The Kind of Evil

‎"You're awake, Count..." Thalior looked at Rasmus, who was standing at the door. "Where is Lady Aris?" He asked.

‎"She left already," Rasmus answered as he walked in and looked at Astrea, Novia, and Xena at the table with so many books and scrolls scattered on it. "What did you find?" He asked and joined them.

‎"Lots of things, and we don't know where to start..." Novia sighed as she looked at the scroll in each hand. "Slavery, corruption, murder, conspiracy, you name it. Everything is here," she put down the scrolls and grabbed another one.

‎Rasmus looked at the books and the scrolls on the table. Judging by their expressions, it appeared that they hadn't found out about the Saint's body that he had found.

‎"So, who are they?" Rasmus asked, asking the most important and basic question.

‎"The Nine Crowns. The core members are the nine kings from the nine kingdoms. They had fifty members, and they were all high-ranking nobles," Xena answered and looked at Rasmus's face, wondering about his condition.

‎"During the previous war, before South Neva got united, these kingdoms were one of the dominant factions. They also funded the South Neva Union..." Thalior added, his disturbed expression couldn't be hidden. "They were right under our noses..." he sighed.

‎Rasmus knew there would always be someone in any group who was wicked or corrupted. He then glanced at Astrea, who had been so quiet and stared at the book in her hand.

‎"Your Holiness? What's the matter?" Rasmus asked.

‎Astrea didn't show any expression, and yet she was amazed that Rasmus could tell something wasn't right. She took a deep breath and gently put down the book she was holding.

‎"One of the Cardinals, he was a part of the Nine Crowns..." Astrea answered and stared blankly at the table. "He... Partook in all these sinful deeds during the previous wars," she exhaled deeply as she massaged her nose bridge.

‎Rasmus glanced at the books beside Astrea's left hand, but she didn't have the courage to look at them. She looked disturbed and shocked, contemplating what she had just discovered.

‎"Think about Aurelia, Your Holiness. If you want what's best for her, do what you must do," Rasmus said with a serious expression.

‎Astrea snapped back to reality and immediately thought about Aurelia. She slowly glanced at the books in front of her and realized that Rasmus was right. She had to get rid of all of the evil within the Holy Nation so Aurelia could be a better Saint than her.

‎"Thank you, Count, for giving me the strength..." Astrea smiled gently at Rasmus. "I will get rid of all evil within the Holy Nation once and for all," she said and slowly reached her hand toward one of the books.

‎Rasmus didn't respond to her words and focused on gathering information from the others.

‎After Rasmus listened to Novia, Thalior, and Xena, he found out that there were six other hideouts across South Neva. The Nine Crowns had a lot of branches with different names, and that increased the number of hideouts by multiple times.

‎"They're everywhere, however, we know most of their locations and it's a good thing," Thalior crossed his arms and watched Xena's knight spread the map on the table. "We can get rid of them while they have no idea that we have found their hideouts."

‎"The Holy Nation won't be able to give all the support, Your Grace. You should realize by now that even with Her Holiness's help, we could barely kill a demon," Rasmus said and stared at Thalior. "We need a better approach, and right now we don't have any because we still have to focus on the Revolutionary parties," he added.

"You're right, but this is still good news for us. We know where the threat might come from," Thalior nodded in agreement as he marked the places where the hideouts might be.

‎Suddenly Astrea dropped the book in her hands and she began to breathe heavily. She was in shock by the look of her expression, making everyone confused and worried. She tried to stand up, but her legs were too weak and made her collapse to the chair again.

‎"Your Holiness?!" Thalior hurriedly walked around the table and stood beside Astrea. "Your Holiness, what's the matter? Are you okay?" He asked, but he didn't dare to touch her.

‎Novia and Xena stood beside Astrea, looking at her with a confused look on their faces. Rasmus, on the other hand, stayed still and stared at her from his seat.

‎"I need..." Astrea cleared her throat and held the book tightly. "I need some time alone," she said as she tried to stand up.

‎Rasmus got up from his chair and approached Astrea. He offered his hand to her since nobody dared to touch her.

‎Astrea looked up at Rasmus and took his hand to help her stand up. She excused herself and then left the room with Rasmus escorting her.

‎"What did you read, Your Holiness?" Rasmus asked, keeping his eyes to the front.

‎"Something that would shake the whole world..." Astrea answered as she looked at the book in her hand.

‎"Something about the previous war? Or something that happened during that time?" Rasmus asked.

‎"Yes, that Cardinal. He was the one behind it," Astrea said coldly, suppressing her anger.

‎Rasmus wondered if it was about the Saint's body that he found in the lake. He didn't want to reveal it to Astrea since it would blow up one of his plans.

‎"We have arrived, Your Holiness," Rasmus stood in front of the door.

‎Astrea looked at the door and then looked at Rasmus.

‎"Would you like to have tea with me, Count?" Astrea asked as she stared into Rasmus's eyes.

‎Rasmus noticed the uneasiness in Astrea's eyes. She looked scared, worried, and angry at the same time. However, the obvious thing that was visible was fear.

‎"Yes, Your Holiness," Rasmus nodded and opened the door for Astrea.

‎Astrea's personal maids were preparing the tea while Astrea and Rasmus sat on the couch. She never averted her gaze on the book she was holding, and she didn't want to let go of it.

‎"I'm not the right person to give any kind of comfort, Your Holiness," Rasmus said and watched the maid put the cups on the coffee table.

‎"If I'm looking for comfort, I won't be looking for you, Count," Astrea smiled faintly as she stared at Rasmus. "The reason why I invited you over for a cup of tea is because I wanted to hear your opinion, Count. I want to know what you think about this whole thing, the demons, the false prophet, the powerful being..." she stared blankly at the table with her brows raised.

"It's a cycle of life," Rasmus answered and watched the maid pour the tea into the cups. "Humans aren't the first to live in this place, and humans aren't the last either. What's come must go. You might think it sounds absurd or pessimistic, but I'm not saying that this moment might be the end of humankind. Perhaps this is a trial to see how far humankind can go rather than God condemn humankind to extinct from this," he explained as he took the teacup and took a sip of it.

"What are you trying to imply here, Count? Are you trying to say that I should let it flow whule I'm doing the best I can or are you trying to say that I have to tread carefully and plan everything for every breath I'm going to take?" Astrea raised her brows, leaning back and making herself comfortable.

"Which one do you prefer, Your Holiness? Every choice has its own consequences. The choice is always yours, it always is and it always be," Rasmus answered with a smile. "What I'm trying to imply is that it's impossible to drink three cups of tea at the same time no matter how skilled you are. Take one cup at a time, Your Holiness," he added and took a sip of his tea.

"That sounds soothing to hear, but do you really think that I can do something like that, Count? Prioritizing one thing while letting the other things wait in the back of my head? It's as you said, every choice has its own consequences, but I don't know what's the best choice is," Astrea scoffed and smiled as if she was mocking her incapability.

"Best choice for who or for what kind of situation, Your Holiness? Pick one and then pick the other best choice once you're done with the first choice you made," Rasmus responded and put the teacup on the table.

"I don't know, Count... I really don't know..." Astrea shook her head, smiling pitifully at herself.

"If that's the case, why are you wasting your time thinking about it, Your Holiness?" Rasmus raised his brows. "Sleep over it, calm your mind, and be free for a moment," he said as he got up.

Astrea watched Rasmus stand up with a confused look, her brows furrowed and her head slightly tilted.

"What you need isn't someone to have a tea with. All you need is a peace of mind. Something that nobody can give but yourself, Your Holiness," Rasmus said calmly and gave a gentle smile at Astrea. "Have a good day, Your Holiness," he bowed his head and walked toward the door.

"You said that you're not the type who gives comfort, Count. I guess you were wrong," Astrea looked at Rasmus. "Thank you, Count. Good day to you too," she added and smiled at him.

Rasmus nodded and left the room quietly.