Asuka brought Sara close to the source of the Dragon Veins.
Seeing that she was still unconscious, he gently placed her on the ground. He gathered a small ball of clear water in his hand and lightly splashed it onto her face.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
The sudden cold stimulation woke Sara immediately. Some of the water went up her nose, making her cough repeatedly as she tried to clear it out.
After she finished coughing, Sara looked at the unfamiliar figure standing before her and felt a surge of fear. She curled up her legs and scooted backward until her back hit the wall and she could retreat no further. She raised both hands in front of her face, as if doing so could give her some sense of safety.
Sara was still just a young girl who had recently lost her mother and had been forced to become the Queen of Roran. Already lacking any real sense of security, she had now been kidnapped by someone who clearly had ill intentions. Her inner fragility was easy to imagine.
However, none of that concerned Asuka.
He had no desire to make things difficult for this delicate girl, as long as she cooperated.
Lowering his voice, he said,
"You're the Queen of Roran, right? I need your cooperation with something. If you agree, I promise I won't harm you. How about it?"
Hearing this, Sara slowly lowered the hands covering her face. Tears still lingered in her eyes as she asked in a trembling voice,
"R-really?"
"Of course. I keep my word. As long as you agree to my request, I'll let you go."
"O-okay… I agree. What do you want? Money? No matter what it is, as long as you let me return, Minister Anrokuzan will definitely satisfy your demands."
Looking at Sara—who still regarded her enemy Anrokuzan as her final hope—Asuka felt a faint trace of sympathy. Still, he continued.
"Money? No, no, no. That's not what I want. What I want… is the Dragon Vein buried beneath Roran."
"The Dragon Vein? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I can't agree to that!"
Despite her fear, Sara still retained a bit of rationality and immediately rejected his request.
She knew that the entire kingdom of Roran relied on the Dragon Veins to survive. She could not sacrifice her country just to save herself.
Sara's reaction was exactly what Asuka expected.
He let out a hoarse chuckle.
"Don't rush, little girl. How about we make a deal instead?"
"W-what kind of deal?"
"Relax. First, I'll show you the real face of Roran. After that, you can decide whether you want to make a deal with me."
"The real face? Wh-what are you talking about?"
Although she was still frightened, Sara instinctively argued back when she heard his words.
"Nothing complicated," Asuka replied calmly. "I'm just going to show you the truth beneath this illusion of prosperity."
There was a reason Asuka valued Sara so highly.
The Queen of Roran possessed a unique ability to influence the Dragon Veins to a certain degree—she could activate or deactivate them, and even regulate the amount of energy they released.
That was exactly why Asuka had kidnapped her.
He intended to use Sara to regulate the Dragon Veins' output, keeping it within the range that the Black King ability could handle.
After all, the power of the Dragon Veins was so immense that it could distort space and time. With such terrifying energy, caution was necessary.
If he acted recklessly and the Dragon Veins suddenly released power beyond the Black King's capacity, the consequences would be disastrous.
So, to play it safe, Asuka decided to have Sara help control the Dragon Veins' output.
After finishing his explanation, Asuka ignored Sara's objections and brought her back to the Celebration Plaza.
This time, however, he stopped beneath a tall building and remained hidden in the shadows.
Sara didn't understand why this mysterious man had brought her back to the celebration, but she secretly felt relieved.
After all, if she called for help here, she believed Minister Anrokuzan would surely appear and drive away the man who had kidnapped her.
Just as Sara was about to cry out for help, Asuka suddenly covered her mouth.
Leaning close to her ear, he whispered in a low voice,
"I suggest you don't shout. If you do, you'll attract the very people who want to silence you permanently."
Ignoring Sara's reaction, he continued,
"You probably still think those people in the plaza are your citizens. Unfortunately… they're not. They're merely puppets controlled by your most trusted minister, Anrokuzan."
To prove his point, Asuka kicked a small stone from the ground and casually flicked it toward the crowd.
Even though it was just a casual throw, his immense strength turned it into a deadly projectile.
The stone tore through the heads of several figures in the crowd.
Sara stared in horror as the "citizens" collapsed. Tears poured down her face like a broken dam, and she struggled desperately in Asuka's grip.
But how could her fragile body break free from him?
While she struggled, Asuka's deep voice sounded again.
"Stop moving. Something interesting is about to happen. Look at the ones who fell."
Sara instinctively looked over.
Her eyes widened in shock.
The "people" whose heads had been pierced slowly stood up again.
Their damaged heads began to regenerate.
The horrifying scene left Sara completely speechless.
Before she could recover, Asuka spoke again.
"Here they come. Look up. Who's standing on the palace balcony?"
Sara looked up.
A figure had appeared on the palace balcony, dressed in luxurious clothing—and possessing the same red hair as her.
Sara whispered in disbelief,
"What… what is going on?"
Seeing that the moment was right, Asuka led Sara away and brought her to a secluded rooftop.
After setting her down, Sara immediately turned toward him in anger.
"What is happening? Why have my citizens turned into puppets? And who is that person on the balcony?"
Asuka ignored her furious questions and calmly continued.
"This all goes back to your most trusted minister—Anrokuzan."
"His real name is Mukade, a rogue ninja from Sunagakure. In order to obtain the power of the Dragon Veins, he disguised himself as Anrokuzan and infiltrated Roran, getting close to your mother."
"After gaining her trust, he murdered her."
"Over the years, Mukade has used the power of the Dragon Veins to create a massive army of puppets."
"He used those puppets to deceive you, maintaining the illusion of a prosperous city. Meanwhile, the real citizens of Roran were thrown into underground factories and forced to work day and night. Only a small number of them have managed to survive."
The truth struck Sara like a blade, piercing her heart again and again.
"No… that's impossible! You're lying! Anrokuzan can't be Mukade!"
She screamed in denial.
Seeing that she still refused to believe him, Asuka took her to the underground factory.
There, she saw the miserable condition of the enslaved citizens with her own eyes.
Afterward, he brought her to the sewer tunnels, where many surviving citizens of Roran were hiding.
Sara approached them herself, asking desperately for the truth.
After the chaotic exchange that followed, she finally confirmed that Asuka had not lied.
She walked back toward him slowly, her expression filled with despair.
Looking up at him, she asked quietly,
"The deal you mentioned earlier… does it still stand?"
"Of course," Asuka replied. "I showed you the truth so you could make your choice."
Sara lifted her head.
Her tear-filled eyes stared directly at his mask.
Her voice trembled, but it carried determination.
"I accept your deal. As long as you help me defeat Anrokuzan… I'll give you the Dragon Veins."
Asuka smiled slightly.
"Deal."
"But don't worry," he added. "I only need your help controlling the Dragon Veins' output. I'll leave enough energy for your people to survive."
After saying that, Asuka extended his right hand.
Sara hesitated for a moment.
Then she slowly reached out and took it.
And just like that, the deal was sealed.
--------------Author---------------
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