“I wouldn’t trust the modern practices of magic, mage.” Igarashi slowly leads Liz towards he’s war room.

“I know that already. I’ve already suffered the consequences.” Liz admits, her gaze downward. Something about that being a touching thing for her.

“My mother already taught me that the modernized way of life is a cancer in itself.” She sighs deeply hating her mother was mostly right about her scepticisms of the modern world.

“Seems your mother and my people would agree on many things. Our ways are deemed as vulgar, uncivilized and uncultured.”
He opens the door for her.

“Yet I am to find any of the modern lands who don’t use their people a mindless cannon fodder.”

He closes the door behind him, just them two in his war room. Liz starting to warm up to him, not quite seeing him as the enemy many has painted his country with.

“Another case of manipulation from others then? What about those people you slaughtered?” She sighs deeply, her pink eyes on him. Wanting him to tell her.

Igarashi slow walks around her, knowing she must be from a minority group from her statements and obvious heritage. Her ivory scales and tail once hidden from him now in fully in view.

“You understand why your mother hates western states, right?” Him watching her reactions.

“Yeah, they treated her people like animals and vessels for experimentation.” She’s a bit wary of how he’s moving around her right now.

“There’s your answer. I won’t see my people dragged away and used like cattle then colonised into servitude to just die with not fulfilment in life.”
He stops in front of her, his gaze cold but not hostile.

“You’re probably wondering why I didn’t kill you on sight, after you escaped that magic cell Saito put you in.”
Igarashi steps closer just on the edge of her personal space.

“Smelt the serpient in you was curious about you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the mix of a serpient and an elf before. Until you.”
He grabs her chin softly.

“And since I knew you’d probably be an outsider as well due to that heritage, I decided to take a risk on you. Many of those slaughter without a thought had ill intentions. And you…”
Igarashi’s grip tightens marginally on her chin, his thumb rubbing her jaw with surprising care.

“..were worth the risk. Honestly you were the coincidental solution to many of my issues.”

“What exactly were the issues?” Liz is a bit thrown off by that statement.

“My lack of partner, my country’s lack of defences against magic and its need to improve living standards. A single mage that appeared in my country being what I need is rather ironic.”