Chapter 287: Aria’s Doubts

The druid walked a few steps ahead, guiding the way to where Alice waited with the prisoners, while Mark and Aria followed calmly behind.

They had walked a good stretch without exchanging a single word, enjoying a fairly comfortable silence, until Aria decided to break that calm.

"Master... can I ask you something?" she said, glancing at him sideways.

"Yeah," he replied, somewhat curious. "What’s on your mind?"

Aria hesitated for a moment before speaking.

It was clear she’d been thinking about it for a while and was now trying to find the right words to ask it.

"What’s your plan for the future?"

"Well, right now my priority is completing my pending quest," Mark replied, raising an eyebrow. "And, once and for all, unlocking the ability to level up."

"That’s not what I mean..." Aria said, gently shaking her head.

"Then what do you mean?"

"What comes after that... let’s say you complete the quest, control the south, get stronger. And then what?"

She frowned slightly.

"The moment they find out the non-human races have unified under a single leader, the five great human kingdoms, the Inquisition, and the clergy are going to see it as a threat," Aria explained seriously. "And realistically, I don’t think they’ll just sit back and do nothing..."

Mark nodded slowly.

It was a pretty reasonable concern, and in a way, he was glad she had brought it up.

Aria could act like a spoiled, flirtatious girl most of the time, but that didn’t mean she was naive.

Quite the opposite, she had a sharp mind and knew how to spot things others didn’t even consider.

"I see where you’re going with this," he replied, letting out a sigh. "You’re worried our actions will end up putting a target on our backs."

"Exactly."

Mark walked a few more steps before answering, gathering his thoughts.

"I’ll be honest with you, Aria... at first I had the idea of building a single kingdom here in the south, a territory where all the races could coexist under the same banner."

Mark let out a short, humorless laugh.

"A utopia, I suppose... but unfortunately, I’ve already realized that’s not going to happen."

"Why not?"

"Because the more I learned about the demi-humans and semi-humans, the more obvious it became that it was impossible," Mark replied with resignation. "Some of the differences between them are simply irreconcilable... decades of hatred, wars, and grudges passed down from generation to generation."

He made a vague gesture toward the destroyed village they were leaving behind.

"And you don’t have to look far to see it... just look around us."

Aria followed his gaze toward the rubble and the demi-human corpses.

"But—"

"And yes, I already know what you’re going to say," Mark cut her off. "That all of this recent disaster is the Demon Lord’s doing, part of her plan to pave the way for me."

"Isn’t it?"

"Not exactly... the wild tribes had already been causing trouble for centuries, long before the Demon Lord ever showed up," Mark replied, not taking his eyes off the horizon. "She just organized them and gave them a common goal."

"I see..."

Both of them kept walking for a moment in silence while Aria took it in.

"And what about the human kingdoms?" she asked finally.

"They’re probably not going to be thrilled about what we’re doing," Mark admitted with a shrug. "But I doubt very much they’ll rush to attack us."

"Why are you so confident about that?" Aria asked, tilting her head.

"For two simple reasons."

"Which are...?"

"The first is the Great Forest," Mark said, raising a finger. "Moving a large-scale army through that place would be a nightmare, so a serious invasion is unlikely just because of that alone."

He raised a second finger.

"And the second, according to what Emperor Joseph told me, is that the five great human kingdoms hate each other."

Aria listened attentively, but her expression didn’t relax. On the contrary, she frowned, thoughtful.

"With all due respect, Master... I think that’s where you might be underestimating the problem," she said carefully.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because no matter how much they’re at odds with each other, I wouldn’t rule out them setting their differences aside if a big enough threat appeared," Aria explained with concern. "Nothing unites people more than the appearance of a much greater common enemy..."

Her tone grew more serious.

"And that’s exactly what worries me about the Demon Lord. What if that’s her real long-term plan?" She sounded increasingly worried. "Turning you into the new public enemy number one..."

Aria paused for an instant, looking at him steadily.

"Just think about it, Master... for years the Demon Lord was the continent’s great terror, the threat that united everyone against her. What if she now wants to pass that torch on to you?"

Mark stayed silent for a few moments.

The possibility Aria had just raised wasn’t new to him; in fact, it had already crossed his mind more than once.

"It’s likely," he admitted, resuming his pace. "It would fit perfectly with the way Mary operates. She never does anything without some hidden motive, and using me as a lightning rod would be exactly the kind of move I’d expect from her."

He let out a heavy sigh.

"The problem is, even if you’re completely right, there’s not much I can do about it right now."

"But Master, I’m sure that if—"

"I’m too weak, Aria... that’s the harsh reality."

Mark didn’t beat around the bush or try to dress up his words. His tone was direct, and beneath the shadow of his hood, his gaze took on an unmistakable hardness.

"And that’s exactly why all of this makes my current mission far more important than it seems... to become strong enough to stop being a piece in someone else’s game and start playing my own."

Aria watched him for a long few seconds, processing his words, until, little by little, an expression of understanding appeared on her face.

"I see," she said quietly. "Honestly I’ve had all these doubts swirling in my head for a while now and didn’t know how to bring them up..."

She gave a small smile.

"Thank you for answering my questions, Master."

"You have nothing to thank me for, Aria."

She stayed thoughtful, turning over everything they’d just discussed, her gaze lost on the path ahead.

And as she continued reflecting in silence, the two of them finally reached the spot where Alice was waiting for them.