now gimme the antidote, damn it!!!"
"...."
…What the hell is it this time?
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]