Of all the lords that he would have to encounter here, Arex was really quite disappointed that it would have to be Merfestina.
"What's that look on your face? Don't tell me you're not pleased to see me?" Merfestina even dared to ask.
However, Merfestina would only be disappointed in her own query, especially when Arex eventually replied and said, "Why should I even be pleased anyway?"
Humiliated by what Arex said, Merfestina promptly responded in his most sardonic way, "What did you steal there, aberrant?" he said, pointing at the sapphire sword that Arex was carrying at the moment.
Arex swiftly glanced in the direction from which Merfestina was looking and realized that she was actually referring to the sapphire sword Arex was carrying. "Oh this?" Arex said as he lifted it before his face, before he eventually added, "This sword chose me."
"Chosen you, huh?" Merfestina scoffed. She found Arex's statement to be rather bizarre and comic at the same time. "You must be out of your mind to think that a sword has a mind of its own and would prefer to choose an aberrant like you to be its wielder?"
"But it just did." Arex still insists.
In the end, it had Merfestina sighing, knowing how impossible it was to accept what Arex just said. "Nevermind, such a dimwit would never truly understand." Merfestina said as she placed her palm on her forehead.
"Who do you think you're calling a dimwit again?!" Arex found Merfestina's remarks to be insulting and he couldn't help himself from reacting.
"Oh, was that still surprising to you? I thought you were already used to it."
"I don't know what purpose you have here but insulting me should not be it."
"Why? Are you trying to say that I can't come here and take an item? I don't remember any restriction rules among participants when it comes to the collection of items, regardless if they were lords of the black parade." Merfestina suddenly replied, sounding even more sarcastic.
Little did she know that her response would only serve to heighten Arex's suspicions about the situation. He had previously been perplexed as to why the other lords did not seem to be moving in the same direction as him. Not to mention that he came here first prior to them.
And if it was even a necessity for them to find a weapon first, it just doesn't add up for Arex why only Merfestina was here, not to mention that it was even Arex who came here first ahead of the other lords.
Arex spent a considerable amount of time contemplating the situation and piecing together the clues. Then, out of nowhere, it fit together like a puzzle for Arex. Understanding the clues he had gathered, Arex finally was able to grasp why the other lords had not shown up to collect any weapons. It was because they were already after the other essential items, like the shield and healing items.
Arex could see the other lords' potential strategy coming into focus at that moment. Arex suspected that the other lords were trying to hoard the shield and healing items, hoping to deplete Arex's supply.
"I think I know the reason why you're here." Arex eventually said that somehow caused Merfestina to flinch. She was somewhat startled to hear that from Arex all of a sudden.
And with that, Merfestina gave out a nearly obvious awkward smile, especially when she replied, "What do you mean? Of course, I would be here to gather a weapon. Isn't that supposed to be how this game goes?"
It was already too late for Merfistna to actually try and turn things around for Arex knowing that Arex had already figured out what was going on.
"Don't try to change the subject here. I understand why you're here. The reason behind this is that, out of all the lords who are opposed to me, you are the one who requires those healing items the least. I remember you have the same skill as Leomold that could probably heal yourself. Which means, you might be here for other things. Perhaps a weapon, as you will require more to maintain your offensive assault." Arex said, after figuring out why Merfestina came here right away.
After hearing Arex's detailed theory, Merfestina let out a deep sigh.
"It is quite surprising to learn that you do, in fact, possess a brain after all. Assuming that you have already figured out that particular point, allow me to just add one more reason why I was here." She replied.
Merfestina approached the pile of swords from the side and grabbed a regular sword from the pile.
"Actually, I can heal myself just fine without those things, so I guess you could say I do not need them. Having said that, it in no way implies that my abilities were limited to that. It has come to my attention that you have successfully won the favor of Lord Leomold and Lord Braganza, who you can then team up with. Did Lord Leomold ever bring up the fact that I possess the most lethal scythe among all the seven lords, in addition to my healing abilities?"
Merfestina's manner of speaking about her scythe conveyed a sense of pride to Arex, as well as a hint of a threat. In spite of the fact that Merfestina was a very intimidating person at the moment, Arex did his best to maintain his composure.
"Leomold didn't mention anything about your scythe." Arex admitted.
"Too bad," Merfestina said, her tone belying her genuine disappointment that Arex had no idea how powerful she really was. After that, Merfestina brought the sword to her face and ran her finger along the blade's dull side.
"Were you unaware of the fact that the very tip of my scythe was actually armed with the most lethal poison, which had the potential to kill anyone who was injured by it. Oh, and a little bit of my blood is all it takes to cure it?"
Arex was making an effort to maintain his composure as he listened to Merfestina's words about staying calm. He was still calm, knowing that most of the seven lords' scythes wouldn't be able to harm him unless, just like Leomold had told him, he was unable to utilize the blue flames around him that would block away the assault from any of the seven lord's scythes.
At this point, despite the fact that Arex has that as an advantage, he should still be careful not to let his guard down, especially after being aware of how dangerous Merfestina's scythe was. Arex was of the opinion that despite the fact that he might have survived Roxina's assaults at the time, he should not be overly lenient with Merfestina.
"Why are you saying this to me?" Eventually, Arex inquires, attempting to divert Merfestina's attention to the possibility of using her scythe against him during the conversation. On the other hand, Arex might have been mistaken in his assumption that Merfestina had come to this location to fight him.
Especially when Merfestina eventually told Arex, "Well, I came her to personally offer you a deal."