Not for the first time that night, the entire hall fell silent, akin to a graveyard as several eyes turned to stare at Kashi in disbelief. Panic, fear, incredulity, humor and anger flittered through the onlookers' eyes in quicks succession as they struggled to decide what emotion to settle on. However, regardless of what they thought, only one man's reaction really mattered. The eyes turned to the Rosen King.

King Parissius, oblivious to the thoughts around him, stared at Kashi in abject silence as the daeben's words replayed in his head. Are you crazy... Are you crazy... Are you cra—BAM! "Maybe I am!" yelled the King as he slammed his hand against the table. Unconsciously, he switched to informal speech as he defended himself, "Is it so weird to fight alongside my warriors? I would not be the first king to do so!"

"Haa?" Perhaps it was because King Parissius reverted to informal speech, but Kashi lost all decorum as he berated, "Are you really crazy?" He pointed at Chu Ling as he said, "Remember what I just said about the weight of her life? Well, if she's carrying a pebble, you're carrying a freaking mountain on your life!"

Kashi's rebuke seemed to echo throughout the hall, leaving King Parissius stunned and slightly embarrassed. The daeben, realizing the gravity of what he just did, immediately softened his tone, "My apologies, Your Majesty. I do not know what came over me."

To his credit, the young King smiled and then said with a shake of his head, "No. It's fine." He sighed as he sat down, and then said, "My father once told me a great ruler surrounds himself with people unafraid to let him know when he's making a wrong choice." Sending a playful glare Kashi's way, he added, "Even if they be insufferable at times."

"Your Majesty," Leila interjected. "What Kashi was trying to say, in not so eloquent terms, is that this Empire right now, can only survive with you as the Emperor. Any infighting caused by your absence or death will destroy this fledgling empire before it even begins." The wisben paused, and then added with an evil aura about her, "Of course, if you were to quickly produce an heir or two, then you could return to the battlefield with the Empire in safe hands."

"H-heir!?" King Parissius nearly choked on his drink. He rapidly coughed to clear his throat and then sent Leila a pleading look. 'Why are you doing this to me?'

Leila, however, ignored the King's gaze as she confirmed, "Yes. An heir. It would be great for the Empire's stability if you produced one as soon as possible."

"Hm. An heir?" King Chu's eyes went wide at the prospect of a grandchild. With longing in his eyes, he looked at King Parissius and said, "I will be praying for you. Twin pairs of twins will be the best."

"Father!" Both Chu Ming and Chu Ling shouted, mortified by their father's words. The hall burst into laughter as the women turned bright red from embarrassment.

Meanwhile, King Chu burst out laughing as he reached out and patted his children's back. "Haha. I raised you two excellently." Glancing at Chu Ling, he teased, "I never thought I would get to hold your child in my lifetime. This old man can die happy now."

"You're not going anywhere, old man," Chu Ling stuck out her tongue as she retorted.

Chu Ming nodded and then said, "We still have so much to learn from you."

King Chu laughed with pride as he looked at his daughters and declared, "What greater joy is it than to have excellent children such as these?"

"Marrying them?" Syèl said to Shokō, but his voice was so loud that everyone in the room heard him. As a result, King Chu glared at King Parissius, who once again almost choked on his drink. The poor young king wanted to cry as the room once again broke into raucous laughter. What the hell? Had someone declared open season on him?

It took a while for the commotion to die down. Leila waited patiently until the noise stopped, and then said, "Congratulations to everyone gathered here. Thanks to your efforts, we have successfully ratified the issues concerning our merger. If there are any concerns at this point, please speak now." The wisben waited, but there were no forth comers. Seeing this, her expression softened as she said, "In the absence of objections, I hereby formally call this meeting to a close." Glancing at the Kings, she said, "Now, the kings and their ministers will remain behind to sign a series of contracts that will bind the nations together." She then looked at the crowd and said, "As for the rest of you, thank you all for coming. There will be a ball tonight to celebrate this momentous occasion. We hope to see you there." Leila gave a formal bow in each direction, as she said, "Once again, thank you all for attending this event."

*clap* *clap* *clap*

King Chu erupted in animated applause as he rose to his feet, eyes brimming with tears as he nodded his gratitude toward Leila. Following his lead, Kashi, King Parissius and King Xafier rose to their feet, thunderous applause ringing from their collective hands. The crowd soon followed suit, some whistling and shouting praises to the beautiful, intelligent woman who had orchestrated a feat one thought impossible.

Leila, or rather, Adachi Ayumi closed her eyes and forced down the tears that threatened to emerge. This was not the first time people had clapped for her. Not to be callous, but this would certainly not be the last. But, off all the applause she had received in her life, this was the first that really mattered to her. This time, she had worked for something she believed in, not something her father, or her peers wanted for her.

Pa!

Suddenly, Leila flinched as she felt a pat on her back. The weight, location and force were exactly as she remembered. She immediately turned to her side, but was shocked to see Kashi standing there. "Oh..." she muttered, briefly unable to hide her disappointment. However, moments later, her eyes went wide as she stared into Kashi's eyes.

Those were not Kashi's deep, yet playful eyes. Those eyes, were dark, foreboding, like a gateway to hell. Just looking into them made one feel like the grim reaper had his hands on their shoulder.

"You did good," Suzuki said.

"Suzu—" Leila started, but then stopped when she realized Kashi's gaze had mellowed to a playful, but regretful look. "He's gone, isn't he?"

Kashi winced as he replied, "Sorry. I would let him stay longer, but he has no intention of 'crossing boundaries.' He's still hung-up on the past."

"Mm," murmured Leila in agreement. But then her gaze steeled as she promised, "It will take some time, but I will find him."

"Good luck with that," Kashi blessed with a light grin. He then pointed towards the exit as he said, "So, I suppose I can leave the contracts to you and Miote? I have important guildmaster stuff to attend to."

Leila raised a brow as she teased, "Important guildmaster stuff eh? Pray tell, what are these so called stuff that needs attending?"

"Oh, you know..." Kashi spluttered as his eyes swiveled all around the room. "Uh... classified! Yes, it is classified. Real top-secret stuff."

"Oooh, that sounds dangerous," Miote, who was within earshot, suddenly said. "Why don't you wait till we're done, and we can all go together. Ample reinforcements."

"No, no, no, no." Kashi sweated bullets as he rejected the offer. "It's real time-sensitive stuff." Without waiting for a reply, he immediately dashed out of the room before anyone could react. The daeben's exit was so fast that many people who were in the middle of a blink completely missed it.

Kashi's swift exit left both the onlookers and the kings stunned and at a complete loss for words. None of them had every witnessed a man run away so confidently from his responsibilities.

Pfft!

No one knew who laughed first, but soon the entire hall was snickering and sniveling as the audience failed to hide their amusement. It was quite the poignant scene, seeing the reserved Leila actually appear embarrassed for once.

"My condolences, Ms. Lightwood," said King Xafier through twinkling eyes. "It must not be easy working for Kashi-kun."

Leila shook her head and uncharacteristically let out a sigh. "I suppose this is my cross to bear." With a shrug, she added, "But, I suppose that's why I've enjoyed this role so much."

King Parissius winked and then flashed a thumbs-up. "Just give the word, and I'll have him tossed in jail for a few days."

"I shall be sure to let you know when I need that," Leila replied.

While Leila and the ministers worked on ratifying the details of their new deal, Kashi admired the city's unique architecture as he sat atop a town house. The daeben took out an easel and hummed a slow tune as he painted the beautiful view.

"Setting some teleportation locations?"

Kashi looked over his shoulder and spotted Syèl standing next to him with a large grin. The daeben then turned back to his painting as he answered, "Something like that. I'm trying to level up my Dimension Painter Skill, but I figured I'd use the opportunity to lock down some locations here so I don't have to travel far next time."

"Frigging cheat code." Syèl shook his head as he sat next to the daeben.

The two men sat in silence as Kashi's brush slid across the canvas. Several minutes later, Kashi finally spoke, "Are you going to speak or what?"

"Heh, you caught me," Syèl laughed as he sprawled on the rooftop and then released a sigh. "You're the only one I can talk to about this, so sorry in advance."

"No worries," Kashi evenly replied. "It's good to know you only came here because I was your last choice. I wouldn't want you making this a habit."

"How cold." Syèl fell silent as he gazed at the clouds floating freely above the world's dirt and grime. He then closed his eyes, allowing his world to descend into the all too familiar and pleasant darkness.

Minutes passed with both men deep within their own thoughts, mulling over issues only they knew. Eventually, Kashi finished the first painting, and then, as he placed the next canvas on the easel, he called out, "Are you going to remain silent all day, or are you going to spit it out?"

Syèl cracked open an eye as he observed, "Wow. You really are not Suzuki, are you? You actually give a shit." Kashi refused to answer, so Syèl shrugged and then said, "Truth be told, it's not anything big. Just wanted to ask a question."

This time, Kashi responded, "Why me?"

"Because you smell like me," Syèl answered, but then after further thought, clarified. "Well, not you exactly. Suzuki, I mean. He has the same smell as me: the smell of loss, self-loathing and rage you do not want to do with." Syèl paused, and then added in a low tone, "...The smell of someone with blood on his hands."

Schzt!

Kashi's brush overshot its mark. The daeben paused, took a breath to reset his mental state, and then resumed painting. However, his gaze was undoubtedly dark as he asked, "What's your question?"

Syèl expected this reaction so he was nonplussed by the daeben's hostile tone. Instead, he sighed as he asked, "If, by chance, you found out that a friend of yours, through no fault of their own, was indirectly responsible for the death of someone you loved, how would you react? Would you be able to treat them the same?"

Kashi's gaze dropped as he thought of the people Suzuki had lost. "I don't think you're asking how I'd react, are you?" He turned to Syèl and clarified, "You want to know what Suzuki would do." Syèl's guilty smile confirmed the daeben's suspicion. As a result, Kashi shook his head as he looked at the painting. "The truth is, I do not know how he would react. I'm not sure he even understands what love is to begin with."

"Is that so..." Contrary to expectations, Syèl actually revealed a relieved smile. "Dunno, huh? I suppose that is indeed an accepted reaction. Thanks, Kash." With those words, he stood up, and then jumped down from the roof. Within moments, he had disappeared within the crowds.

Kashi's gaze faltered for a moment as he thought back to Syèl's words. "The smell of a murderer, huh..."

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