Chapter 986: Alternate Timeline: Black Citadel (2)

"I no longer possess the heart to forgive you."

"I truly hope you remain imprisoned here for atleast sixty or seventy years. So neither Mother nor I will have to see your face again before we die."

The silence afterward felt suffocating.

Then Arceus finally stepped back.

"I said everything I needed to say. It is time for me to leave."

He turned around immediately without waiting for a reply.

"Let’s go home," he said quietly toward Kiara.

Kiara looked at Wester for a brief moment.

The once powerful noble now looked like a hollow shell sitting behind iron bars beneath flickering torchlight.

Then she looked back at Arceus.

"You go wait in the vehicle," she said calmly. "Zion and the others will accompany you. I want to speak with him alone for a while."

Afterward, she glanced toward Magnus. "Would Your Highness mind giving us privacy?"

Magnus nodded without hesitation.

Soon, everyone except Kiara and Noah left the area.

The sound of footsteps gradually faded deeper into the corridor until only silence remained.

Wester blankly stared at Kiara.

After hearing his daughter speak like that, his heart already felt torn apart beyond repair.

And now...

Only his enemy remained.

Yet strangely, he no longer feared insults.

He simply felt tired.

Very tired.

Still sitting on the cold stone floor, Wester slowly spoke.

"I know I do not deserve forgiveness."

"Not from Arceus."

"Not from anyone."

He lowered his gaze.

"But before everything ends... I want to ask you one thing."

His voice sounded soft.

Not angry.

Not proud.

Just exhausted.

"Let us put aside our hatred for a moment and speak honestly. Please spare me a few minutes."

Kiara originally thought Wester had finally begun repenting.

But now...

It sounded more like the man still believed he had reasons behind his actions.

Still, this would likely be their final meeting.

So after a short silence, Kiara nodded once.

"Talk."

Wester slowly leaned his head back against the wall.

The chains scraped lightly against stone.

Then he began speaking quietly.

"You were a commoner from the countryside and resided in the poor man’s business district of Carlot. A woman with no wealth, background, or even etiquette. On the other hand, I was the Lord of House Silver, a noble family with over 1900 years of history. I was the minister of Public Works, in a way, a relative of the Imperial Family, too. And you challenged my authority openly."

"Was it wrong for me to become angry?"

He slowly raised his eyes.

"You destroyed my home."

"You left me in a deep state of sleep."

"Was it wrong for me to challenge you during the public trial?"

Another pause followed.

"You had my son escape and kept my son in your home."

"You caused the marriage alliance with House Drake to collapse."

"Was it wrong for me to hate you?"

His breathing became heavier.

"Yes, I wanted to kill Arceus because his existence no longer served me any purpose, while his death can protect my family’s name."

"You killed my men and saved him."

"You brought him into your home."

"Then you publicly announced your engagement."

"Was it wrong for me to believe you were using him to humiliate me?"

Finally, Wester looked directly at Kiara.

"If these things happened to you..."

"Would you truly not seek revenge?"

Usually, Wester Silver would have shouted such words with arrogance and fury.

But not now.

Now his voice resembled someone desperately searching for understanding.

Kiara quietly observed him for several moments.

Then she slowly raised one hand.

"I am no saint, Wester. There are many sins on these hands. And there will be many sins these hands will commit in the near future, too."

Her gaze became distant briefly.

"You might not believe it when I say this, but this head of mine is indirectly responsible for millions of innocent deaths."

Even Magnus would have been shocked hearing such words.

And Noah stared at her with sadness. As the Android who had access to Kiara’s memories, he saw Kiara’s depression phase from the Eurasian Wars. Noah felt sad, seeing the sad Kiara from her past life.

Meanwhile, Kiara continued calmly.

"You are not the first person to hate me. And certainly not the last."

"So no."

"Your emotions were never the real issue. Hatred itself is natural."

A faint cold smile appeared on her lips.

"Humans are emotional creatures. You cannot completely control emotions. But actions..."

Her eyes sharpened.

"Actions are different. You control those, Wester Silver."

The underground air felt heavier.

"You were the head of House Silver."

"A minister of the Empire."

"A husband."

"A father."

"When someone possesses so much, they should also understand the consequences of their choices."

Kiara folded her arms slowly.

"Tell me something."

"Was this the first time you ever felt frustrated in life?"

"You must have disagreed with Emperor Alexander before."

"With your grandfather."

"With your House Elders."

"Yet did you openly fight them like you fought me?"

Wester slowly lowered his head.

Kiara answered for him.

"No."

"Because you knew they could ruin your life."

Then she pointed lightly toward herself.

"But I was different."

"I possessed no noble authority."

"No clan backing."

"No inherited status."

A sharpness entered her voice.

"You hated the fact that a mere commoner... a mere woman from the countryside... dared to challenge your pride. That was the true root of everything."

"So what if that commoner possessed weapons?"

"So what if she became the Cerberus Slayer?"

"You simply believed that as long as someone stronger appeared behind you, the commoner could eventually be crushed and painted as evil. Because it is a commoner, and didn’t carry the blood of a noble."

"Was that not your thinking?"

Wester’s fingers slowly curled inward.

Because every word struck directly where it hurt.

Kiara continued calmly.

"The real problem begins with the system itself."

"People like you inherit power from birth."

"So eventually you stop understanding the value of that power."

Her gaze became colder.

"I truly do not understand nobles."

"You do not possess three eyes."

"You do not possess wings."

"Yet many of you behave as though heaven itself carved your names into the sky."

She slowly shook her head.

"Your ancestors were once commoners, too."

"Farmers."

"Laborers."

"The same blood flows through everyone."

"And if the Empire collapses tomorrow, your descendants could easily become commoners again."

Wester silently listened.

Every sentence slowly shattered the pieces of pride he carried for decades.

Kiara then spoke more quietly.

"If you had looked at me without noble prejudice..."

"If you had set aside your pride and accepted me properly as your daughter-in-law..."

"Then House Silver would have gained a terrifying ally."

"You could have negotiated with any noble house, even with the Emperor himself."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"I do not wish to boast. But if I possess the power to kill an 8-star rank expert from the Church of Doom... Then eradicating a noble house of House Silver’s caliber is a walk in the park."

The torches flickered.

"So yes."

"You were not wrong for developing hatred. But you willingly chose the road leading toward hell while another road still remained open."

Kiara slowly exhaled.

"For some reason, I want to believe this incident changed you a littlle. That is why I bothered explaining all this."

"If you understand it, good."

"If not..."

"Then only the gods can help you."

Finally, she asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"

Originally, Kiara came intending to mock Wester for focusing on distant enemies while ignoring the traitors standing beside him inside House Silver itself.

But somehow...

The conversation transformed into something entirely different.

Meanwhile, Wester fell into deep silence.

He genuinely pondered over every word.

And eventually...

Understanding finally surfaced.

A tired sigh escaped his lips in the end. "You are right. I had many chances to end this hatred. But I refused every single one."

He slowly closed his eyes.

"Perhaps my hatred toward you was born from envy."

The confession sounded bitter.

"You were a commoner from some forgotten place. You are only twenty years old with nothing. Yet you possess weapons capable of overturning the very existence of Spirit Warriors. You awakened the rare summoner path. You killed Cerberus."

His lips trembled slightly.

"And if I think honestly... Perhaps I hated the fact that heaven blessed you with things I never possessed."

Another sigh escaped him.

"I suppose Elder Oswin was right, and you were right too."

"In the end..."

"I am only facing the consequences of my own actions."

[Ding!]