Beesekai [A Monster Reincarnation Isekai]

Mr. Foot - Yafoot - was a simple fellow. He was strong, so he used that strength. Others felt intimidated by him, so when the right people noticed, they asked him to help them by doing exactly that. As time went on, he found that some people wouldn’t be intimidated, no matter what he tried.

 

So, as a simple man, he figured out a simple way to make these people cower: become stronger. Eventually, if you were strong enough, even strong people would be afraid. His whole life he lived this creed, scaring people into submission, then becoming stronger when people refused to feel fear.

 

What was he meant to do when strength meant nothing?

 

“Actually, I think that someone with a high enough Mind Degree could have some sort of natural resistance to my Link. So far, everything I’ve Linked has been less than 6th Degree. Actually, I don’t think I’ve seen anything 6th Degree or higher. Maybe the Vulch? You’re 5th degree and so is Toh, while Yelah’s team are all 4th. Though, those four feel like they’re on the cusp of 5th…”

 

Mr. Foot was standing at the entrance to Harven’s building, struggling with all of his might to move. To scream for Harven to hunker down and be on high alert. But his strength, that simple fact which had carried him throughout his life, was inconsequential.

 

He smiled.

 

“Ah, Yafoot. Finally. Come in, Yelah. We have much to discuss.” Harven was there, crooked as ever, staring at the pair who had frozen in the doorway.

 

“Ah, shit. Stall him, Mr. Foot, we need to wait for Toh!” I said, giving my first command to the goon. Hm. Calling him a goon didn’t feel right when he followed my orders. I wasn’t some sort of gangster, right? Right?!

 

“Eh…”

 

“Mr. Harven, sir, please give us a mom-“ Mr. Foot began to move before suddenly flying to the side, crashing into the wall. Harven’s cane hovered where Mr. Foot once stood, moved by the old man with shocking speed.

 

“I don’t pay you enough to talk back. Dust yourself off and meet us in my office.”

 

While Yelah was staring at the groaning form of Mr. Foot, Harven had already arrived at the doorway, grabbed Yelah’s arm and dragged her inside with the strength of someone multiple times his size. This old man was ruining everything! Toh was still en route, but surely he was going to arrive any second.

 

I took a deep breath. It wasn’t the end of the world. If Toh could arrive with extra Linkers, the danger would be minimized, but Yelah still had two in her possession. All we had to do was wait for an opportunity and Harven would be ours. I’d be glad to have this old fuck under my control. He wouldn’t be complicating our plans any longer.

 

“Or we could wait for another opportunity. It is risky, and rushing to claim Harven here may end up being worse rather than better.”

 

Completely true, but we might never get a chance this good again. And with Yelah’s current unpredictable outbursts… well, if I can’t control her here, the entire Operation could fall apart.

 

“Now,” Harven closed the door to his private office with his Mind and sat at a simple, wooden desk, “we have much to discuss, young Yelah.”

 

I needed a breather; too much shit had been happening all at once. Let’s think of something else while Yelah exchanges pleasantries. I’ll know when she’s going out of control.

 

Ya know, I hadn’t seen many people open or close doors with their Minds like Harven just did. I know if I had psychic powers, I’d be using them all over the damn place. In my old life, I already used mental power to open some doors. It didn’t work on every door, but some worked!

 

“Hm? Those doors didn’t open with your Mind, they were auto-“

 

Enough of these distractions! Yelah’s emotions look like they’re acting up!

 

“Oh, hush. You started this irrelevancy. Gather yourself. Focus. Until Harven is captured, we are in a precarious situation, as you said. It is still possible that an opportunity will not present itself in this meeting.”

 

I can’t deny that. But with two Linkers, and Harven alone with Yelah in his office, it’s just too good to pass up. It would be best to wait for Mr. Foot to join them; he could cause a distraction, or hold one of the Linkers so we can divide and conquer.

 

“Yelah, I need you to be honest with me. Why are you defying your company?”

 

“Excuse me? I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Yelah said. That white-hot anger bubbled just beneath the surface, threatening to lash out at everything. Her situation, her debts. And this vile man’s actions against her friend Yoho.

 

I tried my best to control her emotions, but this rage had slipped through my fingers twice already, and it wasn’t becoming any easier to grasp. Worse, Yelah had absolutely no desire to suppress the rage. When it consumed her, she was temporarily out of my control. Free.

 

“There is no use in attempting to hide from me. I have spies all over the city, ones far more competent than the scouts you used to avoid my less observant eyes. Though I admit I have begun to doubt their abilities, considering that we still do not know the nature of your allies.”

 

“Even so, I know you and your team are hiding something. And that you are working, at least in part, with Yemonto Co. Who, along with your own Hayrey and Sons’, are currently deep in negotiations with the City Lord.”

 

“Hmph. I have no intention of cooperating with you, asshole.”

 

Good stuff Yelah. Stall for Mr. Foot to recover. Said goon was already on his feet, so it wouldn’t be long now. And just in case, Toh was approaching the building.

 

Harven sighed, standing up and moving to a metal cabinet. Guess he wasn’t as extravagant as the merchants. Inside were bottles of liquor, which Harven scanned for a moment before picking one out and grabbing two glasses. He poured the amber liquid into both glasses and handed one to Yelah, who I made accept.

 

“I won’t apologize for what I did to your friend. The boy is an idiot. I will apologize for my manner of doing business with you. A future as bright as yours is more profitable to nurture. But even so. Tell me of your plans. It may be the deciding factor.”

 

“Deciding factor?”

 

“Of course. The merchants who control the Yiwi Fighters are wealthy and powerful, but cowardly and egotistical. The City Lord is also a coward, but one much more adept at being paranoid. Half a dozen of the more powerful minor mercenary companies have agreed to protect him, and with Hayrey and Yemonto entering the fold, the scales tip heavily in one direction. Mercenaries, compared to the merchants, are bold and powerful - however, they are also rash and flaky. While they could overpower the Yiwi Fighters’ civilian militia in an ordinary situation, this is no ordinary situation.”

 

“The merchants have been working behind the scenes long before the Burning, throwing around money and connections in preparation to undermine the City Lord. On the other hand, the fool’s paranoia only shines in moments of distress, which means that the peace before the Burning only allowed him to hide, burning bridges and refusing to make friends.”

 

“But the Burning changed stuff, right?”

 

“The Burning changed everything. The merchants finally took proper control of the Fighters, employing aces like that young crier’s Ability and leveraging the suffering of the people like never before. Crisis brought the City Lord’s fear to its peak, resulting in him using his caution to rapidly consolidate power rather than cower. So, now the common people of Yiwi are unified under one goal, wielding passion and imported weapons. And mercenaries have either joined them in revolt or followed their noses to the City Lord’s coffers and status. My investments will make me a very powerful man, but only if I employ them properly.”

 

It was finally dawning on me. Harven was playing both sides, and Yelah’s secrecy was making him nervous. If he put too much stock into the City Lord, Yemonto Co., and Hayrey and Sons’, and it turned out that the mercenaries were conspiring to switch sides, he would lose, big time.

 

Mr. Foot knocked at the moment and Harven made the door swing open, slamming it shut as Mr. Foot walked in.

 

“Finally. Yelah, you know Yafoot. He has become my most trusted operative, as you should very well know. It was because of him that I was able to supply the merchants with information and break the City Lord’s solitude.”

 

Mr. Foot?! This guy was able to get in close to the City Lord? Wouldn’t that make him invaluable for us?

 

“You give me too much credit, Mr. Harven. Clearly I still have much to learn,” Mr. Foot said as he rubbed his side.

 

“Perhaps. Though… typically, your guard is much stronger. Are you feeling alright?”

 

The time was coming soon, it had to be. Harven’s guard dropped noticeably when Mr. Foot walked in, but he was still being wary. Just a little more, and this crafty man would be ours. With him under our control, with everything we learned, Harven only skyrocketed on my list of ‘must-haves.’

 

“So then, Harven, you’re playing both sides, aren’t you? You want to know which side to really root for,” Yelah scrambled to distract Harven from his concerns.

 

“Perceptive,” Harven smiled slowly, “Like I said, bright futures should be nurtured. Both for individuals and events. So, tell me what you and Yemonto are planning. Do they intend to betray the City Lord and ally themselves with the Fighters? Is one planning to go through with the Lord’s plea and the other defect? If even one of them join the Fighters, it could be enough for the people to seize victory. Perhaps they both intend to avoid the conflict altogether?”

 

“Alright Mr. Foot,” I said, “time for you to join the discussion. Talk as much as possible to distract Harven. Yelah, send one Linker. That one will approach slowly.”

 

“Mr. Harven, if I may. More mercenaries have joined the City Lord than with the Fighters, and those mercenaries are among the more powerful in the city. Along with the Lord’s private guard, they form a threatening presence. However, the Fighters now have a large company’s support in the Ehra Group, along with sheer numbers advantage with the civilian militia. Ignoring Yemonto Co. and Hayrey, I’d say that the Fighters would win, by a pretty wide margin. With Goloyo currently out of the picture, the only forces that would make a real difference are Yemonto, Hayrey, and our small forces.”

 

The Linker Yelah had sent out slowly crawled on the ground, out of Harven’s sight. His guard still wasn’t low enough, but it was fading. Slowly.

 

“If both Hayrey and Yemonto join the City Lord, he would have the advantage. They’re too large, too powerful, too cold. Jill Yemonto herself could join, which would only make things worse. Even so, that’s if things end up simple. If one joins the City Lord and one joins the Fighters, things get complicated. I’m… not sure who would win then. Maybe the Fighters. Could go either way, depending on which company joins which side. If they both join the Fighters, it would be a bloodbath. The Lord would be deposed in hours.”

 

Harven nodded slowly. The bee had managed to reach his chair and was slowly climbing up. I did my best to control it, making it stealthy.

 

I’m not sure it did much.

 

“All true, Yafoot. As you can see, Yelah, the allegiance of those two companies will decide the results of this conflict, simple as that. I therefore have a vested interest in your secrets, and will ensure that you are rewarded for your cooperation. At great risk, I present my throat to you. You have full advantage in this negotiation, and so I ask you to name your price. Wealth? I could fund your… habits for a great deal of time, no strings attached. You know I keep my promises.”

 

The metallic arm of Yelah’s chair groaned, warping from her grip. Her Mind began to ooze out of her, power rolling from her in waves. It was nothing compared to me, but it was fueled by that boiling rage which gave her freedom.

 

“Harven… you’ve made a mistake,” Yelah growled. “Your sights have been too narrow. Your puppetry has been limited. How many sides do you think are involved?”

 

“Yelah. I command you to shut the hell up.”

 

Harven frowned.

 

“Could it be? The City Lord and the Fighters are the main parties I have accounted for, but I suppose an ambitious woman such as Jill Yemonto could attempt to make a move separately. Of course! That idiot friend of yours, I remember. He is a plant in Hayrey, truly belonging to Yemonto. So it was not a coincidence that you two were friends and went your separate ways? Very clever.”

 

“Try again.” The power rolling off Yelah was starting to go out of control. Harven frowned more deeply, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by Yelah’s rage. If anything, he seemed more comfortable to be directly under pressure. What a weirdo.

 

“…Truly? Then, the King? A new foreign mercenary company who desires a foothold in Yiwi? Another country entirely?” He glanced at Yafoot, who shrugged, opening his mouth to speak. Cut. Her OFF!

 

“Nope. There’s another side in all this. Watch out! Not the bees!”

 

Yelah leaped, throwing her chair straight at Harven who dodged out of the way. I focused my Mind, trying to hold her back as she tried to crush the Linker hidden in her tunic.

 

But I had already realized something was coming.

 

As Yelah’s fist closed, she grabbed nothing. I had already moved her Linker to safety, away from the woman who was becoming less stable by the second. Mr. Foot, meanwhile, had dashed from the entrance and was pretending to fuss over Harven.

 

“I’m fine, fool man! Get her!”

 

“Sorry, sir. Orders.”

 

Without hesitation, Harven’s cane launched from the floor and spun, bashing Mr. Foot on the head, making him stumble. Despite the powerful blow, Mr. Foot stayed conscious and moved to Harven’s side, ready to take action on my command. What a beast!

 

Beeast!

 

As I held Yelah in place, preventing her from moving, I imitated what I had done earlier, pushing the bee that had been waiting on Harven’s chair. The deceptively nimble old man spun, perhaps sensing my Mind’s influence, and used his rapidly spinning cane to block the Linker from approaching.

 

The tiny bee flew.

 

Backwards.

 

The bee slipped into the liquor cabinet, safe from harm. Before Harven could move his cane, Mr. Foot’s hand, the one that had grabbed the last Linker, slapped onto his wrinkly neck. In the same moment, Harven landed a solid punch on Mr. Foot, blasting him backwards, and I could feel Mr. Foot wheeze, ribs shattered. I felt the Linker sting, and Harven went still, marking the moment I seized the Mind of the most devious man in Yiwi.

 

It was over! I had won the battle.

 

And it was nearly time to win the war.