"Necessary?" Henry tilted his head, his eyes narrowed as he sat straight. "What part of it requires killing innocent people? Children? And those who had nothing to do with the conflicts between those figures?" He asked as he rested his arms on the table.
"Yes," Rasmus answered and nodded without hesitation.
"Don't you see that it's wrong no matter how you see it?" Henry furrowed his brows, baffled by the answer that Rasmus gave him. A young man, not even half his age could say something like that without consideration.
"Right or wrong... it doesn't matter. For example, murder is wrong but when it comes to protecting one's family, it's necessary. It's about the context and what's necessary," Rasmus responded and stared into Henry's eyes.
"So you assume those figures, including what your father did, they did it for the greater good?" Henry asked and stared into Rasmus's eyes as well.
"If only life was that simple, Henry. Sometimes, it's not about what is good or bad, it's necessary. For example, my life, you won't understand what I have been through, and you never will because my reality and yours aren't the same," Rasmus shook his head, tapping his forefinger at the table.
Henry took a deep breath as he looked at Rasmus's expression, a hint of what kind of man he was. He never thought that Rasmus could say such a thing, but then he realized that the man who sat in front of him was exiled and abandoned when he was 12 years old, surviving on his own for a decade.
"But that way of thinking is dangerous, Count. You see what fits in your reality which isn't a good thing to have," Herny responded in a calm and gentle voice, leaning his body forward. "I know what you have been through, abandoned and exiled. But, it was not the world's fault that made you that way, it was the people. Don't turn your back on the world because, without it, you won't be here. The world is beautiful and innocent in a way," he added with concern in his voice.
"So what's your point, old man?" Rasmus raised his left brow, leaning forward, and rested his cheek on his fist.
"I'm not trying to educate you or try to force my view into your life. What I want is for you to not make those who have suffered suffer even more." Henry smiled as he stared at his own wrinkled hand.
Rasmus looked down and hid his smile as he stood up. He took a deep breath before he lifted his head to look at Henry.
"You remind me of someone..." Rasmus grabbed the book and held it tightly. "Someone who was dear to me in a way," he continued, staring blankly at the old table.
"Oh? Was he a wise man?" Henry raised his brows and looked up at the young man.
"No..." Rasmus shook his head as he chuckled. "It was because he understood," he explained as he looked the old man in the eyes, reminding him of his old butler in his previous life.
When Henry heard the answer, the anxiety and concern in his head about Rasmus's personality was slowly fading away. He realized the young man who stood in front of him was different. He had never seen anyone like him before, and deep down he felt that Rasmus could bring a change to Neva for better or worse.
"It seems that we have deviated from our discussion quite far. I'll take my time reading the rest of this book in my cabin, and I'll come back to discuss this matter with you once I'm done," Rasmus said as he looked at the book in his hand.
Henry smiled faintly as he nodded his head.
"Then you don't have to pay for that book. In exchange, you have to tell me what you find in that book," Henry responded as he slowly stood up from his chair.
"That's a fair trade," Rasmus smirked as he nodded and then left the bookstore.
Rasmus took a short walk in the village and everyone had begun to greet him with a warm smile. He finally got everyone's acknowledgment and recognition made his life in the past 3 months in the village comfortable.
"Sir Rasmus, good morning..." A small girl's voice could be heard from behind Rasmus.
Rasmus turned around and saw a group of children standing in line as they looked up at him. He gave a warm and gentle smile at them as he went down to his knee to level his head with them.
"Sinclair, Abigail, Cinder... good morning," Rasmus said in a soft and gentle voice as he patted their heads. "What can I help you today?" He looked at them with his brows raised.
"We..." Sinclair paused to look at Abigail and Cinder. "We want to learn magic, Sir..." She looked at Rasmus nervously.
"Magic? Do you have an aptitude for it?" Rasmus tilted his head a bit.
The first book that Rasmus read was advanced research about Mana and how to use it efficiently. He already knew the basics and a few methods that were only passed down to the Blackheart family. He believed with his modern knowledge he could create something new.
The introduction about Mana was revealed in the book that Mana was a result of the heat that the Dragon Veins produced. The heat couldn't be detected by people who had no sensitivity to Mana. There were stages of magical aptitude to detect someone's sensitivity through a certain method.
Dormant Stage which meant they were unable to detect Mana and they couldn't utilize it no matter how hard they tried to learn magic.
Awakening Stage which meant they were capable of detecting Mana just like a wind that grazed their skin. This way, some didn't realize they could detect Mana until they were in a thick and rich Mana. It would be hard to tell since it felt like a normal gentle wind most of the time.
Perception Stage which meant they were capable of detecting and differentiating between Mana and wind. They could utilize Mana better than the Awakening Stage which made it easier for them to learn magic compared to the Awakening Stage.
Flux Stage which meant they were capable of detecting Mana and the flow of it. Some were capable of manipulating the flow while some couldn't. Either way, they could easily learn magic and they could also learn to turn Mana into Aura. Only 18% of Neva's population was gifted with this ability.
Arcane Stage which meant they could detect Mana, sense the flow of Mana, and smell Mana. Mana had a scent and it could be used to inform them that someone could sense Mana or not. The scent could also tell how powerful someone was by smelling how soft or strong the scent of the Mana around them was. Only 0,4% of Neva's population was gifted with this ability.
Sage Stage which was the highest meant they could see the color of Mana and the amount of Mana with their eyes. There were only a handful of people in the past thousand years that had reached this level. Only 0,0001% of Neva's population was gifted with this ability.
Rasmus was at the Flux Stage and there was no information related to the stages and how to increase it. It didn't bother him that much because what he had was more than enough to understand Mana and magic.
"We were told by a mage that we are in the Awakening Stage," Cinder looked at Rasmus with her bright blue eyes.
"Is that so? Then let's give it a try," Rasmus smiled as he stood up. "Let's borrow Eduard's land, shall we?"
The three girls smiled widely as they nodded their heads repeatedly.