(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Meanwhile, in one of the large guest bathhouses of the royal palace, steam slowly drifted through the air while warm water filled the spacious stone baths.
The atmosphere there was vastly different from the tense meeting chamber from earlier.
For the first time all night—
The captains were actually relaxing.
Or at least trying to.
Yami Sukehiro, Fuegoleon Vermillion, Nozel Silva, Jack the Ripper, Rill Boismortier, and Kaiser Granvorka occupied different sections of the bath while enjoying the hot water after the absurdly long day.
Nobody spoke for a while.
The silence itself was peaceful.
Until—
Rill decided it was too peaceful.
As the youngest captain among them, he always felt somewhat awkward around the older captains. They all carried years of experience and authority while he was still considered a prodigy who became captain at a ridiculously young age.
Wanting to lighten the mood—
Or at least what he thought was lightening the mood—
Rill suddenly stood up slightly.
Then puffed his chest out.
Lowered his voice.
And attempted to imitate Yami.
"Oi, brats."
His imitation was terrible.
Absolutely terrible.
"I'll surpass my limits while sitting on the toilet."
Silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
The bathhouse became so quiet that even the dripping water could be heard.
Fuegoleon slowly closed his eyes.
Jack immediately started trembling.
Not from fear.
From trying not to laugh.
Kaiser looked away.
Meanwhile—
The real Yami slowly turned his head.
"..."
"..."
Rill immediately realized he had made a mistake.
A huge mistake.
A legendary mistake.
Yami stared at him.
Expressionless.
Which somehow felt far more dangerous than when he was angry.
"Rill."
The young captain straightened immediately.
"Y-Yes?"
"Was that supposed to be me?"
"..."
"...Maybe?"
Jack finally lost control.
A loud laugh exploded throughout the bathhouse.
"Hahaha!"
The captain of the Green Mantis nearly fell into the water.
"That sounded nothing like him!"
Jack continued laughing.
"You made him sound like a constipated old man!"
Even Fuegoleon's lips twitched slightly.
The closest thing to laughter the Vermillion captain usually showed.
Yami however wasn't amused.
At all.
A dark aura slowly appeared around him.
"Rill."
"Y-Yes?"
"Come here."
"No thank you."
"COME HERE."
"No thank you!"
The young captain immediately bowed.
Deeply.
Very deeply.
The kind of bow that could save lives.
"I APOLOGIZE!"
The bathhouse erupted into laughter.
Even Nozel couldn't completely hide the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Rill remained bowed.
Mortified.
Embarrassed.
Questioning every life choice that led him to this moment.
Meanwhile Yami clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
Then leaned back into the water again.
"Your jokes are terrible."
Rill immediately nodded.
"They are."
"Your imitation is worse."
"They are."
"Good."
The tension vanished.
Just like that.
For a few moments the bathhouse once again returned to peace.
The captains quietly enjoyed the hot water.
Though every now and then—
Jack would remember Rill's imitation and start laughing all over again.
Much to the younger captain's endless embarrassment.
And somewhere in the royal palace, entirely unaware of the tragedy he had caused—
Ben was probably enjoying a peaceful conversation while Rill's dignity drowned in the guest bathhouse.
The laughter gradually faded from the bathhouse.
Steam continued rising from the hot water while the captains settled back into the large stone baths.
The brief entertainment provided by Rill's failed Yami impression had successfully broken the tension lingering from the earlier events.
But eventually—
The conversation drifted back toward the topic that occupied everyone's mind.
The elves.
The room grew noticeably quieter.
Even Jack stopped laughing.
Because unlike Rill's joke—
This was a matter that could determine the future of the Clover Kingdom.
Fuegoleon was the first to speak.
The Vermillion captain leaned against the edge of the bath while staring thoughtfully at the ceiling.
"I understand why His Majesty made that decision."
His voice was calm.
Measured.
"After hearing everything about the devil's manipulation..."
He paused briefly.
"...it is difficult to view the elves solely as enemies."
Several captains nodded slightly.
Even those who disagreed understood his reasoning.
Kaiser folded his arms.
"The elves suffered greatly."
His expression remained thoughtful.
"If what King Benjamin revealed is true, then they were victims long before they became our enemies."
Jack snorted.
"Victims can still stab people."
The Green Mantis captain shrugged.
"They attacked the capital."
"They tried killing everyone."
"That part happened."
No one argued against that.
Because it was true.
The atmosphere became quiet again.
Then Nozel finally spoke.
His voice carried the same firmness he had shown during the meeting.
"I still believe it is dangerous."
Several captains looked toward him.
Nozel's expression remained serious.
"Their suffering does not change reality."
His silver eyes narrowed slightly.
"The elves attacked civilians."
"They invaded the kingdom."
"They intended to kill humans."
His voice grew colder.
"And they would have succeeded if not for His Majesty's intervention."
The water around him rippled slightly as mercury unconsciously appeared and vanished.
A sign of his agitation.
Nozel continued.
"Everyone keeps focusing on the fact they were manipulated."
His gaze shifted toward the others.
"But manipulation does not erase responsibility."
The room became silent.
Because Nozel wasn't entirely wrong.
"They still chose violence."
"They still carried out attacks."
"And they still possess enough magical power to threaten entire nations."
His expression hardened.
"If they are revived and choose war..."
He looked toward Fuegoleon.
"...the casualties would be catastrophic."
Several captains exchanged glances.
Because that concern had crossed all of their minds.
Even those who supported Ben's decision.
Yami finally spoke.
"Tch."
He leaned back deeper into the bath.
"You're not wrong."
Nozel looked toward him.
Yami continued.
"The elves are dangerous."
"Really dangerous."
His eyes narrowed.
"And honestly?"
"If somebody told me yesterday that we'd be discussing bringing them back from extinction..."
He shook his head.
"...I'd call them insane."
That earned several small chuckles.
Even Nozel couldn't deny that.
"But."
Yami raised a finger.
"The brat ain't stupid."
Everyone knew immediately who he meant.
Ben.
Yami's expression became more serious.
"He already thought about everything we're discussing right now."
"The risk."
"The betrayal."
"The war."
The Black Bulls captain shrugged.
"And he still made that choice."
Jack clicked his tongue.
"That's the part that bothers me."
Fuegoleon looked toward him.
Jack grinned slightly.
"The kid looked way too confident."
The other captains understood exactly what he meant.
Ben hadn't looked uncertain.
He hadn't looked hopeful.
He hadn't looked like someone gambling.
He looked like someone who had already prepared for every outcome.
Kaiser nodded slowly.
"I noticed that as well."
Rill finally joined the conversation.
The youngest captain sat quietly for a moment before speaking.
"I think..."
Everyone looked toward him.
"...I think His Majesty genuinely wants both sides to move forward."
The room became silent again.
Rill scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I know it sounds simple."
"But when he was talking..."
"...he didn't sound like someone choosing between humans and elves."
The young captain looked down at the water.
"He sounded like someone trying to stop the same tragedy from happening again."
For a few moments nobody spoke.
Eventually Fuegoleon nodded.
"I felt the same."
Nozel remained silent.
Listening.
Thinking.
The Silva captain still disagreed with parts of the plan.
That hadn't changed.
But he also couldn't deny one thing.
Ben had looked directly at every danger.
Every consequence.
Every possible disaster.
And accepted them anyway.
Nozel let out a slow breath.
"...I still don't trust the elves."
His statement drew several nods.
"But."
The room became attentive.
"If His Majesty truly succeeds..."
His gaze lowered slightly.
"...then perhaps this kingdom gains something greater than another victory."
Even Nozel seemed surprised he had spoken those words.
Yami immediately smirked.
"Look at that."
Nozel narrowed his eyes.
"The ice prince is getting sentimental."
A splash of water immediately flew toward Yami's face.
"Tch."
The bathhouse erupted into laughter once again.
And for a little while—
The captains allowed themselves to enjoy the rare peace before whatever madness tomorrow would inevitably bring.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N)Thanks for reading the chapter!
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