Kyle still had difficulties coming to terms with the situation.
However, he seemed to be the only one who actually noticed.
The other ones were still unsure what the Chief was on about.
'Neuro-divergent people was what they were called, right?' he thought. 'Something like that.'
'Dude, to think that this inclusivity shit somehow proved to be useful in fantasy land is crazy!'
"Chief," Kyle said, eliciting a look from the shit. "The way you are presenting yourself makes you seem rude and disregarding. You don't speak a lot, and when you speak, you say something very direct. The directness often makes people think you are trying to put them down."
"It makes them think that you think of them as lazy and weak."
"That is seen as unnecessary aggression, which makes you look like an asshole."
The Chief furrowed his brows, and the others looked at Kyle.
Why was Kyle stating the obvious?
"Why did you not tell us about the Cult of Final Fate?" Kyle asked.
"Because I believed you could handle it," the Chief said.
The Ace Team turned to the Chief in surprise.
This sounded different.
"The Devourer still needs another day to appear," the Chief said. "The Ace Team is more than capable of taking care of an Initial or Early Demon Master. During the ritual, the Cult is weak since it also absorbs their Ether."
"It is a mission with a high likelihood of success while also rewarding a lot of renown and status. If I took care of it, I would get all the glory. But if the Ace Team takes care of it, it will reflect positively on the Stark Brotherhood."
"A Guild is not measured on the power of a single person but on the power of its members."
By now, the Chief's pressure had completely vanished, and he explained everything calmly.
"That's your reason? Glory?" Wyveria asked.
"Glory is a tool," the Chief answered. "The real goal is to make the Stark Brotherhood a Four-Weapons Guild."
"You are the Ace Team. You represent the Stark Brotherhood, not me."
The Ace Team seemed a bit confused.
The Chief had never said anything positive about them before.
And yet, he was now talking about how the Ace Team was important.
"Is that why you take on missions so rarely?" Noah asked.
"Of course," the Chief said. "I do not need the money or renown. The Court already knows about me."
When the Chief talked about the Court, he was referring to the royal council. The leaders of the Kingdom.
"Are you serious?" Wyveria asked with narrowed eyes.
"Yes, " the Chief answered. "I thought it was obvious. Anyone with a brain could see that."
"That was an unnecessary asshole comment," Kyle said.
"But it's true," the Chief answered.
"If they knew you, yes," Kyle said. "But do they? How often do you talk with them? Have you shared your values and opinions with them?"
"There's no need for that," the Chief said.
"Maybe," Kyle answered, "but then, how are they supposed to know who you are?"
"They don't have to," the Chief answered. "They just need to do their jobs."
"Yes," Kyle agreed, "but then, you have to explain everything, and you can't expect them to know what you are thinking."
"You can't have both."
The Chief furrowed his brows.
"Yes, you're right. Sorry."
Everyone's eyes widened.
Sorry?!
Did their Chief just apologize?!
After some seconds, Wyveria shook her head. "We don't have time for this. We have to deal with the Cult. Is there anything you can tell us about them?" she asked the Chief.
"You can deal with it," the Chief answered.
Wyveria furrowed her brows.
"Why are you not telling them?" Kyle asked.
"Because they have to be prepared for every eventuality. I have confidence in them, and I know they can handle it," the Chief answered.
'He's really bad at this,' Kyle thought. 'He sounded antagonistic when he said that they can deal with it, but it was actually because he trusted in their strength.'
'This guy is not good at talking with people.'
'He's probably incredibly powerful, but when it comes to handling people, he's horrible.'
Wyveria threw a glance at Kyle.
Somehow, Kyle could make the Chief say nice things.
How was he doing that?
"You think we can deal with this?" Wyveria asked.
The Chief wordlessly nodded.
"What if we fail?" she asked.
"Then, I will deal with it," the Chief answered.
"What if the Devourer appears?" she asked.
"Won't change anything," the Chief said.
Wyveria furrowed her brows.
"Is this confidence, arrogance, or recklessness?" she asked.
At that moment, the entire room turned cold.
Wyveria took a deep breath as her eyes widened in fear.
Bonk gritted his teeth and jumped in front of his team, looking at the Chief with an intense expression.
The other members pulled out their weapons reflexively.
Meanwhile, Kyle felt like he had been thrown into an abyss of cold and metallic hatred.
He couldn't even move.
His body was frozen.
Then, the atmosphere turned normal again.
"You tell me," the Chief answered casually.
Wyveria was sweating as she looked at the ground.
It was like she had realized her own powerlessness.
Naturally, the Chief had just activated his Momentum.
His ACTUAL Momentum.
And it was overwhelming.
Wyveria felt like she wasn't any stronger than Kyle in front of the Chief.
"We will deal with the Cult," Wyveria said.
Then, her steely gaze returned as she recovered.
"Everyone, let's go! We got work to do!" she shouted.
The others also recovered and gave affirmative replies.
After that, the Ace Team left the office.
Naturally, Kyle followed them.
"What about Theodor?"
"What about him?"
"Imbecile!" Theodor suddenly shouted with urgency in Kyle's mind.
Kyle's eyes widened as he realized what had just happened.
The Ace Team kept walking, and Noah just looked at Kyle with a raised brow.
Then, he looked at Chief, and Noah could see in his eyes that he should leave.
"Excuse me," Noah said, also leaving.
Now, only Kyle and the Chief were left.
Kyle smiled awkwardly as he looked at the Chief.
"Theodor? Who's that?" he asked.
Naturally, it was the Chief who had just asked about Theodor's opinion.
"You have his Inheritance Crystal," the Chief said. "You should know who he is."
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