The King of Steel (RWBY/ Ozpin SI): Chapter 4

The noise of the tight slap resounded across my office as my most trusted subordinate glared at me.

“Qrow! What the hell are you doing!”

“Don’t stop me, Glynda. He deserves it!!”

“But still-“

“Glynda, it’s alright. He is right. I do deserve it. But, before you judge me, all I ask is that you look at things from my perspective and tell me what else I could have done aside from this.”

“…Ozpin. Why are you telling us this now? if you did not trust us enough to share such a secret for all this time, why share it now?”

I could not ignore the bitterness in Ironwood’s words just like I could not ignore the anger in Glynda’s eyes and the hate in Qrow’s eyes.

It is precisely this reaction that made Ozma so afraid of sharing the secrets about himself and Salem along with her immortality with the rest of his inner circle.

But, I knew that I could not keep it a secret for longer lest I risk them turning on me when manipulated by an outside force that thought in the same way I did and decided to exploit this secret to drive a wedge in our forces.

By revealing the truth on my own terms, I can control the narrative and make sure that they remain loyal to me.

Or, at least try to maintain their loyalty.

If they decided that it was not worth it to follow me after knowing the truth today, that is fine as well.

I can just gather new allies that agree with my thoughts.

That is the advantage of being so early in the timeline and way before Salem makes any overt moves. I can gain or lose allies easily without much consequence in the big picture.

It felt wrong to look at my allies, and my closest friends, as mere pawns to be used. It made me feel sick and made me want to throw up. But this is not the time to let my emotions cloud my judgment.

This is not the time for David Thornton, the vulnerable orphan who cared greatly about his loved ones, to console his allies. No, this is the time for David Thornton, the man who climbed the social ladder of his community and enterprise through his sheer ruthlessness and cold logic.

I turned to face James’s image on the screen, his call running through encryption that was made by Dr. Polendina himself, making sure that Arthur Watts, the antagonist in the show that I read about in the wiki, could not hack into it.

“I am telling you all the truth because we cannot afford to be divided right now. And keeping such secrets will inevitably allow her to sow discord between us and make it harder for us to fight her effectively.”

“So, you only told us the truth because you are afraid that we will betray you when we inevitably learn the truth one way or another.”

“Correct. Qrow. I do not wish to lose my allies because of the secrets I kept from them. I will not lie to you, my thoughts for revealing this secret is purely pragmatic, and if it was possible, I wished to never reveal this knowledge to anyone.”

“YOU-!”

“Qrow! Enough.”

I watched Ironwood’s image intently, noticing the light leaving his eyes, showing that he had activated his semblance and was now suppressing all emotions.

“Frankly, I can see the logic in your actions Ozpin. However, it still does not justify the fact that you hid things from us and would have continued doing so if the circumstances had not forced your hand.”

“You are correct. And? What do you think?”

“….If you wish for me to continue being your ally, I need you to promise me something, Ozpin.”

“I am listening.”

“Promise me that you will not keep such important information from me ever again. Even if not in respect for our friendship, but for the sole reason of keeping me in the loop so that I can assist you in your plans.”

Hope bloomed in my heart at those words and I finally felt the heavy burden on my consciousness lift a little bit.

It is a good sign that he is still willing to see himself as a friend despite what I revealed. It means that I don’t need to face this world and the upcoming war alone.

A pleasant surprise indeed.

“That much, I can promise, James. I will not keep secrets from any of you anymore. Because I truly do wish to end this war as quickly as possible so that everyone can be rid of the curse placed on this world.”

“Then, you have my loyalty, just like you always did.”

I nodded at those words and turned to Glynda.

“I will follow you, like always. However, the next time you keep this kind of secret from us, I will personally make sure that you can never speak any lies from that silver tongue of yours.”

I chuckled at those words that reminded me of the time when she was just a teenager and I was her combat professor.

That fiery nature that was buried so deep beneath her strict persona only ever showed itself in the presence of her team and myself who she saw as a dear friend, and maybe even a surrogate father given her status as an Orphan.

However, I doubt she can maintain such a sentiment anymore given the revelations I have given her recently and her new status as the Summer Maider after Summer Rose’s death putting a lot of pressure on her.

I would not be surprised if she looked at me in the same way that everyone from my past life used to look at me.

After all, it would not be the first time that my ruthless and cold nature turned my loved ones into my most bitter enemies.

“Again, I promise to never hold such secrets from you three ever again. Qrow? What about you?”

“….I need time to think. And a drink. A lot of drinks”

“Alright. Take as much time as you need.”

“Before that, I have one question, Ozpin, and don’t you dare lie to me.”

His serious look made me sit up straight as I had an inkling of what he wanted to ask.

And I knew that he would not like the answer.

“Did Summer know? Did you tell her this truth before she-“

“No, Qrow. She did not. And I can only blame myself for that foolish mistake.”

“I always knew Mrs. Rose was headstrong and would go to any lengths to complete the mission and protect her family, but I never imagined that she would charge Salem’s castle as she did. If you wish to blame me for her death, so be it, because I truly do deserve part of the blame.”

I lowered my glasses and stared Qrow right in the eyes.

“However, I must ask you to keep a lid on your anger and hatred for now. Once we win, once Salem is truly gone, you can do whatever you want to me. If you want revenge and want to kill me for it, so be it. But, I ask you to help me deal with our real enemy first before I give you your revenge.”

I watched as Qrow turned away from me and started walking towards the elevator instead of jumping out of the window like he usually does.

“…..You are a fool, Oz. sigh Fine. You have my scythe to face our mutual enemy.”

I nodded in satisfaction at those words.

“that is all I ask, Qrow. Thank you, truly.”

“Don’t thank me yet, Oz. Because I really might take you up on that offer for revenge, or maybe not? Who knows?”

“I guess we will know when the time comes.”

He just nodded at my words and disappeared into the elevator along with Glynda, leaving me alone in the office and in my thoughts.

Step three is complete.

Now, onto the next step.