Free Web NovelChapter 23: Siren Stronghold [ 19 ]
All five pairs of eyes turned to Nacho. He felt the weight of their attention like a physical pressure against his chest. Mind Fortress hummed at the edges of his consciousness, and he caught fragments of their surface thoughts.
—dangerous, unpredictable, should be contained—
—Sera is playing games, as always—
—interesting specimen, wonder what his limits are—
—this changes nothing, the vote will proceed—
The last thought came from the sharp-cheeked Elder. Nacho filed that away.
"My name is Nacho." He kept his voice flat. "I’m here because Grand General Sera asked me to be."
"And why would an entity of unknown origin agree to such a request?" The question came from the old man. His voice was surprisingly strong, resonant in a way that didn’t match his frail appearance.
"Because she offered something I was interested in."
"Which was?"
"I want to go to the Mortal World."
Another exchange of glances. The sharp-cheeked Elder leaned forward.
"You expect us to believe a creature of your... capabilities... simply wants to leave?"
Nacho shrugged. "Believe whatever you want. I’ve been in Lumen for about two weeks. In that time, I’ve learned your city is struggling. Your trade routes are also very disrupted. Your military is... Well, I’ll just be honest. You don’t have much of a military, and yet you’re sending people on death missions just because of grudges."
Ah right.
"And you geezers seem more interested in political games than actual solutions."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"I don’t really want to be here. You definitely don’t want me here. To me, it sems like we should be able to work something out."
The reedy-voiced Elder’s lips pressed into a thin line. "You speak very boldly for someone in your position."
"I speak honestly. Grand General Sera told me the Elders value directness. Was she wrong?"
Silence again. Nacho caught Sera’s surface thoughts through Mind Fortress. A flicker of approval, quickly suppressed.
The old man in the center raised one withered hand.
"Grand General Sera. You have classified this ordinary looking Siren as a military asset. On what basis?"
Sera didn’t hesitate. "He possesses abilities that would be invaluable for infiltration and intelligence gathering in the Mortal World. His shapeshifting allows him to assume any form. His combat capabilities, while untested against our strongest, appear significant. And most importantly, he has no ties to the Empire or any other faction that might compromise his loyalty."
"Loyalty." The sharp-cheeked Elder spat the word like it tasted bad. "You speak of loyalty from a creature that killed one of our citizens within hours of arriving in Lumen?"
Ah. So they know about that.
Nacho kept his face blank. Sera’s expression didn’t change either.
"The citizen in question was a known informant for the Berserker Tide," Sera said. "His death prevented sensitive information from reaching enemy hands. I would have eliminated him myself if the opportunity had presented itself."
Wait, what?
He hadn’t known anything about the old man being an informant. He’d killed him because the guy was suspicious and knew too much about his identity.
Is she covering for me?
He caught a fragment of her thoughts through Mind Fortress.
—don’t react, just go with it— freewebnovёl.ƈom
Okay then. Going with it.
"The Grand General is correct," Nacho said, trying his best to smart as sound as possible. "The target displayed behavior consistent with intelligence gathering. I eliminated him as a precaution."
The Elders didn’t look convinced, but they also didn’t push further. The old man in the center nodded slowly, his milky eyes never leaving Nacho’s face.
"We will take a brief recess to discuss the matter. Grand General, you and your asset will wait outside."
Sera bowed her head slightly and turned. Nacho followed, matching her pace as they exited through the double doors. The moment they closed behind them, she grabbed his arm and pulled him into an alcove.
"Hey... Did you make that informant thingy up?" he whispered.
"I investigated after you told me about the kills." Her voice was low, barely audible. "Turns out the old man had been receiving payments from a shell company connected to the Tide. Pure luck, but useful luck."
Huh. So killing random suspicious people sometimes works out.
"What about the other one?"
"The other one was planning to propose to Lizbeth. No criminal connections that I found." She paused. "I didn’t mention him."
Nacho processed that. He killed two, one justified in retrospect, the other was just... collateral.
He half expected to feel guilty, but he didn’t.
Yeah. Still not human enough to care, apparently.
"What happens now?" he asked.
"Now they vote. Elder Maren will side with us. Elder Voss, the old man, is unpredictable. He’s been on the council longest and he doesn’t like anyone, including the other Elders. The three women will vote against us no matter what we say."
"So we need Voss."
"We need Voss to abstain or side with us. A tie goes to the military in matters of asset classification. It’s an old rule they probably forgot existed."
Nacho leaned against the wall. His MP was full, his HP was full, and he had enough Talents to cause serious damage if things went sideways. But fighting his way out of the Council Hall felt like a last resort.
Too many unknowns. Too many variables. And Sera’s not at full strength.
"What’s Voss’s deal?" he asked. "You said he doesn’t like anyone. What does he like?"
Sera’s brow furrowed. "Power. Results. He was a general himself, fifty years ago. Led the campaign that pushed the Berserker Tide back to the outer waters. He respects strength, but not the kind that comes from politics."
"So if I show him something he respects..."
"It might tip the scales." She met his eyes. "But it’s a risk. He’s also the most likely to see through whatever act you’re putting on. If he decides you’re a threat that can’t be controlled, he’ll vote to have you bound immediately."
Nacho shrugged.
"Let’s just hope he’s open minded enough to give me whatever I want."
With that, he closed his eyes and focused up.
