Trashes of the Counts' Families || Trash of the Count's Family || OC

72

"What?" Witira asked. She looked at the black swamp. They were going to drain it? "Do you mean to keep the Dead Mana?"

Adara nodded one short nod. "Yes."

Witira frowned. "Why?" They had nothing useful to do with it; Dead Mana was a poison to humans.

Adara grinned. "No need to think too hard about it. In the end, we'll get rid of it for you, so make a deal with us."

Witira thought about it for a second. It was certainly suspicious. What would they do with a whole swamp of Dead Mana? Give it to the mermaids? But no, Adara had been so offended when she figured out their suspicions. She couldn't have been acting; Witira would have noticed.

She needed to trust these strange humans. And if they were going to give it to the Mermaids, she could always kill them. She might lose her life once she did—the dragon seemed oddly protective of them—but she would kill them before she went down.

"Young Master Cale and Young Mistress Adara," Witira said with a decisive movement of her head, "let's make a deal."

Adara smiled at that. "The conditions are simple. We will drain the swamp for you, preventing anybody from using the Dead Mana against you, and in return, you will cleanse the poison from the Dead Mana for us."

Witira blinked at the condition. "Cleanse it?"

Cale nodded, catching on to what Adara meant. She could not use it either if it was poisoned. "Yes. There is poison mixed in with the Dead Mana. Can you cleanse it for us? Take out the Poison?"

Witira was confused. "Yes, we can. But once we cleanse the Dead Mana, we'll just give it back to you?"

Adara made a face like it was obvious. "Yes?"

Witira ignored how confused Adara looked. She, too, was confused. She was assuming through this that they weren't going to give it to the mermaids. Why give it to them to cleanse only to give it to the mermaids? It didn't make any sense. But if they weren't going to give it to the mermaids, then what other purpose would Dead Mana have? It's a poison to—

It's a poison.

Adara's Family deals in poison. Witira wanted to hit herself on the head, it was so obvious. The only connection Adara and her Family had to the mermaids was that they hunted them for their poison. Of course, she'd want Dead Mana, a poison to all other creatures except those with the Darkness Affinity.

"I accept these conditions," she said, having made her decision.

Cale smiled casually. "By the way, anything coming out of the swamp belongs to us."

Witira wanted the dragon's bones, but she decided not to be greedy. They were getting rid of the swamp for them, after all. "Sure."

Adara felt she was in a similar situation to Witira—but then again, not so similar. Both of their strengths were their weaknesses. Adara used Dead Mana as a means of strength, but if it were poisoned, she would be weakened. Similarly, the Whales lived underwater and used it as their strength, but if the water were to become poisoned, it would be very difficult to survive.

With this second deal, they would help with both.

"Step back," Cale said, waving the others away. When they didn't move immediately, he said, "Go back into the forest and stay there."

"Stay hidden until we tell you to come back," Adara said. "You might get poisoned if you don't listen."

Paseton, who had been standing off to the side listening, was gently frowning. "Young Master-nim, Young Mistress-nim, will you do it on your own?" He wasn't exactly doubting them, but it did seem very unlikely that they alone would be able to drain the whole swamp.