*Hoo… Hoo…*
Atatürk was sweating coldly, constantly looking around.
Just moments ago, a rebellion had been suppressed, with soldiers crowded in the streets.
“Prime Minister! What brings you here—”
“Yes, good job.”
“Yes! Loyalty!”
Waving a hasty salute to the soldiers he recognized, Atatürk quickly moved his feet.
His left hand was tucked inside his jacket pocket.
It shouldn’t have been found, but he was afraid it might.
Of course, anyone observing his anxious gaze and gait might think something was off.
“I’ve arrived…”
Finally, he reached his destination.
The Desert Development Area University.
The place with that old stone tower.
“I’ll open the door.”
“Wh-what? Prime Minister?! What’s going on?”
“I need to check something inside.”
“What is it? If you tell me, I can guide you—”
“I’ll just be a moment, so open the door.”
“Ah, yes…”
The guard’s puzzled gaze shot over.
As Atatürk nervously swallowed, the door creaked open.
“If you’re here to see the professor, you can head to the research building over there.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
He successfully entered alone.
Atatürk walked into the dawn campus, looking around repeatedly, wondering if anyone was there.
A park not far from the main gate.
Atatürk’s footsteps halted on the grassy field.
The towering stone tower.
An ancient relic called an obelisk reflected in his eyes.
“Finally…!”
From the bottom of the obelisk, a faint red light was seeping out.
It was the signal that everything was ready.
He had let the Majin traveler slip away while obtaining the final part of the obelisk’s activation spell.
Thanks to that, he had successfully completed the last part of the massive spell that spanned the entire desert.
Finally, the ancient weapon known as the obelisk was activated.
It meant he could summon the power of the sun at any time and rain down its destructive rays upon this land.
That day would surely be the end of the Desert Development Area.
Buildings, armies, everything would be flattened.
Even Schlus Hainkel, the infamous, could be turned to dust.
“For the Elves.”
Atatürk slowly approached the stone tower, pulling out his left hand from his robe.
In that hand was a golden tablet.
The key inherited by Aias to activate the obelisk.
Now he just needed to place this tablet against the tower…
“Such a pity, Atatürk.”
“…?!”
A chilling voice came from behind.
Startled, Atatürk tried to quickly present the tablet, but in an instant, he felt himself being thrown back, and the tablet slipped from his grasp.
As Atatürk hurriedly got back to his feet, Schlus Hainkel stood before him, holding the tablet.
Atatürk’s face turned pale.
As if he had faced the Grim Reaper.
“I suppose it’s disappointing that your long-planned scheme has gone awry.”
“W-what do you mean, Your Excellency? I’m just out for a night walk.”
“Ah, I see. Then, did your assistant set out for Gorgan’s Rock this early dawn, right in the midst of the chaos?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Let me guess. Was it not the last piece you needed to activate the obelisk, the great Majin weapon?”
“…”
He had come fully informed.
Realizing that playing dumb was pointless, Atatürk hung his head in defeat.
“If so, what was the reason for your treason?”
“Just reason it out as you wish, Your Excellency.”
If it were Schlus Hainkel, he could turn lies into truth.
What the true motive was didn’t matter at all.
Intuitively sensing that whatever reason would be applied to fit Schlus Hainkel’s narrative, Atatürk gritted his teeth.
“Fine, I will reason it out my way. You have never betrayed the Elves, not even for a moment.”
“Y-yes…?”
“Despite the imminent threat of the human coalition attack, you recognized the Aias army’s lack of tension. You must have figured the kingdom was doomed. That the Elves would be enslaved by humans after losing this land. Thus, you betrayed the Elves and surrendered to the Empire. To sharpen your blade for revenge. To return this land to the Elves. And on the day when the Empire’s key figures and military strength gathered here, you aimed to reduce them all to ashes.”
“W-what are you saying…!”
Atatürk trembled violently.
He hadn’t seen any of this coming.
Never had he anticipated being completely exposed.
His innermost thoughts, hidden for a lifetime, were unveiled here and now, throwing Atatürk into complete panic.
“As expected, it’s true. Your Excellency, I found these items at Atatürk’s safe.”
“Du-Duke.”
At that moment, a carriage approached, stopping, and Damien disembarked.
With a severely displeased expression, Damien had a servant pull something from his pocket.
The royal seal, crown, scepter, etc., of the Aias Kingdom…
These were items that symbolized royal power, looted after the Empire had taken over the Aias Kingdom, yet had been nowhere to be found after searching the palace multiple times.
Atatürk had already stolen them and fled.
“You replicated the keys…”
Only then did Atatürk recall losing the safe’s key, sending shivers down his spine.
The replicated key had gone to none other than Damien.
The Duke who could break into the Prime Minister’s mansion and open the safe at will.
“I wonder who else has this key. I think the disgraced princess, Serika Aias, used to wear a similar key around her neck.”
“…”
“It’s likely that the sturdy Black Steel Safe in the now-vanished Desert Development Area remains intact amidst the ashes. When Serika returns to this land, she’ll open the safe and wear the crown. Isn’t that the future you envisioned?”
“No! That’s nonsense…”
Atatürk muttered quietly.
He had thought he’d hidden it well for a lifetime.
Deceiving the Elves, deceiving the humans, deceiving himself.
He intended to die as a traitor, the one and only figure all Elves would hate.
But at the very end, how pathetic it was to find himself in this situation.
“Is that really true, Atatürk?!”
“Duke…”
“I will put you on trial! Immediately—”
“No. I will decide Atatürk’s punishment.”
“…?”
Blocking the furious Damien, Schlus Hainkel stepped forward.
As Atatürk raised his head to meet his empty gaze, his body trembled uncontrollably.
“It’s permanent exile, Atatürk. Run away.”
“…?”
Permanent exile.
For a moment, Atatürk couldn’t comprehend the meaning of those words, staring blankly at Schlus Hainkel.
“Exile? Your Excellency! This one plotted treason! At the very least, he deserves the death penalty—”
“I will soon unleash the dogs to chase after you. Coincidentally, it seems there’s a broker who will let you know the way out.”
“Y-your Excellency?”
“But there’s one condition. Set your goal to return to this land, Atatürk.”
“You just said permanent exile!”
“If you have the qualifications, returning isn’t out of the question. Say, becoming the leader of the Elf Alliance.”
“…!”
“Unite the Elves, Atatürk. That is the mission I’m giving you in exchange for letting you escape.”
“Your Excellency…”
“Hurry. If you get caught and dragged back, there will be no second chances.”
“Y-yes…!”
Stumbling, Atatürk began to run.
His feet got tangled, and he stumbled once, but he got back up and ran nonetheless.
Damien watched his retreating figure, grinding his teeth.
“Why did you let him go?”
“The Elf race lacks a central point. They constantly bicker among themselves without me even having to incite them. Mahmed? He’s an excellent chieftain, but lacks the central unifying quality. Serika is a good figurehead but isn’t cut out to lead a nation. If you’ve used Atatürk over the last several years, you know he will become an excellent leader.”
They would spread rumors throughout the entire desert that Atatürk was sharpening his knife for revenge amidst the humans’ midst after banishing him.
He would rapidly rise from the status of the Elf race’s traitor to a hero, and with his skills, it wouldn’t be long before he could unite the Elves’ wishes.
To wage a full-scale war against the Asylum and emerge victorious, it was essential for the Elves to unite under a single identity, which was Schlus Hainkel’s judgment.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“I suppose I can’t hide it. He was a valuable ally. I thought he was planning to stab me in the back.”
“…?”
The corners of Schlus Hainkel’s eyes twisted.
He had expected to feel betrayed by Damien for scheming behind the Duke’s back.
Instead, those feelings of betrayal were for Atatürk himself.
“I orchestrated all this chaos. You’re still okay with that?”
“I’m a bit disappointed. I would have appreciated a heads up. I almost interfered with you.”
“Heh…”
Schlus let out a hollow laugh, completely taken aback.
He thought he would definitely break ties with Damien after this incident.
But seeing the good outcome, he never imagined it would turn out this way.
Schlus silently extended his right hand.
Damien, with his hands stuffed in his pockets, stared at the hand for a moment, then clicked his tongue and took it.
Though he acted a bit arrogant, it didn’t feel unpleasant.
The two men held hands, exchanging glances for quite a while.
“AAAAH! MY HEAD! MY HEAD’S CRUSHING!”
“I’ve got him, Your Excellency!”
Just then, a sharp scream broke the silence.
Turning his head, he saw Serika being dragged in by her hair.
Schlus smiled and approached, patting the shoulder of the soldier who was saluting him.
“Good job. You can relax now.”
“Really? Is it all over?”
“…!”
Then, the appearance of the soldier melted away, transforming into a red-haired human female.
Damien’s jaw dropped at the sight.
Schlus walked over to the disheveled Serika and snapped the key around her neck.
“What are you doing?! That’s important—”
“Who gave you this? Tell me.”
“I-I don’t know. Someone I didn’t recognize just gave it to me. But it’s important, please—”
“You fool. You don’t even know who gave it to you.”
“…?”
Schlus chuckled, squeezing the key in his hand.
When he opened his hand, the key turned into a round metal ball and dropped with a *thud*.
Serika, picking up the metal ball, sighed.
“Why did you want me to be caught again? Can’t you let me go now?”
“No way. This is the justification for reclaiming the homeland; I can’t just release you. You can never return to the desert.”
“W-what?! Hey! Prisoners are usually released after the war! Why not me?!”
“Just think of it as going on a trip to the Empire.”
“Wait, am I really being dragged all the way to the Empire? Hey! Schlus Hainkel! HEY!!!”
Ignoring Serika’s noisy protests, Schlus turned his back.
As he snapped his fingers, the golden tablet glimmered before crumbling and returning to dust.
