Chapter 1986: Obligation
Though it would have been easier to charge directly into the Palace of Swords, Vahn's first course of action was to meet with the Corps Commander of the 2nd Army Corps, Ari Senna. The heads of the Arie and Ari Families were cousins, so, as the daughter of the Ari Family Leader, Senna was also the first-cousin, once-removed, of Arie Hon. She had also been working hard to coordinate with him on various matters, so, while it was all but guaranteed that he would cross swords with the Arie Family Leader, Vahn felt compelled to keep her in the loop...
Having grown somewhat accustomed to dealing with Vahn, Senna had learned that, more often than not, he emulated the behavior of whoever he was interacting with. So long as you behaved casually around him, he would afford you the same courtesy, and, most importantly, he could be remarkably cooperative so long as you weren't going out of your way to try and deceive him. Thus, the moment he explained his intentions, an exasperated sigh escaped her throat as she rubbed her temples and asked, "Are you serious?"
Nodding his head, Vahn explained, "The Empire and the Great Families might not be the origin, but they have become the publically recognized root of corruption within the Tower. If real change is to be introduced, they need to be held accountable for their actions. I cannot turn a blind eye to what they have become, so, even if it jeopardizes our cooperation, I will continue to push forward for the sake of the Tower, the residents therein, and the countless children who will be born in the future."
Understanding how obstinate Vahn could be whenever he had made up his mind, Senna made no effort to try and convince him to commit to a different course of action. Instead, she pulled up her Lighthouse before going on to state, "Lord Arie has always been a rational man. So long as you can overcome his Test, he should be willing to implement the reforms you have in mind..."
Though he had no problem accepting Arie Hon's challenge, Vahn ultimately shook his head, saying, "The problems with the Great Families transcend their individual Leaders. Even if they could remove the more toxic elements from their family, it doesn't change the fact they allowed things to develop to that point in the first place. I'm willing to afford them the opportunity to redeem themselves, but, no matter how things end up, they cannot be allowed to continue governing their families."
Understanding the consequences of Vahn's actions far greater than the person himself, a dry knot began to form in Senna's throat as she said, "I understand what you're trying to say...but have you truly considered the consequences of such a drastic change in the Tower's structure? I won't argue that the Great Families are without their flaws. The main reason we split from the Arie Family, in the first place, was because of a difference in ideologies. Still, compared to how things were during the Age of Ascension, things are infinitely more peaceful now than how they used to be..."
Rather than refuting this, Vahn decided to use Senna's own words against her, saying, "You're right. The Tower was filled with chaos and disorder, so, as a result, Jahad and the Great Warriors did their best to change things for the better. They bared their fangs at those in power, eliminating everyone who stood in their way before ultimately seizing power for themselves. Now, they have become the disease rotting the Tower from the inside, so, before the infection spreads even further, I will cut out the dead tissue at the source. If they are serious about performing their original duty, the Leaders of the Great Families will step down and allow the next generation to take charge. If they were actually concerned with maintaining the peace within the Tower, they never would have allowed corruption to take root within their own families..."
Though he understood that corruption was bound to take root in even the noblest of families and organizations, those who claimed to be in charge were ultimately accountable for every misuse of their power and authority. If they were unwilling to accept such a responsibility, they had no right to proclaim themselves as rulers. Thus, knowing that most of them had simply grown bored of life within the Tower, Vahn had no qualms about forcing the current generation of leaders to abdicate. They already had the chance to rule and decided not to. Now, it was someone else's turn to, at the very least, try.
Seeing the tell-tale look in Vahn's eyes, Senna knew he wasn't going to be dissuaded. He could be very reasonable most of the time, but, once he made up his mind on something, there didn't seem to be anything capable of changing it. Even worse was the fact that, more often than not, his words struck at the very heart of a matter, so, even if she wanted to come up with a counterargument, he had ten-thousand-years of evidence attesting to their mismanagement...
Suppressing a sigh, Senna combed aside her bangs, a difficult expression appearing on her face as she said, "If you go through with this...the Empire might not be able to remain silent. Even if I don't disagree with you, my duty is to the Empire and its people. I will do my best to prevent things from getting out of control, but there is a very high probability that war will break out between the Jahad and Aldrnari Empires..."
Though his expression softened for a brief moment, Vahn ultimately shook his head, saying, "That's impossible. Even if the Jahad Empire were to declare war, the Aldrnari Empire is under no obligation to accept. If a war were to be fought, it would be a purely civil matter. The people of the Tower have grown weary of the current status quo, and, unlike a conventional war, there is nothing like territory for your side to claim. All battles would have to take place in regions governed by the Jahad Empire, and, as a result, dissent against the current regime would increase exponentially. You would end up destroying yourselves from the inside, all while I continue pushing forward without any meaningful opposition..."
Frowning in response to Vahn's words, Senna's voice became audibly strained as she asked, "What about all the people you've helped during your climb? Don't tell me you were just trying to sow the seeds of future dissent? If you commit to this course of action, they, as well as millions of others, are bound to die. Please, reconsider..."
Adopting a slightly serious expression, Vahn met Senna's uncertain gaze, his voice firm as he plainly stated, "Such statements are filled to the brim with contradiction. I help people to help people, not to make use of them. If the vile and despicable would use that as a justification to punish them, that has nothing to do with me. If the righteous were cowed by the intimidations of those with malicious intent, there would be nothing to oppose the spread of evil."
Furrowing her brows even further, Senna's tone became marginally more resolute as she said, "Even if it wasn't your intent, the fact remains-"
Without waiting for the resolute redhead to finish, a powerful aura began to leak from Vahn's body as he affirmed, "People raise the banner of revolution when those above them have failed to govern properly, not because someone extended a hand to them in their time of need. Don't make excuses when the crux of the matter is that the Empire has become overrun with corrupt, opportunistic, and outright evil individuals. If you seriously intend to argue that the victims are to blame, I fear this will be the last time we are able to speak cordially..."
With that said, Vahn promptly teleported away before Senna had the chance to defend her point or apologize. One of his pet peeves had always been good people attempting to shift the blame onto other good people despite ignoring the misdeeds of those truly at fault. Sure, Senna wasn't really in a position to hold the other families accountable, but, regardless of her personal circumstances, she had even less of a right to hold others accountable for their actions. If someone decided to murder every single person he had saved, that had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Even as far back as Danmachi, Vahn had never been willing to compromise with those who tried to use his family, friends, and loved ones against him. It didn't matter how much pain and suffering he would have to bear. If his enemies tormented others as a result of his actions, they would be hunted without mercy. Compromising with the type of people who would use others as leverage only made the situation worse, so, even if his enemies were to threaten him with a knife at one of his children's throats, the only thing they would accomplish is ensuring their own, painful, end...
Not expecting Vahn to simply teleport away after he was finished speaking, Senna found herself at a complete and utter loss for words. She felt as though she had just made a grave mistake, but, as there were more pressing matters to attend, she ultimately just exhaled a sigh before manifesting a keyboard. She needed to report this matter up the chain of command, but, even after a full minute had passed, she wasn't sure how to phrase it. Painting Vahn as a villain didn't seem appropriate, as, on the most basic level, his words weren't wrong. They were simply 'inconvenient' for the Empire, a notion that only served to further validate the points he had made...
As that thought crossed her mind, Senna shifted her attention to the adorable creature nervously watching her from the side. She could see genuine concern in its glossy black eyes, and, though a few people had suggested that it was there to keep tabs on her, Senna knew better than most that Vahn didn't need others to spy for him. Thus, after several seconds of tense silence, yet another sigh escaped her throat as she bent down and said, "It's okay...come on..."
Though it hesitated for a brief moment, it didn't take long for Teddiursa to waddle over to Senna's side, its three-clawed paws wrapping around her body as it cocked its head to the side and chimed a concerned, "Urrr..."
Picking up the adorable Pokemon, Senna nestled her face into its soft fur for a brief moment before whispering, "Don't worry...I'm sure everything will work out. I just need to put in a bit more effort..."
With that said, Senna activated her Pocket's visible mode, delaying her official report in order to call her father. This was a severe dereliction of duty, but, considering the consequences of organizing a military response, now wasn't the time to follow protocol. She could infer from Vahn's behavior that he was absolutely confident in his ability to come out ahead in the coming battle. This meant, at the very least, he was more powerful than the current Rank 5 in the entire Tower. Assuming this was the case, he wasn't a foe they could defeat with simple numbers, so, rather than ordering her people to their death, Senna had decided it was worth facing a Court Martial if she could resolve the situation diplomatically. Thus, the moment the call went through, she adopted an ingratiating and somewhat childish tone as she said, "Papa...I really need your help right now..."
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn treats people the way they treat others...just better...','There is a time for a compromise and a time for action (O ^ O)...!','The shit is about to hit the proverbial fan...')
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