Kon woke the next day imprisoned in a dark cell, whose only window — small like a square porthole and sealed with steel bars — was the sole source of the faint light coming from outside, useful only for the detainee to tell whether it was day or night.
Outside the cell stood a tall, burly guard; the same one who had taken him to prison.
"Hey, what does this mean?" Kon asked, confused, as if what had happened were completely unexpected.
"You publicly challenged House Rei and humiliated them in front of their Patriarch—what do you think it means?" the guard replied without turning around. There was a faint smile on his face. "Harald will determine your sentence soon. Regius Lane is making things difficult."
"Pathetic! Why didn't they face me head-on so we could settle this like men?!" Kon shouted, feeling deeply wronged.
"He did face you. You lost. You think you just fainted out of nowhere? No. Harald knocked you out without even touching you."
The guard spaced each word patiently, and that irritated Kon, who felt like he was being made a fool of.
"Don't mess with me! What did he do to make me pass out? What kind of power is that?!"
"The fact that you don't know just makes it funnier. A little badger who still has no grasp of how the world really works!"
Furious, Kon rose from the floor. Under normal circumstances he could have broken the bars of the cell, but now… he shattered his fingers when he punched one of them, and his hand wasn't regenerating. He didn't scream in pain, but he began to gasp and whimper in panic.
The guard laughed.
"An innocent and stupid badger."
At House Lane's mansion, Yuna was anxious. She trembled uncontrollably, unable even to drink a cup of tea offered by Regius. Both were in the garden.
"They're g-going to kill him… aren't they?" Yuna asked, her voice choked with anxiety and the urge to cry.
"No! Definitely not! I—" Regius began, but Yuna interrupted him.
"I w-warned him th-that idea was stupid!!!"
"This isn't your fault. Kon has always been impulsive."
Kon wasn't the only friend Yuna had, but he was the first. Since childhood they had played together and ventured into the forest in the southern part of the city, all the way to the waterfall and beyond. Thinking that all of it could end like this — decided by the executioner's blow — left her not only with a bitter taste in her mouth, but made her entire life seem utterly flavorless.
"You're going to bring him back, aren't you?"
"I am. Harald is just as impulsive, but I'll do my best to bring him to his senses. Kon was right, but being right doesn't always mean being sensible. If more people like him were to rise…" Regius paused to take a sip of tea, leaving the rest for Yuna to imagine.
She knew. She had always known. That was why she warned Kon incessantly whenever he voiced rebellious ideas against a great house.
She was about to say something when one of Regius's servants appeared in the garden and told him that Harald was waiting for him inside the mansion.
"I'm going with you!" Yuna declared anxiously, suddenly overtaken by a bold, confident resolve.
"No chance. If you say the wrong thing, you could make things worse."
"He can't imprison someone who won a fair fight! HE CAN'T! He—" she insisted, until tears finally burst forth. Regius placed a hand on her shoulder, unsure of what to say besides asking her to stay.
"Be patient. Harald has never killed anyone like this before, and it won't be now that I allow him to!"
And with that he finally left, walking away from the garden and leaving the inconsolable Yuna behind. In his heart, Regius was as cold as infernal ice. Kon was his godson, after all.
He remembered the night he first found the boy. Kon was just eight years old, covered in mud and kneeling over two corpses — a man and a woman, his parents. It was raining, and the sky was black as coal despite it being midafternoon. The carriage they had been traveling in was overturned, though not looted. Even the horses were dead, brutally sliced by sword blows that clearly could not have come from an ordinary person.
When Kon was finally able to speak normally, only furious words came from his mouth, claiming that the one responsible for the attack was a "slant-eyed son of a bitch." That alone meant nothing, but what the small child said next worried Regius.
Kon claimed the man who attacked them wielded a black-bladed katana. That was characteristic of the Kurosawa Clan of the Fifth Continent — the black blade was the Kurosawa hallmark, part of their very identity.
Many questions, no answers. In any case, Fallen Flowers was a small city in the middle of the Seventh Continent, and House Lane just one small house among hundreds. Regius could do nothing but take in the fragile, unprotected soul of the boy he had encountered by chance on a journey.
At least Kon's parents' bodies were still recognizable and could be given a proper burial.
Therefore, Regius would certainly fight to ensure Harald was fair. After all, in the royal capital, Harlan would face dangers far greater than Kon. Harald could not protect him there!
Regius entered his study and found Harald seated, tapping his index finger impatiently on the arm of the chair.
"I won't release him! Don't even try to cry in my ear!" were the first words the old man of House Rei said.
"You will, damn it! Or we'll settle this with a fight right now!" Regius shot back, making it clear he wouldn't accept being treated like nothing.
Harald looked at him in surprise for a brief moment, then furrowed his brow, accepting the challenge.
"He can't be left roaming free! A creature like that planting revolutionary ideas in the people's minds is a danger to us! It's been extremely difficult to contain their agitation…"
"What did you expect, you bastard? YOU KNOCKED EVERYONE OUT!!!"
"EVERY HOUR THAT PASSES, PEOPLE TALK MORE ABOUT KON AND HIS PUBLIC CHALLENGE, STAINING THE NAME OF HOUSE REI! I WILL NOT LET HIM GO UNPUNISHED!!!"
"YOUR GRANDSON LOST TO A NO-NAME YOUTH AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS TO BLAME — EXCEPT YOU?!"
Both finally seemed exhausted by the shouting and stood there panting for a few seconds before regaining their composure and lowering their voices.
"About the High Blacksmith we discussed earlier: a 50% discount would still leave 50% to be paid, which, dividing quickly, comes to 16.6% for each of us. I'll cover your share in exchange for Kon's freedom," Regius began, trying to be reasonable.
Harald stared at him, more confused than interested.
"You thought it was expensive before, and now you offer to cover my part? Tempting. But my family's name is worth more than all the money in this city."
"Don't be so proud. We can work out a way to make people forget the matter. Besides, you have only yourself and your grandson to blame. If this is what you're sending to the capital, he'll run into serious trouble when he crosses paths with the son of some councilor or wealthy merchant."
Silence fell for a moment as both used it to breathe and consider their options. Harald was deeply offended, but he knew full well the risks of killing a civilian who had won a fair fight.
"I will cripple him. I'll strip him of any chance to communicate with the spirit that sustains him and return him to you. I'll also accept the offer of the 16.6%. But I handle the civilians," Harald proposed, mustering as much calm as he could since the night before.
"No chance! Kon has shown promise and could become an excellent soldier or explorer!"
"I don't care. He needs to learn that there are consequences to crashing into a wall he cannot climb or break. You wanted him alive, didn't you? I'll make sure he doesn't die in the process — only that he falls. Now I must prepare Harlan; the messenger ship will arrive soon."
With that, Harald stood and left Regius's chambers, leaving his friend behind in thought.
Yuna saw the old man leave and immediately entered Patriarch Lane's room; he quickly changed his expression, forcing a smile.
"Good news, my dear! Kon won't die and will be home soon! I told you I could manage it, didn't I?"
Yuna dropped to her knees, sighing in relief as though an enormous weight had been lifted from her body. She cried again, but this time with joy, thanking Xanteya for the blessing.
"After the messenger departs, we'll have our Kon back," he added.
"That's for the best… it'll keep him from doing something stupid again, right?" Yuna replied, wiping her eyes and trying to think positively.
The entrance grounds of House Rei's mansion were, obviously, luxurious. The statue of the great ancestor Edgar Rei rose imposingly in the center of a fountain that poured water day and night without pause. Gathered before the ancestor's fountain were all the main members of House Rei who lived there — cousins, uncles, aunts, Harlan's parents and younger sisters, and Harlan himself.
Harald returned in time. He walked calmly out of the avenue leading to the ancestor's fountain, hands clasped behind his back and head held high; he seemed unnaturally calm, and that frightened the family — especially Harlan. The young Rei lowered his head.
Harald stopped in front of him but said nothing. Everyone else also fell silent. The old man stared at the youth, projecting the invisible pressure that a disappointed, frustrated gaze exerts on a guilty mind.
He only looked away when, far off in the sky, a wooden ship bearing the royal crest appeared, descending slowly as it parted the clouds.
It was a wooden ship, but tinted a dark blue rather than natural brown. Aside from its luxurious sails and banners, the rest was simple, resembling any other vessel used in sea navigation.
When the royal messenger ship landed in the vast, opulent forecourt of House Rei's mansion, everyone stood in awe. The younger ones had never seen such an artifact before, and the elders were just as astonished as if it were their first time. Under normal circumstances, Harald would have been smiling broadly, but now Kon occupied his every thought.
Harald looked up, as the ship still hovered a few meters above the ground, and saw half the body of a young man appear — apparently in his thirties. He had a short, well-kept beard, black hair on his head and face, and sky-blue eyes. He stood tall and imposing, his shoulder-length hair fluttering lightly in the gentle breeze caused by the ship itself.
He looked down, dressed in his rich royal messenger's attire.
"It's been some time, Harald. I prayed that I might see you again under these circumstances. You look well."
The messenger spoke each word calmly, spacing them unhurriedly to avoid misunderstanding. His voice echoed across the entire forecourt, loud and clear, as if amplified by some spell.
Harald made a brief bow before replying.
"I'm glad to see you've been taking care of yourself as well, Isaa. This is my grandson," Harald gently pulled Harlan forward. "He's the one going to the capital."
"He looks strong. Can he climb up here, or should I bring him?" the messenger asked with mild interest. He was testing him.
Harlan nodded and bade farewell to his family, then leapt upward, propelled by the wind of his ability. As soon as he landed on the ship, he received an approving look from the messenger, who gave the order and the ship began to rise, heading toward House Hart.
Harlan did not look back. He knew his grandfather would speak to him once they reached the capital.
When the ship disappeared beyond the horizon, the Rei family dispersed and returned to their daily activities. Harald summoned a carriage to take him to the prison.
Similar scenes took place at House Hart. Patriarch Hart also sent a grandson, though the old man seemed indifferent.
Finally, the ship arrived at House Lane. The scene there was similar to those at Houses Rei and Hart. Regius sent one of his daughters, named Amy. Unlike the others, he was the only one of the three patriarchs who smiled and spoke words of encouragement to his child, expressing his support firmly.
Then the messenger noticed something and stopped the ship midair, turning his gaze toward Regius.
"Listen, Regius, and be honest with me: did something happen here that I should know about?"
Regius's smile froze, and he felt cold sweat bead on his skin.
"No! Why would you think that?" he replied quickly, without hesitation.
"I've been here before, and I noticed that today, especially, Harald and Nigel are cold. Neither wanted to talk, whereas last time they spoke at length."
"Oh! I see… Yesterday, during our celebration, an issue with tax collection in the Hart District came up, and Harald began arguing with him. You know how they are! They'll be talking again soon, and it'll be as if the problem never existed!"
The messenger's eyes remained fixed on Regius. He sensed a hint of falsehood masking a layer of truth in the old man's voice, but he said nothing. Whatever it was, it was unlikely to cause major repercussions in the royal capital. He was merely curious due to the behavioral change in people he knew well.
"I understand. I'll see you again. Farewell!"
The ship lifted once more and, this time, shot off like a falling star toward the horizon, heading for the royal capital.
Regius sighed in relief and nearly dropped to his knees. Yuna approached; she was still there. Like Kon, she was practically part of House Lane.
"Should we go to the prison now?" she asked innocently.
"No. Kon will come to us. Harald promised me," he replied after a moment's thought, smiling kindly at the worried young woman.