The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 386: Chapter 381 — Irrational or Rational

’I have my reasons. Do you accept?’

Silence followed, and Zephyrion felt a faint tension building in his chest.

The problem was, well, this approach wasn’t without its risks either.

If Demorian refused, then all he would have accomplished was revealing his desire to speak with Ferravry, potentially making the ancestor even more suspicious of his intentions.

That was precisely why he’d offered something he hoped the perverted ancestor would find impossible to refuse.

’Come on... accept it.’

Eventually, Demorian chuckled.

’Haa, protege, you really do know how to make an old man interested. Fine, fine! When am I ever going to get another chance to watch you charm a young maiden? I accept!’

Zephyrion suppressed a smile.

’Good.’

With that settled, they both fell silent and waited for Possum to make his move.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long.

Possum suddenly turned towards them, his gaze settling particularly on the town head. His expression had grown solemn, almost painfully so, and Zephyrion had to admit that the bastard was putting on quite a convincing performance.

”I know what you’re thinking. It’s dangerous, and we’d be fools to risk our lives here. But I’m sorry... I can’t just stand by and watch while our people are being slaughtered. I’m going down there.”

’Woah... this bastard should’ve been an actor instead of a warrior,’ Demorian muttered, sounding genuinely impressed.

Of course, the town head, who knew nothing of Possum’s true character, fell for it completely. He gave him an anxious look before hurriedly speaking in a hushed voice.

”My lord! Please, think this through! I feel for the soldiers, I truly do, but... but they’re already dead! There’s nothing we can do for them now. Please, let’s return to the surface and come back with reinforcements!”

Possum’s expression turned dark.

”Those men have families waiting for them back home. Wives, children, parents... people who have no idea their loved ones are lying dead in this miserable place. Tell me, how am I supposed to turn my back on them? Even if all I can bring home are their bodies, I owe their families that much.”

”But... but you’d be risking your own life just to retrieve corpses!”

Possum slowly straightened, drawing a deep breath before letting it out with an expression of unwavering determination.

”Then so be it. A man who isn’t willing to risk his life for what he believes in... what kind of man is he?”

And with that grand declaration, before the town head could utter another word, he invoked,

”Overdrive.”

The air around him began vibrating violently as he launched himself off the ledge, hurtling through the air before landing heavily on the cavern floor.

The nearby Gravemaws immediately whipped towards him, growling menacingly as they bared their saliva-coated fangs.

The Aerelith’s eyes widened at the sudden arrival, a glimmer of hope appearing in his desperate gaze.

”Someone... someone’s here! Please! Help us!”

Possum slowly rose from his crouched position, metal churning violently around him as he fixed the beasts with a murderous glare.

”You filthy beasts. You dare spill Ferran blood on Ferran soil? I’ll make every last one of you regret it.”

With that, he blasted forward, shattering the ground. His spiked gauntlet slammed into a Gravemaw’s face, caving in its skull and sending its massive body hurtling backward.

The next moment, he vanished again.

’Hahaha! Protege, my dear, precious protege! I hate to break it to you, but it seems this ancestor has won!’ Demorian burst into delighted laughter, sounding as though he’d just received the greatest news of his life. ’Now then, which beauty should I choose? Haa, so many possibilities! Where does an old man even begin?’

’You seem to be misunderstanding something,’ Zephyrion calmly replied. ’You actually think what he just did was rational?’

’You think it wasn’t?’ Demorian retorted incredulously. ’Are we watching the same fight, protege? The bastard’s a mark three, and those beasts are barely mark ones! There are only twelve of them, and he’s tearing through them like they’re made of paper!

’And let’s not forget that touching little speech he gave the town daddy over there. Once word gets out, the townspeople will probably start worshipping the ground he walks on! Hell, even your commander might give him a pat on the back. If that isn’t a man using his head, then I don’t know what is!’

Still, Zephyrion merely shook his head.

’You don’t know much about Gravemaws, do you?’

’Well...’ Demorian hesitated. ’This ancestor may have been a divine being, but... alas, the heavens were generous with my looks and power, not so much with my scholarly pursuits.’

’Then allow me to enlighten you.’

Zephyrion gestured towards the countless openings scattered across the cavern walls.

’Who do you think made those holes?’

’...The Gravemaws?’

’There are hundreds of them. Do you seriously think those twelve made all of them?’

Demorian fell silent.

’And what about this entire underground lair?’ Zephyrion continued. ’The cavern, the tunnels, everything. Do you think twelve Gravemaws would go through the trouble of creating something this massive? And for what?’

’To... entertain themselves?’

Zephyrion sighed.

’One of the first things you learn about Gravemaws is that the size of their lair largely depends on the size of their pack. They’re intelligent creatures, but their lives are rather simple. They live underground, hunt, eat, mate, and reproduce. That’s about it. A lair this massive couldn’t possibly belong to a mere twelve Gravemaws. There must be hundreds of them, and a pack that large would undoubtedly have a much stronger alpha leading it.’

’And?’ Demorian retorted dismissively. ’Fascinating lecture, protege. Truly. I feel ten times smarter already. But how does any of that prove the bastard acted irrationally? Maybe he simply doesn’t know any of this.’

’You really think so?’ Zephyrion scoffed. ’Every Ferran child receives an education on practically every known beast during their time at the academy. Possum is no exception. If he’d stopped to think, he would’ve noticed those holes and understood what they meant.’