The Kind of Evil

Lenin and Novia were speechless when they heard Rasmus's story from when he revealed his journey after he left the Holy Nation with Aris. In just the span of a few months, those two made huge progress and the worst part was that they moved so effortlessly. Lenin knew how capable Rasmus was, not to mention with the money he had, making him almost unstoppable. Novia on the other hand, she finally realized how dangerous Rasmus was, and knew that he couldn't be left alone without being monitored.

"Count, can we speak more privately?" Lenin asked and took a deep breath. "Just the two of us," she pointed out.

Rasmus smiled as he looked at Aris and Rullein, giving them a nod. Lenin closed her eyes, knowing that Rasmus would accept her request.

"Novia, can you bring Lady Aris, Great Spirit Yur, and Lady Rullein to the guest floor? Give them whatever they need," Lenin said as she looked at Novia with a soft smile on her face.

Novia wanted to decline, wanting to stay by Lenin side because she wanted to be there, to be a part of that conversation. However, she nodded as she sighed, standing up from the couch and looking at Aris and Rullein. She then guided Aris, Yur, and Rullein out of the office, leaving Lenin and Rasmus alone.

Lenin flicked her fingers, creating a Mana barrier that prevented anyone from entering, leaving, and listening to their conversation. She leaned back and crossed her legs, placing her hands on her lap as her eyes stared into Rasmus's.

"Why did you tell me everything, Count? You could have just lied or skipped the important parts, but you didn't. You revealed everything, why?" Lenin asked with her brows furrowed.

"Because that's what you want, isn't it, Great Sage?" Rasmus asked back, taking a sip of his tea. "With the current situation that's happening, you might feel like you're losing your grasp, the control over peace on this continent. That's why, I'm giving you assurance, or perhaps a bargaining chip," he answered as he stood straight and put down the teacup.

Lenin clenched her fist, realizing what Rasmus was trying to pull here. She didn't like it at all, she didn't like the fact that Rasmus offered a hand, making him above anyone else. She slowly unclenched her fist, realizing that she had been showing her turmoil, which was something she had never done to anyone in her whole life.

"A bargaining chip? You want humanity put their bet on the same person who killed thousands of innocent lives?" Lenin asked, rubbing her thumb against her index finger. "If we chose to fall, would that affect you in any way? I believe it does," she sat straight as she reached for her teacup.

Rasmus didn't react, and his gaze was pointed at Lenin's eyes.

"You're not our ally, nor are you the demon's ally. You want both of us to kill each other, reducing our numbers before you come in and take the trophy, to be the one that stand on top," Lenin said and took a sip of her tea. "If humankind lost, the demons would grow stronger, perhaps strong enough to threaten you. That's why you're here, offering us something that you believe that we need it. But what if I said that we didn't want that? Would you stay quiet and watch or force yourself to interfere? To help us without us asking," she asked, staring into Rasmus's eyes with a serious expression.

Rasmus slowly formed a smile on his lips as he reached for his teacup, letting out a chuckle. Lenin's right eye twitched when she heard his chuckle, and that wasn't a good sign, making her think that she was wrong about everything.

"Humankind? Which one? The one that just revealed herself that her sainthood was based on a lie and killed thousands of innocent lives to reach where she stands now? Or the ones who chose to look away from that Saint after they found out the truth? Or the ones who have chosen to follow the demons? Believing the demon is the one and true Saint?" Rasmus asked with his head tilted. "Which one, Great Sage? Which one you're talking about?" He smiled and narrowed his eyes a bit.

Lenin felt the sting in her chest, a surge of anger brewing in her chest. Her fear was right the moment she heard Rasmus's chuckle that she was wrong about everything. She couldn't believe she forgot about Aurelia who revealed the dark truth about the Holy Nation and the Angelis family. She realized that the humankind that she spoke about had shattered into pieces, moving in different directions, believing they were all the right one compared to the others.

"I believe I should be the one asking you that question, Great Sage? Which humanity will you save and protect? The one who lied about their divinity, the one who abandoned the truth, or the one who fell for the demon's trick?" Rasmus asked with his brows raised and took a sip of his tea.

"What do you want, Count?" Lenin asked, her voice becoming cold and her gaze almost dead in the eye.

"What do I want? As I said, I'm giving you a bargaining chip," Rasmus answered with a stoic expression, putting down the teacup. "The war is about to happen, Great Sage. You have to move fast and decide what you're going to do with that information," he continued.

Lenin's eyes blurred for a for a split second as her head twitched for a moment. She was almost blinded by rage, almost losing herself to it, almost surrendering herself to the rage.

"And that's your doing, Count. Why did you do that? Why did you release the plague..." Lenin asked, the Mana around her began to react to her emotions, swirling around her as if they were ready to be used, to turn into a powerful magic that could erase anyone from existing.

"You want to wait for the demons to grow even stronger than they already are? They only had a few months ever since Kiel and Yaza appeared in South Neva back then. Do you remember what happened? Do you remember what they had created? A colossal being that could easily flatten the whole continent in a day. We were lucky that the thing was imperfect. You're expecting this time, Nemu and the other one won't do something similar? Do you expect by doing nothing will help you and the others in any way?" Rasmus asked with a serious expression.

"The longer you wait, the more divided humankind will be. Rather than fighting demons, they would fight each other first while letting the demons grow even stronger from it. Let's just say I'm preventing that from happening, preventing humankind from collapsing in Central Neva," Rasmus said as he watched the Mana around Lenin grow thicker and aggressive. "Think about it, Great Sage. Desperation is the greatest method to do the impossible."

Lenin stayed quiet for a whole minute before she reached for her teacup, reheating it with Mana and steam began to appear from the cup. Her gaze was distant, she was thinking of something terrifying, and that was if the fact that Rasmus had known this whole argument and the outcome. She wondered if he had prepared and planned everything before he even set foot on this island. If she was right, she didn't know what to call him, perhaps a prophet.

"This bargaining chip you're talking about. What do you want in return if we decided to take it?" Lenin asked, her gaze still cold, but the anger and the frustration had disappeared from her eyes.

"Do you remember the first time I came to this place, Great Sage? When I was still an instructor in the academy?" Rasmus asked as he leaned back. "About runes, the origin of human magic. I want to learn that, that's all I'm asking," he answered.

Lenin didn't show any reaction, her face was still cold and stiff as she stared into Rasmus's eyes. She did say that it would be impossible for anyone to learn about runes other than those who had sworn their lives to serve and devote to the Magic Tower.

Allowing Rasmus to have such knowledge would only make him even more powerful. His lineage as Orthias, his genius mind as a Blackheart, and his thirst for knowledge and skill, it would give him a huge step even further than the rest.

"You said you wanted to save humanity. Is millions of lives worth less than knowledge to understand runes? Is your resolve to save humanity that weak when you have to consider this?" Rasmus asked with his brows raised.

Lenin raised her hand and pulled out a thick book from the spatial ring. She glanced at the book in her hand for a moment before she put it on the table. She didn't say a word, but her eyes never left the book as if she didn't want him to have it. However, Rasmus placed two books on top of the book, one was red and the other was black.

"The black one is my father's journal and the red one is the journal that I found in the hidden vault of the royal palace in the Refenus Kingdom. You can read them if you want to know the whole mess that happened in the past and what it brought to this day," Rasmus said as he waited for Lenin to take the books.

Lenin slowly grabbed the books, holding them with each hand.

"Those books might help you choose which humanity you'll save and protect, Great Sage. I did say the other reason why I do this is to give you assurance. You were right when you said I would get myself involved even without all this. After all, I would rather to face humankind than demons at the end of the day," Rasmus said as he took the thick book from the table. "Now, I'll excuse myself and learn this book," he stood up and checked the content to see if it was legit, and it was.

Lenin stared at Rasmus for a few seconds before she removed the barrier.

"They're on the 513rd floor. You know how to get there, so I don't have to escort you there, Count," Lenin said as she checked the contents of both books.

"Yes, of course..." Rasmus said as he walked away and left the room.