After eating, Kallen felt drowsy. She yawned and said to Rulu, "Hey, Rulu — are we staying here for the night, or are we heading back to meet up with the Suzaku Guard Captain?"
"I'm getting tired too," Rulu said. "It looks like there are sleeping areas here — let's just stay the night and head out when it gets light."
"What about what you said earlier, about gathering intelligence on Princess Meiyu? What do we do about that?"
"Well…" Rulu thought it over. "Princess Meiyu's subordinates appear to be quite formidable — there was even a goat-headed creature among them that could tamper with a person's mind. On top of that, we've already tipped them off that something's going on. Getting any useful intelligence out of them is going to be even harder now. It seems I'll have to change my original plan."
"Why don't we just drop the whole intelligence-gathering idea entirely," Kallen said, "and go straight to wherever it is and find what you're looking for? We don't have any real reason to help Euphemia win this competition."
Rulu shook his head. "No. This is something I have to do."
"I honestly don't understand why, Rulu. If this ends up derailing your original plan, won't that be a disaster?"
"My mind is made up. Don't argue with me about it, Kallen. For tonight, we rest here. Whatever comes next, we'll figure it out as we go."
"Fine."
With that, they settled in for the night. Kallen fell asleep early. Rulu lay on a bed in another stone chamber, just about to drift off, when the sound of light footsteps reached his ears. He immediately sat up, summoned a fireball to illuminate the room, and looked toward the entrance — it was C.C.
"What is it? Weren't you sharing a room with Kallen? Why have you come here?" Rulu looked at her, puzzled.
C.C. sat down on the edge of his bed. "There's something I want to talk to you about. It wouldn't be convenient with Kallen around."
"What is it?"
"It's the same thing Kallen already brought up. You could easily leave Euphemia's situation alone and go find what you came here for — so why are you choosing to help her?"
"What's there to explain?" Rulu said casually. "I can't stand Princess Meiyu's underhanded tactics. Helping Euphemia is simply a matter of seeing justice done."
C.C. looked entirely unconvinced. "Is that so? I don't think you're helping Euphemia at all — I think you're helping yourself. You're trying to extract information about your own past from Princess Meiyu, aren't you?"
Rulu froze. He stared at C.C. for a long moment without saying a word. Finally he spoke. "When did you figure it out?"
"When I figured it out doesn't matter. What matters is what you intend to do. If you insist on going through with this and it all unravels, Kallen, Nana, Shari, and I will all be dragged down with you."
Rulu's expression darkened. "When I was in Blue Sea City," he said in a low voice, "I learned from Prince Suwen that the assassination attempt against me, my mother, and my sister was not carried out by just one person. That incident involved a number of other royal members of the Sanctuary. What's happening to Euphemia now is an opportunity I can't afford to waste. I intend to use it to find out exactly who planned that assassination — who was responsible for my mother's and my sister's deaths."
"So you believe Princess Meiyu was connected to the assassination attempt you suffered in the past," C.C. said.
"Exactly. Princess Meiyu has always maintained close ties with many members of the Sanctuary's royal families. Given how heavily she's implicated in the Hydra incident as well, it's very possible she was involved in that assassination. She must be carrying information I need."
"And then what? If you actually obtain the information you're after — if you find out who killed your mother and your sister — what will you do?"
Rulu furrowed his brow, his voice tight with barely contained anger. "Do I even need to say it? I'll make them pay in blood. Every single person connected to what happened — I won't let a single one of them go."
"You look terrifying when you say that. Though honestly, I think you don't need to carry so much bitterness over this."
"What are you saying — that I shouldn't avenge my mother and my sister?!" Rulu fixed C.C. with a furious stare.
"That's not what I mean," C.C. said. "I just want to remind you of why you came to the Sanctuary in the first place. Don't let hatred cloud your judgment, or your original plan will fall apart entirely."
"I haven't forgotten why I came here," Rulu said. "The revenge can wait — I can deal with that later. But I have to find out who was behind my mother's and my sister's deaths. Until I do, I'll never know any peace."
"But Princess Meiyu is not an easy target. You want to extract the information you need from her without alerting anyone, and at the same time find what you originally came to the Sanctuary to find. Trying to accomplish both at once won't be easy."
"You're right, C.C. The two goals are completely at odds. With just the three of us — you, Kallen, and me — it really would be difficult to pull off. But W.W. seems incredibly powerful. If she were willing to help, things would be much more manageable."
"So when your own abilities fall short, you look to borrow someone else's strength?"
"I didn't want to involve anyone else, but it looks like I have no choice. C.C., W.W. owes her life to you — she should be willing to listen to you, shouldn't she?"
"If it's a request from me, W.W. would probably agree. But she has built a good life for herself here in the Sanctuary. Getting involved could easily disrupt everything she has, and make it very hard for her to go on living here in peace."
"If W.W. is willing to help me, I would be deeply grateful," Rulu said. "And if this succeeds, I'll owe her a debt — she can count on that. C.C., could you speak to her tomorrow? If she truly doesn't want to get involved, I won't press her."
"All right. I'll have a word with her tomorrow. Whether or not W.W. helps you — that will be entirely her own choice."