Chapter 115: Broderskap (4) (Patreon)

“You’ve had more than enough time to explain. This is a trade. Line out the details of your offer on me.” The doors slid open behind Jewls, and two Shashen Servant entered the room, holding two tablets. They placed them on the table and bowed. 

“These are?” I hesitated to touch them. 

“For signatures.” Jewls waved his hands dismissively. “That will come later, though. Line out the details of the trade. Then I’ll decide.”

“I’ve been explaining it already but…” I thought of a way to summarize it in concise terms. “I will fall under your thumb as a double agent. You feed me information that I can give to the Daggers, and I act it out as best I can—which, I must say, is much better than anything anyone else could do. I’ll notify you of everything that the Daggers ask of me, and generally keep in close contact.”

I put my hand to my chin. As much as I’d like to request his assistance in material matters, money and the like, I don’t want to push it. As it stands, he definitely holds the upper hand in this negotiation. He has something over my head—an authority. Regardless of what the it is, I have to agree to an untenable deal. It’s a very bad deal. But it is a deal—a method of contact for someone higher up. 

And Duke Jewls isn’t the highest authority in the Archduchy. 

“I’ll gain their trust, learn their movements for you, and attempt to weed out traitors. When the time comes, and they believe they can wipe out the Archduchy, it’ll be a complete victory, perhaps entirely wiping out the Richt Empire’s Daggers.”

“Naïve. But go on.” Duke Jewls held the tablet in his hand and tapped his fingers against it. 

I chuckled, but did carry on. “Should you ever be dissatisfied with my capabilities, I’d ask that you speak to me about it, and give me a generous grace period to adjust my behavior. If my behavior hasn’t adjusted after the grace period… well, you can make me into one of your freaky ghost servants.”

“You’re basing the condition on my own discretion?” Jewls laughed and pounded the arm of the chair. “What if I decide to just take you for free?”

“Duke Jewls, being a businessman yourself, I’m sure that you are aware of the concept of risk.”

“No, I’ve never taken a risk in my life.” He said dourly. “Of course I know what risk is. It’s a bad game.”

“Risk isn’t that bad,” I defended, questioning whether he was thinking of the boardgame or just using metaphor. “Allow me to line it up like that. The option with no risk would be to immediately reap my soul, grim reaper as you are.” I held up one hand, and then, considering I had no other hand to demonstrate the second option, quickly lowered it. “The other option is to take a risk.” I lowered and shook my head. “To be honest, there’s very little risk for you. Worst case scenario, I botch it and die. You lose the most handsome man in the world. Very tragic, I’m aware, but you’ll live.

“But if I succeed? The war this Archduchy has been wanting for a long, long time will begin. We’ll have a tremendous advantage immediately, and this advantage will persist for a long time thereafter. The cohesion of the Archduchy as a force will increase tremendously. And I’ll finally grow a few inches.”

“Meaning?”

“If I succeed, I want the thing the Archduke offered me all those months ago. The same thing that Kuregar drank to Ascend to Grade F. And I want the Archduke to know this was my plan. That’s all I ask.”

“That’s a heftier price than you realize.” Duke Jewls set the tablet down and tapped his foot on the metal. “The elixir in question… they don’t come cheap. It’s more intended for meritorious combatants, as well, not schemers like you.”

“I am still in the military,” I said with a wag of my finger. “I intend on staying there, too. Besides, all those years ago, I promised the Archduke I’d earn it based on my own merit.” I noticed Duke Jewls hesitating, and so I added, “It’s not as though you’re giving it to me immediately. It’s only if I succeed.”

“You’re banking life and death on your ability? That’s the biggest display of arrogance I’ve seen in my life.” Jewls leaned far back in his chair. 

“I disagree,” I said, waving my hand. “Whenever you decide to fight someone with the intent to kill, you’re banking life and death on your ability. This is just a different type of battle, using my minds and words. You might call it my career path back on my home planet.”

“I really see why my son didn’t like you,” Duke Jewls mused. “Because my son doesn’t like me. It’s really quite sad. They always hate the ones that love them the most.”

Hearing words like ‘love’ from what may as well have been a demon borne of shadows was not pleasant. 

“With such generous terms, I don’t really have any choice but to accept it, yes? You’re offering me a deal where I can back out at any time, with no risk to myself or the Archduchy. You’ve given me such generous terms I don’t particularly have a reason to decline.” Jewls smiled even wider, and pointed at me.  “Pick up your tablet, and imbue it with Primordial Energy.”

I obeyed his instructions, and at once felt a connection between me and the tablet. 

“The contract is set. Well then, Mr. Double Agent. Your first task is to gain that trust you think will come so easily.” Duke Jewls stood from his seat. “I should mention… the Daggers are really, really suspicious of double agents. I’ve tried it many times before. Most of them were much stronger than you. Kranter got them every single time.”

“How’s that?”

“Why, by mentally dominating their minds, of course.” Jewls held his hands wide. “He’s one of the best mental men in the whole empire. I don’t mean he’s a bit crazy—I mean he’s got good chemistry with the brain. He’s very good at reading and writing minds.” He reached across the table and poked my forehead. “He likes to keep them as servants. Oddly enough, he doesn’t do anything sexual with them. He just likes to look at them. It’s a pride thing, I suppose. Nonetheless, I’d advise staying far, far away from him if you want this to work out at all.”

“I see.” My brain was whirling with the new information, but something else was lingering on my mind. “Who’s your son?”

“Come now, use your brain.” Jewls tapped his temple. “I noticed that you were using the Shadowlands the moment that you came in. I said that he doesn’t like you, meaning he knows you.”

“Kuregar?” 

“Ding. Correct.” Jewls leaned against the back of the chair, but didn’t sit again. 

I stared at his face for a long while. “Uhhh... Don’t see the resemblance. He must take after his mother.”

“I can’t remember, honestly. It was oh so very long ago.” Jewls grit his teeth and stared into the distance, thinking about something. “Want a little detail about my son? He tries to avoid being like me in every way but one.” Jewls held up a finger.

“That is…?”

“He likes to do two-person push-ups, you could say.” He twirled his finger about. “Slam the ham. He’s quite a womanizer, just like his old man. He has a lot of kids around the galaxy.”

“Jesus Christ. Usually people’d be disgusted talking about their own son like that. ” I laughed. “I didn’t take him for the type. Must be hard to find someone, being that… large.”

“Tell me about it,” Jewls said bitterly. “That was a pleasant little meeting, Mr. Zajac. For your sake, do well. I would say don’t disappoint me…” Jewls walked towards the door, and it parted for him. He turned around.

“But I win either way. So do whatever you’d like.” He waved. “Have a nice year.”