Fairy 71: Something not right Part I

"Of course, I don't mind, well it only me after all, travelling with others might be more fun… then being by myself." Zack lied without any signs of lying, as he looked at the two girls he still on guard against, who looked surprised, when they heard Zack's words.

"You alone…?" Yi went with a confuse look on her face. Even if it was few seconds, she remembered seeing Zack next to their main target, Vottes, when they drove past within Joloshi's Magic Car. And Yi isn't the only one that didn't see Zack, this young man right next to that Dragon Slayer b*tch.

"Huh…? But weren't you with someone??" On the other hand, Joy who cannot act if her life on the line just informed Zack, that they knew they wouldn't alone. Yi who heard this, as a stiff look on her face, with inner thoughts of murdering the dumb b*tch right next her.

But she sighed, seeing Zack just looked confused, not wary of them. Not knowing, he was wary of them ever since a certain sword pointed them out. And remained calm before them, showing there nothing wrong on his face.

'They knew I am not alone…? Magic Car huh… they were inside it… I see, it adds up.' Zack thought, adding the pieces together. First, they were too shocked when they noticed Zack who found them first. Then now, one of them admitted, they knew he wasn't alone, and there also the suspicious look of Vottes, when she looked at that pinkish red Magic Car.

No matter how Zack looks at this, his intuition is telling him, they not here with good intentions.

But even with those hints, he still cannot rule out they from the Black Rivers Guild, but now he could rule out, there not here by chance. They were aiming for him, or maybe even Hisui or Vottes since the beginning.

'First I need to find who they are… that is by throwing a bait…' Zack recalled Nightfall's plan, and went for the first part of its plan, throwing the bait they cannot resist, which is why Zack calm face turned one of calmness to one of sadness with a fake wry smile, that is barely notable.

"I was with someone… but well you know…" When Zack said that with a hopeless look. Both Yi and Joy inwardly show a grin in their minds. Knowing there must be inner conflict between their main target, and their sub-target.

But either of them knew, this was the bait. The bait to fake conflict between him and Vottes.

This bait was simple, when you meet unknown people for the first time, and discover among their group they are conflict, what will you do?

And that answer is nothing.

After all, in the end of the day, between you, whose a stranger, and them also strangers, it is none of your business. Since you are not related to them, you not friends, close friends, or even family to that person. So what rights you have to bring yourself in their conflict?

Maybe you will tell them you sorry hearing that or give you advice like the friendly person you are. Or do and say nothing since it is none of your business.

After all, only people that get themselves involved with conflicts that not their own. Are the self-righteous, the naïve, that knew no better. Or worse of them all, those with their own intentions, be it out of goodwill or ill intentions.

And this what this bait is, to see if they will bite or not.

Like a worm hocked on a fishing hock, if they are a fish they will bite, if not, they are not. Basically if these two are really from Black Rivers, or came with any kind of intention, there no way they wouldn't bite, wouldn't they?

"Did something happen?" Yi asked with worry tone.

"Yeah, did something happen?" Joy also asked.

Upon hearing the two girls worries, as well their expressions, one looked worried, while the other looked excited, with eagerness.

He knew right away, besides the one who cannot act, the twintail girl, and the one who could act, and faked her worried look. He knew the bait that he thrown has been bitten onto.

But in the end, it wasn't enough to tell who they are, or their true intentions are. But since they asking what's happened, that also means they also willing to get involved. Meaning they has intentions behind approaching him, whatever they may be ill intentions, or out of goodwill.

Which Zack personally doubted it is out of goodwill, since Joy's excited kinda gives it away.

However, the first bait wasn't never meant to fish them out, if they are from Black Rivers, or just someone with ill intentions. No, in the first place, there two reasons for the first bait.

One is to see if they have any form of intentions towards him, be it good or bad.

And second?

Simple. Once they are hocked, will be the time to use his second bait, the actually bait that will tell if they arte from Black Rivers or not.

"I feel I shouldn't tell strangers this, but maybe because you all girls, maybe you could help?" Zack went with a smile, that isn't gentle, or serious, just a normal smile.

"Don't worry and tell us everything!" Joy went with excitement, while Yi sighed, seeing her rudeness, but smiled, seeing that Zack didn't mind this, especially when he begins to tell them the core of the conflict, even if they have no clue, all of this is just fake information, told by Zack, to see their true intentions, and who they are.

"It is my fault to be honest… it we been arguing for days to be honest. And today we finally went our ways. This started one night, while I was preparing for food. All of the sudden I heard her screamed when she was bathing at the nearby river."

"I didn't think, I just run towards her for help, but to my fault, what greet me was a 'black 'river', I cannot see nothing, due to that river being black, but… I didn't expect right within that 'black river', due to the darkness of the night, she will be there naked… you can guess what happened next, right? Since then, she hasn't trusted me, like we back to spare one, when we first met."

When Zack said that with a sigh. And told this false information towards Yi and Joy, he didn't miss it.

He didn't miss when these two just subconsciously flinched, when he mention a certain two words. And even the two girls themselves didn't notice this either.

When Zack saw those flinches, his grassy green eyes shown a hint of killing intent for a single second, that went unnoticed by the two girls, who didn't know they just been discovered.

This is Nightfall's plan to begin with.

The first bait was to lower their guard, and to see if they have any kinds of intentions towards him, and getting involved with his fake troubles. After all, normal strangers wouldn't mess with other unknown people's mess, unless they noise, or have a sense of duty, or simply has some kind of purpose towards the other party.

Because they be too busy listening, while forming their own form of plans in their minds. They didn't notice the second bait, a form of wordplay, a mental form of attack, that aims at their subconscious itself.

When speaking to someone one, sometimes your body will give away hints towards certain words. Of course, against a professional actor, they could easily defend themselves. Unless their whole focus is on something else, for example, the fake information of the conflict between him and Vottes he told.

If one look closer, Zack mention 'black river' twice when informing the girls of the source of his problems to them. This was the second bait, the bait towards the subconscious.

Of course, reacting to the word 'black river', doesn't mean you from Black Rivers itself. After all, these girls might hear of Black Rivers Dark Guild before, and subconsciously flinched when hearing the word unknowingly.

However, there is a different story, if these two girls flinched twice in a row, when Zack mention the word 'black river' twice. Even if you know of Black Rivers, there no way, unless you involved with them, that you will flinch twice.

And if they are involved, what if they hate the Black Rivers Guild? Or fear it? It also works the same, based on how their subconsciously act, you could even tell they hate or fear the Black Rivers Guild.

If Yi and Joy fear the Black Rivers, they will subconsciously shake, their fingers will shake slightly in fear, their eyes also will widen a little as well. Informing they have rooted fear towards the Black Rivers. But either of the girls didn't show such actions when they unknowingly flinched.

If they hate, their will frown, or their lips will form a mad expression for a split second. But Yi and Joy didn't, they just flinch twice in a role, and Joy even smiled a little, informing they belong to the Black Rivers Dark Guild. Or has some kind of connection towards it.

And it is enough for Zack, it is enough to tell who they are, and their ill intentions are. Of course, if it wasn't for Nightfall, and its countless years of experience, Zack will never know of such psychological method of gaining information.

Upon knowing who they are, Zack felt unbounded rage within his heart, that began to boil his blood. He felt this thirst to break their necks, knowing why they are. But he held back, he held back knowing this isn't like him.

It not like Zack never killed before. When he was fighting against Lovely nearly 2 years ago, he killed him along with his bandits as well. And even after that event of his first kill, he also dealt with low-ranking Dark Wizards, and other bandits besides the ones working for Lovely and killed them as well.

But never once did Zack kill a woman or a child. And when it comes to men, it is different kind of taste, when it comes to killing men and women, especially children.

Zack will never harm a child unless it is not avoidable. But he wouldn't kill them. He will try his hardest to not kill them, by holding back. After all, one of the most inhumane things he could do, is to kill a child, he properly will kill himself, if that were to happened.

And if that woman is someone like Joloshi, Zack properly wouldn't think twice when killing them. Zack just instinctive knew. The weight of killing a man, and woman is several times heavier.

Not to mention, there another reason why he cannot kill Joy or Yi, no matter how much he wanted to snapped their necks right here and now, knowing their intentions towards him. He might be dense, but he knew, they want him to do something horrible to Vottes.

But he held back, he overlooked his gut feeling. As he has other things for these two, and that is of course, to have a 'nice' chat with these two girls, from the Black River Dark Guild.