The Betrayal Begins — Part 3
The next morning arrived far too peacefully. Birds chirped. The sun rose. People walked through Axel as if nothing was wrong. Yet Ruko couldn't shake the strange feeling from yesterday.
Something felt off. Not dangerous. Not hostile. Just... Wrong. Like a puzzle piece had been forced into the wrong place.
Across the room, Kyouri was also awake. She sat quietly near the window. Something she rarely did. Normally she would have found a way to annoy him before breakfast.
Today she looked serious. Ruko noticed immediately. "Relax... You're thinking too hard." Kyouri rolled her eyes. "And you're not thinking enough." "Fair of a reply." Silence.
Then she finally spoke. "That feeling yesterday." Ruko nodded. "Yeah, I know." "It wasn't normal." "I know." Kyouri slowly stood. Her expression carried unease.
"The problem is..." "What is it?" "I don't know why." Ruko scratched his head. "Well that's helpful." "It wasn't supposed to be."
Ruko sighed. Great. A mysterious feeling. No explanation. No clues. Just another normal day in Konosuba. Wonderful.
A short while later they left the mansion. The moment they stepped outside—Ruko froze. Kazuma. Megumin. Darkness. Aqua. All standing outside the gate. Waiting.
Ruko immediately narrowed his eyes. "Why are you all here?" Kazuma crossed his arms. "Good morning to you too." "No seriously." Ruko pointed. "You people never wait for me. Not even once!"
Aqua looked away. Darkness looked away. Megumin looked away. Kazuma looked away.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Well?! That's suspicious." Kyouri slowly moved closer to Ruko. "Ruki."n"Hm?" "I really don't like this."
Ruko looked down. She wasn't joking. For once. There was genuine worry in her eyes. That alone was enough to make him uncomfortable. Ruko forced a smile.
"You're probably overthinking." "I hope so." Neither believed it. The group eventually began walking toward Axel's center. People filled the streets. Merchants shouted. Children played. Adventurers wandered around.
Everything appeared normal. Yet the feeling remained. Growing. Slowly. Like an invisible hand tightening around Ruko's chest. Eventually they neared the Adventurer's Guild.
That was when Kazuma suddenly stopped walking. "Kazuma?" The brunet looked strangely serious. Not angry. Not annoyed. Serious. A rare occurrence.
"Ruko." "Hm?" "You are my brother, right?" The question hit harder than expected. Ruko blinked. "What kind of question is that?"
Kazuma didn't smile. Didn't laugh. Didn't back down. "You'll answer honestly?" "Yeah, sure." "Brothers don't keep secrets. Right?"
Ruko shrugged. "Not every secret. Since it's important to keep something important." Kazuma nodded. "Fair enough."
Then he looked directly into Ruko's eyes. The atmosphere became heavy. The crowd around them slowly noticed something was happening.
Even Aqua stopped talking. Even Darkness looked confused. Even Megumin looked serious. Kazuma finally spoke. "You're not my brother, are you?" Silence. Absolute silence.
Even the wind seemed to stop. Ruko felt his heartbeat skip. Then accelerate. Then skip again. The strange feeling from yesterday exploded inside his chest. "What are you implying?"
Kazuma didn't move. "So you're dodging." "What are you talking about?" "You keep dodging." The citizens nearby began whispering.
"What's going on?"
"Did they fight?"
"Family drama?"
"Better than theater."
One merchant literally pulled up a chair. Kyouri suddenly grabbed Ruko's sleeve. Her hand trembled. "Ruki." "Hm?" "We need to leave."
Ruko looked down. Her face had gone pale. That wasn't acting. That wasn't fear.nThat was instinct. Pure instinct. The kind that screamed danger. For the first time all day—Ruko listened.
Then— A voice. "...ru..." Ruko froze. His eyes widened. "...What?" "...ru..." Nobody else reacted. Nobody else heard it. Only him.
"...ru..." The voice sounded distant. Broken. Like someone trying to reach him from far away. Ruko looked around. Nothing. Then—
"...Run..." His body stiffened. The voice became clearer. "Ruko..." The blood drained from his face. "...Run..." Then suddenly—
"
RUKO RUN!" The warning exploded inside his head. Every instinct screamed. Move. NOW.
"KYOURI!" The girl jumped. "RUN!" Without hesitation Ruko grabbed her hand. And ran. Everything erupted into chaos.
"HEY!"
"RUKO!"
"STOP!"
People began shouting. Adventurers turned. Citizens panicked. The crowd surged. Ruko didn't look back. He couldn't. His instincts were going insane. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
They darted through streets. Leapt over crates. Turned corners. Rushed through alleys. Kyouri struggled to keep up.
"RUKI WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" "I DON'T KNOW!" "THAT'S NOT REASSURING!" "I KNOW!"
Behind them came voices. Footsteps. Lots of footsteps. Way too many. Ruko glanced backward. His stomach dropped.
People. A lot of people. Too many. Why were they chasing him? What was happening? Nothing made sense. They turned into another alley.
Dead end.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me." They spun around. More people blocked the exit. Every route closed. Every escape gone. Kyouri felt panic rising.
"Ruki." "I know." "What do we do?" Ruko looked around. No answers. Only walls. Only people. Only danger. Then he made a decision.
"Kyouri." She immediately knew she wouldn't like it.
"No." "Listen." "No." "Kyouri." "No." Ruko smiled.
The same stupid smile. The one that annoyed her. The one she had slowly gotten used to. "Go." The smile disappeared. Her eyes widened. "No." Ruko activated Wind Breath. Power gathered around him.
"GO!" A violent gust erupted. Kyouri was launched backward. Far away from the alley. Far away from him. "RUKIIII!" Her scream echoed. Ruko laughed.
"KYOURI SAVE YOURSELF!" Then—Pain.nSomething struck the back of his head. The world spun. Darkness swallowed everything.
...
...
...
When Ruko opened his eyes again— Cold metal greeted him. Chains. Wrapped around his arms. His legs. His body. The room was massive. Luxurious. Official. Rows of seats. Nobles. Knights. Guards. Judges.A courtroom.
No. A trial chamber. Ruko immediately began struggling. "HEY!" The chains rattled. "WHERE THE FUCK AM I?!" Everyone stared. "AND WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS DOING?!" The chains shook violently. "ANSWER ME!"
A familiar woman stepped forward. Sena. Her expression was colder than he remembered. "Be quiet." Ruko froze. "Sena?" The prosecutor ignored him.nShe opened a document.nThen looked directly at him.
"You are currently within the Royal Capital." Ruko's eyes widened. "What?" Sena's gaze remained firm. "You have been brought here to stand trial."
The room became silent. Heavy. Oppressive. Like a storm waiting to break. Ruko slowly looked around. Then back at Sena. Then at the chains. Then at the nobles. Then at the knights. Then at the people. Finally—
A realization settled in. Something had happened. Something huge. And somehow— He was at the center of it. Sena opened the first file. The sound echoed throughout the courtroom.
"The trial will now begin." Ruko's heart sank. Far away, beyond the capital... Kyouri was still running. Unaware that the greatest betrayal of Ruko's life had just begun. The Betrayal Begins.