He turned to Relafan. If there was some way to talk sense, it was going to be through that guy.
Lewis could only bet on the attribute he had seen through the Eye of the Sage. He had no idea if he trusted the man right now due to the effect of that skill or if it was his own rational decision.
"You too, please. You are likely the ones in the leadership lineup, right? The ones at the top?"
Vincent hummed.
"You seem smart, how did you figure?"
"We know the rest," he said. "You are the only ones we had no idea about. I see three people and a Cat. Is the Neon Darkest thing in your party too?"
Lewis decided to show his value first. He had no stats, so he had to do it through his wits.
It seemed to be working.
The villain let go of Philip and looked at Lewis. From his pockets emerged a slime.
His eyes strained once more only to see the level and the name of the slime. The true monster was in hiding all this time.
[Name: Neon Kaiser Darkest Mackenzie Abarreth Shadow Johannesburg the Third]
[Level: 45]
[BLOCKED]
[BLOCKED]
[BLOCKED]
Level 45. Was that even possible?
And he could only see the name and the level. Something like this had never happened before.
Lewis gulped.
"You are here with a goal, right? As you can see, Polaris is a grand place." Lewis began. "Please, we'll treat you like important guests, it is not much, but Polaris is likely the best accommodation you will find in this world anymore. You can rest and we can all talk this out."
Inviting them in and diffusing tension was the most important. A dialogue had to be established. They were already at odds with another group, adding these monsters would spell the end for Polaris.
The Hero turned to the Villain. They seemed to be talking their eyes.
He didn't know why or how, but it was clear that the Villain respected whatever the Hero had to say. Lewis had never been this terrified of a skill before, but the situation forced him to not think about it.
He had to prove his worth, constantly. Establish a footing as equals.
Five people in the same party, working together. They were all on the leadership lineup. That alone made what they were after obvious.
If he could push the thought that all the five other leaders were in the other settlement, he could play it safe. Even if it was a lie—
"No."
The Villain spoke up right then, shattering Lewis' idea of a conversation. Lewis' heart sank at the voice.
"There is no need to play around since it failed right away. It's simple, bring all the five leaders here and submit, that'll be enough and we'll let you go."
A spark of hope remained yet.
There was still a chance.
Gulping, Lewis spoke again.
"The one you're holding is Philip Kent, sir." Lewis said.
The Villain glared at him, and Lewis met his gaze head on.
There was a chance. And he took it.
A gamble with their lives on the line.
And as expected—
"Is that so?" Asked the Villain, Vincent.
—Lewis had won the gamble.
This person, Vincent, was not here to take leadership by force. He was here to make them submit.
If he wanted to, he could have killed Philip Kent right away and taken the Leadership Mark for himself, but that did not happen.
"Philip Kent and Chloe Bradford, only the two of those leaders are here," Lewis said.
Just figuring things out wasn't enough. He had to be brave now.
So, he was going to handle multiple birds with a single stone.
"We'll gladly submit, but we have a condition."
The others gasped, so did the Hero.
Only the Villain and Lewis were the ones not shocked in the slightest at the turn the fast-paced battle of wits had taken.
"The other three leaders in the lineup have made a different settlement. They have a lot of criminals that escaped from prisons all over Darma working for them. That group is threatening Polaris and the people here as a whole."
The Villain smirked, and Lewis placed forth his condition.
"Please handle them, and the entirety of Polaris will submit to you."
"..."
Silence lingered.
Not a voice rang.
"Haha..."
Except for a laugh.
"Hahaha... hahahaha! HAHAHAHA!"
The villain's derisive laughter filled the air.
The fate of Polaris rode on a single gamble.
And...
"No."