12. What's wrong? What's right?

Kaito looked at Ryota's contemplative and conflicted expression. "What's the matter? If you want to say something, just say it."

Ryota hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and speaking. "Your subordinates were in the wrong, and so was your wife, for betraying you. But did you even for a moment think about the complete result of your actions? Like what would have happened if you were successful in saving the hundred men? What would the King have done when he found out? Wouldn't he just have captured another hundred people? What if he found out that you were responsible for all of this? What would he have done to you, your loyal subordinates, or your family? Wouldn't your family have suffered for your choices? Were you ready to choose the hundred men whom you didn't even know over your family?"

Kaito's eyes narrowed slightly as he processed Ryota's words. He was silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on some distant point, as if weighing the questions in his mind.

"Of course, I thought about those things," Kaito said quietly, his voice strained with the weight of past decisions. "Every night, I lay awake, tormented by those questions. I knew the risks. I knew that my actions could lead to severe consequences, not just for me, but for those I cared about."

He looked directly at Ryota, his expression hardening with resolve. "But sometimes, Ryota, you have to make a stand, even if it means putting everything on the line. Those hundred men may have been strangers to me, but they were innocent lives. I couldn't just stand by and let them be slaughtered for the amusement of a Celestial Dragon. I couldn't live with myself if I did nothing."

Kaito's voice grew stronger, fueled by his conviction. "The King, the Marines, even my own family—everyone played a part in this cruel game. And I chose to be the one to stand against it, even if it meant being branded a traitor. My subordinates and wife... they chose the easier path, the safer path. But safety at the cost of one's humanity is no safety at all."

Ryota frowned, still conflicted. "But what about your family? What if they suffered because of your decision?"

Kaito's face softened slightly, a flicker of sadness in his eyes. "My family... my wife, my three kids—I loved them dearly. And I did consider their safety. But I believed, perhaps naively, that she would understand my decision, that she would see the same righteousness in it that I did. Moreover, I thought that the King wouldn't do anything to them. Huuuu... now looking back at my thinking... I do seem a bit naive."

He sighed deeply, the weight of his regrets evident. "Still In the end, my wife chose the King over me. Maybe she was right to do so. Maybe she saw the bigger picture, the consequences I was too stubborn or too righteous to see. But at that moment, all I saw were the innocent lives that needed saving, and I couldn't ignore that."

Ryota nodded slowly, still not understanding Kaito's perspective any better. "It's just... I don't know if I could have made the same choice. It seems like a no-win situation."

Kaito smiled faintly, a tired, bittersweet smile. "That's the nature of difficult choices, Ryota. There often is no clear right or wrong, only what we can live with. I chose to act, knowing it could cost me everything. And it did. But I'd rather be here, knowing I tried to do the right thing, than living a life of safety built on the blood of innocents."

Ryota was silent, absorbing Kaito's words. He realized that, despite the tragic outcome, there was a certain nobility in Kaito's choice. It wasn't just about the lives of the hundred men; it was about standing up for what he believed was right, even when the cost was unbearably high.

Kaito looked at Ryota, a new intensity in his gaze. "Ryota, remember this: every action has consequences, and sometimes those consequences are beyond our control. But the choices we make define who we are. Stand by your convictions, even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard. Because in the end, it's our choices that make us who we are."

'Although I could understand staking everything for one's belief, I still couldn't wrap my head around how one would choose strangers over their own family. It's not that I'm a cold-blooded monster who doesn't care about the lives of innocent people. I do. I truly do. But why would I risk the lives of my loved ones over them?'

'Maybe I haven't experienced enough like the General has, or maybe I'm still too immature to grasp the full picture, but one thing I know for certain is that no matter what, I wouldn't even entertain the thought of sacrificing my loved ones for the sake of the lives of hundreds of people. How could I? They are my everything, my reason for fighting, for living. How could I justify putting them in harm's way for the sake of people I don't even know?'

Kaito mentioned how his wife chose the King over him, and how he believed, naively perhaps, that she would understand his decision. That part struck a chord with Ryota.

'Would my loved ones understand if I made such a choice? Would they forgive me? Or would they see me as a fool, someone who put them in danger for the sake of a moral stance? But first of all...would I forgive myself for doing so?'

'The more I think about it, the more I realize that my perspective is fundamentally different from Kaito's. To me, the safety and well-being of my family would always come first. I couldn't fathom making a choice that would put them at risk, no matter how noble the cause might be. It wasn't a matter of right or wrong, but of what I could live with. And I knew I couldn't live with myself if I sacrificed my family for others.'

So, Ryota kept quiet and didn't reply to Kaito. The thoughts whirled inside his head, a storm of conflicting emotions and beliefs. He respected Kaito for his choices, but he couldn't follow Kaito's path. His loyalty was to his loved ones, and he would protect them at all costs, even if it meant turning a blind eye to the suffering of others.

Maybe that made Ryota selfish, but that was the truth and he had to accept it.

"And what about? What's your story?" Kaito asked breaking the line of Ryota's thoughts.

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