Chapter 402: My Problem (2)

Perseus POV

I left Leilah and the rest to take care of Rose for now while I went to infiltrate Tehios, I need to get Russo killed somehow, or at least, slowed down, his patriotism and war hunger are very admirable, just that I'm not very receptive to his ideals, considering that he wants me dead.

Heck, I just got a newspaper yesterday, where he said he want me dead. It was something like 'I will cut his head off myself and parade it for the world to see.", since he said my name in such a public manner, that 7-month period was going to mean nothing, and yet, he couldn't even care less.

I had a single goal in mind, to sow discord and doubt among the council members who were orchestrating this war. My illusions can make me take on the appearance of one of their trusted advisors, an aide to one of the council members.

But before that, I need to locate and neutralize the real aide. I roamed the streets of the unfamiliar city, cloaked in illusions that allowed me to blend seamlessly into the crowd. Hours turned into a seemingly endless search as I discreetly questioned locals and eavesdropped on conversations in taverns.

This aide, in particular, has the easiest identity to imitate and steal, he's mysterious and always on the move, he's like a mix of an accountant, secretary, and a spy. no one knows his true self, and even if I kill him, it'll take a while to find him.

Then, in a corner of a tavern, amidst the crowd, was a familiar face. The real aide, oblivious to my presence, sat with a drink, lost in thought in his book. Without missing a beat, I moved towards him, The aide glanced up briefly, a moment of uncertainty flickering across his face, but I maintained my illusion and continued to approach.

I'm not scared, no one in this world can see through my illusion. I got in a seat and ordered a drink and some dinner. After a while, he left, but I didn't follow him just yet. After a while, I could see him looking at me through a window, he was suspicious of me, and he probably noticed my glances.

And even when I can no longer see him, I can still feel his presence nearby. I stayed in the caverns for hours and even got myself some dessert. I got out after a while, and he followed me. I then went into an alleyway and pretended to take a leak.

And the moment he came close, I sank into the shadows and appeared right behind him. I then dealt a powerful blow to his head, he was out cold, I think I caused some internal bleeding as well, but I fed him some herbs so that he wouldn't die, it'll take only a day till the meeting is finished, I placed him in a somewhat obvious place.

It'll take a bit over a day for his identity to be known and given to the council, and right then, there will be chaos, they'll try to find who gave out their schedule and the identity of the spy...and with the chaos, I'll sow in later...

*****

It went smoothly, I easily infiltrated the meeting and even managed to put some laxatives in the snacks and drinks.

Sitting amidst the council, I observed the room, carefully to maintain my façade as a trusted advisor. The council members started well at first, smooth and calm, but it was just the calm before the storm as it became heated later.

As they continued to argue passionately, I knew that the impending debate on the war was my moment to strike. As the conversation shifted towards the topic of war, Russo, the continent's de facto leader, leaned forward, and gave out all his takes.

"Russo," I began, my voice carrying a tone of concern and doubt. "Are we certain that war is the only solution to safeguard our interests?"

A hushed murmuring swept through the council chamber, and the members turned their attention toward me, their expressions reflecting a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. I had their undivided attention.

I knew it, no one has ever said their criticism to Russo's face, made sense, he got the heroes backing him up. Russo's eyes locked with mine, a hint of annoyance crossing his face, but I pressed on.

"War not only poses a grave risk to our people, but it also makes enemies where we could have allies. Our actions have consequences, and we may be underestimating the cost of this conflict."

"This isn't a simple conflict." he retorted, "We are doing this for peace, we can't stay neutral any longer."

"What is our ultimate goal here after the war ends? Are we seeking peace or domination? War is a path filled with bloodshed and destruction, shouldn't we be discussing if there's another way to ensure the kingdom's security?"

"Peace," he declared, "Can only be achieved by eliminating the weak."

"Eliminating the weak, Russo?" one of the attending council members questioned, "And who gets to decide who is weak and who is strong? Such a path is fraught with danger and moral ambiguity. Shouldn't we strive for a world where diplomacy and cooperation like before rather than the domination of the strong over the weak?"

"Didn't you agree to the war?" 

"I did." the council member nodded, "But I agreed on the basis of us doing this all for the sake of peace, not for eliminating the weak."

"The demons are weak," Russo shrugged, "They relied on the existence of the demon lord for way too long, a being who we worship almost like our goddess, that cannot happen, we are too weak to receive a god's blessing, so we turned to an unnatural artificial freak who got jealous because his buddy married his daughter? Weak.

"The demons will need to learn that this war...the demon lord is weak and was never needed, as long as we can pray to the goddess...as long as the heroes win, we can receive a wonderful world again."

A lot of inconsistencies within what he said just now, but I'm gonna keep quiet, cuz everyone just started to shout at each other.