But even that desperate scream — that he would never let them use him to harm the Cavalry — didn’t sound serious at all to Matten’s ears. Tilting his head as if looking at some insignificant child, the man let out a quiet laugh.
“You still exaggerate like always. Why would I kill you?”
“I’ll never listen to you. Just kill me!”
“Fay, why are you always so one-track-minded? We’re not trying to hurt you — we’re trying to help you get what you want. We’ll help you succeed in the Cavalry. All you have to do is work hard.”
“Don’t make me laugh! You just want to turn me into a spy inside the Cavalry! If I’d known from the start that you helped me with that intention, I never would’ve taken the exam...!”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Yes!”
Matten stared at Fay in silence for a moment, then sighed, exhaling as his shoulders relaxed. What did that mean? Fay, trembling and anxious, looked up at him. Matten gave a small shrug.
“If you hate it that much, there’s nothing I can do. I’ll just have to cooperate with someone else.”
“...Someone else? W-who?”
“Who else? You kindly brought along two more Cavalry members, didn’t you? Mr. Elpokin looks too big to capture easily, so Ms. Glowe will do nicely, don’t you think? She seems much smarter than you — I bet she’ll understand right away.”
“No!”
“If I tell her that Fay threw up and collapsed and ask her to come check on you, your loyal Ms. Glowe will come right away, won’t she? Then I’ll just wait for a chance to stick her with this needle once, and it’ll all be over.”
“No... absolutely not...”
Fear made the words break apart. Panting so hard he could hardly breathe, Fay lay sprawled on the floor, clawing at it helplessly. Matten knelt down before him and met his gaze.
“Fay. Did you know there are a few friends from your village who asked if they could join our caravan? They’re very curious how you’ve been.”
“Kh... khk...”
“Even if it isn’t you, there are plenty of people who’ll work with us. Given a little time, we can find someone else in the Cavalry to cooperate with — or one of the next recruits will pass the exam. The only reason we’re giving you this chance right now is simple.”
Because right now, the only one already inside the Cavalry was Fay.
He was just the easiest target standing right in front of them.
That was all.
“If you miss this chance, even we’ll have no use for you. You’ll be thrown out of the Cavalry, and you can’t go back home anymore. What could you possibly do then?”
“Ugh... ghhk...”
“Decide now. Take my hand and save the lives of your hometown friends and precious comrades — or accept the horrible future that’s coming.”
Then, someone knocked on the restroom door.
“Fay! Are you in there? It’s me! Glowe!”
Fay’s head snapped up. Matten smiled.
“How touching. Such tear-jerking camaraderie. I guess I won’t even have to call her myself. Now, go ahead — answer her.”
It was the helping hand he’d been praying for moments ago. But Fay couldn’t bring himself to speak. Glowe could only use her ability once a day — and she’d already used it on him that morning.
Even if Elpokin was nearby, it would still be dangerous, and now he could hear only Glowe’s voice outside. How could he answer? That would be no different from luring her into a death trap...
He couldn’t. Fay squeezed his eyes shut, tears spilling down as he whispered.
“...Kill me...”
“I told you, I’m not going to kill you. Why would I dirty my hands and draw the Cavalry’s suspicion by killing you here? You’ll destroy yourself soon enough.”
Meanwhile, the knocking outside continued.
“Fay. Decide quickly. If you take the needle, I promise I won’t touch that comrade of yours.”
Bloody tears dripped from Fay’s eyes. Watching him cry in anguish, Matten’s expression turned cold with certainty of victory.
Fay was weak, timid, afraid. A nature like that couldn’t change in an instant, no matter how hard he tried. After joining the Cavalry, he’d learned to bluff a little — but that was as far as it went.
But Matten was wrong.
After a silence that felt either brief or endless, the one rasping, hideous sound that came from Fay’s lips was this:
“...So if I die here, you’d at least draw suspicion, right?”
Before Matten could respond, Fay stuck out his tongue, raised his head high, and slammed his forehead into the floor without hesitation.
“What—!”
In that split second, Matten realized the shield that had been protecting Fay’s body had already vanished. As he frowned and reached out, startled by this stupid, incomprehensible act, a strange voice sounded above his head — chillingly soft, yet cold enough to freeze the air.
“I see no reason to keep listening any longer.”
Boom!
Flames erupted from the crack of the restroom door, blasting it apart.
The world slowed down.
Heat.
Nothing but light.
When the blinding brightness faded, Matten barely managed to open his eyes and force his blurred vision to focus.
Someone was standing there— a very tall man holding Fay by the scruff of his neck. Golden hair, red eyes. The uniform of the Imperial Guard gleamed on his body. Why would an Imperial Guardsman be here? Matten couldn’t comprehend it. People stood beside the man, saying something, but his ears rang too loudly to hear.
'What... what on earth is happening...'
A heartbeat later, searing pain from his burned body surged up in full.
Aaaaaahhh! He screamed, but couldn’t even hear his own voice. Not knowing what was happening, he could do nothing but scream, until the man in the Imperial Guard uniform turned his head toward him.
The man parted his lips and spoke.
“Situation resolved. All units, assemble on the first floor.”
And with that one phrase — sounding like a divine proclamation from the Sun God the citizens worshiped — Matten’s world went dark.
***
With his eyes closed, Fay saw fleeting flashes of memory, like a lantern reel.
The day he’d been accepted into the Cavalry.
He’d been so happy.
He dreamed of hope every day, listening to the stories of comrades whose lives had been saved thanks to Kishiar la Orr and Yuder Aile.
He’d believed that even his useless, gloomy ability could shine here — that maybe he could grow into someone remarkable. If he became a Cavalryman others admired, maybe he could return proudly to his hometown.
He wanted to believe that the miracles that happened to Elpokin, to Glowe, and to other comrades could happen to him too.
Even though he was always last place now, he believed that with enough effort he’d someday discover potential he didn’t even know he had.
Then no one would hate him or find him bothersome anymore.
Then sadness, anxiety, and pain would all disappear, and at last he could be happy...
All the hopes he’d built up night after night through prayer scattered like ash in an instant.
He could never truly belong anywhere. He would always be alone, and no matter how hard he tried, he’d never climb into the light. The whole world thundered its judgment upon him.
Ah... what had he even dreamed of? Fay’s place had always been down here at the bottom.
It all started with a useless hope — thinking suspicious people were friends and taking their hands. Even if he said, I didn’t know they were like that, who would believe him now? Everyone would turn their backs.
Still, he wished he wouldn’t be remembered as a traitor in the end.
He had prayed so desperately for just that small wish to come true...
“—Fay!”
“...Kh-ugh!”
Someone was calling him. A wave of agony tore through him.
Fay screamed from the pain and opened his eyes.
He wasn’t dead. He was still alive.