Chapter 79 – The Least Cruel Way
When they arrived, Aelia was sitting at a small, square table, the tea already poured and steaming.
The woman had dark brown hair and amber-brown eyes. Her features were soft, and there was an easy warmth to her expression that made it difficult to associate her with the stories attached to her name—or at least, the name of a lich. However, Orestis did say the lich and the healer were two separate people in a sense.
Aelia saw them, smiled, and gestured for them to join her.
Eirene wondered how the healer could be so calm. She was about to be confronted by three people who had spent the morning preparing to trap her, and she was preparing to serve them tea.
Then again, perhaps that was the point. The sort of calm Aelia displayed was not the calm of someone cornered; it was the calm of someone who had never considered themselves cornered at all.
Maxim looked at the table, shrugged, and took the chair to Aelia’s right. He didn’t seem worried at all. But then, he had no reason to be; nothing in the world could harm him.
Orestis took the seat on Aelia’s other side, facing Maxim. He didn’t seem bothered either—though his reason had more to do with the fact that he was actually working with Aelia. Or was it her counterpart? Other body? Eirene wasn’t sure what the right word was for what Aelia Varra had done to herself.
That was part of what bothered her—that Orestis had been meeting the lich in secret. She was still not entirely sure which part of that troubled her more: that he was keeping secrets from her, or that he was meeting and making deals with a lich.
Eirene had made her displeasure known when Orestis had come clean about the facts. And Orestis—she’d been somewhat gratified to note—had looked genuinely uncomfortable when that displeasure was directed at him. At least he seemed to care how she saw him.
However, that was something he should have considered much earlier—preferably before entering into business arrangements with murderous necromancers. Still, she was content to reserve judgement until she had seen this would-be lich for herself. Especially after what Maxim had said.
Eirene understood that Maxim was attempting to smooth things over between them. For whatever reason, he wanted her thinking well of Orestis.
Harmless the way Orestis was harmless, he’d said. There were a lot of implications wrapped up in those words, even apart from the obvious. Eirene was not aware of his full history, but even based on the few snippets she did know, it was obvious that Orestis was simply choosing not to be dangerous now.
And Maxim seemed to believe that her influence was part of the reason for that choice. That had been the other implication.
But that was something to think about later. For now, she would see if Aelia—and also Varra—was truly similar to Orestis in that regard.
Eirene took the final vacant chair, opposite Aelia. As soon as she sat down, the healer began pouring tea for everyone.
“Well,” Maxim said. “Looks like we can finally have a proper conversation together, since you’re no longer avoiding us.”
“I’m already familiar with your reputation from the city,” Aelia said, sliding a cup toward him. “So you shouldn’t bother trying to hit on me.”
Maxim pressed a hand to his chest. “Slander! I’m a perfect gentleman when I’m at work.”
“And you’re at work now?” Aelia asked as she passed the other cups—one to Eirene and the last to Orestis.
“This counts, yes,” he said. But then he gave her a brilliant smile anyway, before taking a sip.
“Although,” he continued. “I’m still deciding whether or not to kill you now and rid the world of a lich problem.”
He said it casually, without a trace of hostility or menace. Which should have made it more disturbing. However, Aelia only returned a smile.
“I already know you won’t,” she said. “So do you.”
“Oh? And why is that?” Maxim asked.
“Because it’s obvious that I’m that Saintess you’re supposed to be looking for,” Aelia replied unexpectedly.
Maxim clicked his tongue. “I was hoping you hadn’t figured that out.”
In the first place, Aelia shouldn’t have known about it at all. None of them had ever mentioned the Saintess to any of the healers or researchers in the villages. Unless, of course, someone had mentioned it to her.
She turned to Orestis. Realistically, it could only have been him.
Orestis nodded once. “I asked Varra about it, in case she knew of anyone who could be the Saintess. She said she didn’t.” Now it was his turn to give a pointed look—this one aimed at Aelia.
“She wasn’t lying,” Aelia said, her smile never faltering. “I realised it later, after thinking about it. I’m not being immodest when I say there is no one more capable than I am where healing is concerned. So it made sense that if a Saintess were to emerge in the future, it would be me.”
Eirene frowned. It did make sense when she thought about it. Varra was supposed to be a genius mage—good enough that Orestis had sought her out for tutelage. Someone like that, if she turned her attention to healing, could absolutely become a healer the whole world would talk about.
But there was a problem with that theory.
“Then why did you spread the disease?” Eirene asked.
Aelia was supposed to be a healer. She was supposed to help people, not make them suffer. Orestis had said the Saintess was remembered for her kindness, and Maxim had said the villages spoke of Aelia the same way. If all of that was an act, then she was exactly the sort of person Eirene disliked. She had no patience for people who pretended to be one thing while secretly being another.
“It was the least cruel way to collect life force,” Aelia said. “The disease itself was designed to make sure that no one would die as long as the infected were given regular treatment. Which I was always around to ensure would happen.”
Eirene had expected excuses or justifications. Instead, Aelia simply stated that she needed something, and had arranged matters so that obtaining it would cause as little harm as possible.
“The question,” Maxim said, “is why you need life force at all.”
“I personally have no need for it,” the healer replied. “But Varra needs it to build her lich body.”
“That’s an odd way to phrase it,” Maxim said, tilting his head. “Aren’t you both the same person?”
Aelia shook her head. “Not exactly. Once the soul was split between two bodies, we became two separate people, each with our own personalities. Now, I am Aelia, and she is Varra.”
“Then what was the point of doing it?” Eirene asked.
To her, it looked like the splitting only made things worse. Normally, the idea of getting an extra pair of hands—or a body, in this case—would be to get assistance. But not only was Varra failing to help Aelia with her temple duties, she had also decided to become a lich and cause harm to people. Worse, Aelia was simply going along with it instead of stopping her.
If Aelia was truly as kind as everyone claimed, why was she not opposing it? Why was she actively helping?
“I imagine it has to do with immortality,” Orestis said.
Eirene looked at him, wanting him to clarify.
“The mortal limit of a thousand years exists because the soul is constantly deteriorating as the body ages. The two are bound together—as the body wears down, it drags the soul with it,” he explained. “But that only holds true while body and soul remain properly connected. A soul cannot attune to an artificial body, and as a result, the deterioration is halted.”
Then he went quiet, looking thoughtful for a moment before turning to Aelia. “But then, both of your souls are still one. That would mean… Does one half being held static prevent your whole soul from deteriorating?”
Aelia smiled, looking both pleased and impressed. “It does. A convenient means of living forever, is it not?”
Which would mean that, as long as Varra did not die, Aelia would go on living too, no longer bound by the mortal limit. Her body would still age, but that could be reversed through rejuvenation spells—such spells already existed.
But that brought up another question: why were there no spells to rejuvenate or repair the soul?
Eirene glanced at Orestis. Did he know of such a spell? Did such a spell even exist? Or was the soul truly the domain of gods alone, as the temples taught? Something to ask him later.
Meanwhile, Maxim asked Aelia, “But why go to such lengths in the first place? Why do you want to live forever?”
Aelia met his eyes without hesitation. “I want to help people. The longer I live, the more people I can save.”
That was surprising. Eirene could tell the words were genuine. There was no hesitation in her voice; no attempt to make herself sound noble. Aelia truly believed what she was saying. Whatever else could be said about her, it would seem that her desire to help others was real.
But for someone who worked in a temple, her choice didn’t really make sense to Eirene.
“Splitting a soul, finding a way to do it safely—that couldn’t have been easy. Wasn’t there an easier way to extend your life?” Eirene asked. “I’ve read that it is possible through a god’s blessing.”
“That would mean being beholden to whichever god gave me the blessing. And blessings can be taken away. I’d rather not spend the rest of my life depending on someone else’s goodwill, worrying about whether a god would one day change their mind.” Aelia shook her head. “I would rather control my own fate.”
Eirene found herself understanding Aelia’s position more than she had expected.
The circumstances were different, but the reasoning was familiar. Aelia wanted to reach her goal through her own efforts, not because someone else had decided to grant it to her. Eirene could hardly fault that. She, too, had spent years pursuing strength for much the same reason, after all.
To her, magic represented freedom. The stronger she became, the less she needed to rely on others; the less anyone could dictate the shape of her life. Personal power, not power derived from others.
In that, at least, it seemed she and Aelia shared the same thoughts. That, however, did not mean Eirene liked the woman.
“Hmm. I see how it is.” Maxim rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “So I take it that, since you handed Licinia the necromancy clue, you’ve managed to collect enough life force to create an artificial body?”
“Yes. I have enough material now,” Aelia replied, even as she gave Orestis a pointed glance and a nod.
What was that? Eirene could tell that hadn’t been random; it had clearly meant something. Had Aelia received some help from Orestis when it came to the collection? Was that why she was acknowledging him?
Orestis, for his part, gave no reaction at all. He remained silent and unbothered, just as he had been since the conversation began. He simply continued to drink his tea appreciatively. Apparently he liked the flavour.
Curious, Eirene took a sip from her cup. It was a mix of rose and honey. Sweet and aromatic; of course it would suit his tastes.
Across the table, Maxim had gone quiet, his gaze moving between Aelia and Orestis. Then his eyes widened.
“Hey! You stole my life force during the spar, didn’t you!” he exclaimed, pointing at Orestis. “That’s why she suddenly has enough. No wonder you kept blowing me up!”
So that’s why Orestis had done that. He’d claimed it was a way to relieve his stress. It was probably true—but it did not need to have been the only reason for his actions. How very like him.
Orestis looked up, clearly about to make one of his usual dry comments.
But before he could, Maxim added, “And don’t bring up that infinite thing again. I told you, you should ask first.”
“It worked out, didn’t it?” Orestis shrugged. “Besides, this means the situation at the villages can be resolved faster now.”
Eirene blinked. That was a good point. She turned to Aelia and said, “Since you should know the cure already, why not cure everyone now?”
That should end the suffering of the villagers immediately, and allow everyone—both villagers and the volunteers—to return to their normal lives.
But Aelia shook her head. “That would be cruel to all the people who have expended so much effort working toward finding the cure. They deserve to be the ones who discover it. Handing them the cure would cheapen everything they’ve accomplished so far.
“There is a reason I’ve always been relatively hands-off where this illness is concerned. And not only because I was guiding events. It was because, when the time came, they would be able to reach those discoveries on their own.”
“If that’s the case, why did you point Licinia toward the necromancy clue?” Eirene asked. Guiding Licinia like that was the exact opposite of what she’d just claimed.
“Because the achievement should have been Licinia’s from the start,” Aelia replied. “Back when I needed more time, I deliberately steered her away from the correct conclusion. I merely fixed what I did wrong.”
“That explains why she agreed to accept credit for the discovery,” Maxim remarked.
“Yes,” Aelia agreed. “I told her I’d made an error before in my calculations, and mistakenly led her to the wrong inference—that she had been right all along. That’s why she was willing.”
Eirene thought about Aelia’s reasoning. The situation was hardly ideal; she did not like how the innocent villagers would need to suffer through the disease for a longer period. However, she also understood that the people working on a cure had earned the right to make the discovery themselves.
At this point, simply handing them the answer would feel less like a reward and more like a theft. Eirene grudgingly accepted that.
“Well,” Maxim said, “since we’ve cleared all that up, I suppose there’s only one last thing remaining on the agenda.”
“I suppose you want to meet Varra,” Aelia said.
Maxim nodded. “Before I decide anything, yes. I really want to see this necromancer that Orestis claims is harmless.”
Aelia, who had worn the same serene smile throughout the conversation, finally showed a change in her expression. And it was to look awkward—which Eirene found quite interesting.
“Varra is… complicated,” the healer finally replied after something like an intense internal struggle.
Eirene watched Aelia with curiosity. It was clear that she wanted to both agree and disagree with the claim of Varra being harmless. The fact that she couldn’t decide either way was very telling.
“Well then. Anytime you’re ready,” Maxim said, looking just as intrigued about the meeting.
Aelia nodded. “I’ll let her know we’re coming over.”
She paused for a moment. Probably sending messages through a mental link of some kind. It made sense for them to have such a means of communication.
A moment later, Aelia sighed and said, “She says to give her a few minutes. She needs to get ready.”
Across the table, Orestis sighed as well. Eirene didn’t fail to note how similar the two sighs were. In fact, both of their expressions looked remarkably similar right now: longsuffering, if she had to put a name to it.
Just what was this Varra like, to make both of them react that way?
Eirene found herself feeling increasingly curious about meeting this future lich.
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