The position of the sun indicated that it was already noon. Anom and Crystal had travelled for almost three hours by now.
Crystal was looking much better than before. The Syrup Crystals were really useful in the case of energy depletion. It won't be long before she recovers completely.
Although she looked fine, Anom still decided to take a break. Crystal didn't refuse either, as she also wanted to take a short break.
Soon they came across a narrow creak and decided to take a rest near it.
Anom sat down while leaning on a tree while Crystal went towards the creak to wash her face and drink some water.
Anom looked at the girl and admired her beauty as she splashed her face with the cool water. Her slim waist was bent as the curves at her bottom became even more pronounced. Anom was in a daze as he couldn't help but stare at her. He had to admit though, all the girls he had met till now were all beautiful. Well, one was a goddess and the other two were angels. But the first female human he met was also a beautiful girl. Looks like his luck was shining after meeting Della (he didn't even consider Cassana).
Thinking about Della, Anom realized that he hadn't been able to talk to her recently. Well, it was not his fault. He was travelling through a forest right now. It was hard to find a place to concentrate on his soul without worrying about any danger.
'I'll have to wait till we reach the city.'
Crystal dried her face with a towel as she walked towards Anom. She also leaned on the tree and sat down beside him. She remained like that for a few minutes before turning towards Anom, "What?!"
"Ahem!" Anom coughed to hide the fact that he was staring at her. He quickly changed the topic and asked, "Are you a member of a family of merchants?"
Crystal was surprised at his sudden question. "What made you think so?" she asked instead.
"Well… when I was speaking about how that little bear would pass for a shady merchant, I noticed your expression wasn't quite right. But I was not that sure as you might have been frowning for some other reason." Anom recounted and continued, "Then you told me that you could help me sell the syrup crystals at a good price. This once again hinted at you being from a merchant family but there was also the possibility that you just happened to have good connections with some merchants. But when I arranged all this information with the events that had transpired previously, I became eighty percent sure that you are from a merchant family."
Crystal smiled and said, "You're right. My family owns one of the biggest merchant houses in the city." She then frowned and asked, "But what does this have to do with the events that happened." She knew that Anom was referring to the case of her being chased by those black-clothed men.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, okay? You mentioned that you were worried about your enemy using your absence as an excuse to extort your parents. They wanted to kidnap you for the same reason, right?"
Seeing her nod, Anom continued, "The enemy must be from a rival family who wants to force your family into agreeing to their demands. But then, using such under-handed methods means that your family and your enemy are equal in terms of power and wealth."
Crystal grunted, "My family is clearly stronger than them. They are acting so overbearingly just because they recently gained a strong backer."
"Oh, that makes it even more interesting. Maybe they're going against your family because this backer of theirs told them to do so?" Anom asked in a probing manner.
Crystal added, "That and because they already have a grudge against my family."
Anom nodded and continued, "But the backers are not helping them by going against your family openly. So that means that they are afraid of someone or some force. Maybe the city's management?" Anom looked at her.
Crystal nodded, "The city's management is appointed by the empire, and they're impartial in their decisions."
"Either that or they haven't received the proper price yet." Anom chuckled.
Crystal frowned as she considered his words while Anom continued with his conjecture.
"Even after all these difficulties, your enemy is still willing to go against your family. It means that they have something important to gain, and…"
"And?" Crystal asked hurriedly. Maybe Anom's conjecture was correct. She was interested in what else he could infer.
"And that your enemies are sure of their victory."
Crystal replied angrily, "How can they win so easily? Do you think my family is not capable enough to face them? We are still one of the major merchant families. We are known even in the capital."
"Girl, I'm just saying that as my own conjecture. You don't have to take it seriously." His tone then became serious as he added, "But it would be good if you considered your situation from all the angles. After all, it's better to be safe than sorry."
Crystal calmed herself and lowered her head. "Sorry," she said weakly. She was agitated at the possibility that her family might be in more danger than she had previously thought.
Anom patted her hair gently while consoling her, "It's alright. I know you must be worried. But you have to remain rational and understand the situation completely if you want your family to survive this challenge."
Crystal's body stiffed at Anom's touch. Anom didn't notice anything wrong as he continued with his explanation.
"Hmm… Yes. If they are so sure of their victory, then I can only think of two major possibilities. First, they might have something that they can use against your family and which you wouldn't be able to guard against."
Crystal interjected, "Maybe that's why they wanted to kidnap me." She believed some of Anom's assumptions and tried her best to cooperate with him to find out the enemy's intentions.
Anom sighed and asked, "Tell me something first. Are your parents able to make all the decisions regarding the business on their own? I mean, are there any other parties whose interests are invested in your family business?"
Crystal shook her head, "There's an elders' committee who takes all the decisions alongside my parents. And they have the power to go against my parents' decision."
"No offence, but if that's the case, then I don't think that kidnapping you was their major goal. Do you really think that all of your family members will let go of their profits just for your sake? If they can, then I have to say that I have never seen such a loving family before."
Crystal fell silent. Although what Anom was harsh, it was the truth. Previously she thought that the aim the enemy wanted to achieve by kidnapping her was to force her family to accept their deal. But now, after the facts were clearer than before, she realized that her thinking was too naïve.
Suddenly, she thought of something. She turned to Anom and stuttered, "T-Then, y-you mean…?"
Anom nodded, "The enemy have the confidence to convince the elders' committee and they wanted to use them only against your parents. Your parents might try to solve the situation any other way if the situation was different, but if the whole committee is against them and they receive the news about your kidnapping…"
"…then it will be the last push that will make my parents relent." Crystal's face became pale. She couldn't imagine what the enemy might do if she didn't reach the city quickly.
"Don't worry. We'll reach the city before midnight." Anom knew what she might be thinking about. He consoled her while rubbing her hair gently. Crystal didn't refuse as what she needed the most right now was some support.
She grabbed Anom's clothes and asked in a scared voice, "Then what's the second possibility?" The first possibility had already terrified her so much. She didn't even want to hear the second one, but she still had to understand the situation well if she wanted to help her family.
Anom was silent. Seeing how badly the girl took the first one, he didn't want to tell her the second possibility. But she should know everything about how her enemy could influence her family. Only then could she think of some countermeasures. Well, he didn't mind helping her if she asked. He was afraid of getting bored anyway.
Suddenly, he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into his embrace.
Crystal was stunned as she felt his sturdy chest against her face and smelled the manly scent from so close.
She wiggled a little to free herself but Anom stopped her. He said, "You'll need it."
Crystal stopped struggling and lowered her head as her face blushed.
Looking at her enhanced beauty, Anom became distracted. Forgetting what he was going to tell her.
Only when the girl raised her still blushing face to ask him to continue with her eyes did he wake from his reverie.
He coughed to hide the awkwardness and said, "The last possibility is entirely my conjecture. I don't even believe it completely, so you must not overreact after hearing it." He was afraid that she would become depressed again. He continued, "The last possibility is that there might be someone from your family who is working with your enemies and trying to bring you down for some personal gains." Anom looked down to check the girl's reaction.
But surprisingly, she was calm at this possibility and asked, "Do you mean that there's a traitor in my family?"
Anom nodded. He was surprised to see the girl remain so composed.
Crystal cleared his confusion. "It's quite common for big families and merchants to plant spies inside their rivals' group. Sometimes buying information from a member of the rival family at a proportionate price. Even my family has several spies planted among various forces around the city. So I'll not be surprised if there are spies inside my family. Although it's quite annoying when some of the news gets leaked, it's still not enough to make our family suffer any major damage." She sounded quite confident in her analysis. She thought that Anom had taken this possibility too seriously.
Anom sighed again. This time because of how naïve this girl was. She was smart but she still underestimated the situation.
He spoke slowly, "Your line of thinking is correct. But the level you are focusing on is too low. If the enemy wants to bring you down from the inside, then the authority of the spy should be high enough." He paused before finally saying, "It might even be someone at the decision-making level… someone from the elders' committee." He finished speaking about his conjecture. These were all the things he had inferred with the limited information he could get from Crystal. So there was a big chance that what he thought was wrong.
'I hope it's wrong, otherwise…'
Crystal firmly shook her head, "I don't agree with that. You know that my parents can't make all the decisions themselves because the members of the committee also have their own considerations regarding the decisions made. Sometimes they include their personal opinions in those decisions. But in the end, everything they do is for the family's sake."
"But what if the interests they have in your family are not enough for them anymore? What if they want more? What if their ambition doesn't stop at just being one of the decision makers? Can your family help them fulfil their ambition? If yes, then your family will remain peaceful. Otherwise, the destruction these people can cause to fulfil their goals is not something that can be imagined."
Crystal frowned after she heard his questions. She was a little annoyed that he accused her family members without any evidence. But she knew that he was just helping her see the situation from a broader perspective.
She took a deep breath to calm herself. She looked at Anom and asked, "What will they gain if the family is destroyed? I don't believe that they are that stupid."
Anom shook his head, "They are clearly not stupid. Instead, they are cleverer than you think. And you think that they will gain nothing if your family is destroyed, right? But what if your enemies promise to hand over the authority of your family to them? And what if they want to destroy your family completely and give them something better than what they could have gained by remaining loyal to your family." Before Crystal could say anything, he continued, "Don't underestimate someone's greed. And maybe I'm wrong in thinking that they might betray your family for their own benefit. Maybe they could've been manipulated by your enemies."
"What do you mean manipulated?" Crystal felt her head hurt due to the many options that the enemy could use against her family. She really wanted to know how Anom could think of so many possibilities from what she told him. She just hoped that none of them would turn out to be true.