C675
Tikan, Latrie Café.
"Jin, did you know? These days, I'm very happy."
Crunch!
Sandra spoke while nibbling on a Latrie Cookie.
Hedo, sitting next to her, wiped the cookie crumbs from Sandra's mouth with an expressionless face, and Jin felt they were more like father and daughter than butler and master.
"Isn't it polite to ask why someone is happy in a situation like this?"
"It's touching to hear the word 'polite' from a lady..."
"What do you mean?"
"It's very touching. You should keep thinking about manners and decorum.""What are you talking about? For starters, you have no manners. Normal people feel intimidated just by looking at these unnecessarily bulky muscles."
"Please stop scattering cookie crumbs everywhere. Why can't you eat without making a mess, whether you're five years old or not?"
"Hedo takes care of everything, why should I bother?"
"Then maybe I shouldn't help you anymore from now on."
"Then I'll tear you apart!"
Jin had the impression that they were a pair of comic actors.
Sometimes, he couldn't help but laugh while listening to their conversation.
"Why are you so happy, Sandra Zipple?"
"Well, because I see you a lot lately! You're asking the obvious, haha."
"I see."
Jin never imagined that one day he would ask a pure-blood Zipple and an unknown Tower Guardian to betray Zipple, except for Beradin.
The one with the key is not Sandra, but Hedo.
Although Hedo appeared to obey Sandra, Jin believed that Hedo had the true leadership among them.
Of course, Hedo followed Sandra's requests to a certain extent, but there was a line he wouldn't cross.
If Sandra demanded beyond that line, Hedo never complied, and Sandra would just curse or urge him, but that was all.
The final decision-making power rested with Hedo.
"Wow, the lady shows such a positive expression every time she gets a call from the flagbearer, which is why she easily tells us to come and go. Relationships sometimes need mysterious pushes and pulls to maintain their charm. This means that Jin Runcandel cannot find the Lady attractive."
"Well... that's an interesting point. But as far as I know, you've never been in a relationship, how do you know so much about that?"
"Well, there are 24 hours in a day, my lady. And I spend an average of five hours a day not being with you."
"Then you used those five hours to go on dates, is that it? Tower Guardian?"
Asked Jin.
He was very curious. Hedo was only the second-class butler and the Tower Guardian in name, but he actually acted as the top executive of Zipple.
So, undoubtedly, there would be a considerable amount of work or tasks to perform during those five hours, making it doubtful that he could go on a date in that time. Р
"...Well, is it strange?"
"It's a bit fascinating. It seems that the top executives of Zipple are not as busy as I thought."
"Wow, Jin is more interested in Hedo than in me! Are you crazy, Hedo? Do you wag your tail like this?"
"I'm just a butler, not a top executive, Twelfth Flagbearer."
"If you're just a butler..."
Jin squinted his eyes.
"Then I want to offer you a job transfer."
There was no need to beat around the bush.
Agreed.
Sandra immediately nodded with bright eyes, but Hedo's gaze sharpened.
"A job transfer?"
"Yes."
"Do you know what you're talking about?"
"I know exactly what I'm talking about."
"Then let's pretend we didn't hear anything."
"Hedo, why again!"
"Why again? It's not 'again,' my lady. The Twelfth Flagbearer is telling you and me to betray our clan."
"What's wrong with that? I've been doing it for a long time."
"My lady, I know you tend to be indecisive at times, but this is something the Twelfth Flagbearer should never say. The alliance is temporary, and Zipple and Runcandel cannot coexist."
-Just a few years ago, he was almost defeated by Hedo in the Sota Desert. Back then, Hedo crushed Jin and his group, but what about now?
-What do you mean?
-Can you win?
-I don't think so. I expected it because I fought alone in the Garden of Swords, but seeing it up close is a different feeling.
-Look! If it's Jin, there's definitely a chance. I didn't think so at first either, so it's not Hedo's fault. So, how about we do what I suggested last time... Oh, you scared me!
A conversation between Hedo and Sandra in the Kaldran Snowfield.
In fact, Sandra had been discussing supporting Jin before. Hedo was firmly opposed.
"Is it just because of the old animosity between Zipple and Runcandel?"
"Yes."
"You're not a pure-blood Zipple. There doesn't seem to be any personal animosity towards the Vamel alliance or Runcandel either."
"That's right, you're not pure blood. I, pure blood, said I would betray them, but why are you stopping me and scaring me!"
"I have no personal animosity towards you. But now it seems it's going to happen. Don't you think you're taking advantage of my lady's feelings for your own benefit?"
"Jin is not using me! And even if he is, what's wrong with that? I'm happy with him."
"It may seem so. But I'm saying this for your own good, not just for the alliance or Runcandel's benefit."
Jin was serious. Jin couldn't understand Sandra's feelings towards him, and she herself felt like an enigma.
In recent years, Jin developed a kind of camaraderie and empathy with her by going through various events together. As long as Sandra stayed with Zipple, he was convinced that her future would ultimately be bleak.
"Sandra, give us a minute."
"I don't want to."
"Stay here, milady."
"I'll make dinner for you later, just give me 30 minutes."
"I'll have a cup of tea with Enya. Well, I'll be back!"
When Sandra disappeared, only Jin and Hedo remained in the café. Hedo uncomfortably wiped his glasses and took out a cigarette.
"Smoking is prohibited here."
Hedo's shirt button bounced towards Jin as his bulging muscles swelled.
Hedo lit a cigarette and smoked it in one go.
The gray smoke temporarily obscured the vision of the two men.
"I don't think I need to be polite to you when you cross the line."
"I understand that perfectly. As I see it, Tower Guardian, you are loyal to Sandra Zipple, not to Zipple."
Sandra Zipple, not Zipple.
That's what Jin had intuitively felt since he first saw him.
The origin of that absolute loyalty is unknown, but Hedo would undoubtedly choose the latter when he had to choose between Zipple and Sandra Zipple.
"Am I wrong?"
Instead of answering, Hedo lit another cigarette.
"I'll assume that means yes. That means I understand even less. If Sandra Zipple stays with her family, what do you think will ultimately happen?"
"It will stay the same."
"I met Beradin not long ago. He lost his memory and became a living magic swordsman golem test subject, a different person than before. I thought Sandra would end up the same, sacrificed to the experiment."
"My lady will not end up like that, Jin Runcandel."
"Is it because you're taking care of Sandra Zipple?"
"Yes."
"I don't understand. Are you saying that the protection you're talking about would allow a certain level of experimentation with Sandra?"
Sandra is already a living golem. She has been able to use some of the authority of time through some means, and she had a physical capacity that was not like a magician, along with her regeneration abilities.
"I think Sandra Zipple's somewhat peculiar mental state and the experiments she's undergone may not be entirely unrelated."
"Lady Sandra is strange by nature. It has nothing to do with the experiment."
"Well, I hope so, but can you guarantee it won't happen again in the future? If she changes like Beradin did, can she still be considered Sandra Zipple?"
"That's not for you to judge."
"It's not for you to judge either. It's Sandra herself who must decide it. And what kind of protection is that? You allow experiments to the point where a person is not completely destroyed, and beyond that, you say you'll protect her? Is that really why you keep Sandra by your side?"
"I answered your call to find out the identity of my sword, I didn't come to Tikan with the intention of becoming a traitor. And regarding the experiments..."
As if a certain memory came to mind, Hedo squinted his eyes.
"...It's what the lady wanted."
"You're talking cowardly. Even if Sandra wanted it, that doesn't mean it's okay to let her become a test subject. Or did you decide she needs at least that level of regeneration ability to protect her no matter what?"
"Then what can you do for her?"
"What?"
Hedo stood up from his seat.
"Let's say Lady Sandra betrayed Zipple. So what? Can you and the Vamel Alliance always prioritize Lady Sandra's protection, no matter what? Even if the entire alliance is annihilated, can you still prioritize Lady Sandra?"
"Of course not."
"You're undoubtedly strong. Now you're even stronger than me. But when the fight with Rosa ends and the alliance breaks up, I still can't imagine you defeating Zipple. It's the same even if I join under your command."
"So you're saying you're willing to bet Sandra's life on what you believe is the most likely outcome."
"Yes. I would have refused even if Sir Cyron had made me the same offer. Now that I've said it so clearly, I hope you understand and desist."
"In that case, can I understand that you accept the proposal when I have the power to completely crush Zipple?"
Hedo nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. If you can give me that kind of confidence, even if you refuse, I might beg you to take us, me, and my lady with you."
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