Angelus Mansion — Garden
"I have a gas that can melt flesh."
Sous stared at Logos.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I was thinking we gather all the incompetent heirs together," Logos said calmly.
"And remove them."
A pause.
"We could blame Talon."
Kleber looked like he wanted to disappear into the hedges.
Sous slowly pinched the bridge of his nose.
"We just had a heartfelt conversation."
"Yes."
Logos nodded once.
"And now we return to serious matters."
Kleber closed his eyes.
Of course.
Sous let out a long breath.
"You cannot solve every political problem with chemical weapons."
"I am aware."
"Then why suggest it?"
"Because it would be efficient."
Sous stared at him.
Logos continued anyway.
"House Angelus would gain more influence."
"The military chain of command would improve."
"There would be fewer delays in mobilization."
"And fewer people making catastrophic decisions."
"No," Sous said flatly.
Logos tilted his head slightly.
"Why not?"
"Because they are still people."
"They are liabilities," Logos corrected.
"They are both," Sous replied immediately.
The garden went quiet.
Logos looked mildly dissatisfied.
Sous could practically see the calculations moving behind his eyes.
"They are incompetent," Logos said.
"Their bad decisions will collapse fortifications."
"They will waste supplies."
"They will get soldiers killed."
"Yes," Sous said.
"And because of that…"
He leaned forward slightly.
"They need to be managed."
"Not exterminated."
Logos folded his arms.
"That sounds slower."
"It is slower."
"And more difficult."
"Yes."
Sous held his gaze.
"But it is also the reason people follow me willingly."
Silence.
That landed.
Kleber noticed it too.
Interesting.
Because Logos did not argue immediately.
He just looked away slightly.
Thinking.
"You want to separate them," Logos said after a moment.
"Responsibility goes to the capable."
"Oversight goes to the arrogant."
"Inconsequential roles go to the cowardly."
"And distance from decision-making goes to the foolish."
Sous blinked.
"Exactly."
Logos nodded once.
"That is more work."
"Yes."
"It is also less efficient."
"Yes."
"And you still want to do it?"
"Yes."
Sous leaned back slightly.
"Because if we start killing people simply because they are burdens…"
A pause.
"Eventually, we will start looking for reasons."
That made Logos go still.
For a second—
Sous thought he might argue.
Instead—
"Hm."
It was quiet.
Thoughtful.
Not agreement.
But not dismissal either.
Interesting.
"Some gas may still be useful," Logos said eventually.
"No."
"Not even a little?"
"No."
"Perhaps for border raids?"
"No."
"For spies?"
"No."
"For tax collectors?"
"No."
Logos looked mildly disappointed.
Kleber rubbed his face.
"My lord…"
He sounded exhausted.
"I am begging you to stop saying things like that around normal people."
"Nothing I have said is abnormal," Logos replied.
"What you are suggesting is literally more work."
"Yes," Sous said.
"Leadership is more work."
For once—
Logos did not have a response ready.
The lanterns swayed gently in the wind.
Far away, the faint sounds of the gathering still drifted from the manor.
Muted conversation.
Laughter.
Music.
All of it felt distant from the quiet tension in the garden.
Sous studied Logos for a moment.
"You know what your problem is?"
"No."
"You always look for the shortest route."
"That is called efficiency."
"No," Sous replied.
"It is called impatience."
Logos frowned slightly.
"I do not think that is accurate."
"You are impatient with weakness."
"With fear."
"With failure."
"With people who cannot keep up."
A pause.
"You treat them like broken tools."
Logos looked away.
"Broken tools are replaced."
"And people are not."
The answer came instantly.
Firm.
Certain.
Sous leaned forward.
"That is the difference."
Logos was quiet.
Kleber remained completely still.
Because moments like this were rare.
Sous was not winning an argument.
He was forcing Logos to stop and think.
"You know what would happen," Sous continued quietly,
"if you killed those heirs?"
Logos answered immediately.
"The kingdom would be stronger."
"No."
Sous's voice sharpened slightly.
"The kingdom would be afraid."
A pause.
"They would follow you."
"Yes."
"But not because they trusted you."
He looked directly at Logos.
"They would follow because they knew you would kill them if they didn't."
Silence.
"And eventually," Sous said,
"you would stop being a lord."
"You would become a threat everyone is waiting to remove."
Logos said nothing.
The breeze moved softly through the hedges.
Kleber looked between them carefully.
Because this was the first time he had seen someone push back against Logos without fear.
And more importantly—
The first time Logos was listening.
"You think people are variables," Sous said.
"Fine."
"Then understand this."
"Fear is unstable."
"It makes people obey in the moment."
"But the second they think they can survive without you…"
His eyes sharpened.
"They turn."
Logos looked at him.
"And loyalty?"
Sous answered immediately.
"Loyalty survives failure."
A pause.
"Fear does not."
The words settled between them.
Heavy.
Quiet.
Important.
For the first time that night—
Logos looked uncertain.
Not because he disagreed.
Because he was weighing it.
Comparing it.
Testing it against everything else he believed.
Kleber noticed that too.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Finally—
Logos exhaled softly.
"…I still think the gas would solve several problems."
Sous groaned.
Kleber nearly laughed.
"You are impossible," Sous muttered.
"No," Logos replied.
"I am trying."
That stopped both of them.
Because he said it so casually.
Like it was obvious.
Like they should already know.
Sous looked at him for a moment.
Then laughed quietly.
"Good," he said.
"Keep doing that."
For once—
Logos did not reply immediately.
He just sat there beneath the lantern light.
Thinking.
And perhaps for the first time in his life—
Considering that not every problem needed to be solved by removing it.