The Kind of Evil

‎Novia came back after she made sure Julius had left the City of Knowledge safely. She looked at Lenin, sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in her hand. She approached Lenin and sat beside her, facing her body toward her.

‎"Master, are we really going to leave the Council? The consequences will be severe, not just about the status of the Magic Tower, but also about the fact we will turn a blind eye when something happens to them. Are we really going to do that? To watch them suffer?" Novia asked in a quiet voice.

‎Novia knew it was the right choice, and she knew she agreed completely with Lenin. However, she wanted to know if Lenin was ready to accept the fact they were about to abandon the majority of the people.

‎"It's not like they don't have a choice, Novia. If they have nothing to hide and have lived their lives with nothing but the truth, honesty, and integrity, they can join Aurelia. People like them, they don't care about pride, about ruining their reputation. They only care about the safety of their people and themselves," Lenin answered, taking a sip of the tea. Her expression was calm and relaxed.

‎Novia watched every movement of Lenin's mouth and listened to every word she said. She realized that perhaps they weren't abandoning them but rather giving them a chance to follow the figure who upheld the truth.

‎"I still believe there are a lot of rulers, kings, and queens who will choose to follow Aurelia. However, there will be a lot of them who will fall from their own pride. We can't save those who don't want to be saved. It's not abandonment, it's them choosing to walk away when we give them an option," Lenin looked at Novia with a serious expression.

‎Novia hummed, and tried to process everything she heard and what she had learned from her Master. She was Lenin's disciple, the future Great Sage, and she knew she had to learn from Lenin. She might be a genius, to almost reach Lenin's level at such a young age, but her way of thinking was still that of a young adult.

‎"We aren't alone in this, Novia. Although Aurelia chose to abandon her family and the Holy Nation, she has powerful people behind her," Lenin pointed out, putting the teacup on the table.

‎"Powerful people? You mean Saint Serena? But she's Rasmus's people. We can't trust her either, and so far we know nothing much about her and her goal after she came back to life. Not to mention, that butler of his, Videl, he's someone who has followed Rasmus the longest. We can't trust him either," Novia said with her brows furrowed, her gaze pointed at Lenin's eyes.

‎"Who said I'm talking about them?" Lenin raised her brows with a smile on her face. "I'm talking about those who fought with us back in South Neva. Archduke Thalior, Lady Uriel, and the others," she placed her hand on Novia's head.

‎Novia raised her brows, realizing that they had powerful allies. Those people fought alongside them and won against the demon forces in South Neva.

‎"Remember what Princess Anastasha said in the White Flower Ceremony? She motivated them that the war was far from over, and gave them purpose, a strength to help the other continents that were struggling against demon forces as well. After all, the ones who fought alongside them were us, former Saint Astrea, and Saint Serena. We will request their assistance, making us a formidable faction that will persuade other factions to join us," Lenin continued as she caressed Novia's hair with a soft smirk on her face.

‎Novia smiled, realizing that they wouldn't be abandoning the people. She was relieved that Lenin's plan was strong enough to prevent others from ignoring them. With South Neva's support, Aurelia would become the only faction with such power.

‎"We won't abandon the people, we abandon their leaders who choose their pride and ego. We will save humanity," Lenin nodded and caressed Novia's cheek.

‎"But, Master? What if the South didn't want to help us? What if they didn't want to join hands with Aurelia because of the truth she revealed?" Novia asked, searching Lenin's eyes for a sign of assurance.

‎"They will help us because no matter how rotten the Angelis family and the Holy Nation were, Lady Astrea sacrificed her well-being to save millions of lives in South Neva. It's not the Angelis family, it's not the Holy Nation, it's helping the daughter of the woman who saved them," Lenin answered and held Novia's hand firmly. "If that wasn't enough? Then I'll remind them that the demons aren't the only threat, but Rasmus Blackheart is also a threat. They all know that, they will agree on that, and they will try to hold him back," her expression became serious and stern as she stared into Novia's eyes.

‎Novia nodded in agreement on Lenin's second point, the thing that would untie humankind. She was tired of seeing Rasmus to be untouchable, invincible from the consequences of his actions. She wanted him to pay for everything he had done.

‎"Should we go to South Neva now, Master? Emperor Julius said that the war is about to break, and we might not have much time to prepare," Novia asked.

‎"Yes, but this time I'll be going alone, Novia. It will be a lot faster if I go there on my own, and I want you to stay here, to handle the affairs in the tower," Lenin answered as she looked outside the window. "I want you to keep an eye on Rasmus as well, just don't answer or ask any question because he will pick you up and place you in a spot where he wants you to be," she warned.

‎"Yes, Master. I understand," Novia nodded.

‎There was only silence in the room because they both had something to think about. Lenin was thinking about multiple plans she needed to prepare if one failed. Novia was thinking about what would happen to Central Neva when the war broke, hoping that they would unite to fight the threat together.

‎"Speaking of him, where is he now?" Lenin asked, turning her head to look at Novia.

‎"He's inside the spatial room, Master. He asked permission to use it this morning, and he requested to send everyone to leave the spatial room, leaving him alone there," Novia answered. "He's completely alone there, Lady Aris and Lady Rullein didn't follow him," she added.

Lenin furrowed her brows, finding it suspicious and concerning that Rasmus chose to be alone. Before she could open her mouth, the whole Magic Tower shook heavily that it almost made both of them fall to the ground. They were confused as to what was happening because they were on Gratlan, the floating island which meant they shouldn't feel any earthquakes.

"What's happening?!" Novia looked at the ceiling and watched the chandelier swing around.

"Come with me... I think I know where the source is coming from," Lenin said as she walked out of the office with the whole Magic tower trembling quite fiercely.

They both went to the 100th floor where the testing area and the spatial space were. They were shocked when some of the magic formations that acted as a way to travel from one floor to another were destroyed. They assumed they were broken because of the impact of the earthquake, however, they were confused as to why that was possible since magic formations shouldn't get affected by physical damage.

Lenin watched the sages who were outside the testing area to be unconscious. The whole floor was covered in thick smoke dust that made it impossible to see what was in front of her. No magic devices that worked on that floor, a complete darkness. But what shocked her to her core was when she saw the device that maintained the spatial space to be completely destroyed. The device that should be the strongest device that humankind has ever produced.

"The spatial space device..." Novia's voice trembled as she watched how the pipes made of the strongest alloy and Mana stones to bend and shatter into pieces. "We tested so many powerful spells in there, but nothing could even affect the device, but this. What happened here?" She asked.

"Isn't that obvious, Novia? The fact the whole tower tremble because of this, that means someone or something created a spell that strong enough to destroy the spatial space and affect the whole tower," Lenin responded as she stared at the distance where the thick smoke blocked her vision.

Novia looked at Lenin, not wanting to believe that someone or something was Rasmus. However, amidst the chaos and the darkness, they both saw a pair of glowing blue eyes through the thick smoke. They both stood there, couldn't believe it, they couldn't believe the son of Erglade had truly finally awakened his bloodline as Orthias.

The pair of glowing blue eyes seemed to stare at them and grow closer. The moment the eyes belonged to Rasmus, they both stared at him with fear and anxiety.

Rasmus raised his hand and pulled out the book of Runes that Lenin had lent him. He offered the book to Lenin, but she was too stunned to process what had just happened.

"Thank you for the book, I have mastered it, and I don't need it anymore," Rasmus said as he kept offering the book to Lenin.

Lenin looked down at the book and slowly took it away from Rasmus's hand. She slowly looked up at him, holding her breath from the shock and confusion. Nobody should be capable of learning Runes in just three days because it took her a decade to master it.

"I apologize for the damage, I tried to create a new magic spell, and it went flawlessly," Rasmus said with a smile as he walked past Lenin.