A Journey Unwanted-Chapter 422 - 411: Worst candidate

[Location: Realm of Iofiel]

Iofiel blinked; the expression was small, almost imperceptible—but it was there.

Why had he asked that?

The way Grimm had phrased it had not sounded idle. It had not been theoretical curiosity. It had sounded evaluative.

("The worst ’crime’?")

Her brows furrowed just slightly before she smoothed them again.

"Why," she asked carefully, her voice still even, though something beneath it had shifted, "would you want to know such a thing?"

Grimm did not move. His armored frame remained steady, sabatons rooted in luminous soil. One black-gauntleted hand still rested against the chin of his helmet.

"Humor me," he replied.

Nothing more, no explanation or reassurance. Iofiel frowned faintly before straightening her posture, reclaiming her composure.

"One should in no circumstance defy the Keepers of Order," she said firmly, allowing gravity to return fully to her tone. "Merely standing in opposition to them is already a severe crime." She held his gaze. "The structure they uphold is not optional. It is something that can be considered foundational."

"Hm, so you say," Grimm answered.

His voice did not carry skepticism, but it held consideration.

"Ordinarily," he continued, lowering his hand from his helm and folding his arms once more across his chest, "I would assume the most severe form of defiance would be an attempt on their lives." A pause. "But you’ve described them as beings deeply attached to their laws. More devoted to principle than to self." His helmet tilted slightly. "So perhaps death is not the worst outcome, from their perspective."

"Huh?" For a moment, Iofiel’s composure slipped, her confusion showed plainly. "What do you mean?" she asked, more directly now.

"I was considering an interesting experiment," Grimm said simply, waving the matter off with a small motion of his gauntlet. As if he had just commented on the weather.

Inside, Iofiel’s thoughts did not match the calm she forced onto her face. ("Something tells me I’ve made a very big mistake.") Her smile remained. ("First the Executioner... and now this man.") Her wings stayed relaxed at her back. ("Why did Tamamo have to take the only normal Untainted in Álfheimr?")

She suppressed the urge to sigh.

A supreme Goddess should not feel exasperation.

And yet here she was.

"Experiments," she repeated carefully. "Are dangerous when conducted against entities such as the Keepers." Her voice softened again, though the tension lingered beneath it. "They do not respond proportionally."

Grimm said nothing, the silence stretched for only a moment.

Then—

"I’ll say yes," he stated suddenly.

Iofiel straightened almost imperceptibly.

"Yes?" she echoed.

"For this temporary alliance," Grimm clarified. "You seem like you’ll be useful enough."

There it was again. That tone that held no reverence or even a shred of trust. It seemed he, in turn, saw her as something useful.

For half a second, Iofiel nearly deadpanned.

The corners of her mouth twitched downward before she caught herself, smoothing her expression into warmth once more.

"I am pleased by your decision," she said, tone brightening with grace. "And what a wise decision it is." She stepped closer, radiance settling comfortably around her again. "It is one you shall not regret." Her pale-blue eyes studied him, this time with a glint of satisfaction she did not bother to hide. "Under my guidance," she continued, voice calm and assured, "all you shall do is succeed. I do not align myself with failure."

A slight tilt of her head.

"And now that we are allies," she added gently, "perhaps you might share more about this ’experiment’ of yours."

"That is none of your concern," Grimm said, and though his voice remained level, there was a firmer tone behind it now, he seemed less dismissive than before. "If we are to proceed, then understand this clearly—there are matters I will keep to myself. You may continue supplying the information I require, and that will be sufficient for this arrangement."

Iofiel’s brow twitched—barely. The motion was slight enough that most would have missed it, but it was there. She kept her serene expression intact, her posture unshaken with her wings resting lightly behind her.

"If we are to both benefit from this alliance," she replied, her voice soft and almost tender in its reasoning, "should we not cultivate at least a foundation of trust? Cooperation without trust is fragile, and fragile things tend to fracture at the worst possible moments."

"Trust is unnecessary in a mutually beneficial agreement," Grimm responded without missing a beat. His armored arms folded tighter across his chest, alloy settling against alloy. "Clear expectations and aligned interests are more reliable than sentiment. I will serve as a tool for your objectives. In exchange, you will serve as a tool for mine. That is the entirety of our understanding."

The words were spoken plainly.

Iofiel’s brows furrowed more noticeably this time. The statement had reduced them both—Goddess and Untainted alike—to instruments.

"You reduce us both so easily," she said, her voice raising before she consciously softened it again. "I do not see you as a tool, Untainted." She placed a hand over her heart, as if the gesture itself could reinforce the sincerity she wished to project. "I see even mortals as equals beneath the divine sky, for that is the nature of a benevolent Goddess. I would not degrade you into something to be used. I seek a genuine alliance, not exploitation."

"A gesture like that means little," Grimm replied calmly. He turned slightly, gazing across the endless stretch of foreign flowers. "In my experience, those who openly admit what they want are the most trustworthy. If you intend to benefit from me, say so. If I intend to benefit from you, I will not pretend otherwise." He paused, then added more thoughtfully, "Trust would mean vulnerability. Vulnerability is unnecessary when interests align. You are useful to me. That gives this alliance merit. Nothing more is required."

("Ugh... could he be any more difficult?") Iofiel lamented internally, though outwardly she remained ever composed and dignified.

"It is unfortunate that you interpret cooperation through such cold structure," she said gently. "But perhaps, under my guidance, your perspective will mature. You may come to see that alliances built on something more than utility are stronger in the long term."

"Hm. Then tell me what you need," Grimm replied, brushing past her lesson without hesitation. He returned to the core of the matter with focus. "We are not here to debate philosophy."

Iofiel suppressed a sigh. Her features smoothed once more into that warmth.

"I have been observing you for some time," she began, her tone lowering slightly, becoming more serious. "Enough to understand your tendencies, your strength, and your potential impact. And to know that you already possess fragments of the information required." Her tone grew more grave. "Albion and Ddraig. These two dragons have become a direct threat to my realm."

The air seemed heavier at their names.

"I have already enlisted another Untainted to assist in addressing them," she continued, "but when facing adversaries of such magnitude, caution demands redundancy. One must not rely on a single solution."

"I see," Grimm said. "You want them gone."

She nodded.

"Yes."

"So you would have me slay what are, in essence, my own kind?" Grimm asked, tilting his helmet slightly. "Creatures that share at least a fragment of my origin."

Iofiel blinked, momentarily caught off guard before remembering exactly what stood before her—what lineage ran through him.

"I... assumed you would not object," she said, recovering quickly. "Given your detachment."

"Just a jest," Grimm waved the concern away. "I do not concern myself with bloodlines or sentimentality. Shared origin does not obligate loyalty."

("This man...") Iofiel thought, feeling the faintest twitch return to her brow as she forced another smile.

"Then despite the scale of this undertaking," she pressed, "can I rely on you to act decisively? These are not minor beasts. Their battles tend to rend the land itself. Entire regions suffer collateral devastation."

"It depends," Grimm said. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Her brows furrowed again. "On what, precisely?"

"On whether they prove worth my time," he replied calmly. "If they are dull, I will end it quickly. If they are interesting, I may indulge them briefly."

The phrasing left Iofiel staring at him in visible confusion.

"Untainted," she said slowly, as though explaining something fragile, "these are not beings one simply entertains. Their clashes sunder landscapes and tear through the realm. Their conflicts produce casualties beyond calculation."

Her voice rose.

"They must be stopped—whatever the cost."

"I do not prioritize the broader casualty figures you are invoking," he said flatly. "I prioritize results and personal interest. If eliminating them aligns with my goals, I will do so. If not, your concern for the masses will not sway me."

Iofiel felt her eye twitch.

("This man...!")

Her smile held, but only barely. But at this point even Grimm must have taken note of her slipping, what expressions he wore she wondered when he dismissed all she said so casually.

Why was this man so infuriating?