My Trash Talent Is Actually OP!-Chapter 38: Cinder’s Kiss: Universal Weakness Of All Dragons [1]

Sinnett was right; they couldn't just walk into an asylum with heavy security. They didn't want to take the risk and use brute force.

Not with the Saints keeping an eye on them, and they couldn't risk their guild getting disbanded before they even had a chance to rise.

But stealth? That was tricky.

Asher leaned forward, pulling up another file. "If we want a distraction, we'll need to make sure no one connects it back to us."

Sinnett tilted his head. "Got an idea?"

"A few."

Asher scrolled through reports, his mind already running through possible scenarios as he tried to draft out their options.

Option one: Fake a breach elsewhere in the city, forcing security to split their forces.

Option two: Bribe someone on the inside. Risky, but effective if they found the right person.

Option three: Use an outside force—mercenaries, bounty hunters, someone who could cause chaos without it leading back to the Outcasts.

All of them had risks. But no matter what, they had to act.

Sinnett grinned. "You're really thinking hard about this, huh?"

Asher shot him a look. "I'm not planning on getting caught or punished, Sinnett. Besides, I need the money."

Sinnett chuckled. "Fair."

A ping sounded from his phone, and he checked the message. His grin widened. "Well, would you look at that."

"What?"

Sinnett turned the screen toward him. A transport record.

"Looks like Zero wasn't moved straight to the asylum," Sinnett said, tapping the screen. "She was first taken to a classified facility. No name, no location. Just a blacked-out record."

Asher frowned. "And then?"

Sinnett scrolled down. "A week later, she was transferred to the asylum. No official reason given."

That was suspicious as hell.

"So they did something to her before locking her up," Asher muttered. "Great."

He tapped his fingers against the desk, deep in thought. He stared at the cam feed on Zero, wondering what ward she was in and if it was heavily guarded or not.

If she was on the top floor, it would be easier to sneak in through the windows or the roof.

But if she was underground or on the first floors and there weren't hidden channels through the city, then they'd have to go through the front gate.

However, as he was lost in thought, Zero's head slowly raised toward the camera. He watched as her eyes, which looked like a faded blue, slowly returned to their normal color.

At the center of her iris was a black, thin oval, like that of a reptile,.but he couldn't place which one.

When her eyes were perfectly aligned with the camera, the edge of her lips curved up on one side, and she smiled, sending a chill down Asher's spine.

"Why is she…"

"Asher."

Her gentle, soft voice came through the speakers, causing Asher to step away from the desk, making sure she wasn't just messing with them.

Sinnett, who had noticed, tilted his head as he watched her face. She raised her cuffed hands and waved at them, earning a smile from him.

He dragged the seat back to the front of the desk, while Asher stood beside him, cautious but confused.

"Can you see us?"

She chuckled softly. "Of course. If I couldn't, I wouldn't be able to see Asher over there."

Wow, she's actually that good, Sinnett thought, resting his chin on his hand as an idea formed in his mind. He expanded the screen displaying her face and smiled.

"How are you doing, Captain?"

She shrugged and dragged her gaze to a corner before shifting it back to the camera. "Been good. You called me Captain… Veylan must have announced it, right?"

He nodded.

She licked her dry lips and sighed. "Good. I thought my messages weren't reaching you guys. Sinnett, right?"

"Yes."

"I've heard a lot about you. Headmaster Apollo is not happy," she said, clearly amused.

Sinnett chuckled, proud of himself, which irked Asher.

As Asher opened his mouth to say something, she tilted her head and raised a brow.

"That's Asher Morgan, right? The Necromancer that's supposed to be my captain?"

Asher scoffed. "I am, and I'm not glad about the fact that I was made a leader without my permission."

She just smiled and crossed her arms. "I wasn't aware of my position either, so just live with it. Veylan told me the guild is planning on breaking me out before my execution… correct?"

"Execution?" Asher and Sinnett both asked in unison.

She nodded and slowly closed her eyes. "It's really boring here," she muttered, leaning back against the wall. "They were supposed to put me in a straitjacket before I fell asleep, but those bastards must have forgotten."

"Forget that. Why are they executing you?" Asher asked before she could change topics, or perhaps fall asleep again.

Her smile turned into a grin, already telling them that whatever she had done was either insane or impossibly bad.

"Well," she began, "I let information about dragons get out, freed the captives, and made sure everyone knew I was one, even after the conditions they set. I mistakenly killed the former Liora Guild master and his assistant, along with some people who got in my way.

"I was responsible for permanently destroying all access to dungeons that led to where the dragons lived.

"Honestly, there's a lot I can't name, but my worst offense? Eating the dragon they wanted to experiment on. Hehe."

Asher and Sinnett just stared at her in shock, speechless, their jaws dropped and bodies frozen in place.

Her calm demeanor, the way she so easily listed her crimes without remorse... Asher didn't see anything wrong with what she did concerning the dragons, which was a good thing and beneficial.

Yet, he still couldn't understand why dragons were so feared, to the point of near extinction.

He also assumed she was a dragon, but the system didn't identify her at the moment. Maybe because he wasn't physically near her.

Then there was the horned lady from earlier. She had said there were only five: herself, Nova, and three others. But if Ria was one, and now Zero could possibly be one too, then what about the dragons she claimed to have released?

He could only imagine what forms they had taken , human, animal, or perhaps still hiding in their true forms.

Only Lords, Sovereigns, hybrids, and Elders could assume a human form, so they had to be one of the four. But he was certain Ria was either a hybrid or an Elder, despite how small she was.

Sinnett finally spoke up. "Do you...uh, know what ward you're in?"

"Oh, the last time I checked, I was underground." She glanced up at the ceiling of her cell and smiled. "Yeah, underground. But I don't think you'll be able to get here before I'm executed."

"You don't need to worry about that, Captain. We'll make sure we....."

"You don't get it, do you?" she interrupted, her tone low. This time, it wasn't amused or excited. Just pure bitterness.

"What are you talking about?" Asher asked, his brows furrowed. But when she turned her face slightly to the right, he saw them—red, visible veins stretching from beneath her shirt, crawling up her neck and onto her face.

"W-what did they do to you?"

She smiled tiredly. "I don't know. Is there anything they haven't done? They figured they couldn't access my pool, so they decided to torture every part of me to extract something... but nothing. Even I'm confused. I tried escaping once, and they had me moved here."

She paused to take a breath, then sighed. "They gave me something called Cinder. The prisoners here call it 'Cinder's Kiss,' and I just recently found out why..."

She laughed quietly, careful not to draw attention, and then whispered, "The person giving out the poison is actually named Cinder."