Chapter 884 884 - Agreeing on a few things
His words pulled Elora from her thoughts as she blinked at him. "Eh? What do you mean? You're giving something up? What? Why?" Her question storm was filled with surprise and confusion. Somehow, her deductive mind was failing to grasp his reasoning.
Erik wasn't surprised she'd not heard him talk about this to Emma before, as the fairy had been exhausted and asleep at the time.
He sighed once more. He wasn't sure how Elora was going to take this, but he knew she wouldn't like it. Still, he'd made his mind up.
"It's a dangerous step, Elora," he began, his voice firm and slow. "Brainwash one person against their will, and then where does it end? Do we have Nora do this to everyone until someone stops us or we rule over an empire of obedient puppets?"
He paused a moment and backtracked. "Well… maybe not puppets. Anne certainly has all the personality of regular person… but the principle is the same."
Elora frowned, looking at him from across. "Of course we wouldn't," she denied, clearly uncertain what he was thinking for the first time in quite a while. "There's no way to replicate the process of turning people into apostles on a grand scale. It would only ever allow us to target a small number of enemies weak enough for us to capture and hold, but not so weak that conversion would be pointless."
Then she shrugged. "Besides, we'd be stopped almost immediately. Though there are factions with known proselytisers—at least on Söl—these factions never abuse that power. Any attempt to do so would have every other faction teaming up to take you down. Plus there's the proselytiser hunters…"
Erik chuckled and shook his head, not surprised at Elora's reasoning. "And there's the problem. You've only listed practical issues, meaning you'd go through with it if they were solved?"
His fairy parted her lips to respond… but then closed them again. Suddenly, she wasn't sure. If she could turn an entire nation into Anne's, would she? They'd all still have their personalities, sure, but it wouldn't be the same.
After a moment of silence, Elora smirked a little. "I guess it might be fun for a while, but it'd get boring quick…" Then she sighed and shook her head. "Plus, even for me that's morally questionable."
Erik grinned at her, Emma's agile hands still silently massaging his shoulders. "I'm glad to hear you say that, honestly. I didn't really think you would be okay with it, but it's nice to hear, anyway."
Elora grumbled and waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah… I've got a soft heart…" Then she cocked an eyebrow. "But what's that got to do with it? This is a very different situation. It's just one enemy!"
"An enemy who was probably forced into this life, remember?" Erik rebuked, gesturing in the direction of Meilin's prison.
Elora scoffed and rolled her eyes, but before she could say anything, Erik already raised his hand and spoke first. "I know, I know. I'm not saying we should care, not in the grand scheme of things, anyway. I'm just saying things can get muddled… quickly. Today we're brainwashing a maybe-innocent-person-turned-brutal-killer, tomorrow… who knows?"
Elora looked at him solemnly now. "So what are you saying, exactly?" she asked softly, now finally understanding where he was coming from. Though she didn't fully agree with his caution and moral perspective, she wasn't surprised he thought this way.
"I want us to agree on a few things," Erik smiled lightly and raised a finger. "First, the only time we'll forcefully brainwash someone like this is when it directly relates to the safety of our family."
Elora showed only a hint of reluctance when she agreed with a nod. "That's fair."
But Erik sternly shook his head. "I need more than fair, Elora. I need you to promise." He looked up at Emma. "And that goes for you, too. This shit can easily be abused, and it leads only to our deaths or a world we don't want to live in. Plus, once we're on that road, it'll be hard to leave it. We need to keep each other honest and aware when it comes to this stuff."
Naturally, Emma immediately promised with the air of a maid entrusted with a most solemn duty. As for Elora, she hesitated a moment. She didn't like having restrictions and knew she'd not easily break a genuine promise to him. Still, it wasn't long before she, too, gave her solemn promise.
Satisfied, Erik continued. "Good. Then here's number two: when we've resolved whatever issue caused us to brainwash someone, we'll give that person either a clean death, or… we return them to normal before judging if they deserve death. In Meilin's case, that'll be when we've dealt with the hunters."
He didn't relish the possibility of having to kill someone who looked at him the same way Anne did… They would probably smile at him with love and devotion until the very moment life left their eyes. It'd be hard to kill them, even if knowing he'd forced those emotions on them.
But perhaps making it hard on himself was the point…
Elora frowned, her face twisting into a difficult expression. "I mean, that first part's a bit of a waste, but I guess I can agree to it, though that second part isn't even possible. I know of no methods to undo a proselytiser's influence besides through another proselytiser. Certainly not after they've been turned into apostles, a state I hadn't even heard of before we discovered it…"
Erik nodded, unsurprised. "I know. That's why we'll be asking Ymir and Audumla for help with this. They are ancient and have been in active rebellion against the established order for years beyond counting. I know you pride yourself on your knowledge, Elora, but I wouldn't be surprised if they knew something about this that you don't."
Both the fairy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. For a moment, the two lovers looked at each other in silence… until Elora sighed and sagged back into her chair. "Pffff… So I guess you've decided you want to help them, huh?"
Erik, too, sighed and then nodded. "Yes. Barring some unforeseen development, assuming everything we think we know is true, and that their plans don't directly involve harming me or anyone we care about… then, yes. We'll help them with their revolution, and ask for a method to undo proselytiser influence in return."
He shrugged calmly. "I mean, not only is revolution a great time to grab power, but if Yggdrasil really wants Runebound dead, then tearing that tree down is probably the only way to have a stable life, anyway."
Elora smirked with some regret. "I don't disagree, but… you know we could ask for so many other things, and you want to ask for something to help our enemies?"
Chuckling, Erik rolled his eyes. "Come now. That's an unfair assessment, and you know it. By the time we undo the brainwashing, whoever they belonged to previously won't be a problem anymore. At worst, you could say it's just a way to soothe my conscious."
Elora looked like she wanted to respond, but Erik raised his hand with a smirk. "And it kind of is, I know!" Suddenly, he leaned forward a little, forcing Emma to release his shoulders. "But not only!" he claimed. "After all, I also want a way to save the people we love if they've been affected by a proselytiser, without having to bind them to Nora instead."
His last argument seemed to give Elora pause for a moment… then she relaxed and smiled. "Well… fortunately for you, I'm a faithful and obedient empress. Your will be done, my love!"
Erik grinned, but before he could respond, Elora suddenly flew up from her seat and landed on his lap. "Now…" she grinned, wrapped her arm around his neck. "Shall we talk about more pleasant matters? Like your intention to impregnate me?"