STM 89

“I can get you into that meeting. But first, you must make a promise to me.”

“I am listening.”

“Even if you find the traitor, do not try to kill them on the spot.”

Her serious tone made me chuckle.

“I obviously cannot kill someone in front of a crowd. I will wait for a chance when they are alone and then…”

“Must you kill them?”

Doctor Kim watched the smile fade from my face. She looked at me with a searching curiosity.

“My instinct was right. Revenge matters more to you than saving our world, am I right?”

I should have lied. I should have said no, but the words stuck in my throat. Instead, I looked away to avoid a direct answer.

“Of course saving Earth is important.”

“But if you had to choose between revenge and salvation, you would pick revenge. Why?”

I felt conflicted for a moment. Should I just tell her everything? It wasn’t even that grand of a reason. But I couldn’t find right words. Doctor Kim took my silence the wrong way.

“If you think you can leave the task of saving the Earth to me… forget it. I cannot do it alone.”

“No, that is not it. You have already achieved so much, Doctor Kim. Once I eliminate the traitor…”

“I can no longer do this without my comrades.”

“.….”

In contrast to my wavering gaze, she remained calm.

“The traitor likely holds a position of great importance now. If you kill them, you will hardly survive the aftermath yourself. I would rather let a traitor live than lose a comrade. We can plan revenge later. My priority is to keep the people of Earth alive. That includes you.”

“.….”

“So, promise me. Even if you meet the traitor tomorrow, do not let your emotions lead you to a reckless act.”

Once again, I found it hard to answer. I simply repressed my sighs and the surge of hot, unidentifiable emotion.

Doctor Kim stared at me, she would wait hours for my response. Because of that, meeting her eyes felt even harder than giving an answer.

“For now.”

I compromised.

“I will not act tomorrow. I will be content just to find the traitor.”

Doctor Kim did not look entirely satisfied, but she nodded.

“Fine. Tomorrow, the traitor will surely reveal themselves in some way. Especially if they are obsessed with Tairok.”

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The friend’s proposal was honestly a surprise. From what Tairok knew of him, this man was patient. He was the type to endure and work until the perfect opportunity arrived.

There had to be a reason for this sudden offer. Tairok checked with a simple question.

“Why?”

The friend’s eyes wavered, but his voice was firmer than ever.

“Because only then can I use my abilities for your sake.”

“Your foresight?”

The friend hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

“I have the power of foresight, but its use is limited. The future I can see only spans six months. Even that has changed drastically now. I did not think the calamity would arrive so soon.”

He murmured the last part like a self-reproach. However, he remembered Tairok’s question and raised his voice.

“But my other ability is different. That is something I achieved entirely through my own effort. I can read and decode every ancient text I see, and I remember everything I have ever laid eyes on. That is how I found the reason for the rift.”

“It is because of the dark mage.”

The friend shook his head.

“He only reopened a rift that was already sealed. I will announce the details tomorrow at the White Branch meeting, so please listen. You… will be there, right?”

“Yes,” Tairok murmured. Then he asked a short follow-up. “And?”

He wanted to know what else the man could do. The friend’s eyes lit up as if he had been waiting for this.

“Long ago, people recorded everything about the divine beasts in code. They feared information would leak to dark mages. They were so thorough that they used different ciphers for every single record rather than a unified one.”

He was confident.

“Even the descendants of the divine beast families cannot decipher most of them. But as I said, codes are no problem for me. Thanks to that, I found a mention of a terrible curse in the ancient texts of Sarne.”

The friend leaned in and whispered to Tairok.

“A curse written with a dark mage’s blood has plagued the Kun family for a long time. Am I right?”

Tairok did not answer, but the friend was certain. Tairok’s eyes had turned fierce.

“Is there a way to break the curse?”

“I have to see the curse with my own eyes. If my theory is correct, we only get one chance to break it. If that attempt fails… you will be bound by it forever.”

Tairok’s gaze felt like a weight, as if he were measuring the truth behind his friend’s words. But his friend did not flinch; he was sure of himself. He looked Tairok in the eye, desperate to prove his sincerity. Finally, after a long silence, Tairok spoke.

“What do you want?”

“Nothing.” The friend shook his head with a sad smile. “How could I ever ask you for a price?”

“But you asked me to be your partner.”

“That… that was…”

He bit his lip and hesitated. Then, with a sudden spark of resolve, he looked up.

“It is because of Montaine. They have caught on to my abilities. Those people seem to think I am… Salvation. They believe that if they get their hands on me, they will have enough of a claim to take the throne. That is why they…”

He took a jagged breath before he finally forced the words out.

“They want an oath. They plan to announce it tomorrow. Tairok, please, I…”

“Are you the Salvation?”

The friend scrutinized Tairok’s face for a moment before he answered.

“If you want me to be, then yes. I am.”

For the first time, a dark, twisted smile appeared on Tairok’s lips. The friend was too nervous to smile back. He waited for a real reaction, but Tairok just leaned back in his chair and continued smirking.

“Tairok…”

“It makes no difference to me whether you are Salvation or not. All I care about is if you can break the Kun curse.”

“I will. I can do it for you. So please, do not let Montaine take me. If I belong to them, they will never let me lift the curse from the Kun family.”

Tairok’s eyes flashed with a cold light.

“You are not a piece of property. You do not have to go just because Montaine wants you.”

“But they are the only divine beast family left now. I cannot just say no.”

The friend looked down, his face tight with distress.

“Even my master… she wants me to join them. She thinks a pact with Montaine is the only way to help Tuvine right now.”

“Your master?”

“High Priest Cheki. She was the first one who believed in me and helped me. It kills me to go against her, but I… I want you to be Emperor, Tairok. I believe you are the only one who can save Tubain. You want the throne too, don’t you?”

Tairok did not give him an answer. Instead, he turned his head toward the window. The friend wanted to wait for him forever, but time was running out.

“Tairok.”

He called his name again, but Tairok remained lost in thought. The man knew he was being too pushy, but the panic in his chest was impossible to quiet.

“I found records from long ago. The Kun divine beast did not perish. Tairok, we can bring it back. If we do…”

“I have no use for a divine beast.”

Tairok’s voice was flat. The friend’s eyes widened in shock.

“You cannot be Emperor without that power. Besides, the Kun divine beast is not like the one from Borhumi. That one is truly gone. We just need to find the way to wake yours.”

“…You are sure the Borhumi divine beast perished?”

Tairok’s tone was ice-cold. The friend did not suspect a thing and simply nodded.

“Yes. It is gone. That is why the rifts started in Borhumi territory.”

“Are you certain of that?”

“Yes. Though I still do not know why it happened so early. It was supposed to last another six months.”

“…”

“If the Kun divine beast were gone, rifts would be opening in your lands, too.”

It was a massive revelation, but Tairok only stared at him with a strange, unreadable look. Just as the friend tried to speak again, Tairok muttered under his breath.

“…If you are Salvation, I definitely cannot let Montaine have you.”

The friend let out a small, shaky breath of relief. But Tairok’s next words were a bitter sting.

“I will announce my decision tomorrow at the White Branch meeting.”

Not right now? He had hoped Tairok would reach out and claim him immediately. It didn’t have to be a romantic proposal, but he thought Tairok would at least show some greed for him.

The friend swallowed his disappointment and nodded. He could wait. He would just have to wait a little longer.

He kept his head down to hide his face, so he did not see Tairok stare into the empty air. Tairok’s face was a blank mask, but his golden eyes burned with a fierce, blinding light.