147 Make Them All Understand

Reed wanted to complain, but he knew that he couldn't. He had asked for help and Lu'um had delivered as promised. Truth be told, he felt embarrassed that he had missed something that obvious from the outset?

"Why didn't I think of that? Even I could have done that. Did you follow my lead just so you could see me look like an idiot?" 

Lu'um shrugged her shoulders and said, "Are you sure about that? Which one of us deleted their list of contacts and disappeared off social media like a pariah when we left in exile? Because I'm pretty sure it wasn't me."

Ah... t-that's right, I did do that... Wait, what did she just say? She never deleted her list of contacts?!! 

Lu'um fiddled with her tome for a bit and a holographic screen popped out in front of Reed, as if to clear up his confusion. It was a stylish homepage for a social media account, to his horror — a Spacebook profile page. 

The profile page read, "Maia Evergreen, Coproprietor of Summer's Ambrosia, Baking Goddess of Cem-Elle and Two-time Award-winning Barista." 

Reed's eyes nearly popped out their sockets when he saw her profile page. He instantly recognized her profile picture... because he had been the one who took it. That charming picture of her outside of their bakery seemed a lot more painful to him now. 

Even now, he still remembered how long it had taken until Lu'um had finally been satisfied with that godforsaken picture... 

"...What? It's not like I kept my old profile up. I deleted it a long time ago and made a brand new one," said Lu'um with an innocent expression. In her eyes, she had done nothing wrong.

"What the hell's the matter with you?! We're supposed to be dead, woman! Dead people don't make alternate accounts on Spacebook! They! Stay! Dead!" said Reed. 

Lu'um sighed and said, "Do you see now, grandfather? ...Need I explain myself any further?" 

"I understand... but he's trying his hardest, so don't go too hard on him, okay? He's still got plenty of time to grow. It would be highly remiss to judge someone on their.. flaws," said Velvund. 

These bastards are the worst when they're together!! I always hated how they were always on the same wavelength...!

Reed rolled his eyes and said, "Can we get back to the main conversation at hand? Or should I leave the two of you to your nonsense and come back in a couple of hours?" 

"Don't be such a princess, Dear." 

"You're a fool, but you're our fool, my boy. You should know better than take anything we've said to heart. It's unbefitting of a sacred son of the Alf." 

"I'm not a prince anymore," Reed said, "Have you forgotten the part where I 'died,' gramps? Leon Goldentree is dead; I'm just a normal person, now. " 

Don't think for a second that you're out of the woods just because you've been dead for a couple of years and have taken up a new name. You're still an Avunian prince and will continue to be one for all perpetuity or until the end of time. Whichever comes first."

Reed suddenly felt a tinge of worry. He was beginning to suspect that this had been... orchestrated. There was something about the old man's tone that made him feel suspicious. 

Oh, god help me... This can't be happening. 

He wasn't a hundred percent sure, but he trusted his intuition. Lu'um and the old man definitely had something in the works that he didn't know about. 

"...You're up to something, aren't you? The both of you. I can smell the particular stench of evil a mile from the both of you a mile away."

Velvund awkwardly coughed when he heard Reed's accusation and kept quiet. It was painfully obvious that Reed had gotten them on the dot.

Lu'um, on the other hand, nestled herself into Reed's arms and said, "You're just imagining things, Dear. We would never plot something behind your back. Especially not because you'd dislike the idea and outright reject it. Nope, we'd never do that." 

Keep calm, Reed. Don't let her get to you. Stay cool, stay cool. If you get mad, they'll win. 

Reed took a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm himself down and said, "What have you done? What suffering have the two of you set upon me that I do not yet know?" 

Velvund summoned two documents out of thin air, handed it to Reed, and said, "...Welcome back to the land of the living, my boy. Consider it a... reunion gift of sorts." 

What Reed had been given were two reports detailing his mysterious disappearance during the Twilight War. Although they were full of embellished lies, that was not what caught Reed's eye when he read them. 

The final lines at the bottom were what had drawn his attention... and ire.

From the extensive evidence present on the scene and eyewitness testimony on the battlefield, we cannot, with a pure conscience, state that Leon Goldentree died. Hence, we request that the person in question be listed as... missing in action. 

From the extensive evidence present on the scene and eyewitness testimony on the battlefield, we cannot, with a pure conscience, state that Reed Evergreen died. Hence, we request that the person in question be listed as... missing in action. 

Reed ripped the reports up and said, "...W-Well played, gramps. I should have known that you would have pulled some kind of bullshit like this in the end. That bastard Haydn, too." 

Velvund stroked his beard and said, "Don't feel too bad about this, my boy. The fact that we granted your wish was a compromise in and of itself. Now the only thing that's left is to pull some strings and we'll have both of you back among the living in a gist." 

Lu'um calmly brushed the torn pieces of the reports off of her and said, "You said that you'd do anything to repair the wounds, right? The time has come for you to make good on what you said." 

You want me to make good on what I said? Oh, god... that's fucking rich coming from you, the literal queen of spiders, thought Reed as he struggled to keep his frustration in check.

Although Reed was furious that Lu'um had very clearly broken their promise about not keeping secrets, that wasn't what was really angering him at the moment.

What angered him the most was that he was so goddamn easy to fool.

Reed primarily blamed himself for being so goddamned gullible, but he also blamed his trusted friends and his beloved Lu'um, too.

Was it really that much fun keeping me out of the loop?

He was starting to think that he might have made a mistake in having nobles as friends... 

Once upon a time, he had thought that his friends were the exception to the rule that all noble were liars and schemers, but now... he was starting to grow accustomed to their bullshit.

Fine, if that's how the game they're going to play, then I'll break the game. 

I'll fucking break the chessboard and set it on fire, then we'll see they'll want to act this way again. 

Reed chuckled and said, "Fine. I'll take this loss with dignity and not make a fuss about what you've done." 

"That's good. I'm glad you haven't taken it to hear—" 

"But make no mistake, there will be a reckoning for this... betrayal of my trust. Do not think that this over, you two. It is far from over, I can assure you." 

The words that poured out of his mouth would have brought the room temperature down below freezing, if that they had Anima infused into them. There was a terrifying, emotionless ring to Reed's voice that remarkedly different from the way he spoke. 

To Lu'um, it actually sounded even worse than his voice when he was angry. She had even stopped breathing when she heard Reed's dispassionate words. 

"I am well aware that I am not as clever as the both of you when it comes to... scheming and lying but what I lack, I will assuredly make up with patience. I do not know when it will happen, but I can assure you that it will happen one day. 

You will ALL rue this day." 

To Reed, trust was worth more than all the gold, silver, and shiny jewels in the world. Reed felt that he was either not being truly respected or properly understood. It did not matter to him anymore, though...

If they, his beloved friends, did not understand this fundamental concept about him, he would MAKE THEM UNDERSTAND.

Perhaps not now, since he had more important matters to attend to, but in time he would make good on his word...