CEO in a Fantasy World 4

by Tristan H Brown

  It was understandable, anyone with an average level of intelligence would understand that there was no better bait than the clan leader of a clan, after all. This was, of course, something to be expected. However, Caesar still didn't hesitate to formulate this strategy.

  Once she left, the other clan heads stayed for a bit longer, and some even sat back down. Seeing this, Caesar's smile disappeared, and he sat at the end of the table.

  "One of the only ways this plan can work is if Musashi can kill the enemy chieftain when he attacks. This will result in the head of the chicken to be cut off, while I will be the reigning commander after Musashi falls" Caesar stated calmly, he and the rest already knew which small group of 'elites' was going to stay.

  "Even if you destroy their food supply, can't they just hunt?" Faust suddenly asked, as if he finally found a flaw within Caesar's plan.

  "There won't be much food to hunt in a burning forest," Caesar explained calmly.

  There were some flaws within his plan that required the troll prince to take his bait. However, if everything went according to the way Caesar envisioned it to be, then it would be perfect. The only problem being that Musashi and quite a few others need to be sacrificed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  After Caesar explained most of the content to his plan, all of the clan heads entered into deep contemplation. Most of them were not stupid, and knew that the ruthless idea that Caesar suggested was their best chance.

  Unfortunately, no stratagem was perfect, and Ebisu, who was seated on the left side of the table, knew this well. He stood up and scrutinized Caesar for a few moments, "although your plan, in theory, would work… in practice, I can't help but feel that it will fail. The fox-kin would've already retreated by now if they were so willing to leave the stronghold," Ebisu pointed out with furrowed brows. He and his sister knew better than anyone, how prideful the fox-kin truly were.

  In response to his words, Caesar let out a chuckle and gracefully walked towards him, "you are correct, pride is a very strong emotion, it clouds judgment and forces people to believe they are special, however, throughout history, fear and hope have been proven to be stronger" Caesar spoke quietly as he reached Ebisu's back, his slender finger resting on his shoulder.

  "If we stay, we will inevitably die; this fact makes the citizens and warriors alike feel despair. However, if there were a chance of victory, a fire would be lit in their chests. They would sacrifice everything in hopes of winning, in the hope of a new life," Caesar explained and removed his finger from Ebisu's shoulder.

  "The fifteen of us are the leaders of the clan. We are expected to do whatever means necessary to win. Whether or not our actions are unethical or immoral, none of that matters in the face of war. Those that are weak, ignorant, and soft-hearted, are fated to die in vain," Caesar said coldly and sat back down on his chair.

  After his strong rebuttal, Ebisu could only close his eyes and sit back down. He only had one question left, "you, who just recently joined our clan, have no ties with us. So why are you trying so hard, and why do you have the right to take command over the clan once Musashi falls… you aren't even amongst our race" Ebisu said sarcastically, it was clear that he didn't trust Caesar, nor like him.

  "I was brought into this mess by Renee, and I will not sit by and watch as her entire family and clan gets murdered. Maybe it's for love, or maybe it's just me attempting to keep my word, however, as for now. I will live and die with the rest of you," Caesar replied with squinted eyes.

  His words caused Ebisu to fall over from laughing, "for love nearly? Haha, what a twisted showcasing of love, your 'plan' will inadvertently kill her grandfather, her last remaining family member, and you preach about doing it for 'love' how ironic," Ebisu said after roaring in laughter.

  Caesar clenched his fists tight; his nails were embedded into his skin, and small droplets of blood fell from his hands, "do you think I want to do this? Do you think I want to sacrifice my friend and my fiancé's grandfather? Do you think I want to be the villain? The one who is remembered as a man who sacrificed his very own allies and kin…" his words paused for a moment as he raised his chin with anger reflected in his eyes.

  "If not me, then who? Can you do it?" he asked while looking towards Ebisu, "or you?" he asked while shifting his attention to Faust, "or maybe you can do it?" he asked while pointing at Musashi.

  However, instead of answering Caesar, the three he pointed at, could only look towards the ground in shame. None of them had the resolve to give such orders and sacrifice so much. And even though this was true, many of the clan heads didn't hesitate to condemn Caesar for his ruthlessness prior.

  It wasn't that Caesar wanted to do this, no, he had to. He knew that Renee, the love of his life, would be angry at him. He knew that many others would condemn him for being evil, or having no shame. However, he still didn't hesitate to give these orders, because he knew that Renee would never leave her clan to die, and just the thought of her being captured by the trolls' caused Caesar's blood to boil.

  After Caesar's explanation, the rest of the clan heads could only draw in a breath of cold air and sit back down, "now that the topic has been cleared up, I am fully willing for one of you to replace me as the general, that is, if you believe you can handle the job" Caesar said while closing his eyes and sitting with one leg over the other.

  No one answered for a solid five minutes until finally, Joe, who was standing next to the doors, walked forward, "I have completed the first magic accessory, sir," He said respectfully, after noticing the current mood. He was Caesar's great friend and knew better than anyone, how tender he was when he was alone with Renee.

  Caesar opened his eyes and unfolded his legs, he tapped the desk with his index finger and smiled widely, "excellent, since there appear to be no volunteers, we will go with my plan, under my command" Caesar thundered and gestured for Joe to walk forward.

  Joe did as commanded and presented an elegant and sophisticated looking silver earing resting on a white cloth, it had a small red gem, beautifully embedded into the middle of the earring, and strange spiral-like engravings further authenticated its beauty.

  Caesar gently rubbed his finger on the earring and couldn't help but feel repulsed by it. The earring felt extraordinarily warm, opposite of Caesar's cold mana. The magic accessory didn't fit him in the slightest.

  Seeing this, Joe smiled, "this is a red mana gem, it's more fit for those with a fire affinity… it should improve the quality and quantity when the wearer uses fire magic. However, it can still get stronger, as it hasn't been bound to anyone yet," Joe quickly explained, worried that Caesar would get angry.

  "Is it similar to that sword Azir used in the tournament? The one that made his flames twice as hot," Caesar asked curiously, to which Joe nodded his head.

  "Excellent work Joe… can you make more?" Caesar asked after a moment of thought.

  "I can make two more. Unfortunately, I only have red mana gems," Joe answered truthfully while scratching the back of his head. A smile playing on his lips as he was happy that Caesar praised him.

  "If you can, try to complete two more by tomorrow, we'll need the extra firepower…" Caesar replied and stashed the earing inside of his storage ring. He figured he would gift it to Renee, to increase her power.

  Everyone at the table knew of his intentions and didn't say a word, but instead, waited for his next instructions. They were now painfully aware of how vital Caesar was to them, and none of them could refute this fact.

  Once Joe receded and moved back to the doors, Caesar stood up from his chair, "Akari and Khan, start preparing the citizens for evacuation, I want our supplies to be ready for transportation by tomorrow" He ordered

  "Yes, sir!" Both Akari and Khan said respectfully and swiftly exited the room.

  "Tiberius, Magni, and the kobold leader prepare your clans for evacuation, make sure they are equipped with weapons, and brief them of the upcoming war," Caesar ordered.

  "Yes, sir!" they r
eplied in unison and headed out of the meeting room.

  "Falthor and Leo, brief your soldiers and start constructing as many bow and arrows as possible… we'll need them," Caesar instructed after a moment of thought.

  "Yes, Sir!" they responded and similarly left the meeting room after.

  "Riku and Kaito, stash an extra amount of thatch and other flammable materials on the streets and houses, and prepare to poison the wells when we leave…" Caesar ordered, to which both Riku and Kaito looked at him strangely for a few seconds.

  "Yes, sir!" they roared and went to go complete the task with confusion.

  "As for the rest of you, brief your soldiers and prepare for war, tomorrow morning, I want everyone to group up at the training grounds… DISMISSED!" Caesar shouted.

  "Yes sir!" they roared back in unison and left the meeting room, leaving only Caesar and Musashi in the room.

  "What do you want me to do?" Musashi asked after a few seconds of awkward silence passed.

  Caesar stroked his chin for a moment before replying, "I need you to convince the citizens to evacuate temporarily… they will listen to you," Caesar replied. Even though he was confident that the citizens would leave, it would be much easier if Musashi ordered it.

  "Very well…" Musashi spoke wearily and stood up from his large chair, he then walked towards the doors, but before leaving, he turned around and glanced at Caesar, "I'm sorry" he said softly before leaving Caesar alone in the room.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Caesar stood alone in the dark meeting room, a single candle just barely illuminating the right side of his face. He suddenly breathed out a deep sigh and pinched the flickering flame, descending the room into complete darkness.

  Caesar then stripped his casual clothes and adorned an outfit fit for fighting. He wore a tight black shirt that his abdominal muscles almost popped out of, blue trousers, black military boots, brown belt, and black gloves.

  His current attire, coupled with his chiseled facial features, piercing red eyes, extremely tall stature, and fit body, caused him to look quite dangerous, but elegant at the same time. He didn't hesitate to place a few small daggers in his belt for further preparation.

  Caesar then walked out of the meeting room, his boots creating a loud echo with every step. He headed towards where the small family of three were, he didn't intend to show himself, but he was quite intrigued as to how Renee was going to handle things.

  With this in mind, his pace quickened, and he soon arrived in the hallway where their room resided. He could see Renee and a few other beautiful looking maids waiting outside of a door. The maids held cups of tea, snacks, scent packs, and other small things in their hands.

  Renee then raised her graceful hand and gently knocked on the door, to which it was opened just a few seconds after. A middle-aged woman with weathered facial features popped her head out. She looked at Renee and the maids warily before asking, "d-do, you need something?"

  Renee smiled and bowed, "pardon my intrusion. However, my husband had told me of your arrival, and how he treated you on the journey, please take these gifts as an apology," Renee said while the maids handed the woman an assortment of goods.

  "Ah, he treated us fine…" the woman said hesitantly as she eyeballed the snacks on the platters. It was clear that she wanted to take them, but her pride would just not let her.

  "I insist," Renee stated adamantly and practically shoved the snacks into the woman's hands, she then bowed once more and walked away. However, before she even walked a few steps, the woman called out to her.

  "Please come inside… I can't thank you and your husband enough," the woman said thankfully, it was the least she could do for such a generous person. Alas, confliction and regret were reflected in Renee's eyes as the woman called her back.

  "Very well," Renee reluctantly agreed and walked into the room, without her maids. Seeing this, Caesar approached the maids still waiting by the door with a smile, "you may leave, I'll keep watch," Caesar said quietly.

  The maids, who were focused on the door, wanted to harshly rebuke the person talking, however, when they turned their heads and laid their eyes upon the speaker, they could only shake in fear and unwillingly walk away.

  Once the maids left the hallway, Caesar did something very unbecoming of himself and placed his ear on the door. Using his heightened senses, he could vaguely hear the two women from inside.

  He could hear the melodious laughter of the two children, presumably happy after seeing the snacks. He could also hear both Renee and the mother engage in small talk before finally, they exchanged names.

  "My name is Renee, the empress of the fox-kin," Renee introduced without a hint of arrogance or pride.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Renee, my name is Andrea, and this is Symphony and Seraph" Andrea replied happily, it wasn't every day that she could converse with another woman.

  After they introduced themselves, they talked about more sensitive topics for at the very least, a couple of hours. He could vaguely hear the two children's snoring, and both Andrea and Renee quiet down.

  "Ah, we were supposed to leave by noon…" Andrea said, shocked. She had never expected that she would converse with such a young lass about her past and other troublesome matters for this long.

  "I should probably leave now…" Renee said strangely before standing up and getting ready to leave. In the end, she wasn't able to do what Caesar asked of her. She felt saddened, however, how could she possibly send such a lovely family to their deaths.

  But before she could leave, Andrea called out from behind her, "what is on your mind, young girl. You've been holding yourself back this entire time; don't underestimate a woman's intuition!" Andrea said with a warm smile.

  Renee, who was just a few steps away from the door, turned around with tears threatening to fall from her eyes, she walked towards Andrea and hugged her tightly. She then briefly explained why she was there, and why she didn't' say anything earlier.

  After Renee finished her explanation, the room descended into silence, and Andrea sighed deeply. The agony, bitterness, and relief in that sigh was noticeable even by Caesar, outside of the room.

  "I've lived as a slave for over ten years, my body has been tarnished, and my heart poisoned. The only reason I still carry on, the only reason I still walk, is for my two children… they are the stars and moon in my dark world," Andrea said while choking on her tears.

  Renee wanted to respond. However, Andrea's words carried on, "I have failed as a mother, I forced them to live in such a terrible environment for years, but they never once complained. They ate biscuits every night, and I'm afraid they have even forgotten the taste of meat."

  Once Andrea spoke to here, Renee interrupted her, "you did what you could, and you deserve to live a happy life… I'll talk to my husband and somehow convince him," Renee said hesitantly, she wasn't confident of convincing Caesar, however, she could try.

  "No, no, I am painfully aware of the fact that I, alone, cannot provide for my family, and thus, I will accept this mission your husband has proposed, on two conditions," Andrea replied with determination in her eyes.

  "First, your husband must promise me that he will keep my children safe, and give them a grandiose upbringing… from what you've told me thus far, it would appear that although he seems to be an evil bastard, he keeps his word," Andrea spoke with a hint of jest, to lighten the mood.

  She then raised her second finger, "Second, he must, no matter the cost, defeat the trolls… those bastards killed my husband, raped me, and forced my family into poverty. I will never forgive them!" She snarled.

  Renee was first shocked, then relieved, and finally saddened, "You mean to go alone?" She asked curiously. She figured Caesar's plan would still work, even if Andrea went alone.

  "Indeed," Andrea gave a curt response.

  Renee nodded her head and placed her hand over her heart, "I, on his behalf, promise, and I will tell him your conditions right this moment… please wait here,
" Renee said solemnly and rushed towards the door.

  However, Caesar, who had perfectly heard Andrea's words from behind the door, walked inside before Renee could leave. His expression was severe, and his eyes squinted. He had never expected things to evolve to such a state, alas, giving such a mission to the warm-hearted Renee was his, and Musashi's first mistake.

  Thinking to here, similarly to Renee, Caesar placed his hand over his heart, "I accept your conditions on the pretense you do not fail," He said solemnly, but also ruthlessly. His words meant, that if she were to fail in convincing the trolls, he would promise nothing.

  Andrea squinted her eyes and observed Caesar for a few moments before chuckling and agreeing, "it's a wonder how such a warm and sweet girl is paired with you," she said in jest before sitting down on the sofa.

  Caesar didn't reply, but instead, looked at the back of his wrist, as if looking at an invisible watch, "if you want me to complete your second condition, you must leave in the next four hours. You can do whatever you want in your free time. I'll be taking my leave," Caesar dismissed himself and walked out of the room.