Chapter 390: Deal [14]

Taking a deep breath, I steeled my resolve before looking at Diana, who hadn’t taken her gaze off me for the entire time.

"We are in a sort of similar situation, if I must say. You need allies to help speed up your own ambitions and battle your old enemies, while I, on the contrary, need allies to battle the enemies that I would be creating going forward."

Each of the words was uttered with a sincerity that could make anyone believe in them.

"And... what exactly is it that you are involved in to create such enemies?"

Observing me for a second longer, the parasite asked its question, which was sort of an expected one.

"I would be glad to tell you about everything, but for that... a basic level of trust has to be established between us. I can’t risk having you turn against me after hearing about everything related to me and my... secrets, if they could be termed as such."

Though I said so, in reality, I knew that I would have to reveal the details before the parasite in case she refused to proceed with the negotiations until hearing everything from my side.

After all, for the reward that I wanted, I had to take risks of a comparative level.

There was a short silence as I waited for Diana’s response—

"Fair enough."

Saying the words, Diana shifted her attention towards Arthur before flicking her middle finger with her thumb, in order to create some unknown effect.

"Your friend should now be able to see you. Tell him to cease his attacks and then we can... talk in peace."

The mana screen before me had now expanded from its previous size to become much larger and wider than before.

I could clearly see Arthur still using Garthel to inject his domain into Diana’s, but there was a slight difference from before, as the moment I looked at him, Arthur stared back at me from the mana screen.

"Kael?"

Even his voice was perfectly audible to me.

"She is willing to negotiate with us, so cease your attacks for the time being."

I stressed the last part of my statement to let Arthur know that not all danger had passed away.

Seemingly getting my message, Arthur raised his brows for a second before nodding his head in acknowledgement.

Soon after, I didn’t know what Arthur had done, but I felt the speed and the intensity of the pollution decreasing by a lot, though Arthur didn’t withdraw the part of his domain that had already been fused with Diana’s world.

"I won’t cancel my domain, though I have stopped its spread for the time being. If you want to negotiate, then stop repairing your domain, and let there be a pause in our battle until... the negotiations produce an outcome."

Arthur spoke while looking towards me, though his words weren’t meant for me.

"Feisty."

Diana chuckled while shaking her head at the same time.

"Alright."

Then her voice echoed in the entire world of purple, and just as I was about to speak to Arthur again, I felt a slight tug at my body.

Before I knew it, I was already standing beside Arthur, who still had Garthel wielded in his hand.

The cracks that had nearly destroyed the domain remained frozen in their present state, without having any signs of being repaired.

Arthur’s spell that had been responsible for the colossal torrent of fire had nearly been utilised to its maximum extent, so it had disappeared altogether.

Still, knowing Arthur, he wouldn’t have remained as defenceless as he was currently showing himself as.

The guy would surely have started to create the circuit of some new spell, in case the negotiations with the parasite didn’t result in a favourable outcome.

"Has the basic trust been established now?"

Diana stood before us, her posture at complete ease, as opposed to the tense situation that we were in moments earlier.

I simply nodded my head, while clearing my throat at the same time.

I guess... I had to take the risk now.

"I... we are part of D.X., an organization that had been responsible for the recent attacks."

"..."

"..."

Being cautious at this point in time wouldn’t result in any benefit, as opposed to being honest about everything... or at least the things that matter at the moment.

I could feel Arthur’s confusion, as he instinctively looked at me the moment I completed my sentence.

Diana, on the other hand, didn’t have much of a reaction, or at least she pretended to not have one.

Looking closely, I had noticed her surprise, however subtle it might have been.

"Our motive is to oppose the current order governing this world, and bring upon a new era of true freedom."

I felt like a true cultist at the moment, one who had a few screws loose, as I uttered each word with utmost confidence in myself.

"Our leader... His Eminence X, had bestowed upon us his vision of a new world. A world where one isn’t discriminated against because of their origins. Not everyone is equal, but they would have a chance to make themselves an equal to those who stand above them in power."

My eyes held reverence towards ’X’, with the tone of my voice being as sincere as it could ever be.

"To make the vision of such a world turn into a reality... under the guidance of my lord, D.X. had become a safe haven for those who have been wrongly accused and hunted by the world’s ruling forces, in the name of their so-called justice."

The surroundings had turned strangely silent, as I felt the weight of each one of my words in their truest sense.

Looking at Diana, the girl still had an expressionless face as she observed me like a specimen about to be dissected for further research.

"But to continue moving towards our goal, it is inevitable for us to face the ruling overlords of the current order, and so, to survive against all odds, and ultimately succeed in our mission, we need people who can stand with us and share in our ideology."

"..."

"We need you."