Chapter 393: Captain Barbarian (3)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 393: Captain Barbarian (3)

Tap.

I sat back down once I finished saying everything I had to say, and a moment of silence fell over the banquet hall. This was only natural. The intention of this gathering was for us to convince others that we were good leaders. It was obvious how my statement was received.

"Do you mean to say you are stronger than us?" The question came from the noble knight, whose displeasure was clearly visible from the way his jaw clenched.

I smirked. "You understood me correctly." I decided there was no need to deny it. It wasn't like I said anything wrong.

Despite my bold answer, the table was surprisingly quiet. The knight seemed to want to fire back at me but held back for the sake of the marquess beside him.

Slide.

I glanced at the marquess and we met eyes. Surprisingly, the marquess was looking at me with amusement instead of disgust at my actions.

Hmm, I wonder how the others are feeling.

When I took a look around, I saw different emotions in the eyes that were on me.

"I hope you have at least half as much skill as you do arrogance. Skilled subordinates are always welcome." The noble knight's eyes radiated hostility born of offense.

"Haha, men of that age are all like that. I rather like it because it's manly." Contrary to her friendly tone, the look in the dwarf woman's eyes suggested that she found me pitiful.

"Riehen Schuitz... I've heard of you. I've heard people say you're the Blood Spirit's man?" The deputy commander of the Sawtooth Clan, meanwhile, had eyes that seemed intent on picking me apart, a deep curiosity in his gaze.

As for Jun, the paladin of Heindel Church, he looked at me with eyes that were surprisingly barren of all emotion.

What, I'm not even worth worrying about?

I couldn't be sure but the attention on me scattered and everyone began to study each other. Now that the introductions were over, it was time to make a call. Who would be the biggest obstacle in my path to becoming a leader?

"This is meant to be a happy event but things seem to have gotten tense. Since everyone has introduced themselves, let's eat." The marquess stepped forward at that moment to lift the mood and everyone started to eat and chat. Of course, things didn't get much friendlier.

"One of us will be in the position to lead us all. As I'm sure you all know, it is a position of great responsibility."

The position required you to take responsibility for the lives of thirty people. However, everyone here also knew that as soon as you took up that mantle, you'd see great rewards. As for me, the marquess already promised a lot of support.

"So, what is it that you want to say, Sir Kaislan? That we don't deserve it?" The dwarf lady spoke calmly, making it clear she had no intention of giving up the position.

"Ahem, I just wanted to make sure you all really understand what that means," the knight said, looking almost disgruntled by her refusal. It seemed he regarded her as his biggest competitor.

Not missing this opening, the deputy commander took the opportunity to subtly talk up his career. "Haha, I think I know what you mean. I was also weighed down by countless responsibilities and obligations as I climbed the ranks to my current position."

Wow, what kind of battle of wills is this?

"Let me ask this bluntly and get this out of the way. Sir Jun, are you after this position as well?"

"There is nothing as fleeting as human emotions. Everything will happen as God wills it." In a way, that sounded like he was taking up the position of a bystander in all this. The knight's expression brightened—right until the paladin continued. "But it seems that among everyone here, I am the one who is most aligned with God's will." That was a wordy way to say he would also be participating in this competition.

Perhaps because he knew the three churches were backing up the paladin, the knight looked even more concerned. It seemed he saw the paladin as a major player as well. "I see."

What the—why aren't you asking me? Jeez, hurting my feelings.

Once the battle of wills to feel each other out came to an end, the knight gave a firm, determined nod and resumed control of the conversation. "There are many who want it, but only one seat. In the end, we will have to decide which one of us is most qualified."

"Oh, that sounds like you have thoughts on how we should choose."

"First, why don't we talk about what we each believe makes an ideal commander?" Put simply, he wanted us to learn more about each other's personalities.

"All right. We can do that." The dwarf lady readily agreed to the knight's suggestion. The paladin and I didn't object either, and the process went smoothly.

"Since I was the one to bring it up, I will go first." As always, the first one to speak was the knight, who liked to take initiative. Like the soldier he was, he loudly declared, "A group cannot live up to its true potential if it cannot work as one. I believe the most important quality for a commander is leadership."

"That's too abstract. What exactly do you think leadership means?"

"It is the power to create and maintain discipline. From there, you create control. A perfectly controlled unit has no issues working toward a goal."

I could already picture this guy as the leader, rigidly micromanaging every little thing to create a group without any individuality. The knight went on to give a long, passionate speech about what kind of team he wanted to create and what his strengths were.

"That's it."

As soon as the knight's turn was over, the dwarf lady took the floor. "Thank you for your explanation. I'll go next."

Unlike the knight's speech, which was all very predictable, I was quite interested in what this woman had to say. She was a top adventurer, after all. I wondered what someone like her would place the most value on.

"Since the olden days, problems inside the labyrinth were solved by adventurers. Historically speaking, military intervention like the kind we see today was extremely rare. How come?"

"That's because the palace respects the ways of adventurers."

"That may also be the case, but I believe the real reason was because the palace saw it as the most effective solution. Anything can happen in the labyrinth. They needed talent that could deal with all kinds of situations, and that talent was the city's adventurers. Mobilizing hundreds and thousands of troops inside the labyrinth is too much of a logistical challenge in the first place."

"So, Akurava, are you saying the ideal commander is an adventurer?"

"That's not what I mean. I'm just saying that if we need someone to lead inside the labyrinth, that person needs to have abundant knowledge of and experience in the labyrinth, and the ability to make proactive decisions."

Many of the qualities the dwarf lady listed were ones I could accept. To be honest, I thought it would be much safer to work under this woman than that knight bastard. Her statement wasn't without issue, though.

"There is nothing as fleeting as human emotions. Everything will happen as God wills it." In a way, that sounded like he was taking up the position of a bystander in all this. The knight's expression brightened—right until the paladin continued. "But it seems that among everyone here, I am the one who is most aligned with God's will." That was a wordy way to say he would also be participating in this competition.

Perhaps because he knew the three churches were backing up the paladin, the knight looked even more concerned. It seemed he saw the paladin as a major player as well. "I see."

What the—why aren't you asking me? Jeez, hurting my feelings.

Once the battle of wills to feel each other out came to an end, the knight gave a firm, determined nod and resumed control of the conversation. "There are many who want it, but only one seat. In the end, we will have to decide which one of us is most qualified."

"Oh, that sounds like you have thoughts on how we should choose."

"First, why don't we talk about what we each believe makes an ideal commander?" Put simply, he wanted us to learn more about each other's personalities.

"All right. We can do that." The dwarf lady readily agreed to the knight's suggestion. The paladin and I didn't object either, and the process went smoothly.

"Since I was the one to bring it up, I will go first." As always, the first one to speak was the knight, who liked to take initiative. Like the soldier he was, he loudly declared, "A group cannot live up to its true potential if it cannot work as one. I believe the most important quality for a commander is leadership."

"That's too abstract. What exactly do you think leadership means?"

"It is the power to create and maintain discipline. From there, you create control. A perfectly controlled unit has no issues working toward a goal."

I could already picture this guy as the leader, rigidly micromanaging every little thing to create a group without any individuality. The knight went on to give a long, passionate speech about what kind of team he wanted to create and what his strengths were.

"That's it."

As soon as the knight's turn was over, the dwarf lady took the floor. "Thank you for your explanation. I'll go next."

Unlike the knight's speech, which was all very predictable, I was quite interested in what this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠woman had to say. She was a top adventurer, after all. I wondered what someone like her would place the most value on.

"Since the olden days, problems inside the labyrinth were solved by adventurers. Historically speaking, military intervention like the kind we see today was extremely rare. How come?"

"That's because the palace respects the ways of adventurers."

"That may also be the case, but I believe the real reason was because the palace saw it as the most effective solution. Anything can happen in the labyrinth. They needed talent that could deal with all kinds of situations, and that talent was the city's adventurers. Mobilizing hundreds and thousands of troops inside the labyrinth is too much of a logistical challenge in the first place."

"So, Akurava, are you saying the ideal commander is an adventurer?"

"That's not what I mean. I'm just saying that if we need someone to lead inside the labyrinth, that person needs to have abundant knowledge of and experience in the labyrinth, and the ability to make proactive decisions."

Many of the qualities the dwarf lady listed were ones I could accept. To be honest, I thought it would be much safer to work under this woman than that knight bastard. Her statement wasn't without issue, though.

"Excuse me, but Ms. Akurava, you don't have experience leading others, do you?" She frowned at the deputy commander's words. I guessed she never expected someone who showed her respect to throw her under the bus like this. But even as she glared at him, the deputy commander finished his thought. "I'm sure someone else was in charge of leading your old team."

"...I have experience leading a team before that."

"I see. But leading a party and leading thirty people are two different things."

Wow, this guy has no brakes, either. Well, it'd be weird to worry about the morality of questioning seniority in a business setting like this.

"Anyway, I'm done speaking. I guess you can go next, Mr. Calla."

"Well, if you insist." The value Calla embodied by belittling the dwarf woman was this. "No matter what, the most important thing to a commander is information. You said so yourself, Ms. Akurava: the commander has to be able to respond proactively to any situation."

"Yes, and?"

"With prior intel, it's possible to avoid being in those situations altogether. And even if you find yourself in a crisis, your options only grow the more information you have."

It seemed the deputy commander's main goal here was to keep her in check because he kept staring at the dwarf lady as he spoke. Did that agitate her?

"You're certainly not wrong. That is, if you have that much access to information," the dwarf lady responded, sounding more irritable than usual.

The deputy commander immediately opened his mouth like he'd been hoping she'd react like that. "The Alminus Company and Adventurers' Guild are behind me. Of course, I won't be able to know about everything going on with perfect accuracy, but... It seems my finger is the closest to the pulse out of everyone in this room."

The dwarf lady wasn't able to say anything to that. If the Alminus Company and Adventurers' Guild were backing him, he'd be able to collect more information than even the palace when it came to the labyrinth, though he may be at a slight disadvantage in terms of top-secret information.

"That's it for me. Who would like to go next?"

"I will," said Jun the paladin from beside the deputy commander. He then launched into a long speech like a priest preaching to his congregation. "Everything starts with faith, and that is no different for a commander. Strong faith and trust create a courage that will not give in to any evil..."

Wow, this guy actually talks a lot.

"The world is full of trials. Some overcome them, while others get frustrated and lose faith. But did you know?" Unlike before, his eyes were full of passion. I got the impression earlier that he was a stone-cold guy. "Those who overcome those trials are always those who have kept their faith. Only faith can bring strangers together, and only that united faith can get us through trials."

Whew, but repeating the same thing over and over again has to get monotonous...

Yawn...

When I let out an involuntary yawn, the paladin pursed his lips and glared at me. "It seems my talk of faith is boring you."

What, you thought it wouldn't?

When I shot him a What did you expect? look, the paladin furrowed his brow. "Then why don't you speak now?"

When the paladin tried to pass the baton to me, the person next to me perked up. "Yes, that would be a good idea."

"Yes. I'm curious."

I guessed the others were bored with the faith lecture too.

"Riehen Schuitz, what kind of person do you think the commander has to be?" the deputy commander asked me. There was a subtle undertone to his voice, like he was addressing a citizen who might be swayed to vote for him in the future, rather than a fellow nominee. And he wasn't the only one.

"Earlier, it sounded like you want a commander who can lead firmly." The knight subtly promoted himself.

When the knight stepped forward, the dwarf lady also jumped in. "A soldier might want that, sure. But an adventurer would know how important the things I mentioned are."

It was ridiculous to the point of hilarity. Why were they expecting me to agree with them? I made myself clear earlier.

"...Why are you laughing?"

That was obvious. "It's just funny that you're all wasting time trying to debate who the best fit is. Who are you guys trying to persuade in the first place?" While the others had been giving their passionate speeches, I ate my meal intently and was now licking the sauce off my fingers. "When the winner can just take the seat." I set down my cup after chugging down its contents.

Boom.

The hefty bang echoed through the banquet hall, but no one flinched.

"Ha... I knew he would be like this."

"Then I guess what you're looking for, Mr. Schuitz, is power."

They gave me looks that seemed to suggest they saw me as somewhat pathetic. Either they didn't know how to read people, or they just lacked imagination.

"Now I see you were just a fool believing in your own petty abilities. Do you think you can convince us like that?"

"Yeah."

"Traditionally, leadership cannot be achieved by strength alone and—what?"

"Why can't I convince you?" Now that I was full, I was in the perfect condition to get some exercise. "Stop running your mouth and fight me."

When I jumped up from my chair, the knight at the other end of my gaze was taken aback. He seemed to be wondering whether this was allowed in front of the marquess.

I guessed he had decided to entrust this task to me, though, because the marquess completely took my side. "I have no intention of interfering with whatever method you all choose."

I shrugged. "So he says."

The dwarf lady responded to my blasé attitude in a sharp tone. "Even if you fight him and win, we won't accept you as the leader. If someone who only knows how to pick fights ends up in that position—"

What was this woman saying? "What, would you have accepted me if I said something else?" This was the fundamental reason why I said that what these guys were doing earlier was a waste of time. I looked at each one of them in turn and said, "Firm control. Experience and good judgment. An extensive ability to gather information. And trust." These were the qualities of a commander they mentioned. "Yeah, these things aren't bad."

And I genuinely meant that, but there was a very serious problem here.

"The fact is, though, we can talk about this all day, but who here will actually accept someone else as the leader?"

There was no way everyone could get what they wanted here by reaching an agreement, especially if what they were trying to sell were fanciful buzzwords like that.

"Are you saying you're different, then?"

"Yeah." Power was different. "So, fight me."

"Don't be foolish. Even if you defeat him—"

"Who said I meant just him?"

They wouldn't accept me—I knew that much. But life as a barbarian had taught me that if you ever faced a situation where power alone wasn't enough to get the other party to bend to your will, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that was only because you lacked the power needed to pull it off.

"All of you." Looking out at the three men and women who seemed to be struggling to keep up with my logic, I grinned. "All of you, attack me at once."

If we were talking power, there wasn't a single wizard among them.

"Excuse me, but Ms. Akurava, you don't have experience leading others, do you?" She frowned at the deputy commander's words. I guessed she never expected someone who showed her respect to throw her under the bus like this. But even as she glared at him, the deputy commander finished his thought. "I'm sure someone else was in charge of leading your old team."

"...I have experience leading a team before that."

"I see. But leading a party and leading thirty people are two different things."

Wow, this guy has no brakes, either. Well, it'd be weird to worry about the morality of questioning seniority in a business setting like this.

"Anyway, I'm done speaking. I guess you can go next, Mr. Calla."

"Well, if you insist." The value Calla embodied by belittling the dwarf woman was this. "No matter what, the most important thing to a commander is information. You said so yourself, Ms. Akurava: the commander has to be able to respond proactively to any situation."

"Yes, and?"

"With prior intel, it's possible to avoid being in those situations altogether. And even if you find yourself in a crisis, your options only grow the more information you have."

It seemed the deputy commander's main goal here was to keep her in check because he kept staring at the dwarf lady as he spoke. Did that agitate her?

"You're certainly not wrong. That is, if you have that much access to information," the dwarf lady responded, sounding more irritable than usual.

The deputy commander immediately opened his mouth like he'd been hoping she'd react like that. "The Alminus Company and Adventurers' Guild are behind me. Of course, I won't be able to know about everything going on with perfect accuracy, but... It seems my finger is the closest to the pulse out of everyone in this room."

The dwarf lady wasn't able to say anything to that. If the Alminus Company and Adventurers' Guild were backing him, he'd be able to collect more information than even the palace when it came to the labyrinth, though he may be at a slight disadvantage in terms of top-secret information.

"That's it for me. Who would like to go next?"

"I will," said Jun the paladin from beside the deputy commander. He then launched into a long speech like a priest preaching to his congregation. "Everything starts with faith, and that is no different for a commander. Strong faith and trust create a courage that will not give in to any evil..."

Wow, this guy actually talks a lot.

"The world is full of trials. Some overcome them, while others get frustrated and lose faith. But did you know?" Unlike before, his eyes were full of passion. I got the impression earlier that he was a stone-cold guy. "Those who overcome those trials are always those who have kept their faith. Only faith can bring strangers together, and only that united faith can get us through trials."

Whew, but repeating the same thing over and over again has to get monotonous...

Yawn...

When I let out an involuntary yawn, the paladin pursed his lips and glared at me. "It seems my talk of faith is boring you."

What, you thought it wouldn't?

When I shot him a What did you expect? look, the paladin furrowed his brow. "Then why don't you speak now?"

When the paladin tried to pass the baton to me, the person next to me perked up. "Yes, that would be a good idea."

"Yes. I'm curious."

I guessed the others were bored with the faith lecture too.

"Riehen Schuitz, what kind of person do you think the commander has to be?" the deputy commander asked me. There was a subtle undertone to his voice, like he was addressing a citizen who might be swayed to vote for him in the future, rather than a fellow nominee. And he wasn't the only one.

"Earlier, it sounded like you want a commander who can lead firmly." The knight subtly promoted himself.

When ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the knight stepped forward, the dwarf lady also jumped in. "A soldier might want that, sure. But an adventurer would know how important the things I mentioned are."

It was ridiculous to the point of hilarity. Why were they expecting me to agree with them? I made myself clear earlier.

"...Why are you laughing?"

That was obvious. "It's just funny that you're all wasting time trying to debate who the best fit is. Who are you guys trying to persuade in the first place?" While the others had been giving their passionate speeches, I ate my meal intently and was now licking the sauce off my fingers. "When the winner can just take the seat." I set down my cup after chugging down its contents.

Boom.

The hefty bang echoed through the banquet hall, but no one flinched.

"Ha... I knew he would be like this."

"Then I guess what you're looking for, Mr. Schuitz, is power."

They gave me looks that seemed to suggest they saw me as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠somewhat pathetic. Either they didn't know how to read people, or they just lacked imagination.

"Now I see you were just a fool believing in your own petty abilities. Do you think you can convince us like that?"

"Yeah."

"Traditionally, leadership cannot be achieved by strength alone and—what?"

"Why can't I convince you?" Now that I was full, I was in the perfect condition to get some exercise. "Stop running your mouth and fight me."

When I jumped up from my chair, the knight at the other end of my gaze was taken aback. He seemed to be wondering whether this was allowed in front of the marquess.

I guessed he had decided to entrust this task to me, though, because the marquess completely took my side. "I have no intention of interfering with whatever method you all choose."

I shrugged. "So he says."

The dwarf lady responded to my blasé attitude in a sharp tone. "Even if you fight him and win, we won't accept you as the leader. If someone who only knows how to pick fights ends up in that position—"

What was this woman saying? "What, would you have accepted me if I said something else?" This was the fundamental reason why I said that what these guys were doing earlier was a waste of time. I looked at each one of them in turn and said, "Firm control. Experience and good judgment. An extensive ability to gather information. And trust." These were the qualities of a commander they mentioned. "Yeah, these things aren't bad."

And I genuinely meant that, but there was a very serious problem here.

"The fact is, though, we can talk about this all day, but who here will actually accept someone else as the leader?"

There was no way everyone could get what they wanted here by reaching an agreement, especially if what they were trying to sell were fanciful buzzwords like that.

"Are you saying you're different, then?"

"Yeah." Power was different. "So, fight me."

"Don't be foolish. Even if you defeat him—"

"Who said I meant just him?"

They wouldn't accept me—I knew that much. But life as a barbarian had taught me that if you ever faced a situation where power alone wasn't enough to get the other party to bend to your will, that was only because you lacked the power needed to pull it off.

"All of you." Looking out at the three men and women who seemed to be struggling to keep up with my logic, I grinned. "All of you, attack me at once."

If we were talking power, there wasn't a single wizard among them.