Chapter 42: An Agreement Between Both Parties
A few days passed.Richard, Luna, and Isolda remained locked in the room, with the only human contact being the young guard who, reluctantly, brought them food.
He had spent time talking with both girls, so it had not been as boring as one might think at first. He had also managed to discover many secrets from Luna, who told him about the operation.
Apparently, both the army and the members of Luna Plateada were going to move to begin the operation. Although, two leaders did not seem to get along. The general who had given Richard a headache upon entering Phoenix City, and Eimy.
Both were like water and oil, which had delayed external operations more than ever. At least that was something good for the plans Richard had in mind.
The bustle in the base had intensified. Guards, servants, even gardeners… everyone already knew about the operation. And, as if that were not enough, the army had betrayed the confidentiality that Eimy had demanded and launched its own recruitment propaganda.
The slogan?"Let's help the powerful alchemist. Join the army and maintain order in the city."
When Richard heard that, he wanted to say: "Hey, I'm a second-class awakened, I've already forged my whole body and I'm capable of wiping out an entire infantry of awakened."
At least he thought he would be useful in the operation; they needed help, and he only needed the loot, which was the creatures' cores, and a way to contact the alchemist to refine them and create the potion to fight the matriarch.
Wasn't that the best deal?
Richard sighed and got up from the bed when he felt movement outside."Hide, Isolda…"
The doorknob turned, and the door opened with a faint creak. The small figure of the leader of Luna Plateada appeared, accompanied by two guards who escorted her with clumsy rigidity. The contrast was almost absurd: were they the ones protecting her, or was she the one keeping them alive? After all, except for Richard, that fragile-looking girl was the most dangerous person in the room.
Her silver eyes locked onto him, her brow furrowing."You just thought something rude about me, didn't you?"
The guards gripped their weapons tighter when they sensed their leader's anger.
The girl—or rather, the old woman in the body of a girl—glared at them."You can leave. I want to talk about some things with this disrespectful young man."
They tried to protest, but just a spark of that look was enough to make them leave in a hurry, almost fleeing.
Once they were alone, Seo-Yeon stood with her hands on her hips."Well, the lapdogs of that general are gone now."
Her voice, though high-pitched, carried an unsettling firmness."From Eimy I learned that you are a very strong awakened. Although, from the moment I saw you, I also knew that every part of your body represented a mortal danger to me. That is why I decided to lock you up… I apologize."
She bowed in apology.For Richard, though, the scene felt a little strange; he wasn't someone who mocked children to the point of humiliating them.
"By the way, my name is Seo-Yeon… I know it's very late for introductions, but I want to start over with you."
She extended her hand.
To Richard's surprise, she was not originally from the United States. Her English was perfect, although someone who had lived in the country could have managed the same… no, now that he thought about it, he had simply been careless not to notice.
Richard shook her hand."So, you're from South Korea?"
His comment seemed to comfort her, making her smile."Yes, although to be honest, when I introduced myself to other people and said I was from Korea, they almost always said North Korea…"
Seo-Yeon made a disdainful grimace."They don't realize that if I were from there, I probably wouldn't even be here, given the strict population control they have."
The conversation had drifted, and both Richard and Seo-Yeon noticed it after a while.
"Well… as I said.""Please, support us in the next operation!"
She lowered her head, asking Richard to consider helping them.
After all, she knew that if he went with that hateful general on the mission, it would possibly not be just one group, but two or even three, because that's how divided the two forces controlling the city were.
The general would surely try to find the flower on his own to earn the favor of the alchemist and take him into his ranks, gaining ground. But that would inevitably compromise everyone's safety.
Seo-Yeon clenched her small fists, filled with fury."All they want is for my brother to join them, although for now they don't know he's my brother… when they discover that they won't be able to win his favor no matter how much they try, I fear they could do something that would start an internal war in the city…"
Her figure trembled with helplessness, as tears slid down her face."He's the only family I have…"
Richard looked at her sympathetically."Well, although since I entered Phoenix City I was already planning to carry out some missions for the organization… I could lie to you and say it will cost you dearly, but the only thing I ask is the alchemist's help to make some recipes."
She raised an eyebrow, doubtful of the request."You're not planning to trick my brother, are you?"
Richard denied such an affirmation."The only thing I want is for him to help me make some recipes… as a reward I could sell you some of the recipes so that Silver Moon can grow faster."
The proposal was very attractive to Seo-Yeon. After all, her brother had spent weeks relying on his talent without sleeping and had only created the core purifier they had been using and a brew that could help the Awakened.
It might seem like little time, but he had the talent of an S-rank alchemist and had fasted nights and nights searching for a solution to his problem. Now he had succeeded, but in doing so he had drained all his vitality.
He wasn't going to live more than a few weeks.
Seo-Yeon raised her hand in acceptance."Fine, but I hope that after we get that flower you allow my brother to recover, and then he will help you with the refinement of your recipes."
She went silent, then added in a lower voice:"Also, regarding your recipes, we'll talk about that later when all this calms down. But if they really are so good as to allow someone solitary to become as strong as you, then I'd be willing to negotiate with everything I have."
Her eyes scanned Richard's whole body.
She still couldn't shake off that feeling of inferiority the young man in front of her made her feel, a boy who didn't seem older than twenty.
And in her eyes, if Richard really was the age he appeared to be, it meant he was a complete monster, one of the pioneers walking at the very front of the unexplored path of evolution.
Richard didn't have to think twice about Seo-Yeon's statement."We have a deal…"
At least some problems had been solved. Sometimes he doubted his sudden luck, but hey, at least now he had gotten everything he came for. Although he still had to discuss some things with the leader of Silver Moon before moving forward with the operation.
"Before leaving with you, I'd like to coordinate how the operations will be. I don't plan on throwing myself into a blind plan like last time, when I ended up trapped in a real hell."
Seo-Yeon turned to him. There was a doubtful expression on her face, but in the end, she nodded."Fine, although the general will be there and… let's just say it's not the best experience to debate a plan with him. Let's just say he's a peculiar person, and the only thing big about him is his ego in proportion to his stupidity."
She let out a light laugh before leaving through the door."By the way, drink that little cup of tea. My brother prepared it when we told him you came from the forbidden zone controlled by the leeches."
The green-colored cup steamed up to his nostrils."Seriously?"
Richard sighed tiredly.
That hippie medicine smell wasn't for him, especially knowing that natural medicine always took effort to get down.
He counted to three before taking a sip."Wow, I'm very surprised…"
It went down like a strawberry milkshake. The flavor could improve with a good sandwich, and it would be perfect for a snack at the Silver Moon bar.
"You're just exaggerating. Don't you see that now not even poison could hurt that steel stomach you forged before becoming a class two Awakened?"
Isolda manifested, pointing at the empty cup."By the way, have you thought about what we're going to do to fight? Remember that I won't be able to manifest my full powers unless I fight side by side, manifested… besides, we didn't even get to practice to coordinate better."
Richard stayed silent for a few minutes."Well… the truth is I hadn't thought about it until you asked."