Shien was quite surprised at those hateful words from Leisha.
Although he had only met Leisha a handful of times, but from Shien's point of view, that young lady might be whimsical, but she's not the type who would thoughtlessly play around with other people's lives. Back when they met at the foot of the Mangir mountains, she didn't even have any hostile intent towards him, and only when she was trying to force out his Holy Sword later on did she start releasing killing intent. However, even then, she only tried a single move before she left, so she shouldn't be the super violent type.
But, from the looks of things, it wasn't that the young lady didn't have a vicious side, it was that it depended on the target.
"Do you have some major grudge against the Old Demon Faction or something?"
Shien just offhandedly asked that question.
"What do you think?" Leisha spoek with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "After being chased for all that time, if it wasn't for the fact that I had no other choice, you really think that I would have only run away without hitting back?"
That's true enough.
If it was Shien in her place, he's definitely try to take revenge too.
Leisha's probably basically the same. After finally finding a chance to strike back against the Old Demon Faction, of course she wouldn't want to let that chance go.
Plus…
"If the Old Demon Faction's powers have been weakened by enough, their ability to chase after me would also weaken. At that point, I would have the chance to do quite a lot more." Leisha mused as she continued on seriously, "Therefore, I want to work with you."
Shien instantly made certain calculations in his mind.
That statement, although it sounds straightforward, it was also dependent on a number of issues.
For example…
"So, if I were to work with you, just what would be in it for me?"
Shien was very direct.
"I can't say that there's much in it for you personally, but it would at least help you avoid a number of problems." Leisha was similarly direct, "You can understand even without me spelling it out for you, but if the Old Demon Faction really did send a major group over, then Lamdrion, with its strongest battle power of only level 68, would definitely not be able to handle it. You should have enough of a reason to act for the sake of this town, right?"
"You seriously have the guts to say something like that?" Shien's eyes twitched and his gaze toward Leisha turned unkindly, "If not for the fact that you've been staying here, then the Old Demon Faction wouldn't have had their eyes on this town in the first place. Even though it was you who caused all of this, are you seriously saying something like that now? You really think I'm an easy to trick little kid?"
"… If only you were easy to trick. How much easier would it have been for me?" Leisha sighed and then spoke with some annoyance, "You think that everything would have been fine if I didn't stay here? The moment the thing I've been holding onto gets taken by the Old Demon Faction, then never mind this town, even the entirety of the mortal world would be in danger. I've been working my ass off too you know."
"Then you can keep on doing that." Shien sat up straight and seriously stated without even thinking about it, "So long as you kept running, then just like you already said, nobody would be able to catch you. With that, the town would be safe too. It's basically win-win. So rather than thinking about revenge, why don't you just run away?"
"You… Are you even human!?" Leisha couldn't hold herself back from slamming her hands down on the table and spoke furiously, "I'm working so hard for you mortals and the mortal world here, so are you seriously saying that!?"
"No, even if you say that, it's not really that appropriate for me." Shien spoke innocently, "I'm not from this world in the fist place, so even if you complain to me about how much you've had to work for the sake of the people of this world, it's rather hard for me to feel anything, you know."
"That…" Leisha had nothing she could say to that. She just felt stuffy in her chest and she wanted to scream out in her mind.
Why was a guy like that the Hero?
Just what were those gods thinking?
No, I can't keep thinking about that. If I do, I'll definitely break.
Calm. I need to calm down.
Just as Leisha was furiously trying to calm herself down like that, Shien made another easy statement.
"Don't you think that my words were quite logical? It's not too late to change your mind you know?"
Shien's words made Leisha hug her own head. She kind of wanted to cry at that.
At that moment, Lasha who had been standing by on the side spoke up.
"Mr. Shien should already have seen just what kind of people the Old Demon Faction are, right?"
Lasha suddenly said something like that.
"You're talking about that poser?"
Shien's gaze move involuntarily onto Lasha.
"Although I do now know what you mean by poser." Lasha spoke without inflections, "But, from your point of view, is it really fine to leave someone like that alone without doing anything?"
Shien's eyes flashed at that.
As he remembered the situation back when he met Jillian, Shien knew full well just what Lasha meant.
For a guy like that who hated humanity and everything related. Someone who treated everything in this world as something dirty – It was obvious just how dangerous it would be to leave a guy like that alone.
"The Old Demon Faction is basically completely made of people like that, who hate everyone other than demons, who even hate their brethren who abandoned their pride for the sake of peace. They merely act without scruples for that kind of unreasonable thoughts, and for this age, that is unquestionable a cancer."
Lasha explained with a completely undisturbed face.
"I think you already know just what Jillian did 10 years ago in the capital. The Old Demon Faction were all dangerous individuals like that. If you really did leave them alone, then this kingdom or even this world will end up destroyed by them sooner or later. When that time comes, can you really guarantee that this town won't be one of their future targets?"
That speech made Shien wrinkle his brows.
He had to admit it, but the maid's words, at least for Shien, were quite substantial.
It's not like Shien had a hero complex and thought that he should purge the cancers of society, but rather, he understood full well that if things really did develop like that, then he himself won't be able to escape getting dragged in at the end anyways.
"Do you know why the Heroes of history would try to defeat the Demon King without concern for the cost?" At this point, Leisha had finally gone back to looking at Shien, "It's not that they wanted to be heroes, nor was it because they were hired by the gods, it's because given the fact that they were in this world, the moment war exploded between the three races, then they'd have to resist for their own sake anyway."
Shien could basically understand what Leisha meant by that.
"I don't know what the gods are planning, summoning a Hero in this day and age." Leisha gave Shien a deep look, "But since the gods already secretly summoned the Hero, then that means something major is about to happen. Given that, perhaps the two of us meeting wasn't a coincidence, but rather a kind of fate."
Of the two of them, one was summoned out of nowhere into this world by the gods, while the other was being chased by the Old Demon Faction. From a certain point of view, they were quite fated.
"Besides, this shouldn't have any downsides for you, right?"
Leisha so stated.
"Are you really not going to reconsider?"
Hearing that, Shien once again descended into thought.
Leisha didn't hurry Shien either. She just stayed alongside Lasha in waiting quietly while Shien made his decision.
Shien furrowed his brows, thought for a while, before finally looking up again.
"Just what did you steal that made the Old Demon Faction keep on chasing after you?"
Shien went straight to the heart of the problem.
"… As for that, you can actually go back and ask that little party leader of yours."
Leisha was silent for a bit before ominously speaking.
"Ask Vivian?"
Shien paused for a moment.
"Yes." Leisha pouted, "She knows my identity, and she also knows what I have done. You'll know once you go back and ask her."
Shien had nothing to say to that.
