The Ashes Settle IV

"I say this with praise for your courage and quick-thinking last night, but it would be best if you remained unaware of some details."

Benedict's response made it clear that he had no intention of enlightening Carolyn. She knew that he likely did have a good reason for hiding the truth, but this time she didn't want to give up, so she turned to Lavender with hope in her eyes.

"Ms. Lavender, could you please tell me?"

Before answering, Lavender looked at Benedict with a playful smirk, but seeing that he wouldn't react, she shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Carol. Though it pains me to say this, I have to agree with the mean Priest here."

"You as well? If even you agree, then fine. But I remember you mentioned that Henry might have something to do with the tax hikes in our first meeting here. Could you at least elaborate on that?"

"Hmm, I suppose I could do that."

There was a sigh from Benedict, but he didn't interrupt Lavender as she continued.

"First, let me ask you, Carol: how much do you know about the circumstances regarding the territory's recent financial crisis?"

"Well, I know that the Amber domain was well-regarded for its orchards and farms and should be relatively affluent among the territories of the kingdom. However, in less than five years, food production has fallen below the level needed to export, and taxes and the cost of goods have risen across the domain. There are rumours that the Baron increased taxes to offer tribute to the throne, but some are saying that there might be corruption involved."

"Good. It seems you're caught up on the gossip spreading in the city. For the most part everything you need to know already lies within those rumours, but I'll help you organise it. To start us off, there are two main reasons for the crisis that the Amber domain currently finds itself in. The sharp drop in food production and the excessive tribute to the throne. However, both of these reasons share the same root cause: the throne wishes to have Amber at its feet."

"!"

Lavender's last line was so shocking that Carolyn gasped and covered her mouth while searching the room for possible leaks. Even mentioning the throne had to be done with great care, but Lavender's words bordered on lese-majeste as she implicitly accused the throne of wrongdoing. Even if it were true, only a spokesperson approved by the throne could announce it without legal consequences. If a guard or official heard her, it wouldn't be far-fetched for Lavender to be considered a criminal as terrible as Henry.

Seeing how frightened Carolyn was, Benedict shook his head and moved over to his desk to play a music box. With the sound filling the room, Carolyn understood that this was to help conceal their voices and felt much better.

"I won't stop you, but at least be more careful with addressing that topic. I plan on staying in this city for a little longer."

"I know. So do I. As I was saying, the Amber domain's current trouble can more or less be attributed to the one ruling the capital, and I wouldn't put it past them to send a few prisoners to help finish the job."

"But that's... Assuming this is all true, why are they using such indirect methods? Wouldn't it be enough to summon Baron Amber to the capital and demand his loyalty?"

"Indirect, you say. Perhaps if the goal of that 'esteemed' figure was simply Amber's surrender, then a straightforward method like the one you proposed could work. But based on what they've done since taking the throne, what they really wish for is likely—"

"Ahem. Don't you think you're going too far, Miss Purple?"

"You!"

Never before had Carolyn seen such a fierce expression on Lavender's face. Even when they faced off against disgruntled slums' residents, she maintained a level of calm and aloofness, but now she really seemed ready to kill Benedict. Carolyn didn't know the significance of calling Lavender 'Purple', but it was obviously something of a reverse scale for her.

"Mr. Benedict, you shouldn't tease Ms. Lavender like that. I'll stop asking, okay?"

"My apologies, Ms. Carol. I also wish to know what decision you will make when you learn of the truth, but I worry that you might become reckless if you hear about it without seeing it for yourself."

As she listened to his explanation, Lavender's fury began to settle down like a boiling pot of water right after it was removed from the fire.

With a heavy sigh, she said, "You have a point. But if you call me that again, this church will have to lose a priest."

"I'll keep that in mind. Moving on, Henry is no longer a threat, but the drugs he distributed and those addicted to them will remain a problem for the foreseeable future. I'll do what I can to guide the slums back to stability, but until then I imagine there will be trouble, so be careful. Also, you two should take this."

Benedict reached into his robe and took out two small packets. Due to recent incidents, Lavender and Carolyn both seemed reluctant to take them, but Benedict assuaged their worries.

"I understand your hesitation, but you can rest assured. These packets hold no white powder. It's a remedy I made for relieving withdrawal symptoms caused by Henry's drug. I've tested it on a few people so you can be sure of its effectiveness."

After hearing Henry's response, Carolyn and Lavender accepted the packets, though Lavender was more brash about it.

"Did you give this to the children?" Carolyn asked.

"No, I only finished testing this morning, and the children who were showing symptoms will be fine in a day or two. I'll have to give it to Mike though. Based on how long he was spying for Henry, his body has probably developed a strong dependency on the drug, so if I leave him as is, he'll likely perish."

"It's that serious?!"

"Of course. If it wasn't because of the gap between his drug uses, I imagine he would be just like the addicts. Even with this remedy, if his willpower isn't strong enough, his mind will break or he'll commit suicide when no one's watching him."

"And you didn't stop him!"

There were more than a few times that Carolyn didn't fully agree with how Benedict handled the children, but she could see how his methods would be better for their future, so she swallowed her complaints. However, this was taking it too far. She knew that Henry was the one who gave Mike the drug, and Mike made the decision to betray this church himself, but she couldn't overlook the fact that Benedict watched and remained silent as Mike unknowingly inched closer to death.

"What did you expect, Carol? How could this calculating Priest possibly do something that would risk letting Henry figure out that he was aware of Mike's spying?"

"Correct. Even if he might have expected that I knew, I couldn't let that become confirmation. Furthermore, I may have taken on the role of guiding these children, but they must face the consequences of their actions."

"That doesn't mean he deserves to die! He's just a child!"

"That matters not. Ms. Carol, how do you think Henry was able to target so many children in such a short time frame? They exit the church at irregular times and rarely leave the slums district when they do. Were the eyes he had stationed outside the church really enough to collect that precise information?"

"You're saying that Mike..."

"It's just a guess, but it supports my stance. 'He who endangers his brethren is no better than beasts.' If I wasn't sure Mike didn't wish to see the children harmed, I wouldn't have even allowed him time to recover. You might think I'm too harsh, but I'm not forcing these children to stay, and I have no intention of coddling them."

Benedict's argument relieved some of Carolyn's anger, but it wasn't enough to make her suppress it like usual.

"I see your point, but I still can't agree with your decision. Perhaps your method of guidance is better for them to survive in the slums, but they're still children. They should at least know if their actions might lead to their deaths."

"If they can't see the possible consequences of their actions, then they won't last long here regardless."

"But—"

"Ms. Carol, these children are not like you. Stop projecting your fears onto them."

It was as if her mind was struck by a club, sending her thoughts into chaos. Before she understood what Benedict meant, her subconscious reacted, and cold sweat slid down her spine. Her eyes widened in shock, but she couldn't tell what she was so shocked about. It seemed that some deep secret had been revealed because of Benedict's words, but she still failed to grasp what that secret was.

Seeing how distraught Carolyn was, Lavender glared at Benedict once more, but he calmly sipped his tea.

"Foul Priest, you—"

"It's fine, Ms. Lavender. I, I just need time to think."

Carolyn's unfocused eyes didn't add much credibility to her claim that she would be fine, but Lavender knew that arguing with Benedict wouldn't make her better.

"Let's go, Carol; staying here might make your withdrawal symptoms appear faster."

"Ah, yes."

In her usual state, Carolyn would have resisted so that she could ask Benedict more questions or speak with Lety and the children, but this time she blindly obeyed.

As Lavender helped Carolyn out of her chair and towards the door, Benedict asked one final question.

"Ms. Carol, even as you are now, do you still intend to walk the lonely path you described to me before the mission started?"

Despite her befuddled mind, Carolyn somehow understood what Benedict meant, and her answer was still as firm as the last time she told him.

"If the lonely path allows everyone to keep their smiles, then I'll gladly run down it."

Lavender didn't know what the two were talking about, but she didn't want to stay here another moment, so she gently pulled Carolyn forward and left Benedict's office with her.

"...I shared words I did not mean to. I wonder how this will impact her future decisions."