"The decision was approved as you desired. Power can be granted, but what sort of power do you ask?" the human elder asked after a moment of silence between us all. Taking in the question, I replied without hesitation.
"A faction of my own," I said.
My words only brought a mild surprise to them all as the five elders nodded their heads, likely having anticipated this. The formation of a faction within the war council was applicable only to the highest-ranking elders who had achieved great things for the world.
After reaching the pinnacle of their position within the war council, they would be granted the ability to form a faction, allowing them to pass on their legacy and way of thinking to future generations. In fact, it had been a long time since a new faction had been formed.
"Are you sure this is the reward you want? Forming a faction has many implications," the human elder asked in an amiable tone. The pressure emanating from them had significantly eased after my request, as forming a faction was considered the least dangerous option I could choose.
With the one wish under my command, I could have asked for much more from the war council, things that might have jeopardized them. But the formation of a faction served their interests. While it bent their rules, it also placed the war council in a secure position. Having my faction didn't mean I would have followers from the war council.
From their perspective, everything was favorable. A monster of genius like me would now be a part of the war council, allowing them to keep a closer eye on me. Moreover, they could control me to some extent by controlling my faction. My choice opened up several new paths for them.
As I focused, I could see subtle expressions of happiness flash across the faces of the five elders. Undoubtedly, they were forming numerous plans. The best part was that all their animosity towards me and DarkNight had disappeared. Instead, they showed appreciation and recognition.
This was another one of my goals. By creating chaos and then graciously saving them, I aimed to completely reverse their opinion of us. Now, the higher-ups of the war council would be more appreciative and supportive of us.
Of course, the younger generations might still be upset, but that was nothing a good old beating couldn't solve. The remaining problem lay with the other factions whose plans had been disrupted by me. However, it wasn't much of a problem as I had my own ways to deal with it. In fact, this would be a great opportunity for DarkNight to rise even higher.
"You do know the implications of leading a faction, right?" the dwarven elder woman spoke, her tone a bit rough, but care for the younger generations still evident in her voice.
"And there it is, the change...' I thought to myself, concealing my expression as I nodded at her words.
"I am aware of all that, but I'm sure there are hidden conditions that exist," I replied, causing the five elders to subtly nod their heads.
"Leaving aside the level of strength you need, you lack the qualifications and the rest, which can be overridden with the wish you hold, but there are other things to be dealt with," the lion beastmen elder spoke, capturing my attention. The small scars on his face gave him a more authoritative appearance.
"And what are they?" I asked.
"Authority, responsibilities, and lastly, ability. These three are paramount to having control over a faction," the beastmen elder spoke with a powerful tone, and the demon elder nodded in agreement.
"Elder Yafex is right. Leading a faction means that a part of world protection will fall into your hands. You will need more authority and power to move forward. Moreover, the faction will be yours, and nothing 'outside' can interfere," the demon elder added, looking at Ralph. The implications of his words were clear in the room. I nodded, acknowledging that they didn't want the power of DarkNight to be brought into my faction. Then, my gaze turned to the elven woman, who began to speak.
"All this we spoke of are just the small details; even larger ones lay ahead, among the top being the pressure you will have to face. After all, change isn't easy. Hence, knowing all this, do you still want this to be your wish?"
Hearing her say this, I could see the surprise on the other elders' faces. This time, it was too hard to ignore. I smiled at her kind words, now absolutely sure of what she had tried to do to me. Instead of answering her question, I took out five documents with the same information and passed them to the five elders, saying, "Thank you for all your words, but I am sure that all the problems you speak of will disappear once you read this file."
Upon hearing my words, all five of them started to read through the documents. Their calm expressions at first soon turned into surprise as they kept reading. Within a few seconds, the large file was read by everyone, and the information was processed. Their highly developed brains helped them easily process the information and quickly arrive at the result of what's written in the file.
"Marvelous idea," the human elder spoke, nodding his head in appreciation. A glimmer of satisfaction flashed through his eyes as he spoke. "This could work. Looks like you didn't do this spur of the moment; it was all planned... huh?"
"A devious ploy that took the whole war council as your playground. I love it. How about you meet my great-granddaughter?" the demon elder said, licking his lips as he looked at me. My body flinched as my mind replayed the scene of what happened at the Church of Life. Just remembering it made my skin crawl.
'Maybe I should start to stay away from the elder folks'
"I will be honest. I did plan all this, but the part about being late wasn't in my plans. I planned to just annoy the younger geniuses until a battle takes place. The reason we are late is purely due to another issue I faced, and I am sincerely sorry for it," I said, giving them a small bow, thus raising their opinion of me. First, I took a step back, made a great plan, and even openly accepted my faults and ideals, cementing my perfect image in front of the five elders. Now, I had a good handle on them.
"While I too am impressed, can you tell me what your end goal is?" the elven elder asked me, to which my expression turned serious with a desire-filled smile.
"My goal is the same as everyone's: to reach the peak of life, to have power, and prestige under my hands, to live a fulfilled life, nothing more and nothing less," I replied with fierce determination. My words brought a pause to the world before the demon elder burst out laughing, his aura of power filling up the entire room. His two four horns above his head seemed to grow larger, while his red eyes gleamed with fervor.
"Hahahaha... indeed, if you are a man, you should always strive to reach the top. I am indeed liking you more and more," he said. As he spoke, the other elders used their aura to suppress his aura. Looking sideways, I could see Ralph clutching onto his chair for dear life. Even I was feeling considerable pressure in the room.
"Your plan will work, but we will need some time before we can implement it," the dwarven elder woman spoke, to which I nodded my head.
"Sure, take your time," I said. Just as I did, the five elders stood up from their seats, with the demon elder still looking at me like a very perfect great son-in-law.
"Good, then shall we meet again..." the human elder said before disappearing from where he stood along with the rest, leaving me and a very tired Ralph. I turned towards him as he spoke to me in a tired voice.
"Fuck... you... and your... plans..." he said, closing his eyes. I smiled, feeling a bit bad for him. 'Guess I gotta make it up...' Thinking so, I closed my eyes to rest. While everything looked fine, I was still worried that things wouldn't go according to what I had planned. Thankfully, things went well. Now, all that is left is to start implementing the rest of my plans. 'Sigh... it's a long way there...'
