Upon hearing that Cloud had come out of the dungeon, King William put aside all his work and headed for his private room.

Arrived?

Cloud said, his face pale.

The royal healer sitting next to him stood up to voice the pleasantries, but William raised his hand at once to halt.

How is the heros condition? It surely doesnt look good, so

It hasnt gone that bad. Atleast now hes out of danger, but it was very serious before.

more than this?

What can be even worse than shadowy, sunken cheeks and thick dark circles?

The healer nodded.

When I first laid my eyes at him, the heros body was a horrific spectacle. The blood flow was unorganised, organs were all bruised, and the muscles condition was the worstswollen, torn and spasming. It is a miracle to be still alive.

Iris-samas miracle.

Yes. I can only see it as the graceful mercy of Iris-sama.

Cloud frowned, but that passed the sights of the two devout believers.

Is he alright now?

Yes, Your Majesty. The first aid treatment went well and after that the recovery too.

Good, good. Would you mind leaving us for a while? I desire to colloquy with the hero, in private.

I dont, Your Majesty.

The healer nodded his head politely towards both of them and left the private room.

Cloud waved his hand at the departing healer and grabbed the soup bowl beside him and began to drink in mouthfuls.

Seeing this, William sighed in relief.

I came here in a hurry hearing about your condition What in Goddess name happened!?

Im somewhat injured, I guess? What am I supposed to do when the means of the older generation are so heavy?

Means are heavy..? Theres no way youd have had a fight with them You were being taught?

Yes.

What?! R, Really!? They actually taught you!?

Anything for me to gain from lying?

William opened his mouth stupidly, then smiled broadly.

Ha Ha Ha! Yes, I can understand what it would have been to be taught by them. No, considering they have taught their skills in such a short span of time, the level of effort must have been tasking.

Yeah.

The reason Clouds physical condition was ruined was entirely due to the Gylph. But he couldnt tell William anything about the Glyphs, so he rummaged around, and let him believe in his own self-thought conjuncture.

Good, good

William was satisfied as he stroked his beard.

Soon after, his expression became more serious than ever.

What about the Soul Stone?

Its broken.

Is that so

William smiled bitterly.

Cloud tilted his head, finding the reaction blander than he expected.

I thought you will shout and all because I broke it for no reason, hah

William shook his head.

Theres no way you would break it for no reason. There must have been some intention, was there not?

Was.

Everythings fine, then. In the first place, soulstone was created by their sacrifice. Theyve decided to destroy it, so who am I to complain? As royalty or the king of the nation, the end result is a little disappointing, but as a man who admires them, I am happy. They deserve rest.

Williams eyes changed for a moment to that of a young boy with longing. The relieved look in those eyes made Cloud feel unsettled.

Even though he had absorbed the souls on their persuasion.

He decided to change the subject of the conversation.

By the way, what happened to that demon and the archbishop?

Williams eyes returned to that of a Kings.

The demon has been given a public execution date. It will climb the guillotine in the city square soon. The Archbishop unfortunately, it is best to keep him in custody.

Is it because of the Church?

Indeed. An archbishops position is not light, we cant put him up for felony

The significance of the any Archbishop in the Church was not small.

Mere testimony from a demon who had lost its mind to torture was not a proof enough.

That alone was not sufficient reason to be arbitrarily executed by any King.

Still, he betrayed humanity, so he will be under Churchs direct custody and face interrogation.

And the Church will press up his dishonorable action.

What can I do? The kingdom is too weak to stand up against the Church.

How could William be willing to leave that bastard so easily?

That bastard was the one who tried to dishonor his sons honor and put him on the guillotine.

He was feeling a volcano boiling in his chest, beseeching to tear the bastard into two with his own hands.

But the reality was not into his favour.

If the archbishop were to be executed, the Church will excommunicate William and diplomatically isolate the Kingdom of Prona.

Kingdom of Prona was a weak kingdom at its core.

The moment they are isolated, the future will disappear.

So William had no choice but to clench his teeth and endure.

Before he was a father, he was the king of a nation.

Cloud looked at Williams expression of suppressed anger and let out a short sigh.

Execute him. If the Church reacts, say that I insisted.

Thank you for saying that.

William grinned.

But soon he saw that there was no sign of joking on Clouds face, and his expression hardened.

Are you serious? Going against the Church?

Not the thing I will not be serious about. This matter is not about killing an innocent person, its about killing a traitor who has teamed up with the demons.

Even if it is true, they would take it differently.

It would be truly sad if that happened, but its okay. Even the Pope would never harbour the thought of excommunicating the hero chosen by the Goddess herself. More less sending a paladin for revenge, complete nonsense.

Forget about outside, from inside they will hate you. By which I mean, they will no longer be kind to you.

Tell me something I dont know. How many people have ever been kind to me?

How many people in this world would fully stand by his side?

Frillite. Lugar. Mars.

Only these three names came to mind right away.

Shedia, Katarina, and Leslie will be on my side soon.

I wish they would.

When this gets over.

Cloud chuckled.