Hate me, Miss Witch!

"Lord Cain, is this where we should put it?"

A respectful voice came from outside the door.

Shiayar pushed the door open and saw a line of knights arrayed neatly outside his house.

Behind them, tall warhorses bore box after box of meticulously arranged jewels, gold, and silver.

The knight leading them looked handsome and resolute, exuding an aura as refreshing as a spring breeze.

But at this moment, as he looked at Shiayar, his eyes held an indescribable complexity, even making his gleaming silver knight's armor seem somewhat dim and lusterless.

"You've troubled yourselves, Lord Gawain, and everyone else," Shiayar said, a faint smile on his lips as he pointed at the floor before him. "Just put it here."

He was now fully embodying a carefully crafted persona, every sentence he uttered expressing deep concern for the country and its people. His main role was to be the 'Jack Sue' counterpart to a 'Mary Sue.'

CLINK, CLINK...

Cases of money and jewels were carried into Shiayar's room.

There were at least a dozen large boxes, each filled to the brim.

Observing the piled-up mountain of gold and silver, Shiayar couldn't help but whistle. "The King is truly generous," he remarked, "to award me with so much. It's nearly emptied out the treasury.

"Please relay a message to the King for me...

"He treats me as a servant of the state, and I shall repay him as such."

However, facing Shiayar's words, the handsome knight leading them still looked deeply conflicted.

He waved his hand, signaling the other knights to depart, and then he closed the room door.

After doing all this, the leading knight looked at Shiayar's face—or more precisely, at the whirlpool mask covering it—and spoke in a heavy tone, "Stop pretending, Cain."

This sentence made Shiayar pause. He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the handsome knight before him.

Sun Knight, Gawain. Under the Knight King, he was one of the few Great Knights, aside from myself, who bore great renown. A Titled Rank powerful pro known as the "Sun Knight." Also, one of the future Knights of the Round Table. A legendary figure, destined to be written about in future history books. Did he see through this meticulously crafted persona of mine?

Shiayar didn't think he had revealed any flaws, but he knew Gawain was the sort who had more brawn than brain, operating largely on Intuition and reckless impulse. Otherwise, he wouldn't have earned the nickname "Gorilla." With Intuition like that, one doesn't need logic or reason to harbor suspicions.

Thinking this, three Silver Moons quietly emerged in the pitch-black eyes behind Shiayar's whirlpool mask.

Although his opponent was 6-Ring, his Illusion Technique had always been the bane of brutes.

The next moment, Shiayar saw Gawain take a step forward.

"Although the King kept us in the dark and only issued the order to break out separately," Gawain began, his voice somber, a shadow clouding his usually sunny demeanor, "I saw the fleeting sorrow in his eyes when he mentioned you. Cain, you're not planning to stay behind alone to cover our retreat, are you?"

For a moment... I truly believed that you, this big Gorilla, had seen through my disguise.

Shiayar glanced at the conflicted Gawain before him and spoke indifferently, "The King keeps secrets to avoid worrying you all.

"But I didn't expect you to figure it out.

"Remember not to disclose it to anyone else. If it leads to the wavering of the soldiers' morale, you know what the consequences would be."

"Of course!" Gawain's expression turned impassioned. "I may not be a match for you, Cain, or the King in terms of cunning and prudence, but I am no fool.

"I fully understand the profound implications of your concealing this matter!"

No, no, no, you're just a blockhead.

Shiayar controlled the urge to retort and spoke softly, "As long as you understand.

"Even though you, Lord Gawain, joined the Alliance Forces later than others, neither I nor the King have ever doubted your loyalty."

As he said this, he turned and surveyed the boxes overflowing with gold, silver, and jewels.

A muffled laugh drifted from behind the whirlpool mask. "There's no need for you to feel sad for me, Lord Gawain.

"Taking someone's money to avert their disaster is simply the natural order of things.

"The King has given me such a generous reward; hence, it is only right that I should give something in return."

"You..." Gawain opened his mouth, but his voice felt incredibly dry and stiff.

"Given your and Daybreak's standing in the hearts of the Alliance Forces and the common people, and the King's high regard for you...

"Once the realm is unified and a new kingdom established, you would be second only to one, above tens of thousands.

"Compared to that, what does this paltry sum of wealth amount to now? It's nothing more than a drop in the ocean..."

Gawain's words halted mid-sentence, unable to continue.

To put it plainly, most lords and nobles chose to follow the Knight King as an investment. If the Knight King truly managed to unify all of Escarnia, they would become foundational pillars of the new reign. And the most prominent of these foundational pillars would be Cain, who stood out in the Alliance Forces for the King's evident favor... Yet, at this moment, Cain was voluntarily giving up his own brilliant future to secure a greater chance of victory and survival for others.

"Yes..." Shiayar's voice remained steady.

"Everyone wants to be a foundational pillar of the new reign.

"They all imagine that after victory, they will be rewarded with lands and titles, and receive a hundredfold return.

"But in these chaotic times, if one seeks reform, if one seeks victory, how can there not be a price to pay?"