Supreme Magus

Chapter 4080: Weeds of Chaos (Part 1)

’Jirni invited me here knowing I would exploit this opportunity to get more Gernoffs inside the Mansion.’ Jiza thought. ’Her goal is to observe what we can do when offered the perfect conditions for a murder and steal our techniques.

’If she manages to capture one of my agents, Jirni will have the justification to detain and interrogate them as she sees fit. My blatant disregard for the rules of hospitality would put the Gernoff Household under scrutiny from the entire Awakened community.

’Even worse, Orion would be allowed to keep our artifacts as spoils. No Gernoff will talk, no matter the interrogation technique, but if Jirni has prepared contingency measures to keep my agents from taking their own lives, she gets their equipment.

’Just by studying their enchantments, she can guess our infiltration techniques and the limits of our covert ops squads. Unlike a Gernoff, enchanted items can’t keep their secrets. Not from skilled Forgemasters like Orion and the Hydras, if not even Ripha Menadion.

’Verhen would happily help Orion in exchange for the knowledge about how to shape and enchant Darwen Orion would acquire.’ A mere glance around the room told Jiza she didn’t have many friends there.

Fyrwal and Faluel were subtler than Orion, but they didn’t bother to hide their hostility. When the Verhens passed and greeted her, Jiza was met with a coldness worthy of an ice age.

’This is worse than I thought.’ Jiza walked away from the entrance to avoid drawing any more attention to herself. ’Whatever Jirni is planning, she also wants to intimidate me.

’After the battle against Ruugat of the Earth, the human Council puts great importance on Verhen for his potential and on Quylla Ernas for her role in curing the people of Zelex.

’That with Fyrwal’s candidacy for the beast Representative seat puts me in an awkward position. If Verhen, Friya, and Quylla come at me after I kill Jirni, I’ll have both the human and beast Council against me.

’If I kill Friya and she’s become Faluel’s Harbinger, Fyrwal will demand the Gernoff’s blood. As a Council representative, she’ll have the power, and if the Hydra project works, countless Lesser Divine Beasts will do anything to enter her good grace.

’If I kill Vehren or Quylla, the human Council will get involved as well. The Gernoffs would be isolated and outnumbered. We would face extinction and all because of a single, insignificant woman.

’The price for Jirni’s head would be too high indeed, but that only if we were stupid enough to fall for her scheme, or if we get caught in the act of killing her. Too bad for her that’s not the Gernoff’s way.

’If Jirni just dies, Verhen and her girls will have no justification to attack us. We’d act in self-defense and couldn’t be blamed if something happens to them as we protect our home.

’Jirni’s trap is indeed dangerous, but now that I know it’s there, it’s no longer a trap.’ Jiza walked among her fellow Awakened, and Raagu’s cold gaze confirmed her suspicions.

Someone had informed the human Representative of the feud between the Gernoff and the Ernas, and Raagu made no mystery on which side she stood. On her own side. The one that would give her and her heir a shot at becoming a Fomor.

’Keep your eyes open and stick to the plan.’ Jiza brushed against her dress, inducing rhythmical vibrations in the clothes of the Gernoff scouting party that its members decoded. ’This is a trap. They are expecting us.

’They don’t know who or where you are, but they know you are here. Take no unnecessary risk. Study the arrays, record the layout of the Mansion, and collect all information available.

’They’ve set the board, and we’re playing by their rules, but that doesn’t mean we can’t win. Today, tomorrow, or one year in the future makes no difference. The only thing that matters is that when we strike, our target will die and no one will know how.’

***

Unbeknownst to Lith and Solus, a few of their guests weren’t who they claimed to be. Fooling the Awakened was impossible, so the Gernoff had replaced the nobles from the Kingdom.

Jiza had chosen among the members of her family those whose physiques resembled the originals. Body Sculpting made the Gernoffs identical to the nobles they impersonated, the Darwen in their suit smothered their aura to the right mana core level, and even the weight was the same.

Jiza had played that game long enough to know that extra mass could be detected by a mage paranoid enough, and she treated Jirni and Lith like equals.

Also, since they had never met those nobles and neither had the members of the Awakened Council, there was no way to notice that their energy signatures were off.

Of course, being Quylla the one who had sent the invitations, she might have checked her guests beforehand and memorized their energy signatures.

That was the reason the Gernoff impersonated their dates. People whom Jiza had induced the nobles to bring to the wedding to pursue a sudden financial or romantic interest.

The plus one on the invite was the variable not even Jirni could control. The weeds of chaos that Jiza had scattered across the otherwise perfect field that she was sure Jirni had prepared.

The members of the scouting team played their roles to perfection while using their breathing techniques to study the magical formations coursing through the ground and their eyes to draw a mental map of the Mansion.

It was unlikely they would take Jirni’s life that night, but they didn’t care.

Next, there would be Lith’s birthday, Elysia’s birthday, and Raldarak’s birth gala. With each event, the Gernoff would learn more about the Mansion’s defenses until nothing would stop their knife from reaching Jirni’s heart.

***

After all the guests were allowed inside the Mansion, Friya gave them one hour to make introductions and chat before the ceremony started.

Elysia, Valeron, and all the other toddlers were kept inside the Doomslayer crib, which was placed in a room lined up with the altar. From there, the interested babies could spectate at the ceremony while the others slept, played, or made baby noises.

Shargein kept the key for the crib, making security airtight. To get to Dripha one had to best the Wyrmling, and giving him so much as a scratch was the best way to set one’s own funeral.

No cunning plan or explanation would stay the hand of the Guardians were their child be hurt in any way.

”Ba!” Elysia grunted.

With only a few months to her birthday, she considered herself old enough to sit with the grown-ups. Elysia considered being stuck with free-farting toddlers beyond insulting.

”No fai! Me goo!” She pointed at the transparent wall from which she could watch the wedding unfold.

”I’m good too.” Valeron sighed. ”Yet I’m still here.”

”Quit complaining.” Manohar the Second said while pointing at the twins. ”This company is much more interesting than a bunch of stuck-up, funnily dressed adults.”

He was a bit younger than Valeron, but Marth’s son could already hold a conversation like a six years old. It stunned his parents and scared everyone else witless.