LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 53: This is Nothing Like Wagner!
Esstrey can already tell this is one big farce cleverly disguised as something special.
When she accepted the invitation, she was not long after picked up by a spatial mage. The young master Jake was very excited about the idea that one of his direct staff members was involved in the PMC meeting, but his enthusiasm abated when being reminded that Esstrey was that specific staff member. Esstrey made sure to check with the duchess on whether her people had a concept of OPSEC, but she clarified that the invitation was most likely addressed to 'the witch of the swamp'. A position that Esstrey absorbed rather effectively.
Arriving at the... meeting, Esstrey found it was just another place of decadence hidden beneath the veneer of magic. It was effectively a noble gala, but all the participants were women that wouldn't be found out of place in fairytales. Goat-like mages, oriental kitsune, giantesses that looked about as uncomfortable in massive frilly dresses as Esstrey feels about this entire affair. At least Esstrey wasn't alone in her thoughts, as it was rather easy to identify outcasts that were here mainly here for purely selfish reasons. Reasons Esstrey can get behind, and the kind she expected from a society boasting powerful figures. Come on, defenders of peace? Ridiculous, such organizations always corrupt with time, and this one was no different. However, instead of corrupting towards the path of the paranormal division, the PMC seems to have become... tea-sipping nobles.
Esstrey looks around, trying to find somewhere a belligerent militant like her could at least somewhat blend in, and she finds it in the form of a small circle of attendees that look bored out of their minds as a woman that has some plants for clothes is holding up an organic shingle. A [Dryad] if that old book the sergeant told her about was correct. The people she's ranting to appear to be a [Naga], a [Sheep-kin] with robes who is thoroughly engrossed in her book, and one of those oriental [Kitsune]. The naga is very red, with a temper to match it, the sheep-kin looks like a bored wizard with paler skin than a vampire, and the kitsune looks she wants to be anywhere but there.
"Hey girls, don't mind me, I'm just here to hide." Esstrey squeezes into a natural position between them, with the naga here she should be relatively unnoticed due to similiar size and build.
"Same" The kitsune replies, while slumping against a pillar, she looks like shit.
"Well howdy stranger! Do you wanna hear about the fascinating world of magical engineering?" The overenthusiastic dryad instantly latches on to a new conversation partner, eager to pitch her ideas to anyone she can get her vines on.
"Uh... sure?" Esstrey answers hesitantly, and regrets it immediately as the others all gesture back and forth across their necks with their hands.
"Great! Did you know that them shrooms handle communications with trees? Well I here found a way to-" Esstrey tunes out the babbling bio-technician rather quickly, as something within the dryad gets noticed by Esstrey. While the massive mermaid has no trouble discerning blood of creatures around her, like those ninja-guards hiding in the rafters above, the dryad's blood signature is... weaker? Esstrey begins grabbing and inspecting the dryad, who doesn't seem to mind as she keeps on yapping about fungal telecommunication and solar power.
"You seem like a creature that understands the importance of communication in war, do ya think deployin ma' fancy shrooms in war would be good?" The dryad looks at Esstrey's weapons as she mentions it, her accent and demeanor reminding Esstrey of that american state of glorified weapon dealers in the south.
"Radio is a powerful weapon, but if you have a central hub for communication it will become a major target for the enemy, failing to protect it properly would do more harm than good." Esstrey looks closer at the dryad's arm, and finds that her blood is... thicker and slower, is it treesap? If the dryad is fueled by treesap that makes an odd sort of sense... but why can Esstrey sense it even if only slightly?
"I said that it's not appropriate to brandish weapons at such an esteemed event, not to mention discussing such vile topics like tools of war!" Esstrey's thoughts are interrupted by the voice of someone behind her, she turns around and sees someone dressed like a noblewoman with an entourage to match, the people around her have gone silent, even the dryad stopped talking for a moment. Esstrey gives the woman one proper once over; human, no significant deviations, no enchanted gear, no martial training, a squad of rafter-ninja's shadowing her movements above. Not a threat.
As Esstrey turns back to inspect the dryad, she clearly let her body language show a bit too much, as she senses the noblewoman put a hand in front of her mouth as if greatly offended by Esstrey wordlessly dismissing her relevance. Whispers are already spreading nearby, and if Esstrey has learned anything about court politics, it's that there's about to be a problem.
"Do you not know who I am cur? I am emissary of the kingdom of Rila, Marquess Slygia Farmeen! I could make life rather difficult for a barbarian like you." The noblewoman is clearly enjoying enacting a powerplay against the mermaid, who has gone from looking uncaring to scowling in disgust.
Esstrey grabs the noblewoman by the face, and lifts her up as she lets out a yelp. The people walking by her side back up in fear, while dozens of needles are already embedding themselves in Esstrey's joints and tail. The shady guards of the woman try desperately to save their charge from her predicament, but Esstrey completely ignores them.
"I thought this place was one where actually powerful people met, yet the one everybody fears here is some bitch hiding behind the authority of a nation? It's rather sad, I hope not all coalitions are doomed to rot like this." Esstrey looks around the crowd to see if anyone relevant is preparing to stop her, but she had already ascertained that the weapons of the guards were too shallow to pierce her skull. No others move to actually stop Esstrey, it seemed that the little power-drunk tyrant wasn't exceptionally loved.
"Y-you should be paralyzed!" One of the attendants manages to speak up against Esstrey despite all the odds.
"Oh? These needles are poisoned? I'm sorry, I didn't know." Of course, you would have more luck asking nicely to poison a blood mage.
Thoroughly disappointed with the PMC, Esstrey flings the arrogant noblewoman away, she gets saved from a bad landing by some guards, who have ceased attacking Esstrey while she moves to leave.
Esstrey moves toward one of the spatial mages, who gets the point and opens a path back to Malencia for Esstrey. She may not be great at making friends with everyone, but Esstrey doesn't need friends in the PMC, not when she could have enemies like these.
