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“I’m not in the mood for your philosophizing, Ito.”

“When are you ever, Master?”

A fair point, he supposed. He stood up and rolled his neck. “Any movement from the Dulvani?”

“Yes,” said Itoya. “They appear to be evacuating.”

“Smart. And a shame. It would have been interesting to fight them, too. With how secretive they are, I imagine they must have quite a few tricks up their sleeves.”

“Would you like me to pursue them?”

He had to take a moment to think about that. On the one hand, Itoya was among his very best men and would no doubt see the job done to perfection, so long as precise instructions were given. But on the other hand, losing the manpower against the Mendocava would be more than just a nuisance.

Were the Dulvani worth it? Possibly. They could hold some of the answers he was looking for, but he doubted it. And even if they did, they would never willingly share them with him.

Not with the wicked one called Dozer.

In that vein, perhaps a different strategy was in order.

“No,” said Dozer. “Send some of Germal’s men, instead. We have a few here, don’t we?”

“We do, Master. But I cannot recommend trusting them with such a task. They are often insubordinate or weak. Or both.”

Unsurprising. Itoya got along with Germal about as well as water got along with oil, so any of the Liar’s disciples were naturally going to incur a similar degree of ire.

But there was a reason why Dozer had allowed this so-called Freeman Fellowship to continue existing, despite all the hassle and infighting it provoked from many of the other sects. “Don’t make me repeat myself, Ito.”

“...Yes, Master.” And perhaps the man could sense that he had overstepped, because he bowed and walked away without saying another word.

The Freemen. In many ways, they were the embodiment of what Abolish was frequently lacking. A delicate touch. The ability to see and appreciate nuance. And while it was certainly true that they were often too soft or hesitant for their own good, the rest of Abolish obviously made up for such weaknesses in spades.

If any of his men were going to get through to the Dulvani, it might be them. And if not, oh well. That was a problem for another day.

He looked up at the open blue sky and drank in the view. It was late enough in the day that he could already see some of the stars, even though the sun had not yet set.