“I’ll answer that question with another question,” he gestured. “I know the
rough statistic of mages to nonmages in Dicathen is one to one hundred.
What do you suppose the statistic is in Alacrya?”
I remained silent.
Agrona smirked. “It’s one in five.”
“One… one in five?” I sputtered.
“Unimaginable by your standards as well, right?” He gave me a wink.
“I’ll admit that what you manage to do is impressive, but aren’t you afraid
that with so many of the population being mages, those who still hold a
grudge against you will band together and revolt?”
Agrona looked at me for a second in silence before he burst out laughing.
“Oh… you weren’t joking,” he said in between laughs after seeing my
expression. “Like I said earlier, my people, whether they have some of my
genes or they’re still full blooded lessers, revere me. Because of the
structured process of awakening I have devised for them, many of them can
utilize magic to improve their mundane lives.”
“You’re telling me that you spent the time and effort to devise this method
for what… the actual benefit of Alacryans?” I asked, skeptical. “I’ve heard
from the asuras, but since they’re apparently so skewed in their views, I want
to hear it from your mouth. What is your goal in all of this?”
“Ooh, is this the part where the villain falls into a monologue and reveals his
nefarious plans to the righteous hero?” he replied excitedly, steepling his
fingers.
I shook my head. “You’re insane.”
“Insanity is relative,” he said, unwavering. “And as for your question, I have
no intention of telling you anything.”
“You said you were interested in me earlier. I assumed it was because you
wanted my help, but withholding your goal in all this hardly makes me want
to jump over to your side,” I pushed, hoping to get an answer out of him.
Agrona leaned back. “I never expected you to come to my side as a result of
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this little conversation. I told you all this because it is my hope that you will
remove yourself from the war.”
“What? Why would I—”
Agrona held up a hand. “Before you say no, consider this. Thus far, I’ve been
progressing very conservatively in this war—refraining from unnecessary
civilian deaths, since I have use for them—but that does not mean it will
continue this way.
“You’ve barely managed to cling to your life up until now, but this is just the
start. Statistically speaking, how likely is it that your side can win this war—
and that your family and other loved ones will be alive after everything?” He
paused before speaking again. “You can hide, seek refuge in Alacrya—
anything really, just as long you don’t become an opponent to my army.
Guarantee that, and I will guarantee that you and your loved ones will be left
untouched.”
It would be a lie to say a small part of me wasn’t tempted. “What do you gain
from me doing this? Telling me to keep hidden or go to Alacrya obviously
means you want me alive. Why? If I’m not on your side, aren’t I a threat?”
“Despite how I may be perceived and what I’ve done to get to where I am
today, I don’t believe that allies can be made through force. If I want you on
my side, I won’t attempt that by threats.”
We both stayed silent for a bit. He was waiting for me to respond, and I
didn’t know how to respond. I wanted to refuse—I should definitely refuse—
but for some reason, his words carried a weight that made me truly think.
“It actually seems like you’re thinking about it,” he said. “As a small thank
you for that, I’ll divulge a few things that you may or may not have been
curious about.” Agrona smoothed out the wrinkles of the black dress Sylvie’s
body was wearing. “First. Your parents were attacked not too long ago while
transporting supplies to your forces at the Wall, correct?”
I bolted up from my seat, mana coalescing around my entire body.
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Still seated, Agrona raised his hands in a placating gesture. His eyes,
however, were fierce. “You may not believe me when I say this, but your
parents were left untouched because I willed it.”
“Lastly. The asuras have been out of touch with your leaders, right?” He
didn’t wait for me to respond. The asura possessing my bond rose to his feet,
maintaining his poise. “That’s because a few asuras, including Aldir and
Windsom, tried infiltrating my castle in Alacrya, hoping that they’d succeed
in killing me while my forces are divided.”
“Tried? That means that they failed,” I replied, my heart beating faster.
“Doesn’t that mean the treaty is broken?”
Agrona shook his head. “No. Neither my side nor the asuras in Epheotus wish
for it, but they had to pay for violating the treaty. So we made another deal.”
I was afraid to ask, but I did anyway. “What is the deal that you made?”
“The asuras in Epheotus can no longer aid you in any way throughout this
war,” he answered, stepping a bit closer. “Windsom, Aldir, and the rest of the
asuras that you’ve met have abandoned you and Dicathen.”
It would be tempting to say that I remained unfazed and took the news in
stride, but that would be a lie. In my head, I was using every curse I knew to
express the frustration and panic that was bubbling up inside me.
Finally, after I regained enough composure to form words again, I spoke.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“To appeal to you, of course. I’m trying to ultimately get you on my side
willingly, remember?” Agrona winked. “Frankly, I don’t see where your
loyalty to those asuras comes from. Kezess and the other asuras that helped
train you did so only for their own gains; you simply went along with it
because you needed to get stronger to keep your loved ones safe. Seems more
like a business arrangement to me.”
I shook my head. “Even so. You’ve said that you’ve been conservative
during this war, but while you come off as well-mannered so far, your
retainers have massacred soldiers with glee.”
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“Exactly as you said. Soldiers,” Agrona pointed out, snapping his fingers.
“And really… I think it’s hardly fair to bring that up when your side has
treated my men with just about the same amount of hospitality. I’d say
freezing my poor Jagrette and displaying her corpse like some sort of trophy
in front of your nobles is hardly any better than what she or any of my other
soldiers have done.”
I was at a loss for words. I shouldn’t have been surprised that Agrona had
such detailed information, but hearing him speak of events that had happened
in the castle, like he had been there to witness it, was difficult to digest.
Clearly he was much better informed about our actions that we were about
his.
Silence enveloped the room, bringing my attention to the sound of the wind
whistling around us.
“What we’ve discussed today isn’t something you can organize in a span of a
few minutes. I’ll give you some time to think about everything,” he finally
said, breaking the silence. “Besides, Sylvie seems to be stirring from her
sleep. After you’ve thought about it, recite this spell to Sylvie so you can give
me your answer.”
He sent a string of foreign words through mental transmission, allowing me
time to remember it. Then he continued, “I advise you to make a choice soon,
though. As I said earlier, we’re progressing to the next stage of this war, and I
assure you it won’t be to your side’s benefit. Offering you this deal does not
grant you immunity from harm should you refuse or withhold your answer.”
“Wait,” I called out. “What you told me earlier… that I was the only one on
this continent you’re interested in. You never told me why that is.”
“I suppose it does no harm in telling you.” Agrona tapped his chin with a
finger, thinking for a moment. “Let’s say I’ve enjoyed talking with an old
friend of yours, King Grey.”
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