Harmony Is a Must (3)
Shit. One wrong move and we could be thoroughly screwed here.
The truth was, no one was more on edge than Shuri—and the Harmony evaluation was exactly why.
Of course, under normal circumstances, this trial wasn't all that hard, just as Grandfather always said. Who would want to be branded a traitor in the eyes of fellow priests? And above all, who in their right mind would throw away the one chance they ever got to easily earn a King?
Betrayers might still pass the trial, but they never received the King. Which meant that no matter how hard they worked from then on, four Kings was the absolute ceiling.
The real problem is when the powerful families get involved.
Between houses of middling standing, betrayal bought you precious little. But what if the payoff for betraying was simply too enormous to refuse?
And this time, of all times, a pureblood of the Red Ducal House is in the mix.
Niger Sephet's family was a house of such overwhelming power and influence that they were known to butt heads with the Papacy itself.
That was why Shuri had labored so painstakingly over the past weeks, tailoring his approach to each individual member of the team—just to make sure nobody stabbed them in the back during Harmony.
Granted, Isaac had merely shrugged and told him, "Those bastards are just straws waiting to be stuck in someone's juice—handle it yourself." But Shuri still believed.
We've been together since we were ten. Some of them don't get along with me, sure, but they're the only comrades I'll ever fight beside on a battlefield. They wouldn't do something that makes a comrade weep blood... right?
That was what he had been thinking, anyway.
"You're not seriously sitting there thinking we'd ever make you weep blood, are you? Naive little Shuri Eschua."
"...!!"
Fifty minutes before the vote.
Shuri was dragging Isaac—dead asleep and snoring—out of the restroom in the middle of the meeting and hauling him back toward his group, when he accidentally overheard the last thing he wanted to hear.
"Hey, how are you all voting?"
"You got the offer from Niger too, didn't you? You know—to betray Shuri."
"...!"
Shuri flinched.
The ones talking in the corridor were his own teammates. His own Blue teammates.
They sounded troubled by Niger's offer as they went on.
"I got the offer too, but honestly, don't you think it's smarter to lock in at least one King this year? I'd love to execute one of the Skeleton Demon King's minions while I'm at it."
"Same. And more than anything—if we betray him, I just know Isaac Eschua will come after us with his rattle all the way to our front doors..."
Some of them shuddered like the very thought gave them goosebumps, and the others burst out laughing.
"You idiots! That Isaac Eschua can't touch the Red House anyway. Once you're IN the Red House, what's he going to do about it? Just betray him already."
At that, a few of them frowned.
"...Hey. Come on. Shuri's done a lot for us over the years. Stabbing him in the back during Harmony is crossing a line, don't you think?"
In truth, there had always been an unspoken agreement to play nice for the Harmony trial and nothing else. And with good reason: every other section had room for individual scores, but Harmony—if you were unlucky—could send you straight to the Academy regardless of your own ability.
It wasn't as if they'd never see each other again, so the least they could do was hold the line. They were all in the same boat, after all.
But the pro-betrayal faction's eyes sparkled.
"That's exactly why we should do it. When else are we ever going to watch the great House Eschua crash and burn?"
"What?"
"Niger promised to back us in business AND set us up with a 10,000-Dalaq venture! One single ballot, and we get the protection of one of the Five Great Ducal Houses!"
"T-Ten thousand?! That's the price of an entire territory! As expected of the Red House's next head...! Now THAT is ambition!"
"Right? And what about Shuri Eschua? Can he offer us anything like that? Come on, just come with us."
"...Molech. Weren't you the one who's gotten the most help from Shuri?"
"He refused my request last time!"
"He was sick."
"So what was I supposed to do? If you can't help me when I need it, the friendship means nothing! Being sick is his own fault. Bottom line—I needed help, he didn't deliver, and therefore our friendship is hereby terminated."
Shuri, listening in, was trembling from clenching his fists so hard, while Isaac just let out a long, deep sigh.
See, Bung-Bung? Kindness isn't always the answer.
Some people are grateful for the favors you do them. Some just decide you're even easier to push around.
But then again—fine. He understood.
They're holding no cards. What did you expect?
These weren't strangers he'd known a day or two; they were classmates he'd watched for seven whole years. If this was the best they had in them, enlightenment was about the only reasonable response. He'd treated them like human beings, and it turned out they were beasts at heart—hardly worth mourning.
Isaac patted Shuri on the back, who was grinding his teeth to dust, as if to say he'd done nothing wrong.
"Don't cry. I have no intention of failing out here and going home, either."
Big brother will take care of everything.
Honestly—the Red House slime trying to poach his people knowing full well it was dishonorable, and the traitors who'd go along with it. A pack of bratty little hangers-on, and already they'd learned nothing but the bad stuff.
Isaac's eyes gleamed.
And now, the present.
"Team Blue, unanimous for Maintain the Team (O)! The Harmony virtue—PASSED!"
"...Huh?"
"WH-WHAT?!"
"What did he just say?!"
"We actually passed? R-Really?"
Shuri was overjoyed.
The Red House novices who had been sneering with such confidence froze solid, and Niger Sephet's eyes bulged as if his mind had simply stopped.
"Blue went unanimous?! How?!"
As if it were impossible, Niger Sephet looked at the people he'd planted. They couldn't even meet his eyes, just fidgeted with their hands.
The moment the Red novices caught the meaning of that, they went white and couldn't say a word.
They were bought out?! Bribed—by BLUE?!
...Wait. Hold on.
The Blue team had just passed unanimously, and everyone on it was celebrating. So why, exactly, was Isaac Eschua wearing an expression of pure fury?
"You little shits. You were deliberating RIGHT up to the end? You want a taste of the whip?"
Ah.
So it's because they didn't hand in their ballots fast enough.
Niger Sephet's face promptly twisted into something even harder to comprehend.
What is even happening right now?
Fine—the others he'd sounded out, he could accept. But the others were one thing; the three men he had planted! Those three, at the very least, were supposed to betray.
No, honestly, even just ONE of them! His own personal attendant, of all people—!
He glared daggers at the attendant he'd planted. But the man merely bowed his head deep in apology and began scurrying straight toward Isaac.
"...!!"
Frozen in place, Niger Sephet looked like a man who had taken a blow straight to the soul.
Damn it—what the hell is going on here?
"Wow. Kid, you're unbelievable. Isaac! YOU'RE the unbelievable one!"
After the Harmony vote, Shuri was wearing a face caught somewhere between laughing and crying.
He was the type who, just like his father, always wore a sour, brusque expression—so catching him beaming was unsettling to say the least... actually, it looked like the Pope's first-ever smile, which was deeply irritating, but Isaac let it slide.
"Aww, there's my pretty little munchkin! How on earth did you turn every single one of their hearts around in that tiny window of meeting time?!"
The truth was, Shuri had believed it was hopeless. Hearing them declare they'd betray him, how could anyone have imagined passing Harmony?
So he'd been bracing himself, in his own way.
Bracing himself for the Blue Faith's direct line to march back to the Academy as a laughingstock.
Well—he still couldn't drag his friends down with him, so his plan had been to get on his knees before the ones intent on betrayal. He would return to the Academy of his own accord once Harmony ended; just let the others pass.
But Isaac had stopped him.
"Lil' Shuri. Kneeling once in your life is plenty."
"What?"
"When you kneel for me."
"...???"
Excuse me, what?!
Shuri had no idea what that meant, but Isaac had simply declared he'd fix it himself, then carted every team member except Shuri off into a room.
And twenty minutes after they went in—
"I-I'm sorry. Shuri. Isaac. We'll keep the team together."
Somehow, every last one of them had their forehead pressed to the floor, declaring they would not betray after all.
Which led to the only legal conclusion.
"...You. You pulled 'Tea Party, Round Two' again, didn't you."
"Nope? Violence is a temporary measure—it doesn't fix the root of anything. Changing their minds at the ballot box is what does. Honestly, big brother, you don't know that much?"
He knew that. That's the terrifying part. So where exactly did he sell off every last shred of respect for his elders?
"So I just made a perfectly ordinary deal."
...Why is "perfectly ordinary" more terrifying than violence?!
"The Gold Cardinal kept coming to see me, right? So I told him—if he really wanted to see me that badly, he could hand over the Gold Pills."
"The Gold Pills?!"
Shuri, who had been pinching the bridge of his nose, jolted in shock.
Those were a rare elixir that money couldn't buy anywhere on the continent—the secret treasure of the Gold Faith.
Ability boosts, physical reinforcement, the works. People by the dozens would throw their lives away just to get their hands on a single one. That was how precious it was, how potent.
And that's something only the Gold Faith's direct line is supposed to have...!
Which meant—surely not.
"Don't tell me you cut a deal with THOSE? With the guys?!"
Isaac nodded.
At that, Shuri looked at Isaac with something like awe.
"Squeezing those out of the Gold Faction is impressive enough, but wow... that was a brilliant thought. Yeah. If that's what you're offering, the deal has real, guaranteed value!"
So THAT'S how a unanimous vote happened.
They'd decided that eating that elixir was ten million times more profitable than joining the Red House!
Well, fair enough—it was a prize that fully justified it!
"So obviously you haven't given them out yet, right?"
"Nope? I already handed them out. Before the vote."
"Ah."
At Isaac's expression, Shuri let out a small, weary sigh.
...He really is just a kid, after all. Can't help it.
Normally you pay the reward AFTER the goal is achieved, so nobody stabs you in the back. Shuri clicked his tongue, deciding he would simply have to teach this big brother of his how life worked.
"Hey. It only turned out fine because the results were good—you came within an inch of disaster. If you hand those out in advance, they can swallow the elixir, run off with the goods, and betray you at the critical moment. You pay AFTER the objective is met."
"Nope? Those guys would never betray."
"??"
Shuri stared at him, thrown.
Is this kid ballsy, or just naive?
Still—look at him, trusting his comrades. From a Blue Faith standpoint, this was the more admirable face to wear.
Good. He's getting closer to being a real priest! At this rate, even Isaac will surely become an outstanding—
But the moment Shuri opened the door to their dormitory room, every single one of those thoughts evaporated.
Gurgle...
"Guhk!!"
"Hey, is it still not through you yet?! ISAAAAAC!"
"I DID WHAT YOU TOLD ME! GIVE ME THE ANTIDOTE, NOW, AAHH—!!"
"..."
Damn it.
Now what.