Dinner was standard; the food quality of this world left a lot to be desired, at least when no one wanted to cook. Arata brought back some bread from the bakery, good enough for him.

  Arata summons Ravenna after the meal. Clemence had already grown weary for the day; all Arata had to do was go to sleep and make sure he was well rested for preparations.

  “Ravenna, I'm curious about that guy…” Arata explains.

  “Aou whu guy?” Ravenna responds, spitting bits of pastry out onto Arata's face.

  “Chew first, I am curious if you saw anything about his lawyer.”

  “About that guy… soulless eyes and the suit? His presence is a little off-putting but other than that, I got nothing…” Ravenna ponders to herself, maybe it was a mistake to consult this angel on human behavior.

  Arata opens the door to the Brothel. “How’s Selena, Madam Kovalenko?”

  Madam Kovalenko blows out a puff of smoke from her pipe, “hasn't left her room. I think- ah welcome sir, here's our blue moon special if you want to have a look.”

  Welcome sir… someone behind me- the eyes of Cayden’s lawyer pierced into the back of Arata’s skull and as Arata’s eyes turn to meet his, the man walks right past. A half moon is set down on the table, followed by, “her… one night.”

  Madam Kovalenko looks at his finger. “You should know this courtesan only answers to even bigger cash than that; she’s who someone like your boss would afford.”

  “So I did underpay… my apologies, I merely saw she was the best you had among the lot and assumed that for an establishment this cheap, my payment would be sufficient.” The man coughs out his words.

  Madam Kovalenko’s pipe almost splinters, “Cheap? The fuck are you on? Nobles from the capital make a pilgrimage here just to get laid. Now pay me some real cash.”

  “That will be put on Mr. Cayden’s tab then.”

  Arata, weirded out, decides to just head up to his room. The top floor wasn't the best place to sleep; you could always hear what happened before. Luckily, on the same floor was only Selena’s room, the storage and one other suite.

  Arata wanted to wind down, yet out of curiosity, he put his ear up to the wall of his room. To the right was Selena; fortunately, the walls were thin enough for noise to travel through.

  There was nothing to be heard, a waste of time, only the rustling of her sheets and the subtle hum of sleeping. There was nothing else for Arata to do except lean back into his bed and try to ignore the cries of passion from beyond the wall.

  Ah, it’s quiet for once, no noise downstairs, I can be graced with the privilege of good sleep. Arata, however, knew that was wrong; it shouldn’t have been quiet. Tonight was a night like any other. There would be customers; Arata had even just seen the lawyer find his way inside. Unfortunately for Arata, that was the very moment he heard it.

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  *huff huff*

  “Arata… I know you can hear me through these walls.”

  I- just don’t respond… I can’t deal with this bullshit.

  “It’s strange, really, why do you defend Selena? You are uninhibited just as I am, so why?”

  Nope, still not going to talk-

  *urk*

  “ACK! HE-”

  The voice of a woman, threatening to leak out from the brothel’s room, might’ve even woken Selena and yet as she was muffled, the world would move on.

  Arata responds through gritted teeth. “Alright, I’ll talk. But what’s up with that uninhibited saying of yours?”

  “The beastkin, a paradigm of man, the takers. Humanity is flawed in its ideas of freedom. In order to gain greater access to the world around them, they seek out artificial freedoms, money which can be only used within the confines of their cell, status which has a direct correlation with responsibility and power which forces man to always strive for more to keep up with the others.”

  “Yet the beastkin feel no such obligation to the system; what’s more, those who survived the massacre have nothing more to lose. Such an extraordinary existence sure is enviable.”

  What? Is he stupid? That logic makes no sense. Thinking back, that girl… Rachamah was it? She was still working a job, had to find food and hunt it. She’s definitely not free of those things. I suppose it’s confirmation bias at work. Arata sighs, hesitant to anger him with what he might do to the woman.

  “What makes you say the beastkin are free? That all wouldn’t be enough for someone to be considered free. Not having the responsibility to those around you doesn’t improve your situation. I’d argue you would be worse off than before.”

  “Oh no, quite the opposite, beastkin always pass down the hunter’s stomach to their offspring. The only way to be free is to take from others; shouldn’t the answer be obvious? If everyone is the same, we are all chained as a collective, to be selfish and to use others is the path to freedom. As long as you are not tied down to their level, you can use them to propel you further.”

  “I could choose to engage in this conversation with you because I am more unchained. Unwilling to watch a life fade over your sloth… You acted but why? What obligation do the people around you use as binds?”

  Arata pauses; it was obvious that this lawyer was insane. If he did anything, the law would charge him, right? Even if it was too late, things would balance out in the end and overall, no blame would come to Arata. What’s more, he was a hypocrite, a lackey of Cayden, yet their dynamic had never truly felt that way. The lawyer had walked all over Cayden in any conversation, spending his money.

  This world doesn’t want me to be free… I likely died of heart failure in that hospital. It gave me a second chance, yet it’s predetermined how I should use it. With my infinite loops, both Ravenna and the people of this world expect me to give and make sacrifices, yet what does this world mean to me?

  Arata stutters a little, “Well, of course, I should try my best to help out the two girls. They’ve treated me with hospitality since I met them. I don’t believe you can live as a parasite like you happen to believe.”

  “Gahh!!!!!”

  Arata hears a cry, quickly getting up from his bed, he rushes into the other room, even though he had no weapon in hand. He had no idea what he planned to do.

  The lawyer stands alongside a woman in the state of undress, being strangled on the bed, drooling at the mouth, fear had overcome her. Her body littered with bruises and skin white with shock. The man let the woman down on the bed.

  “I got a little upset by your answer. Please give my most sincere apologies to Madam Kovalenko. I misused some of her product. I was disappointed, you are not nearly as close to freedom as I thought, despite having no ambition to shackle you.”

  Arata quickly calls for Madam Kovalenko, even though the girl is deemed fine, it surely was going to leave a mental scar, yet if Selena couldn’t get justice against people like Cayden, then his lawyer would easily get away with something like that.