Chapter 31: Ch 31: No Deal
The Cardinal was speaking in a resigned way, almost as if he was doing Kael a favor by offering even this much.
But to Kael, this felt like the Cardinal was trying to control the pace as well as the atmosphere by taking the initiative. And by offering to do the ’most he could,’ the Cardinal was trying to create a certain image with the people currently listening in.
’What a crafty man. If I refuse here, then I will look like a shameless person who does not know when to give up. But if I agree, then I will give him enough rights to legally interfere with Leon in the future.’
It was a hard choice for most people and the Cardinal knew it. But there was just one problem in his plan, and that was Kael.
Had this been his past life, Kael would have fallen prey to the Cardinal, or at least cared about his reputation. But his current self had lost all sense of shame.
He had survived high school and college as a scholarship student with no parents. He knew all about how to be shameless and not feel any guilt about it.
"I am afraid that I cannot agree to your terms. If you cannot stop interfering, then I will be forced to take action the next time I see you try to interfere. Consider this a legal warning from my side."
Kael told the Cardinal and the smile on the older man’s face froze.
"Excuse me...what do you think you are saying to the Cardinal? Are you truly that shameless?"
The priest was the one who got angry and decided to yell in Kael’s face. He was standing too close and being irritating, so Kael decided to seal his mouth shut.
One second, the priest was yelling, and the next, a cloth covered his mouth, making it impossible for him to speak. The cloth also wrapped around the priest’s wrists and legs, binding him in place.
"Hmm, this feels much better now. As I was saying—I don’t want additional interference in Leon’s life and the next time you try, I will act on my warning. Now, I wish you a pleasant day, Cardinal. Make sure you enjoy the city before you head back to the temple."
The Cardinal did not say anything to him, but the way he gripped the cup of tea in front of him said everything that needed to be said about his current mood.
In the end, neither the Cardinal nor Kael drank the tea. But the taste in Kael’s mouth was rather sweet.
’Hmm, there is no way this is the end of our meeting. I am sure that the Cardinal will try something else soon. I better keep my guard up.’
Kael would need to increase Leon’s training and also add lessons on how to deal with kidnapping attempts. Both Leon and Seraphina needed to learn such things before it was too late.
"Should I hire another expert? Or will Iris be enough to teach these kids how to escape? I guess I will ask her myself."
__________
"Mufff-"
The priest Kael had bound yelled into the cloth, but his voice came out muffled.
The Cardinal almost left him like that for too long before he realized that he was in a public setting and decided to release the priest.
"How dare that arrogant piece of shit say such things to you! Does he have no fear of the temple? How can he be so arrogant as to threaten becoming enemies with the temple?"
The priest started speaking foully as soon as he was free and people started looking in their direction.
Cardinal Flux agreed with the priest’s sentiment about Kael’s behavior. He had also felt how arrogant Kael was when declaring that he could make the temple his enemy if necessary. No sane person would do that.
Something in the Cardinal told him that Kael was telling the truth and it made him respect Kael a little.
But that respect was overshadowed by his irritation as well as his anger toward the Grand Master.
’How dare that prick tell me what I can and cannot do? I even offered to reduce the surveillance, but he decided to snub me in public? I cannot allow this disrespect.’
Inside, the Cardinal was burning with anger. But he kept an understanding smile on his face when he looked at the priest standing beside him.
Since he was in public, the Cardinal needed to cultivate a good image to repair the trust lost because of Sir Juniper.
"I can understand Grand Master Kael’s point as well. From his perspective, the temple was responsible for what happened to the hero. Even though we were also tricked by Sir Juniper, we still have a responsibility to uphold. So let’s give them some time before we come back and offer our help again."
People were listening in and Cardinal Flux knew that his words would spread around by the end of the day.
It would create a sympathetic image for him and make Kael seem like an unreasonable person who did not even listen to reason.
But as good as it felt, the Cardinal also felt a sense of defeat after being rejected.
"Cardinal, you are such a good person. If I were you, then I would have cursed that kid to no end. He does not even have half of your experience, but he’s acting so rude and arrogant-"
"Shhh. You should not be saying all this aloud. There are people listening to our conversation who could misunderstand. Grand Master Kael is in his position because he’s a powerful person who achieved what most cannot at such a young age. Let’s trust in his wisdom for now."
The Cardinal spoke and finally decided to leave.
His aide had no choice but to follow him. But the anger he felt was still visible on his face.
’You idiot! Learn to control your emotions a little. But maybe this is better for me. The more unreasonable my aide looks, the better my image will be. For now, I should bide my time until I am able to openly make a move.’
The conference was coming soon anyway and it would be the perfect time for the Cardinal to talk to the others who hated the Magic Tower and wanted its interference in the hero’s life gone.
Until then, he could leave Kael alone and give him a false sense of security.
