The Kind of Evil

Chapter 604 - 604: It's Justified.

‎The sound of ceramic cups and the pouring of tea were too sharp for the ears in the parlor. Rasmus and Zechariah watched Natia gracefully pour the tea into the teacups that looked mesmerizing. The Natia Rasmus saw was different from the Natia that was standing in between him and Zechariah. She looked sober, and her expression looked more alive than the ones that she had shown in her chamber.‎"Stay," Zechariah broke the silence as soon as Natia finished pouring the tea that she had brewed herself.

‎Natia let a smile appear on her face for a brief moment before she hid it as soon as Zechariah saw it. She put down the tea pot and settled down on the soft couch beside him, not too far, not too close, enough to look comfortable with each other's presence.

‎Rasmus was the first to make a move by leaning forward toward the coffee table and grabbed his teacup. He hovered the cup right under his nose to give the tea a smell, wondering what made it different and why Natia wanted to brew them herself. The tea had a sweet fruity and floral smell, but it wasn't overwhelming, the mix of fruity and tea smell wasn't uncommon for him, but there was something else in the scent that made him wonder.

‎"It's poison," Natia revealed as she stared at Rasmus. "It subtle down the fruity taste, the tangy flower taste, and the acidic or the tea. The bitterness of the tea, the sweetness of the berries, and the tangy acidic taste are blended in by that poison," she explained in a lazy and gentle voice.

‎Rasmus took a sip after he heard the explanation, and it was so rich that every half second he could taste everything and then the aftertaste that lingered around his tongue was delicious. The tea was thicker than normal, but the taste was rich and then subtle.

‎"If a normal human drinks that, they'll die in a matter of seconds," Natia pointed out with a cold and dangerous smile painted on her face.

‎"A delicacy that nobody can experience," Rasmus responded and took another sip.

‎"They certainly can, but with the cost of their lives," Zechariah said as he grabbed his teacup and took a sip, letting the taste linger in his mouth for a moment before he swallowed it.

‎"I don't believe Lady Natia has a desire to brew such tea to just anyone. It's still a delicacy that nobody can experience because they can't have it even if they wanted to," Rasmus responded as he took another sip, finding the tea to have a subtle addiction effect.

‎Zechariah hummed and took another sip before he put the cup down. That exchange alone was enough to see what kind of a person Rasmus was. A man that didn't care about hypothetical statements and focused on what was real and true.

‎"He's nothing like everyone else. You should put away everything you know about others," Natia whispered into Zechariah's ear while staring at Zechariah's jawline with a hint of adoration.

‎Rasmus looked at both of them and still couldn't figure out how they both could be standing side by side. The amount of recognition they both had with each other held a secret deeper than a mere mutually beneficial relationship.

‎"Is an apology not enough, Your Grace?" Rasmus asked as he stared into Zechariah's eyes.

‎"My initial purpose of visit was to subdue Natia, but you came forward and confessed of what you did, clearing the misunderstanding," Zechariah answered without hiding a single truth.

‎"With such a relationship you two have, that seemed a bit excessive," Rasmus pointed out as he put down the teacup. "I suppose this wasn't the first time that Lady Natia had caused trouble after seeing how much force you brought, Your Grace."

"Inflicting fear gives an immediate result. That was what you and Anastasha used in the gathering. It was unnecessary, but it did the work," Zechariah responded as he sat comfortably and crossed his legs with his hands rested on his lap. "For why I'm here, I have gathered enough information related to you. For a young man that isn't older than Anastasha to have such mindset, insight, and achievements, that's unheard of."

"With a big enough ambition, I believe you can achieve what I have achieved, Your Grace. I'm merely flaunting my bloodline and the power I possess to create connections, and use one achievement to gain another that somehow works in my favor. There's no secret behind it," Rasmus revealed as he shook his head. "Without that power, I would have been buried somewhere on the ground by now."

"Humility can be interpreted into two things, it can be interpreted as a mockery toward someone's intelligence, Count Blackheart. You're not a humble person," Zechariah stared into Rasmus' eyes with an impassive expression.

"If it was hard to understand, perhaps the mockery toward one's intelligence was justified," Rasmus pointed out as he reached out to his teacup. "And no, I'm not a humble person," he muttered and took a sip of the tea.

Natia chuckled softly as she leaned down toward the edge of the couch, enjoying something other than consuming opium. Zechariah glanced at Natia and saw that smile he remembered a long time ago.

"However, taking over is easier than maintaining it. My achievements mean nothing compared to yours, who can maintain neutrality from two powerful titans and yet hold them on the leash for decades. You were raised to tame, I was raised to survive. You stayed to take control, I walked away and left everything behind. We came from two different worlds, that's all there is," Rasmus said with a serious expression as he emptied the teacup.

"And yet, here you are..." Zechariah maintained eye contact with Rasmus while Natia got up to pour tea into Rasmus' cup.

"And yet here I am, unfortunately..." Rasmus looked at Natia and lowered his head slightly at her before his gaze met Zechariah's again. "As I said, taking over is easier," he added.

The silence once again filled the parlor because both Zechariah and Natia knew the meaning behind Rasmus' words. He blatantly said that he came to take over and then threw it away once it was over. Everything that Zechariah had built, that his late father and his ancestors had built would be destroyed by the man that stood across from him.

"As I have mentioned earlier that I used my power to create connection, and used my achievements to gain another. The fall of your nation is inevitable, it's the process of why I'm here," Rasmus said calmly and stared at his reflection on the tea. "What you call stability, I call it stagnation. I need a power that can thrive, not power that can maintain. If I'm not here, something else will do it in a more dangerous way," he explained as he glanced out the window.

"You're talking about them? The ones that had caused the downfall of North Neva? The millions death in South Neva and the complete annihilation of Central Neva?" Zechariah asked, but his tone slightly shifted, showing a sign of curiosity.

"That one I already made peace with by giving them West Neva. The other forces are more unforgiving. One is currently slowly gaining power in South Neva, a force that called angels with power that can erase this world with God's will. The other force is led by a being that ruled demons and tortured human souls in the afterlife," Rasmus revealed as he took a sip of the tea. "I know you don't believe in angels or the one they called God, none of the people in East Neva do, and that gives the angels a reason to either annihilate this continent or force you to bow. The other force? Even if you beg, they will make you suffer anyway," he added.

"We are ants to the mountains," Natia hummed as she stared at Rasmus' expression and she didn't find any deception.

"No, the mountains are dust in their eyes. That leaves human existence as worthless," Rasmus shook his head.

For the first time, Zechariah allowed himself to be in a daze, to be deep in thought in the presence of a stranger. He had seen the power that Rasmus and his people possessed, and yet the beings that Rasmus mentioned seemed to make his power wasn't worth mentioning. However, even in the face of powerlessness, the man that sat across from him didn't even show any despair but kept moving forward, one little step at a time in the face of those beings that seemed pointless.

"You can enjoy your reign, Your Grace. While you still can," Rasmus turned his head and stared into Zechariah's eyes. "You're the only one left that still thinks about the joy of holding power over people. Everyone outside this continent will send you their condolences for what's about to come," his expression turned cold and serious.