"Hold on, I am confused." Pearl said, stopping for a moment, "So you are saying, 'Killing is wrong', instead of justifying killing."
"Yes," Eranae answered, "That's precisely what I am doing."
"That doesn't make sense." Pearl countered, "It means that you are agreeing that you did something morally wrong."
"According to your morality at least." Eranae corrected.
"My morality?" Pearl questioned, more so himself rather than Eranae, "Is my morality different than yours?"
"Not very much, but there are subtle differences that you will understand as our travels proceed," Eranae stopped in the road, then turned and looked Pearl in the eye, "I will say it again, and this time hear me out with a rational outlook. What I did was morally wrong from almost every point of view but I don't regret it. If I didn't kill those men, they would have reported back to whomever tipped them off and then that whomever would send more men, perhaps even a team of soldiers after us."
That...was a very possible outcome, Pearl decided. Eranae had learned from the Temeri man that the crew he was a part of had been instructed to look out for a Renkayan woman with Eranae's description. This happened in Teredkar, the Elaian capital, and the person who gave them the instruction seemed to be wearing the colors of the Imperial Court. Since the crew was mostly composed of simple sailors, most of them hadn't bothered to follow that instruction. Hence, the three men were the only ones who posed any real threat.
"So, by killing those men, you prevented possible future confrontation." Pearl concluded.
"You finally get it," Eranae continued walking again, "I know it must be hard for you, but please keep in mind that this might, no...this will happen again."
"I figured that much out." Pearl said gloomily.
"You are good at fighting, Pearl," Era told him, "Even without lifesong, you could have taken them down if you weren't stabbed. Now imagine, what would happen if you were stabbed without having any lifesong?"
"I would die." Pearl concluded.
"Now imagine," Era said, "What if you fought someone who knew the exact spots that would drain the lifesong quickly when attacked? What would be the approach to face a foe like that? To brawl them down or to rather go for a quick kill?"
Pearl thought for a moment. The answer was an obvious one, but he wasn't mentally prepared to admit it in words.
"I understand." He replied.
"Good," Eranae said, looking forward again, "Ah, we have reached the docks."
The docks were where they were walking to. The purpose was to seek out a ship that would be sailing to Frisim, a small city state on the eastern coast that was the closest one to the kingdom of Akethon. After checking with several captains, they weren't able to find one sailing to the place since it was too insignificant to stop at for a profitable trade.
Eranae decided that the second best option was to sail to a metropolis and then travel by foot. Pearl suggested that they should stop at Kanark then, which was the capital of the Renaari kingdom of Kanarrim, and also a major port in the East. Eranae estimated that it would then take a month's journey to travel to Akethon from there which wasn't that inconvenient if one thought logically. So, the two decided upon that.
It wasn't hard to find a ship to Kanark, since almost every vessel sailing East would be stopping there for a while. Pearl managed to settle a deal with the captain of a merchant barge that transported spices. The fee for passage was a bit more expensive than on a travelling vessel but Pearl and Eranae would be the only two passengers other than the ship's crew, which would help them avoid any potential watchers. Of course, Eranae checked the captain's and the crew's background before agreeing to travel and found that they hadn't been in Elaian territory for long enough. Then a deal was struck.
Since the ship would be sailing in the evening's high tide, the two still had some free time left. Eranae said that she would be heading for the market to resupply and buy some other things. Pearl, however, had planned to go to a messenger bird house to send a letter to his mother, telling her about his journey so that she wouldn't worry. Or wouldn't worry too much. Eranae agreed and they separated, both going in different directions. Pearl had already written the letter and all he had to do was to seal it and send it with a messenger bird. He did so immediately and then headed for the place where he had actually planned to go.