Elevation of Mana Chapter 216 Taking the Reigns

“They're all dead?” I asked.

“Yes,” the little man squeaked while looking around as others backed off from him.

“All of them?”

“Yes!”

“And somewhere, in that empty sphere you call your head you thought it would be wise to irritate my wife?” I asked, letting my voice slip into a low growl.

“We needed resources, and she had them, she was the best chance to get them quickly, and...”

“And what!?” I roared.

“And I was hoping she'd leave so we could not have to deal with another elder,” he said, sounding like he knew it was a death sentence, but not caring.

“What? Certainly you knew I was coming back.”

“Almost all of them thought you would die. They hated you, you know that right?” he asked.

“I suspected it, yes.”

“It's why the council was trying to get you out of the city so much. It's why they didn't want you near, they were hoping you'd die from... something, or just go somewhere else and not bother them. Years, they were planning for years to try and find some way of dealing with you, but then you became an elder earlier than anyone thought possible.”

“And you planned to continue with their plan?” I questioned, looking at him darkly, we both already understood where this was going.

“You're too powerful, too strong to exist, a monster worse than any of them,” he spat, finally being honest.

“Well, I thank you for your honestly. Now, if you'll excuse me I have messes to clean up.”

I released him and for a moment he looked at me stunned, then I hit him with one of the most powerful blasts of fire I could manage. There were times when I tried, really tried to be kind to people, to give them more chances then that deserved. This man however was a problem, and could continue to be a problem. I saw no reason at all to continue to let someone who'd threatened my family and outright hated me to continue living. In that moment I made my decision, it was obvious what I needed to do.

With a deep sigh I straightened myself out, refocusing on the things at hand.

“If any of you object to my rule,” I told the assembled aides and assistants. “Make it known now, and you will have time to gather your things, your people, and a small stipend from me, you will be allowed to leave this city in peace. Do this, and you will find no enmity from me or mine, do it now and you will find that I am a generous and decent man. Wait and betray me though, and you will end up like this one.”

My hammer crackled in my hand, ready for was going on. It felt electric, wild, ready, like a dog chomping at the bit for what was to come. Perhaps that was all my imagination, as it was an inanimate object, but it was also my magic, responding to me. I shouldn't be at all surprised, but I nearly was, my emotions were tinging my power, just a little.

There was silence for a few long moments, then a woman nearby spoke up.

“You won't hurt us?” she asked, seemingly afraid.

“Not if you speak now.”

“I wish to leave,” she admitted, looking at her feet.

“Then gather your things, and those who wish to come with you. You have three days, upon the third come to my home and you will be given supplies, then you will get out of my city.”

“I understand.” With nothing further to say she turned and almost fled the hall.

After her three more also left, given the same instructions. I wouldn't hold it against them, nor would I pursue them. There would always be people who didn't like me, and now was the time to show mercy. These folk, at least to my knowledge, hadn't done me any harm, or any that couldn't be forgiven yet, and if they were willing to forswear their issues with me, I could let them be as well.

“Now, we have work to do, bring me everything,” I told those who were left.

Things went surprisingly well for the next few hours. I knew basically what my people could do and what we could fix quickly. With nobody else getting in the way I could just put through orders quickly, organize things so that they'd not be fighting each other every step of the way. There were still hitches, people who had needs that didn't fit what I wanted or needed, but those were all problems that could be dealt with after the emergency issues were solved.

Getting the wall fixed to keep out monsters and making sure people weren't starving were the immediate issues. I didn't know what all had happened while I was away, so trying to get answers was important. Many of the gathering teams were afraid after the disaster, and they needed to be reassured, helped to go back out safely and begin their work again.

Sadly that wasn't the only problem. Merchants were having lots of trouble, with trade routes broken and a lot of important people dead there was chaos everywhere. It would take time to settle, but time we had, we just needed to tackle what would be bad right now, and we could deal with what came after after.

By the time it was finally time to rest I was tired, hours spent directing and redirecting things. Chien had even ended up going to look into some of the more vital issues personally, which was well appreciated. The sun had sunk far below the horizon, our last few hours of work being done by mage-light.

“Do we call you Elder now?” Chien asked, emphasizing the word. “There will be others though.”

“We'll think of something, and when they start to appear we'll put them to work.”

“Not going to reform the council?” he asked with a smile.

“Not as it was, it was a gaggle of idiots who could never agree on anything. We'll need a few structures, but we need someone to lead, someone to get this herd of deer moving in the right direction. I'll need help though.”

“You don't even have to ask boss,” he assured me. “I learned a long time ago that following you was a path to success.”

I frowned at that a little. “Make sure to tell me if you think I'm doing something wrong though Chien, I'm far from perfect.”

“Of course, have I ever failed to?” At his question I began to think back, looking through my memories one by one, eventually I gave up, too tired to bother further with it.

“Eh, maybe not, but still.”

He just slapped my back. “Glad to see you finally took the place you were meant for.”