Ignatius' Struggle

Ignatius spoke with a gloomy voice

"Don't use vague terms, you want to kill her, right?"

When Blake heard that, his demeanor changed ever so slightly.

Sebastian didn't notice, but Ignatius perceived the change.

His tone didn't change, but he spoke more openly

"Ideally, yes."

Then he elaborated

"Rejecting her request will raise suspicion, it might even make her rebel and leave the Duchy on her own, which would put us in a very bad situation, Your Grace"

Ignatius sighed

" ... Is there no other option?"

"No, Your Grace" Curtly replied Blake

"To guarantee maintaining the status quo and to ensure stability, it must be done."

Ignatius didn't reply, so Blake asked

"Do I have your permission, Your Grace?"

Ignatius replied absentmindedly

"I'll do it myself"

Blake replied instantly

"When, Your Grace?"

Ignatius gritted his teeth

'Cunning bastard ... wouldn't even give me the chance to delay it'

He clenched his fist and replied

"Today"

After hearing that, Blake stood up

"That settles it, Your Grace, excuse me"

He looked at Sebastian and said

"Thanks for the coffee"

Then he turned around and quickly left the office.

After Blake left, Ignatius and Sebastian didn't talk for a while.

Only silence ensued in a gloomy atmosphere

Ignatius broke the long silence by saying

"I don't want to kill my people"

Sebastian sighed and poured himself a drink

"I think it was inevitable; We were bound to have to kill someone since the moment we decided to keep Leus a secret from the Capital."

Ignatius replied, suppressing his anger

"That wasn't the plan, we only wanted to keep him a secret for a couple of years.

Just until he reached Elite, then I'd introduce him as a Librarian or whatever."

He looked in the distance and said

"Nothing of this sort was supposed to happen."

Sebastian didn't find any counter-argument, so he tried to comfort him

"Sometimes things go south, it can't be helped"

Ignatius leaned back on his chair and took a deep breath

"Ahhh man, I didn't want any of this, CURSE YOU ARNO"

Sebastian couldn't help but bitterly smile

'Igno really is suffering'

If Sebastian would talk about Ignatius, then he'd describe him as a friendly and indecisive person.

Since they were young, Ignatius has been irresolute, that's why Arno has always been the leader of their small group.

However, Arno had his own problems.

Whenever they faced a difficult situation, Ignatius wouldn't know what to do, so he'd try to delay deciding on the matter as long as possible, hoping that things would get solved or at least get better on their own, eventually.

Arno on the other hand would come up with an instant solution, however, his solutions were often radical and extreme; The end justifies the means.

That's where Sebastian's personality came into play.

Sebastian would use his calm and logical thinking to try to reduce the severity of Arno's decisions.

He wasn't as smart as Arno, so he couldn't come up with effective solutions like him, but he'd at least try to make Arno's methods as ethical as possible.

Because of his indecisive nature, Ignatius initially refused to become a Duke.

But after Arno reached A-Tier and became qualified to be a Librarian, both Sebastian and Arno convinced him to be a Duke by saying that they would always help him make decisions.

In the first few decades, Arno basically did the job of both the Librarian and the Duke, and he also managed to raise many successful people and appoint them as floor leaders.

However, later, things got difficult; Jerald The First was suddenly replaced by Jerald The Second, and the Kingdom's ideals changed drastically.

When that happened, Arno asked Sebastian to leave his position as the leader of the Crimson Guards and become Ignatius' butler, so he could focus better on their new, shared goal.

So now, Arno is focusing solely on the goal, while Ignatius, Sebastian, and Blake, along with many more floor leaders, govern things.

However, Arno's influence never diminished, not even a bit.

Regardless of all that they've been through, their personalities never changed.

Arno was the same radical extremist leader.

Ignatius remained indecisive and friendly.

And Sebastian was as always, logical and composed.

And inherently, the three of them share a goal.

They indeed had different dreams and methods;

- Arno's original dream was an ambitious one:

To reach the King Realm.

He wasn't interested in ruling as much as he was interested in creating a perfect society -From his point of view- and running countless, crazy experiments.

Sadly, he had to give up on that long ago. As he aged, he realized that it was impossible for him to reach it.

He is still very bitter about it, but he didn't entirely give up just yet.

It's just that instead of trying to become a King, he now tries to do research and acquire as much knowledge as possible, hoping that his work will eventually help Ignatius reach Kinghood, or at the very least, increase his assets.

His method is: The end justifies the means.

- Ignatius' dream is a forlorn one:

Things should miraculously go back to what it was; Arno should evolve to become the strongest among the three and take responsibility for everything along with Sebas, and he should be able to happily follow his friends' decisions like the good old days.

His method is: Nonexistent, he just wants to follow his trusted friends.

- Sebastian's Dream is a ludicrous one:

He wants to achieve his goals as ethically as possible.

He dreams that the three of them can achieve the goal they're working on right now without shedding a lot of blood.

Naturally, as time passed and as he got to know the reality of the world, his definition of what's ethical and what's not has changed, A LOT.

Still, he hopes to avoid killing if possible, but he no longer has a problem with it.

His method is: Lightening Arno's decisions. 

But their dreams and hopes are only a second priority to them.

Right now, the three have a lofty goal, and they are really loyal to the cause.

Ultimately, everything they are doing is for the big picture.

Sadly,

"No goal can be achieved without sacrifice." Sebastian said, trying to ease Ignatius' pain

" ... But to this extent? To kill our own people with our own hands? To betray the people who trust us? It's just not fair ..."

Sebastian put his hand on Ignatius' shoulder

"The world is inherently unfair, my friend. That's the bitter truth that we can't escape. I don't like it either, but Blake is right..."

Ignatius didn't reply, so Sebas added

"When aiming for big dreams, sometimes achieving them means innocent people pay the price."

Ignatius asked in a gloomy voice

"Is it our destiny to wield the blade of sacrifice, Sebastian?"

Sebas sighed

"It's the price of leadership; As leaders, we have to bear the burden of making such decisions."

"But ... ! But how do we justify sacrificing innocents for the greater good? We are not gods!!"

Sebastian smiled wryly

"Idealism, my friend, often collides with the harsh walls of reality."

Ignatius already knew the reply, but he still asked, he sought solace in the answer.

"What do you think Arno would do?"

Sebastian replied without hesitation

"She'd be already dead"

" ... You're right"

Ignatius took a couple of minutes to mentally prepare himself for what was about to come.

Sebastian waited patiently for his orders

Finally, Ignatius spoke

"Fine, call her here"