Gaius was still in a bad mood when dinner ended. News about the East had reached the shores of the Mortal Light Dynasty, and it wasn’t pretty. The Plenum had split into two, divided over Paragon Saito’s passing and the subsequent arrest of Paragon Ying Xin.

One side — a group calling themselves the Thousand Flowers — had accused the other of collaborating with the Human God and betraying the ideals of the East. The other side, the Humanity Front, was now working with the Southern Assembly…and they were accusing the Thousand Flowers of collaborating with Conrah’s murderers.

In the one month or so Gaius had spent travelling to the Northern Continent, the East was apparently descending into what looked like a civil war. It didn’t bode well for Orb, and if the Human God was right…the demons of legend were also on the verge of attacking. Anren had said many things, but Gaius had the feeling that the great god was telling the truth the entire time…a truth that had created a warped, horrible conclusion, but the truth nonetheless.

The Human God had indirectly confirmed his hypothesis about why the beastfolk had traits that, all things considered, seemed to be added on to the base template of humanity. If they had a touch of divinity in their bodies…it could account for their unique traits and quirks.

The great god hadn’t seen any need to lie about his motivation — to regain some power — and despite the terrible, reprehensible means in which the Human God had employed, Gaius couldn’t bring himself to paint the Human God as pure evil. It would have been far better if he could, but the great god was apparently thinking of life as a whole, the so-called ‘greater good’.

It was an odd feeling, but Gaius was beginning to see some things. He had spent many days aboard the ferry thinking about the inexplicable events that had struck this world. He could faintly see that this…second war between the Demon God and the great gods of the Five Lands had been predestined the moment the latter had chosen not to pursue their quarry into the Wildlands.

Of course, Gaius had learnt to not just assess the myths of this world on a surface interpretation. He had a feeling that there were even more things that had happened a hundred thousand years ago, things that been communicated through implications and veiled through simple words.

The wobbling that he felt as he walked on the gangplank brought Gaius back to reality. Gaius had been following the two girls mindlessly for the five minutes or so — and it was only when the ground beneath his feet shook that he woke up.

A few eyes looked at Gaius as he approached. Evidently, the Kusanagis were done with their arrangements. The ferry was now a flurry of activity, with their first course of action to secure a base of operations…or in their words, “a mansion fit for a Champion’s descendants”. Somehow, this knowledge had made them…more confident in their future, but so long as they didn’t grow uppity from it, Gaius didn’t see an issue.

“So,” said Gaius, walking towards a teenager. “I take it that your arrangements are already settled? What businesses are you guys going to start up?”

“That’s a secret,” Kenouji replied. “But we may have never made it this far if not for your escort, so the family decided to get you your own mansion too.”

“I’ve heard this before, but I must reject your gift this time,” Gaius replied. “It was a promise I made to Paragon Saito. We already had a deal.”

“That’s the old man’s problem. If he doesn’t like it, he can come find me to talk about it,” said Kenouji. “Frankly, I hope he does. The elders had thought long and hard about why he left us…but they never got to confess their wrongdoings before his passing. It is our eternal regret.”

Gaius thought back to the Paragon’s description of his family back then, and then shook his head. The old man had left his family to teach them the most valuable lesson of all — respect and humility. But he too, must have felt it when he abandoned them to their own devices, watching as Constellation Scorpio eventually drove them out quietly.

If only… He smiled sadly. “I don’t think I can refuse, can I?”

“He gave you his seal,” said Kenouji. “Did you know? He never contacted us, except an order to tell us to flee. It was then that we knew that he had always looked out for us. There were probably many things he did in the background that we never knew about too.”

“He was a father to your entire family,” said Gaius. “When he made his request to me, his days were already numbered. And when a Demigod came, he didn’t hesitate to send me away, over to your side.”

“How did he die?” Kenouji asked. “We never knew.”

“It’s complicated. A Demigod came for me and Feng-Lang, while the main bulk of the Eastern forces were sent on a massive offensive. Paragon Saito came to help.” Gaius sighed. “In a way, it was my fault. He didn’t need to, but he took on the Demigod alone, while ordering me to get you guys out of the East.”

Kenouji was silent for a few minutes, as was Isabelle and Nakama. Gaius hadn’t told them about this, so it was their first time hearing about it.

“If he sent you away to us…” The youth shook his head. “The East is in a mess. He must have seen it coming, seen some of the Plenum betray the others long ago. Whether you were there or not didn’t matter. Even if the Demigod wasn’t there, he must have felt that he wouldn’t return.”

“You’re that certain?” Gaius asked.

“I am,” said Kenouji. “He considered a lot of things. He chose the family head from the younger generations, as the older ones had been…corrupted by power. He believed in the value of kindness and sincerity far more than anyone else.”

“Kindness and sincerity…” The boy nodded. “I agree. He was a Paragon, after all. Did you guys not know what his vows were?”

“No one asked…but it should have been obvious, eh?” Kenouji shook his head.

“Knights and beyond have their own sets of values,” said Isabelle, who had been listening at the side. “The actions of your family must have pushed him to a brink…maybe even contributed to his ill health.”

Kenouji eyed Isabelle for a moment, and then smiled sadly.

“Someone had to say it.” Isabelle shrugged.

“You’re right.” The teenager looked towards the night sky, and then walked away, leaving behind Gaius and the two girls.

“Harsh,” said Gaius. “Right, Nakama?”

“Harsh!”