Chapter 197: Who I am
If you were to ask someone to name the most dangerous place in Nahaar after the Deadlands, they were most likely to say the ocean. But not just any ocean, the great ocean dividing all continents.
And by continents, I don’t mean the continents in the human domain, I mean the continents outside the human domain. The ocean separated the Human, Demon, and Elven continents.
The ocean was so dangerous that even merfolk didn’t dare tread there as they wished. So if that ocean was dangerous, why did it look so beautiful, serene and calm from up above here?
Before you ask, I’m currently in a private cabin in an airship, as for why I’m in an airship, well, of course we’re heading for our so called vacation. There was just one tiny teeny problem though.
"Oh my God, I still can’t believe we’re heading to the Demon continent. I knew you were crazy but I have no idea you were this crazy." Khloe lamented while fidgeting in her seat.
As you must have guessed, that was the teeny tiny problem I was talking about. Our destination was the demon continent, and the others were clearly not entirely okay with it.
Why the Demon continent you ask? Well you see, I have something very important to do there.
"Oh please, stop exaggerating." I rolled my eyes. "If I’m crazy then you all must be even crazier for coming with me."
"As if we had a choice." Pixie who was lounging at the side grumbled. Oh right I forgot, they didn’t have a choice.
"But really Boss, the Demon continent? I could name a million places better for a vacation than the Demon continent." Vera said. "I had my suspicions when you booked tickets for Kida city."
Kida city was the farthest edge of the eastern part of the human domain so, it was somewhat reasonable that she was able to figure that out. Still,
"What’s wrong with the Demon continent?" I argued. "I bet it’s nice there."
"Have you ever been there?" Alan asked.
"Uhmm... Let me think about it. No." I replied.
"God, we’re dead, we’re so dead." Khloe murmured, fractically paving around the cabin. " I heard they eat humans there." She turned to me.
"...."
My mouth twitched.
"What sort of nonsense rumour is that? If they ate humans, you think both races wouldn’t be at an all out war by now?"
Eat humans? Even a kid would have a hard time believing that, let alone an adult, not unless they were mentally out of touch. And looking at the fearful expression of my right hand human, I didn’t feel she was out of touch, instead she looked terrified.
"Hey tell me, why do you seem so afraid of Demons? I mean the others are all okay." I gestured to the grumbling Vera, the pouting Pixie, the curious Alan, Hugo and Bob, and Ben who was otherwise nonchalant and looked like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Yeah, Bran was perhaps the best subordinate I had.
"Are you kidding? They have massive black horns, and they’re demons, it’s literally in their name, ’Demon’. We used to get told stories about them when we were kids. Weren’t you guys?" She turned to the others.
"No." Pixie and Bob shook their heads, while Alan and Hugo shrugged.
"Those were just stories told to kids to make them behave, and only foolish kids believed that." Vera, true to her name replied candidly, maybe a little too bluntly.
"..." Okay, that was pretty racist of Khloe, but Vera didn’t have to do her that bad.
"Ahem, what Vera meant was that those were all rumours, don’t just believe anything you hear." I interjected.
That seemed to finally calm down Khloe, albeit only slightly. But at least she finally sat down and stopped pacing around the room.
I finally sighed in relief, then sat crosslegged, and closed my eyes. It was going to be a week’s long journey, so I had plenty of time to channel, and I didn’t plan on wasting that time.
Another me materialized behind my back and took the same position as I did. But as I did so, I suddenly sensed multiple pairs of eyes on me.
"What?" My reflection asked the group, who were looking at me wide eyes. My main body meanwhile closed its eyes and started channelling.
"Boss, there’s another you behind you!" Hugo exclaimed, jumping on his feet.
"Why do you all look worked up?" I asked puzzled.
"You...you can turn into two?!" Khloe asked shocked.
"Of course." I shrugged. "It’s my initial ability. Wait... don’t tell me you guys did not know?" Some subordinates they were, not knowing something as simple as that.
"Of course we don’t know, you never told us!" Vera exploded. "We all thought one of your abilities was transformation, and the other was Bragging."
"Oh." I smiled sheepishly, "It must have slipped my mind." But then my smile suddenly turned into a frown. "Hey what do you mean Bragging?"
"Well, you sure love to brag about yourself, so we thought your other ability was most likely between being a sweet talker but later settled on bragging."
I felt accused.
"Hey, I don’t brag about myself, it’s simply beneath me to do that." I frowned.
"There, you just bragged about yourself again, Boss." Pixie pointed out.
I gritted my teeth.
"No, I did not."
"Yes you did." Khloe emphasized.
Gods, these women were out to get me. I know I lied to brag a little bit, but what was the big deal about it.
"You know what, Boss? You never tell us anything." Bob smiled wryly.
"If cloning is your real ability, then how do you change your face?" Alan asked.
"Yeah, we don’t even know your real face." Hugo added.
I sighed. Here I was dissing the ladies, but it seemed they weren’t the only ones out to get me. My fellow men were too. I didn’t know men also liked to gossip.
"What would you even do with my real face?" I asked curious. I didn’t get why they wanted to.
"Who wouldn’t want to know who they work for?" Vera asked.
I sighed. Putting myself in their shoes, I’d probably feel that way too. So why was I hiding my true identity from them? Was it truly because of Emmet, or was it because I didn’t trust them?
Thinking deeply about it, I realized that it was because I didn’t trust them. Just because in the novel they were all trustworthy to Alistair, it didn’t mean they would be to me. For all I know Emmett could get to them the moment any one of them slips and he realizes they’re working for me. I didn’t want that.
But still, trust was a two way thing. If I wanted to earn their unconditional trust, I’d have to extend that trust to them.
I sighed for the nth time today and dismissed my reflection.
"It has come to my attention that you do not know who I am." I stood up. "Watch closely then." I muttered, raising a hand to my face. I had come to the decision that I was going to show them who I was.
With a small click, the featureless mask detached from my face. The brown hair I was sporting changed its shade to a lustrous jet black, and my brown eyes changed into a striking grey.
My average facial features turned strikingly gorgeous and I slowly drew the mask away from my face watching in amusement at the shocked faces of everyone.
They stared at me speechlessly and with widened eyes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say my looks stunned them to no end, hehe.
That’s right, the most handsome being they ever laid eyes on.
"...Oh my God..." Vera muttered in a daze.
"...Boss is a woman?!"
My smile froze.
"She even has a nice little tattoo on her forehead." Pixie cooed.
’That doesn’t sound right.’
I frowned.
"What do you mean I’m a woman? I’m a man, everyone can see that. And what mark could I possibly have in my face?"
My words froze them.
"Wait, you really are a man?" Vera asked skeptically. My reply to that was a deadpan stare.
"Then why is your hair so long?" Bob asked.
"It’s because I have had the time to cut it that’s why." I muttered with gritted teeth.
"Fine, fine, you’re a guy." Khloe backed out in surrender.
"Khloe....Khloe...."
"Hmmmm?" Khloe turned only to see Vera staring at me as if she had seen a ghost.
"Its him." Vera muttered in a daze.
"Who?" Khloe asked cluelessly.
Meanwhile, I turned to Vera as a smile graced my face.
"Its good to see you finally recognize this prince, young Padawan."
*******
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