'That went better than expected... it looked for a second there like we were going to have to eliminate all the soldiers on the walls... It's a good thing that our useless woman became so useful.', Trevor thought as he walked through the encampment of soldiers.
'Well... I would have been able to bluff my way through even if she didn't pull us through, however I am certainly impressed, and here interference has saved me both time and effort. I should give her a little more credit.'
Ashley was trying to hide herself behind Garett in order to avoid the stares of the soldiers around them while fidgeting with her hands. Garett simply stared forward, pretending not to notice despite the fact that all eyes were on them.
It was odd for a group of elves to so suddenly come from beyond the walls, and while the guards wore helmets which covered their faces, they could not help but stop what they were doing and whisper behind the backs of the elves- speculating about why they had come from the monster realm.
Trevor could hear every word that was whispered, and feel every movement made by each person. As a result of his maximized perception skill, he was even able to smell the different hormones excreted from the body which were an indicator of ones mood and emotional state. While he was not all knowing in a literal sense, his [All knowing] trait allowed him to gain all sorts of information through analysis and logical consideration.
The people around them were simply suspicious. They were cautious enough to not take aggressive action, however not friendly enough to welcome the antiheroes or make the first move.
'This could be an issue... while standing out is not bad in of itself, it would be better if suspicions around us were minimized... particularly if it is due to these elven forms... it seems that elves are certainly not readily trusted here... combine that with the fact that we all arrived from the middle of nowhere out of the blue, and of course you get suspicion. However, this scenario is at least better than not being allowed in at all, or being subject to identity checks...'
Samantha seemed to be holding her breath.
Trevor- who could hear the suspicious and judgmental whispering of the people around them from afar, could only imagine the mental onslaught that she was going through right now.
Trevor had no concern about his reputation- reputation was nothing more than a tool for business and negotiation. If he benefited from a bad reputation, he was more than willing to become a villain in the public eye.
Samantha however, was a person who lived off public acceptance and approval, and he understood that she had to go through a lot of mental anguish in order to get to the point she was at.
She had come a long way, and he was proud of her. She was at one point so obsessed with having everyone look at her in awe, and while she still exhibited those quirks, she was willing to compromise on them and perform much more logical decisions than before. She was willing to take the hit to her reputation now if it meant that more people would bow down before her later.
Still- the ability to read minds was a fearful one, both to have it, and for someone else to have it.
Were the people around them impressed? In awe? Struck by fear?
No.
This was not the same as when they put fear and terror into the hearts of the goblins.
This was different from when they shut the lizardmen and birdmen down in a rage of anger after they had injured Helen.
This was different from when they showed absolute dominance and strength when Ashley had choked Helen and Rithargus, causing the slimes to bow before them in submission.
These people were- in their own minds- equals, or perhaps superior to the four elves that walked in their midst.
He would have to check up on Samantha later to see if her mental health was doing alright.
Was there any way to shut off the mind reading, or would she be stuck like that forever- always hearing the voices of others that should be hidden from sight.
The more Trevor thought about it, the more he thought it was a curse, not a blessing.
It was useful, yes. Without a doubt. Trevor fully intended to have Samantha use this ability to the maximum extent to gain information which would otherwise be unattainable, even through negotiation, intimidation, or flattery.
However, there is also a great downside to being able to hear the minds of others. If one were to hear what others really thought of them, all the time...
They would go nuts.
People hide things from the surface for a reason.
Samantha was now treading through the unconsciousness of others, witnessing that which no normal person would have to witness. Her mind was likely being bombarded by insults, suspicions, and all sorts of things which people were not willing to say to the faces of others.
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'Heh heh... why am I getting so worked up over her... ah well. Perhaps if we find a restaurant we can go out to dinner... maybe we could get some pastries or something... I wonder if she likes sweets? Now that I think about it, has our sense of taste changed since taking on these new forms? Our diet has certainly become different ever since coming to this new world, and so even if our taste buds didn't change then our diet and what we consider to be normal certainly has. Maybe we should find a bakery or something and try out the food...'
Trevor felt into his pocket.
Two silvers.
This was all the money he had been able to acquire, both from the members of the Dictatorship who had gone exploring, and from the small amount of trading they had been successful in.
It was not much. To be honest, Trevor felt somewhat ashamed as a businessman to have only been able to rake in this much cash after being here so long, however he had focused all of his efforts on the dictatorship. As a result, they were completely self sufficient, and had no need for trade with other nations, however that didn't mean that it wasn't profitable. Trevor would have to search for more opportunities in the future.
Perhaps he should not have scared off the lizardmen and the birdmen like they did.
No.
No.
That was wrong.
Trevor did not regret a single thing that he or his comrades had done to the people of the birdmen and lizardmen tribes.
Not only were their actions long term investments for when they eventually took over those villages, but more importantly...
Those two had harmed his family.
His new family- built on the foundations of slave and master with him and his comrades at the top.
He was the CEO, and he had the responsibility of taking care of his workers. There was no room for error or sympathy for other companies and their workers in the world of business. That was simply the way it was.
Trevor looked up as he was walking, ready to get to work and do everything he could for his family, whether that be kill a single man, or destroy an entire country.
-----
'What are those elves doing here'
'Those sneaky little shits... where do they think they're getting off invading our country like this?'
'Are they mercenaries here to fight and climb the rankings?'
'They had better not make things more difficult for me...'
'How can we trust anyone who came from the monster realm? What was Morias thinking?'
'If they cause trouble we should just arrest them here and now... slip up... I dare you... we'll be on you quicker than a cat on a mouse...'
Samantha was bombarded with the unwelcoming thoughts of soldiers around her.
She did her best to keep a straight face, and tried to gather as much information as she could. Trevor would not be pleased if she were to become too emotional. She was used to this at least, from her previous experiences. She despised not being looked at with love, however... after hearing the thoughts of these men, she somehow didn't want them to look at her with awe anymore. Rather, she simply viewed these annoying thoughts as the buzzing of flies- annoying, yet not worth mentioning.
'Information is the most important reason why we have come here. Nobody is willing to give information for free, but with you as our ally, just walking around the streets is the same thing as walking into a free buffet of information.', Trevor had said earlier.
It was her job to bear with the harsh comments people were making towards her and her comrades, and rather focus on the more important things.
The first thing she noticed was that most people seemed to think they were a mercenary group.
This of course meant that the country they were in hired mercenaries. Whether this was a regular occurrence was unknown, however it was not implausible if so many people were thinking the same thing.
At the very least, not a single person seemed to think that their outfits were weird.
That was a good side of being able to read peoples minds. You would always know if they were criticizing you or your outfit. If you had something on your face, you would know without them having to tell you, and if they were praising you in their minds, you would be able to know.
When she was in the dictatorship, Samantha heard nothing but praise from anyone she passed- for both her and her comrades. It was amazing, however she knew that not everyone was like that.
The people of the dictatorship were special.
None of them viewed the antiheroes with hatred or plotted against them. It would have been unthinkable. The antiheroes were so powerful in the minds of their subjects that even if they wanted to plot against them that they would not do so. However, after hearing their thoughts, Samantha was only taken aback at how undeniably loyal every single member of the dictatorship had truly become after such a short time.
Arlo had become chivalrous, and his thoughts were that of a well trained knight. He loved his king, his country, and his people, and was willing to give his very life fighting for them. It was somewhat touching to hear his thoughts, even though they might be a bit... naive and different from the reality of the rule of the antiheroes.
Coran and Oraguth in particular had such great respect for each and every one of the antiheroes that it was astounding. Samantha didn't even understand how it was possible for someone to respect and love her and her comrades as much as these two did.... they were almost fanatic.
Perhaps they were fanatics. If someone were to speak ill of her, she could certainly imagine them immediately at the throats of said person.
Berith...
She was a dark and twisted little thing.
Samantha thought that she couldn't really understand her before, however now that she listened into the depths of her mind, she was even more unsure.
She without a doubt had the ultimate level of respect and loyalty to the antiheroes, but her reasons were... very strange indeed.
'How wonderful... these antiheroes... the bloodlust that emerges from them is compelling me to serve at their feet... the horror which awaits the future of this realm... I wish to see it... I wish to see the terror on the faces of those who their excellencies torment... I want to be useful... ah how I would love to be useful for them.... just to make a single item makes me tingle with delight... hehehe...'
Perhaps Samantha wasn't as similar to Berith as she initially thought.
For one reason or another, likely because they were both from earth, Samantha couldn't hear the thoughts of the Determined either.
Samantha then realized that she had been daydreaming too much, and continued listening into the conversations of the men around her for any useful information.
'What will those elves do from here onward? I heard that they were let in by Corporal Morias, but are they really trustworthy? Well, I suppose if it's him then it should be fine... if they cause an issue, everyone will know who's fault it is.'
Samantha almost had to hide her laughter.
'If they cause an issue'
'Don't worry, puny little humans. We're only here to gather information this time around. We're going to keep a low profile and avoid issues for now. Just make sure to sit back and play right into whatever plan Trevor concocts... heh heh heh...'