The queen tapped her finger lightly on the table. In the blink of an eye, all the pressure vanished.
Ben frowned, It wasn't like she retracted her power, it was as if it had never existed. No lingering trace. Just… gone.
Snuffed out like a candle in the void. That kind of control was unsettling. If she had simply overpowered him, he could measure it, assess it. But this? This made her strength unreadable.
"Since you're a human," she said calmly, folding her hands, "that changes things."
Her voice had softened, the edge dulled but still sharp.
"Let's start over. You may call me Isabella. I believe we might be able to cooperate… depending on what your goal is.
But first, answer me this, are you a Traveler? Or are you connected to them?"
'Them?' Ben thought. 'The Crusaders? The Templars?'
He didn't say it aloud. Something in the way Isabella asked told him she was probing, trying to bait him into revealing what he knew.
It wasn't that he considered the information precious. But giving it away first would mean losing leverage. Instead, his lips curled into a confident smile.
"Well then… let me guess," Ben said smoothly, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Your goal is to break free from the Nephirid King. If that's the case, then yeah, we can talk."
His blunt answer made Isabella's eyes widen in surprise. Then, unexpectedly, she burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! You're insane," she said, shaking her head. "Do you believe in yourself that much? What makes you think I won't just execute you here and now, for treason?"
"You won't," Ben replied without hesitation.
In truth, he had no clear idea what Isabella truly wanted. His guess was a shot in the dark, a gamble based on instinct and her choice of words. But he said it like it was fact.
And he wasn't bluffing about his confidence.
Isabella wasn't wrong, Ben did believe in his strength. He had stood against daemons like Apophis without flinching.
'So what if she was a queen?' Titles meant nothing to Ben. Only strength mattered. And if it ever came to a clash, he wouldn't be the one afraid.
He was the type who'd throw away his own system if he deemed it necessary.
Isabella smiled faintly. "Seems we're at an impasse. We won't get far ." She leaned back, folding her arms.
"Let's try something else. A trade. You ask me one question, and I'll answer honestly. Then I'll do the same. One by one."
Ben nodded. "Fine. Then let me start. Are you the highest authority in this region now?"
It was an important question. Ben needed to understand the balance of power before making any move.
Isabella's smile turned cold. "It should be me… unless my intel's wrong and one of those bitches survived."
'So she really is the winner.'
Ben glanced at her face, wondering, 'Could she be Zeratul's mother?'
He didn't dwell on it and asked his next question, "What about the daemon?" Nееd сhаrасtеr shееts аnd glоssаriеs? Visit МV^LЕМ^РYR.
But Isabella raised her hand. "My turn first." Her voice shifted. "Why are you staying in this layer?"
Ben didn't hesitate. "I need an army. One strong enough to fight the ones you referred to as them."
It was vague, but enough.
"I see..." Isabella narrowed her eyes. "Then you might as well give up. Even if you help me take control, I won't fight a losing battle."
"A losing battle?" Ben scoffed. "You clashed with a daemon, yet you're afraid of them?"
"You don't understand anything," she said flatly. "How many of them have you actually met?
Don't assume the magus you encountered is representative of their power. He was nothing more than an errand boy."
She was partially correct, and Ben knew it. Zeratul had brought in that magus to help, and Isabella had likely guessed that was who Ben encountered. But she also knew that wasn't the full extent of their strength.
She continued, "You've heard of the Primordial Flame, yes? It's been sealed.
Because of that, my people's strength has diminished. So let's be realistic: if we couldn't beat them at our peak… what chance do we have now that they've grown even stronger?"
Ben frowned. Her reasoning was sound. But it didn't align with his goal.
"What makes you think you have a choice in the matter?" he asked quietly, eyes narrowing.
"When they return… and they want to use the Nephirid as cannon fodder… are you planning to just bow and obey?"
Isabella's gaze sharpened. "Do you have something to support that claim? You're saying they'll make another move soon?"
Ben leaned forward slightly. "Zeratul invited that magus, didn't he?
Some Nephirid families still maintain contact with the surface. Some are even working with them. You really think they're not planning anything?"
He couldn't tell her the truth, that the warning came from Elvira, a regressor who had seen it all unfold in another timeline. So instead, he leaned on logic and pressure.
If he could secure Isabella's cooperation, then dismantling the Nephirid King's regime would be far more manageable. With the ancient kingdom's support off the table, the path forward would be clear, and less bloody.
Isabella stared at him, her gaze unreadable.
Ben could tell she was deep in thought. It wasn't that she didn't see the truth, she simply hadn't had the luxury to look at the bigger picture before.
Trapped in her own war for power, juggling fragile alliances with other ancient families, she had little time or reason to care about what the Nephirid King was plotting. Let alone what those on the surface were doing.
Now, though, the pieces were shifting.
Sensing her hesitation, Ben pressed his advantage. "They're moving behind the scenes, planning something using the daemon. And when it happens, you won't be able to stay out of it. No one will."
He leaned forward. "And that reminds me, you never answered. What happened with the daemon? Did you kill it?"
Isabella blinked, then burst into laughter. "Kill it? Are you serious?" She shook her head, amused. "Even those in the old days, with access to knowledge far beyond ours, couldn't kill them."
She let out a sigh, her smile fading. "No. We didn't kill it. We used a relic, something ancient. It allowed us to banish the creature to a sealed zone… a special prison of sorts."
Ben's eyes narrowed slightly.
'A relic, huh? That explained the eerie stillness surrounding the region. But if it was only banished, not destroyed, then it was only a matter of time… I need to find her… Apophis…'