The Angel in the Trap
The air in the Aurekawa Citadel Throne Room was thick and deadly, smelling of old stone and new fear. Qalvetta sat on the royal throne, an imposter king, watching Hayate with a triumphant, venomous smile.
Hayate stood alone in the center of the vast, cold room. He wore the simple clothes of a stray, but his Angelic bloodline presence still commanded attention. Across the room, the loyal officials were chained, their faces pale but resolute—the price of Hayate's obedience.
Hayate's gaze flickered upward. He saw nothing, but he felt everything. Neshuda was there, hidden in the shadows of the highest rafters, a coiled spring of intense concentration and lethal readiness. Hayate felt the comforting, steady hum of Neshuda's absolute loyalty—his Life Anchor was in position.
"Welcome home, King Hayate," Qalvetta sneered, his voice dripping with false concern. "You abandoned your people, joined with criminals and strays, and robbed the kingdom's treasury. We are here to conduct a public trial and declare the crown forfeit."
The Accusation of the Stray
Qalvetta began his performance, waving a dismissive hand at Hayate.
"This boy is unfit to rule!" Qalvetta thundered, turning to the nervous nobles. "He is weak, easily manipulated, and worst of all, he is corrupted by an unholy bond to a common stray! His royal authority is tainted!"
Qalvetta's words were meant to inspire fear, but Hayate felt the reflected emotion from the rafters: fury and righteous indignation. Neshuda was struggling to remain hidden, enraged by the slander against Hayate.
Hayate summoned his charisma, pushing the anger aside. He had to be calm, regal, and absolutely undeniable.
"I did not abandon my people, Qalvetta," Hayate said, his voice clear and resonant, carrying easily across the room. "I exposed a viper. And you, sitting on my father's throne, are that viper."
Hayate pointed toward the chained loyalists. "These men did not betray the crown; they were arrested for challenging your tyranny. You forged my seal to impose a tax levy on the poor, robbed the treasury, and then blamed my loyal Guardian for the crime."
The Unmasking
Before Qalvetta could dismiss the accusation, the main doors of the Throne Room burst open.
Captain Torvin, Hayate's loyal insider, stood there, flanked by several low-ranking but trustworthy Royal Guards. Torvin was holding a stack of heavy, bound ledgers and decrees.
"The King speaks the truth!" Torvin yelled, rushing forward. "I have the proof! These are the Citadel Treasury Ledgers, taken from the vault last night! They show a massive transfer of gold—not by the former Guardian, but by Lord Qalvetta's appointed official! And these documents show the forgery of the royal seal for the tax levy!"
Torvin slammed the ledgers onto the floor, the sound echoing through the shocked silence.
The atmosphere in the room shattered. The nobles, who had been sitting on the fence, suddenly turned. The proof of embezzlement and forgery was undeniable—it was physical evidence they could trust.
"He is a traitor!" a neutral noble shouted, pointing a trembling finger at Qalvetta. "He used the crown's name to steal!"
Qalvetta's face twisted with pure desperation. His political theater had collapsed instantly. His plan was ruined, but he still had one final, lethal card to play.
The Curse's True Power
Qalvetta stood up, abandoning all pretense of authority. His eyes, burning with hatred, fixed on Hayate.
"Foolish boy! You think gold matters?" Qalvetta screamed, his voice raw. "Your Angelic nonsense will not save you! I know your secret! You are bound to that stray by a curse! An unholy knot that makes you bleed for his pain! It's a weakness! A danger to the kingdom!"
He pointed a frantic finger at the rafters, though he couldn't see Neshuda. "Your so-called Guardian is hiding in the shadows, paralyzed by the fear of hurting you! You cannot survive without him, and you cannot rule with him! You are a broken King, and the curse must die!"
Hayate felt a brutal spike of Neshuda's shame and guilt reflected through the curse, followed by a terrifying, desperate resolve. Neshuda was being pushed to his limit, forced to watch his beloved King's vulnerability exposed.
Qalvetta lunged forward, his movement sudden and fast. From beneath his robes, he snatched a hidden dagger—a thin, black blade coated in a sickly green poison.
"If the curse must die, then the King must bleed!" Qalvetta shrieked, aiming the poison blade directly at Hayate's heart.
The Reflective Intervention
Hayate saw the flash of the poisoned blade, and simultaneously, he felt the catastrophic reflection from the rafters.
Neshuda, seeing the life of the King he deeply likes and loves vanish, made the only choice he could. He broke his cover.
Hayate felt an explosion of blinding, agonizing force in his own body—the combined, reflected physical strain of Neshuda's sudden, massive exertion, and his soul's raw absolute loyalty and murderous rage.
It hit Hayate like a cannonball. He screamed, his entire body convulsing, his vision swimming in a sea of reflected agony. He felt the terrifying, physical sensation of falling from the rafters, followed by the perfect, agonizing impact of Neshuda's landing.
Neshuda, you jumped! Hayate screamed silently, collapsing onto the cold marble floor.
Neshuda didn't hesitate. He was a perfect blur—a true master of stealth turned lethal weapon. He landed directly between Qalvetta and the collapsing King.
Qalvetta, shocked by the sudden appearance of the dark figure, desperately swung the poisoned dagger. Neshuda easily deflected the blow, grabbing Qalvetta's arm with crushing force.
Neshuda wasn't fighting to defeat Qalvetta; he was fighting to neutralize the threat instantly. With a single, brutal twist, Neshuda broke Qalvetta's arm, sending the poison dagger clattering across the marble floor.
Qalvetta howled, his face contorted in pain and disbelief.
The End of the Viper
Neshuda stood over the defeated advisor, his chest heaving, his sword drawn and pointed directly at Qalvetta's throat. He was a terrifying sight—a creature of pure, lethal devotion.
"You will not touch the King again," Neshuda growled, his voice low and devoid of humanity.
Hayate, lying on the floor, was trembling violently, enduring the backlash of the curse. He felt the intense, burning pain of Neshuda's broken hand (the result of the impact and the bone-crushing twist) and the soul-deep triumph of having saved the King.
The pain was immense, but the triumph was stronger. Hayate forced himself to focus on the positive reflection—the sheer, beautiful force of Neshuda's love.
The Royal Guards, who had been ordered by Qalvetta to attack, were frozen in fear. They watched the mysterious Shadow Warrior appear from nowhere, disable their leader, and stand protectively over the King.
Hayate struggled to speak, his voice weak. "Neshuda… stop. He's defeated."
Neshuda lowered his sword slightly, his dark eyes never leaving Qalvetta's face. He knew his life was forfeit for striking a nobleman, but he didn't care.
"Arrest him," Hayate commanded, addressing the stunned Captain Torvin. "Lord Qalvetta is charged with treason, embezzlement, and attempted regicide. Take him to the deepest cell."
The loyal guards rushed forward, seizing the howling, defeated Qalvetta.
The King's Rebirth
The final confrontation was over. Qalvetta was gone, and the Throne Room was in chaos.
Neshuda immediately sheathed his sword and rushed to Hayate, kneeling on the ground. He gently helped the trembling King sit up, ignoring the searing pain in his own broken hand.
"Hayate! Speak to me! Are you hurt? Are you breathing?" Neshuda pleaded, his voice thick with unadulterated terror.
Hayate, though weak, managed to smile. He reached up and touched Neshuda's cheek.
"I'm fine, Neshuda," Hayate whispered. "The jump hurt me, and your rage nearly broke my ribs. But your loyalty saved me. I chose the pain, and it gave me strength."
The nobles watched in horrified silence. They had seen the King collapse when the stray struck and then recover only when the stray touched him. The curse was real, deadly, and completely fueled by the bond between the two men.
Hayate pushed himself to his feet, leaning heavily on Neshuda. He stood before the assembled court, his cloak covered in dungeon muck, his face pale, but his charisma burning brighter than ever.
"The throne is reclaimed," Hayate announced, his voice ringing with renewed authority. "The treason is exposed. Now, go to the dungeons, Torvin. Free every single loyal citizen. The time for tyranny is over. The time for justice has returned."
The nobles, seeing the undeniable proof of Qalvetta's guilt, the overwhelming power of the King's charisma, and the terrifying devotion of the Shadow Guardian, finally rose as one.
"Long live the King!" they shouted, their voices unified, their loyalty restored.
Hayate had won the political battle. But the curse was alive, and the ominous chill of the Hidden Clan Leader's malice still lingered in the rafters. The true war was just starting.