Chapter 73 - Impostors (11)

After having realized why some M.I.T professors had tried to influence him, Lazar also had the impression at that time that he understood why the professor who had insulted him had reacted that way even though he wasn't responsible for what Andrew had done...

According to him, it was more a matter of ego than ethics, because if what had angered her was just the fact that she was being asked to convince an already admitted high school student to study at her university, then she wouldn't have seen that student as someone to blame.

A more logical explanation for Lazar was that Andrew had overlooked the fact that the people he had asked to perform such a thankless task were at the top of the scientific world, and therefore that there would surely be one person in the batch with such high self-esteem that she wouldn't lower herself to do what he asked her...

In this occurrence, that person existed and that was the woman who had just stepped forward on her high heels between Lazar and the crowd while displaying an irritating condescending air.

If Lazar were to take into accounts elements of this woman's behavior that day to try to take advantage of it today, then it would be that she had been too proud to comply with Andrew's demands but too smart to dare to direct her anger at the latter, which was why she had directed it against him.

Seen this way, one might think that she was a difficult person to manipulate, but even smart people can have obvious loopholes, and in this woman's case, Lazar quickly guessed the ones he was going to exploit; her pride and her arrogance.

"If you're as honest as you claim to be..." The woman began to say in a haughty tone while pointing at Lazar a curved saber resembling those that some Europeans and Americans officers had during the 19th century, "...then objectively explain us why cooperating is in our best interest."

'Is she really doing that?' Lazar thought with a frown, wondering if she realized that if she went a little further in her provocation, he would cut off the arm with which she was pointing her weapon at him.

This woman's behaviour was particularly annoying but on the other hand, the fact that no one seemed to view her intervention negatively after she mentioned 'their' common interest made Lazar smile inwardly.

It strengthened his belief that if he could convince her to cooperate, it would amounted to convincing everyone.

Lazar was going to answer this question directly so that he wouldn't be told later that he had invented the reasons he was going to enumerate. At worst, if he was blamed for the rapidity of his response on the pretext that it was premeditated, he could claim that he had already considered their options because he cared about their fate from the moment he was given this mission.

"Very well, in the case that you don't accept to cooperate..." He began to say with a resolute face, "Then I would leave and it will probably be the last time you will see me, I don't intend to force you. I have neither the dėsɨrė nor the time."

This part was totally true and what was going to follow too, Lazar wanted to keep betting on honesty while still hiding a few things that might not go in his favor.

Seeing from their expressions that people were beginning to see this option as something positive, Lazar was quick to destroy their optimism, "But it would be a mistake to think that in all of this I'm the only person you have to take into account..." He declared in a cold tone.

"After I'm gone, the Army will send a detachment of soldiers here. They will take who they want, leave the rest behind when it's done, and let me tell you that if you don't cooperate at that moment, it will surely get bloody. They might even kill you just so they don't leave any witnesses that could attest that they didn't evacuate all the civilians present even though they could, anything is possible now."

As the hopeful faces of the people in the crowd were gradually replaced by anxious ones, and that even the woman pointing her weapon at Lazar was losing the smugness in her eyes, Lazar decided to come to the worst part of this option, "In the end, even if they don't kill you, I don't think they will come back to evacuate you, and if they don't, then the problem will come from the monsters roaming around the city..."

At the very mention of the word 'monsters' the woman lowered her saber because all of a sudden he seemed to have tripled in weight and the fear that people were feeling intensified, but Lazar wasn't satisfied yet and went to the end of his reasoning.

"I think the only reason you haven't crossed them yet is because the Draugur were monopolizing the territory, and if what I'm saying is accurate then it's only a matter of time before the other monsters realize they're dead. In that case, your only chance of survival would be either to take care of the monsters which will come here by yourself, or pray that someone will kill all of them before one of them had the time to get here."

Unlike the vast majority of people who had focused on Lazar's last sentence, the woman's attention was locked on one word, "Draugur? Like the vampiric creatures of northern mythology?" She asked with a pensive look.

"That's right, the system the gods gave us allows us to know what we're dealing with if we manage to kill it." Lazar replied, resting his cold gaze on the young blond man he was staring at earlier, which startled the latter.

The woman pondered a little before asking another question, "In that case that means you killed at least one of those monsters?" She asked with a vague idea of the importance of his answer.

"Yes, all those at your feet without exception..." He answered without looking away from the person he was staring at.

Seeing that questioning and even distrustful glances were addressed to him, Lazar completed his sentence while indicating Trevor with a nod of his head, "...and before you get rude, ask yourself why the person who took credit for my actions doesn't refute my words and has kept his mouth shut since I arrived?"