The voice came out lower than usual, as if the man in front of him wanted only the boy to hear it. His hand faltered upon hearing the name. He swallowed dryly. He simply nodded. The man passed by him with an unsteady body. The soldiers looked at Gyne with furrowed brows, waiting for him to act.
When his feet touched the snow of the streets, he looked down at the ground for long seconds. His hair fell over his shoulders, shielding his face. He gripped the sword, which was gradually freezing. Then, with his heart beating fast, he raised his head and said:
"F-follow me, men."
And at the tone of his voice, they laughed, but followed him, prepared. The general hid his face under the shadows of his hat as he looked toward the inside of the castle.
Then he murmured:
"Hold on a little longer..."
As he crossed the walls, behind Rito, soldiers prepared their weapons, helicopters landed on the ground with their guns aimed at the boy. The leader raised his hand and the men lowered their weapons.
He walked up to the boy. Their eyes met, the cold lingering between them. His hand, covered by gloves, hesitated to touch the boy's shoulder, but ended up lowering it.
"Where is your queen, child?"
"My... my sister? She is unable to attend to you. So... just say what you want."
"If that is what you wish, then so it shall be. I will give you an offer, give me the military equipment, provide me with your soldiers, and allow us to occupy this kingdom, temporarily."
"..."
The boy lowered his gaze, feeling his chest grow heavy along with his shoulders. Even so, he looked back at him, straight into his eyes.
"What will my people gain from this?"
"What will they gain? Well, they will not fight against the demons, unable to have magic or strength to face evil. Perhaps they should simply be grateful for being safe."
"... No."
"Why?"
"They will not only be at your mercy, as you say, but they will live in fear. There are families waiting for the men by my side, who need to protect them."
Rito's gaze grew darker, his chin lifting as he stepped closer to the boy. His voice becoming louder and deeper.
"So you would rather condemn all of humanity than send your men to battle? You will do nothing, boy, you may stay watching from afar, seeing them honor your country, safe, while I will fight for all."
"Then allow me to fight by your side, not steal what belongs to the kingdom, but unite our forces to face the most dangerous Inférius."
Rito widened his eyes upon hearing the boy. He looked away for long seconds, without answers, only the wind howling, before murmuring:
"... As if you were capable..."
Then he looked back at him with more seriousness.
"This is not something a child should do, this is for adults. Now go and call your sister."
"... Be quiet, Rito."
The man in dark clothing stepped beside the boy. He placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a brief smile before turning his head toward the leader.
"We will not hand over our land for you to do as you please with our kingdom. You will do nothing good with them. So, as general, I politely ask you to leave before we have to use our strength."
Rito remained silent for long seconds. He observed the cloudy sky, walked toward his troops, glancing at them over his shoulder.
"If you do not wish to allow me to save this kingdom from its end..."
"You will be condemning them to death by your fault..."
Gyne clenched his fists at his words. The general took position.
Then he pointed his finger at them.
"Fire."