Chapter 112: Let’s make this our little secret, shall we?

Commander Marco first instinct at Kael outrightly exposing them was to kill the man. There was no use trying to play dumb and deny the allegations when the man had made his points and turned his back.

But on second thought, he was currently their only hope of making it across the Grand Canyon. He wasn’t confident in finding anyone better if they were to return now after coming this far.

He was stuck between a rock and a hard place until the man revealed his Talent, which surprised him.

That explained the abnormality of the forest beasts and also made the man more valuable than just a guide. If they could use his Talent to not just make it to the Grand Canyon safely, then what was stopping them from using that same ability to safely make it all the way to the ruins of Akkad with minimum casualties?

A Talent like that wasn’t just a support ability. It could serve as defense and could also serve as offense in a case where they ran into the Stronghold 3 forces. They could simply swarm them with a beast tide and sneak in through the chaos, using the repel ability to keep the beasts from attacking them.

Kael was a walking gold mine for that expedition, and he couldn’t think of any better ability than that for such a trip.

Even if he decided to kill him now, like the man had said, what were the odds he wouldn’t swarm the place with beasts and take them down with him?

There was no way around it now. Kael was simply too valuable to be lost here, and even though he didn’t trust the man one bit, it was worth the risk to reveal just enough to entice the man to take them all the way to the ruins of Akkad.

They could always choose to dispose of him when they arrived there, but he was taking the risk now.

He inhaled deeply before he began revealing their mission, ignoring the gazes of his men. Luckily, Yelena seemed to be on the same track as him and backed him up.

She was known for being smart and sharp-minded, and if this was the path she chose as well, then he absolutely had nothing to regret.

"So tell me, Kael," Yelena spoke up once more, looking him straight in the eyes. "Are you interested in knowing what Lady Jessica Cross has been doing for the past ten years?"

Kaelen froze on hearing the blonde woman’s question, and his eyes immediately fixated on her. "What?"

"That’s what the mission is all about. Discovering what Lady Jessica Cross has been up to for the past ten years. So are you interested in coming with us now that you know?" Yelena asked flatly.

Kaelen stared at her for a long moment.

Why did that question feel personal?

"Keep in mind that whatever we can scavenge in these ruins, including information, could sell for a high price on the black market," Commander Marco added.

Kaelen didn’t answer immediately.

"You mentioned the Stronghold 3 forces were the first to find it?"

"That’s right. And every passing minute spent away from the ruins could give them enough time to scavenge everything before we even arrive," the Commander said.

"I know you probably don’t trust us, you money-grubbing rat," Reiner said as he sheathed his blade. "But we were contracted by the Stronghold 8 government itself. In other words, consider your resident permit and enough money to get your life started once you help us make it there in one piece."

The Commander nodded at him.

Reiner might be a bit hot-headed, but he was smart enough to see the bigger picture.

"No." Kaelen suddenly replied, which surprised all of them, including Yelena, whose brows shot up.

"W-What? Are you backing out now because you’re too scared to face off against the Stronghold 3 troops?" Reiner sneered disdainfully.

Kaelen ignored him. "Since the nature of the mission has changed, so have my requirements."

"What is it you want?" the Commander asked.

"Since we’ll be entering ruins which could hold unimaginable treasures and artifacts, I’d like to be given the honor of having the first pick of whatever we find inside the ruins, without objections."

"Greedy bastard—" Reiner commented, but Kaelen wasn’t done speaking and spoke over him.

"In return, I’ll do what I can to make sure we get there with minimum casualties. That’ll also depend on your skills if we run into a beast I can’t control." Kaelen added the last part specifically for the wolf pack he was anticipating would show up anytime soon.

Reiner was about to make another rude comment when he noticed everyone staring at the Commander for a decision. From the looks of it, they didn’t object to the guide’s requirements.

After all, their mission wasn’t treasure hunting, but gathering information and extracting their target before the Stronghold 3 forces got to her first.

"Deal." The Commander nodded in agreement. "But I have something to add to that." He said as he narrowed his eyes at Kaelen.

"You ate three days’ worth of our rations, and since you now know why we have this much, you should know it’s barely enough for the trip to and fro. So for the next three days, you’ll have to hunt for your food since you’re a great hunter."

"I have no problem with that," Kaelen replied.

What he ate could carry him for the next three days or more, and Kaelen couldn’t see himself eating canned food and hard crackers for the rest of the trip when he could hunt and cook great dishes like he always did in the slums.

"We have a deal then. Since we’ve wasted so much time negotiating, we have only fifteen minutes to replenish our energy and hit the road," the Commander said.

As everyone got to work, Kaelen stood there as he fell into deep thought.

He had just discovered his mother was alive and had been living for the past ten years, but also learned she’d joined the Akkadians, who were against humanity?

Why would she do that exactly? Was it so they could spare her life?

Is that the reason she never bothered to come find him for the past ten years?

The sound of approaching footsteps broke him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see Yelena.

"I tore your shirt when I pulled you earlier." She said as she took off her jacket. "Here, take mine to cover it up."

Kaelen exchanged glances between the jacket and the woman, holding his gaze on her for a moment.

"Why did you save me earlier?" he asked without accepting the jacket.

She was silent for a moment. "I find you interesting."

Kaelen was taken aback. "Huh? Don’t tell me you’re falling for a guy you met less than a day ago."

"You’re funny." She said flatly, and it came off as sarcasm. Kaelen wasn’t sure if that was her intention.

"If I may ask, what’s the name of your Talent?" she suddenly asked.

"...Primal Hunter. Why?"

"I see. For some reason, my Talent doesn’t work on you. Do you know why that is?" she asked.

Kaelen didn’t reply immediately. "What’s your Talent?"

"Perfect Replication. It works on everyone... except those who don’t have a Talent."

Kaelen’s eyes widened in surprise. If what she was saying was true, then...

Yelena lifted a finger to her lips, which curled up in a smile that reached her eyes.

"Let’s make this our little secret, shall we?"