Negotiations with Fenrir

Kirana, Legia, and Ian shook their heads, clueless about Cien's question.

Not only did they lack the answers, but this was also the first time all three of them had heard about Blessings and Proxies.

Cien understood their confusion. Information about the Blessings of Gods and Goddesses was not widely known.

He himself had only come to know about it after borrowing a weathered book from his Teacher, who claimed that the book is from the Holy Kingdom in the eastern part of Kastia.

The eastern territories were challenging for Cien to visit, so when he found the book on the shelves of his Teacher library, Cien did not hesitate to read it.

It was from that book Cien learned about this.

Until now, he had always considered Blessings and Proxies to be mere myths and fairy tales. But looking at Fenrir's status, Cien knew that the old book was likely not just empty words.

"Sigh..." observing the perplexity around him, Cien let out a long breath and continued.

"Those who kill a Proxy of a God or Goddess will face punishment. Whatever the punishment may be—perhaps a curse or even their life—what's certain is that it can turn the strongest person in Kastia into the weakest."

"..."

Ian fell silent, lost in thought.

"Father... what do you mean, is that wolf..."

"Yes, it is one of the Proxies."

This statement made everyone's expressions turn grim.

For now, there was still a hint of skepticism in Kirana and her two companions' hearts regarding Cien's story.

But it was Cien who narrated this tale! Just this fact alone left them deeply ambivalent.

"So, what should we do then? If we can't kill it, can we at least take the Heart of Ice from the lake over there?" asked Legia.

"If this Proxy is real, then why haven't we ever heard of it until now? And moreover, it's forbidden to kill them?! Wouldn't they act as they please?" Added Ian.

"Proxies have rules to follow. They can't use their powers arbitrarily. It's like they've become the face of the Gods. At least, from what I know, they are forbidden from using their powers for evil. As for the prohibition against killing them, it doesn't apply to other Proxies. So, only other Proxies can kill one," explained Cien.

He also went on to explain the existence of Proxies and why this crucial information had never been heard of. It was because information about Proxies had been restricted in every kingdom.

The reason was simple: the ruling authorities didn't want the public to know that there were individuals who represented the Gods and Goddesses, individuals who could rival the government's authority.

That's why the authorities didn't want anyone to know that there were a few individuals who could be above them.

This was true even in the Holy Kingdom itself.

Furthermore, in the book that Cien read, there were only two recorded instances of individuals being Proxies in the last thousand years.

One was one of the founders of the Holy Kingdom, and the second was the Proxy of the God of Earth, who had managed to banish demons from the Land of Sand in the distant past.

"Whoaa... aren't they stronger than Champions?! Heroes!" exclaimed Legia.

Cien glanced at Legia and told her that if Fenrir was a Proxy, did she think the monster would be weaker than a Champion? He was also sure that Fenrir wasn't a Hero.

Legia fell silent immediately.

"So, what are we going to do?" Kirana asked.

"Negotiation."

Cien replied shortly as he opened the side of his coffin, taking out four healing potions.

He gave three to Kirana and the others, keeping the last one for himself as he made his way towards Fenrir at the center of the crater.

"Father..."

Kirana began to worry, but Cien reassured her and told his companions not to follow him. Instead, he instructed them to stay back but be ready in case the negotiation failed.

Cien approached slowly, changing his weapon to the Fire Sword.

When he was within ten meters, the water had risen up to his knees. He glanced at Fenrir, who growled at him, exuding an aura of anger that made the atmosphere heavy.

"I don't want to kill you," Cien spoke directly, cutting to the heart of the matter without beating around the bush.

<What are you planning, human?>

"I just want to avoid the wrath of the Moon Goddess."

<!! You know about the Blessing?>

"A bit. I don't know the function of the Blessing, but I do know that if you're killed, we will be punished."

In truth, Cien wasn't overly concerned about the punishment if it were to befall him.

Firstly, because he was already weak from the start, so he didn't need to worry about a punishment that would make him even weaker.

Cien's strength didn't lie within himself but in the weapon he had crafted.

Secondly, because he already carried the curse of Hela. If the punishment came in the form of another curse, Cien felt that adding another curse wouldn't make much difference.

He even hoped that somehow the punishment could remove the curse of Hela from him. But unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking.

What worried Cien wasn't himself, but his daughter Kirana.

Kirana was a user of Water and Ice Magic, elements directly under the domain of the Moon Goddess. It would be troublesome if the punishment had a significant impact on his daughter.

"That's why I want to negotiate."

<Negotiate... are you kidding? Do you think I can't kill you right now?!>

"Oh, of course, you can. But I can also kill you."

Cien threatened back.

The reason he had kept the three others at a distance was to ensure that if the negotiation failed, Cien would resort to his last option: killing Fenrir. This was a significant gamble.

Would the consequences of that killing only affect him, or would it also affect the three others that already stay far away?

Cien didn't want the situation to reach that point of recklessness. So, he hoped Fenrir wouldn't push the situation back to violence.

<...>

"..."

Silence fell.

The two stared at each other in silence.

Fenrir felt weaker as blood continued to flow. He couldn't close his wounds quickly due to the old injuries he had suffered, injuries that prevented him from using Holy Magic and Regeneration Skill.

If left unattended, Fenrir was certain he would die.

<What do you want?>

"Heart of Ice."

<Do you want to die?!>

"Listen, Fenrir. I know you need the Heart of Ice to heal your injuries."

<! Grrrrrrrrr!>

"Calm down. The negotiation has just begun. So, listen first."

Cien explained that he had a way to duplicate materials. If Fenrir allowed Cien to take this Heart of Ice, Cien promised to give two Heart of Ice to Fenrir later.

<Do you think you can fool me? How can you duplicate a material like Heart of Ice?>

"Hmm... I don't have any Blessing, let alone being a Proxy. But I have a gift from maybe a God that allows me to do it."

<A gift?>

"Yeah. Just a gift, not a Blessing."

<...>

Fenrir felt very skeptical. Throughout his life, he had never heard of a 'gift' from the Gods.

Not to mention that the ability of this gift seemed quite enticing. If the person in front of him could duplicate materials, wouldn't his recovery from these old injuries be much faster?

If what Cien said was true, then getting two Heart of Ice would be futile. Fenrir should try to get even more!

The problem was, Fenrir didn't know if it was true or not.

On the other hand, from the beginning, Cien had planned to duplicate this valuable material. He had a magical wardrobe in his shop that could duplicate materials.

Cien already had a plan to exchange one Heart of Ice later for Eternal Ice with the Kingdom of Huntara.

He had two reasons for this. First, to obtain another rare material to duplicate. Second, to heal Lilinette.

Cien had been searching for a remedy that can heal the damaged Mana Nucleus, as he was sure such a thing must exist.

And of course, his phone had the recipe for that magical remedy. The only missing ingredient for the remedy was Eternal Ice.

That's why Cien was so eager to obtain it, not just for Kirana but also for Lilinette.

To achieve this goal, giving two Heart of Ice to Fenrir seemed like a small price to pay, at least in Cien's mind if Fenrir wasn't greedy.

<If you can indeed duplicate it, then I want ten, no! Twenty Heart of Ice!>

"...are you serious?"

<Of course.>

Fenrir replied arrogantly.

"Aren't you ashamed as a Proxy? Exchanging one for twenty, isn't that extortion?!"

<No. This is still a negotiation, so if you agree, it won't be considered extortion. It will be a mutual agreement.>

Cien speechless.

"...well, you're not wrong… maybe. In that case, I refuse."

<Huh? Why? If your gift is true, isn't twenty a manageable number?>

"It's true, but the quantity is too disproportionate for a fair negotiation! Do you think I'm an idiot to accept such a stupid fuc*ing deal?!"

<Grrrrrrr!>

"Growling won't help."

<...>

Both fell silent again.

A sudden headache hit Cien. He should have anticipated that Fenrir would demand more due to his injuries.

Cien thought for a moment. He needed to find a way for both parties to be satisfied.

He truly had to avoid any bloodshed that could trigger the wrath of the Moon Goddess.

"Ah!"

<Hmm? What? Ugh....>

Fenrir was also thinking, but his body was growing weaker, making it difficult for him to think clearly.

Cien noticed this. If left unchecked, Fenrir could die.

If that happened, the cause of death would undoubtedly be attributed to the attack of Cien and his companions. He couldn't let that happen!

"Let's make an agreement."

<Negotiation, then an agreement... What do you really want?>

"Listen first. I will give you one Heart of Ice every year, with the condition that you become the protector of the village I've established in the northeast of Death Valley."

<Are you joking again?>

"No."

Cien explained that he had a shop and a village located in the northeastern part of Death Valley.

Until now, Cien could protect himself and the villagers with the protective formations he possessed.

However, those formations had their limits. If an enemy with power equivalent to Rank Jack or higher appeared, sooner or later, the formations would be shattered.

Cien was confident that he could face such enemies, but when he wasn't around, the village would be in danger. That's where Fenrir's presence would be useful.

"How about it?"

Fenrir pondered Cien's proposal for a moment. He didn't know how many Heart of Ice he needed to fully recover.

Obtaining the material once a year was far more advantageous than once every century.

Fenrir felt he had no choice.

<Okay. Let's do as you wish, human.>