Twice Reborn Transmigrator

I maintained an indifferent expression as I faced Lord César. However, beneath the surface, my mind raced. How much did Lord César really know? Had he uncovered the truth, or at least some of it? Or did he just suspect us and this was all a massive bluff? I couldn't tell.

By this point, the plan to charm Lord César was a clear failure. However, just like the plan to lure the succubus, perhaps we could turn this into an opportunity. If Lord César wasn't a thrall, of either Lady Isabel or the succubi, then perhaps we could turn him into an ally.

After all, if it got out that the former head of House Sandstrike was consorting with demons, it would destroy the entire House's reputation. It might even lead to the destruction of House Sandstrike itself, depending on how events worked out. However, if he played it right, Lord César might be able to save his House and benefit from the situation. In fact, he could end up becoming the new head of House Sandstrike.

In order to reach that point, I needed to convince Lord César to work with me. So, for now, I decided to play along and wait for the right moment to strike.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, answering Lord César's question. "I already told you who I am."

Lord César let out an unpleasant chuckle.

"I see," he said. "So, you're going to be like that. Well, let's see if you can keep up the pretense." He pulled out a piece of paper. It was the message he received earlier, when we were eating lunch. "Do you know what this is?"

I shook my head.

"This details your movements ever since you arrived in Eastwatch," Lord César said. "However, strangely enough, there's nothing from before yesterday. In fact, there's no record of a Lord Andrew and a Lady Gabrielle entering the city at all. It's as if you and your companions appeared out of thin air, caught my attention, and convinced me to bring you to Sandstrike Castle."

I gave Lord César a strange look. When he said that the piece of paper detailed my movements since my companions and I arrived in Eastwatch, I grew a little worried. However, my worries eased as he continued speaking. He must've misunderstood and thought we targeted him from the beginning. Though, to be fair, it was an understandable assumption considering the situation.

"At first I thought you were thieves looking to steal from my House," Lord César said. "However, your mannerisms are too refined for you to be a simple thief. While it's possible for anyone to learn etiquette, it comes as naturally to you as breathing. This means you've had a thorough education growing up. It was etched into your bones, so to speak. Either you're from a minor noble family, as you claim, or you're a House scion."

At this point, I grew intrigued. Where was Lord César going with this?

"So I thought to myself," Lord César continued. "Why would a young lady, such as yourself, lie and deceive her way into Sandstrike Castle? Was it theft, as I initially suspected? Were you trying to seduce me or another member of my family? Or did you have a more sinister goal in mind?"

Lord César sat down on the couch opposite of ours.

"So," he said, after taking a sip of his drink. "I repeat. Who are you? What are you after? At the moment, I suspect that you're from a rival House looking to either steal from House Sandstrike or sabotage us somehow." He looked me up and down. "I've met all the ladies from the neighboring Houses, but I haven't seen you before. If you're part of a nearby House, you're likely an illegitimate daughter." He flashed me a smile "How am I doing so far?"

I didn't know how to react. On the one hand, Lord César's speculation was so far off that mark that I found it amusing. On the other hand, from his perspective, it all made sense. How was he supposed to know that I was a scion of House Sturm, or Clan Sturm rather, and that his grandmother consumed succubi? It sounded absurd. In this case, the truth was stranger than fiction.

"Unfortunately, Lord César," I said, baring my teeth at him in a smile. "You got most of the details wrong. I will admit that I am not who I said I was. You got that part right, at least. However, everything else was incorrect."

Lord César narrowed his eyes at me.

"If you continue to refuse to admit the truth, I'll resort to more… extreme methods." He gestured to the five thugs standing in front of the office door. "My associates are no strangers to violence. They can, and will, force the truth from you. I suggest you tell me what I want to know while I'm still being polite."

I glanced at the five thugs. The bald one grinned at me. I sighed.

"Lord César," I said. "Do you know why I followed you to this place, even though it was an obvious trap?" I gave him a mirthless smile. "It's because I was confident in escaping with my life, if not outright defeating you. Believe me when I say that I'm not the one in trouble right now."

Of course, things would've been different if Lord César was working with his grandmother, Lady Isabel, or the succubi. However, that was why I asked Anna to follow us while invisible. She was my hidden trump card.

Lord César scoffed.

"You are a bold one, Lady Gabrielle," he said. "Attempting to bluff your way out of this situation. I almost admire you for that."

I snorted.

"Take them down," I said.

My companions sprang into action right away. Leroy charged towards the five thugs with the momentum of an avalanche. Meanwhile, the temperature in Lord César's office plummeted as Cally used her Ice magic. The sudden attack caught the five thugs off guard, allowing my companions to gain the upper hand.

As for me, I used [Lightning Dash] to rush towards Lord César. To his credit, he reacted right away. A cloud of sand exploded out of him, creating a small sandstorm. It both obscured and protected him. The sandstorm spun around Lord César at a rapid speed, making it difficult to approach him. If I tried, it would scour me and leave my skin a bloody mess.

As far as defensive spells went, it was quite powerful. If Lord César were a Third Circle wizard, I would've had difficulty dealing with him on my own. Unfortunately for him, foes at the same level weren't a threat to me.

I used [Freezing Mist] and breathed out a freezing cold, thick white mist. It enveloped Lord César's sandstorm and mingled with it. Unless he dispersed it somehow, my [Freezing Mist] would continue to sap his strength. If he stayed in it long enough, he would even fall unconscious.

Lord César must've realized this, because he retaliated right away. A claw made of sand emerged from the sandstorm and rushed towards me. Unlike most Earth magic, the claw moved fast. I used [Lightning Dash] to avoid it.

Thanks to the effects of [Freeing Mist], which was a variation of [Concealing Mist], Lord César lost track of me. He lashed out at my former location. When he realized I wasn't there any more, he attacked the area around him. However, I made sure to stay out of his range.

In the meantime, I glanced at my friends. Despite facing five foes a full rank above them, they were doing alright. Leroy somehow managed to get his hands on his greatsword again, while Cally was hindering the five thugs with her Ice magic. I didn't see the need to intervene, so I focused on Lord César once more.

At this point, he must've realized that lashing out served no purpose, so he stopped.

"Lord César," I called out. "If you can hear me, why don't we put a stop to the violence and call a truce? We're not here to fight you. Believe it or not, we're not your enemies. So, why don't we talk instead?"

Lord César didn't respond.

"If you're waiting for your associates to rescue you, then you're waiting in vain," I said. "Right now, my two companions are holding them off. And that's without my intervention. Let's end this before someone suffers an injury, or even dies."

"Arturo?" Lord César called out.

"She's speaking the truth, Lord César," the bald thug, Arturo, said in a strained voice.

A few moments passed before Lord César spoke up again.

"Fine!" he spat out. "Call your people off and I'll call off mine."

I dispersed my [Freezing Mist], before I gestured for Leroy and Cally to stop. They broke away from the five thugs and joined me. I gave them a quick once over each. While they managed to hold off Lord César's thugs, it was clear that it had taken a toll. Both of them looked a little worn. However, to my relief, neither looked injured.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

As for the five thugs, they looked worse for wear. Four of them glared at my companions and I with anger and resentment in their eyes. Arturo, on the other hand, focused his attention on Lord César.

"My lord, are you alright?"

The sandstorm faded away, revealing Lord César's form. He stood up and faced me.

"I'm a little cold, but otherwise I'm fine," he said, glaring at me.

I just grinned at him in return.

"You wanted to talk," Lord César said. "So go on. Talk. Tell me what you want."

"Simple," I said. "Let us work together."

Lord César stared at me in disbelief.

"Work together?" he said with a scoff. "You want us to work together after attacking me? You must be insane, or you think I am."

I shrugged.

"Perhaps, but my offer is genuine."

Lord César gave me a baffled look.

"If you wanted to work together, then why did you attack me in the first place?" he asked.

I hardened my expression.

"To prove a point," I said. "When negotiating, one must do so from a position of strength." I nodded towards Lord César. "Earlier, if I had tried to talk with you, my companions and I would've been at a disadvantage. Now, things are more even between us."

I walked over to the couch opposite of Lord César's and sat down. He watched me the entire time, never taking his eyes off me.

"Well?" I said, gesturing to Lord César. "Aren't you going to sit down?"

"You arrogant little-" Arturo started to say, but Lord César cut him off with a sharp gesture.

Arturo looked at his lord, who shook his head. Arturo looked frustrated by this, but kept his mouth shut. Instead, he settled on giving me a venomous glare.

"My question still stands," Lord César said, sitting down. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Well," I said, switching my normal voice. "I should begin by speaking like this." I rubbed my throat. "Speaking like that was starting to hurt."

Cally snorted. I resisted the urge to glance at her. Instead, I focused on Lord César, who stared at me in shock. He wasn't the only one. His five thugs also stared at me, their jaws hanging open.

"You're… You're a man?!" Lord César asked, standing up.

"Yes," I said.

"But-But why?" Lord César sputtered, gesturing to me.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"To disguise myself," I said.

Lord César, in a bit of a daze, looked at the floor.

"So, this entire time I've been-"

"Correct," I interjected.

Lord César didn't respond right away.

"I need some time to think this through," he muttered.

"Well, you can do that later," I said. "We're in the middle of a meeting."

Lord César snapped out of his daze and glared at me.

"I don't want to hear that from you," he said. "You're the one who caused all this in the first place."

I shrugged, before I grinned at him.

"Well, not quite," I said. "You're the one who approached me first." Lord César opened his mouth, but I raised a hand to forestall him. "Before you say anything, no, I wasn't trying to lure you that day. I was after someone else."

Lord César frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I sighed.

"You asked who we are and what we want," I said. "It's simple. We came here to investigate the disappearances going on in Eastwatch." I gave him a wry smile. "I'm sure you know what I mean. If not, I'll be disappointed in you."

Lord César clenched his jaw. From my peripheral vision, I noticed that Arturo gave the same reaction as well. Interesting.

"I do," he said.

I studied him for a moment. I saw anger, frustration, and helplessness in his eyes.

"Let me guess," I said in a quiet voice. "You wanted to look into the disappearances, but your father told you to ignore them and let him handle it?"

Lord César blinked at me in surprise.

"How did you know that?" he asked.

"That's because I know the cause behind the disappearances," I said. "When we came to Eastwatch, we learned that House Sandstrike was trying to cover up the disappearances instead of investigating them. We found that suspicious, so when you invited me to Sandstrike Castle, I took the opportunity to snoop around."

Lord César narrowed his eyes at me.

"So you did spy on my family," he accused.

"Only a little," I said. "And it's a good thing I did too. I found the rot within House Sandstrike early. Any later, and it might've been too late. Now we can do something about it."

Lord César studied me for several moments.

"You're saying that my family is behind the disappearances?" he asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.

"Not your entire family," I said. "Just one member." I paused. "You know which one. At least, you must've had your suspicions. Your father's odd behavior, claiming an entire spire for herself, those odd retainers that act more like constructs than living people."

Lord César looked away.

"You're talking about my grandmother," he said a few moments later.

"Lady Isabel, yes," I said. "She's the one causing the disappearances. Well, her and the succubi infesting Eastwatch."

Lord César's head snapped towards me.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"There are succubi in Eastwatch," I said. "I believe they're here because they have some sort of grudge with Lady Isabel."

Lord César blinked at me.

"Explain everything to me in detail," he said.

"It's simple," I said. "From what we gathered, during her exile, Lady Isabel came into contact with a group of demon worshipers. I don't know how or why, but I do know that she killed them all. Afterwards, she took their belongings for her own, including their knowledge."

"Careful," Lord César said. "You're treading on dangerous ground. It almost sounds like you're accusing my grandmother of being a demon summoner."

"That's because I am," I said bluntly. "However, unlike most demon summoners, she found a way to take the demons' power for her own, including a succubus'. That's what led to the current situation. She returned to Castle Sandstrike, got her hooks into your father, and started gathering a small army of thralls under her command."

Lord César, unable to remain sitting, stood up and started pacing around the office.

"You don't have proof of this, do you?" he asked. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be here talking with me."

I shook my head.

"I don't, no," I said. "However, I do have connections with the Church of the Sun. If I asked them for help, they'll investigate your House for demonic taint and they'll be thorough about it." I paused. "The problem is, if I did that, it would spell the end of House Sandstrike. Lady Isabel's actions have tainted your entire House. No one would believe that the rest of you are innocent. Either the Church of the Sun would destroy your family, or your family's enemies would. Regardless, House Sandstrike would not survive."

Lord César stopped pacing and gave me a cold look.

"No one would find out if I silenced you," he said.

I barked out a laugh.

"You wouldn't succeed," I said. "Even if you did, the truth would still get out. Remember, there are four of us, not three." I paused. "Assuming you silenced me and my companions, against all odds I might add, House Sandstrike would still be destroyed. Lady Isabel is an infection rotting your House from the inside out. Your best chance at saving your family is by dealing with her before it's too late."

Lord César closed his eyes and his shoulders slumped. After a moment, he took a deep breath and straightened up.

"I can't take your word for this," Lord César said. "You've deceived me before, and you might be deceiving me now." He shook his head. "Besides, it all sounds so… fantastical."

"You can try and verify this on your own." I frowned. "However, be careful. If Lady Isabel finds out that you're investigating her, she might use her demonic powers on you. After what happened between her and your father, I don't think she holds family in high regard."

"What about the succubi?" Lord César asked. "You mentioned that there are some of them in the city."

I nodded.

"At least five," I said. "Likely more. Some of them have set up food stalls around the city and are selling cursed skewers. They're adept at concealing themselves, which is why Lady Isabel hasn't gotten rid of them yet." I gestured to Cally. "My companion here can give you the method to see through their concealment."

Cally shot me a frown, before looking at Lord César and nodding.

"Good," Lord César said. "I don't trust you." He paused. "However, if there are succubi in the city and I find them, I'll give your words more weight. Then, and only then, will I consider working with you."

I shrugged.

"That's fine by me," I said. "Do you have any other questions? Otherwise, I think it's time for me and my companions to leave."

I stood up.

"You still haven't told me who you are," Lord César said, glaring at me. "Unless your name is actually Gabrielle and your family forced you to live as a woman this entire time."

I let out an amused snort.

"My name is…" I paused, before I decided to take a risk. In order to gain Lord César's trust, I needed to show some sincerity in return. "…Gabriel Sturm."

With that, I removed my disguise ring and revealed my true appearance. Lord César sucked in a breath and stared at me in shock. Meanwhile, from the corner of my eye, I saw Cally give me a sharp look and Leroy frown at me.

"You're a Sturm?" Lord César asked. "Wait. Gabriel Sturm. I've heard that name." Lord César mulled it over for a moment. "You're the embarrassment of House Sturm!"

I gave him a mysterious smile.

"So we like people to think," I said. "It's easier to move around when high society doesn't pay attention to my every move."

This was complete bullshit. However, if Lord César believed that my reputation was a smokescreen to disguise my actions, he might be more willing to work with us.

"Think over my proposal," I said, putting my disguise ring back on. "This may be your only chance to save your family. Not to mention, you may be able to personally benefit from this situation, if you play your cards right."

I could almost see the gears turning in Lord César's head as he considered my words.

"I hope to see you soon, Lord César," I said, before walking towards the office door. My companions followed right behind me.

The five thugs stood in our way. However, they moved aside after Lord César gestured towards them. With that, my companions and I made our way out and left the casino.