“The Sang-je is a holy man who has been protecting the Holy City for a very long time, according to his God, Mahar. But no one has ever actually seen Mahar. And I think that if a God were to come down into this world, that would only signify the end of the world.” Kasser told her. Eugene looked at him with wide eyes.
“Gods. They are an entity we can’t even begin to imagine. Would a life form even survive when it comes in contact with such being?”
Eugene listened closely, giving her full attention as Kasser went on.
“Let’s say that it is possible to summon a God, and you’re somehow involved with that. Then what could possibly be your reason to summon one?”
“Desiring Mara’s power….” Eugene spoke mindlessly, stating Jin’s end goal for summoning Mara.
“What for? You’re an Anika with unmatched Ramita levels. You already have that blessing from the Gods, so why would you still yearn for more power? From an evil god at that, too”
Jin had little to no Ramita when she was born, that’s why her desire to have a different and much stronger power resonated so deeply within her. But that was only true based on the novel.
Having this conversation with Kasser made Eugene even more confused than she already was. She felt like the things she worried about were actually irrelevant.
“Well, it’s true that I was the one who funded the servants and kept a close relationship with them, even earning the title Saint amongst them.” Eugene repeated. Making sure that Kasser understands the predicament she was in.
Kasser nodded. “That’s right. It won’t do you any good when that fact is made known to the public. They would definitely use that against you.” His demeanor remained serious as he continued. “Now, tell me what it is that you want.”
Eugene turned her towards him, surprised and a little bit embarrassed that he managed to see right through her.
The reason why she told him all of this was not simply because she want to atone for her terrible actions, nor did she want to get his empathy and assure her that it’s okay to make mistakes, what she wanted to happen was for Kasser to come up with a solution. She didn’t want to be trapped in Jin’s chain of wrongdoings any longer.
“I….”
Eugene found it difficult to voice out her intentions, feeling sheepish that she wanted to be free from her dark past.
Kasser waited for her to continue, but seeing her struggle to form words prompted him to make a decision. “I’ll send out a royal decree to track down all the servants of Mara and kick them out so that they can’t stay anywhere within the Kingdom.”
“No!” Eugene said urgently. “I heard that you haven’t been persecuting them ever since. I don’t want anything to change regarding the servants of Mara.”
“Then should I just order for that man’s arrest?”
Eugene shook her head. “Please, just don’t do anything for the meantime. I’m thinking of having a meeting with that man.”
Kasser scowled upon hearing her answer. “Why? What for?”
“I feel like I might remember something when I meet up with him, and I want to know why I gave him so much money. The chancellor might also do an investigation regarding him, and report it directly to you. Could you possibly slow his investigation down?”
He remembered what Verus had reported to him earlier regarding the servants of Mara, deeming their actions suspicious as he ordered him to investigate. And hearing what Eugene said made him grow even more doubtful since so much money was involved with the servants of Mara, so it makes sense that they were growing stronger.
He didn’t understand why Eugene was keen to meet up with him to recall her memories, though. What’s the point?
There were times when Eugene seemed stuck pondering deeply into her memories. Kasser was satisfied with what they have now in the present, but he knew that he couldn’t blame her for wanting to recover her memories, and he understood the reason behind her growing anxiety.
“Alright.” Kasser gave in to her request to leave Rodrigo alone for the meantime. Hearing his short, direct answer surprised Eugene. She didn’t expect him to acquiesce so quickly.
“You have my word. But I can’t guarantee that I would just let him be. Seeing what he did to you, there’s a pretty good chance that he’s committed other crimes as well. I’ll put him on a time limit for a month. After the dry season starts, I’ll be the one to take care of him.” Kasser said.
Eugene nodded her head, fully agreeing on Kasser’s terms. Letting out a small sigh, the uneasiness she felt earlier slowly melted away. She felt like she could breath a lot easier now.
She knew that he would not be able to refuse her, but she kind of expected him to chastise her at least. She felt lighter, but she couldn’t help but feel a little bit worried. Is it really going to be okay?
“Eugene.” Kasser suddenly called, snapping Eugene out of her thoughts. “I’ll find you a new, skilled information broker.”
She raised her eyebrow. “Do you think I’m upset just because I’ve lost the information broker? The one who helped me collect those old books?”
“That hobby of yours was important to you.”
“Not anymore. You know that I haven’t been buying books lately.”
“Well it is the active season.” Kasser said as he shrugged.
“Right. Jin only buys book during the dry season.”
During the active season, the goods that are up for sale became much more limited. The only goods that were readily available in the market were usually just necessities, and luxury items such as old books were only available during the dry season.
“I’ve lost interest in collecting books, I don’t think I’ll buy anymore.” Eugene said.
“Why all of the sudden?” Kasser asked.
“No reason exactly. That’s just how hobbies work, sometimes you like it, sometimes you don’t—“ Eugene stopped in her tracks, noticing that Kasser was looking at her so gently that she couldn’t help but laugh at him.
“You really have a knack of making serious discussions lighter.” Eugene said as she shook her head, her lips forming a pout.
Seeing her endearing expression made Kasser laugh as he stood up from his seat, leaned down towards her personal space and lifted her in his arms. The sudden action made Eugene squeak as Kasser took her towards the bed.
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