Unbreakable

The capital was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with a cheerful atmosphere during the eighth month.

Famed for the whiteness of all its buildings and establishments, it brightly contrasted with other various colors and food stalls all around.

The streets were bustling with people. Street performers playing strange instruments could be seen here and there.
There are only two times during the year that the city is so eventful. First, a new year celebration, while the second is the anniversary of the transfer of power in the capital. However, today was neither of the two, but something of much more importance.
I shook with excitement as I gazed at the brilliant and unusual streets of the capital. Around 15 carriages left the southern gate of the palace, the first few in front carried n.o.blemen and looked quite luxurious. The others were covered wagons, each carrying a considerable number of people. Hagan and I were in the third carriage from the front.
After twenty minutes, we reached a round building rising above a slightly elevated hill, called the Sacred Dining Hall of Aheed.
This was once the royal palace of the ancient country that lasted a thousand years. Aheed, who became the first king after conquering the country, had it demolished and remade into a dining hall.
Faithful to its name of sacred dining hall, it was built for two purposes, both relating to food. The first being to host royal funerals, while the second is to be a place to prepare and dine on the ripened treasures of the monarchy, sakla.
Dozens of musical instruments with strange shapes filled the hall with their diverse sounds and tones. More than 300 people were a.s.sembled in this hall, including musical bands here to celebrate the ripening of sakla.
Everyone in this hall; the priest holding the ceremony, Shayde, Isela, the king's siblings and three sons governing the several areas of the land, royal families of neighboring countries, the prime minister as well as the 200 royal chefs… all of them were celebrating Aisa's ripening.
News of Aisa's ripening traversed the imperial court like lightning and reached every corner of the capital in a matter of hours. Not even half a day pa.s.sed before the news was officially declared.
As a result, an army of people came to visit Aisa that evening. Starting from the prime minister, the bureaucrats, and every single person in the palace with a high position down to ordinary officials and servants. Grand merchants and bankers personally headed to the palace to meet her, as well as amba.s.sadors of other countries.
Aisa spent the rest of the day meeting one visitor after the next, receiving congratulations and gifts until she returned to her room, seemingly devoid of life, at least until I told her that most of the gifts were quality snacks. She was back up in a flash.
Today, Aisa was attending the ceremony of her ripening with apprehension. She was dressed in thin silk with an azure blue veil covering her face. The light makeup she wore accentuated her gorgeous beauty rivaling Isela herself.

"Sazan, father of Aisa. Karajan, mother of Aisa."
"Yes…"
"Yes."

Hearing the king calling their names, Aisa's parents who were sitting in the back replied with slightly nervous voices.

The family of a sakla is rewarded and honored by the royal family; they are the only ordinary subjects allowed to dine on a sakla. Her parents, brother, and his wife were all invited to the ceremony.
Sazan and Karajan stepped to the center of the hall. Watching their nervous expressions and way of walking, I remembered the first time I had an audience with the king. Their agitation was most likely on a different level since they were a.s.sisting in an important national ceremony.
The king turned to them, one by one, before speaking:

"You have my grat.i.tude for bringing up such a fine sakla, and close friend to my daughter."

I noticed Aisa wipe a tear from the corner of her eye while watching her parents.

I talked with her parents during our trip to Asilia a few months ago, trying my best to hide my resentment towards them. Today, however, most of that resentment was gone, instead replaced with guilt.

After the king's few words, the priest proceeded to read a scripture that praises their G.o.d, preparing for the princ.i.p.al ritual of the ceremony.

"Sakla preparator, Clear Kay."

The king called my name and I walked to his front. I could feel the gazes of the public surrounding the hall.

"Royal head chef, Hagan."

The king asked Hagan a question:

"Does Clear Kay have the sufficient skill to prepare a sakla?"
"Yes, I have no doubt in his abilities."
"Very well, then."

The king turned from me to Aisa, who was busy fixing her ashy hair in a lovely way while hiding her face with a thin piece of silk. I couldn't see her face, but knew that she was confidently gazing back at the king.

"Aisa, do you feel that you have ripened as a sakla."
"Yes, I do."

After the ritual dialogue finished, I turned to Aisa, walked in her direction, and knelt. I heard the king calling her name again.

"Aisa."
"Yes."
"Do you think that Clear Kay is worthy of preparing you?"
"I believe he is."

Following Aisa's clear answering voice, a dim shadow covered the marble floor I was looking down at. Lifting my head, a large black cleaver was presented in front of me. By receiving this black knife from the current sakla, I will officially be admitted as a sakla preparator.

I looked at both the knife and Aisa's face for a moment before reaching out.

The king extended his arms and spoke aloud:

"Extol the departed. Praise young buds of life and embrace the cycle of life and death."

He continued reciting the hymn of nourishment, thrilling the hall with his deep voice.

100 people are going to attend Aisa's feast, rulers of the few countries allied with the monarchy among them. The heavenly taste of a sakla was so prominent in the world that some countries would agree to pacts on the sole condition of being allowed to partic.i.p.ate in the current sakla's celebratory feast.
As these days become national holidays of sorts, 80 sinners get a penalty reduction, while a few are actually pardoned.

The whole country is in an uproar for nothing but a delicious taste. At least, this would be my impression of this event had I not tasted Aisa's blood back when she saved me.

Aisa is now harboring a taste that far exceeds that which was ingrained in my mind.

The knife felt heavier than anything else in the world as Aisa's enthusiastic gaze shot through my entire body. Her eyes were begging me to hack this knife through her dead body.

The king closed the ceremony with a final declaration:

"Aisa's feast will be held in 12 days from today… the evening of the first day of the new month."

The biggest turning point in my life was only 12 days away from taking place.

***

The ceremony ended without incident, and the sacred hall was left with just the priest and a few clergymen.

It was dark outside while silence loomed in the building. If it wasn't for the windows letting weak moonlight in, the place would've been completely dark. I walked inside the building with a lamp in my right hand, illuminating my surroundings.

The reason I was still here was that I had the priest let me check the kitchen before I come back on the day of the feast.

The kitchen was s.p.a.cious and had knives and many types of stoves placed in it, ready for use. I found two rooms next to it which turned out to be giant furnaces. One of them was made out of white stone while the other from obsidian.
The last time this place was used was seven years ago in the funeral of the king's elder brother. Nevertheless, the tools seemed to all be new.
Since the transfer of the capital, this building has been used to cook every sakla in history. The sacred ambiance that it's supposed to be emanating, and the polished kitchen felt rather chilly and somewhat eerie to me.

I exited the kitchen and walked down a long corridor that led to a single empty room, except for a large water tank on the right side.

A sakla is paralyzed with anesthesia, then beheaded in this room when it loses consciousness. After squeezing every single drop if its blood, its body is completely shaved, its skin peeled, and finally, butchered.
Not the smallest bit of its body should go to waste. They say that nothing in a whale is thrown away, but in a sakla's case, literally, every fragment of its body tastes better than the finest delicacies in the world.
I left the room and headed to a living room created for saklas. Per the custom, a sakla is brought to this room a day before the feast where it spends its last night.
On my way to the living room that I thought would be empty, I recalled a faint light coming from within. It's probably the light of a lamp.

Immediately after realizing that someone was inside, I heard a voice coming from the same direction.

"Yuan, it's almost time… Yuan."

It was King Shayde. He wasn't talking with a loud voice, but I instinctively took a step back, causing my shoe to make a weak squeal.
I quickly turned to see if anything was different. Luckily, Shayde didn't seem to notice my presence as the light didn't make any suspicious movements.

I switched directions and walked back the way I came in a quick pace, while still making sure not to make any noise.

The king was right, it was almost time.

***

I ended up walking a long way on my own to return to the palace, as all the carriages had left except for the king's.

Most daytime vendors were closed, leaving the streets dark and quiet. Despite its leading position in the world, the capital didn't have any street lights. I made my way under the weak moonlight until I came to a bright place. It was the only district that becomes active at night and brightens the streets with paper lanterns, and the several drinking stalls, luring in pedestrians like me.
The district had every kind of stall, from cheap bars to high-quality stalls that serve food as well. Some even serve Asilian food.
This is the only place that didn't seem to change today. Everyone drinking here most likely knew about Aisa's ripening and were talking about it.
Although the city held a grand festival for the event, I wondered what each individual actually thinks about the topic. Some would honestly celebrate as if the sakla was their own daughter. Others might be turned off because they wouldn't have a chance to taste it, anyway. Maybe there'd be a few others who criticize the sakla culture, who knows.
In any case, I didn't come here to drink. Evading barkers and drunkards in my way, I continued on.

"Oh! Clear!"

Suddenly I heard a familiar voice calling me. I turned back to see the owner of the stall I often meet in the market with Aisa. He also came here to drink, apparently.

"I read the news! Is it true that Aisa's a sakla!?"
"Yeah, well…"
"Come on! You could've told me about it, at least."
"Stop it."

As soon as he stood up to draw close to me, another owner who was drinking with him pulled him back. I never drank with him, but judging from his annoying reaction when he's sober, I could tell that he gets worse when drunk.

"I mean, like…"
"Just sit down."

Calming him down, the man sitting next to him talked to me.

"So you're a sakla preparator, right Clear?"
"…That's right."
"That's amazing!"

He praised me instead of complaining that I hid the truth from him.

"I bet you don't need to hear it from someone like me, but do your best! As the representative of all the chefs in this country!"

Revealing a carefree smile, he lightly punched me on the shoulder. The skin on his hand was dry, as you'd expect of a chef.

"What is it? Did I hurt you?"
"No… I'm fine."
"Hm?"

Noticing my unusual gloomy att.i.tude, he stared at me, confused, until I asked him:

"What did you think when you found out that Aisa was a sakla?"
"…Um, well, I was naturally surprised."
"I was happy for her."

The two stall owners glanced at each other, then replied with the same perplexed expressions. They looked as if I was asking the obvious.

"The second thing I thought of was to get back at you for hiding it from me all this time, but from what I can see, you're-"
"I get it. Later, then."

I knew it. I knew what their reaction would be all along. I turned my back to them and resumed walking.

"You're not going to drink?"
"No."
"Why'd you even come here, then? There's supposed to be a shorter way to the palace, you know."
"I know…"

Leaving a few words behind, I walked away while waving my hand to them.

"I see, he's looking for a woman."
"It could be a man, too."

I heard that short conversation coming from their direction, followed by loud laughter.

Despite walking out from the drinking district, the light didn't let up. That's because of prost.i.tution houses lined next to each other were still active. Scantily clad women and well dressed boys could be seen everywhere.

This is the shortest path from the eastern gate to the market, but according to the head servant, it's something you'd wanna avoid, ideally.

Perhaps, if I chose to indulge myself in alcohol and women, I wouldn't suffer like I do now. It would've been possible for me to cook Aisa with my mind not burdened by all this.
I wonder which would be better, frankly. Pondering such thoughts as I walked, I reached the third prost.i.tution house and turned to a narrow path near its corner.

***

Aisa spent the next few days after the ceremony enjoying her time with her family and Isela. She'd sleep with her mother and sister-in-law, borrow the kitchen to make sweets with Isela, and take care of s.h.i.+zam's child, who started picking up a few words.
I took over the cooking duty for the family, it's been a few months since the last time I prepared a meal for them. It added some pressure to my work, but I judged it was for the better. Right, I had to act as if everything was going fine. Nothing's out of the ordinary.

"Can I make the baby eat me, too?"

Aisa addressed me a question while carrying the baby in her arms.

"They're already making the baby eat meat, right? It should be fine so long as it's soft."
"Yes!"

Aisa smiled at the baby after hearing my positive answer. The baby, smiling back at her, would only learn that it ate its aunt's meat years later.
With each pa.s.sing day, the moon gets a little thinner.

Five days were left until

***

"Kay. Kay?"
"Hn… Wah!"

I fell asleep while writing up a menu.

Quickly trying to hide the menu under my arm, I opened my eyes to see who was calling, only to find Aisa standing behind me.

"Aisa… did you read it?"
"You were hiding it with your arm, so I only saw the edge. What were you writing?"

I admit I messed up by asking that question, since I ended up igniting Aisa's curiosity. I didn't mind showing her what I was writing back when we were in Asilia, but this is different. I can't let her see it.

"I was listing dishes I can make out of you in the feast. Hagan agreed that I should keep it secret, so I can't let you read it."
"Just tell me. I won't tell anyone, promise."
"Don't you think it would be more of a surprise if I told you when the time comes?"
"…You're right! I'll look forward to it, then."

Aisa's eyes sparkled after hearing me out. She understood the implication I added, that she'll get to know what I'm preparing out of her when she becomes an ingredient. I grew able to speak in such a way since accepting the position.
I didn't notice the spicy smell in the kitchen until we finished our little conversation. Looking around, I saw a dish placed near my arm on the table. Cooking utensils were sitting in dishwater; I didn't recall using them today.

"Did you make this?"
"Yes… I'm sorry for using the kitchen without your permission."
"No, it's fine. I shouldn't have been sleeping at a time like this."

Glancing at my clock, I found it pointing at noon. This is the first time I had someone make my lunch while I was on the job.

"You were sleeping the entire time I was making it. Are you tired?"
"Yeah… I'm probably tired. Sorry about that."
"It's nothing to apologize for. Rather, it's my fault for keeping you awake all this time, preparing a menu for my feast. You shouldn't push yourself too much, Kay."
"Yeah."

There's a hint of irony in the fact that a girl with five days to live is worrying about my health. I picked a special wake-up herb that fell from my mouth while I was sleeping and bit on the stalk. It looks like it lost its effect already, else I wouldn't have fallen asleep with it in my mouth.

"Where's your family?"
"They're out sightseeing. Isela has work today and Aty seems to be busy, so I thought of preparing today's lunch with you, but found you asleep."

While explaining, Aisa walked to the other side of the kitchen table, reached her hand to her plate, and sat down, facing me.

It's been three years since the last time I tasted Aisa's own cooking. This time it was curry rice with a topping of pickled blue s.h.i.+lda melons. I must've been real tired to not wake up to this appetizing smell.

"So, you can make curry on your own now, Aisa."
"Well, I just followed Hagan's instructions for mixing the spices. Curry makes me remember my days with you."
"…I see."

I remembered when I made curry for Aisa to apologize the next morning after upsetting her. From that day, until now, cooking all her meals became an everyday thing.

"Itadakimasu!"
"Itadakimasu."

Feeling somewhat emotional, I stared at the curry dish with a spoon in hand. I used dendel meat on the bone as the main ingredient for the curry then. This one, however, seems to be made with squid, Aisa's favorite food.
Squid was never a cla.s.sic ingredient for curry on Earth. I never cooked a similar dish in this world either, so it was quite the surprise to find that Aisa cooked this all by herself.
I ate a mouthful of the rice and curry together. It felt dry. The flavor of the well-boiled squid melted in my mouth. I also tasted a hint of an Asilian apricot. It looks like she added another favorite food of hers to the mix.

"This is delicious. When did you learn to make it?"
"I asked Hagan for help. I wanted to surprise you and Isela just like the both of you did to me with sweets. So I asked him to help me make a dish from your world which you never made here."
"I see…"

The face of my instructor flashed in my mind. I was well aware of his kind att.i.tude with Isela and Aisa, but until today, I never managed to imagine him acting like that.

"I guess I gotta make an outstanding feast tonight in exchange for this curry you made me."
"Is it alright with you?"

Looking at Aisa's concerned face, I confidently tapped my chest while answering:

"I slept well this morning, so I'm totally fine now. You need to enjoy yourself more instead of worrying about me like this. This is the last day you'll get to eat as much as you want, after all."

Hearing my last remark, Aisa revealed a lonely expression.

Just like every other animal, sakla are only allowed water during their last two days. Starting tomorrow, Aisa will have to follow a diet of vegetables as training for that period.

"I wanted… to at least eat as much of your cooking as I can, before I go…"
"…I'm happy you're thinking of me."
"Really?"
"Yeah."

Aisa looked a little astounded by my reaction. When I think about it, I'd never replied to her that way since the day we met, three years ago. I wonder why, since I never felt reluctant to say the same thing to Isela or Atema.

"I never told you this, but, I'm glad I got to cook your meals up until now, Aisa."

When I honestly expressed my feelings this time, Aisa looked down, her cheeks bright red. A little while pa.s.sed as she speechlessly fiddled with her fingers, looking nervous.

"Kay… did you have a lover back in your world?"
"…"
"Should I not have asked?"

I shook my head slowly.

"I didn't have one… at the point of coming to this world."

The reason for my strange phrasing was that I had a girlfriend back in high school.

"…Ah! Just so you know, I'll do my best not to get jealous of your future lover! Rather, I'll celebrate your new relations.h.i.+p!"

I couldn't think up a way to react to her statement.

I recalled Shayde and Yuan's relations.h.i.+p. I heard that Yuan was a jealous individual. Aisa said she wouldn't get jealous, but that implies she'd be jealous if she saw me with another woman.

"…It's fine to feel jealous, or even hate someone."
"You think so?"

Perhaps she felt her feelings were rejected; Aisa looked uneasy and confused. I continued to clear away her confusion.

"But, no matter what kind of life I lead, I'll never forget you, Aisa. I won't let a single day pa.s.s without thinking of you. I will lead a life that'll make you proud of me."

Aisa widened her teary eyes.

That was my sincere promise to her. A promise I will never break for the rest of my life.

"Kay, do you actually-"
"Now, let's eat the curry before it cools down."
"Unfair!"

I intentionally changed the subject before my face turned red. Aisa pouted her cheeks, but soon resumed eating. I made sure to keep this topic from popping up again after lunch.

"Thanks for the meal."

Upon finis.h.i.+ng, Aisa turned to resume the subject, but got interrupted by a third party:

"I apologize for the delay, Lady Aisa."

Atema showed up right in the middle of the conversation, just like back at the harbor. They stared at each other a few seconds before Aisa's face turned crimson red, and she gave up on pus.h.i.+ng the conversation any further.
Aisa was aware it was just a coincidence and didn't get mad at her like before, but she still looked upset and complained in a low voice.

***

The next day, Aisa started the diet to get herself used to fasting as planned.

The meals I cooked were all vegetarian, but tasted as good as my usual cuisine. Yet, Aisa didn't seem to be satisfied.

A day pa.s.sed after she ate her last meal.

The carriage to take Aisa to the sacred dining hall was standing by. Aisa's family, the king, Isela, Atema and the servants, as well as many of her acquaintances were there to see her off.

Each took turns embracing her or exchanging a few words of goodbye.

Everyone drew out their conversations, the talkative head servant was even balling. Be that as it may, n.o.body looked sad. It was only natural, since they all believed they would meet once again at the feast. They believed that she would live in them for the rest of their lives.
Isela hugged Aisa for a long time before she kissed her on the cheek. After saying goodbye to everyone else, she finally came to me.

"Kay, thank you for everything you have done for me till today. Thank you for the meal!"

Holding a small pouch in my hand, I approached her with a few steps as she continued:

"Make sure to make the finest delicacies out of me when we meet in the kitchen! Let's stay together forever. In this world, and in any other world!"

Watching her give me her brightest smile, I made my move.

"Eh! What're you…?"

I reached my arms behind her back and pulled her up in a big bear hug. I put in more strength than the time she almost tackled me in the harbor.

"It hurts! This is embarra.s.sing, stop…"

I could feel the heat coming from her beet red cheeks. I started to ease up on her since I seemed to squeeze too hard, but didn't let go. I had to tell her something I failed to say a long time ago. This was my final chance.

"Let me say it, too. We'll always be together, Aisa."
"…Yes."

She missed a breath before she replied with a trembling voice. Not missing that opportunity, I slipped a small pouch into Aisa's coat pocket.

"What's this?"
"It's a little meal from me. You must be starving right now."
"Eh!? What are you thinking-"
"It's just a little bit. Well, I may get punished for it later."
"That's not what I meant! You can't…"

She insisted on refusing my gift. It's been already a day since her last meal, she must be starving.

"I cooked this dendel meat and these pickled s.h.i.+lda melons with rice and chicken soy soup. I mean, I don't mind if you refuse. That way you won't be troubling whoever will be taking care of you later. Let me tell you, though, that's good stuff."

I heard her gulping as she listened to me describe the dish. She couldn't resist the devil of delicacies, just like I'd thought.

"W-Well then… I guess I'll take it."

I laughed in a low voice so as to not be heard. Before we took too long, I let go of Aisa and stood up.
Her face got so hot she was sweating a fair bit now. That didn't stop her from happily playing with the pouch in her pocket, though.

"Well, then… Later, Kay."
"Yeah. Later, Aisa."

Parting with me, Aisa bowed in front of everyone, then headed toward the carriage. She glanced at me for a moment as she was about to board, then left.
I watched the carriage pa.s.s the gate and slowly vanish into the distance. A lot of people were shedding tears at that moment, especially Atema who was almost balling out loud.

She had moist eyes back when Aisa's ripening was announced, but now she was obviously crying more than anyone else.

Since the time she said she understood how I felt, I'd never actually asked how she felt about Aisa dying.

Did she accept Aisa's death?

It was too late to ask now and, to be honest, I couldn't bring myself to talk to her about it.

***

Several hours later.

I looked up at the dimly lit moon, peeking in from the back of the sacred dining hall.

It was the middle of the night. Paying utmost attention to guards along the way, I brought a horse to an overgrown field.

"Aisa… We will be always together."

Tonight was the night I'd be carrying out my plan to rescue Aisa.

The pouch I gave her had two sleeves, one carrying a letter.

I knew Aisa all too well. She was guaranteed to lose out to hunger and open the pouch, noticing the letter I concealed inside.

Dear Aisa,

I can only imagine how mad or disappointed you'll be when you read this. I know how much of a traitorous act this is. So, if you can't forgive me, go ahead and hand this letter to one of the guards. They'll catch me as soon as they find out. You don't need to feel bad about it, either. I'm fully aware of how serious this is.

However, if you happen to find your feelings on the matter have changed, please read to the end of this letter. I've prepared an elaborate plan to save you. I'll be waiting.

I'll rescue Aisa or, in the eyes of this country, I'll steal her away. In order to do that, I had to think of a realistic solution for two problems:
First is where to take her should she choose to leave with me. When the king notices she's gone, there'll be an extensive search in the capital. If we stick to land, it'll be extremely difficult to continue hiding our ident.i.ties from there on out.

I arranged a s.h.i.+p for us in the harbor. It's headed for a certain town in the southwestern island country where many other refugees are gathered. I have an introduction letter to an underground doctor who seems to be skilled in plastic surgeries, as well as a few connections I can use to get a job as a chef there. It's not the safest place in the world, but it's definitely the best place we can stay in hiding. Of course, I'm not planning to stay there forever. Once things settle, we'll move to a better place.

We'll be smuggling ourselves on the s.h.i.+p. The captain's an outlaw who takes his job seriously. I met him in a rear alcohol stall where I negotiated with him using money I've saved up over time.

I was lucky I saved most of my salary rather than spend it on this and that, I wouldn't have been able to bargain pa.s.sage with only a chef's pay.

If our ident.i.ty's to be exposed inside the s.h.i.+p, we'll either get sent back for bounty, or in the worst case, murdered on the spot. I asked the smuggler and he said everyone else being smuggled also don't want their ident.i.ties revealed. There shouldn't be any bounty hunters among us.

The second problem lies in the getaway. How do we even escape to the harbor? Aisa lives in the palace. There's no way I could leave with her through the gates or by jumping a high, thick wall. Thus, I chose to leave from the sacred hall, which happens to be closer to the harbor. It has to be done before the s.h.i.+p sets sail, though. In other words, tonight.
All this time, I pretended to relent on my beliefs by accepting the sakla preparator position. This would not only relieve suspicion from the king and court staff, but likewise raise the likelihood they accept my request to inspect the hall. That way, I could search for a safe escape route.
Damaging or kidnapping a sakla is a capital offense. It's said that offenders are fed to beasts, alive. Even if we successfully escape to the island country, I'll lose every hope and clue of returning to Earth. I didn't care less about both risks, it just no longer mattered in the face of this ultimatum.

I'm trying to separate you from the world you've been living in until today. Your parents, your friends, s.h.i.+zam, Isela, Atema… if you come with me, you'll never be able to see them again. You will have betrayed them and yourself.

I haven't changed since the night you slapped me three years ago. When you read this and think back on all the times I told you I came to terms with your situation. I will say this again; I have lied to and betrayed you. I am the worst.

But, after contemplating this for a long time, I came to the conclusion that this is the correct choice. I will never be happy to cook and eat you. I cannot think the same as the citizens of this monarchy.

Me wanting to steal you away and spend the rest of my life together with you is, to be quite honest, nothing more than a cynical wish of mine.

There were a few other measures I could've taken to save Aisa. Some even had a higher chance of succeeding than this, but they were even more shameful than accepting Aisa's fate as a sakla, to a certain degree.

I'd rather live with you for the rest of my life instead of feeling happy to have you digested into me. Having you die is nothing but a tragedy for me. I would live out my days grieving your death, not rejoicing. In fact, I'm sure you'll cry and curse our situation should you come with me, but I will absolutely make you happier than you could die as.

We will face many challenges as we survive together, but that doesn't mean we won't overcome adversity. I will stay with you, Aisa. I will protect you and guide you to a prosperous life, full of fortune, until the day comes when you can honestly say you're happy to still be alive.

It's because of you I was able to survive in this world. If I'm allowed to stay by your side, I will throw away all else, even a chance to go back to Earth, and start a new life in this world. I strongly believe we can do it. We can lead a new ordinary life, just like the people I met with you and Atema in the capital.

People can continue to live despite escaping from their fate or neglecting their duty. Everyone can live happy lives, even if they can't find a reason to live.

These are my selfish beliefs. If you ever feel a little moved by what I just said, but are still hesitant, then continue reading while you eat those rice b.a.l.l.s I left for you.

If I remember correctly, I didn't reply to your love confession back when we were in the harbor. Honestly, I can't confidently say that I feel the same way right now. However, I can a.s.suredly say that you, Aisa, are the most valuable person to me, whether in this world or on Earth.

The fact that you are always pleased with my cooking is my greatest pride and joy. If we are able to live together in the future, I will continue to make your meals, just like always. We can enjoy making curry together again.

There are still countless dishes I have yet to attempt to make in this world. I still want to challenge myself in cooking dishes I've never done. and I want you to be the first person to taste them all, Aisa.

If you can believe in this life, come to the east window at midnight.

Clear Kay

***

I looked up at a circular window under the dark, night sky. It wasn't really a window per se, but a hole just big enough for Aisa to squeeze through.

I added a detailed path to this window, mentioning to take the east end corridor next to the toilet.

It must be hard on her if she was strictly guarded but, to my favor, I heard security is relaxed. There has never been a sakla in history to attempt escape from the sacred dining hall, so they would never expect such an incident.
Doing my best to keep the horse calm, I waited for the time I left in the letter while dealing with a slight headache I had due to lack of sleep. Around the time the slender moon reached the center of the sky, a girl peeked out from the window.

"Ah…"

She looked down at me and tried to say something with a low voice.

"Aisa."
"Why, Kay? Why…"

I couldn't see her face clearly, but that voice was definitely hers. It sounded like it was trembling.

"Let me throw you a rope ladder, Aisa. use it to climb down."

The horse behind me neighed all of a sudden. I had to do something before someone heard it, though I didn't have the composure to shut it up at that point.

"No, stop…"

For some reason, Aisa was still refusing despite coming all this way. Perhaps she came to blame me for this stupid plan of mine; I was aware she'd likely be disappointed in me. That's only natural. But it doesn't change the fact that she risked everything to come meet me.

The horse whinnied even louder.

"Kay… Don't… I want… you-"

I can't give up here. I prepared to throw the rope ladder I was carrying.

"Hurry!"
"Yeah, hurry and climb down-"
"Hurry and run!!"
"…Huh?"

Bewildered by her last phrase, I heard steps, different from those of horse hooves.

I felt a chill run through me.

Turning behind, I saw him.

"So, you are abandoning your only hope to return to your world, Clear."

The red-haired man with the majesty of a lion, Shayde, stood there with ten armed soldiers behind him.

"How…?"

They found me? No… they found me out, rather? They certainly don't seem to be here by pure coincidence. Then, that means…

"It wasn't Aisa who leaked your information…"

The king raised his hand, giving a sign to the soldiers behind him. A girl walked out from within those soldiers.

A silhouette of a short-haired, expressionless-faced girl with a slender body like that of a boy. Looking at her face when she stepped to the light, I realized I knew her all too well.

"…Atema?"

Aisa's best friend, and servant, was glaring at me with an enraged expression I'd never seen her make.

"This servant reported your suspicious actions of rebellion. Does it make sense now?"

I couldn't get what he was trying to say, but soon after, I recalled certain events in the past. The conversations I had with Aisa in the harbor and in my kitchen. Both times Atema interrupted us at inconvenient times; now I see it wasn't a coincidence. She was watching me all this time.

"No way… since…"
"Since when? Since the very beginning. I judged that, given your position, it wouldn't be at all strange for you to rebel against this country. So I chose the closest servant to Aisa and ordered her to watch you. Thus, we acquired decisive proof of your betrayal."

The king lifted a small piece of paper in his hand, I could barely tell it was a paper in the dark, but that was sufficient for me to make sense of the rest. It was the smuggling arrangement I was writing in the kitchen.

"How come…"
"I will have you know that I still believed in you, even after reading this. I was prepared to pardon your actions if you were to change your mind before tonight. I hoped you would. Everytime, Atema would beg me to wait a little longer for you to accept your duty and stop the inevitable. What a horrible person you are, Clear."
"Lady Aisa loved you from the bottom of her heart! Miss Isela trusted you- but you betrayed us all, you traitor!!"

I never imagined Atema to insult me this violently. Her eyes were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears due to her agitated emotions. I finally discovered the meaning behind her tears when she was watching Aisa in the carriage this morning. She was already aware of my betrayal then.

"Aty, Kay…"

I turned back to Aisa's crying voice and raised my eyes. To think that I can rescue Aisa from her fate with a plan that was seen through before it was even set in motion… I'm such an idiot.

"I don't want to smear the sacred hall with your blood. Surrender now, Clear."
"Don't tell me you don't want to smear the hall…"

My current chances of escaping safely in this situation are nonexistent.

However…

"n.o.body has a gun here."
"As I thought, they can't kill me just yet."
"If I cover Aisa with my back and get on the horse, we might be able to reach the harbor."

Such thoughts crossed my mind.

Of course, it was impossible to run away with Aisa at this point. Even if I miraculously did manage to escape, the arrangement I handed to the smuggling agency is in the hands of the king. Or rather, the smuggling agency is on the king's side. We'll be arrested the instant we arrive.

My situation is desperate, no matter how I think about it. But still…

"T-Take it!! Aisa!"

I forcefully threw the rope ladder to Aisa. Without checking whether it reached her or not, I rushed in the direction of the king while pulling out a kitchen knife from my shoulder bag.

"Hooo!"

I threw my bag and lamp at him and swung the knife while running.
The king easily dodged the bag while knocking away the lamp. The gla.s.s shattered, scattering oil in the gra.s.s, causing flames to erupt under our feet.

Despite all that, the king didn't fl.u.s.ter.

Before I realized it, one of the soldiers got between me and Shayde. He calmly dodged my knife and aggressively struck my temple with a spear.

"Ugh!!"

That one strike was all that it took. My consciousness fell to gray, and I crumbled on my knees. Unable to stand up again, I slowly laid down on the ground, only to receive a second strike in the back of my head and feel my consciousness fully fade this time.

"Kay!"
"Idiot! I told you not to injure him! What would you have done if he was to die-"

With Aisa's shrieks and the king's angry voice for a backdrop, everything went black.