The Kind of Evil

"What's the meaning of this, Your Grace?" Duchess Adelina looked at Thalior with her brows furrowed, confused by the decision. "We are here to discuss the situation with the South Neva Union, not with Count Blackheart," she added.

"I believe he knows more about the situation than anyone else here. All the information that we got about our enemies came from his colleague. Count Blackheart knew something that we don't, and it would be best to let him handle the meeting," Thalior answered as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

The representatives looked at each other with confused looks while Xena Servil kept her composure and stared at Rasmus.

"Is there a problem?" Rasmus asked and stared at them coldly. "If there's a problem, address it to me directly and we will solve that problem together," he suggested.

When Duke Gerald was about to open his mouth, Garret cleared his throat and fixed his sitting.

"I can vouch for Count Blackheart's credibility and ability to solve problems. I'll put the Earnwind family name on the line if that will make you all feel at ease," Garret said with a serious expression. "Let's hear what he have to say first before we can judge him," he suggested with a gentle smile on his face.

To hear Garret put the Earnwind family name on the line for Rasmus, it made the representatives intrigued by Rasmus. They decided to play along, and they thought Rasmus was just another noble who could easily be manipulated, especially since he was still young compared to them.

"Since you brought Lady Xena Servil on purpose, that means you want to show South Neva Union that the Alliance can no longer be ignored. That's great, but even with the whole Servil faction on your back, that won't change anything," Rasmus said as he sat down and crossed his arms on the table.

"Won't change anything? Do you even know anything about the Servil faction, Count? You're underestimating and indirectly insult them, Count, so I suggest you to think before you speak," Marquess Wilfred said with a cold gaze pointed at Rasmus.

"Tell me, has any of you or the Servil faction dealt with demons? Do you even know what kind of enemy you're facing?" Rasmus asked back as he stared at Wilfred. "Don't act like you know anything when you don't even know the mastermind behind this whole chaos."

"And I'm not insulting the Servil faction, I'm pitying them that they're being used as meat shields for people like you who still think about politics in a sinking ship," Rasmus continued as he stared at Xena Servil.

Duke Gerald slammed his hand on the table and glared at Rasmus angrily. Rasmus was unfazed and stared at him with a stoic expression.

"Don't spout nonsense! We are here to fight them while South Neva Union still thinks that doing nothing is the right decision!" Duke Gerald yelled as he pointed his finger at Rasmus. "What do you know about politics or the whole situation, huh? You're acting like you know our situations and how many lives that we have lost from this whole situation!"

"Finally, you're being reasonable," Rasmus smiled coldly. "If you care so much about the people, why bother undermining Archduke Thalior in the first place? We can talk like a proper adult, and yet all of you were playing a childish game earlier," he raised his brows with his head slightly tilted.

"Does anyone else have something to add? I don't mind playing with your childish game and not focusing on the lives that are suffering out there," Rasmus stared at the other representatives.

The other representatives looked away, leaving Duke Gerald as the only one that looked immature and childish. They were glad that they hadn't fallen for Rasmus's trap. At that point, Rasmus finally made the representatives break from within, and were no longer unified after they let one take the fall.

"Now, Lady Xena, I believe we both can speak more reasonable since we can agree that politics are a disgusting way to deal with our current situation," Rasmus looked at Xena with a soft gaze. "Tell us, the reason you came here," he asked.

"We want South Neva Union to join the war, an all-out war, Count Blackheart," Xena answered calmly. "Winter is here, and if we waited until winter was over, the enemy would have grown stronger. Our enemy is both the revolutionary army and demons, we might be able to convince the revolutionary army to join our cause to fight the true evil. We need to make a move before it's too late," she explained and looked at Rasmus, Thalior, and Altair.

"I agree, and we will join the war," Rasmus responded without hesitation as he nodded in agreement.

Xena was taken aback by how easy it was for Rasmus to agree with her. She thought that he would dismiss her or use nonsense words to belittle her.

"Do you have a plan on how to do that, Lady Xena?" Rasmus asked with a serious expression.

"We don't have any solid plans so far because every plan we made, there were critical flaws that we couldn't cover with our current strength. We would be able to make a solid plan if the South Neva Union joined us in this cause," Xena answered with a serious expression as she stared at Rasmus.

"That's understandable, but what is your main objective? Don't tell me you're planning to fight Kiel and his demons," Rasmus crossed his arms and shifted his body completely toward Xena.

"Some of us believed it would be the right thing to do, but some of us, including me, want to take down the revolutionary parties first. Gather information from them since we believe they must have some connections with Kiel and the demons. After that, we can create a new plan to deal with Kiel and the demons," Xena answered and glanced at the other representatives.

"Are you ready or willing to become a tool, Lady Xena?" Rasmus asked and stared into Xena's eyes. "Are you willing to be used by those people, using your and your people's blood and sweat while people like these three will take all the profits for themselves?" He added.

Xena never thought about it that way because she only focused on saving lives and getting rid of evil. She never bothered about it, but when Rasmus put it that way, she felt a sting in her chest.

"What do you gain from this, Lady Xena? What will the Servil faction get from this? What would happen to you and your people once this is over? A tool that these people will use in the future?" Rasmus asked again.

Duchess Adelina was about to open her mouth, but a simple cold glance from Rasmus was enough to make her close her mouth. She didn't want to make the same mistake as Duke Gerald, and she realized why Thalior let Rasmus deal with them. Thalior let the beast free on his lawn to make people like her and the others know their place and boundaries.

"Lady Xena, with all due respect, you should consider your status and the well being of your people in this situation you're in. Be shameless and take what you believe you deserve. You're a strong Swordmaster, but you're also a leader that your people look up to. Don't let anyone take you for granted," Rasmus said with a serious expression as he leaned forward toward Xena.

Xena gave a simple nod after she realized she needed to get something out of this, and not just out of righteousness.

"Then we will accept your proposal. We will join the war, but half of South Neva Union and half of the Alliance will stay behind to keep the peace and unknown threats that are lurking in the shadows," Rasmus said as he got up and looked at the representatives. "Our priority will be to dismantle the revolutionary parties and turn them to our side. We will discuss the plans once you inform the Alliance. That will be all," he added.

The other representatives didn't get a chance to speak up. They wanted to complain, but they got what they came for, and it would make them look greedy or childish to prolong the discussion. They realized how cunning Rasmus was, and knew what he was doing.

The representatives left the room except for Xena who was still sitting at the table.

"Why did you help me, Count?" Xena stared at Rasmus. "Why did you open my eyes? Did you do it so I can be grateful to you?" She asked.

Thalior, Altair, Carrion, and Garret looked at Rasmus, waiting for his answer.

"Interpret it however you want, but my answer is no. I don't do it so you owe me something," Rasmus answered as he shook his head and pushed the chair back into its place. "I did it because it's better to have less problems than adding one," he added as he bowed his head to Xena and walked toward the door.

Xena sat there with so many thoughts in her head. She was wary of Rasmus, but there was something that stood out about him and it was trustworthy.