Chapter 189: Sour meeting

"So everything was connected like that…"

Thinking back to the events that transpired right before and during Fen's escape from the empire, it was no surprise that his shenanigans pushed some people to extremes. From how a royal was present on the arena during the fights, through how inquisition had to be irked by the appearance of a phoenixian right behind their backs, one thing added to another and resulted in something that Fen didn't expect even in his wildest dreams.

The sheer fact that they were the ones initiating the problems in Kiznar which directly ended up with Shalia falling in a state where only war could save its government from a total collapse might be a factor in the situation in the empire escalating just as well.

After all, with most of the major neighbours of the empire now busy with their own wars, both rebels and the royal loyalists didn't need to bother with potential outside interventions.

Leading the young mercenary to the inner part of the building, Hekarion pointed Fen at a simple couch that decorated what was most likely the living room of the building. Bringing already prefilled cups right away, the old man proved to at least be a good host.

"It is what it is. But more importantly, tell me. What can I expect from your visit? Surely you didn't come here to…"

Hekarion didn't even need to finish his sentence. The slight hope mixed with anxiety in his voice made it quite simple to guess his intentions.

"No, I did not come here to declare my passive nor active support to either of the sides. You can't expect me to drop all the matters that I'm busy with just to involve myself in a struggle of land from which I had to run away in fear of my life."

Quickly making sure that the old man wouldn't get his hopes too high, Fen was actually frantically forcing his brain to work on the highest rate possible. Because there just had to be a way for Fen to take advantage of the situation in the south without infringing on the northern campaign of his group!

"Just as I thought. Well, I can't say that I'm disappointed since I expected this outcome from the very beginning."

Taking one of the cups to his hand, Hekarion gently raised it to his lips before taking his time enjoying the drink. Curious about the strangely relaxed face of his elder, Fen followed suit before discovering the reason behind Hekarion's sudden chill.

"That's some nice brew! What is this?"

For the young mercenary, Akhaz drinking culture limited itself to the sweet drinks and pastries that he shared with Kaisha in that lovely tavern…

'Fuck, another one… What the heck was I doing back then? It's no wonder I almost died if all I could think off was chasing after shirts!"

Suddenly noticing that he has yet to ask about another important person from his life, Fen sharply raised his eyes at his elder.

"What now? If you want to ask about the archarity…"

Partially reading Fen's mind, Hekarion looked at him from above the rim of his cup. 

"I saw it in ruins, I know it's gone. But tell me, do you recall that girl called Kaisha? She visited the archarity a few times, I was in the same class as her… Given how she wanted to make her career in church… I just wonder what did she end up doing after the incursion of monsters and your rebellion."

Still chastising himself for his previous, immature escapades, Fen openly asked about Kaisha's fate. In the end, despite her formal allegation to the church, she still crossed several taboos just for the sake of helping him out. Unless her mind was actually filled with propaganda regarding the phoenixian blood, then Fen couldn't really hold any grudge against her as she did absolutely nothing wrong!

"That girl… It might be a surprise to you, but she's in camp with Mark. I'm not sure what their relationship is, but I'm quite certain he holds an important position amidst his ranks. If I'm not wrong, she was a sleeper agent of that unruly student of mine all along."

Shaking his head in what seemed to be disbelief, Hekarion lowered his eyes in shame. It was quite obvious what kind of thoughts bothered him. Even though Fen was given directly to Mark's care, the young mercenary could tell that Mark's former mentor didn't expect Fen's master to go for such lengths to control the genius of their age.

"I'm glad to hear that she's okay. But now, let's get to the main topic. What is the reason for you summoning me? I know it's winter, but it's not like I'm completely free to hop in for some beer and chitchat."

As much as Fen would love to be as free as to just visit his old friend, the path that he picked in his life laid him down with obligations. If he were to desert from the mercenary group like an idiot only to join the hopeless insurrection in the south, not only all his efforts so far would be in vain, his future would once again start to look grim as well.

"Well, I didn't expect you to join sides or anything… I just hoped that I could get you to talk Mark out of his bloody revenge. This brat… He is willing to drown the entire empire in blood and doesn't mind pulling the entire Akhaz with him on this destructive path."

Once again taking a break to take a sip of his drink, Hekarion stared upwards at the ceiling, fighting with the demons hiding inside his own mind.

"I can't tell you to convince him. You are free to believe that his ways are better than mine. It is irrefutable that it was his achievement to stand against the Church's oppression when they crossed the line… But it doesn't change the fact that he is willing to sacrifice too much just for his personal revenge."

At first, Fen was quite confused about what Mark's revenge had to do with the entire rebellion. According to Hekarion's story so far, the uprising was caused by the mass arrests that the inquisition tried to put into action. But what if that move was what the old man described as crossing the line? 

After a moment of thought, Fen finally understood all the hints that Hekarion was dropping. From how Mark had to already be working in the shadows since a long time ago given how Kaisha appeared to be his confidant, all the way through how rapidly did he manage to organise his people to create something capable of opposing the influence of Hekarion, someone who basically held part of the city reins for years already…

When taking those things into account, it turned clear that Mark was always focused on some kind of task, and everything he did was always aimed at reinforcing his chance of success. 

The question was, did he save Fen back when he was starving on the side of the road out of his innate kindness or did he hope to turn him into yet another asset for use?

"Well, I won't learn anything else from you. I'm sorry, but if I'm supposed to even think about interfering in the matters here, I can't rely on just a single point of view. I hope you will understand."

Explaining his position in quite an open way, Fen lowered his head in a silent apology. Given how immense respect this old man held in his heart, this kind of lack of trust most likely hurt Hekarion just as much as it affected Fen.

"It's okay, I understand. Once we take the fate of others upon our shoulders, we no longer are free to govern our own."

Smiling sadly at the notion that he just brought up, Hekarion managed to wrap up all Fen's doubts about his own position in the world in just a single sentence. Just from this enlightenment alone, meeting this old man turned out to be worth.

"So, let's not waste any time. Right now, my duties are pushed on the shoulders of my friends, so I would like to wrap the entire thing as soon as possible. With that said, do you think you could organise me a meeting with my teacher? I'm quite curious as to what does he has to say."

Smiling gently to the respectable scholar in front of him, Fen stood up from the comfortable couch before taking the cup in his hand and downing the entire drink. As great of liquor as it was, it would be even a greater waste to let it just spoil in the cup than gulping it down all at once.

"Sure… but I'm not sure whether you will like the only way in which I'm capable of doing so… Or nevermind. I will just hope that a bit of awkwardness won't stop you from achieving whatever you had on your mind when you first heard about my summons."