Chapter 45

You knew from the moment you met her that Marie was a simple-minded Girl, but that she genuinely thought the Gods would do anything with her as a medium without her having any problems paying the price for it was more than a bit disappointing, though you had no plan to follow her example in the matter. Thus, after truly thinking a moment about it, it became pretty clear to you that her body would be in dire need of balancing if your Thoughts on the matter weren't too far off the Mark. One could obviously fill the Human body for only so long with Divine Energy, for much like a Bucket it would at some Point simply begin overflowing.

You found yourself quite happy at your realisation, for it allowed you to finally explain why Marie's Passive Ability was so comparatively weak and fickle compared to your own. It would have been a bit problematic if your current Project was going to flop because the Gods decided to screw with your Plans for one reason or another. But if her Ability was truly just an effort of her body to get rid of the Energy unlike your own, then anything short of them completely stopping their interactions with her wouldn't really affect the success of your Project.

You did wonder if those early stages of sadism that you totally didn't see after her insistence could also be counted as her body fighting back against the Gods. Gaining pleasure from the pain and suffering of others would certainly be an option for the body to affect the amount of Energy coming in from Marie's Connection to the Seven after all. Being around you seems to be quite the struggle for her body, but you would still guess that even if the Gods showed her all kinds of things about you to push her along, that they would still recognise when it's time to stop.

It was a weight off your Shoulders that everything was working out as good as it was, you couldn't expect the Floods to stop till the matter up north was dealt with, so the maintenance without your little Companion would take more Manpower than the Land would likely be worth. You told her as much, but Marie wasn't privy to your Thoughts and simply pointed out that you could use your Statues for the workload if it was really needed, it was such a Marie thing to say that you couldn't help but smile at the naivety.

"What do you think is the Point of our work here, Marie?"

"You wanted to feed the Army, right?"

"Exactly, but now think back to your time living in Lannisport, I'm sure the Fishers had a certain Saying about feeding People, yes?"

"I know the Saying you mean, it was something like, give a Man a Fish, and he's fed for a Day, but teach a Man how to fish, and he will be fed for the rest of his Life."

"Yes, that's the one, and that's also what we're doing here in a Sense, we use your Ability and my Statues because the thing the Gods want us to get rid of is indirectly affecting the Land around us with its Magic, and not much more."

"People won't hear anything about our work here, only my Knights are around, and they will remain quiet about the matter as always, we're doing the kind of work that will influence History but will also be forgotten by it."

"That doesn't really sound like you, Azami."

"Yeah, but that doesn't change that I said it."

"Look at it from my Point of View, Marie, I can just open up the Ground under whatever Army decides to oppose the West, and they would simply be done for, or I could destroy the Walls of the greatest Fortresses on the Continent to ensure the success of just about any Campaign, not to mention that I could also create Statues so large that no Horse could outrun them while they merely walk, it's absolutely meaningless to me in the long term, Marie."

"This really is all quite pointless in terms of fighting, but I still have a reason to be invested in the Fate of Westeros, and that is my Family, and I have no interest in leaving them to the Mercy of some Inhuman Monster that even the Gods worry about."

"I'm not after the Continent like my Father, nor do I truly care about the Will of the Gods or Glory, what I care about is restoring Order to the World, for the only real Threat to my Family that I can see isn't part of that Order."

"You're talking too much, Azami."

"You asked me if I knew the Point of our work here, and then just kept on rambling."

"What of it, sometimes things need to be made clear, Marie, and my Point was that I won't use my Abilities to pointlessly help even if it's easier or cheaper, especially not if it's just cheaper, I'm still a Lannister after all."

"I still don't get it, can you please be a bit more, I don't know, normal?"

"Hey, you're the only one I can talk to like that, you know?"

"But if you need it even more simple, I want things to work out even if I'm gone, so I will work in the Background to make sure that everything will work on its own."

"Are you okay, Azami?"

"I'm fine, Marie, why that Face and Question?"

"You were all gloomy and depressed there for a moment."

"It's nothing, I just don't feel like my Life will get a happy ending when the time comes."

"Thinking about it, you could ask the Gods if they have anything set in Stone for me, Marie."

"I think it's better not to, and even if something bad is really set in Stone, you can always just change it."

"You're a Dork, Marie."

"Hey!"

"But thanks anyway, do you want to pet some Cows or Sheep before you make more Stone Jokes, the first ones should be arriving in a few Hours."

"Sure, why not."