The Silence of Defeat
The news of the treasury raid hit the Aurekawa Citadel like a thunderbolt. Qalvetta, the ambitious advisor, lost his gold, his political cover, and his composure all in one night. The treasury was empty, the ledgers proving his embezzlement were gone, and his ultimate prize—the Angelic bloodline King—was alive and actively fighting him.
The temporary base on The Kraken's Kiss was now buzzing with frantic activity. The Sea Witch's pirates celebrated their victory, counting the reclaimed gold and readying their ships. Hayate and Neshuda, however, felt a cold, unnerving silence settle over the capital—the calm before the inevitable storm.
"He's quiet, Neshuda," Hayate whispered, feeling the shift through the curse. "The smug satisfaction is gone. Now, I feel a cold, hard desperation reflected from the Citadel. Qalvetta is cornered."
Neshuda, busy sharpening his blade, glanced at Hayate. "A cornered viper is the most dangerous, Hayate. He knows that with the gold gone, the nobles will turn on him. He has to kill you publicly to reclaim authority, or he loses everything."
The officials Hayate had freed were doing their job, spreading the truth. Captain Torvin, the loyal insider, sent a crucial message via a secret drop point: Qalvetta had locked down the entire Citadel, declaring a state of emergency. He was rounding up anyone who spoke Hayate's name, claiming they were part of Henudra's and Neshuda's 'traitorous conspiracy.'
The Ghastly Whisper
But the true danger didn't come from Qalvetta's political moves; it came from the unseen, dark power controlling him—the Hidden Clan Leader (the ghoul summoner).
As Hayate sat alone, studying the map, the air in the cabin suddenly grew cold. Hayate felt a sickening, alien reflection through the curse—not Neshuda's familiar pain, but a wave of profound, ancient malice and chilling triumph.
Hayate gasped, clutching his head. "Neshuda! Something's wrong. A new pain... cold, old, and evil!"
Neshuda immediately rushed to Hayate, gripping his shoulders. "What is it, Hayate? What do you feel?"
"It's not you," Hayate said, eyes wide with terror. "It's someone else. They want... they want the seal to break. They want chaos. And they are using Qalvetta."
The alien malice sharpened, focusing on a single, horrifying point. Hayate heard a ghastly, cold voice in his mind—the whisper of the Hidden Clan Leader.
Come home, little Angel. The game is over. Your kingdom awaits its sacrifice.
The voice was gone, but the message remained: The enemy was not just Qalvetta.
The Fatal Announcement
Moments later, a desperate-looking Royal messenger arrived at the pirate base under a white flag. He bore a sealed proclamation from Qalvetta.
The Sea Witch snatched the scroll, reading the decree aloud:
"By the authority of the Royal Council, the traitorous Guardian Neshuda, and the escaped felon Henudra, are commanded to surrender immediately. Failure to comply will result in the immediate and public execution of every single one of the King's loyalists currently held captive in the Citadel dungeons."
A second message was appended in Qalvetta's own hand, clearly aimed at Hayate:
"Come home, Hayate. You may love your stray, but I still hold the crown. Return to the Citadel before midday tomorrow, submit to a public trial, and the hostages will be spared. If you hide, they die, and the kingdom will call you the true murderer."
The Trap of the Fallen Crown was sprung. Qalvetta had seized the ultimate leverage: the lives of the truly pure-hearted people who still believed in Hayate.
The King's Agony
Hayate collapsed onto his chair, his face pale. The pressure was overwhelming. He felt the crushing weight of Neshuda's reflected fury at the manipulation, mixed with his own Angelic bloodline sense of duty.
"He knows I can't let them die," Hayate whispered, burying his face in his hands. "My charisma depends on their belief. If I abandon them, the kingdom is lost forever."
"It's a trap, Hayate!" Neshuda roared, his voice low and fierce. "He wants to execute you publicly! To remove the Angelic bloodline forever! If you go back, I cannot protect you. He will arrest me on sight, and you will be left to face the hidden power that wants to break the seal!"
Hayate felt the pain of Neshuda's protective rage and terror tear through him, a deep, burning ache in his chest.
"I have to go," Hayate stated, pushing the pain aside. "I am the King. My life is less important than the lives of those who show loyalty to the crown. If I let the loyalists die, I am no better than Qalvetta."
The Sea Witch, though pragmatic, was moved by the King's desperate sense of duty. "If you go, King, you must go with a plan. You must turn the trial into a show of force."
The Counter-Trap
They had only hours. Hayate, Neshuda, and The Sea Witch began to work on the counter-trap, using every advantage they had:
The Proof: The treasury ledgers and Qalvetta's forged decrees were smuggled back to Captain Torvin, who would ensure they were delivered to the heads of the remaining neutral noble houses just before the trial.
The Distraction:The Sea Witch would position the pirate ships in the Citadel harbor, disguised as returning merchant vessels, ready to launch a rapid, silent assault on the main gate the moment the signal was given.
The Anchor: Neshuda would not surrender. He would use his master of stealth skills to infiltrate the Citadel immediately and hide in the rafters of the main throne room, where the trial would be held.
"You will be my Life Anchor one last time, Neshuda," Hayate explained, looking into his Guardian's eyes. "When I feel your intense concentration and absolute devotion reflected, I will know you are ready. When I face Qalvetta, I will need you to give me the strength of your anger to survive the final confrontation."
Neshuda took Hayate's hand, his expression a mask of resigned devastation. "I will be the shadow above you, Hayate. I will kill Qalvetta the second he raises a hand against you, curse be damned."
The Last Night
The farewell was brief and heartbreaking. Hayate was preparing to walk into his own public execution, and Neshuda was preparing to watch the man he deeply likes and loves face death, unable to touch him.
Neshuda packed the King's simple tunic, wrapping a small, carved wooden wolf—a symbol of the stray—inside the cloth.
"Take this," Neshuda whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "If you are alone, if you need me, hold this. It will remind you of my loyalty. And... if I fail to save you, Hayate, I will come for your soul."
Hayate took the wolf, his eyes burning with unshed tears. The reflected sadness from Neshuda was agonizing, but Hayate forced himself to absorb it.
"I won't die, Neshuda. Not when we are this close," Hayate promised. "I need you to survive, too. The curse... it will kill me if you give up now. I need your resolve more than ever."
Hayate then stepped out into the night, walking away from the one person who could keep him alive, toward the towering, ominous walls of the Aurekawa Citadel.
He was the King of the Fallen Crown, walking willingly into the trap.
The Throne Room Trap
As midday approached, the Aurekawa Citadel was silent and heavily guarded. The trial was set in the grand Throne Room—the very place where Hayate had once ruled in peaceful charisma.
Qalvetta sat on the throne, a picture of false authority, his face pale with hidden desperation. The nobles were seated, their eyes darting nervously. In the center of the room, the rescued loyalists were displayed in chains—a cruel reminder of the price of loyalty.
The massive doors opened.
Hayate walked in alone. He was dressed in his simple traveling clothes, yet he carried the regal authority of his Angelic bloodline.
Qalvetta smiled, a cold, triumphant flash of teeth. "The little Angel returns! You should have stayed in the shadows, stray King!"
Hayate stopped in the center of the room. He looked up at the rafters, and though he saw nothing, he felt the familiar, cold presence of Neshuda's intense concentration and lethal master of stealth readiness.
Hayate summoned his charisma, his voice ringing with clear, pure accusation.
"You sit on a stolen throne, Qalvetta," Hayate declared. "You are a thief, a murderer, and a pawn of a darkness you don't even understand. My trial is not here. Yours is."
The final confrontation had begun. Hayate was alone, the target of an execution, with only the hidden love and power of the Curse of Reflection to save him.