B9 - Chapter 18: Guardian of the North (Patreon)

“Now, choose.”

Zeke gazed down at the gathered crowd. There was a weight to his stare that even Leo found difficult to bear. It was not the pressure of a powerful Mage, but something more akin to what a parent might exude toward a disobedient child—anger mixed with disappointment.

Leo couldn't say what had dissatisfied his brother to such an extent. Maybe it had been the ease with which the crowd had allowed itself to be swayed, or perhaps their shortsightedness. But one thing was certain: Zeke would truly abandon Rukia if they refused to accept Leo as their lord.

Yet still, no answer came.

The people looked from Zeke to the queen, then to one another, as if hoping someone else would make the decision for them. A faint murmur rose from somewhere near the back of the crowd, only to die almost immediately.

The entire situation left Leo more than a little uncomfortable.

He had never wanted the position to begin with, but now his brother had made the fate of Rukia dependent on forcing the title into his hands. Even if he was ultimately chosen, he would begin in the worst possible position, with much of the public already prejudiced against him.

However, no matter how uncomfortable Leo felt at that moment, there was one person who was in an even worse position than he was.

The queen's composure appeared close to breaking.

Unlike the common men and women, she knew exactly what it would mean if Zeke made good on his threat to leave Rukia with his entire force.

Maybe, if Irisen had been willing, there might have been some hope of stabilizing the country without Zeke. But with things standing as they were, there was nobody left with the power to accomplish such a thing.

Leo realized at that moment just how far the queen had overplayed her hand.

She had trapped herself between two unthinkable outcomes.

If the crowd rejected Zeke's ultimatum due to her instigation, she would lose the support of the Hohenheim family. The northern wilds would remain abandoned, the old borders unreclaimed, and the route to the Elven Matriarchy vulnerable for years—perhaps even decades.

But if the crowd agreed, she would have to surrender one of the largest regions in the country, along with its trade routes, without securing a single concession or binding promise of support in return.

Honestly, Leo would have felt bad for her if not for the fact that he had personally warned her. He had begged her not to provoke Zeke, but his words had never reached her.

Clearly, she hadn't done her research. Otherwise, she would have known that once Zeke drew a line, he rarely stepped back from it—no matter how bloody the consequences became.

“Time’s up,” Zeke said after a few moments. “Raise your hands if you accept Leo von Hohenheim as Guardian of the North...”

With the queen paralyzed by indecision, Myr stepped forward.

“Surely, you can't expect us to actually hold a vote under such conditions, Lord Hohenheim.”

Zeke looked down at the elderly woman, expressionless. “...What conditions?”

Myr's eyes grew even more severe. “Threats. Coercion. That is not our way.”

“I made no threat.”

Myr scowled up at him. “I might be old, but I am not yet deaf. You threatened to withdraw all support from Rukia if the people didn't choose your brother. What else would you call that, if not a threat?”

“Consequences,” Zeke said matter-of-factly.

“Just fancy wrapping for an ugly truth.”

Zeke remained silent for a long while, simply gazing at the old woman. Then he sighed deeply. “If you are not deaf, as you claim, then how is it that you failed to hear me when I said I was done playing games?”

“Insolent!”

At her scream, that same terrible aura burst from her before she could restrain it. It was the very pressure that had forced even Odyr to his knees. Whether she had intended to direct it at Zeke or merely intimidate him no longer mattered. In a gathering such as this, it could only be interpreted as an attack.

Even so, there was not the slightest ripple in Zeke's expression. And before the pressure could begin to descend upon him, he spoke a single name.

“Vulcanos.”

Everyone in the plaza froze as a wave of scorching heat swept through it. Even Myr didn't dare move a single muscle.

Vulcanos, who had never sat back down, was glaring daggers at her. It looked like it took all his willpower not to simply charge over and rip her head off.

“If I suffer any manner of attack, retaliate in kind.”

“...Gladly.”

Leo shuddered at the voice coming from Vulcanos' mouth. It sounded nothing like the friendly, sometimes silly Chimeroi he remembered. This voice was more akin to two boulders rubbing against each other, as though a different entity had spoken those words through Vulcanos' mouth. And just by looking at him, it truly seemed as though something was about to break free of his control.

Myr stood frozen, sweat beading on her forehead. She didn't even dare step back for fear that Vulcanos would interpret it as a threat. She was like a mouse that had come face-to-face with a cat.

After the queen, she had now become the second person on the stage who seemed to desperately wish she could take back her words.

Fortunately for Myr, Zeke completely ignored her existence after this and turned his attention back to the crowd as though nothing had happened.

“Now, let me see those hands,” he called loudly.

Leo's eyes met the queen's. She looked even more desperate than before, her perfect composure already fraying at the edges. It seemed as though she was one bad turn away from breaking into tears.

It was exactly how he had expected this to end.

But...

Why was she looking at him?

Their eyes hadn't met by chance. She was staring directly at him, her unwavering gaze seeming to plead for... something.

The sight of those eyes stirred a flicker of anger in his heart.

The sheer nerve of it.

After ignoring his warnings and badmouthing him before the crowd, she now had the gall to look at him with such eyes?

Why should he help when all she had done was deride him, work against his interests, and scheme against his brother?

As if reading his thoughts, the eyes fixed upon him grew even more sorrowful. Then she did something even more hateful.

She slowly swept her gaze across the crowd.

Reluctantly, Leo followed her eyes.

Ten thousand faces looked back at him. Young and old, men and women. The poor and the rich, the fortunate and the pitiful—the face of the entire population distilled into a single crowd.

Leo knew what she wanted to say without needing to hear a single word.

Do it for them.

He hated himself for understanding her so well. Zeke was not a callous man, but his heart held far more love for those closest to him than it ever could for strangers. If forced to choose, he would sacrifice ten thousand unknown faces before allowing harm to befall one of his loved ones.

But Leo couldn't do that.

He couldn't stand by and watch these people be condemned to a cruel fate simply because they had allowed themselves to be swayed against him.

Leo swallowed hard. It felt like a betrayal to go against his brother while Zeke was standing up for him. But even so, he had already made his choice.

Slowly, Leo rose from his chair and put as much strength into his voice as he could muster.

“Lord Hohenheim...” Leo called. Not Zeke, not Ezekiel, but Lord Hohenheim—his official title.

At the interruption, Zeke angled his head toward him. He didn't seem pleased. “What is it now?”

“Could you... make some accommodation for the people?” Leo asked, realizing for the first time just how difficult it could be to speak to his brother.

Zeke stilled, his gaze boring into Leo like a spear. It was an incredibly unnerving experience. Leo felt even more uncomfortable than when the entire venue had focused its attention on him.

“...What did you have in mind, brother?”

The word brother sounded more like an accusation than a term of endearment, as if to remind Leo where his loyalties should lie.

Nevertheless, Leo pressed on. Even if Zeke hated him after this, he would bear it. If necessary, he would spend the rest of his life regaining the favor he lost today.

“Three concessions,” Leo said, the words coming to him before his courage could fail. “I ask you to grant three concessions that will benefit the people.”

Zeke's eyes narrowed. For several long moments, he said nothing.

“Speak.”

Leo drew a deep breath.

“First, I want you to promise that the Hohenheim estate will take care of every last orphan and homeless child, no matter their circumstances. As many as come, we will accept.”

His gaze was earnest as he made the request. It was something he truly longed for.

Zeke's expression softened for the briefest instant before hardening once more. “How very like you. Fine, I accept.”

“Second, I want you to promise that we will restore and maintain the northern line at our own expense. If the soldiers stationed there are not enough to keep the border safe from monster hordes, we will hire additional forces and shoulder the cost ourselves. The people will not be taxed for our failure to protect them.”

Zeke gritted his teeth. “Are you certain you are my brother and not secretly a son of Rukia?”

Leo lowered his head. “I beg this of you, Lord Hohenheim.”

Zeke sighed. “So be it.”

“Lastly...” Leo began.

But no third request came to him.

The first two had been obvious. Children needed shelter, and the people of the North needed protection. But neither promise would solve the deeper problem. Safety alone would not feed them. Nor would it give the region a future.

Leo's mind raced, desperately searching for an answer.

Then Zeke's voice sounded inside his head.

“Ask me to relocate our workshops from Tradespire.”

Leo's mind froze.

The voice had definitely belonged to Zeke, but... it was difficult to reconcile the voice in his head with the face of his brother before him.

The Zeke in front of him looked like the very picture of restrained fury, as though he might lash out at any moment. In stark contrast, the voice that had spoken inside his mind was calm and controlled.

There was no point overthinking it now. This last request was far more than he had ever dared to hope for. 

“Lastly,” Leo continued, still in disbelief at the request, “I want you to promise to relocate our workshops from Tradespire to the North of Rukia. The assembly of warships, aside from the parts produced in Undercity, shall be moved here. It will create an abundance of work for the people and provide much-needed income for the country.”

Zeke's eyes turned furious.

“You overstep.”

The words made Leo's entire body freeze. Even knowing that Zeke had instructed him to make the demand, the anger in his brother's voice did not sound entirely feigned.

He gritted his teeth and continued. “I still beg you to do it. Only by doing this much can we reassure the people that we will truly bind our future to theirs.”

“This is our family's lifeline you are speaking of,” Zeke said coldly.

Leo simply lowered his head, as though he had said all there was to say. Even so, he could still feel Zeke's eyes boring into him.

A long silence followed.

Finally, Zeke spoke a single word.

“Fine.”

The entire venue seemed to breathe at once as much of the tension dissipated in an instant.

Zeke's eyes locked onto the queen.

“Do not think I missed your actions, Your Majesty,” he said just as coldly. “I am well aware that this is your doing.”

The queen didn't say a word, but the expression on her face had grown far more relaxed. She was clearly more than a little satisfied with these concessions.

Zeke turned to the crowd next.

“As for the lot of you,” he said in a voice so loud that the people closest to him flinched, “why am I still not seeing any hands? Could it be that you still do not consider my brother worthy?”

There was a moment of awkward silence.

Then, an old woman standing at the very front slowly raised her hand.

The old woman's arm trembled as she held it aloft.

Then she lowered herself to her knees.

A man beside her raised his hand next. Another followed. Soon, dozens of arms had risen throughout the plaza.

Some of the people knelt. Others bowed their heads. Parents pulled their children down beside them, while those farther back followed as the movement spread through the crowd.

In mere moments, the entire plaza had fallen to its knees.

Leo felt completely overwhelmed. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do.

Just then, the queen's voice resounded across the plaza.

“All hail Leo von Hohenheim, Guardian of the North!”