Read Novel Full Chapter 207: Killing the middle men
Chapter 207: Killing the middle men
His mother, though he’d never known her in that role, was choosing his enemies over him.
"I see," Jorghan said finally, his voice completely emotionless.
"Wait a few minutes, I will deal with you in a bit."
He turned away from Grace and addressed the remaining assembled group.
"I’m going to handle this systematically. One group at a time. That will give each of you time to reflect on your choices and their consequences."
*
Jorghan looked at the three Faerasa clan representatives who stood together near the right side of the platform. They wore their diplomatic finery, formal robes that blended traditional Elven styling with Earth business aesthetics, and golden ornaments marking their status as ambassadors.
They were young by elven standards, probably only two or three centuries old, and their expressions showed growing understanding of just how badly they’d miscalculated the situation.
"Faerasa clan," Jorghan addressed them directly.
"You came to Earth as representatives of your people. You established diplomatic and commercial relationships with the Moorne Corporation. You provided them with knowledge about the elven realms, taught them about essence manipulation, and served as bridges between worlds."
The lead ambassador, a female with dark hair and golden eyes named Syl’tarra, nodded cautiously.
"Yes. We were authorized by our clan leadership to establish beneficial relationships with Earth’s new powers. The Convergence opened opportunities for trade and cultural exchange that—"
"Did your clan leadership authorize supporting attacks on other elven settlements?" Jorghan interrupted.
Syl’tara’s face went pale. "No. Absolutely not. We did not know about any planned attacks. The Moorne Corporation conducted those operations without consulting us or informing us in advance."
"But you benefited from them," Jorghan observed.
"The humans and technology taken from those attacks gave the Moorne Corporation resources they used to strengthen your partnership. You might not have ordered the violence, but you profited from its results."
"We didn’t know!" one of the other ambassadors protested.
"We’re diplomats, not military planners! We thought the Moorne Corporation’s resources came from legitimate Earth operations, not from attacking our own people!"
Jorghan studied them through his blood-flow detection ability, reading the truth in their circulatory patterns. Elevated heart rates are consistent with fear rather than guilt.
They were telling the truth.
They hadn’t known. They were naive fools who’d been used by smarter, more ruthless people, but they weren’t actively malicious.
"Leave," Jorghan said finally.
"Return to Vael’thoria. Report to your clan leadership what happened here. Tell them that the Jorghan Sol’vur will come, that attacks on elven settlements will have consequences, and that partnerships with humans who harm our people are unacceptable."
Syl’tara’s eyes widened with relief.
"Thank you. We’ll depart immediately and—"
"I’m not finished," Jorghan continued coldly.
"You’re leaving alive because you’re useful as messengers. But when I return to Vael’thoria, I will visit your clan personally. I will speak with your leadership about their failure to properly supervise their representatives. And if I discover that your ignorance was willful rather than genuine, I will return and finish what I started tonight."
He gestured toward the exit.
"Go. Now. Before I decide that letting you live is a strategic mistake."
The three Faerasa ambassadors fled, their diplomatic composure completely shattered, their expensive robes trailing behind them as they ran for the exit like children fleeing from nightmares.
*
Jorghan turned his attention to the five Imperial humans who stood clustered together, their military bearing evident despite their diplomatic titles. They were older than the Faerasa ambassadors, experienced men and women who’d seen combat and politics and understood exactly how much danger they were in.
"Imperial Diplomatic Corps," Jorghan said, his voice carrying across the hall.
"Representing the same Empire that has been harvesting elves for years. Capturing them for experimentation, studying their bloodlines, killing them when research is complete."
Legate Marcus Vrell, who’d spoken earlier, raised his hands in a placating gesture.
"Lord Sol’vur, the Imperial government operates under complex—"
"I don’t care about complexity," Jorghan interrupted.
"I care about two things. First, what are your actual intentions on Earth? What is the Empire trying to accomplish through this partnership with the Moorne Corporation? Second, how much did you know about the attacks on elven settlements?"
The five diplomats exchanged glances, clearly trying to calculate how much truth would save their lives versus how much would get them killed for revealing state secrets.
Jorghan’s blood essence manifested around his hands in gentle spirals. Not attacking, just reminding them that he could end their lives before they finished contemplating lies.
Legate Vrell made a decision.
Fear won over loyalty.
"We’ll tell you everything. Just... please don’t kill us. We’re functionaries. We follow orders. We don’t make policy. Don’t kill us for decisions made by people far above our rank."
"Talk," Jorghan commanded.
"Your survival depends on how useful your information is."
Vrell took a shaky breath and began speaking rapidly.
"The Empire’s Earth operations have three primary objectives. First, technology acquisition. Earth’s post-Convergence development has produced innovations the Empire wants, particularly in areas where magic and technology intersect. We’ve been cataloging weapons, transportation systems, computational devices, everything that might have military applications."
He paused, gauging Jorghan’s reaction, then continued when no immediate violence occurred. "Second, we’re establishing a permanent Imperial presence on Earth. Not a full invasion; we don’t have the resources for that, and Earth’s awakened population would resist. But a fortified position. A bridge between our world and theirs. A staging ground for future operations."
"Operations against whom?" Jorghan asked.
"Against...Terraspers," another diplomat admitted.
"Earth is strategically positioned. Portals connect it to multiple realms, not just ours. If we control even a small territory here, we can project power across planetary boundaries in ways impossible from our home world."
The third diplomat, a woman named Consul Aria Thenn, added more.
"The Moorne Corporation was ideal for this. They had resources, influence, and the willingness to partner with offworld powers. We provided them with technology and military support. They provided us with land, legitimacy, and cover for our actual operations."
"And the attacks on elven settlements?" Jorghan pressed.
"How much did the Empire know?"
Vrell’s face showed genuine confusion.
"We didn’t know about attacks on settlements. We knew the Moorne Corporation was conducting retrieval operations, bringing specific individuals from other worlds to Earth, but we assumed those were consensual or at least non-violent. We certainly didn’t authorize or participate in raids that killed elven warriors."
He looked at his colleagues, who nodded in confirmation.
"The humans here, the Moorne family specifically, were operating beyond the parameters we agreed to. We’re intelligence officers and diplomats, not military. We don’t have the authority to order attacks on foreign populations."
Jorghan read their blood flow, their stress patterns, and their physiological responses. They were terrified, desperately telling what they believed was the truth, holding nothing back because they understood their lives depended on complete honesty.
They were guilty of many things. Serving an Empire that harvested elves. Facilitating operations that would eventually harm thousands. Building infrastructure for future violence.
But they hadn’t personally ordered the attack on his settlement. They were cogs in a much larger machine, following orders from superiors they’d never meet, enabling evil while maintaining plausible deniability about specific atrocities.
In another context, Jorghan might have let them live. Might have sent them back to the Empire with warnings and threats, using them as messengers the way he’d used the Faerasa ambassadors.
But the Empire wasn’t like the Faerasa clan. The Empire wouldn’t be deterred by warnings. They’d just send more operatives, better prepared and more careful to hide their actual intentions.
And these five had just confirmed everything Jorghan needed to know about Imperial plans for Earth.
"Thank you for your honesty," Jorghan said quietly.
Blood essence manifested as five needles, each one aimed at a specific target.
Legate Vrell’s eyes widened with understanding a fraction of a second too late.
"Wait, we told you everything! We cooperated! You said—"
The needles struck simultaneously. Five Imperial diplomats collapsed with blood essence piercing their hearts, death coming so quickly their bodies hadn’t registered pain before consciousness faded.
[MANA DEVOURING: DIPLOMATIC ABSORPTION]
[Targets eliminated: 5 Imperial diplomats (mid-tier essence users)]
Mana extracted: 487 units
Intelligence acquired: Imperial Earth operations, strategic objectives, technology targets
Memory fragments integrated: 47 files worth of classified information
Current reserves: 13,465 mana units / 12,281 blood essence units]
Their bodies fell to the marble floor with dull thuds.
Grace screamed.
Several remaining guards flinched but didn’t raise their weapons, understanding that resistance would just add them to the body count.
Luke stared at the corpses with horror.
"You said you’d let them leave if they talked! They cooperated!"
"I said their survival depended on useful information," Jorghan corrected.
"They provided useful intelligence about Imperial operations. That made their deaths quick and painless rather than prolonged and agonizing. That was the survival I offered, a choice between easy death and hard death, not between death and life."
He looked at the five bodies without emotion.
"They served an Empire that harvests my people. They facilitated operations that would eventually kill thousands. The fact that they personally didn’t order specific attacks doesn’t absolve them of guilt. They were enemy combatants conducting covert operations. I treated them as such."