The King of Steel (RWBY/ Ozpin SI): Chapter 3

“Headmaster Ozpin, it is good to see you.”

I gave the man a polite smile as I shook hands with him.

“Same here, Councilman Haddock.”

Then, I nodded towards the other two members of the Vale Council in greeting.

“Councilwoman Pierce, Councilman Grant”

“Headmaster Ozpin.”

With the pleasantries out of the way, we moved towards the meeting room where things were already prepared according to what I needed by my agents.

If there is one positive thing that resulted from Ozma’s passiveness, it is the fact that these politicians do not see me as a threat in any way because of Ozma’s distinct lack of interest in anything to do with politics, which is very counterintuitive in hindsight but made sense when looked at through his eyes.

‘I had enough of ruling over people. That is why, I never wanted that kind of a position again.’

‘And yet, we need that kind of political pull to truly stand a chance against Salem. Truly, just what drove you to make the foolish decision of abolishing Monarchy and establishing this stupid system of democracy?’

‘You are one to talk. From what I can see in your memories, your world practically worshipped Democracy and abhorred any other form of government.’

‘You are missing the context, Ozma. My world is not a death world where the very world is actively trying to end our existence. On Earth, we were the masters of the planet, which afforded us the resources, time, and patience required to work with such a delicate system of governance. But here, on Remnant, such a system works against the continued survival of our species.’

‘Maybe. But, I still think I made the right decision.’

‘That right? Then, tell me something, what would have been easier, to manipulate a single individual that commander over an entire kingdom either through material gains or fear, or to try and juggle between multiple political parties with their own agendas and grudges while also trying to walk the tightrope of balance to stay neutral and also gaining what we need without losing anything?’

Ozpin fell silent at my words which I counted as a win, even if partially since I do see the point he was trying to make.

I may curse Ozma’s idiocy in abolishing the monarchy, which made things harder for me, but I acknowledge that it had its own flaws just like Democracy does.

One of the major ones is the same thing that I just said. It is relatively easy to manipulate a single individual who holds all the power in the kingdom but really hard to do the same with multiple individuals with their own goals and agendas.

But, just because I acknowledge the wisdom does not mean that I will stop pestering Ozma with his mistakes to get a reaction out of him. Simply because he is my only source of entertainment in this awful situation we found ourselves in.

Besides, he owes me at least this much as my ‘child’ since he came into existence from my soul that traveled from Earth to here and became Ozma.

“So, Ozpin. Why did you call for us so urgently? Your message asked us to arrive at Beacon as quickly as possible.”

I got up from my seat and walked towards the projector and turned it on while I spoke.

“Councilmen, I know that you are just as informed as I when it comes to threats towards our kingdom, so I will be blunt and will not beat around the bush.”

“I have been in talks with General Ironwood of Atlas and we have reached a deal where we trade for their Atlasian Knights in exchange for our support in training their Huntsmen.”

The councilmen looked at each other in confusion at my words before Haddock spoke up.

“I am confused, Ozpin. What does the dealings of Beacon with Atlas have anything to do with us? I mean, it is within your rights to trade for equipment with a foreign country or individual so that you can improve the education standards of your education.”

“I am afraid you have misunderstood, Councilman Haddock. The Atlas Knights are not for my academy. They are for the kingdom of Vale.”

It barely took a few seconds before they finally realized the meaning of my words, making them stand up in anger.

“Ozpin Norman!! How dare you! You have absolutely no authority to decide such things without consulting us!”

“Not to mention the fact that Vale does not have a standing army and will never have one if we have any say in it.”

“It was the Warrior King’s decree to disarm all the military forces in the world. What Atlas does with its forces is already a breach of that decree but you want us to join them in disrespecting our own former king? You must be out of your mind!”

I stood silently, listening to the councilmen shout insult after insult for a few minutes straight until they finally calmed down.

Taking the opportunity, I activated the projector and started making my case.

The first video showed a brutal massacre of a frontier village, the Grimm making quick work of the local militia as the Huntsmen that were sent by Beacon arrived too late to do anything about it.

“The village of Ernte. One of Vale’s biggest bread baskets. Wiped out by the Grimm last year because the Huntsmen that traveled from the city to the village were too late to arrive. A situation that could have been avoided if we had a standing military force whose job would have been to patrol the villages outside our shiny walls, keeping our territory safe and preventing such tragedies.”

With a click, the video changed.

This time, it showed another village, similarly massacred but this time, it showed fanatics wearing Grimm masks and clearly sporting their Faunus traits.

“Another frontier village. This time, it was a group of terrorists that would have long been brought to justice if we had properly trained anti-terrorist forces and military equipment.”

Another click, another video.

This time, it showed our own city. It showed the body-cam footage of a Huntsman tasked with busting a human trafficking ring and drug business.

What that huntsman found that day made him quit and spend the rest of his life far away from this rotten city.

“Hundreds of criminal organizations running rampant in our own city, right under our noses, and daring us to do anything about it. Some of them originated from Mistral and some from Vacuo. Deliberately causing social unrest, schisms, and conflicts to destabilize our kingdom so that it would be easy for them to take control of everything in one fell swoop”

With another click, the projector showed the symbols of some of these forces.

“A crime family from Mistral calling themselves “The Spiders”. Another new group that recently formed under the direction of rogue huntsmen that washed out of Haven. And worst of all, traitors amongst our own midst, this institute called “Lady Browning’s Preparatory Academy for Girls”-“

“Enough! What is your point!”

I stopped talking and gave a deep look towards Councilwoman Pierce who was fuming at me, probably because she realized that I knew of her connection with the institute I just talked about.

“The point, Councilwoman, is that all of these issues would have been easily dealt with if we had a proper military force that was trained to deal with such things instead of always relying on individuals like the Huntsmen and the ill-equipped police forces. It is precisely because of this that I made the deal with Ironwood. Please understand where I am coming from and think about the benefits.”

Pierce continued glaring at me while refusing to say anything.

She is clearly going to go against my plans. That’s strike one.

Councilman Haddock looked contemplative so it is possible he may see things my way.

Councilman Grant gave me a heavy look and subtly shook his head. So, he is out as well, which is understandable since his family is descended from the survivors of the Great War and would be completely against the idea of a standing army.

So, that’s strike two.

I waited patiently for a few minutes before Councilman Haddock finally spoke up.

“And, who would be in charge of this hypothetical army? Ozpin?”

“Ideally, I would like to use the same structure that is being used in Atlas with me acting as both the headmaster and General of the forces, but I am willing to settle for the army to be under the council’s control and receiving a seat on the council instead so that I can help with directing our future.”

“…..I see. In that case, I must reject your proposal, Ozpin. It is nothing against you, but you already wield considerable power as the Headmaster of Beacon Academy with most of the huntsmen in the kingdom answering your call should you ever need it. I cannot, in good conscience, put the power of an entire military force in your hands when you already have such a hold on the Kingdom.”

‘Understandable, and a good decision. Unfortunately, this is not the time for encouraging such rational thinking, my friend. This is the time of war, and unfortunately, you are standing in my way. So, this is strike three. Game Over.’

‘Please, don’t do this. You can be better. We can come to a peaceful agreement'

‘I know, Ozma. But time is something that we do not have. If we want to make sure that the next generation does not grow up to become prey to her then we must be decisive and end this, once and for all, as soon as possible.’

Ozpin fell silent at my words, but I could still feel his grief through our connection.

Once again, I am very glad to see that Ozma never inherited the shameful traits that I had in life that made me come across as a monster to even my own parents, but, as I told him before, this is not the time for kindness.

This is war, and in war, only monsters thrive while the kind ones are the first to die.

“if this is what you wanted to talk about, then we are done here. Headmaster Ozpin. Oh! Before I forget, we will be placing a lawsuit against you for breaching the security of the kingdom by trying to create civil unrest with your actions. Farewell.”

“….I see. A shame. I wanted to do this the proper way, but this is fine too, makes things easier for me. It was good to know you all, Councilmen, but your services are no longer needed.”

Councilman Haddock, being a former Huntsman, must have immediately felt that something was off with my words as he immediately got into a stance for any potential attack.

Unfortunately, you cannot fight something you cannot see.

I sent a pulse of magic that went out like an invisible shockwave, similar to a sonar wave and pinged my contingency plan, activating the devices.

Immediately, three tiny objects the size of a grain of rice descended from the ceiling and onto the necks of the three people.

Magic in this world is based heavily upon the intent and creativity of the user. It is a force that is so malleable, that even the impossible can become possible with enough creativity and knowledge.

It was the reason why the Grimm, the creations of the God of Darkness, created specifically to end the creations of the God of Light, was nothing more than a minor inconvenience to the various kingdoms and tribes of old during the Age of the Gods.

It is also the reason why Salem and Ozma were seen as gods during their time together with the new humanity.

Now, imagine, what could such a limitless force do in the hands of someone like me who spent his whole life honing his imagination and creativity for both his professional needs and his hobbies.

It barely took a second before the tiny insects, magical golems made from spent Dust crystals, metal wiring, and my magic, harmlessly expanded one of the countless pores in their skin and burrowed deep into their nervous system, connecting with the brain, and unleashing the magical programming I built into them.

The end result is three meat puppets that will now follow my every command.

Of course, I can’t have these people acting as robots since there are contingencies in place that check for any mind manipulation through a Semblance since Semblances are bullshit that way.

That is why, I made sure to keep their original personality intact as a façade.

They will act like they always do, they will do the same things they always did until now, and their daily routines will not change.

However, with one command, they will now bend to my every whim.

A cruel and inhuman act, made in the name of the greater good. An act that I abhor having to make, but necessary nonetheless.

‘…Promise me, that you will never use these things on Glynda and the rest. Please, I beg of you. If you have any mercy left in that dark soul of yours. Grant me this wish.’

‘…Ozma. I cannot give you such a promise. I will do whatever is required to put an end to this conflict and finally get our deserved afterlife. But, rest assured. If the day ever comes when they rebel against me, I will not use these golems on them. No. I will not tarnish what you cherish in such a way.’

‘the only thing I can promise you, is that I will give them a quick and clean end.’

‘…You are worse than a monster. You are a demon.’

I smiled sadly at Ozpin’s despair-filled face in the reflection of the door.

‘You are right, Ozpin. I am a demon. But, I am also your Demon. So, rest assured, I will do what you cannot and bring peace to this world, even if it is a brief one given the nature of humanity.’

Ozpin fell silent as I sent a silent command to the three puppets to return to the Council building and approve the paperwork I prepared for them, after which they would return to their daily lives without showing any changes.

With this part of the plan complete, I can now move on to the next phase.

But, before that, I need to tell the full truth to my inner circle.

Loyalties and allegiances need to be confirmed before I can move forward with my plan.