Dermot watched Morse roar as though he had gone mad.
Morse's roaring also drew the attention of the other monster residents.
Dermot spoke in a calm voice.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Seeing you like this, I honestly dread to imagine what madness you would get up to if you became Prime Minister. I feel sorry for the citizens who voted for you, too."
Morse froze. Sure enough, the surrounding citizens' "faces" seemed to show confusion, and even suspicion.
Ignoring Morse's renewed speech and attempts to explain himself, Dermot led Cheng Yu and the others toward the East Third District Club.
Cheng Yu could not help marveling at how devious this eyeball was. He had exploited that big-mouthed monster's fixation on Faceless and the wounds left by the previous election, deliberately provoking him into making a complete fool of himself before a crowd. If it worked well enough, it could wipe out all the effort the monster had put in lately, turning citizens who leaned toward him back into uncommitted voters.
After all, Cheng Yu knew all too many cases of public figures being ruined by a single remark. Even if the effect was less dramatic, Ten Thousand Mouths would still have to spend some time repairing the damage from today's outburst, allowing Dermot to narrow the gap between them.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. It had been ages since I'd seen such a straightforwardly ruthless maneuver.
Sure enough, the first thing Dermot said upon reaching the club was:
"The plan has changed. Giving speeches in East District Three won't let me catch up with Morse anymore, so I'm going to undermine his standing here and raise my own profile."
Cheng Yu was not surprised in the slightest. After all, Ten Thousand Mouths had already pulled ahead on the "straightaway." With both sides having