Kyle went back to Forward Base 198 as quickly as he could. By now, he could teleport over 60 times per second, increasing his speed of travel by quite a bit. He could now travel 1.5 million kilometers per second.
He quickly reached the Base and went to Major Sovignor.
“I've finished all of my Refinements,” Kyle transmitted.
Major Sovignor looked at Kyle for a moment. “You advanced very quickly. If I may ask, how many years do you have left?”
“A bit more than 20,000,” Kyle answered.
Major Sovignor wanted to shake his head, but he didn't want to show any watching person that he treated Kyle differently from normal Shields or Spears.
“That means you have taken no break. You've essentially experienced a Refinement during every year inside the Wisdom Fire Realm.”
“Yep, that sounds about right,” Kyle answered. “The faster I'm done, the more I can focus on my Battle-Strength.”
“Are you certain that you don't want to join Humanity directly?” he asked. “With your current power, it should not be an issue to become a Lieutenant General or a Protector. Growing stronger will be much easier.”
“I'm certain,” Kyle answered. “While I might need to spend more Merits as a Shield or Spear, I also have fewer responsibilities. That makes it much easier to focus on my Battle-Strength. If I were to join, I would be sent to different locations to supervise certain things, but right now, I can just exchange some Merits for spare time.”
“You can also exchange Merits for spare time while being a member of Humanity,” Major Sovignor answered. “At the same time, you also have access to more resources.”
“Can I ask a personal question?” Kyle asked.
“Yes?” Major Sovignor asked.
“Why do you want me to join Humanity so much?” Kyle asked. “I've declined several times by now.”
“It just seems like the most optimal way,” Major Sovignor answered. “I see your reasons, but they don't seem to hold up. The benefits you gain would outweigh the added responsibility.”
“I see,” Kyle answered. “Then, let me give you a different reason.”
“I believe that I am safer amongst the Shields and Spears. I think joining Humanity will put my life at a greater risk.”
“Why do you think so?” Major Sovignor asked, his voice a bit darker.
---
“I don't know Humanity, as in, the people in red. I've barely talked to them. I know I can trust the Shields and the Spears because I have fought with them many times, but I have not fought with someone wearing red. I can deal with my current position, but I don't know if I can deal with a different position.”
“Do you not trust Humanity?” Major Sovignor asked.
Kyle's brows slightly furrowed.
“Trust is not binary. Would I trust a Shield on the frontlines to help me fight a Demon, even though it would endanger their lives? Yes. Would I trust a Shield with all of my Military Merits? No. Does that mean I don't trust the Shields?”
“Without Humanity, Ayuvar wouldn't exist anymore. That's a fact. As long as there are no spies, I trust the Shields and the Spears, which are part of Humanity. I trust Humanity with some parts of my life, but not with all parts.”
The atmosphere became more oppressive as Major Sovignor looked at Kyle.
“What you're saying sounds dangerous.”
“I have not said anything treasonous,” Kyle answered. “Humanity should stay in charge. Humanity is doing a great job. I want them to keep doing what they've been doing up to now. Humanity, as a whole, is trustworthy. I do not mistrust Humanity as an entity. I can entrust my life to Humanity.”
“What I can't do is entrust my life to an individual person with the power to bend the rules. I can trust people who are forced to follow the rules, but I can't fully trust someone who has power over the rules.”
Major Sovignor kept looking at Kyle and stayed silent for a while.
“Understood,” he answered coldly. It was more than clear that he wasn't happy with what he had heard. Most likely, if Kyle were less outstanding or a normal Shield, he would have already been punished for his words.
“You have the power to change the rules, but I trust you,” Kyle transmitted, ignoring Major Sovignor's obvious signal to drop the conversation. “Do you know why I trust you?”
“Because I do not wear red,” Major Sovignor answered with a tone suppressing displeasure.
“No, it's because of something else,” Kyle said. “It's because I can see your hope.”
“Hope?” Major Sovignor asked, his tone changing to a mix of confusion and skepticism.
“I can see that you want to keep fighting. I can see that you believe there might be a chance that we can deal with the Demons. I do not know you very well, which means I might be mistaken, but from what I can see, I believe you are someone who wants to change things instead of trying to keep the status quo.”
“Everyone wants to change things,” Major Sovignor answered. “We are fighting for a brighter future. We are fighting so that the next generation will have it easier than our generation.”
“That is why I trust you,” Kyle transmitted. “Not everyone thinks like that. If you were to give all of your Shields and Spears the freedom to choose between their duties and spare time without deducting any Merits, would things improve? Would they stay the same?”
“Or would they deteriorate?”
Major Sovignor narrowed his eyes, but he didn't answer. The answer was more than clear.
“Not everyone thinks like that,” Kyle added. “Humanity has to force the Shields and Spears to fight on the frontlines. The Shields and Spears are locked into this position. They do not have much freedom and must follow the rules. They are essentially forced to believe that things will improve. After all, the thought of fighting so desperately for thousands of years without any improvement would be too devastating. They do not have the luxury of losing hope.”
“Yet, the members of Humanity do. They have all of the power to change things, but no matter what they do, things don't improve. If you keep trying the same thing over and over again and nothing changes, will you keep trying until all your time is up? You might, but many others won't.”
Major Sovignor closed his eyes for a moment. By now, he couldn't even hide his reactions anymore.
“Then, what's the point?” he asked. “If you believe Humanity has lost hope, why are you still trying? According to your logic, Humanity will let you down at some point.”
“I disagree,” Kyle answered. “As of this moment, the future looks just as you've described, but only if you exclude something crucial.”
“Change.”
“People adapt to new situations. If things start to deteriorate, they start changing things. This bleak future will only appear if things and people stay stationary. However, if people act, things might change, which will make people change.”
“Be more specific,” Major Sovignor transmitted.
“I want to rekindle Humanity's hope,” Kyle transmitted. “I want to prove that things don't have to stay like this. I want to show them that a feeling of hope is not always followed by a feeling of disappointment.”
“Hope?” Major Sovignor asked with some skepticism. “If your words are true, you do not have the means to convince your target audience. Your target audience has the power to change things because they are powerful. You are not.”
“That's why I'm going to show them something else.”
“I'm going to show them something they have never seen before.”
“I will break the realistic limit of Battle-Strength.”
“Give me 19,100 years. In 19,100 years, I will show Humanity that there's hope.”
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