The Kingmaker System-Chapter 404 - 403. First Outdoor Mission (3)

Kai and I reappeared within the towering inner halls of Ryujin, the magic pulse of our teleportation fading behind us like the trailing remnants of a dream. The moment we landed, I could feel the surge of energy in him. His face lit up, and his steps bounced with a barely contained excitement.

"That was..." Kai began, eyes bright as he turned to me, but I lifted a hand to halt him mid-sentence.

He blinked. "What... is it?"

"That," I said calmly, meeting his eager gaze, "was only the first step of the mission. We still have the second part to complete before we can call this your first success."

His enthusiasm faltered, surprise blooming across his face. He was still cloaked in Ace’s form, but the illusion was beginning to fray. His real nature—softer, younger, untouched in places—peeked through the hardened persona.

"A-All right," he mumbled, quickly trying to shift back into Ace’s poised demeanor. But before he could fully compose himself, I reached up and gently removed the enchanted earcuff from his ear.

The transformation broke with a soft shimmer.

"Wha—" he gasped, looking down at himself.

His figure had shrunk instantly. The clothes—cut for a grown man—now sagged around his smaller frame. The sleeves hung over his hands, and the coat drooped past his knees. Thankfully, he wasn’t too small so they didn’t completely fall off.

I knelt silently, folding the cuffs of his trousers and carefully helping him out of the oversized coat. The quiet rustle of fabric was the only sound between us. He watched me with wide eyes, caught somewhere between confusion and awe, and didn’t move as I rolled up his sleeves neatly. He was trying to understand—why now? Why like this?

"Um... why?" he finally asked, his voice small.

I looked into his eyes, calm and direct. "Because the next part of this mission requires you to be in your true form."

As I stood, I drew my cloak from my shoulders and draped it over him. The heavy fabric engulfed his smaller body, but I adjusted it gently and pulled the hood over his head.

He said nothing as he clutched the edges of the cloak, small hands tightening around the fabric, and I led him quietly through the winding corridors toward the Eastern Wing.

"This place..." I said as we walked, "isn’t pleasant. I don’t expect you to like it. In fact, I hope you won’t have to come here often. But it’s necessary. For what we do."

I could feel his tension rise as we moved deeper. He wasn’t allowed in this wing—never had been. I could almost hear the questions forming in his mind, but none left his lips. The silence between us was thick, but not oppressive. It was the silence of memories trying to be kept at bay.

I remembered too well where he had come from—the cruel hands that had broken him in places no one should ever be broken. And this place... mirrored too much of that.

If he flinched, I wouldn’t fault him. If he backed out, I would not stop him.

We stopped before the large wooden doors, reinforced with heavy blackened metal. The smell of cold stone and damp air seeped through the gaps. I turned slightly, watching his small figure beside me.

"If you’re not comfortable," I said gently, "tell me right away."

His eyes rose to meet mine, uncertain.

"This place... might trigger bad memories."

I didn’t wait for a reply. I opened the door, and dim torchlight spilled out, licking at the stone steps that led down into the earth like the throat of some old, waiting beast.

"Be careful on the stairs," I said, stepping in.

He followed, wordlessly. I could hear the hesitance in his gait, the subtle pause of his steps every few seconds as the sounds of groans, muffled cries, and metal scraping reached us. The prison beneath Ryujin was not a place for the faint of heart. These were not petty criminals—they were the ones who had broken the laws of our domain beyond redemption.

Kai’s steps faltered again. His fingers gripped the edges of the cloak tighter.

I kept walking, pausing only when we reached a heavy door at the end of the corridor—just before the torture chamber. The energy here was heavier, darker, soaked into the stone like old blood.

I turned to him.

"If you’re comfortable... you’re allowed to come down here," I said. "But—" I pointed at the door to the chamber, "—you will not have access to that room. Not unless I decide you’re ready."

He looked at me, small face pale beneath the hood. "But why?"

"Because it’s a restricted area," I answered, my tone quiet but firm. "And because you’re still too young to carry what’s behind that door."

Without waiting for his reply, I opened the adjacent set of doors and gestured for him to step in.

The space in front of us was rather large, it was made to keep a group of people and currently there were around thirty or so in front of me chained to the ground. Some injured, some barely alive, some with minor scratches and some alert and ready to attack.

Kai halted just a step behind me as I turned to look at my own battalion who had been responsible for collecting these many people within the night.

"Good work," I spoke while looking at them and they kneeled at once with their hands to their hearts.

"At ease." I spoke and they stood back up stepping back closer to the walls with their hands at their backs.

"Who are these people?" Kai asked in a low voice.

"The ones sent by the Queen to take down the people and places affiliated to me." I answered and he stiffened.

"The battalion comprising of commoners who were supposed to become knights but the Queen removed them from that place and turned them into her personal attack dogs." I explained further as I moved closer to the men on the ground.

"Y-You... are no better!"

"You’re a criminal too!"

Some of them shouted and I sighed spotting the two men who were considerably in a better shape, Gior and Harris.

"Well, at least I am something." I said crossing my arms at my chest.

"While you guys are basically nothing," I said looking down at them, "The Queen took away your identities and turned you into dogs... Even without me showing my face to the world, the world knows me and my work from good to bad. But you? Do you even know how you’re families are faring?"

Some of them gasped as they heard that while others seemed triggered.

"Y-You keep our families out of this!"

"Oh, why?"

"Had the Queen guaranteed you that after your death your families will get the proper lifestyle?" I asked and some of them faltered.

"We-We believe she will." Someone shouted.

I snorted and looked at them, "You all seem to know that I am a criminal, an Underworld Lord but do you know the people from Oasis and every place associated with me are people who have nowhere to go. Your Queen, who acts like the Mother of the kingdom has sides that are worse than any criminal’s. If I were to read the list you’ll grow old."

"He’s right," Harris said.

"Ha- What are you saying?"

"I saw the Queen... kill three of our men who failed to infiltrate the information guild run by Marquis Ocean."

"Wha-"

"She even killed those who failed to kill the Marquis’s heir." Gior added making my jaw clench.

"You’re lying!"

"Then where do you think John and Kid are?" Harris shouted, "I... I saw them die in front of my eyes!"

The men looked at their comrades and I waited till I slowly sunk in that they were really just the disposable arms that the Queen had been using.

"But... she... she promised that once Marquis falls... she will... she will give us status as the Knights..."

"Was it a lie?"

"How could she kill..."

I watched as they slowly started realising their situation.

"I-I can’t believe it... If she really is only using us then... What about our families?"

"What about John and Kid’s families?"

"Do they even know that..."

The men slowly cracked and I observed them.

"I can save you," I announced making them turn to look at me, "I can give your families a safe home and you can have your rightful status."

Their eyes glimmered with hope as they looked at me and I shoved my hands in the trousers of my pockets.

"But, I won’t take that decision." I said making them all gasp.

"Kai," I spoke up making him stiffen as I turned and walked back towards him.

"Ma-" he spoke but I placed my hand over his shoulder with my back facing the men.

"You will be the one to decide their fate, whether they live or die is up to you. I can get rid of them and parcel their bodies as bouquets to the Queen or give them the life they want. You decide on what should be done." I said as I walked past him a couple of steps.

I turned back watching as Kai stood in his place he faced the men and I could see his fists clenched at his sides as the men looked at him now. He was the one who would decide their fate.

Apart from the mission, my task was to make Kai realise what kind of weight his decisions would be of. Any decision that I make has numerous lives at stake and he should know the weight of such a thing. And I knew he could make the right decision.

"I..." Kai spoke up making the men stare at him with the mixture of both hopes and despair.

Kai turned and looked at me, "I want to save them."

I observed him as he announced that and I tilted my head slightly.

"Why?"

"Because they deserve to live! They haven’t done anything bad,"

"They infiltrated our places, tried to create chaos and even tried to assassinate me and you. Are you still willing to say that after knowing that?" I asked.

Kai had a determined expression on his face, "They did it because they were under the Queen’s orders, it is not their fault that they were blinded and used by her. They have families and their own dreams."

"So? A lot of humans have families and their dreams." I said and Kai seemed to be getting agitated.

"But they are in front of you now! You... You take in every one who don’t have anywhere to go. You don’t care of their past and their crimes as long as they are willing to change for the good!"

"Yes, but this time it’s not my decision. It’s yours."

"Then," Kai spoke in a firm voice, "I have decided that these men will be saved."

The hood over his head fell back and I could see the blazing determination in his blue eyes and I resisted my smile as Kai announced that. I felt the surge of pride watching my child standing firmly in front of me.

[Giver of Gifts wipes her tears.]

[Defender of Divine Glory smiles upon Kai.]

[Goddess of Wisdom praises Kai’s compassion and strength.]

"Well, he’s my child after all."

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