"So, now you all must answer my questions." I said lightly as the qi inside my body swarmed the food helping to disgest and distribute the nutrients all around my body where it needed it most.
Harmony between self and soul, what a wonderful thing.
"The trade deal went fine, I forced them into making signing by using your looming death as a token hinting at that if you died I wouldn't sign a trade deal due to the suspicious circumstances hinting that I would be looking into them, with the pressure from that they chose to sign the trade deal two days later asking for their royalty to be sent back to their respective kingdoms until you had healed." Nova said with a massive sigh.
It must have been hard.
"The royalty from each of the kingdoms made it into their own lands without trouble, a few bands of Loijon slaves tried to intercept them but they were not mounted like the royals were and so failed." Hardvar chipped in, "Though, being attacked on our lands if they truly wish, can be used as an excuse to annul a trade agreement."
I see, so that also needs to be taken into account.
"The fairies in the surrounding woods have all joined our cause of wiping out the Loijon family, all of them are now acting as my informants gathering information about the farmers, and tracking down the knight families of which we have been able to find three of them out in the countryside enjoying farm life." Yu said seriously it feels like she has gotten stronger once again.
Three knight families of the previous reign, that is plenty.
"Seramia was attacked on the road here but with the help of the intelligence agency and her own Acolytes we were able to repel the enemy force easily." Satree reported calmly.
"I have begun purifying those who are under Laminas' curse with the help of Yu and her informants leading to raids all around the capital and bolstering the number of Acolytes by three hundred for a grand total of five hundred." Seramia said dejectedly, "Most of them did not have families to return to, either killed or sold off."
"I see, I assume they haven't been taking it laying down." I replied curiously digging into my third steak.
"No, they haven't, reports are flooding in every day of people hearing screams in the sewer systems, we are currently organizing an attack on the sewers." Nova said coldly, "Those scum have gotten desperate."
"I don't believe so." I countered, "Those kinds of people are too smart to become desperate like this when they have the upper hand, I think they are trying to lure us into the underground in order to catch us off guard and slaughter us, the sewers are their battlefield and home, not ours."
"So, we should lure them above ground?" Nova replied with a glint in his eye, "We can starve them out."
"No, if we do that all of the innocent people inside will die, we should lead an expedition of the crown's inquisitors down there to counter Laminas' powers, with their help I could purify them instead of killing them." Seramia interjected righteously, "They are in need of our help!"
"Wait, the inquisitors? They are here?"
"They arrived just a week ago, a few days after you disappeared they came saying that they had been told by Fenadir that a possible evil deity could be operating here, after which they have been here ever since, small groups of the crowns Inquisitors trickling in from everywhere gathering in the palace." Clay replied seriously, "They wish to exterminate everyone involved, they do not seek to purify them only to kill."
"Which is why we must show them that we are capable of doing things on our own!" Anept cut in, "We do not need those bloodthirsty hounds help! If we use them we will be stained as demons for life, no one would dare to talk about the inquisitors so the infamy and blame will surely fall to us."
A knight that killed innocents is not a knight and such a reputation for a knight is the same as a blade through their heart, their pride will not allow it.
I understand.
"I assume that a group of inspectors from Fenadir is on their way here?" Finishing my fifth steak I began my sixth to the great surprise of those around me.
"They will arrive in a week at most." Nova replied, "From there they will be riding straight to Durlivan along with the majority of the crowns inquisitors to inspect the Veru church, once confirmed your status' as followers of Veru will be legitimized and they will begin their attack on Laminas' servants regardless of brainwashing or not."
I see.
So we have to somehow save these people within a week?
How to do so?
As of right now, here in the capital, we should have around three thousand of my men ready for combat.
If I cut them into three units we can cover each exit, but then what?
We need to hold the exits outside the city, but first, we need to destroy their presence within the city.
"I can help with that." Dratan suddenly said jumping up onto the table to Yu's great surprise as she nearly screamed, "I was stuck down there for centuries with those damned chaos spears in me, I can track down a user of that evil qi anywhere in this world."
"Perfect." A big smile took to my face as the last bite of meat passed my lips on my tenth steak.
My body feels stronger, but the blood loss is still very real, it should slowly come back but it will take a few days.
"What is?" Shion angrily said, "What is 'perfect'?!"
Slamming the table as she stood up she left the dining room without another word nor glance.
Probably shouldn't have said that out loud.
"Dratan, Yu, team up together and hunt down all of the infected within the palace and city with Seramia and her Acolytes." I said sharply, "This is Dratan, I met him in that abyss down there, trust him as you trust me."
"What are you going to do?" Nova asked taking a sip of his tea with a toothy smile.
"...you know."
Immediately I left the dining room leaving them to finish eating though I'm sure none of them have any real appetite.
Tracking her footsteps I found Shion's room in the palace.
"Shion, can I come in?" I called lightly.
"...."
"If you don't say anything, then I'm coming in." Trying to push the door I felt a kind of squishy sensation stopping it.
She must be sitting on the other side blocking the door.
If I want to open it by force it could end up hurting her, so that's a no.
"....This palace is really beautiful, so you grew up here?" I said in genuine astonishment.
Sitting on the floor I leaned against the door and looked around more closely, it's really beautifully designed.
The angle of the light is just perfect so it doesn't blind but still fills the halls with the light of the sun.
Carpets of red with gold inscriptions at the edges telling the story of the kings and queens who had walked on it for hundreds of years.
Fine stone and not a speck of dust to be found anywhere.
"The air is nice up here you know?" My voice dropped to an almost inaudible tone, "While I was down there I couldn't breathe right, and I couldn't move, all I could think about was what would happen if I died if you would be okay, thinking of you got me through it keeping me conscious long enough to heal, I've missed you like the waves miss the moon, I cannot be me without you."
Muffled sounds of crying sounded from the other side of the door.
"It was hard, you know? When I was hit by the spear, the last thing the man who did it told me was that he would take good care of you, I realized then that I'm putting you in terrible danger, so take this as my way of saying that we shouldn't associate for your own good," Standing up I began walking away, "I'm sorry."
Suddenly the door swung open a tearful Shion screamed, "Don't leave!"
Every step after felt like a knife was being stabbed into my feet, I don't want to leave.
I can feel the tears falling but I can't turn back, if I turn back I'll never be able to leave.
She will end up dead because of me.
She doesn't have qi like I do, or the ability to battle like I do, or see the invisible dangers as I do, a strange uncontrollable heat began rising around me.....
I don't want her to die because of me.
I can't protect her.
So why?
Why can't I keep walking?
This is for her so why?!
I need to move!
"I can't leave," I muttered absentmindedly.
But I have to.
"I don't want to leave."
But I can't protect her even if I stay.
"I want to be loved."
But that love will kill the one I love.
"I want to stay."
But staying is fatal.
"I have to become stronger."
Indeed.