Making The Choice

"Th'hell you talkin' 'bout?" Upon hearing Rex's request, Hornet immediately argued. "Y'can't just ask 'im to give up the commission–"

"Five hundred million rons. In equivalent."

Rain choked. Was that what she was offering in exchange for accepting her request? That was an insane amount of money. It was even higher than the value he and Snow estimated the stone would fetch.

"Part of it is the price of the stone, and the other will be for the Binding Tokens. I'll pay for it both as compensation."

Everybody, even Hornet, was stunned by the offer. If Rain's limited knowledge of finances could be trusted, that kind of money was enough to buy and develop an entire island with a staggering amount of change to spare. It was such that probably not even Snow would know what to spend it on.

"I-Isn't that unreasonable?"

"It's the price for my people's lives. Nothing is unreasonable."

There was an intense, almost threatening conviction behind her words. Rain felt she would not hesitate to raise the price if it meant getting her way. But besides that, he was also shocked by something else.

He never thought Rex would care so much. Wasn't she called the Tyrant of the North? The way the lord of the manor shook in fear in her presence and the scene of her stabbing a soldier who couldn't think straight seemed to prove this. However, the way she practically begged Rain for the sake of her people, despite having only been part of her empire for a short while and even offering an insane amount of money in exchange, went completely against that.

But on the other hand, there was somebody there who just didn't care.

"You can't just use th'man's emotions like that," Hornet protested. "That's unfair and low, even for you."

"Oh, shut up!"

"Client. Are 'ya seriously considering her offer?"

Suddenly being called formally by Hornet, of all people, caused Rain to jump slightly. She had an indignant look on her face, with sharp eyes uncharacteristic of one who drank alcohol without pause.

Faced with that kind of intensity, he unconsciously bowed his head. And after giving it some thought, he eventually nodded his head.

There was no reason not to, he thought. He didn't know why Hornet seemed so adamant about the commission's continuation, but he could understand why Rex wanted the opposite. And since that would also fulfill Snow's wishes, how could he not?

It was a choice between an entire village's worth of lives and his friend's dreams of a happy future against his, which only had at most two beneficiaries. Of course, he hasn't settled on an answer yet. But it was only a matter of time at that point.

In response, Rex sent him an appreciative smile. On the other hand, Hornet scratched her head with the most frustrated expression Rain had seen someone have.

"Ah! Whatever! Stain is such a damned moron! Hypocrite!"

Hornet shouted and stormed out of the door, leaving the dishes she was supposed to clean on the kitchen counter.

********************

"It's time, I think. Client. Have you decided on what to do?"

A few hours later, Stain again gathered the group at the lobby. However, Hornet was missing, and nobody could find her within the vicinity. Stain assured them that it was fine. Though Hornet was reckless and imprudent, she did have some measure of self-control, according to him.

All eyes went to Rain and Snow. The village lord and his knight looked particularly nervous. Perhaps they had become aware that the two had the power to decide their fate, regardless of their status. So despite being nobles, they kept their mouths shut and awaited an answer.

Under an immense amount of pressure, Rain felt his throat dry up. He repeatedly tried swallowing but couldn't even get saliva to form in his mouth. He turned to Snow at the same time as she looked toward him. There was fear in her eyes. Her gaze pleaded with him.

The girl was greedy. In all likelihood, she was at fault for getting them cursed, anyway. If it wasn't for that traveler who informed him of it, he would have spent his life aimlessly looking for a cure without any results. But now that it was within reach, he found it would slip through his fingers again.

But that wasn't why Snow looked afraid. She was at least self-aware enough to know that her life was being weighed against an entire village's. And despite being put on the pedestal, she also knew that it would be Rain's decision and his alone in the end.

"Come on, Rain. Please."

She held him to calm herself more than anything. Rain felt the coldness of her skin and the trembling of her hands. It made him smile. Even an avaricious woman like her knew how to give.

"Yeah. I've decided."

It shouldn't have been a debate in the first place.

"Please," he faced Stain and raised his chest. "Save the village."

The hero's eyes widened slightly. His crossed arms jerked. Even his mouth opened slightly. Was he in shock? Or was it some other emotion that rocked his physical stature? Regardless, after a short moment, he blinked meaningfully and sighed.

"Understood. I'll get Hornet. Rex?"

He called out to her, and she responded with a nod. Stain led the elated lord and the knight away. After they were gone, Rex pulled the two into the receiving room. She dismissed the two servants there so they could have some privacy.

"I'm grateful," she said. "You have nothing to do with these people, yet you decided to save their lives instead. That's quite brave… especially since both of you are cursed to die, right?"

"Ah–"

How did she know? He didn't recall telling anybody that, not even Hornet when he was drunk. It should have been information limited only to them. They had kept it a secret, fearing they would be rejected at the door. After all, an incurable curse could only be given by a god, as Rain eventually learned. Fighting against it is taboo.

"That's fine. The gods suck, anyway," she fearlessly declared. "Anyway. You're right. The Purging Stone will definitely work against your curse. Not even the gods can hide the light of a man's earnest wishes, after all. Be happy to know that you didn't waste your time. The problem is that the stone takes something from the user that's equally important. But that's a story for another time."

"Now, as promised, I shall pay you an equivalent of five hundred million rons in exchange for saving this village."

He heard Snow choke hard behind him, not from sickness or anything, but from shock. Definitely from shock. Like him, she must have thought it was an absurd amount of money. Though she might love money more than any regular person, five hundred million was unimaginable. It was difficult to even consider somebody having that much money, even if she was the monarch of the most powerful empire in the continent, much less being able to give that away. Sure enough, Snow squeezed a few words out of her mouth and asked, "Really? Not like… five million?"

"A deal is a deal," Rex nodded. "Twenty million for the stone, and the rest is for the Binding Tokens that will be consumed to save this village."

What the hell? Those coins are worth almost as much as a legendary artifact each? So they had spent over ten million to eliminate a horde of corroded the other day?"

"However, we'll talk about the payment after this event. Once again, thank you. This country owes a debt of gratitude towards you both."

After saying that, Rex left the room.

There was a newfound excitement in the room, particularly from Snow, whose eyes sparkled with intense yearning.

She shouted for joy and spun around, regardless of the expensive and fragile carpet damaged by her actions. After a while, she ran up to him, held his hand with a wide grin, and exclaimed, "We did it, Rain! We're going to be rich!"

Rain, however, couldn't find it in himself to enjoy that "victory." Though he did make a decision, it was one that he wished he never had to make in the first place.

"Oh, come one. Don't tell me you regret it."

"I don't. It's just that…."

"Just what?"

Snow raised her arms and cupped his face with her hands. She stared directly into his eyes with a meaningful expression and said,

"You did the right thing. Surely, our lives aren't the same as all of these people's, right?"

He couldn't respond. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wanted to retort. If anything, without Rex's offer, he would have still been unable to make a decision. Of course, there was also the matter of his own life, but the progression of the curse for him was remarkably much slower. He would more likely die from natural causes than succumb to it. He was definitely going to outlive her.

That was the painful part.