CEO in a Fantasy World 4 Page 13

  "That was the first time you've ever apologized, you know?" She spoke after a few seconds of awkward silence.

  Caesar sighed, "I apologize for doing everything myself, for making you worry without explaining anything. Most of all, I'm sorry for making you feel like a burden," Caesar replied solemnly. He knew why she was angry. It was just that he needed to swallow his pride to appease her.

  His answer made Renee's eyes open wide in shock before a wide smile blossomed on her face, "I'm sorry too… I shouldn't have chosen such an important time to throw a fit. I know you're trying your best, and I know that you're not used to having a partner… it wasn't fair of me to make you confused like that," Renee said while moving her head down and resting her forehead against Caesar's chest.

  "Ahem, are you two done?" a deep voice suddenly resounded in both Caesar's and Renee's ears, effectively ruining their moment and causing Renee to jump up like a frightened rabbit quickly. She scanned her surroundings, and a deep blush suddenly appeared on her face as she noticed a few thousand people whistling while looking at her.

  Renee subtly walked towards the podium and sat down in an attempt to hide her face. While she was doing this, Musashi walked toward Caesar and pulled him up.

  "Who said you could make her cry?" Musashi asked with furrowed brows, but if one looked closely, you could see a small smile forming on his lips.

  "You ask of the impossible. You should know how emotional that lass is…" Caesar replied with an exasperated sigh while being helped to stand on his feet. His body was slowly healing, and he could just barely stand on his feet now.

  Musashi didn't reply, but instead, chuckled. He patted Caesar on the back and walked back to the podium where Renee resided. He stood up and slammed the desk heavily, silencing the considerable commotion, and garnering everyone's attention.

  The unconscious clan heads', including Faust, woke up and looked over, and even Ebisu, looked at Musashi.

  "I ANNOUNCE THE ENDING OF THIS TOURNAMENT, ALL OF THE WARRIORS HAVE FOUGHT VALIANTLY AND SHOWCASED THE FOX-KIN STRENGTH!" His loud announcement paused briefly before he continued.

  "HOWEVER, NEW TREES HAVE SPROUTED AND DEFEATED THE OLD AND WITHERED TREES… THUS, THE NEW CLAN HEADS' WILL NOW BE ANNOUNCED"

  "Faust, the head of judgment and law."

  "Khan, the head of protection."

  "Leo, the head of hunting and food."

  "Riku, the head of the cavalry."

  "Kaito, the head of shield bearers."

  "Touma, the head of spear-wielders."

  "Haruto, the head of reconnaissance and information."

  "Ebisu, the head of rations and welfare."

  "Falthor, the head of swordsmen and fighters."

  "Hideaki, the head of archers."

  "Daichi, the head of architecture."

  "Hayao, the head of finance and the treasury."

  "Akari, the women's' representative and the head of training new talented women."

  Once Musashi finished his announcement, a loud uproar took place. Akari wasn't even in the top 13, and she was announced, while one of the former clan heads and even Caesar were not announced. Not to mention the fact that Falthor and Khan tied, but were now both apart of the council.

  But their shock only increased at Musashi's next words.

  "And after much consideration, I have decided to implement an entirely new position. As the strongest soldier in our clan, and as the winner of the competition, I am happy to announce that Caesar will become the general of our army. He will answer to no one but me!.

  "That is, on top of one of the two rewards I have already propose,” Musashi continued.

  Even Caesar couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Musashi's announcement. He didn't expect there would be much of a problem since it appeared that he gained the citizens' support. However, with this, Caesar wouldn't need to challenge Musashi, but instead, just take Renee's hand in marriage.

  "You're a sly fox, too, aren't you…" Caesar whispered with a subtle smile.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  After Musashi's roar, the few clan heads' that were not mentioned grew enraged. Not only did they make it into the top 13, but they were also very confident in their power unless, of course, they were fighting someone like Caesar.

  What angered them the most, however, was the fact that a mere woman had replaced them. Even if she was strong, the fox-kin did not treat women as warriors, but more so just things to protect.

  "I don't understand why I am no longer a part of the council when I was clearly amongst the top 13" one of them voiced out their grievances. They didn't even seem to care about the new and strange 'general' position Musashi announced.

  Musashi stared down at the figure who raised his voice. He had long, wavy and unkempt brown hair, a rough face, and a rounded chin. His looks were average, and nothing about him could be considered extraordinary. He was a former clan head that held a decent amount of power within the clan. However, his strength was lacking when in comparison to Akari.

  "I hosted this tournament in an effort to find the strongest warriors, whether they are female, old, or even decrepit. Even though you are amongst the top 13, I can easily discern that you are far weaker than Akari," Musashi replied without care for the man's pride.

  As the man was about to retort, Musashi opened his mouth once again, "If you think my judgment is incorrect, feel free to challenge Akari for the position…" his words paused for a moment as he scanned the other two, "that goes for you two as well."

  The threes' expression looked as though they swallowed a bug. They wanted to retort with a million different things. However, they were not capable of doing so. His words were irrefutable, and the only way to prove themselves was to defeat Akari, which they themselves knew better than anyone, was impossible.

  "You may leave," Musashi dismissed with a wave of his hand and shifted his attention back to Caesar as if he had lost all interest in the trio. He carried a smile on his face, but his eyes were squinted.

  He leaned back in his large chair and took out his tobacco pipe from god knows where… "as I promised, you may have one of the two rewards I declared… which one do you choose?" he asked, resulting in the mass of people to focus on Caesar.

  The citizens, warriors, clan heads, and even referees were looking at Caesar, who was still standing in the middle of the arena with bloodstained clothes. His white hair elegantly fluttered in the air, giving the onlookers a glimpse of the subtle smile on his lips.

  If it were before, Caesar would have probably challenged Musashi, but now, the more he thought about it, the more foolish he felt that idea was. Not only would it sadden Renee, but it would also weaken Musashi's already decaying body. Not to mention the fact that Musashi already created a whole new rank in the clan, especially for him. Attempting to take the clan leader position at present could only be considered rash.

  Thinking to here, Caesar raised his head, "I don't want either," Caesar replied after a moment of thought, causing the bystanders to take a breath of cold air, even Musashi furrowed his brows in shock. Renee raised her head with confusion apparent in her eyes; however, before she could speak, Caesar started walking towards her.

  "How can I, a man, be content with marriage being 'bestowed' upon me. It's distasteful to be given something for free. Thus, I much prefer earning or taking something by force" Caesar's words continued until he was only a few feet away from Renee.

  He didn't want his 'proposal' to be an award from a tournament. He wouldn't be able to stand the fact that some people would believe his marriage was a forced and loveless relationship. Thus, he came up with this idea.

  Caesar slicked his hair behind his slender ears and slowly kneeled in front of Renee, he took out the blue necklace that she had thrown at him earlier and presented it before her, "you are the only person I have ever kneeled for on my own volition, and you are the woman I have decided to spend my life with… will you marry me?" Caesar asked. Although his clothes were bloody, his appearance
was still unparalleled.

  The sun seemed to gleam on his kneeling figure, and Renee, who was standing in front of him, was put on the spot. Everyone in the audience held their breath as they examined the beautiful girl who was once again crying.

  Two small streams of tears fell from her eyes and dropped onto the ground. However, a broad and very apparent smile blossomed on her face as she spoke as loudly as possible, "YES!" she roared happily and brought Caesar into her embrace.

  Although she never admitted it, she was quite sad at the fact her marriage would merely be an 'award' at a tournament. Even though she wasn't an ordinary woman, she still had romantic fantasies. However, Caesar truly surprised her, and she couldn't help but feel extremely warm inside.

  "Whoa!!!"

  "WHEW!"

  "CONGRATULATIONS!"

  Loud cheers echoed throughout the training grounds, even though some people were still jealous or dissatisfied with the tournament results. Almost everyone cheered them on, as it was the only joyful event that has transpired in the war-torn fox-kin stronghold for a long while.

  Caesar also smiled and glanced at the large audience; his sight landed on a short figure that held two prisoners by chains. This was, of course, Rakan and the two traitors they had captured.

  Alas, Caesar didn't want to ruin the joyous mood, so he decided not to give the other spies a 'lesson' right now. He simply shook his head in Rakan's direction and tightened his embrace around Renee. His purge would begin tomorrow.

  "Do you trust me?" Caesar whispered in Renee's ear, to which she nodded her head and looked at him curiously.

  Caesar pecked Renee on the forehead with his thin lips and then proceeded to gaze into her eyes, "I am aware that you love your clan dearly, so what I'm going to do tomorrow will certainly hurt you. I want you to promise me that you won't get in my way" Caesar said seriously, he had no plans to keep his from her, he had learned from his previous mistakes and decided to be more open with her.

  "What do you mean?" Renee's smile disappeared and was instead replaced by a stern expression.

  Caesar just smiled and shook his head, "it's a rare and joyous occasion, so let's enjoy it while we can… I will explain more to you, tonight," Caesar replied soothingly and stood up from the ground. He hugged her tightly and whispered something that she could vaguely hear.

  "If you let even a single rat escape, they will breed and multiply at an astonishing pace… they spread disease and are a recipe for disaster. You must exterminate all of them in one fell swoop, no matter the cost," Caesar whispered so that Renee couldn't hear the gist of it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Caesar let Renee out of his tight embrace and held her by the hand as he walked towards Musashi. He was an old-fashioned man, thus, asking for her grandfather's consent was necessary.

  His footsteps didn't halt until he was about only a few feet away, he gazed into Musashi's eyes as he opened his lips, "may I have your permission to marry your granddaughter?" Caesar asked with a smile. He already knew Musashi's answer. However, it was a necessity for this formality to be completed.

  Musashi stared back at Caesar for a few moments before nodding his head with a solemn look, "only on one condition…" his words paused for a brief moment as he scrutinized Renee's joyful expression, "you must win" his words continued as he gripped his fists tightly.

  Musashi loved his granddaughter dearly, but he was still responsible for the well-being of the clan. Even now, he knew that this joy was only temporary and that the trolls would be knocking on their doorstep soon.

  Caesar, who clearly understood Musashi's words, nodded his head in acceptance. He wasn't 100 percent confident of victory. However, he would try his best. Not just for Musashi or Renee, but even he had grown to dislike the thought of the fox-kins annihilation.

  "Very well then… Renee, please talk to your friends for a moment. I'm sure their deathly curious about the sudden proposal. I want to talk with Caesar alone for a few moments," Musashi suddenly stated and dismissed Renee from his and Caesar's presence.

  Renee glanced between Caesar and Musashi before saying, "I know that you two want to protect me, but keeping me in the dark and treating me as some kind of princess will only hurt me in the long run," she spoke gravely before turning around and walking away. She trusted that Caesar would treat her more like an equal, but Musashi was an entirely different story.

  She headed towards her maids, who were currently looking at her with an incredulous expression. Almost all of them loved drama and wanted to spread rumors, but one specific maid that was relatively young and had long brown hair, looked at Renee worriedly while glancing between Caesar and Musashi.

  Seeing this, both Caesar and Musashi could only cough into their fists and try to think about something else. Neither of them knew what kind of strange and disgusting thoughts were going on in that maid's mind, but one thing was for certain, both he and Musashi were too scared to ask.

  Once Renee reached a reasonable distance away, Musashi patted Caesar on the shoulder and gazed at the setting sun, "you need to complete your preparations for war swiftly, it will not be long until the trolls attack." Musashi spoke in a soft tone, not hiding the weakness in his voice at all.

  Caesar clicked his tongue and scanned the surroundings to make sure everyone's attention was focused on Renee before subtly raising his hand and showing Musashi a bluish marble, "this is the device we had found in the traitors' room… I assume it is utilized by some sort of magic. After much practice with controlling my mana, I was finally able to sense an almost indiscernible stand of mana inside," Caesar explained.

  Musashi inspected the marble and tested Caesar's theory, and sure enough, he was soon able to sense the faint mana inside, "what's your plan?" he asked strangely.

  Caesar concealed the marble and stashed it inside of his storage ring, "I assume after capturing those last two spies, whoever is in control, probably had warned the others and made sure they hid the marble quite well. Alas, they still need to have some sort of way to communicate with each other. Thus, most of the spies still possess one of them," Caesar said with squinted eyes.

  "So, what do you suggest?" Musashi asked.

  "Tonight, you and your most trusted warriors search for traces of similar mana, and assassinate each and every man or woman with this in their possession… once that's complete, blame the assassinations on the trolls, anger your citizens, and fuel their rage," Caesar said coldly and cut off Musashi's next words.

  "Don't try and convince me that this plan is too ruthless. It wouldn't make your soldiers lose morale; in fact, it would simply be a wake-up call. The fox-kin have gotten far too comfortable without the trolls attacking as of recent. They're probably thinking things along the lines of 'maybe they won't attack?' 'maybe they just gave us a warning previously," Caesar explained and scanned the training grounds.

  Musashi stroked his beard and had a hesitant look on his face; he wasn't dumb and knew that Caesar's plan was feasible. However, he didn't know if lying to so many people would be the right course of action, "why don't we just explain to the many citizens that they were exterminated because they were spies?" Musashi asked after a brief moment of thought.

  Instead of answering, Caesar asked a question instead, "how would you feel if your father, significant other, son, sibling, or maybe even friend, was found out to be a spy. You would feel disappointed, sad, but most of all, you would be wary around others. You wouldn't know who the spy was so that you would constantly be on guard. However, if the enemy assassinated them, you would feel rage, you would want revenge. Never underestimate someone with nothing to lose," Caesar replied with an expression devoid of emotion.

  Musashi wanted to retort, but his mouth simply wouldn't open. He hated the thought of lying to his citizens. However, Caesar was slowly convincing him that it was necessary.

  "and what will you do about Renee? Surely she wouldn't be too thrilled about this idea you have; do you plan on lying to her too?" Musashi f
inally responded after a few seconds of awkward silence.

  "No, I won't treat her like a child. I will be honest with her. Whether she likes it or not, she is an intelligent woman and will come to the conclusion that it is essential," Caesar said hesitantly before starting to walk in Renee's direction.

  After he made a few long strides, Musashi's voice made him halt his footsteps, "and what will you be doing tonight, while I'm busy dirtying my hands and killing the previous clan members that I treated like my own children?" Musashi asked, somewhat bitterly.

  Caesar looked over his shoulder with a slight smile on his face, his eyes were cold, and a feeling of danger assaulted Musashi, "we must demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future," Caesar said before turning away and walking towards Renee, replacing his cold smile with one of delight.