The Innkeeper
chapter-932

"I genuinely could not have anticipated that the intention of the deity was to possess you," Cassandra explained. "Under normal circumstances, there would be not much to gain, and plenty to lose. But, regardless, due to his intentions, and your many, overwhelming advantages, your encounter with the deity fell short of my expectations. It was quite disappointing actually."

She stated her feelings quite freely, as if uncaring that they might further aggravate Lex. But she didn't keep him stewing either. She quickly continued to the next part, which contained her reasonings.

"As you correctly guessed, it's not a big deal for me, or even Mateo to deal with the intruder. Outside the temple, we have no authority. Inside, nothing can happen that we don't allow."

She paused to look at Lex in the eyes, and then towards the missiles. "Nothing," she repeated as if to emphasize the point.

But instead of getting the message she was trying to convey, Lex just summoned another missile. He was rich and outlandish, what could they do about it?

Cassandra sighed and nearly rubbed her head. Despite her endless patience, she had never worked with a baby before. It was a… novel experience.

"The plan was Mateo's, but when he informed me of it, I agreed wholeheartedly. Regardless of anything else you may or may not believe, there should be no room for you to doubt that the purpose of the temple of fasting is to train humans. It is to help them overcome difficult personal trials - hence the name fasting.

"After your initial assessment of 'exceeds expectations', Mateo devised a plan to train you. That included giving you a strong enemy to overcome, which was naturally the deity, as well as strong motivation to push yourself, which would be the threat to the realm. Only, while you did train diligently, no matter what reason we have you to fight Ra, I never sensed desperation from you. No matter how tough you had it, no matter how much you bled, or how spent you became, I could not sense any desperation from you.

"Normally, that's a bad thing. But sometimes, it can be good as well. Now I'm not claiming that your life has been easy, not at all. But I can tell, you've never faced true desperation. You've never faced… the dire hope that clings to your chest as you wish for something, even knowing it will never come. You have never faced a defeat that stripped you of everything.

"I went along with the plan to train you using Ra because I was hoping to have you go through such a situation in a controlled environment. If you thought that no help would come, and you were overwhelmed, it would be a good growing experience for you. But I've noticed you're too calm. You're always in control of your emotions. It's not easy to elicit such a reaction from you, so I altered the plan a bit and created an emergency situation to unsettle you.

"As things stand, although you did not go through what I wanted, I must admire your ability to stay calm and collected. The reason my guidance has not been as effective as possible is because I've constantly underestimated you, in one way if not another."

With that, Cassandra paused once again. She had given him a clear enough answer. The reason she had not been completely forthcoming was because she was treating it as a part of his training. It was so unexpectedly cliche that Lex had not even considered it.

But that did not improve his mood in the slightest. For a few moments, Lex sat in silence as he gathered his thoughts. He was on the verge of a very important decision, and he didn't want to make it in a rush of emotions or be blinded by benefits.

Before he could make any decision, though, he needed to first establish his baseline.

"Cassandra Vans Agnew," Lex said, as he sat up straight and looked her in the eyes, "when you first appeared, you asked my permission before becoming my teacher. I do not know much about you, but if I take things at your word, then you are one of the strongest humans ever. For someone of your level to show any attention towards me at all should be my honor, let alone asking me for my permission.

"I realize that. I am grateful, for your training has helped, and honored that someone of your level would pay attention to me. But, Cassandra, I am neither your subordinate, nor your subject. I did not come to you asking for training, nor have I asked you particularly for anything. Do you know what that means?

"It means that while I appreciate your guidance and help, I am not willing to be manipulated, even if you think it is for my own good, or lied to. I am not willing to compromise on certain things, and I do not owe your temple anything, regardless of your intentions. I only came here to take Z back with me, and you are the ones who delayed it.

"Now I cannot help but think what kind of torture or mistreatment you put him through in the name of 'training' him. What are the lengths you are willing to go to to fulfill your role, despite the will and interest of the person involved? What gives you the right to decide for me or mine what is good or bad?"

Lex could not hide the aggression in his voice, or in his eyes, but he ultimately calmed himself down. Things had not gotten to the point of no return yet, and it was true that he was in their territory. It was not good to push things too far.

"The gist of the matter is, I no longer trust you, so how can you regain my trust? If you cannot, then please take me to Z so we can leave you and your temple to continue to hide from your enemies. We won't continue intruding."