Chapter 2531: A talk II

There was no way that the young lady could have had any idea of what Lex had gone through personally to protect the Inn, but even if she was speaking generally, she had made a very astute observation. Lex was no longer the only one working to protect the Inn. The initiative shown by Velma to rescue Z had made life much easier for Lex, and reassured him that he wasn’t carrying this burden alone.

Countless people were working together, and even so only now had Lex found some semblance of surety about its peace. After all, with the universe in transition, all Dao Lords should retreat to Major realms and reduce the level of their activity, giving the Midnight Inn a rare period of peace to develop without worry. Moreover, with the realm itself now hidden, Lex was even more at ease.

"It does require a lot of effort, but naturally the burden does not fall on one person alone. There are many who appreciate and understand the value of the Midnight Inn, and so contribute to the goal of protecting and maintaining it," said Lex.

The young lady seemed not to be surprised by the answer, almost as if she had been expecting it.

"What about you?" she asked softly. "It must have exacted a toll on you as well. It can’t have been easy for you. Are you satisfied with the price you have paid?"

Lex actually laughed at the question, his mind instantly going to all the painful and difficult situations he had faced over the course of his time at the Inn. There was no version of his experiences, no matter how they were looked at, that he could claim that it had been easy.

Yet all that he had gained was worth so much more than all that he had paid for. He wasn’t just talking about the resources, although they couldn’t be denied as well. He meant in terms of the people, the connections, the sense of belonging to a place that he could call his own... those things were more than worth the price he had paid.

"You’re right. I have paid a significant price for the Inn, but I’d pay it all again in a heartbeat. There’s no question about it. You seem quite interested in the cost of protecting the Inn, aren’t you? It sounds like you’ve paid a great price to protect something too."

The young lady froze, not expecting such a response from Lex. But after a moment, she nodded.

"Actually, yes," she said softly, her voice dimming as she seemed to get lost in her memories. "My next question was going to be about whether you would feel the same about the Inn... if the cost to protect it were so much greater than you’ve already paid. But I suppose the reason I wanted to ask that question is because I’ve experienced such a situation too."

The young lady went silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts, before she began to elaborate.

"You see, my father is quite an exceptional person - he always has been. From the moment he was born, he has always done everything right, and done it perfectly. Unfortunately, always doing everything ’right’ doesn’t always result in a positive outcome.

"My father’s empire was once prosperous, and when I was born, I wrought both the luxuries afforded by being born in such a position, as well as the responsibilities expected from someone like me. From early on, I understood as much, and adapted to my circumstances.

"Prosperity, through the very nature of the universe itself, is diminishing. But the empire I was born in was great - just like the Inn. Much like the confidence brought in by the Innkeeper, my father’s mere presence filled the subjects of the land with confidence. Just like your Inn is protected by many, I along with many others worked to lighten my fathers burden, and ensure that it was always prosperous."

This time, when the young lady paused, her expression was not one of reminiscing, but one filled with reflection and an unspoken gravity.

"By my fathers side, I learned many things, but the two most significant things I learned about were the benevolence of a ruler, as well as the duty of one. The benevolence of the ruler means to extend one’s heart out to all of one’s subjects, to feel their pain, to appreciate their contributions, to understand their situations. The duty of the ruler... is to bear the unspeakable burden of responsibility that can crush entire realms.

"But learning something, and implementing it are two completely different things. When the prosperity of the empire was challenged, the greater impact was not from foreign invaders, but from rogue elements within the empire itself. People who had enjoyed the very prosperity brought about by the sacrifices made by myself, my father, and others like us, were the very ones who began to bring about our ruin.

"That is when... I learned another great lesson. A sacrifice is not the price you’re willing to pay to protect something. A sacrifice is the price you’re not willing to pay, but have to pay anyway. Tell me, Lex, if the price you have to pay to protect the Inn one day is the life of someone beloved to you, will you pay it, or will you give up on the Inn entirely?"

The question stunned Lex. He had been listening to the young lady talk about her own experiences, hoping to lighten her load, so he hadn’t been expecting the sudden question. More importantly, however, he was stunned because he didn’t have an immediate answer.

When the young lady said someone beloved, Lex ran through the images of everyone he considered close to him.

Would he sacrifice Z to protect the Inn? Or Moon? Is one life worth the entire Inn, and if so, which one life? Who determines the value of that one person, and the value of the entire Inn? In the young lady’s question, that was Lex.

Before Lex could come up with an answer of his own, the young lady continued to speak.

"When my brother died, it was one of the very folk who had been enjoying the fruits of our sacrifices who killed him," she said with a voice that was far too calm, as if she had already come to terms with the event.

"It was when I was stricken with grief, with anger, ready to drop everything and seek out unquestionable vengeance, that I witnessed what the heart of a ruler must be like - the heart of a leader. It must be warm and accepting enough to encompass all within his domain, yet cold and cruel enough to assign a numerical and quantifiable value to the murder of one’s own son.

"If I dropped everything, left all my responsibilities and sacrificed the prosperity of the empire, I might have succeeded in seeking out revenge. Maybe it would have scared future aggressors, or maybe it would have provoked them more. These things I will never know, because my father would not let me drop my responsibilities.

"He told me to honor the sacrifice of my brother, to protect the legacy he paid with his life for, and preserve, if not the prosperity, then at least the foundations of the very empire that had given birth to my brother’s murderer. After all, the murderer was only one, but the loyal subjects were many.

"Tell me, Lex, if your brother or sister was killed in front of you tomorrow by a guest of the Inn you had worked so hard to protect, would you rend the Inn itself asunder? Or would you give up revenge so that you can continue to protect the Inn, because if you leave, then the Inn would fall victim to its enemies? Or would you decide that the blame lies only with that one guest, aim your revenge at them, and accept that while you seek revenge, the Inn will suffer as a result of your absence?"

Lex had no answer once again as he thought about it. He thought about Moon dead, or Liz, or even Belle. He did not know what he would do, but he knew that this was the very reason he worked so hard - so that he would never need to face such a situation.

The young lady observed Lex as he was lost in contemplation, and she gave him a few moments before she continued to speak. It was as if she had already accepted that she wouldn’t be getting answers from him.

"The next to be killed was my husband," the young lady said, her voice still completely even. "Some time after that, my two daughters were killed as well. One by one, every one single person I held dear died in a war we could not win, because the very subjects we were meant to protect had been poisoned by an insidious plague called greed.

"Whatever sacrifices we made, whatever prosperity we brought mattered little to those who betrayed us. They sought only our position. They saw only our titles, or the lands underneath our command. They cared for nothing else, and only wanted that power, those titles, that recognition of authority for themselves.

"That continued until, one day, my mother too was killed, leaving behind only my father and I. The once most powerful family in our empire, the most noble, the most heroic were brought down to just the two of us.

"Before I continue with the rest of my story, tell me Lex. What would you do in my shoes? What would you do in my fathers shoes? How much love and appreciation would you still have for the Inn if protecting it cost you everyone you ever loved?"

The young lady looked at Lex calmly as she raised her hand. The Inn worker standing behind her stepped forward and presented her with a cup of tea from which she took a single sip.

She demonstrated none of the bitterness that filled her story, and calmly and patiently gave Lex the time required to sort out through his thoughts so that he could come up with an answer. She waited, for the answer to this question was far more important than Lex would ever realize.