The Kind of Evil

Chapter 621 - 621: The Rise and Fall.

Lenin and Lazarus were walking in the garden behind the palace, evaluating what information Thalior and Agnesia gave. However, they both felt a pair of eyes that had been observing them ever since they entered the garden. They both turned around and looked at the palace, then they saw her, the High Regent staring at them with an impassive and almost blank gaze. Both of them immediately lowered their heads, and the moment they raised their heads, Aurelia had disappeared.Before they could continue their discussion, a pigeon came out of the window and flew toward them with a tiny scroll attached to its leg. Lazarus pulled the scroll and watched the pigeon flew away and went into the window it came out from. They both looked at the message and immediately turned to look at each other before they walked back inside the palace.

They walked into the long hallway toward the door at the end of it, before they could knock on the door, Aurelia opened the door for them. She put on a lazy smile without saying a single word as she opened the door wide and pointed at the couch. They lowered their heads toward Aurelia before they walked in and stood in front of the couch, waiting for Aurelia to sit down first.

"Please have a seat, Elders," Aurelia said as she slowly sat down and poured water into three glasses. "I accidentally overheard your conversation, and I'm curious on your opinion about the decision I made," she said as she pointed her hand at the glasses of water.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Lenin said as she grabbed the glass and took a sip of the water. Although it was just water, she felt refreshed and the fatigue in her body suddenly just disappeared. She had almost forgotten that Aurelia had Saint blood running through her veins and that she was capable of using divine power. "It's a risky and dangerous move, Your Excellency. Predicting a human mind is already hard, but predicting those beings, they're almost impossible. Even Count Blackheart didn't expect Satan would come to West Neva and forced him to retreat," she pointed out.

Aurelia didn't say a word and her gaze focused on the glass that was in Lenin's hand. She didn't show any reaction on her face, and she stayed quiet even after Lenin spoke her piece of mind.

"Every decision can lead to demise. It's not that if we made the right choice or not, it's the lack of tool and skill for survivability. Whether we are prepared or not, the chance of us surviving is not high, Your Excellency," Lazarus pointed out and took a sip of the water. "We are barely rebuilding the continent, and we don't have enough time to even raise our weapon," he added.

Once again, Aurelia didn't say a word and didn't show any reaction, but this time she closed her eyes and let the silence take over the room.

"May I ask what's the vision you're seeing, Your Excellency?" Lenin broke the silence. She wanted to see a glimpse of the burden that Aurelia was carrying on her shoulders.

"Conflicts, a lot of conflicts," Aurelia answered as she opened her eyes. "Among ourselves," she revealed as she looked at both of them.

"Conflict, Your Excellency?" Lenin furrowed her brows.

"We have been progressing very smoothly while maintaining stability, and as far as I'm capable of understanding things, we have achieved things that many nations have tried to achieve. However, that same stability can bring conflict, fear, and anxiety in this time and age. Everyone is standing on the edge of the cliff, wondering if the ground could hold their weight or if it would break," Aurelia answered as she reached her forehead, letting her fingers feel her skin. "I don't want stability where everyone has to stand on the edge of the cliff," she added, her voice barely above a whisper as if it was a plea rather than a wish.

"Is that why Your Excellency decided to show hostility toward the threats around us? Rather than letting everyone live in stability but haunted with uncertainty, you want to sacrifice that stability but makes everyone aware of the threats? That will bring unnecessary fear, Your Excellency," Lazarus said as he clasped his hands together in between his thighs.

"Deep down, everyone is already living in fear. We just have to tell them the fear is real and band together even more than our current state. It's better to know that they might fall of the cliff and they won't be alone rather than telling them the surface is stable but feeling betrayed when it doesn't," Aurelia said as she lowered her hand and let it rest on her lap. "I'm done with the white lies, Elders. I don't want to build this continent based on lies just like it was before. This land is rebuilt from the sacrifice of the countless lives, as long as humanity exists, sacrifice will remain the price of protecting it. Peace will always demand another generation willing to pay for it," she continued.

Lazarus who was a veteran commander that led North Neva to unification understood Aurelia more than she expected. On the other hand, Lenin had seen enough white lies that brought nations to fall by Rasmus. However, both of them didn't want to use truth as the only measure for everything.

When Lenin wanted to say another piece of her mind, she saw Aurelia sitting still with her eyes closed. She could see the rise and fall of Aurelia's chest, realizing she had fallen asleep due to the immense exhaustion. She remembered what Novia said that Aurelia might stay awake for another week, but now that real problems had appeared from both continents, she knew even an hour to stay awake would be impossible.

"Her Excellency grew up in a world that she believed to be peaceful until she was forced to see the truth and reveal it to the world. She rebuilt everything from that single moment alone should be impossible, and yet here we are," Lenin muttered, her voice barely above a whisper to make sure Aurelia didn't wake up from her voice.

"We both are too old to see through the eyes of the younger generation. Perhaps, we should do our best to assist them and adapt to it," Lazarus nodded as he drank the water. "She understood the consequences, and since she has been prepared to face it, we can do nothing but to stand by her side. After all, she did the impossible, and if she could do it once, she would make sure she could do it again."

Lenin smiled softly as she nodded in agreement.

They both sat there across from Aurelia, seeing a fragile-looking young lady sleeping on the couch, they wanted to become proper adults, carrying her to her bed, but they knew the person in front of them was the High Regent. They sat there, not saying a word and just thought about what Aurelia said and the way she expressed her words with her tone and expression.

"What do you think of Count Blackheart, Lazarus?" Lenin asked out of curiosity since she had heard that Lazarus had met and conversed with Rasmus once.

"Those two reports are enough to summarized what kind of a person he is and I couldn't agree more to that," Lazarus answered as he stared at the white ceiling. "A man that young, done all those things and moved around the world without any sliver of fear and just kept moving, it's unheard of," he added.

"Every time I spoke with him, I forgot that I was speaking with a young man that barely a third of my age, and yet he always made me see through perspective that I always missed to see," Lenin muttered as she stared at the table in front of her. "His ability to adapt, it's terrifying," she added.

Lazarus hummed in agreement and he also saw that during his conversation with Rasmus.

"Her Excellency was his former student along with my grandson, Saint Morgianne's daughter, Ordinal Conclave Julius' son, Alexander, and even the future Ashenvale's patriarch. His adaptability is exceptional, but to change people's views to this degree, that's threatening," Lazarus responded as he crossed his arms.

"I thought that he would create more monsters like him, but it seems once again I'm missing that perspective," Lenin pointed out. "And until this day, I still have no idea what he wants," she sighed.

"A man with such a background of abandonment, hardship, and lived through survival, it's like seeing a fish that can fly. It doesn't make sense, but it exists," Lazarus said with his brows raised and his gaze blankly staring at the white wall. "I suppose that's why he can do all those things because he's that hard to predict even for those beings," he chuckled softly.

"I suppose you're right," Lenin smiled and chuckled softly as she nodded in agreement.