Epic Of The Demonic Sage

"The reason why these people are coming here to Inanis City may speak of fearlessness, a disregard for the fact of what we're doing, or general recklessness," Lucius said.

"You think so?" Kiana asked. "Do you think that there are people who are reckless and fearless enough to come here even with the increased number of people capturing criminals?"

"It might be related to the Gifts that they possess that would make them confident that they'll be able to avoid the eye of those who are coming for them. Without much criminal activity here, it's more likely that they'll see this place as an open invitation to do their business here as they'll have fewer competitors than others."

"That… that does sound like a certain possibility, but they truly must not be thinking straight to come here." Kiana shook her head.

"On the other hand, it's far more likely that there might be something that forced them to come here as well," Lucius said.

"Forced them to come here?" Kiana's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you mean that some enemies of ours sent their criminals to do the dirty work here? Did they not already know what happened the last time that someone tried to assassinate you?"

"It depends on what they're after. They might not truly be here to come after my life, but for other purposes… or there's simply a bigger problem elsewhere." Lucius said. "Do you recall what we've heard in Etara's Cross before?"

"Huh? During the banquet or…?"

"When we were with Gellor and his team," Lucius said. "There was one person who took care of a group of Royal Army soldiers by himself and was able to escape undetected by others. If that type of person was around your vicinity and they're looking for bloodshed beyond that of just the royal family's army, there might be a reason for some criminals to choose to leave to avoid unnecessary conflict with that person."

"Then… is it that person then?"

"We can't really say. I don't know how many more dangerous people are out there, so it may be in fact, completely unrelated to that and I'm merely guessing. As we stand now, we don't have any concrete answers as to why they're coming here, but I will be asking Leif to keep an eye on them."

"That makes sense…" Kiana nodded. She was now more alert than ever, thanks to Asher's words.

'Whether these criminals are dangerous themselves or there's a far bigger threat out there, I'll make sure to protect Asher and the Inanis family. This strength I have now is… Epic Rank, but I need to get better... Stronger than ever.' Kiana thought.

While Kiana was lost in her thoughts, Lucius himself was already writing down a note to Leif. It was only a short one and he asked the man only a few things.

"While Alessa and the brewery can wait until tomorrow, it's in our best interest to send this right away. This is far more urgent, as I expect these people to move far more quickly," Lucius said as he handed the note to Kiana.

"Leif and his men are to watch out for these individuals and to report as soon as anything substantial happened." Kiana checked out the missive and pocketed it. "Don't worry, I'll get this to him right away."

"And Kiana?"

"Yes, Asher?"

"It's not all bad that these criminals are coming here to Inanis City," Lucius said.

"It's… not?" Kiana said uncomprehendingly.

'After everything that Asher has said about what the criminals are here for, somehow he still somehow says it's not all bad? How can something be like that?'

"Yes, with these criminals coming in, and perhaps there are others already here that have remained unmentioned, I am sure that you already know that we can take care of these people and rehabilitate them, don't we?" Lucius said.

"Oh, yes." Kiana realized and nodded. It was already in her thoughts before, but somehow everything that happened made her get caught up and lost in the details to see the big picture.

"This can be considered a boon especially once the nobles start hiring the Masked Legion." Lucius said.

"Yes, it will be… but what if the numbers aren't enough?" Kiana asked uncertainly. "It's not like we'll have enough murderers, and other big criminals left and right who'll perform heinous crimes, right, Asher? What if they're not the ones with death sentences?"

Lucius glanced at Kiana and assessed her stomach for this new line of thinking. He had the Mark of Loyalty on her and she was naturally attuned to it, but if he were to shock her enough and say something "outrageous", then it was possible that she might protest and attempt to fight back.

'I need to indoctrinate her even further than I do now. Her moral qualms are getting in the way, but if I do try to get more 'innocent' people and turn them into Lost, then I am sure that certain individuals will come investigating. I've already dealt with the Black Rose Knights before and they were a pain even without them catching a whiff of this… imagine what they'll be like if I turned to ordinary people?'

Lucius smiled and glanced at Kiana.

"You do not need to worry about it so much, Kiana. We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"Cross that bridge…?"

"We haven't even checked the number of criminals at the rehabilitation center yet, and you already know that one member of the Masked Legion can do an excellent job compared to a single ordinary mercenary. If we explain to the nobles that the number of people they need is less than they'd expect, I believe they'll actually see it as proof of competency than it being due to a lack of numbers. You've seen me speak with them before. It's easy enough to reason with them. Other than that…" Lucius said as he glanced at Kiana. "We must sometimes do things that are necessary to ensure the growth of the Inanis Family. Haven't we already decided that we'll do whatever it takes?"

Kiana blinked and somehow, the memory of her making a vow to Asher rekindled in her chest and she nodded. "Yes, yes we have, Asher."