"I see the danger, but I also see that as the only path to take. If it's your choice to stay behind, then do it yourself. I'm going back to the homeland, and it will be my last decision."
?"Never in my dreams I thought of staying behind; I'm just pointing out the danger because I also have an answer." Astegon leaned up from his seat as the conversation came to where he wanted it to be.
?"Really? An answer to the danger outside this shell? Do tell me what it is than" Sedric lay comfortably in the chair, yet curiously gazing at Astegon.
?"It's quite simple: we have to have something stronger than the things outside to protect us."
?"To my knowledge, we don't have any sort of thing like that with us. Are you hiding something from me?"
?"What about the stone? I hide nothing and do not intend to. I'll say it directly: if there is one thing in here that can protect us in the outside world, then it will be the Safe Stone, as the light addressed it." After his words, Astegon gazed at Sedric's expression.
?He saw no change in them.
?"But it's a huge stone. How can we even move it? And are you sure whether it can be moved or not? Whether this light will be with us when it is being moved?" Sedric simply questions. And just as he finished, Melavan's words erupted.
?"And what about these villagers—what would happen to them once we take this thing away?" His words are slightly louder than the others, and brought silence to the table.
?"What about them? Our mission is to return to the Empire, and this is not the Empire. We simply find a way to go back. If you have any better choice, then please present it, Melavan the Genial Lord." The words of Astegon made Melavan twitch, and he gazed at him silently.
?The name Genial Lord was something of a nickname soldiers refer to him by because of his gentle and kind nature. But Melavan isn't always gentle and kind, and when he needs to, he can be as ruthless as a hunting tiger in the wild. But these soldiers mostly have not seen that side of him and made the name a joke for him. Although the initial name was not much offensive, Melavan later got to know the offensive part of it, and that was to change the word from Genial to Genital.
Melavan was somewhat heartbroken by some people's hatred and irritation toward him being kind and gentle to others. And he decided to keep calm about the matter, not making a big deal of it.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
?But right now, at this table, the words "Genial Lord" mean one thing to Melavan from Astegon, and that is an offense. To him, that offense is a warning for him to stay shut and ignore the people—what occurs to the villagers—if they take the Safe Stone away.
?Melavan's gaze slightly lands on Sedric and sees no change in his expression. He knows how desperate his captain is to return to the Empire, and he understands that his captain would not reject this. Thus, he falls silent.
?"As for whether we can take away the Safe Stone or not, that's why I brought him in here." Astegon turns to the soldier he brought with him. Both Sedric and Melavan observe the boy, seeing him being slightly shaken when their gaze falls upon him.
?"He is a soldier of mine who joined just recently to my platoon. After that battle, when all those lights appeared giving us these so-called classes, he got something interesting—something that can help us move that stone."
?"My name is Jakhan; the class I received is Barrier Bearer. One of the skills I received from this class gives me the ability to move the Safe Stone wherever I want, but to do that, I need to get close to the stone." The soldier introduces himself, giving a clear explanation of him and his worth.
?"How close?" Sedric inquires.
?"Close enough to touch it," the soldier responds.
?After him, Astegon speaks again with a troubled face.
"That's the problem. According to what the old man in this village said, the man who suddenly appeared when this stone appeared doesn't let anyone get close to the thing."
"I also heard him say that, which means if we want to get to the stone, we have to go past him," said Sedric as he fell into thought.
?"It will be easy if both of us join hands and defeat him," suggested Astegon.
?"I don't think so. I've seen him in action—well, at least his weapon and the power that wepon possess. Even if it is both of us, we won't stand a chance against him." Sedric admits his weakness from the experience and holds himself back from the intense feeling that comes with the mention of battle and war.
?"Then what should we do? Sneak past him? But according to the old man, the guy hasn't moved an inch from where he's standing all this time, except to kill off a beast that entered into the Safe Stone Zone. If we are lucky, something like that would happen again, but luck isn't the best thing to count on right now." Astegon spoke frustratingly, and Sedric raised his voice at the end, calmly.
?"I know. That's why I'm choosing someone else."
?"Who is that?"
?"Joshua Von Grant. I've seen the kid in action, and if it's the three of us, we will at least be able to hold the man off until the soldier gets closer to the stone." At Sedric's words, all those at the table show changes of expression. And Melavan looked at his captain with confused eyes.
?"Are you serious? This is a very critical matter. We cannot trust someone we took as a hostage from an enemy force to help us to fend off an enemy; he can turn against us anytime," Astegon shows his denial, and his tone rises slightly in volume.
?"If we were to face the man all by ourselves, then the chance of us succeeding is near zero according to my guts, I don't participate in losing wars, I cannot lose any of my soldiers anymore. If you're against it, suggest me a good solution, but if you don't have one, we are going with mine." Sedric calmly responds, bringing silence to the room that was about to turn hotter, like throwing water onto sparks of fire.
