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‘Hmm,’ said Voreese. ‘I suppose when you put it like that, it ALMOST doesn’t sound like the most moronic thing he could’ve ever done. Almost.’

‘I am not trying to defend his actions,’ said Axiolis. ‘I am merely recounting what I have been told.’

‘I get that,’ said Voreese. ‘But jilting one of the most powerful individuals in the entire world? That is some top tier stupidity. I mean, what did he think would happen?’

Axiolis only bobbed his head.

Lorios, however, decided to chime in now. ‘Okay, well, if nobody else is going to do it, then I guess I’ll play devil’s advocate here and try to defend Eric’s behavior--at least a little.’

‘Ha,’ said Voreese. ‘Go on, then. I can’t wait to hear this.’

The usually quiet reaper had everyone’s attention but Zeff’s now. ‘I will not pretend that it was a wise thing to do. It certainly was not. And the consequences of it have been terrible beyond measure. However, I’m sure you all remember Sai-hee’s reputation from those days. She was widely regarded as the gentlest and most peaceful of the four emperors. The compassionate “Peacemaker” was very well-loved all over the world. Many even mentioned her in the same breath as the Goddess of the Light herself--that was how saintly some people viewed this woman. And even today, some seventy years later, that reputation is not completely gone.

‘However, she also had a reputation as a bit of a “pushover” as well. As in, people thought she was SO nice that she would never raise a hand in anger or do anything unreasonable--certainly not to anyone who hadn’t committed some sort of crime against humanity. She was the “pragmatic one” among the emperors. Many people even believed that she was virtually a higher being. The purest and most perfect type of human. I know, because I was one such person. I genuinely thought that about her for a while. So I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility that Eric Olmos may have viewed her that way as well.’

‘This is why hero worship is dangerous,’ said Voreese. ‘You can never really know what evil any given person is capable of until it’s too late.’

‘I would agree with you,’ said Lorios. ‘But my point is, Eric probably thought that, ultimately, she would forgive him. Because that was her reputation. Pure and gentle and forgiving.’

‘This is why I don’t trust saints,’ said Garovel.

‘It is as Arkos once said,’ said Yangéra. ‘“The brighter the light, the harsher the shadow it casts.”’

‘Egh, that’s why I never liked that guy as a philosopher,’ said Voreese. ‘You could interpret that any number of ways to make it fit. Hell, someone could be the bright light, and the harsh shadow could be someone else who resents them. Or it could just refer to a single person hiding their true nature. Therefore, that “wisdom,” although it sure sounds nice, is fucking useless.’