Talk With Catlin & Ardent Desire

 "I should get back home now." Ardent decided, after spending few hours in the dungeon. 

 When he left, he could see the sun starting to rise.

 "Oh, it's morning." he lamely said before making a mad flight to home, though mentally preparing himself for a chewing of a lifetime. 

-x-

 Surprisingly, despite coming in the morning, while smelling like he did not take a bath for two days straight, which was not entirely inaccurate, his mother did not chastise him.

 Instead, she sighed before giving him a look, telling him they will talk about it soon, something Ardent not looking forward too.

 As he return to his room, he soon spotted someone he did not expect.

 "Catlin?"

-x-

 Talking with Grace took a long time. When they found out they talked until midnight, Grace had offered her to stay in Ardent's room.

 Catlin did not refuse, as it was not the first time he spend inside his room, though it was the first time she was alone inside said room.

 "Ardent, please, come back. You don't have to handle all this burden by yourself." she pleaded, praying to any gods or spirits that can answer her prayer, before going back to sleep.

 She did not know how long she sleep, but, she woke up hearing someone calling her name.

 "Catlin?" she might be groggy but she would not mistake the voice of her caller.

 "Ardent?" Catlin replied, rubbing her eyes before looking at the disheveled boy. Without saying anything else, she leap into him, almost bowling him over if not for Ardent possessing a strong body.

 "Wow there, don't do that or you can hurt yourself." Ardent warned her before rubbing her back.

 "Ardent, are you okay?" Catlin asked, ignoring Ardent's warning in favor of checking the said boy himself.

 "I'm fine. Nothing dangerous come near the village except for some of your run-of-the-mill bandits." Ardent answered, still continuing to rub his fiance's back.

"Okay." silent took place before Catlin looked at him with determined eyes.

 "Also, we going to talk about making sure you are alright." the tone of her voice told Ardent he will not be able to get out of the talk, no matter what he did.

 "Understood." he nodded, as the two sat on the bed, before Ardent put Catlin on his lap. 

 Blushing slightly at the intimate reaction, the blonde decided to make most of it and put her head on his chest, which lead to her heartbeat going rather fast.

 "So, what are we going to talk about?" Ardent asked, while brushing her hair with his fingers.

 Catlin tried to find her words, but failed as Ardent's gentle ministration made it hard for her to think anything to say.

 'Wait. Is he trying to stop me from talking by doing this?' realizing Ardent's game plan, Catlin pouted and turned to face her fiance.

 "We are going to have a serious talk, Mister, so stop doing that now." she told him before getting of his lap. 

 A few seconds later, Catlin already missed it, but pressed on.

 "Are you fine? Truly fine and don't lie." she started.

 Ardent gave her a strained smile but did not refuse it. "I'm not hurt, but..." he trailed off, unable to tell her the guilt he felt without saying modern jargon she will not understand.

 Finally, Catlin decided to help him with his words, "You upset, because your action would stopped some of the guards and Mages from being killed if you make a different choice, or if you acted faster."

 Ardent nodded, not denying the truth.

 Catlin sighed, "I understand." she began, "I feel the same way. I thought, when I become a 2nd Circle Mage, well, I may not be the strongest, but I can protect myself while living in the village.

 But, the world throw such difficulties at us." her arms drapped around his shoulder, conveying her emotion and care at the same time.

 "I thought living in the village will be safe, aside from some bandits and maybe the occasional strike from other cities. Which can lead to pillaging, but no lose of life."

 The cities in the region will not dare to kill any villagers, as it might lead to them uniting. While the different villages will not have more than a handful of 1st Circle Mage and one or two 2nd Circle Mages, it would still be a hassle, plus the villages are a source of income for the different cities as well as one of the main producers of food.

 Sure, the cities do have some fields of their own, all of which larger than the one in different villages. However, the villages are many, and the combined output of food from all villages inside a single city's territory is higher than what the city can produce on their own.

 "Yeah. Then again, greed is something we always need to watch out for. Especially greed of those who are powerful." Ardent said, his left arm hugging Catlin's side.

 She nodded, as both basked in the silence for a few moments. The silence to which Catlin broke,

 "In the end, we need to be strong enough to protect our own interest," she spoke, which is the truth in every Era and places.

 "So, I want to become strong, so all this burden will not land on you alone." Ardent wished to speak, but a single glare from Catlin stopped him.

 It quickly get him thinking, 'Catlin is a talented Ice Mage. I can confirmed it with Eye For Talent- wait, is this what my special ability for?'

 Soon, he remembered the different villagers and friends he had used Eye For Talent on. All of which possess either high or middle talent in different profession.

 'Wait?' Ardent came to the realization, 'If I use this technique properly, I can determine the best place someone can be, where their talents will flourish. In that case, I can hope to build... a country of our own.'

 Ardent's mind stopped right there, as he gripped over the possibility. 

 'Building a country will not be easy, but I do have some good foundation if I conquer all the cities in the region.' the gear in his head turned, though, several questions remained, like 'Can I do it?' or 'Will anyone accept me as their new king?' but one stood out,

 'Do I want to be a king?' a child might say yes. However, Ardent is an adult from a different earth in the future. Becoming a leader of a group is not that simple, much less the leader of a new country. 

 He then looked at Catlin, who leaned on him and came to the decision, 'If becoming a king is the best way to protect those I care about, then so be it.'