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That was the first Hector had heard of that. He couldn’t let it shake him, though. “...Have you ever met anyone like that?”

“Well, no. It does seem like a bit of a tall tale. And yet, as I stand here, speaking to you, I am made to wonder.”

“Look,” said Hector, “the truth is... that whole mess that I got into with your men in my home country... like I said, it was a misunderstanding. I was trying to work with them. Not against them.”

“Oh,” laughed Ivan, “is that so?”

“I was never trying to kill them. Otherwise, I... would’ve done so as soon as they arrived. But they wouldn’t listen. And... I’m sure they... misreported my... capabilities in battle, as a result of that.”

“Uh-huh.”

Hector grit his teeth. “...Don’t tell me you actually believe that Atreya could have survived all this time on its own. Without someone protecting it?” That was a pretty good point, actually. He surprised himself but didn’t have time to dwell on it. More bullshit was already on its way out of his mouth. “Your men... they weren’t the first to try something like that, you know. They were just... the loudest. They never understood that I was... letting them stay in my country. For months, I left them alone. But still... they just wouldn’t understand. And then, of course... the Vanguard interfered.”

“Mm.”

Hector couldn’t tell if he was buying any of this. The man’s smile was unreadable. So he just kept pushing. “I never killed any of your men,” he said. “I wanted to work together. In fact, uh--that’s why I came to Sair. I was... I heard that Abolish was operating in this area, so... I came to find out more.”