The Kind of Evil-Chapter 451: Everything is connected.
Harot had regained his consciousness and was confused about where he was or what had happened when he was unconscious. The first thing he saw was Luke, sitting under the tree and staring up at Rasmus with his arms crossed. He could see that excitement in Luke's eyes, and how Rasmus stared down at Luke with an uninterested expression.
"What about Monica Sancticus?" Rasmus stared into Luke's eyes, wondering if Monica was also a candidate.
"The Sancticus family? No, they're not worthy," Luke shook his head, still with a smile on his face. "Do you know why?" He tilted his head.
Rasmus didn't react or take the bait, he stayed quiet and stared into Luke's eyes.
"Because—" Luke was about to reveal the truth, but then Harot spoke out loud, "That's enough..."
Everyone looked at Harot, who could barely stand up. They watched Harot approach Luke and stood in between Like and Rasmus. Harot stared into Rasmus' eyes with his gray eyes that looked similar to the eyes of a blind person.
Rasmus could see a hint of hatred in Harot's eyes that was pointed at him. There was only silence for a moment, they were trying to see what was beneath each other's faces.
"He's not a human, isn't he?" Rasmus broke the silence, asking the question to Luke. "Is he perhaps one of them? A body that an Angel could possess?" He asked, pretending to not know the existence of Harot.
"It's complicated..." Luke answered. "You can call him a human and something else entirely," he explained.
Harot turned around and glared at Luke, who kept blabbering his mouth and revealed everything to Rasmus. Luke on the other hand, he stared back at Harot and then glanced at Rullein. Harot looked over his shoulder at Rullein, ready to use force so Rasmus could get what he wanted.
"If I want to, I could easily find out about everything you have been doing for centuries," Rasmus said with a straight face. "I could ask about Zevrathi's whereabouts if I wanted to. However, I'm not planning to do that," he revealed.
Both Luke and Harot looked at Rasmus with a confused look on their faces. They were ready to do anything to prevent Rasmus from digging up the cult and its existence.
"I'm not your enemy if you don't treat me like one," Rasmus said as he took a few steps back, giving both Luke and Harot the space they needed. "We both have the same enemy, the demons. We both also aren't fond of humans and their power struggles. So, I'm respecting your privacy, but in exchange, I'll offer you a truce," he explained as he sat down on the rock.
Harot and Luke looked at each other, wondering if they should consider or even believe what Rasmus had said. Luke knew that Rasmus could easily get all his memories using Rullein just like how they did it to the ringleaders. Harot turned his head to look at Rasmus, and he was being skeptical and suspicious about it.
"You said the same exact thing to those demons. You made a deal with them, and yet you betrayed them. Why should we believe you when you could stab us in the back one day?" Harot asked in a calm voice.
"Do you have a choice?" Rasmus asked back. "You should consider your situation before you question the one who could give you a choice of walking out alive," he stared into Harot's eyes with a stoic expression.
Harot glanced at Aris and Rullein, who were feeling so much better. He saw it when those two could stand equally with Satan, one of the three strongest and highest beings of the same origin, fire and corruption. He had no chance, nor anyone in this world to run away and survive from those two beings.
"I didn't betray Kiel nor did I betray Nemu," Rasmus stared at Luke and Harot. "The deal I made with Kiel was that I wouldn't interfere, but then their master came, and that was beyond my agreement with them. So, I just did my part to prevent them from gaining more than they should, but at the same time, to stop them from taking you two. To let the enemy gain power would be foolish, don't you agree?" He added, sitting comfortably on top of the rock.
Harot's mouth was shut tightly, not having a reason to disagree or question Rasmus' explanation. Harot had lived for so long, long enough to live among mortals both on Earth and Neva as his punishment by God. He had seen people like Rasmus, a few of them that his fingers could count with those figures.
"There's no reason to think hard about it," Luke looked at Harot as he stood up. "We will accept your mercy," he looked Rasmus in the eyes with a serious expression, knowing that this was their only chance to walk away unharmed and could prepare for the future when the truce was over.
"Then tell me what do you mean that the Sancticus family is unworthy?" Rasmus asked.
Harot closed his eyes, slowly stepping aside because he didn't want to be a part of this.
"Because the Sancticus family is a distant descendant of the Zevrathi family," Luke answered with a smirk, knowing that Rasmus would never have known that if he didn't revealed it. However, Rasmus didn't react to that at all. "We have records of all the offspring of all the Zevrathi's family members. However, the record stopped after the Great Era of Neva because of the war and the remaining records were either went missing or destroyed," he added.
"And you used those records to hunt them down?" Rasmus asked with his brows raised.
"Yes, and that was your father's doing, Count. We gave them enough information so he could erase them from history," Luke smiled at Rasmus. "Everything went smoothly, but that wasn't enough. There are so many of them that we haven't found, and they're all over the world. In East Neva, West Neva, and South Neva," he added.
Rasmus glanced to the side after Luke's words reminded him of Serena because her past was being hunted by the Holy Nation and was killed. Luke mentioned that the Angelis family and the Suncrown family were working together with the Zevrathi family. It wasn't just a coincidence that Serena was killed when they found out that she possessed divine power.
"The Valentine family from South Neva, do you know about them?" Rasmus asked with his arms crossed.
Luke's eyes twitched once again when Rasmus suddenly mentioned a family name that seemed to be connected with the cult's agenda and plans. He glanced at Harot and could see how Harot seemed to give him a warning by not opening his mouth so casually in front of Rasmus. He then looked at Rasmus again, but this time he was too scared to even look him in the eyes for long.
"You sent the Holy Nation to hunt the Valentine family? I remember that Lady Astrea, the former Saint of the Holy Nation mentioned that she was unaware of this fact. I also remembered that one of the senate members of the Sun Empire was your people. Your cult infiltrated the Holy Nation as well, and they were the culprits behind the disappearance of Serena Valentine, correct?" Rasmus asked again.
Luke was quiet, realizing that he wasn't just facing a man that had powerful beings that supported and followed him out of his legacy. He realized that the man in front of him could connect dots of secrets that the world was unaware of. He glanced at Harot once again, and he understood why Harot was so wary of Rasmus, and this was the reason.
"Now..." Rasmus paused as he took a few steps forward toward Luke.
Luke unconsciously walked backward, trying to keep a safe distance from Rasmus. Unfortunately, his back hit the hard tree bark and couldn't move anywhere else while Rasmus kept closing the distance. When Rasmus stood in front of Luke, towering over him and staring down at him with his glowing draconic eyes, Luke's knees went weak and he had to lean against the tree to keep himself standing.
"Why the cult wants me dead?" Rasmus asked, his gaze cold, so cold that Luke could feel it in his bones. "A child who knew nothing, was banished, starved, and was close to dying. Why? Why the cult wants me dead?" He repeated.
Luke could give hundreds of reasons that would be believable, but somehow Rasmus could tell if he was lying or telling the truth.
"This is the reason, Count Blackheart," Harot answered as he stared at Rasmus with a cold gaze. "Do you understand why we want you dead? This is why," he pointed out.
Rasmus smiled coldly at Luke and it was enough to make Luke's heart stop beating for a second and make him collapse. Luke was scared and he had never felt scared like that in his whole life. He looked at Harot with a terrified gaze, warning Harot that the answer Harot gave was the biggest mistake.
"So you knew about me," Rasmus turned his head to look at Harot. "You KNEW about me..." He repeated with a cold smile still on his face.
Aris, Rullein, and Yur furrowed their brows when Rasmus repeated those words. They felt like Rasmus said that with a hidden meaning behind those words. When they glanced at Harot, they also saw anxiety in his eyes.
"Very well, you two may leave now," Rasmus said as he chuckled softly and walked past Harot.
Luke and Harot looked at each other and nodded before they hurriedly left the forest. They kept looking back, anxious that Rasmus might have changed his mind, but what they saw was a man, smiling coldly at them.
