Riches and Bitches: I have a gate to an isekai and leveling-up system!

Chapter 307: Between authority and competence

"And with that, let's end this discussion. We will send someone over by the morning with the list but until then, we've talked enough."

In the end, Makary managed to end the call somewhat gracefully, retaining the ambiance of initiative on our side.

"We will await your delegation then. We will also try to locate Claudy. You wouldn't believe how crafty he can get when he doesn't want to work."

The walkie-talkie in my hand vibrated, announcing the end of the call.

And all at once, everyone at the table breathed out a long sigh.

"That kind of talk is surprisingly heavy on one's soul, isn't it?" the officer on Makary's left muttered while falling deeper into his chair.

"I'm freaking exhausted…" the other officer followed with a statement in a similar fashion. The difference was, rather than falling into his chair, he leaned over the desk and rested his forehead against his cupped hands.

"We are nowhere near done, though?" Makary came in last, with a viciously sweet voice.

Even without my augmented senses, I could see both of the officers freezing on the spot.

For a second, the distantly familiar cold glint in Makary's eye appeared in its spot once more.

"If you want to take a break, now it's the time," Makary raised his eyes and looked directly at my face, catching me observing his interaction with his men with quite an interest. "Once you are back, we need to discuss all the… statements that you made, don't we?"

A cold chill moved down my spine.

"So you need to discuss stuff that you do not wish me to hear?"

Suddenly annoyed by Makary's way of dismissing me, I decided to make a small stand against him.

Nothing too major, nothing that could threaten our beneficial cooperation… But something that would remind him that neither one of us was really in charge.

'Why am I even so set on keeping this point up?' I questioned myself while Makary gave me a long, lazy look.

"I was about to discuss the provisioning of our troops, the means we need to use to gather supplies, what should we prioritize to maintain that many men, and how to supervise them properly," the man listed out. He then stood up from his chair and reached out, pointing his hand at one of the many empty seats placed all around the table where we gathered.

"If you wish, you are more than welcome to stay, but I hoped you could get all your thoughts in order before we move on to discuss actually important manners."

I squinted my eyes.

"Is this what we are supposed to do now? Sit around the table and discuss?" I expressed my displeasure with the direction in which things were starting to develop. "Isn't this time to take action instead? Don't we have a lot to do?"

I've long since grown used to taking quick peeks at Makary's face whenever talking with him, searching for the tiniest clues that could hint me in of what he thought. A habit I developed likely out of merely a sense of challenge, given how hard it was to see anything on that man's expression, even with all my raised senses.

But when Makary gave me a look of outright disappointment…

It stung, stung a lot more than I could ever expect a single look could.

"This is how we go around doing our job," Makary spoke while sitting up straight in his chair and leaning over the table for a bit. "To go around and do stuff is the task for the rank and file. We are here to tell them what they are to do, not to do it with them."

Pressured by the stern look on the man's face, I gritted my teeth… And steeled my resolve not to give ground that easily.

"Sounds awfully convenient. Why does it strike me as something that someone who doesn't recognize a difference between a boss and a leader would say?"

"Careful, boy," the officer on Makary's left rose up in his chair a bit.

"It's fine," Makary quickly raised his hand and sat his officer back down. "He is still young," he stated, turning his eyes over and giving me a piercing look. "Isn't it the job of an adult to help the young ones learn?"

Makary leaned back in his chair, relaxing a bit as he took a long breath.

"In life, and especially in the military, the range of your duties is strictly determined by your rank. A soldier is to follow the orders. A tactician is to interpret the orders while a strategist is to give the orders. The general, though, doesn't even give orders. He sets up the entire doctrine that the strategies follow, tacticians interpret and soldiers interpret."

Makary's voice was steady, as monotone as if he was giving a lecture from the elevation of a university cathedral, not speaking out his opinion while sitting at a round table, out in the open of one of the many clearings within the forest.

"The names for those roles have changed many times. From warriors to companions, knights, men-at-arms, and all the way to soldiers. From noble leaders to tacticians, centurions, and the field officers of today. From the princes through strategists and all the way to the staff officers…"

Makary shook his head.

"The names have changed throughout the ages, but the roles and meaning hidden behind them did not. And since the conception of the military, there were those who acted, those who supervised those who acted, those who supervised the work, and those who decided on what job the unit as a whole will take on today."

Makary raised up from his chair and grabbed the edge of the desk, making it seem as if he was about to flip it over.

But no, rather than that, he simply leaned over it and gave me an intense stare.

"Where do you think you stand in this simplified structure?"

Makary didn't raise his voice. He didn't give me any dangerous or threatening looks either.

He simply posed the question with all the intensity of his character… Oh, and brought up the issue that I was jumping around out in the open.

I squinted my eyes and took a slight breath.

Confronting Makary like that… was taking a great toll on my mental state. It felt like…

'Like going against a father?'

My entire body tensed up.

The atmosphere at the table quickly deteriorated with Fay tensing up which, in turn, made Madamrisee up. Following that, both of Makary's officers lowered their hands, hiding them under the table while making sure not to make any rapid movements.

And for a second, the dissonance between what caused me to stumble for a breath and what made everyone else tense up…

"I'm curious to hear what's your own answer to that question," I spoke out, using all of my willpower to stop my cheeks from blushing at the mere thought of comparing Makary to a fatherly figure I lacked in my life.

'Is this why I'm always seeking his approval? Is this why I take his words so seriously and struggle to go against him, even in the smallest of things?'

Whether or not Makary noticed my inner struggle… I couldn't tell. But there was no question Fay did, given the mixed look of worry, concern, and amusement she offered.

'Right, she didn't have a father either,' I thought, looking over to my girl, only to see her roll her eyes before sneaking her hand under the table to grasp mine and give it a light squeeze.

"And who was it that brought us to this world?"

Forcing my attention back to the tense issue at hand, Makary strong-armed me to bring my focus back to him.

"We are all here because of your request. In other words, you are the one who decides on the job. But I'm here to complete it. And to make that happen, I cannot waste my time doing stuff myself. That," Makary shook his head, "is simply not my job."

For a second, the tension persisted. But as everyone started to realize there was actually no point of conflict. Makary willingly conceded the role of supreme authority, after all, only claiming an actual, executive power.

"I…" For a slight moment, I hesitated.

Something deep inside of me pushed me to keep going, to refuse to conform to Makary's words.

But no matter how hard I tried… I simply couldn't find the right words to refute him. To keep my rebellious attitude going. And all those things that I could say… I somehow felt as if Makary could obliterate any of the points I would make anyway.

"And now that I've admitted you are the boss, are you done with your whining?" Makary switched the tone as quickly as a loving girlfriend would upon learning her rich boyfriend lost his great job. "You know, we actually have a lot to work on, so unless you are interested in the boring parts of making your desires and plans come true…"

I gritted my teeth and held my breath, tensing my entire body up.

'Keep it together, man!' I scolded myself as I struggled to keep my emotions reined in. 'If he is provoking me like that, then there's all the less reason to let his baits work!'

Struggling to keep a straight face, I simply looked up and stared down at Makary's face… Only to then turn my eyes towards Madam.

"Well, you've got a point here," I admitted, looking away from the man and towards Fay's mother instead. "In that case, why don't we use this time to have a talk?" I suggested while leaning my head over my shoulder. "There's a whole lot of things I wish for you to explain."