Theresa stared at the unfamiliar name revealed by her investigation, twirling a lock of her hair thoughtfully.
Suo?
What a strange name…
And yet…
Is he the one who single-handedly quelled the potential crisis among Kazdel's lower classes?
Studying Suo's detailed profile, a quiet thought crossed Theresa's mind.
From the looks of things, there was probably no need to worry further about Kazdel's lower-class populace. The Index had handled the matter exceptionally well.
This meant she'd have more time to help Theresis with his affairs, or perhaps even prepare for the potential conflicts still lurking on the horizon.
All this was thanks to the intervention of the Index's mysterious leader.
Of course, Theresa knew of the Index, though until now, this organization had never made such waves in the City.
After a brief consideration, Theresa decided it might be worth meeting their leader…
That Suo fellow.
With this thought, Theresa raised her head resolutely.
She had ways of locating the leader of the Index in Kazdel—and finding out more about him.
Having made up her mind, Theresa finalized her next move.
Time remained tight… but not too tight to handle this matter with the freshly emerged "Index."
This organization, self-proclaimed as originating from the City, had sprung up almost overnight…
Theresa's curiosity had been thoroughly piqued.
"Well then…" Theresa murmured to herself. "Time to meet this Suo character, and see just what kind of person he really is."
---
While Theresa was heading to manage the slums, Theresis naturally hadn't been idle either.
In truth, the real challenges awaiting Theresis weren't much different from those he initially anticipated.
The opposition from the Ten Kings' Court.
Though complaints from the lower populace had indeed been troublesome, in terms of risk, they were still within a manageable range. Even if things escalated, Theresa had confidently assured she could handle them.
However, if the stage shifted to the upper echelons, the scenario would become vastly more complicated.
The Ten Kings' Court introduced far too many variables to their plans.
This was especially troublesome when many of those Lords openly opposed the peace negotiations. Navigating through that would be difficult.
It would also reveal ambitions too early, potentially causing more complications down the line.
Theresis understood clearly that more than half of the Ten Kings' who chose to follow him during the civil war did so not because they genuinely supported his ideals, but rather because some of their views overlapped with his, especially compared to the radical faction.
Duq'arael was a prime example. While ostensibly standing with Theresis, their ideals differed significantly.
And these differences were enough to give Theresis a constant headache.
But this time, Theresis sensed something had shifted from what he'd anticipated… something subtly different.
The first letter he received came from Duq'arael. Theresis sighed deeply, steeling himself mentally before opening it.
He already anticipated the likely content—a rebuke from his ally, angered by the sense of betrayal.
Theresis knew that, based on Duq'arael's original stance, it would be nearly impossible for him to accept the new reality of joint governance. Such a scenario wasn't part of Duq'arael's envisioned future.
Yet, when Theresis actually began to read the letter, he was stunned.
Wait… is this really from Duq'arael, the Bloodfiend Lord himself?
Theresis scanned the letter, astonished at its conciliatory tone.
Within it, Duq'arael neither reproached Theresis's "betrayal" nor expressed any strong stance against the peace agreement. Instead, he calmly declared his willingness to step back and observe the twin rulers' attempt at cooperation.
If things went wrong, Duq'arael assured that he would reclaim Kazdel in his own way and continue guiding it forward.
It was astonishingly peaceful… was this truly Duq'arael?
At that moment, Theresis's mind raced with suspicion. He quickly grabbed several other letters nearby—letters from other Ten Kings' Court who he'd previously expected to oppose, or at least doubt, the peace talks.
Yet, as he read through them, Theresis discovered their attitudes unexpectedly aligned.
Each one expressed willingness to allow Theresa and Theresis room to experiment with their joint governance. If the twins so ardently desired peace, then they should have a chance to prove themselves—perhaps the Sarkaz would indeed prosper.
A few even stated openly: they were merely following Duq'arael's lead. Because he extended trust first, they chose to do the same.
After absorbing all this, Theresis exhaled deeply and sank back into his chair.
It was resolved.
This meant the crisis had effectively been resolved.
Like a snowball effect—it began with the toughest, most troublesome figure, Duq'arael, easing his stance. Then, other Kings' followed suit. Eventually, seeing the broader consensus forming, the remaining Lords decided to graciously step back as well, giving Theresis ample room to maneuver within Kazdel.
Throughout this process, one persistent question lingered in Theresis's mind, filling him with uncertainty.
Duq'arael… what exactly caused you to change your mind?
Staring at Duq'arael's letter before him, Theresis murmured softly. But soon, he shook off the thoughts and stood.
Since the issues requiring his direct attention had unexpectedly resolved themselves…
It was now time to meet with Theresa, and finally confront the real challenge ahead.
With that, Theresis stepped forward and departed without hesitation.
---
A little earlier, on Duq'arael's side—
Duq'arael raised his head, watching the scene of the twin rulers announcing peace. Silence enveloped him, as anger seemed to quietly surge within…
"Hey, Duq'arael!"
At that very moment, Don Quixote's voice suddenly cut through, breaking Duq'arael's train of thought.