"Why would I tell you anything?" the Regent retorted, without slowing down his pace.

"Why wouldn't you? It's not like I will spill the beans to anybody – my lips are literally sealed," said Aidan.

"Do you think, just because we're from the same world, I owe you something?"

Aidan laughed out loud. Of course, he didn't have any such ridiculous notions.

"What are you going to do with me then? As long as I'm alive, I will keep pestering you. And for some reason, you're clearly reluctant to kill me... You could keep me in the dungeon, sure. But we both know it's a temporary solution."

"Don't underestimate my position. I can send you far, far away from the capital, so you will never bother me again," the Regent sneered.

"Why didn't you do it in the first place? Why did you go through the trouble of taking me here and showing me all of this?"

"Because Corus made a request. It had absolutely nothing to do with you per se."

"And why do you do his bidding all of a sudden? According to this world's messed-up settings, his status is low – you could have easily ignored his request to see me. Also, I'm not a complete idiot – I know Corus has no particular attachment, be it to me or the real Minn guy. He wouldn't have made any trouble, even if you hadn't brought me. Admit it, you are testing the waters. You want to know if I'm a potential ally or a foe. I'm telling you now, you won't know that unless you show all your cards. Just do it, and we will know where we stand," Aidan suggested.

"I see you've given it some thought."

Aidan was actually just making a guess. However unlikely, Jake-the-Regent might have been a madman with no discernable motivations.

"Are you going to tell me why you are hiding these people at a collective jungle farm?"

The Regent was quiet for a while. They were almost out of the woods by the time he finally said something. "Do you know why the savages are buying the slaves from us?"

"I guess, to work them to the bone. Corus told me, no one has ever returned from those lands," Aidan said thoughtfully.

"I was under the same impression at first. But then I couldn't understand why they would pay top price for our weak slaves who are not really suitable for hard work. At the same time, they are not interested in the slaves from the northern lands. And those guys are strong and sturdy."

Aidan felt a bit uncomfortable. "Other uses?" he suggested, remembering the time when General Kear had sent some poor guy to his room for "entertainment".

The Regent shook his head. "The Kingdom to the South of us has a whole school for that kind of slaves. Believe me, our so-called "slaves" can not compare. They bring a bunch of those to my dear nephew every time they visit. The savages are not interested in them at all. "

Aidan had no more ideas, so he just shrugged. The Regent didn't keep the suspense up for too long.

"The savages use the people they buy from us to grow their magic plants. That's why they are so valuable to them," he said.

"So, they use these guys as some kind of gardeners?" Aidan was still confused.

"More like garden fertilizer," the Regent said quietly.

Aidan's eyes widened in disbelief. "You can't be saying what I think you're saying."

"Different organs are useful for different kinds of plants," the Regent expression grew cold. "For example, you can only grow wish-fulfilling blossoms if you put one piece of liver inside the soil. Or, let's take the agony fern – for that you'll need..."

Aidan waved his hands at the Regent. "Enough. I get the picture." He didn't need any more gory details.

"You could say all their dirty magic is built on suffering," said the Regent, looking into the distance.

"As if you care about suffering," Aidan muttered.

The Regent turned to him abruptly. "What do you even know about me?"

Aidan had no qualms telling the guy all he knew:

"Well, the Emperor-in-Waiting hates you. And the Generals fear you and think you're a cold-hearted bastard... That's the intel I've gathered on you in my short time here."

The Regent smiled. "Of course, they hate and fear me. My nephew thinks I'm out to take his throne from him. As for the Generals... because the savages offer such a high price, every single greedy official or general is tempted to sell their slaves off. So, confiscating them by force and hiding them is the only way to protect them from a horrible fate."

"I had no plans of selling Corus," Aidan interjected. "To be honest, however horrible this Minn guy sounds, I don't think he wanted to sell Corus either. Yet, you still took him to your mirror jungle."

"General Minn is human scum who tortures his own servants. What would you have done in my place?" the Regent raised his eyebrow.

Aidan had to admit that the Regent's actions were not THAT groundless. "So, you're doing all of this out of the kindness of your heart?"

The Regent smiled bitterly.

"You know how the road to hell is paved with good intentions?"

Aidan knew that very well.

"Me trying to protect these people might lead to an even bigger disaster. With many more casualties. But I can't back down anymore. I have to protect them till the bitter end," The Regent's face suddenly lost all of its arrogance. He now looked like a very tired and sad man. Aidan even felt a little bit sorry for him.

"What disaster are you talking about?" he asked, his heart sinking.

"War, obviously."

Things started to make sense – the kidnapping of the Prince, arranged suicides in that village. "Savages didn't take it too well when you cut off their supply, huh."

"Not only savages. Most of the court officials and a lot of the guys from the military are not happy with my actions. I tried to dress it up as our patriotic duty of not sharing this land's resources with foreigners, but not many bought into my bullshit. Besides, money is more important to these people than principles. So, civil unrests are brewing as well."

Aidan sighed. Everything was much more complicated than he thought.

Meanwhile, the Regent continued:

"The storm is coming. I don't know when exactly, but very soon there will be blood on the streets. And it's all because of a decision I made when I just arrived here. A decision I can't take back and a decision I can't make myself regret either... So, Aidan, have you decided if you are a friend or a foe?" the Regent asked. His blue eyes were dim, and his usually lustrous skin looked ashen.

Aidan didn't know what to say at first. He found it morally wrong to dismember living beings for fertilizer, and he wasn't a fan of slavery. In theory, it made sense to go to war over these issues. But war meant a lot of unnecessary deaths, and there was no guarantee that it would end in triumph. Jake-the-Regent had made a decision that went against the utilitarian principles, sure. Then again, Aidan was not a fan of the utilitarian approach himself.

"I understand why you did what you did," he said finally. "The main task right now would be preventing the war, I guess."

"I don't think it's possible anymore," the Regent sighed.

"They once said that going to the Moon was impossible," Aidan tried lightening up the mood. "Not all is lost. Maybe, if we work together..."

The Regent suddenly laughed.

"How old are you actually?" he asked with a smile.

"I'm 25. It's a very respectable age," Aidan responded, slightly offended.

"So young, so full of hope..." the Regent snickered.

This was the first time somebody had described Aidan as "full of hope".

"And how old are you, oh wise one?" he asked in response.

"I'm...27," the Regent said after a short pause.

Aidan stuck out his tongue. "I see! Teach me the ways of the world then, elder."

"You do have a lot to learn," the Regent noted. He looked up at the sky and frowned. "Hm, as I thought, we're too late."

"Too late for what?"

"The lake gates have closed. We'll have to stay on this side till sunrise," the blonde man stretched his hands and sat down on the ground.

"You don't seem too upset about it," Aidan noted.

"Do you think I want to go back to the palace where everybody hates me?" the Regent rubbed his temples.

"It's better than going back to the dungeon," Aidan pointed out.

"True," the Regent easily agreed. "Speaking of which... If I am to set you free, I still need to punish you for your insolence."

Aidan was shocked.

"Why would you? We both know it was just a misunderstanding."

"We know that, but the others don't. And since I am Reo Atarian – the Regent who rules with fear - I can't just let it slide. If even for a second people think I'm weak, they will tear me apart."

"So, what do you want to do with me?" Aidan asked with a sigh. "Another lashing? Taking away the General title?"

The Regent looked thoughtful for a while.

"You won't survive a proper lashing, not in your current condition. And taking away your title wouldn't be helpful because I need you to stay in the military... at least for now."

"Dungeon it is then?" Aidan let out a hopeless sigh.

"Nah, I'd have to keep you there for ten years if I don't want to seem too soft. We need something cruel, quick, and decisive. Like cutting off a limb," the Regent scratched his chin.

"Excuse me!?"

"Don't worry, it doesn't need to be for real," said the Regent. "I could cut off your arm – the one you used to punch me. That would be very poetic."

"Indeed," Aidan was slightly terrified of that man. Was he really from the peaceful 21st century?

"But that would be hard to fake. Or..." There was a sudden gleam in Regent's blue eyes.

"What?" This didn't seem like a good sign to Aidan.

"We could say that I ordered your... thing chopped off."

"What?" Aidan hoped he misunderstood.

"It's brilliant – it is a cruel punishment. A little too cruel, even. So it's right up my alley. The best thing is that no one would actually ask you to take off your pants to confirm!"

"I would certainly hope not," said Aidan with disdain. He would have to fake that he's a eunuch. Not that it would be too hard... Also, if it meant not having to endure any "real" punishment, it wouldn't be too bad.

"Would that be a problem for you?" the Regent asked, amused.

Aidan thought about it for a while and finally said:

"Ah, whatever. Let's go with that."

"It might be a bit humiliating, of course."

Aidan laughed.

"I've lived through worse humiliations, believe me. Something like this will be a piece of cake."

The Regent gave him a complicated look but didn't say anything anymore. Instead, he shrugged and turned away from Aidan, wrapping himself in his white cloak.