My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 155: Demands!

"It really is you then?" Sonja asked tentatively as she tried to make sense of his new visage. 

"Who else would it be?" Kace gave her a condescending glance. He had to try and start this talk off from a position of power. He could not afford to be put on the back foot at all. 

The surrounding vampires were not stupid enough to attempt another assault right now. It was better for the queen to test the waters. So far, Kace had not been aggressive towards them. He had defended himself. How could they blame him for doing something that they would have done themselves if they were suddenly attacked?

Sonja raised her hand to tell the others to stand down, Kace could not help but smile when she made this action. It meant that she had taken a step back in dealing with him. Showing that she was willing to talk and possibly negotiate. Little did she know that she had already provided him with the opening that he needed.

"Is it safe to talk in front of everyone here?" Kace asked while feigning friendliness.

"There is no problem. This is the council chamber after all. Anything we discussed in private would be told to them anyway. You'd simply be saving me from repeating whatever you have to say."

They stared at each other with increasing intensity before Sonja returned to her throne. Giving him the room to say whatever he had risked coming back here for. Sophia, who had been standing in the background, moved to stand beside her mother. Making her alignment clear from the get-go. Kace did not fail to notice how she gingerly rubbed her neck when she walked over.

Clearly, he had left a lasting impression on her the last time. No matter what though, he had to secure her participation in his quest. Although Dao would also be a good choice and was infinitely stronger compared to her. He still felt that Sophia was the less likely of the two to try something against him should the opportunity present itself.

Kace walked casually to the centre of the room. He took his time to look around and memorise as many faces as possible in the crowd. These were the ones responsible for upholding the vampire society. If the need arises, these would be the best people to target to cause his enemy's collapse. He cleared his throat before he began.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have come here today with grave news. Maybe you already know, and I have wasted my time. However, if you do not, then I would like adequate compensation for providing such information."

The room was suddenly buzzing with the many voices as they began to speculate what he could be talking about. Kace's ears failed to pick up any of them mentioning the approaching army, which meant that they likely had no clue. 'Good, this is better for me.'

"First, you will release my companion Grugda from captivity. Second, you will provide Sophia as your ambassador to my group. Third, you will cease all hostilities between us."

The surroundings went quiet the moment they heard the first demand. Many of them wondered what kind of information he thought he had that would be worth the price he was asking for. Although they had their doubts, they would not mind meeting these requests if the information was worth it. The problem was whether or not the queen would find it to be a worthwhile transaction.

All eyes in the room turned to Sonja, she was giving Kace a cold glare as she sat upon her throne. She seemed to be carefully considering his proposal, but she was caught in a tough spot in reality. She could not afford to let Grugda go free while he held vital knowledge about their weakness. At the same time, if he shared the knowledge, then he would still know about it. Which meant he had to be killed eventually.

"I can agree with everything but the first demand. That point is non-negotiable." Sonja replied after careful consideration. Now it would all depend on how Kace reacted to this. Glancing at her daughter, she was secretly proud that she did not even flinch when she agreed to send her along with Kace. 'Clearly, she's tougher than I thought.'

Kace furrowed his brows in confusion. He still had no idea why they had even taken Grugda in the first place. He had originally thought it was because of what happened between Sonja and himself, but now he was not so sure. 'Is it possible that he committed some kind of crime while I was unconscious?'

Kace found this stray thought of his to be unbelievable. This was Grugda they were talking about for god's sake. One thing was for sure, though. Either Shadow would successfully rescue him, or Kace was prepared to do whatever he needed to. Even if it meant becoming a permanent enemy of the vampire race.

Kace was trying to make it look like as if he were considering what she had said. Hopefully, she would think that abandoning Grugda might actually be something he would do. He just had to stall for enough time so that Shadow could get him back into their own hands. Once the terms were accepted, Sonja would have to leave Grugda alone due to the agreement to cease hostilities between them. He was in no way to blame if Sonja failed to consider Grugda being part of the group when the conditions were accepted.

"Hm, I really hoped to have Grugda turned over to me. Are you certain that you won't give him up?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Perhaps you can share the reason?" Kace asked as he narrowed his eyes to glare.

"All you need to know is that he committed a crime considered as treason to the crown."

'Hm, seems far more complicated than I thought.' At this point, a pair of glowing blue eyes appeared in his shadow. Glancing down the figure gave him the gesture to show that their mission had been a success. Kace could help himself from letting out a slight chuckle, confusing the vampires who were present.

"Very well! I accept your terms!"