Darius stretched his hands out in a 'why' gesture. "Yet for some reason, from what you've told me, you've unnecessarily burdened yourself with all these extra tasks. It shouldn't be your job to reign in or control these various factions because both you and I know the circumstances and reality do not allow for that."
"This isn't a matter of personal power, even the mighty Kubrick would only be in a slightly better position than you. It also isn't a matter of faction power, as being part of the Royal Faction does not intimidate them."
"My Lord Seneschal, this has and always will be purely a matter of benefits. This is the only way to speak to them if you wish to guide them in the right direction. None of these factions have come here to righteously kill the undead. The undead pose no threat to the Andrato Kingdom or the Fallon continent at this time nor have they done so for the last millennium."
"All of them have come here to satiate their greed and acquire items worth millions if used properly. As such, why should they care about other things? Like short-sighted fellows, or even like semi-sentient beasts, this place has become a jungle where it is every man for himself under the guise of 'one for all', when in truth it's 'all for one'."
Darius rubbed his chin with amusement. "In fact, that was pretty apt. 'Every man for himself' is the truth and something that makes more sense is that they have subtly added 'one man for us all'. That one man is you, Royal Seneschal."
"There is a council with various seats here, all of which have equal power, yet have any of them ever discussed the management style of the camp? Haven't they all been rather focused on proposing ways to clear the obstacle ahead in a way that minimizes their personal losses so the eventual siege on the real target will ultimately favor them?"
"Why can they do this? Or more importantly, what gives them the power to do so?"
Elijah sighed, his already aged face looking like it had gained an extra decade of wrinkles during this one discussion, which was turning out to be more of a listing of his mistakes. "Me, and my penchant for management."
Darius nodded. "It wasn't as you thought, Lord Seneschal. Not every leader of the encampment would be treated the way you were. In fact, you were specifically treated this way because of who you are."
"You have spent most of your life managing the royal castle's affairs, so it has become a habit of yours to stably manage the day-to-day business of a group in the absence of someone else. As such when you've taken over, you've focused more on making sure this camp runs smoothly, rather than leading them to solve the problem at hand while they autonomously manage their own issues, am I right?"
Elijah nodded weakly. "The more you speak, the more I understand. When I arrived, I was nominated for chairman because I was the strongest, and our first few meetings concerned how to push forward."
"But as I noticed that the camp was running inefficiently, with everyone trying to solve their own problems alone without accounting for the whole, I took it upon myself to manage everything. After that initial meeting, I reached out to the various priests as a group and agreed on a wage for them to clear the blight surrounding the entire camp."
"I then sent word to the capital requesting for supplies to be sent from there to Listo, then to Baratuo, then here. Then came the problem of logistics for it, so I summoned all Space element users and agreed with them to transport supplies for the entire camp at a set price."
"Everything went well until the next meeting. When I informed the various faction heads of the actions I'd taken, they applauded me for my foresight and thoughtfulness. In truth, my intuition warned me about their wide smiles and the strange glints they had in their eyes for my proactivity."
"It wasn't until I suggested they all paid up fair dues that the room had suddenly become silent, and all of them had stared at me with strange expressions. It was only then that I realized I had blundered somewhere, but not exactly where or how."
"Their reactions later confirmed it as they all made half-hearted excuses and arguments, shoving the responsibility onto my shoulders. When I tried to step down or cancel these responsibilities, they would hem and haw, claiming it was for the unity of the camp and that chaos could ensue if things were not handled by a true expert."
"I too could not leave because the Queen had sent me here on a mission, to control these factions and find a way to come out on top. Clearly, I've gone about it the wrong way and have trapped myself in a corner up until now." Elijah recounted with a bitter smile.
Darius was certain that if the older man had a bottle of alcohol before him, he would have chugged it all down at once. He shook his head and lamented for the poor man who had been taken advantage of.
This was why people always warned about the danger of habits. Once one had performed a role or developed a certain habit for long enough, any situation or circumstance with similar issues could trigger a subconscious relapse into that habit.
For example, at a reunion of old high school friends.
During the hangout of those boys turned family men, one of their children comes over to their table and acts petulant or causes trouble by being mischievous, yet before the actual parent can say anything, that one friend who has worked as a teacher in a military-esque school or disciplinary institute for juvenile criminals gets up and smacks the child before berating them sternly.
His action would be something he does on a daily in his job and always ends up fine, so he slips into that habit given the circumstances. But once he pauses, he would notice the silence all around him, eventually understanding that he had overstepped his boundaries.
The best case scenario would be his friend letting matters go with some mild dissatisfaction. The worst-case could be complete ostracization from the group, as well as the hatred of the actual parent.
