Chapter 68: Necessary Adjustments.
Naomi’s laughter gradually subsided, though the smug smile on her face never disappeared.
"You really don’t know anything, do you? Harbinger isn’t some pathetic little status effect that convinces people to follow Andrea. It doesn’t need to. Admiration does all the hard work for her. The more people respect her, trust her, depend on her... the stronger her influence over them becomes. She doesn’t control minds, Damien. She simply nurtures the feelings that are already there until people begin believing her judgment is better than their own."
"Have you ever wondered why she’s always the first to volunteer? Why she’s constantly standing in front of crowds, making speeches, saving lives, comforting the weak? You probably thought she was just being noble." Naomi let out another amused chuckle. "Every grateful survivor, every person she rescues, every soul that starts admiring her only makes Harbinger stronger. She’s cultivating faith, Damien."
Her smile slowly widened.
"And the truly terrifying part is... most of them never even realise it’s happening. They still think every decision they make is their own. They’re just a little more willing to trust Andrea. A little more willing to agree with her. A little more willing to follow. By the time they notice something is wrong... they’ve already convinced themselves she’s their goddess."
Damien glanced at Vincent. His expression remained unchanged, which meant he was already aware of Andrea’s unique status. Damien found it all rather surreal. An ability like that could allow someone to command an entire army without ever issuing a direct order.
"At least now I know how she intends to control the battlefield, and why she’s so insistent on meeting the Eidolon army in the open field. Her status effect must have reached a critical point...
Damien’s thoughts paused. To Naomi, he was simply staring blankly at her, but Vincent knew exactly what was happening. Damien’s vivid imagination had begun piecing everything together.
"Her ability definitely didn’t work on me when we first met. Sure, I found her attractive, she wasn’t particularly nice, nor was she hostile towards me. But before long, I developed the same suspicion I always do. It wasn’t anything special. I react that way to everyone...
She realised her status wasn’t working on me, and after seeing what my Dormant Ability could do, she decided she needed another way to control me. Of course... that’s still just speculation.
Naomi isn’t influenced because she doesn’t admire Andrea in any way. She’s envious. Ryan is definitely influenced to some extent, but if he’s on the Round Table, then there has to be something about him that stops him from becoming completely ensnared. Or perhaps Andrea simply allowed him onto the Round Table because someone that powerful couldn’t be ignored.
Vincent... well, he’s just a psycho who does whatever he pleases. I doubt he’s capable of respecting or caring about anyone for that matter. The easiest way to make someone admire you is to help them. Vincent doesn’t need anyone’s help. He’s more than self-sufficient.
I’m far too paranoid to truly let myself care about anyone. I’ve never respected nor admired anyone other than myself. Andrea isn’t bad... but I know I’m better. So I don’t really have anything to worry about. My mind should remain my own."
Damien quietly hissed.
Andrea’s status effect was proving to be an even greater nuisance than he’d expected. If she eventually won over the entire camp and convinced them she was their messiah, then he and the rest of the Round Table would eventually become little more than obstacles standing in her way.
Damien slowly closed his eyes.
"We’re almost out of time. A normal person would start gathering allies, but frankly speaking, I’m unable to trust anyone. Naomi is trying to weasel sympathy out of me, but she doesn’t truly understand me. At least not the way Vincent does. She definitely intends to betray me...
She still needs to die."
Damien opened his bright blue eyes and graced Naomi with a smile.
"Let’s cut the bullshit. We have the advantage here. You’re tied up and restrained by Vincent’s ability. You’re going to die here today."
Damien had already gotten everything he truly needed. Learning who killed Leslie had always been secondary to begin with. He still wasn’t entirely sure why Vincent was so fixated on solving her murder, but at this point, he’d feel much safer knowing Naomi was finally out of the picture.
Naomi didn’t seem particularly terrified by the prospect. If anything, she’d maintained a strange detachment from the possibility of her own death ever since she’d woken up. Damien noticed, though he didn’t dwell on it. He simply raised a hand, preparing to summon Priesty and have him dispose of this nuisance once and for all.
"Wait," Vincent suddenly said. "She did promise to assist me in killing that Elias fellow."
Damien froze.
"What do you mean she promised to help you kill Elias? He’s a member of the Round Table and one of the strongest Awakened in camp. I don’t recall the two of you ever having any sort of dispute."
Vincent opened his mouth to answer, but Damien stopped him almost immediately.
"You don’t have to explain." He rested his head against the palm of his hand and sighed. "It’s my fault for even asking. Knowing you, you’re probably just tired of looking at the guy."
Vincent accepted the conclusion without objection.
"His resistance to soul attacks is likely comparable to your own. I’m quite certain I cannot defeat him by myself."
Hearing Vincent admit something like that genuinely unsettled Damien. He’d always looked down on Elias because his Dormant Ability seemed painfully mundane. But if Vincent was this certain he couldn’t kill him, then Damien had no choice but to add Elias to the steadily growing list of threats to his mortality.
To make matters worse, Elias also seemed like the noble, altruistic type.
Damien hated those kinds of people.
"Alright," he said with a defeated sigh. "I’ll help you kill him. Now can we please get rid of this mess you’ve made?"
Vincent beamed.