A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Chapter 479 - A selfish decision

Naeku began to gnash her teeth in anger and helplessness. Some people might dispute Elora's words, but neither she nor her father could; after all, they cared far too much about their people.

Whether intentional or not, the interference of Erik and his family had ensured the Humanitas Sangh was temporarily weakened and wouldn't be attempting to increase their territory for a while.

Not unless they brought another third ranker of Lilith's calibre, but from what they knew about the Humanitas Sangh, that was unlikely to happen anytime soon.

First of all, they knew the Humanitas Sangh was preparing to wage war against the Council, which possessed several Councillors who could give someone like Lilith a run for their money. Second of all, according to Aaron, confessors like Lilith were few and far between, and all were currently caught up in their own assignments.

Finally, since they didn't seem to be in a real hurry to expand their sphere of influence, it was almost certain they would choose to simply let Lilith recover, before pushing further into the horn.

Thus, when Naeku weighed the short-term safety of their people up against her own assistance with Runa's rescue, there really was no comparison. She could only admit that providing them shelter for a while in return was a small price to pay.

"Fine, so what do you want?" she snarled, a little angrier than she probably should be. She knew Elora was callous and cared only about her family, but she'd hoped their relationship had evolved into something of mutual support. Unfortunately, Elora disagreed.

"Well, that's why this discussion will have to wait," Elora grinned slyly. "I don't feel comfortable discussing this sort of thing without my husband present. We're partners, after all, and I won't make commitments without him."

Naeku narrowed her eyes, unsure if she was being sincere, or this was a negotiating tactic.

But before she could come to a decision, Elora simply turned around and continued her stride towards the door.

"W— Wai—" she began, but was stopped by a large hand on her arm.

"It's fine, little Naeku," Ankhur chuckled weakly at her. "I'm not dying… I can manage just fine for another few days. And she's right… they don't owe us anything. Our family values honour, Naeku, remember that."

Naeku hesitated a little, but unfortunately, the weakness and pain in her father's voice weakened his argument in her heart.

So, she ripped herself loose and chased after Elora. "Wait! Elora! Just tell me… Is it going to get worse?!"

With her hand already on the door, the fairy turned around once again and nodded calmly, doing her best not to show the glee she felt.

"The pain will get exponentially worse, but based on how he's handling his current suffering, I think he can manage it," she promised in a seemingly kind voice. "Either way, the effects of shadowflame poisoning are still perfectly reversible after another two weeks, by which time Erik will certainly have awakened."

"C— Current suffering?" Naeku asked hesitantly, before turning around to look at her father. He looked weak, sure, but she couldn't see any signs of true suffering. "What's she talking about, Dad?"

"I'm not sure, Naeku," he shook his head with a weak smile. "I don't mean to disparage Lady Elora's knowledge, but perhaps she only knows off this affliction's effects on Arcanists. I promise, it doesn't hurt much."

Elora frowned slightly, and had to admit there was a chance for that. Shadowflame poisoning would eventually begin to affect the soul, which would produce the worst pain and would certainly be the same for Arcanists as Runebound. Yet, it was possible a Runebound suffered less at this stage, when the shadowflame was merely skimming the soul's edges.

Meanwhile, Naeku continued staring in her father's eyes, scrutinizing his feelings.

Suddenly, her eyes widened and she began to tremble, "Y— You're lying! Don't deny it, you could never lie to me!"

Instantly, Ankhur's face fell and he opened his mouth again, but Naeku had already turned around to look at Elora.

"Please!" she pleaded in a surprisingly forceful voice that wouldn't accept a no. "There must be something you want! I refuse to let him suffer if I can help it!"

She pointed her finger at the fairy, and narrowed her eyes, "I understand equal exchange! I don't blame you for wanting something in return, but I will blame you if you don't even offer me a chance!"

Slowly, a grin snuck onto Elora's lips. "Alright, Naeku. I appreciate your determination, and I know Erik likes you, so I'll make you an offer."

At her acknowledgement of Erik's feelings, Naeku suddenly blushed a little. But before she could think about it any more, Elora waved her hand, and suddenly the two of them were encased in a dark-green bubble.

Ankhur felt alarmed, because he suddenly couldn't hear them anymore. Even his omnisense couldn't penetrate that bubble. "Dammit," he cursed under his breath, because he couldn't find the strength to smash that bubble. All he could do was watch helplessly

Inside the bubble, Elora couldn't help grinning as she explained to Naeku what she wanted in return. When she was done, the werepanther looked a little conflicted, but not unwilling.

"And I'll only have to do it if Father accepts this deal you're going to offer him when Erik recovers?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yes," Elora nodded with a sly smirk. "But you also have to give the deal your support, without knowing what it is."

Although she felt a little suspicious about it all, she was leaning towards accepting currently. But first, she turned to look at Ankhur with a frown, "What about my father, though? Surely he'll suspect I'm only supporting it because of this deal?"

"Hehehe," Elora chuckled deviously. "That's why I'll use this moment of weakness to slightly alter his memories, and make him think I decided to help him without a deal."

"W— What?!" Naeku exclaimed in shock, immediately turning back to look at the fairy with incredible suspicion. "You can do that?!"

Elora shrugged dismissively, "The shadowflame poisoning is slowly weakening your father's soul, which is what allows me to do so. I can't do it to anyone with an intact soul, and I can only make small changes."

That wasn't entirely true, because she could still use it on an intact soul that was simply far weaker than hers, but currently only first rankers fell in that category.

Naeku's suspicion lowered a little, but not much. "W— Well, I still don't want you to mess with his memory!"

Unfortunately, Elora once again shrugged, "Too bad. It's this or nothing." Then she grinned again, "Don't worry, though. We'll agree on the exact changes, and we'll include in the deal that I can't do anything else. You already know the power of covenants, so you know I can guarantee that."

Dark green energy began to swirl around Elora's elegant hand, and she extended it towards the werepanther with a conspiratorial smirk. "So? What will it be? The alternative is waiting for two weeks. I'm sure Erik will insist I heal your father by that time, regardless of anything else, because he's a bleeding heart."

Subtly, the fairy was ensuring that Naeku shoved all the blame for this matter on her shoulders, and not Erik's. Elora didn't care about other's animosity, after all.

And it worked. Together with the knowledge that Erik likes her, and everything she'd seen of him so far, Naeku once again blushed slightly.

Then, after a quick glance at her father, and a moment of silence, she slowly extended her hand, and grasped Elora's. It was selfish, she knew that. She knew her father wouldn't want her to accept the deal, but she did anyway.

She couldn't stand to see him so weak. To see her father, who she loved more than anyone, suffering needlessly.

Thus, on this day, she made one of the few selfish decisions she'd ever make in her life.