CEO in a Fantasy World 4 Read online

  Thinking to here, he couldn't help but imagine how furious the troll king should be right about now. Just the thought caused a cruel smile to appear on Caesar's face. Although he didn't let his sadistic side out very often, he loved to put those that were arrogant in their rightful seat.

  ***

  As Caesar was jogging through the forest, the troll stronghold had just swapped guards atop the gates. The new guards had just awoken and were relatively alert; as such, the strange shadows only a dozen meters away from the front of the gates caught their eye.

  With their excellent sense of smell, they could vaguely perceive blood, feces, and sweat from down below. The noxious smell assaulted their nose, and they, without hesitation, went to report to their higher-ups, as none of them were brave enough to go and investigate themselves.

  They treaded atop the walls until they reached a medium-sized guard tower. They pushed open the thick, wooden door and walked inside, where a middle-aged human male awaited them. The man had blonde hair and blue eyes, a scraggly beard, and looked overly kind. Books were messily laid over his table, and he abruptly stood up in response to the trolls' entrance.

  He wiped his glasses with some sort of cloth and smiled welcomingly at the trolls, "do you require my assistance?" he asked with a heavy British-like accent.

  The trolls, as if the current interaction was the most normal thing in the world, quickly explained what they had seen at the walls. None of them had any doubts about whether or not the man in front of them could solve the problem.

  And as expected, after hearing their words, the middle-aged man smiled reassuringly, "well, let's go and investigate, shall we? There will be no danger when the lord is watching upon all of us," he said lightly and led the way out of the guard tower. He appeared to a captain-like figure of some sort.

  In response, the trolls followed behind the blonde man. They walked atop the towering walls and stairs, turned a few corners, until finally, they arrived at the gates. The blonde man waved to the guards, and they pulled a lever in response, lifting the metal gates.

  Such a contraption would surely shock the fox-kin and possibly even the humans at Rahvin kingdom, however, the middle-aged man, and the trolls, seemed to be used to such complex mechanisms.

  The blonde human walked to where the trolls spoke of; however, as he got closer, he couldn't help but scrunch up his nose. The morbid scent traveled through the air, affecting him even when he was a few meters away.

  Soon, they could finally see what was causing the smell. The sight caused the middle-aged man to puke up his breakfast while the trolls covered their mouths in fear. The troll prince squirmed slightly, tears streaked down his face, and it was clear that he had urinated and defecated himself.

  The older troll, who had a frail body, was even worse off. Because his body was so frail, he had already passed away last night. However, some of his bodily fluids still leaked out.

  "B-By the pope…" the middle-aged man stammered for words and took a few steps back. Many different emotions flashed across his face, disgust, shock, sadness, and even determination. It took him a few seconds to get ahold of himself and order the trolls who were standing to the right of him.

  "Go and inform the king… Immediately!" he shouted, to which the trolls bowed down and scurried away. After they were gone, the middle-aged man stood up from the ground and wiped his mouth with a piece of cloth.

  "To think that I'd have to see such a gruesome sight in this life… I should inform the pope immediately. The dark continent is not as simple as we had initially thought. The evil presence is extraordinary!" The middle-aged man whispered under his breath and took out a rectangular box from his pocket.

  He then proceeded to open the box and take out a cigarette remarkably similar in appearance to the ones Caesar took from the assassin girl's belongings. The man lit the cigarette with some sort of magic and took a few puffs to calm his nerves.

  As he was smoking, he noticed a few droplets of blood dripping from the prince's shirt. Confused, the blonde man gulped audibly and ripped the shirt.

  The cigarette in his mouth dropped to the ground, and he almost puked once again. On the troll's chest was quite a few engravings, presumed to be made with a dagger of some sort. Even though the deep cuts were dripping with blood, it was still legible.

  "M-My god… the people of the dark continent are truly savages," he whispered after reading the note that read…

  "You, who idiotically ordered your son to death, still safely awaits on your grand throne, waiting for the perfect moment. However, that moment will have to wait until you, your family, subjects, and even friends all rest on a pole. Perhaps, you and your son will manage to have something in common in the afterlife."

  After reading the note, the middle-aged man wanted to erase it before the troll king laid his eyes on it, however, since it inscribed on the prince's skin, he wasn't capable of doing so. Thus, he simply walked away with a quick pace. He didn't want to stay next to such a morbid sight and smell for very long, and he most certainly didn't want to be around when the king arrived.

  As such, the man returned to his quarters and started writing a letter to the pope. He was a mere paladin within the church, someone near the bottom of the totem pole. However, his power was not to be underestimated as he still held connections to the church.

  The man started scribbling down on a piece of parchment while dabbing his pen in ink. He looked like a scholar, and his earlier easy-going personality seemed to have vanished, only leaving solemnity.

  ***

  Caesar, who was still jogging through the forest, had no idea that slight alterations to the big picture had been made. His face was calm as he finally exited the woods, and a gigantic, sparkling lake entered into his vision.

  "I suppose it's finally time to start," Caesar whispered under his breath, followed by deep muffled laughter after his sight landed on the army, standing at attention in front of him. It would appear that instead of sleeping, they waited for him to arrive.

  "We greet the clan leader…" they saluted and rested on one knee in unison when Caesar arrived.

  CHAPTER FOURTY-FIVE

  Caesar raised his hand in the air and signaled for the army to be at ease, to which they complied and stood up from the ground. They stood shoulder to shoulder and awaited Caesar's next commands.

  Seeing this, Caesar smiled, "the action will start soon, but before that, we must make sure that we are well-rested, as such, even though I am honored that all of you have stayed up to greet me, please get some sleep," Caesar said in a calm and soothing voice.

  In response, the army bowed deeply once again and walked into their respective tents. Leaving only a few significant figures such as Soka, Akari, Falthor, Ebisu, and a few others. Caesar didn't mind that they stayed behind and walked to the largest tent, located at the forefront of the lake.

  Caesar pushed aside the white, cloth drapes blocking the entrance and walked inside, with the others following behind him. They entered into a spacious tent with a large table and an assortment of chairs in the middle. At the side, was a standard-sized bed and dresser.

  The table was quite simple and could seat, at the very least, eight people. Resting on the middle of the table was a squarish map with both white and black figurines atop it. The white signifying friendly troops, while the black signified enemies.

  Caesar sat down at the very end of the table while the others sat as close to him as possible, with both Falthor and Soka on his left and right, respectively. Although Soka wasn't a clan head, no one questioned his presence, as it was clear that Caesar allowed it.

  Once everyone was seated, Caesar turned towards Soka, "did you find out anything useful on your reconnaissance mission?" he asked while resting his cheek on the palm of his hands. He was quite tired from running and fighting all day, not to mention the fact that it has been weeks since he last had blood.

  "Yes, Lord…" Soka said quietly and stood up from his chair, he moved his hand to wher
e the troll stronghold was located, "from my understanding, there are a total of 350 guards stationed at the gates at all times… they rotate personnel every three hours, and one hour after dusk would be the perfect time for infiltration."

  "Is that it?" Caesar asked. He didn't care much about the guards, nor when they rotated. He was more interested in who the helpers of the trolls were. He figured they would've shown themselves by now.

  Seeing that Caesar was clearly discontent with his gains, Soka contemplated for a few moments, "there is a big guard tower that rests on top of the gates, as it stuck out like a sore thumb, I intently watched it for an entire night. When the door finally opened, a humanoid race of some sort walked out. I presume it was human. However, I am not entirely sure," Soka said after a few seconds of thought.

  His words caused Caesar to stroke his chin, "what makes you not certain it is human?" he asked. With the fox-kins great sense of sight, he figured that Soka would have a more sure-fire answer.

  "That is…" Soka paused for a short moment and scratched the back of his head before continuing, "from what I could sense, he was quite powerful, and humans are normally weak," he replied honestly and coughed a few times to hide his embarrassment.

  Caesar nodded his head and tapped the desk with his index finger, "if we assume that it is a human, why are they helping the trolls? Do they have something I'm not aware of, or is there some hatred the fox-kin have generated outside of the dark continent" Caesar asked with squinted eyes, to which those present fell into deep contemplation.

  Falthor was the first to speak, "The fox-kin haven't left the dark continent in ages; in fact, Renee was the only exception to this fact. As for why humans would be helping the trolls, I have no idea," he explained.

  The rest sitting at the table had similar answers to Falthor, and Caesar could only form a crude hypothesis based on the small amount of information he possessed, "From what you've explained, that was the only human that you had seen throughout your entire mission, correct?" Caesar asked once again, he sat straight up and no longer lazily rested on the desk.

  "That is correct," Soka replied curtly. He had been spying on the troll stronghold for two entire days.

  "Excellent… then we can only assume that it’s an investment of some sort. Some faction has decided to help the trolls win this war, and in return, they will gain some of the spoils. Although, it would appear that they are doing so rather stealthily, thus, the help will be minimal," Caesar said quietly and moved another one of the black figurines to the location of the troll stronghold on the map.

  "Their defenses are rather formidable, as such, a siege, as I stated before, is impossible. That is why we are baiting them out. When their communication with their 'helpers' is gone, they are going to surely panic."

  "So, what do you suggest?" Akari asked out of turn, she was deathly curious, and Caesar had a habit of dragging things on until it reached some sort of climax.

  Caesar first coughed gently and continued, "Soka, do you think you are capable of assassinating, or if possible, capturing this so-called human?" he asked, to which Soka dismissed his question with a shake of his head.

  "From a single glance, I became aware that the human male was my equal, if not a bit stronger. Assassinating or capturing such a target and escaping would pose to be difficult, especially since the troll-guard is tight," he replied with a hint of humility.

  "Very well," Caesar said and stood up from his chair. He then picked up one of the white figurines that looked similar to a horse, and turned towards Falthor, "Akari, Falthor, I want the both of you to lend your five strongest soldiers to Soka… in which he will continuously poke at the troll stronghold" he said and moved the white piece with his slender hands.

  Before anyone could react, Caesar continued, "Soka, if any of them are captured, kill them. And if you are captured, kill yourself. I want you to constantly sabotage their devices, I don't need you to do a lot of damage, but I want you to become an eye sore. Anger them, make them impatient. And the moment they leave their walls and advance, inform me immediately," Caesar explained and didn't give the others any chance to refute him.

  Soka hesitated for a moment. He wasn't someone who would willingly give his life for someone else… he was innately selfish. However, disobeying would either mean death or dishonor, and his pride wouldn't allow that.

  "Yes, Lord!" Soka replied with determination and stepped out of the tent to prepare himself.

  After he left, Caesar sat back down, "our supplies are running dry, and we must finish this war soon… the longer we wait, the bigger the disadvantage we hold. Thus, if my assumption is correct, we will attack tomorrow night. It depends on how patient the troll king is," Caesar said lightly and leaned back in his chair. The troll king's next actions determined whether or not the fox-kin would win or lose.

  ***

  At the troll stronghold, an abnormally robust troll was currently shaking with rage atop his throne. His usually green skin was a deep shade of red, and his entire body radiated a colossal amount of killing intent. A few guards and advisors were at his feet, shaking fearfully.

  "M-my king, it is not your fault, we must get revenge for your so-" one of the advisors was interrupted by a loud bang. The troll king slammed the armrest in anger and kicked the advisor at one of the pillars, crushing him like a bug in the process.

  "I am Zul'thar, the rightful king of the mighty trolls, and those ants dared to destroy my lineage?" his roar echoed throughout the palace, and his rage was clearly evident. Not only was his son killed, but he was humiliated in front of his entire clan.

  This hurt not only his son's reputation, but also his own. Intense rage enveloped Zul'thar, and the throne seemed to creak with every heavy breath.

  "W-what do you suppose we do?" one of the advisors asked, hesitantly.

  His words caused Zul'thar to sit back in his chair and contemplate for a few moments, "we'll wait for a day if there are no apologies or offerings. Then I will personally see to it that Musashi's lineage, and clan, go extinct" He said through clenched teeth and waved the group of trolls out of his palace.

  "PREPARE OUR ARMY FOR WAR" he roared at the departing figures, his current rage was overwhelming, and any logical thought had long disappeared. As such, they were currently moving exactly as Caesar wanted.

  Once they left the room, Zul'thar suddenly remembered about the woman who had lied to him and his son. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth as he stood up, "if it weren't for that damnable woman, my son wouldn't have died," he grumbled and started walking through a long corridor.

  CHAPTER FOURTY-SIX

  The next morning, Caesar was abruptly awoken by the loud chirping and heavy grunting coming from outside. He pushed the covers off of his bed and stood up while lazily stretching and yawning. He wasn't used to sleeping alone. Thus, he didn't sleep very well last night.

  He worried about whether or not the citizens were being evacuated properly; however, since Musashi was still present, he figured everything went smoothly. As such, Caesar dressed without too much concern. He adorned a relatively everyday military outfit. It had a long-sleeved jacket, loose black pants, black boots, white gloves, and a brown belt. He then stashed the silver crown in his storage ring because he didn't want to look too conspicuous.

  Once he finished tidying up, Caesar pushed aside the cloth drapes blocking the entrance to his tent and walked outside. The blazing sun illuminated his face and slightly irritated his eyes and pale skin. Thus, he blocked the sun with his hand and walked over to where the soldiers were currently eating.

  It wasn't very often that they were allowed to enjoy a full meal; they were stuffing their faces with some gruel. Pieces of meat and vegetables were mixed in, and it would appear a few hunters had killed some animals for breakfast.

  Caesar didn't have much of an appetite, so he simply surreptitiously walked towards the furthermost table and waited until the warriors were done eating. Although he couldn't train the warriors stationed
at point B, he would certainly make sure the warriors at point A were capable of using human tactics during the war.

  His flashy appearance caught the eye of many. However, no one was brave enough to sit and eat beside him. He was very respected, and their current leader, as such, it was not their place to be around him. He belonged to an entirely different level. Somewhere they were not able to reach at the moment.

  Fortunately, the awkward breakfast soon passed, and the many warriors lined up at attention. The clan heads were present and stood in front of their respective armies, awaiting Caesar's commands.

  Seeing this, Caesar didn't hesitate to clear his throat and pace in front of the large army, "you are the prided army of the fox-kin, and have fought in many battles. However, you fight disorderly, similar to animals. I'm going to teach you how to fight with better efficiency," Caesar said with a smile and used his mana to slightly amplify the sound of his voice so that all of those present were capable of hearing him.