GAMBIT - Vinsmoke Ichiji x Reader

18 - The Talk

"I understand the need to talk, but why are you leading me out into the middle of nowhere? Planning to have me mauled to death by your fuzzy woodland creature friends?"

"The thought crossed my mind." I didn't bother glancing over my shoulder to Ichiji as I continued on, deeper into the forest. It was the only acceptable place to have a proper discussion, without anybody around to overhear us. "Here will do." I halted by a close growth of oak trees and sat myself down, expecting him to follow suit.

Begrudgingly, Ichiji sat down a surprisingly respectful distance away, bending a knee.
"I've never seen the appeal of so much nature in one place." He commented partially under his breath, though it still rubbed me the wrong way.

"Yeah, well, I've never seen the appeal of whatever man-made hell Germa is." I muttered back, beginning to tug at the thicker patches of grass beside me. "You promised to tell me what was going on that night when your men were messing around out here. So, go on. Tell me."

I need to know so I can put a stop to it.

There was a resigned kind of irritation to Ichiji's visible features as he heaved a sigh, as though merely sitting next to me was a mammoth effort. Though, to be entirely fair, it likely was. It wasn't easy for me either, since the pain had once again been replaced with that intense pull towards him.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you wouldn't believe that my dad has a passion for landscaping?" He waited for me to shoot him a glare before letting his head fall back to rest against one of the tree trunks. "Have you heard of Aeternite?"

I pondered over the name, eventually shaking my head. It was a strange word that I definitely hadn't heard before, even in passing.
"Well? What is it?" I hurried him along, not wanting to remain too close to him for longer than absolutely necessary. It was too dangerous, for both my body and my pride.

"Impatient little thing, aren't you?" Ichiji muttered, arms folding across his chest as he kept his gaze fixed ahead. "Aeternite is an incredibly rare and valuable ore, highly sought after for its strength and its potential as a power source. It can be forged into near-impenetrable armor, the finest caliber of weaponry…the possibilities are endless. In short, it's almost impossible to come by. But Fell Wilds? This place is sitting on a goldmine of it."

I took a little time to soak in what he was telling me, dragging my knees to my chest in a futile attempt to hide at least a part of myself from Ichiji's hidden gaze.
"Okay...so Judge wants that stuff. He does realise he can just, like, ask?"

Ichiji let out a low chuckle, rich and smooth, yet sickeningly sweet—like warm honey poured over my skin. Disgusting.
"Oh, so His Majesty would be happy to let us completely obliterate his country, would he? How convenient. That would save me the headache of dealing with a brat like you for any longer than I have to."

Wait...Obliterate..?

"Why would Fell be obliterated..? A single mine wouldn't do a massive amount of harm. I mean, I'm not thrilled with the idea, but...Hang on, is this why he was so adamant about us being in this arranged marriage? I..I'm sure my parents would let Judge dig a mine where he burned the forest, then we could axe this whole wedding bullshi-"

"Instead of jumping to conclusions, you might want to wait until you have all the facts. Honestly, woman. You're exhausting." Ichiji pinched the bridge of his nose just below the centre of his shades, as if forcing himself to stay composed, a reaction that only added to my confusion. "Aeternite deposits are incredibly fragile. You could even call them load-bearing, in a way. If handled incorrectly, which, mind you, has happened in every documented case of mining it, it triggers a chain reaction. Sinkholes, earthquakes, landslides…the entire island could be at risk. Why do you think it's so rare? Every other place it was found has already been wiped off the map."