Chapter 265: Chapter 265

Bryan, Ale knew that name, of course she knew it.

That was the fake name that he had given Ale when she asked for a name. The actual name was Dylan Brighton.

She hadn't checked on what meaning was behind hiding the name, she had assumed at the time that he was important since there were several people around checking on him, just how [Big sister] was doing to her.

But the gravitas was different, [Big sister] was paying attention more with the intent of helping Ale rather than rescue. While the feeling she had gotten from Dylan's bodyguards was one where they would jump to save him and use everyone else as a shield if anything.

"Bryan?" Miriam Eversoul asked looking at Ale, if she was like Alexanders or Alexa, then she would probably would have stars in her eyes right about now, good thing she wasn't. "And who is this Bryan fella?"

Ale was about to answer that he was no one, of course, she had just met him once and sent a few messages here and there, played a couple of times, and saw him on her chat a few times.

"The son of the Brightons, the hope that they are raising up to stand up against the evil dragon that wants to destroy the world." Alexanders however, had other plans and started speaking before Ale could even defend her honor, "Would you see my surprise when I got an alert from the secret service from the Brightons tripping the silent alarms, searching for things they shouldn't even know to search?"

"The ones who are trying to decentralize the power you amassed and want to create a more democratic government?" Miriam Eversoul asked with a smile on her face, "The ones who share my fears about you and your goddamned family?"

"I will not start a political discussion here," Alexanders said annoyed, "They are free to start their own political party or city away from my stuff."

That... seemed to irk Alexanders?

"What is that they do?" Ale asked confused, "Dylan didn't seem that... bad."

"Dylan?" Miriam Eversoul repeated the name confused, right, Alexanders (The asshole) had said his fake name.

"The actual name of Bryan," Alexanders said dismisively, "As for what they have done... Technically nothing. That is the infuriating thing about the little shits."

Then if they hadn't done anything...

"They want democracy, as in they want the presidents to be elected and for them to have a good government where their silly fantasy about how the world works are correct and obvious." Alexanders started speaking as screens (Holographic screens) started popping around them, "They want clarity, transparency and all of those fancy words the heathens of society want."

"I thought you said that we wouldn't go into politics." Miriam Eversoul mocked from the side.

"I am explaining," Alexanders said, throwing a screen at Miriam Eversoul, "The thing is, they want my money to do so. And are angry when I don't give them free stuff. Don't get me wrong, I respect democracy, I despise socialism and I couldn't care less about the political parties of others."

"Then what is the issue?" Ale was confused, from what he was saying, the only thing that he didn't want was the part where Dylan's family wanted to use his money, which, to be fair. Was reasonable.

"We don't live in a democracy." Alexanders said dropping the bomb.

"... I thought you didn't like socialism...?" Ale was confused, "Actually, you said they wanted democracy right? Then if we aren't a democracy... and you hate socialism... what are we?"

"We are a meritocracy." Alexanders said nodding, "I will give money and pay the research of anyone who proves their worth."

"That is to say so long they are under you." Miriam Eversoul pointed out, "They have to sell their souls to you first."

"If you want to fund their research and get nothing out of it, go ahead. I will give you a list with contact information of everyone who didn't want to sign with me. Hell, I will even give you the list of those who accepted signing with me with the amount of money they took, so you can go ahead and buy them out of me." Alexanders smiled at Miriam Eversoul as a new screen hovered above his open palm, "Go on, just get your phone close to this, and the data can be transferred so you can go and be a social justice warrior and save them from the evil clutches of the evil dragon."

Miriam Eversoul (Understandibly) didn't move forward. That was a trap if Ale had seen one before, one that Miriam Eversoul walked by herself of course, but that wasn't her fault. Alexanders made the trap after all.

"So what are we?" Ale decided to ask, moving the conversation forward, "If you say we are a meritocracy but Miriam Eversoul say we aren't."

"We are a dictatorship." Miriam Eversoul stated plainly, "With his family at the top."

"I prefer the term Imperium or Empire." Alexanders added, "I fancy myself more like that, but that is a joke of course. I hold no political power or army."

"Not that you need an army with all the autonomous weapons your company develops and sells." Vivian Kellet suddenly jumped into the conversation.

Ale had to agree with that statement, as a former bioweapon from the Saintsworths she was sure Alexanders could topple any kind of armed defence that the politics or powers to be could muster.

That was under the assumption that he didn't have a way to take control of any weapon he sold, actually.

"What stops him from taking over the weapons he already sold?" Ale jumped with her very justified question.

Which took the two women with them by surprise.

"Well, that is one horrifying thought to have. I will not sleep the same from now on." Miriam Eversoul said sighing and taking a big gulp from the cup that she had ignored most of the breakfast.

"Hahahahah," Alexanders, for his part, was laughing, "No one had said that in some time, so I had thought people had started to forget who gives maintenance and builds the intelligence of their smart weapons. Why are they so antagonistic while most of the automated systems of their defense system are maintained by our company, is something I will never understand."

"That is not a denial." Miriam Eversoul said, "That is not a denial at all, anything... Actually, isn't that against the contract you should have signed?"

"First," Alexanders said, raising a finger, "You assume that clause is in the contract, you overstimate the intelligence of the politicians you rally behind."

Ale wouldn't believe anyone who raised itself above the rest of humanity could be that... incompetent.

"And second," Alexanders raised a second finger, "Who is gonna stop me if I decide to send a command for revolution? Not that I need to send one, half of their weapons will fizzle out the second they don't get their scheduled maintenance anyway."

Wasn't that a bad design?

"They are designed like that, but that is besides the point. Even if I denied the accusations you wouldn't believe me. And even if they also believed your accusations, they would still buy our weapons, since the alternative underperforms by several orders of magnitude." Alexanders shrugged, "So they screwd themselves."

"Either buy weapons that they know are useless against the Saintsworths..." Miriam Eversoul said sighing, "Or use subpar weaponry?"

"I wouldn't say they are useless against the Saintsworths, she can attest to that." Alexanders said pointing to Ale.

"...she was attacked by guns of your company?" Miriam Eversoul said, narrowing her eyes at Alexanders, fury hidden behind (Well, not particularly hidden) her eyes.

"We all have at some point," Alexanders said with a shrug, "What did they use for the last assassination attempt, Sapphire?"

And Sapphire answered quickly enough projecting a new screen, it was...

"Cool..." Ale said the words aloud as the [Gun] schematic projected.

"That is one of our newest bolter assault rifle, this baby can pierce most military grade material out there." Alexanders started saying as a video started playing, there a vehicle arrived at a building... actually,wasn't that Alexa's apartment building? "And here we have myself going to pick up some stuff..."

The video started playing, and a group of people wearing black body armor stormed from a couple of vans that had parked beside the first vehicle as Alexanders got out of the first vehicle.

As soon as those came out someone tackled Alexanders to the floor and the sound of explosions started, most of the front building and the vehicle Alexanders had arrived were okay.

The other things around were not.

The gun discharge sounds carried on for half a minute before a man surrounded in a purple aura descended and started moving at high speeds around the scene.

"And there you have it." Alexanders said with a shrug, "I also get shot by my own weaponry, so I wouldn't say the weapons don't work with a Saintsworths."

"I thought you said these could penetrate most military grade armor." Miriam Eversoul said narrowing her eyes at Alexanders, "How do you explain that?"

"Do you even know what military grade means?" Alexanders said smirking, "It just meant the cheapest possible outcome, my vehicle uses top-of-the-art armor. Same as the building in question."

"What building was that? I don't recognize it, and I have visited most of the facilities you tend to go to." Miriam Eversoul said confused, "It looked like it was in a city, so it isn't a hidden laboratory. Did you lie to me?"

"That would be... Alexa's former apartment building." Ale said, raising her hand to get attention back to her, "I recognize the design, because not many buildings share these aesthetics."

Also because Ale had studied it in great detail as she needed to be ready in case it became a place she needed to escape from.

"... That didn't make to the news." Miriam Eversoul said covering her mouth, "Victims? Casualties?"

"Who do you take me for?" Alexanders answered offended, "A low clase villain? I ensured the place was devoid of civilians, all those that you see running around are paid agents, and they converged on the assailants from behind to incapacitate them."

The video resumed with screaming and shouts from the would-be assailants being attacked, and a close-up of the people who had attacked being gagged, cuffed, and piled up on their vehicles, some of the 'Civilians' boarding said vehicles and leaving the scene.

"They were interrogated and used as evidence, the organizer of this attack will have a very bad weeks ahead of him." Alexanders smiled evilly as he said that, "But anyway. As you have seen, even though they shot me using my own weapons, they worked just fine. And this is after I already knew they were coming. Why? Can anyone guess?"

"They were fully mechanical?" Ale said guessing that it would be something like that.

"So you could use it as an excuse that the fears were unfounded?" Miriam Eversoul took the more pragmatic view.

"It helped you move forward your plans so there was no reason to stop them from attacking you." Vivian Kellet also took the more cynical view.

"Wrong, all of you... Well not Ale...kinda." Alexanders said laughing yet again, why was he that... happy? "The answer is... I could have stopped their weapons thanks to my Core Power. But that would be from my Core Power. The Authority to stop their weapons resides within ISKANDER. And that one has been focusing on the new project (Not this one). So right now... At this very period of time, the Saintsworths are the most vulnerable."

That statement had made Miriam Eversoul freeze in her spot.

"Are you mad?!?!?" Only to make her scream as such, "Why are you telling us this?!?!? You shouldn't tell anyone of this! What if it gets out?"

"Well, then we will be testing how much the people within the Saintsowrths deserve to have their spot after all... We at the Saintsworths proclaim to value meritocracy above all after all..." Alexanders smiled evilly at that statement, "Besides, who will find out? Will you go out of your way and tell all the multiple Saintsworths' enemies that right now is the time to attack? Because as you have seen... If they come after me, they will find out."

Ale doubted many people could actually fight him off, not with that purple woman hovering around him, even at this moment, Ale wasn't sure if she could attack him fast enough to incapacitate him... Not that she had any reason to do so.

"...You are actually evil... So what, if new forces attack you, will you use that as evidence to get rid of me?" Miriam Eversoul stated with a frown on her face.

Okay, perhaps Ale did have a reason to attack Alexanders....

"Nah," Alexanders however shook his head, "You wouldn't do that. Your bleeding heart would not allow you. The thought of all the children who could be hurt in the process would get in the way of you actually doing anything with that data."

Then turning to Vivian Kellet, "The same applies to her, she has no reason to sell me out. The only one who could probably get something out of it doesn't have a reason to do so." And finally he said that turning to Ale.

"..." Ale of course said nothing.

"But yeah, so what will it be kiddo?" Alexanders said, returning to his playful tone once again, "Will you attend school? Spend your time playing and messing around? Or try to return to Ohio?"

"Is that even an option?" Ale asked, "I will not be able to take care of Alexa if I return back."

"I could probably get something designed within the week that would allow you to move around..." Alexanders said thoughtfull.

"Don't count on it, there is no easy solution to your current problem." Sapphire however stated as such from behind, "Not even with a couple hundred years would he be able to find a solution that can purify the mana around you to normal."

That seemed like... a very specific statement, one that she had prevented Alexanders from hearing too. Perhaps there was something in there to inquire about.

"I think..." Ale said looking around, the face of Miriam Eversoul focused on her with the warmth undertone, the face of Vivian Kellet calculating and cold, and finally, the eyes of Alexanders who seemed to look at her, but also beyond her, as if seeing something else... Was he watching a video behind her head or something? "...That I would like to spend a few days here before deciding if I want to return home or not."

If... If the issue with her Mana was resolved soon, she could return back. She would miss the time here of course, but there was still some things she needed to deal with back at Ohio.

Then and only then, she could think about what to do next. Perhaps returning here then wouldn't be so bad?

Maybe bringing [Big Sister] and [Golem] would be an option?

Besides Alexa would get angry if she wasn't able to see her friends... Actually, Ale also needed to deal with those two. Unless they also joined these new schools Alexanders was making...

Oh god, they would join these wouldn't they? If Alexanders was pulling all the schools into this...

Wouldn't then the school that Alexa was attending end up here too?

...Then there was no point in deciding! It was a done deal from the beginning.

"That's also an option," Alexanders said nodding without a care in the world, he probably thought Ale hadn't realized his plan...

This was why people said that he was an asshole.