CEO in a Fantasy World 4

by Tristan H Brown

  Caesar quickened his pace and entered into the vast and graceful mansion. The floors were made of what looked to be bamboo while the walls were decorated with pictures and smooth green paint.

  The mansion was, indeed, relatively pleasing to the eye. It incorporated fashion similar to Japan on Earth. Caesar couldn't help but admire the place every time he passed by it, although Rahvin kingdom had its merits, the fox-kin stronghold held much more grace.

  Thinking to here, Caesar soon arrived in front of Musashi's door. At the sight of Caesar, the guards moved aside and allowed passage while nodded their heads respectfully.

  Seeing their cordial behavior, Caesar nodded his head gratefully and stepped past them. He continued walking until he reached the elegantly decorated double-sided door, to which he softly knocked.

  A quiet knocking sound echoed through the halls, though quiet, with Musashi's superb hearing skills, it would be sufficient.

  Caesar waited a few more moments, and as he had expected, he could hear faint footsteps approach the door from the other side, which was presumably Musashi.

  Soon, the doors slid open, and Musashi's ragged face appeared within the crack, his long beard hung to his chest, and his face looked much more weary than usual.

  Seeing his dreadful appearance, Caesar couldn't help but frown. It looked as though he had aged a few years since he last saw him in the meeting room, which was merely just a few hours ago.

  "Do you require something of me?" Musashi asked after a moment of awkward silence.

  His words brought Caesar back to reality, "ah yes, I was wondering if you had any materials that can incorporate mana… Joe needs it to make a magic accessory," Caesar asked while studying Musashi's facial features.

  Musashi squinted his eyes and stroked his long beard, "I believe we have some Aronian steel in our treasury, I'll deliver some of it to you tomorrow, as for now, I'm going to rest" Musashi replied in a fatigued tone.

  "Very well, thank you… I apologize for waking you at an undesirable time" Caesar spoke apologetically and bent his back into a crescent shape, resulting in an almost perfect half-bow.

  Musashi smiled wryly, "don't pay my ragged appearance too much heed. When I'm awake, I use my mana to invigorate my body, resulting in it looking and functioning greater than normal," Musashi explained.

  Hearing his words, Caesar nodded his head in understanding, though, some traces of doubt flashed within his eyes… "I'll go ahead and leave your presence, for now, again, thank you for the steel," Caesar said thankfully and turned around to walk away.

  As he was walking away, he could hear a voice sound out from behind him, "Aronian steel is scarce and hard to come by, in fact, it is amongst one our most precious belongings… please do not waste it" Musashi called out from behind the door and closed it swiftly after.

  Even if Musashi didn't ask, Caesar didn't plan to waste it. However, that was more reliant on Joe's expertise. Although Caesar believed that Joe was capable, he didn't know exactly how capable nor did he know how useful a magic accessory was.

  While amid thought, Caesar once again walked past the guards and headed back toward the west wing, he was hoping that Joe and Magni had kicked it off and formed some kind of rivalry. In the fantasy stories Caesar had read when he was but a child, Gnomes and Dwarves seemed to have hated each other, though, there were many differences between Althoria and Earth.

  While thinking to here, he quickened his pace. Caesar could not deny that one of the main reasons he wanted a rivalry to form was, in fact, due to the comical aspect, just imagining both of those rambunctious fools arguing to each other brought a gleeful smile to his face.

  Soon, Caesar once again reached the outside and had yet another meeting with the guards stationed at the inner gates. They looked at him with suspicion and steered clear from the entrance.

  Even Caesar couldn't deny that walking through the inner gates three times in one night was quite suspicious, alas. He didn't have any qualms in shocking the guards a few more times; in fact, he thought it was quite humorous.

  He lazily stepped toward the gate and gracefully placed his right hand on it, he glanced left and right before subtly pushing, and blasting the gate open, once again, creating a huge gust of wind fluttering his long, white hair in the wind.

  The corner of Caesar's lips curled, and his piercing red eyes gleamed within the night, shocking the guards surrounding him, yet again. Seeing that his purpose was achieved, Caesar chuckled and continued walking towards the west wing, where Joe and Magni awaited.

  Once Caesar left the guards' line of sight, all of them breathed a sigh of relief, "I-is he playing with us?" one of them asked.

  One of the more feminine looking guards took a step forward and fidgeted slightly "t-that teasing smile and the perfect contours of his face, ah, I think I'm in love," he said with a strange blush causing all of the guards to look at him weirdly.

  ---

  Caesar, who was in the midst of walking, suddenly shivered, he felt an ominous premonition but just shrugged it off and continued on his way.

  Within the time it takes to brew a cup of coffee, Caesar finally arrived just a few meters away from the Gnomish tents… but to his surprise, the quiet atmosphere he was expecting, was instead, loud and rowdy.

  A few candles and other forms of light were placed around the tents, and Caesar could see quite a few of the gnomes cheering while in the middle of their encampment.

  Caesar could not deny his curiosity was piqued. Thus, he strode over and peeked over the small gnomes to see what was happening.

  In the middle of the gnomes, Joe and Magni sitting were at a wooden table, empty flasks surrounded them, and their faces were flushed, presumably from alcohol.

  "You will never beat me in a drinking contest!" Joe slurred angrily.

  "You're a few years too early!" Magni roared back and gulped down the remnants of alcohol in his flask.

  Witnessing this scene, Caesar couldn't help but massage his forehead. He had only been gone for about half an hour, alas, both of these fools were already drunk… he couldn't comprehend what they were boasting about.

  Caesar pushed through the small gnomes and pulled a chair to the small table both Joe and Magni were sitting at… "I'll show you two gremlins what a man with alcohol tolerance is," Caesar said with a provocative smile.

  Although he wasn't inclined to fool around, a little fun wouldn't hurt.

  Both Magni and Joe looked up at Caesar's words and smiled challengingly, "heh, there is no way a pretty boy like yourself can handle more ale than us," they said in unison.

  "Since you're so confident, let's make a bet… If I win, I can order you two to do anything I want, that is, of course, if it is within your capabilities," Caesar said with a sly smile.

  Both Joe and Magni hesitated for a moment before nodded their heads in agreement "okay, I accept; however, if we win, we can order you to do anything we want," Joe replied with a sinister laugh.

  "Very well," Caesar replied curtly and grabbed a nearby flask.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Caesar grabbed a flask filled with ale and brought it close to his nose, he lightly shook the flask and took a small whiff… 'interesting… it would appear I am not familiar with this alcohol' Caesar mused, he had figured it would smell similar to something he had tried on earth, however, contrary to his expectations, it smelled vastly different compared to any alcohol he had experienced before.

  Although it smelled slightly different from the norm, Caesar didn't hesitate to present the flask to his thin lips and take a sip, the liquid entered into his mouth and slowly traveled down his throat, bringing a slight burning sensation as it moved.

  Caesar gulped audibly and couldn't help but open his eyes wide in surprise… "it's quite good…" he praised; he had tasted quite a lot of expensive alcohol during his time on Earth. However, all of them were put to shame in front of this ale.

  He didn't hesitate to take another gulp of the ale and quickly down the fir
st flask, he heavily slammed the empty container on the table and stared at Magni, "to further prove my generous proposal, I will drink two more flasks before we start the competition" he said with a grin…

  Magni looked at Caesar doubtfully, "I suppose that would, indeed, make this fairer, however, wouldn't you prefer a greater chance at winning?" Magni asked curiously, though his words were understandable, his slurs made him sound like an intoxicated child.

  "Of course, I want to win, alas, my honor makes me incapable of doing something so ignoble," Caesar replied while subtly reaching for one of the few remaining flasks of ale. From an objective point of view, Caesar's actions were foolish; alas, Caesar was more than willing to toy with both Magni and Joe.

  He quickly downed the second flask that was almost filled to the brim with ale, and a nearly indiscernible red hue started to appear on his face, he had been wondering how Joe and Magni got drunk so quickly. It quickly became apparent that it wasn't their weak tolerance, but the potency of the alcohol!

  Thinking to here, Caesar raised his eyes and glanced at both Joe and Magni, "where is this drink from, and what is it called?" he asked inquiringly, to which Magni just shook his head with a strange smile on his face.

  "Who knows, my fellow gnomes had come across it in a vigorous tree" Magni replied with a chuckle.

  Before Caesar could reply, Joe rudely interrupted, "alright, alright, enough vain chatter, we had only drunk two flasks ourselves, it's time for the competition" Joe who had been silent for the last few minutes, spoke loudly and reached across the table to grab a cup.

  The rest of the gnomes cheered in response. It was clear that they wanted to see the competition as quickly as possible.

  Magni solemnly nodded his head and reached under the table, he grabbed a relatively small wooden casing and lifted it to the table… inside were a few sealed horns of what Caesar assumed to be, ale.

  The alcohol was nearly contained within the animal horns. Caesar wasn't sure which animal they came from. However, it was clear they came from some sort of buffalo like-beast.

  Magni grabbed a horn for himself, then handed one to Caesar, and finally, Joe. Once all three of them were holding a flask, they bumped cups and finished off the horn of ale… each of them not hesitant to drink the entire thing in one go.

  That, however, didn't mark the end, in fact, it was merely the beginning. After the first horn, they drank a second, and then a third, and finally, a fourth. The alcohol in which they guzzled started to settle within their bodies and hit them stronger than ever.

  Magni's old and frail face became red and looked similar to a tomato while Joe just rocked back and forth in his chair, muttering indecipherable nonsense. Caesar was, of course, not perfectly fine, alas, he was much more rational than the other two.

  A slightly red hue appeared on Caesar's pale face as he delicately shook his cup of ale, watching as the liquids inside swerved against the sides of the horn. He glanced at the two wasted gremlins in front of him and smiled in satisfaction.

  "It would appear that I have won," Caesar said while poking Magni's forehead.

  "Hmm, huh, I can still go on" Joe grumbled and fell to the ground, soon, a loud snoring sound filled the ears of all those present, causing Caesar to smile wryly.

  Caesar observed Joe's sleeping body for a moment before turning back to Magni, only to realize the old gnome had fallen asleep as well.

  Caesar stood up from his chair, albeit shakily, and pointed towards Magni, "let him get some rest, I'll be back tomorrow with the materials," he while hurling Joe over his shoulders and walking away.

  The gnomes swiftly reacted after a moment of hesitation and brought the unconscious Magni into a relatively large tent. He was rambling incoherently while being dragged, causing the younger gnomes to chuckle.

  Caesar turned around and waved for a few seconds before turning back and continuing on his way, he could see the sun slowly rising, and the rays of sunlight start to encroach upon the land.

  Caesar's vision was slightly blurry as he walked with the heavy Joe hurled over his shoulder. However, he didn't lose any of his essential sensory functions, making it possible for him to make his way to the inner gates.

  This time, the guards opened the gates before Caesar could push them open, he walked past the entrance and discarded Joe's unconscious body, "Hey, you three, go bring the dwarf to his living quarters" Caesar spoke towards a few guards, and without waiting for their reply, he walked away and entered into the mansion.

  Within the time it takes for an entire incense to burn, after a few wrong turns, Caesar had finally arrived in front of his and Renee's door. He rotated the doorknob and stepped inside the room, softly closing the door behind him.

  Caesar unbuttoned his blazer, pants, and shirt, leaving him in simple undergarments, he walked toward the large bed and simply collapsed on the right side… he could feel Renee squirm at the sudden movement, but he didn't pay it much heed.

  And soon, with the help of the alcohol and the comfortable bed, he drifted into a deep sleep while pondering about what he wanted to order both Magni and Joe, as he had won the bet, after all.

  CHAPTER NINE

  . Caesar could vaguely feel something rough pressing against his back, coupled with the bright sun rays gleaming on his face, he rubbed his sleepy eyes and stood up, albeit shakily.

  Before Caesar could even open his eyes, he could smell the abnormal freshness within the air. The softness he had expected to feel from the bed was absent, and instead, he could feel the hard ground.

  Caesar massaged his forehead and slowly opened his eyes, revealing a dense forest with vigorous trees all around him… he tilted his head and scratched his long and unkempt hair that draped over his shoulders.

  "Am I dreaming?" he mumbled to himself in a bewildered manner. He had explicitly remembered walking back into the mansion and entering his and Renee's room, even the clothes that he had remembered removing were back on his body.

  Suddenly, he could hear loud snoring from behind him, he jolted his body around and could see an unconscious Joe, lying in the tree. He had a twig in his mouth and was entangled within a few branches and thorns.

  Caesar stood there in shock for a few minutes, and suddenly, he could hear yet another snoring sound, causing him to turn to his right, and there lied an unconscious Magni, half of his body was embedded deep into the ground, leaving only his head and a long beard on the surface.

  He scanned his surroundings and could see quite a few empty flasks, horns, and cups, littered across the ground, hell, even a few torn pieces of cloth were on the ground. Caesar couldn't help but crease his brows. He didn't remember one bit of what had happened last night.

  If everything went the way he remembered it, then he would be on his comfortable bed with a beautiful Renee lying next to him, however, instead, he had two gremlins snoring into his ear, and the only company he currently had was the hard ground and luscious forest.

  Caesar shook his head and slicked his hair back, revealing his lustrous red eyes, he walked towards Magni and crouched beside him while softly poking his forehead.

  "Ah, huh, Caesar…?" Magni squinted his eyes and turned his head around, and once the abundant trees and grass entered into his sight, his face became extremely confused, similar to how Caesar awoke.

  "W-where are we… how did we get here?" Magni asked while trying to move; however, contrary to his expectations, his body was submerged into the ground.

  Caesar grabbed Magni by the beard and helped pull him out of the hole, "to perfectly honest, I'm quite bewildered myself. The last thing I remembered was leaving your gnomish encampment and entering into my room," Caesar said while stroking his clean-shaven chin, he was hoping that Magni or Joe would know what had transpired, alas, it would appear that was not the case.

  "Hmm, the last thing I remembered was you seducing my daughter and taking her into my personal tent, I was so excited that I could die" Magni replied with a reminiscent expression plastered
on his face.

  Slight discomfort and disgust appeared on Caesar's face. if he remembered correctly, Magni's daughter looked like a mere child, thinking to here, Caesar couldn't help but want to throw up in his mouth… "I assure you, no matter how drugged or drunk I am, I will never seduce your daughter," Caesar said confidently and moved towards Joe.

  He crouched down and leaped into the tall tree while cutting the branches with the sides of his palm, resulting in Joe falling down and face planting into the ground.

  "What the F*ck" Joe screamed out in pain while holding his nose, he scanned left and right only to be left in a baffled and confused state.

  "How the hell are we in a forest?" he asked with a tilted head, nearly forgetting the pain from falling down.