I maintain a firm, neutral expression as I reveal the information to those in the room, and I notice Alyse staring at me, terrified. Meanwhile, Elira and Dargo look a bit confused, probably wondering why I'd give out such specific information. Information that clearly raises questions about my party and my abilities. The reason is, I want everyone to start asking the right questions – the ones that lead to me telling them the truth, organically. Helena is quick on the uptake.
"Mizuki...that's a troubling amount of carnage, especially if those guards were as skilled as I suspect. Leaving aside how casual you're being about their deaths...how did you walk out unscathed? You can't use magic, so what monsters are in your adventuring party? We never even cared to ask last time, but maybe we should have." (Helena)
And there's the first of the two correct questions to ask. Although, I doubt that Nina will like being called a monster. Several of the people in the room look to me nervously, suspiciously, waiting to see what I'll reveal. As I'm preparing to answer Helena, however, a terse voice cuts off my opportunity.
"It's you...isn't it, Great Dragon? You're a member of this adventuring party of Mizuki's. I'm guessing Lady Alto and maybe Lady Zara as well. That's the only way it all makes sense. Queen Elira said that Belmod was killed no more than a week ago, and yet you're already back here. At minimum, you had to have transported Mizuki there. But based on the death toll...you were with him, right?" (Darak)
All of the other nobles snap their heads towards Darak in surprise, and I smile at him appreciatively. I sense a rush of satisfaction from Nina, and I look down in time to see her smiling viciously back at Darak.
"Fufufu...very clever. You are correct! Outside of the Elven Kingdom, I pose as a human adventurer, and serve as a member of Mizuki's party. See, I even have my own guild card! Hahahahah!" (Nina)
I watch in horror as she pulls out her solid gold guild card and flashes it proudly to everyone at the table – this dragon truly has no ability to read a room. I sense disappointment from her when they're not as impressed-looking as she expects. Instead, everyone except Alara and Ilina are staring at her, understandably slack-jawed over her statement. Tessa is the first to semi-recover.
"Great Dragon.....for the life of me....why would you do such a thing? I can understand killing the human emperor, but...why pose as a human...one of these adventurers? Also, why pretend to be Mizuki's subordinate? I can imagine no reason that an Elder Dragon would do such a thing." (Tessa)
Tessa just stares at Nina in open confusion, and Nina smirks back at her.
"Well, for fun, of course? Also, to spend more time with Mizuki. Oh, Mizuki!" (Nina)
Nina turns around to face me with a mischievous smile, and I immediately tense up. Great...what's she going to do now?
"Can we tell them now? You were thinking about doing it soon, right? Will you let me tell them!? Fufufu...I want to see the looks on their faces!" (Nina)
My eyes go wide in shock. Did she literally just do that!? Seriously!? She couldn't have known for sure that I was about to tell them about me! What if she'd messed something up!?
I sigh deeply, and I catch several of the nobles giving me strange looks. Cara, Alyse, Dargo, and Elira in particular look nervous. They aren't clued in to Ilina's plan at all, from what I understand. But they know enough about me to suspect what's going to happen.
I nod in exasperation at Nina.
"Yes, Nina, that's fine. You're correct, I was just thinking that it's about time the nobles know the truth about me anyway. If we're going to do this, though, do you mind?" (Mizuki)
I gesture at the chair Nina is sitting in, which is reserved for the head representative of each group. Nina smiles when she catches on and nods furiously, obviously enjoying the additional dramatic display. She stands from the chair and moves behind it with a smile as I lower myself into it.
As I settle into the chair, I return my attention to the others at the table. Jorah and Tessa look satisfyingly horrified, and Darak and Helena just look confused. Meanwhile, Elira is staring at me in disbelief. As soon as my eyes meet hers, she leans forward with her hands on the table.
"Mizuki!? Are you about to do what I think you're about to do!? Are you sure about this!? Have you really thought this through!?" (Elira)
Everyone turns towards the sound of Elira's shrill voice, then look back at me with nervous expressions. I smile back at everyone and shrug.
"With everything that's happening, I think it's the least I can do. After all, the nobles need to know the truth to do their jobs effectively. Regardless, there's no point in second-guessing anything now, it's too late to turn back. Nina, the floor is all yours." (Mizuki)
Jorah is practically foaming at the mouth at this point, all his earlier calm shattered.
"Human!? What do you think you're doing sitting at this table with us!? And who is this 'Nina' person!? Explain yourself this instant!" (Jorah)
I sense a flood of anticipation from Nina, and I feel her wrap her arms around me from behind and rest her chin on my head. Jorah's face twists like he's experiencing a computing error.
"Fufufu....that would be me, elf. But Nina is the name reserved for those who I respect, so only Mizuki and his friends can call me that. You see, you're all under the impression that I am in charge, and Mizuki is my servant. But in truth, Mizuki is the leader of our group, and I am his wife." (Nina)
As if to cement her point, and further satisfy her penchant for anarchy, Nina runs her fingers along my chest affectionately as she talks. Then, as she calls herself my wife, she leans around and kisses me on the cheek, before turning to stare back at the table of stupefied elves.
I watch as they all stare at us in open disbelief. Elira is watching their reactions nervously, Ilina is giving Nina a disapproving glare, and Cara and Alara have their eyes glued to the other nobles' reactions. Meanwhile, Alyse and Linnea are staring at me in open shock, just like the rest.
After several moments of silence, the nobles begin looking around the room at one another uncertainly, gauging everyone's reactions. After a second, Helena throws her hands up.
"Oh, hell, I'll do it then. Great Dragon, are you screwing with us? Mizuki, is she screwing with us?" (Helena)
Helena looks at me with an uncharacteristically bewildered expression.
"Fufufufu...yes, Lady Helena, Nina is screwing with you. That is, she's intentionally doing something that she knows will elicit a reaction from you that she finds entertaining. However, if you're asking if what she is saying is untrue, then...no. It's all true." (Mizuki)
The nobles faces return to their dumbfounded states, and silence falls over the room once again. Eventually, there's a break in Tessa's expression, and she just shakes her head in exasperation.
"But, Great Dragon.....he's...human.....why?" (Tessa)
Tessa just stares directly at Nina, unable to hide the exasperation on her face. Uhm...rude much? I'm expecting Nina to get agitated, but instead she just slides her arms out from around me and stands up. Then she smiles at Tessa and shakes her head.
"Fufufu...because it pleases me immensely to have him in my life, and as my mate. Why else? As for the other thing....it's true that I am not particularly fond of humans. However, Mizuki is nothing like them. After all, how many humans do you know that can kill Elder Dragons?" (Nina)
After a second or two of processing, that last remark causes a collection of surprised squeals from those in the room that are new to my secret. They all snap their heads towards me. Some of their expressions are full of confusion and skepticism, and a few are even full of fear. However, one is full of indignation, and staring daggers at me.
"Preposterous...all of it! Do you expect us to believe something that absurd human!? Perhaps you wish to pass yourself off this way to undermine or threaten us, but do not think we are foolish enough to fall for it!" (Jorah)
This man really is the dumbest elf I've ever met. I glance over at Tessa, the one that Ilina claims will be our toughest adversary, and I see her watching me with a deeply conflicted expression. I'm a little curious what's going on in her head, but I've got to hurry this along. In fact, now that Nina has had her fun, it's time to just quickly convince them of everything they need to know.
It's critical to reinforce that Nephilim story later on, and Alto's 'you can't copy the trains' story from earlier, by setting my abilities apart from theirs. Seeing is believing, so a demonstration of absurd power is what we need here. I sigh deeply and look towards Elira. She catches my gaze, and I give her a smile. Her eyes widen in anxiety, but it's too late.
I raise my hand into the air, as I pour out magic to fill the room. Several people take notice, including Elira, and they tense up and open their mouths to speak. I even see Jorah's son wrap his hand around the handle of his sword, as he stares at me suspiciously. I'm not waiting for protests, though.
I snap my fingers, then teleport everything, people, tables, chairs, and all, to the reception hall of our mansion. To everyone here, it looks like the borders of the room suddenly morph around them. Naturally, the group erupts into chaos when we arrive at the mansion.
Cries of shock ring out, and a number of chairs are knocked over as people leap from them in surprise. Several of the armed escorts in the room draw their weapons and fix their eyes on me. Helena and Darak are just looking around the room in open disbelief, still seated, while Jorah is several feet away from the table now, staring at me in horror.
Meanwhile, Tessa is standing up in front of her seat, leaning forward with her hands on the table. Her face is sheet-white, and she's staring at me....in wonder, maybe? She is studying me intently, and I do see plenty of fear, but every bit of malice has evaporated. My gaze is torn away from the unexpected reaction as Queen Elira's voice rings out firmly, and I see stress and panic on her face.
My bad, Elira.