There was no hint of condescension in the general’s words, and he even leaned forward slightly to indicate that Diana had his full attention. Lucy wracked her brain trying to determine what this man could be in relation to Kenneth and his Dream. Perhaps his father? He certainly possessed a fatherly demeanour, but given how Kenneth’s aunt manifested in this Dream with great import, it seemed unlikely that Kenneth’s own father would be relegated to a soldier working under her. And while Kenneth did appear relaxed and positively captivated by the general, would one not also expect Kenneth to express sorrow, regret, and an inkling of the emotions that led him to run from home in the first place? From the boy’s face and his light-as-a-feather grip on Lucy’s hand, his feelings toward this general appeared to be far too uncomplicated, too certain and focused despite the ambiguity.

  Diana, on the hand, was unruffled as she rested the butt of her spear on the ground, placed her free hand on her hip, and began: “This boy is a heretic. Your queen is looking to punish him and set an example for all heretics because she, and everyone under her rule, want nothing to do with heretics and their ways. This kingdom is above that.”

  The general nodded, and where one would expect him to add in his own words, even if it were simple agreement, he gave only silence and a look of attentiveness, gently urging Diana on.

  “So then,” said Diana, “when we come to you declaring that we’ll turn the boy in for punishment, would it not make sense to honour our word? Trust and respect for another person’s oaths are the sorts of virtues you would want to demonstrate before the eyes of everyone in this kingdom. On the other hand, distrust, deceit, and the promise of violence sound like the sort of things a heretic would involve themselves in. If you can’t deal with one problematic person in a clean, noble way, what’s to stop the people from losing faith in everything this kingdom is built on?”

  “Hmm…” The general brought his hand to his chin and stroked his beard while holding Diana’s gaze, his eyes swimming in the possibilities of her words.

  Lucy stared at Diana as well, but in contrast to the general, she had to stop herself from gawking. For as much as Diana had admonished Lucy for attempting to solve conflict through “pretty words,” Diana herself was now weaving a rather extravagant cloak of sophistry. The blatant hypocrisy was appalling, but once the initial shock wore off, Lucy realized that Diana’s way of handling others with words was fundamentally different from her own approach. While Diana was playing to pathos and what she had gleaned of the general’s personality, she wasn’t using this to reassure him and propose a painless solution for all sides. From the way she emphasized her last point, Diana was asserting and cautioning—on the verge of threatening—significant consequences if her demands were not followed. So while her reasoning appeared empathetic on the surface, in truth her words formed a sharpened sword thrust at just the right angle to maim and disable any attempt at shooting her assertions down and suggesting anything else.

  Negotiation. That was what Diana had claimed as a specialty of the Axis of Rebellion, and Lucy could see this now in stark contrast to her own Axis of Understanding.

  And, curiously, rather than a knee-jerk disgust at how Understanding’s specialty of conversation could be twisted to suit such forceful intentions, Lucy found herself intrigued and, from the way her mouth hung open, taking it in with awe. As much as she had observed all the signs of the general’s earnest kindness, as much as she believed him to be a righteous individual, it was as if she was now seeing him through Diana’s eyes, as an obstacle to overcome and conquer, and in the most honest depths of Lucy’s mind she wanted Diana to win this fight.

  “Your words ring true,” the general said, “and reflect the truest spirit of Her Majesty’s domain. But surely, it cannot be ignored that what you propose inherently places Her Grace in danger. As Her divinely-appointed guardians, we protect her not out of prepared hostility, but out of earnest concern for her life and well-being. Surely, you both understand that, as the heretic’s guardians.”

  As he spoke that last point, he met Kenneth’s eyes and gave a warm smile, his voice pronouncing “heretic” without any spite. Lucy looked down to see Kenneth giving a slight small back, and she couldn’t blame him, for his smile was infectious and inviting, like a fireplace on a cold winter’s night.

  “Hmph.” Diana raised her chin slightly as a show of assent, though the angle caused her eyes to now peer down over her nose at the general. Although she was smiling, the steeliness of her face suggested she was not taken in by the nostalgic warmth like Lucy and Kenneth were. “And as the boy’s guardians, are we not putting him in danger now as we speak? You could call your army together and squash us right here at any moment. Hell, with the ‘heretic’ label, you could rally all these regular folks into a mob against us, too.”

  The general still carried his easy smile, but he was back to crossing his arms in thought as he listened. Although he remained unfettered, it was clear from his focused gaze that he was pondering more deeply this time.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Diana holstered her spear into a harness between her cape and the back of her armour, then crossed her arms and stood up proud with a wide and slightly-snide grin. “Think about it. Even though this boy is a heretic, he’s displaying the virtue of trust: in the judgement of his guardians, and the goodwill of his foes as fellow human beings. You’d want to believe that your queen can at least match up to a heretic’s baseline of goodness, don’t you?”

  “Hmm…” The general stroked his beard. His glance took on a searching quality, as though he were grasping to a response.

  Meanwhile, Lucy thought: there it was again. Diana taking the general’s ideals about the queen and her image before him and all the rest of her subjects, and twisting that to show how opposing Diana’s demands would destroy all of that. It was as eloquently and fiercely expressed as last time, but Lucy felt a sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach as she watched the general continue to ponder while Diana’s words freshly echoed out. There was a line to this sort of verbal twisting of the knife, and Lucy feared that Diana may have crossed it. The general, for all his agreeableness, did not appear to be a foolish man; left to ponder long enough, he would no doubt catch onto what Diana was trying to force on him.

  And Lucy knew, as one aligned with Understanding, and who now believed the general would be the same if he were a Dream Knight, that coming to recognize Diana’s brazen forcefulness and manipulation would sour the entire conversation immediately. From people using her aversion to conflict to cut ahead, to classmates slowly but purposefully talking her into doing more parts of projects than what was originally assigned, Lucy knew that nothing was more immediately hurtful than knowing that one’s agreeableness was being taken advantage of.

  So in the silence that now lingered between the general and Diana, Lucy opened her mouth—to say what? She couldn’t let the general continue to mull over everything completely unattended, especially not with his underlings standing so close and armed, but at the same time, it might further push the general’s suspicions and wariness if she were to suddenly interject and add—

  “So, are you going to take us up on this offer, or not?”

  Lucy gasped, her mind clouding with both shock and irritation. Of all the things Diana could do, she had to pressure the general further by demanding an answer now?

  Her fears seemed to be slowly crystallizing into reality, as the general remained staring with that pensive focus to his gaze. Then, at last, he removed his hand from his beard, drew a big, deep breath, and spoke: “Your words not only ring true once again, but reveal the depths of what it means to uphold the righteousness and dignity of Her Majesty’s domain. For that reason, and to honour the candor that you so boldly demonstrate, I, General Hawthorn of Her Majesty’s Radiant Army, humbly accept your offer.”

  The last part was accompanied with a bow in Diana’s direction, which he held for some moments to let simmer the gravity of his declaration.

  Lucu couldn’t help but show the surprise on her face. Kenneth tugged at her hand, and though it was hard to tell how much of the conversation he had followed, it was plain to see that he was also shaken at how this gilded warrior was conceding to Diana and her words. “Is everything okay?” he asked Lucy in a low voice.

  “Y-yes,” Lucy said, forcing a smile. It was the truth, and yet the moment itself didn’t feel real. It wasn’t that she doubted Diana’s abilities, but rather the speed and ease with which their adversary acquiesced. That unsettling feeling in the pit of Lucy’s stomach was all the more pressing now, but even more indecipherable. And what of the mystery of how this figure manifested within Kenneth’s subconscious? Lucy had no time to think as everything set in motion was happening too fast.

  Before Lucy could even finish gathering her wits, the general turned to his troops and raised one hand to make a dismissive gesture. “All troops, sheathe your weapons and stand back!”

  The lesser guards looked to each other, then stared at the captain blankly. This prompted him to raise his voice for the first time: “You heard my order! We are to grant the heretic and his guardians safe passage to Her Grace.”

  The guards looked at each other once more, and this time the scraping sound of swords being re-sheathed echoed out through the evening town air. The dwindling crowd of peasants all stopped their walking and chattering as they stared at the general and his new guests of honour. The guards backed away on either side, as did the peasants after reading the situation, creating a clear passage through all the many people in the town square.

  The general turned back around, his stern expression quickly softening and lightening up again as he made eye contact with Diana, Lucy, and Kenneth. “I shall escort you to Her Eminence’s chambers. Please,follow me.”

  Kenneth’s hand squeezed Lucy’s wrist, and she knew he was troubled with uncertainty just as much as she was. However, Diana shot Lucy a brief, wordless look, the kind that the general wouldn’t think twice about, but to Lucy that look had relayed a clear message from the sharp eyes that glowed green in the lamp post light.

  Don’t hesitate. Go along with it.

  As was usual for Diana’s communications, her words were all commanding without any interiority. Because of that, it was difficult for Lucy to gauge whether Diana actually fully trusted the general’s word or not. But Lucy knew that regardless of their current level of trust, hesitating now would only bring more problems, so she met the general’s eyes and gave a smile and a nod.

  Once Kenneth had nodded as well, after some gentle prompting from Lucy, the general said: “Excellent. Let us proceed.”

  He then turned around and began walking through the pathway that had opened up through the town square, with peasants and his own troops at either side like walls. They all kept their distance, yet Lucy still felt a twinge claustrophobic walking through.