Extra's Revenge: Reincarnated As A Slave-Chapter 114: Decision

"I’m sure you’ve all heard the news by now," Lady Z began without preamble.

"Two of our Advisors were attacked three nights ago. Coordinated strikes clearly designed to eliminate them."

Aldric leaned forward. "My lady, we were under the impression that Advisor Helt had perished in the fire at his establishment. The Guards declared it a mystical accident—"

"The Guards were wrong," Rey interrupted, his elderly voice carrying a hardness it hadn’t possessed before. "I survived because I detected the trap before it fully activated. But my business, my home, everything I built—destroyed."

Shock rippled through the room.

Several Advisors exchanged glances that Rey catalogued for later analysis.

"This is outrageous!" Vera exclaimed, though Rey detected a note of calculation beneath her outrage. "Attacking Advisors directly? This is a declaration of war!"

"Indeed," Lady Z said coolly. "Which raises interesting questions. Elara, please share what you experienced."

Elara stood, her bandaged arm visible as she described the assassination attempt—carefully edited to remove details about her true capabilities, but graphic enough to convey the seriousness.

"A professional," she concluded. "Someone with extensive combat experience and access to high-grade Artifacts and Mid Sequence Scrolls. This wasn’t a random attack."

Brennan cleared his throat. "My lady, this only emphasizes how desperately we need the Yellow Lily alliance. Our enemies are clearly emboldened by our weakness. With Yellow Lily backing—"

"Our enemies?" Lady Z interrupted, her voice sharp. "Which enemies, specifically, Advisor Brennan?"

The portly man blinked. "The Fanged Serpent, obviously. And the Blue Lotus—"

"Then explain to me," Lady Z said, her gaze sweeping the room, "why only the two Advisors who voted against the Yellow Lily alliance were targeted. Not the ten who supported it. Not me, as the leader. Just the two who opposed the merger."

Silence fell like a physical weight.

Cassius was the first to speak, his voice thoughtful. "That is... suspicious. If the Fanged Serpent or Blue Lotus were behind this, they’d target our leadership or our strongest Advisors. Targeting specifically those who opposed the alliance suggests..."

He trailed off, but the implication hung in the air.

"It suggests," Lady Z finished, "that someone wants to eliminate opposition to the Yellow Lily merger. That the attacks were designed to either kill the dissenters or frighten them into compliance."

Aldric’s face had gone carefully neutral. "My lady, surely you’re not suggesting the Yellow Lily House orchestrated attacks on our Advisors?"

"I’m not suggesting anything," Lady Z replied. "I’m observing facts. Two Advisors voted against the alliance. Two Advisors were attacked with professional coordination three days later. The timing is remarkable."

Vera tried a different approach. "Even if the Yellow Lily was involved—which seems unlikely—doesn’t that just prove we need their protection? If they’re willing to attack us while we’re independent, imagine what they could do if we had their backing instead of their enmity."

"Or," Rey interjected quietly, "it proves they’re desperate to force the alliance because they know it benefits them far more than it benefits us. Why else attack so brazenly?"

More uncomfortable silence.

Brennan rallied. "My lady, I understand your suspicion, but the financial reality remains unchanged. We’re still losing territory, still bleeding resources. The Yellow Lily alliance is our best option for survival—"

"Is it?" Lady Z’s voice cut through his argument. "Because from where I sit, it looks increasingly like a trap. They attack our Advisors, create chaos and fear, then offer protection in exchange for subordination. Classic manipulation."

She stood, and every eye in the room focused on her.

"I am placing the Yellow Lily alliance on indefinite hold. No further negotiations, no discussions, no contact with their representatives until we’ve thoroughly investigated these attacks and determined who was really behind them."

"My lady!" Aldric protested. "The vote was clear—ten to two in favor. You can’t simply ignore—"

"I can, and I am," Lady Z said flatly. "This is my right as Head of the Red House. The majority vote advised a course of action, but I am not bound to follow that advice when circumstances change. And circumstances have changed dramatically."

Cassius nodded slowly, his loyalty to Lady Z evident. "This is the right decision. Something about this whole situation feels wrong. The timing, the targets, the pressure to rush into an alliance—it’s all too convenient."

"You’re making a mistake," Vera said, her voice harder now. "Without backing, we’ll be crushed within months. The other Houses won’t hold back, and neither will the Fanged Serpent."

"Then we’ll fight with what we have," Lady Z replied. "But we’ll fight as the Red House, not as Yellow Lily’s subordinates."

Aldric tried one more time. "The financial projections—"

"Are based on data that Advisor Elara has found questionable," Lady Z interrupted. "Which is something else we’ll be investigating thoroughly. This meeting is adjourned. I’ll inform you all when we reconvene."

The dismissal was clear.

Advisors began standing, some muttering amongst themselves, others looking troubled.

Rey watched the dynamics carefully—who spoke to whom, who avoided eye contact, who seemed genuinely concerned versus who seemed calculating.

As the room emptied, Lady Z’s voice cut through the departing conversations. "Advisor Helt. A word, please."

Rey remained seated as the others filed out.

Elara gave him a brief nod before leaving, and then he was alone with Lady Z.

"Firstly, I’d like to thank you for your continual loyalty as well as apologize for the loss you have suffered."

"I certainly hope mere words aren’t all I will recieve..." Rey smirked.

This caused the Lady to chuckle lightly.

"Of course not. You will be properly compensated for your losses. Of course, due to the current state of our House, you’ll have to be patient about the total sum being repaid."

"An installmental arrangement will suffice." He smiled in response.

"Thanks for your understanding." Lady Z shot him an appreciative look, and he casually shrugged, almost like he simply did what he was meant to do.

The truth is that Rey didn’t actually lose that much from the shop.

He planned everything from the start, and while he did sacrifice some things to fuel the explosion and contribute to the realism of his loss, most of his assets remained.

He still had every valuable thing at his disposal.

But no one knew this—especially not the Red House.

Thus, he was going to get free rewards for a catastrophe he caused, gaining far more than he even lost.

Why would he not be satisfied with that?

’The best part is that I will be looked upon favorably by everyone—especially Lady Z. Even when facing such adversities, I am not complaining and I remain loyal to the Red House. This is the exact kind of person she is looking for... hehe!’

Rey remained silent in his seat.

He knew Lady Z was watching his every move in the silence.

She studied him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then, she finally broached another topic.

"You survived an assassination attempt that should have killed you," she said finally. "And then you walked into a room full of suspects without apparent fear. Either you’re very brave or very confident."

"Perhaps both," Rey replied. "Or perhaps I simply trust that you have this situation under control, Lady Z."

She smiled slightly. "Do you? Trust me, I mean."

"I trust that our interests align," Rey said carefully. "You want the Red House to survive and thrive independently. So do I. That’s enough for now."

Lady Z nodded slowly. "Good. Because I’m about to ask you to do something that requires a great deal of trust."

Rey leaned forward, genuine interest showing on his elderly features.

’Finally,’ he thought, satisfaction blooming in his chest. ’The moment has come.’

Then, he spoke aloud.

"I’m listening."