"Let me explain. It's something both of us worked on for the past few years. We didn't want to tell you to keep it a surprise." Leislet said with a soft smile.
Acht was still confused but he was catching on. Still, he wanted to hear the full story from Leislet before any deductions.
So, the group sat down and Acht said,
"Go ahead. What exactly did both of you do?" He asked.
Leislet looked at Scarlett before she nodded her head quietly and began.
"A few years ago, not long after you came here. I talked with Scarlett about your current situation. As you know, you are still a wanted criminal even though you were the person that contributed the most to winning this war. So, we both decided to work on clearing your name."
She took a deep breath and looked at her hands.
"I honestly wasn't that confident that this would work. It was a very hard task to pull off but we didn't lose hope. If you can remember, I went to Lagradon a few times during the past few years."
Acht nodded his head as he recalled that fact. She did indeed leave the village a few times with different excuses. Acht didn't really think much about that since even though she gave away her position as the president of the hunter association, she was still a very renowned figure in this world and she needed to do certain things from time to time even if she was retired.
"Anyway, I met all the kings and high-status figures and I tried to persuade them to let this matter off and clear your name. Obviously, they refused and didn't even think about it at all. I tried multiple times but they didn't budge at all."
Her face turned slightly sour.
"I was close to giving up. But, Scarlett persuaded me to give one last push before fully giving up. So, I did and I even threatened them to never come work with them again. Then, I fully left the matter in their hands. If they were really to accept my offer then they would accept you enrolling in the academy. And that's what happened. It's truly the proudest moment of my life." She said with a blushing smile.
Scarlett also nodded to her words and looked at Acht waiting for his reaction.
The boy however didn't show his face as he looked down. They both felt slightly nervous from the tense silence and waited patiently for what he was going to say.
However, much to their surprise, Acht didn't say anything and merely stood up. Then, he walked around the table and halted in front of the two confused women.
After that, he swiftly wrapped his hands around them and hugged them tightly.
The two women's eyes widened in shock as they couldn't register what happened for the first few seconds.
"Thank you…really." He said softly, almost in a whispery tone.
"I am really grateful for what both of you did." He added.
"Y-Yes…" Leislet replied and tried to hug him back but her arms were shaking furiously. Then, for some reason, her eyes teared up again and she started crying silently with a faint, relieved smile.
As for Scarlett, she just closed her eyes and buried her face in Acht's broad chest, feeling his warmth and enjoying his smell.
The three stayed like that for a few moments. The place was totally quiet but it wasn't awkward at all.
Then, when he felt like it was enough, Acht pulled himself away from them and smiled softly at them.
It was the first time both of them witnessed this smile from Acht. It was kind, dazzling, and extremely beautiful.
It was so beautiful that it made them freeze in their place. No one could resist such a smile even though it was pretty effortless to do. Maybe it was the honest emotions in the smile or maybe because it was something they witnessed for the first time ever.
Acht then said to wake them up from their daze.
"As much as you two cause so much ruckus, you are still my dear friends. You both are the first that I ever considered true friends. No matter how much I lived or how many cruel things I witnessed and I will witness. I am sure that you two are very important people to me that I can rely on."
"A-Acht, you don't have to…" Leislet tried to stop him but he shook his head and continued.
"No, I don't know how you see this. But for me, it is a big favor that I might not be able to pay at all. That's why the least I can say is thank you. It's not much though but I will try to pay you back in the long run."
The two went silent and didn't say anything for a few moments.
"This is cheating," Scarlett muttered and looked down.
Leislet also nodded her head.
"You don't know how much you helped us, Acht. You genuinely don't know that this is us trying to pay you back for everything you did to us. You have nothing to pay back. It's us that need to pay you back and we will probably never be able to do so." She said,
"Me? How is that? I literally stabbed you and betrayed you. I made you suffer because of my actions. Where did I do that? It's nonsense! If I was in your place I would've abandoned a cruel person like that. I was never really a good guy or someone who helped people out of goodwill. You both are gravely wrong." He replied with a slightly agitated tone.
Leiselt and Scarlett shook their heads in denial. His words were just completely wrong for them.
"You don't know. You will never know because we can only see that. It's far away from anything you could feel."
Acht clenched his teeth and tightened his fists. He didn't know why, but her words made him feel so much pain in his heart. They were painful as much as they were honest and affectionate.
It made him even question his sanity for a moment.
'Me? Helpful? Bullshit! This is complete bullshit. I was never helpful. I was only made to destroy and rob. I was only made to kill for a living. How is that good or helpful?' He thought to himself?
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