The Kind of Evil

‎After a whole week in the blimp, they finally arrived at the Holy Nation. A nation that was located in the center of the continent, surrounded by powerful nations. The Holy Nation was small with only a few thousand people living in it, similar to the Vatican. The nation had five layers, making the nation look like a circle maze from above.

‎"So only the first two layers are open to the public?" Serena asked as she looked outside the window of the carriage she was in.

‎"Yes, the third layers are open during a ceremony or a celebration. You can see the gap between the fourth and the second layer is a lot wider than the fourth to the fifth layer that you saw earlier," Astrea answered as she looked at the vast field with tall and giant trees with man-made rivers on the sides.

‎"Soon this place will be opened to the public since there will be a ceremony to officially make Aurelia the next Saint," Astrea continued as she placed her hand on the window, staring at the nation that she spent her whole life in.

‎Serena looked at the beautiful and peaceful scenery as far as her eyes could reach. The shades that the giant trees provided, the clear rivers with fish swimming, and the bright clear sky gave her unimaginable comfort. It reminded her of heaven that she had long forgotten, but she knew what she saw back in heaven, nothing in the whole world or universe that could be compared to it.

‎"What's in the second and first layers?" Serena asked as she looked at Astrea.

‎"The second layers are where the priests and the paladins lived. It's their second home, live and train to serve the Holy Nation. The first layer is where the high-ranking officials live, the Archbishops, Cardinals, and the Elders," Astrea answered as she looked at the white wall ahead of them that led to the second layer.

‎"And where do you live, Lady Astrea?" Serena raised her brows.

‎"In the Angelis Palace, behind the Angelis Temple. The Palace is off limits from anyone, even the high-ranking officials or the elders. The Palace is more sacred than any place in the whole Central Neva continent," Astrea answered with a soft smile on her face. "It's so sacred that Aurelia and I have to clean and cook for ourselves because not even maids are allowed to be there. We always cleaned the palace once a week, just the two of us," she chuckled softly.

‎"That's surprising," Rasmus said with a tuck of smile on the corner of his lips.

‎Astrea looked at Rasmus, and she noticed that he had become a lot paler. A few strands of his hair had turned silver, reflecting the light. His eyes became more blue compared to before, and sometimes his pupils shrunk impossibly small when he absorbed the light.

‎"When are you planning to leave, Count?" Astrea asked in a soft voice.

‎"In a few days... I think everyone deserves to have a long rest after a long journey," Rasmus answered as he watched the priests take care of and water the plants and flowers on the sides of the road. "I believe Daryus will stay by your side since his reason to tag along is to take care of you, Lady Astrea," he glanced at Astrea with a stoic expression on his face.

‎"You're fine leaving him here alone, Count?" Astrea asked with her brows raised.

‎"I don't see a problem in that since it's his choice," Rasmus shook his head. "Is there a reason that I should be worried?" He raised his brows as he looked at Astrea.

‎"No, I just thought that you might want him to be by your side," Astrea shook her head as she smiled. "The Holy Nation is the safest place. However... I don't know if I should still believe that or not..." she said quietly.

‎"Nothing is safe in this world when countless minds live in the same place. I'm not going to explain it further, but Daryus has lived his life in places where dangers reside. He will be fine, and it's his choice in the first place. Whatever happens to him, it's his responsibility and the consequences he chose," Rasmus responded as he watched the carriage enter the second layer of the nation.

‎"You can be so heartless sometimes, Count. Two sides of the same coin, isn't it?" Astrea chuckled softly.

‎Rasmus shook his head, in disbelief how Astrea had begun to feel too comfortable around him.

‎"I have always been a heartless, Lady Astrea. The image that the Great Sage and Archduke Thalior put on me, making people idolize me. The lies and the illusion they put on those people, soon they will find out that they'll be betrayed by their own expectations of me," Rasmus responded as he looked at the training grounds and the numbers of Paladins patrolled around the wall.

‎"Is it my fault or is it their own fault to believe in such an illusion? Or perhaps they're the victims of those two? In the end, it's none of my problems when the people are heartbroken, and those two? If they feel a slight of joy or feel nothing at all from that, aren't they worse than me?" Rasmus asked as he kept staring at the distance.

‎"Hmm? But didn't you reap the illusion that Archduke Thalior and Great Sage Lenin placed onto you? You used that image they both placed on you during the speech you gave with Princess Asghar. Wouldn't that make you slightly responsible for whatever you would cause to the people because you betrayed their expectations?" Astrea smiled as she tilted her head and stared into Rasmus's eyes.

‎"It's as I said earlier, Lady Astrea. I've always been a heartless person," Rasmus smiled back at Astrea. "It's them who placed me on the stage, and so I performed to my liking. Whether the audience found it enjoyable or not, that wasn't my fault since I wasn't the one that asked to be on the stage," he continued.

‎"Just because you're right, that doesn't mean he's wrong," Aris muttered as she looked outside the window. She was sitting across from Rasmus in the carriage.

‎Rasmus and Astrea turned their heads to look at Aris, surprised that she had suddenly decided to join the conversation. It was the first time Aris would join a conversation, and the fact she spoke to a human, made it even more shocking to Astrea.

‎"I guess I can't argue with that logic," Astrea nodded as she looked at Rasmus, still surprised that Aris would mention her. "That sounds like something that comes out of your mouth, Count," she chuckled with her brows furrowed.

‎"Because it is..." Rasmus looked at Aris and noticed that she was smirking at him.

Aris remembered Rasmus's words that he taught Carrion about winning an argument. She remembered that Rasmus said that Carrion shouldn't argue his ideals with the person he argued with, and to dissect and cut through the person's flaws of their ideals. However, this time Rasmus argued Astrea's ideals with his, and that was something that contradicted what he had taught Carrion. She wondered if Rasmus had never tried to win an argument with Astrea or if there was another reason behind it.

"So this is the first layer..." Serena muttered as she looked at the temple that looked like a massive dome. The temple was surrounded by giant trees, making it look sacred.

"Yes... I'm finally home..." Astrea hummed as she stared at the temple with a blank expression. "Welcome to The Holy Nation..." she smiled as she looked at Aris, Serena, and Rasmus.

Dozens of Paladins and the high-ranking officials had waited for Astrea's arrival at the entrance of the temple. The Cardinals, the Bishops, and the Priests looked so worried and happy at the same time. They watched as the carriages stopped in front of them.

"Are you ready, Lady Astrea?" Rasmus asked.

Astrea looked at her arms, legs, and felt her face that were all covered in bandages. She took a deep breath to steel her heart and mind before she slowly nodded.

Rasmus was the first that came out of the carriage. He didn't care about the gazes that were pointed at him until there was someone that stuck out compared to the others. A young lady wearing an all-white robe and a mitten, staring at him with a shocked expression, it was Aurelia, his former student.

"Count!" Aurelia hurriedly walked toward him, and she noticed the cane that supported his legs. "Count! Welcome!" She looked at Rasmus and realized that his appearance had changed drastically. He was a lot taller, more muscular, paler, and his hair became a bit shinier.

"Aren't you a bit too young to become a Saint, Lady Aurelia?" Rasmus smirked as he looked down at Aurelia since she looked smaller than the last time he remembered.

"Does maturity has anything to do with age?" Aurelia narrowed her eyes.

"No, but experience does. But you barely have any of it as well," Rasmus responded as he turned around to look at the carriage. "But I'm not worried, not at all. Seeing you comfortable enough wearing that attire, that's good enough," he said.

Aurelia was surprised when Rasmus said something nice to her, and that always felt special even back then in the academy. People had complimented her and believed in her, but somehow, Rasmus's words weighed more than those because he never took his words lightly.

"Your mother has gone through a lot, and endured a lot. She doesn't need understanding and pity, what she needs right now is for you to make her feel like home," Rasmus said as he put his weight on the cane.

"Yes, I understand..." Aurelia nodded and slowly looked at Astrea in her white robe where her face and arms were covered in bandages. Her chest felt like being squeezed and crushed, but the moment she saw Astrea smile at her, that feeling disappeared.

"Welcome home, mother," Aurelia smiled as she approached Astrea who struggled to walk down the carriage. "I miss you..." her voice trembled and tears lingered in her eyes.

"Sweetheart... I miss you too..." Astrea slowly wrapped her arms around Aurelia's body and caressed her hair.