Chapter 564 - Edifice of Destruction (II) (1/2)
CHAPTER 564
EDIFICE OF DESTRUCTION (II)
Lino stood in front of a silent room, seated, a bemused smile on his face. He began rapping his fingers against the armrest of the chair as to break the monotony, still observing the faces in front of him – eight in total. Among them, only Hannah seemed entirely indifferent, seated at the corner, one leg crossed over another, yawning. The surrounding walls were void of decorations, as was the stone floor beneath; the room that seemed no simpler than that of a commoner was, effectively, where Lino made all his decisions alongside those present.
It was located deep inside the forest, beneath the seeming ground floor, locked away into the darkness nobody was aware of. Growing faintly bored, Hannah and he each took out gourds of ale at virtually the same time, sharing a knowing smile in the process.
”… in my heart of hearts,” he said after taking a sip, breaking the silence. ”I recommend you walk away.”
”Because we're not strong enough?” Lucky asked with a faint frown.
”… bravado is pointless here, L',” Lino shrugged, cracking a faint smile at her. ”It has nothing to do with strength. It's a commitment that cannot be understated, and one that will change your lives forever. To me, I will have a long gap still to enjoy life; you, however, will not. Forget family and friends, you might spend thousands of years never even seeing the light of day. The only reason I even brought it up is that I believed all of you will choose to walk away.”
”… Hannah won't.” Ion said. ”And neither will I.”
”Hannah won't because she's a moron,” Lino sighed. ”And because, if I said no to her, she would chop my head off in my sleep and take my place anyway. What for, Ion? You've already proved all you had to prove – righted all you felt was wrong. You are too old to still have a chip on your shoulder. Go find a girl and start a family of your own; live the life, not the nightmare.”
”… warring is my life, Lino,” Ion chuckled lightly. ”I've spent all my life so far defending our home. What's so wrong about just extending that duty?”
”—man, you're one stubborn oak,” Lino sighed. ”I won't say anything anymore. Everyone, go back and think about it, talk about it. For once, I hope you all have enough sense to say no.” soon after, everyone except Hannah left, leaving the two to drink in silence for a moment before Lino broke it. ”You won't change your mind?”
”No.” Hannah replied quickly.
”… I understand where you're coming from, Hannah,” Lino sighed. ”But, I really, really would wish if you'd change your mind.”
”Oh, would you look at that; wishing something doesn't magically make it happen. Who would have thought?”
”… what's pushing you?” he asked. ”Pushing you so hard you'd abandon all reason and throw yourself back into the exact thing we've been escaping for decades?”
”… I've been escaping it with the idea of you spending that peace with me, Lino,” Hannah said. ”With the idea that, when it was all over, we'd settle down and sit by the fire. I don't care whether I live in peace or in war, so long as it's with you. And, in my heart of hearts, I know you're the same; you'd rather have me in hell than be without me in heaven. As you've said,” she added with a smile. ”Bravado is pointless here.”
”… we'll have millions of years of that peace,” Lino said. ”So much of it you'll tire of me. So much of it, you'll wish the day would come sooner.”
”… do you really believe that?” Hannah said, meeting his gaze squarely. ”If the roles were reversed, would you be like that?”
”…”