The Peace Treaty
Bagan sensed Paul’s presence growing faint and moved at once. Reina and Natalie hadn’t noticed a thing and could only watch with worried faces.
It’s over.
Thud.
Paul’s body collapsed along with the longsword, unable to so much as twitch a finger. Certain that the man would soon lose consciousness, Bagan rushed over, retrieved the severed left arm, and pressed it back into place.
“Arien, can you reattach this?”
“Yes, Bagan-nim.”
Arien seemed to understand exactly what he wanted. She immediately produced a potion and handed it over.
What Bagan could do was heal with magic, just as before. Regrowing or reattaching a limb was outside magic’s domain. Magical healing only accelerated the body’s natural recovery; it could look miraculous, yet it could never restore what was gone.
If someone capable of using divine power had been present, perfect treatment would have been possible, but unfortunately no such person existed.
In that situation, the only one Bagan could rely on was Arien—and, as expected, she had a solution.
“Should I pour it on?”
“Pour it on the joint and have him ingest a measured amount. The nerves will reconnect like stitches and he’ll regain use of the arm. The medicine is potent, so he would normally need to steel himself, but since he’s unconscious it should be fine.”
“You said he’ll be able to use it again. That means it won’t be the same as before, right?”
Bagan had caught the loophole in her words. Arien was not omniscient. Reattaching the limb itself wasn’t difficult, but using it exactly as before might prove impossible. Excessive movements with the left arm, for example, would likely be out of the question.
“Yes. There are limits.”
Bagan nodded at her firm answer, applied part of the potion to the joint as instructed, then pried open Paul’s mouth and poured in the rest. Disgustingly, living nerve cells stirred, linked together, and the arm settled back into its original position.
After that, it was Bagan’s turn. He cast recovery magic on the unconscious Paul to restore his condition. This part was simple healing, so Arien’s potion was unnecessary. Her specialty lay in treating ailments that accelerated healing alone could not cure—an area Bagan neither understood nor cared to learn. Their roles simply differed.
“Cough! Cough!”
Paul spat out impurities and regained consciousness, apparently thanks to Bagan’s magic. The dark blood he vomited was merely residue left after the accelerated healing had sealed the wounds. There was nothing to worry about.
Once Paul had pushed himself upright, Bagan turned to Loren.
Loren had watched the entire scene with a grave expression.
“Your losses are severe. Extremely severe.”
“A merchant to the bone, and rotten to the core.”
That was Bagan’s assessment of Loren. Having known one thoroughly unscrupulous merchant himself, Bagan found Loren almost saintly by comparison.
“Don’t stir up unnecessary trouble. You’d be better off quietly going your own way.”
“Where am I supposed to recover these losses?”
The man had heard him, yet remained lost in thought.
“Did you hear me?”
“H-huh? I heard you. I’ll leave for today. It’s unfortunate about Garon, but if I go to Rainbell it won’t be hard to hire a proper knight.”
As expected, that was the problem with the wealthy. They cared nothing for others’ circumstances, only profit and loss, treating people like expendable goods.
So Bagan issued a warning.
“Don’t think that life will last forever. I’m letting you go today, but anyone who deals in slaves is marked for disposal.”
Sincerity leaked into his voice, and a trace of killing intent followed. Loren was seized by an inexplicable terror.
“……”
He turned tail at once. Despite his thick neck, he moved surprisingly fast, climbed into a luxurious carriage, and fled with his family. They vanished from in front of the lord’s castle in an instant.
Having finished his business, Bagan turned around.
“Waaah~ Paul~”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t die!”
“I won’t die.”
Reina clung to Paul and dissolved into tears. Natalie stared at the visibly pained man with a serious, worried face. Amid it all, Paul met Bagan’s gaze.
“Bagan-nim, I’m always in your debt. Thank you for saving me again. I nearly left without protecting the children or even seeing their faces.”
This time Paul’s gratitude was not the only thing in his eyes. He smiled as though he had found peace, gained a measure of composure, and undergone some inner change.
“You finally broke through your limit. I knew you could.”
Paul was the only human Bagan trusted. If anyone was going to show it, it had to be him.
“Hup.”
Paul hoisted the sobbing Reina onto his back and stood. He looked at his left arm. When he tried to clench his fist the fingers only twitched; the nerves had not fully reconnected yet.
“It will take about a week before he can use it for daily life.”
Arien had slipped into physician mode and delivered her analysis.
“Miss Arien’s treatment was involved as well. No wonder the arm was already attached.”
Paul rubbed his left shoulder with his right hand, a subtle expression on his face.
“It feels like the left arm won’t fully recover.”
He would know his own condition best. Still, he smiled again.
“It’s an arm that shouldn’t have existed in the first place. Losing a little function is a small price to pay for protecting my comrades. I never used my left arm much anyway. In fact, it might even be more valuable to me if it stays like this. I’m grateful for both of your considerations.”
He bowed his head while carrying Reina. The motion left her eyes swollen and her face sulky, but Paul soon straightened and spoke.
“Shall we head back?”
It was time to return. People would be waiting for Reina on his back, and others would be waiting for Bagan as well.
Bagan nodded.
***
Returning from Slan to Daberns posed no difficulty for the group—least of all for Bagan, who had already passed through the city once. It was simply a matter of linking coordinates with teleportation.
Those experiencing a portal for the first time could not hide their amazement.
“I was in no state to notice last time, but this is truly remarkable!”
Paul spoke first, voice bright with excitement. During his previous encounter with a portal he had been burning with vengeance and barely sane; spatial movement had been the least of his concerns. Another round of admiration came from Reina and Natalie.
“A portal this stable is awe-inspiring just to behold. As expected of Bagan-nim.”
“Bagan-nim is the best!”
Reina, something of a magic enthusiast, was astonished by Bagan’s magical prowess, while Natalie simply seemed pleased by anything Bagan did.
Upon arriving in Daberns, the group headed straight for the royal castle despite the late hour. Though unpleasant events had occurred there, the castle now stood clean and orderly. Bagan had opened the portal directly in front of the main building, so there was no need to pass through the gates. They simply entered and sought the people they needed.
(Isn’t this unauthorized entry?)
I didn’t think that far. Maybe they’ll overlook it?
(Everyone else might, but Gion would probably have something to say.)
Sally knew Gion’s temperament well from watching him over time. He was as friendly as an older brother when things were good, yet flared up like fire the moment something was wrong. That was why he and Bloomberg argued so often. Bagan wondered if Gion would erupt the moment they stepped inside.
Paul and Reina, who had gone ahead, must have spoken on their behalf; a servant soon appeared and guided them to the audience chamber, saying the king was looking for Bagan.
The audience chamber was the same hall where Hernandez had once succeeded Paheira as king. Escorted by a castle attendant, Bagan walked in and found everyone already waiting. The entire Seiros royal family had arrived at some point, along with the nobles who had distinguished themselves in the recent war. In front of Hernandez knelt Paul and Reina.
Bagan strode calmly down the red carpet and stood boldly before the king. As expected, he did not kneel. Hernandez smiled as though he had anticipated exactly that.
“The two of you may also stand tall.”
He was addressing Paul and Reina. They lifted their bowed heads and focused on Hernandez.
“I gathered everyone at this late hour for two announcements.”
Hernandez spoke with a fluency no one would have expected from a man who had only just become king.
“First, my father—the former king—has shown significant improvement. I could only assume Miss Arien had done something earlier, and I wished to thank her.”
Hernandez believed that, yet the real reason was different.
Because the user of the demonic eye died.
Bagan now possessed it, and with the previous caster gone, its influence had vanished. Arien had claimed she could not cure it, yet it had been cured by chance.
Leaving the chattering Hernandez behind, Bagan waited with a blank expression until something more interesting emerged.
“Next concerns the peace treaty to which everyone present has agreed. I, King Hernandez of the Sog Kingdom, as its representative, hereby declare a peace treaty and the establishment of brotherly nations between the Sog Kingdom and the Seiros Kingdom!”
Hernandez turned to Pelion seated beside him. Though far younger in experience, he showed no intimidation as a fellow monarch and carried himself well. Pelion responded in kind.
“I, King Pelion de Seiros of the Seiros Kingdom, as its representative, recognize the peace treaty between the Seiros Kingdom and the Sog Kingdom and declare that we shall advance our future as brotherly nations!”
When Pelion finished, applause erupted from the gathered nobles. Hernandez and Pelion shook hands, smiling and waving as they pledged to work together.
Much had clearly been prepared while Bagan was away. Internal affairs of nations were none of his concern, so he had paid them no mind. Still, good was good. With this, the Sog Kingdom’s slave system was abolished, the roots of the massive organization Demonia had been torn out, and even subordinates of Lilith, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, had been captured. That was everything.
For the first time in a while, Bagan watched the highest authorities of both kingdoms exchange smiles of friendship.