Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 146: Exerting Command

CH146 Exerting Command

***

Alex subtly manipulated his mental presence and bloodline auras, shaping them into something hollow—an echo of the emptiness Laura would likely feel in the aftermath of the scenario he’d painted.

It wasn’t about proving a point anymore. It was about making her feel the loss.

Let her grieve it—before it even happened.

He gave her a few moments to soak in the sensation... before pulling back completely.

”Then you have option two.”

His aura faded. His mental presence receded, leaving only his voice.

”Serve your role well in your capacity as my adjutant.”

His tone was calm, yet weighty.

”In this option, you’ll need to try—really try—to accept that your father died a worthy knight that he was. With dignity. With honour. Put down your anger and accept your grief, so you can see the opportunity before you.

”Because in a family like ours, where power is the only law, those who make the rules are the only ones who can break them without consequence.

”And if you serve your role well under my command, then I promise you: you’ll earn the glory and merit to free your family from the undeserved punishment you caused them. You’ll reclaim—maybe even surpass—the honour your father died for.

”The same honour you and your uncle threw away in your grief.”

Alex stood upright, his posture deliberate and final.

Fen leapt from the table to the ground beside him, his steps soft but confident.

Alex stepped close to Laura, just enough to make her feel the weight of his words—and his extension of trust.

”I never use people I doubt,” he said. ”But at the same time, I never doubt the people I use. I’ve entrusted this role to you—and I believe you’re a smart enough person to understand what that means.

”So I’ll put my back to you from now on. Kill me... or serve me well.

”The choice is yours.”

With that, Alex turned and walked out of the tent.

Fen padded after him, calm as ever.

Just like Alex had promised, neither of them showed any wariness. Their backs were fully exposed—Laura could’ve stabbed either of them then and there with no resistance.

And oh so did she want to.

Her fingers twitched. Her breath came shallow. Her entire being screamed for her to do something—anything—to vent the storm brewing inside her chest.

But eventually... her clenched fists loosened.

She grit her teeth so tightly that the taste of blood filled her mouth, sharp and metallic.

Still, she didn’t move.

Then, without a word, she turned and followed behind Alex—quietly, like a proper adjutant.

Alex smiled inwardly, a flicker of relief dancing in his chest.

What he’d just pulled... wasn’t some profound insight. It was a psychological method he’d picked up from one of the many novels he’d devoured in his previous life.

’Humans are irrational creatures,’ he recalled. ’Driven far more by emotions than logic.’

Even the smartest person he’d ever met back on Earth had made a boneheaded choice under the influence of his emotions.

According to the theory, one way to disrupt that kind of irrational behaviour was to force the person to consider what came after the decision they were emotionally primed to make.

Because most people, when trapped in emotional spirals, don’t think that far ahead.

And by confronting them with the brutal aftermath of their chosen path, you could sometimes break that emotional trance.

It wasn’t exact science.

Hell, Alex wasn’t even remotely qualified to be using it. This was his first time trying it, after all.

But judging from the fact that Laura was walking behind him instead of putting a dagger in his back, he figured...

’That’s a good result... for now.’

Still, there was no telling how long it would last.

Once they were deep inside the deadly depths of the Dankrot Forest...

If the perfect opportunity presented itself...

Would she still keep a cool head?

Only time would tell.

Alex hoped he’d painted a vivid enough picture—one that would make Laura fully grasp just how important his survival was to the future of her family.

Anything to dissuade her from making a reckless choice.

Lieutenant Cross let out a quiet breath of relief when the two emerged from the command tent together. The tension between them had noticeably lessened, and it appeared Laura had accepted her role as Alex’s adjutant.

’As expected of the Young Lord,’ the Lieutenant thought, silently impressed.

The three gathered to go over the operational details.

”How are the troops looking? What’s the platoon’s number and configuration?” Alex asked, directing the question at Cross, but the Lieutenant simply turned toward Laura instead.

As adjutant, the response fell to her.

”The platoon has a total of thirty-six combatants, excluding Lieutenant Cross and the assigned healer,” Laura reported crisply. ”Twelve are shield-bearer swordsmen, fourteen are spearmen, and the remaining ten are archers.”

’So, plus myself, Laura, the Lieutenant, and the healer... that makes forty in total.

’That was on the lower end of a standard platoon. But I suppose it makes sense if we’re aiming for mobility and stealth within the forest.’

Alex’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’Still...’

His real concern wasn’t the platoon’s size—it was their experience.

Judging from what he’d seen, and based on the assumption that this platoon was originally assembled for Kurt’s command, most of them looked like fresh recruits—likely just out of agoge training.

Lieutenant Cross seemed to read his concerns.

”Young Lord, while these lads are green, I assure you—they’re the best recruits from across all our family’s agoges,” Cross said firmly. ”Elite candidates who have the potential to eventually make it into the Ashen DreadFangs.”

Alex’s expression shifted.

The Ashen DreadFangs were the Fury House Army’s premier elite unit. The best of the best.

If this platoon included recruits who were potential DreadFangs, then that was... reassuring.

Alex nodded and stepped forward toward the centre of camp, letting the eyes of every soldier fall on him.

Immediately, the formation snapped into order.

’Disciplined,’ Alex noted. ’That’s a good start.’

”My name is Alex Fury,” he said plainly. ”I’ll be your commander for this mission.”

He didn’t bother mentioning any of his other titles or status. None of that mattered here.

”I don’t care who you are. I don’t care what family you come from, what kind of prodigy you think you are, or how many accolades you’ve collected at the agoges...”

His tone hardened.

”As long as you’re a soldier under my command, you’ll follow three rules.”

”One: Obey my orders. Without question.

”Two: Protect your life and the lives of the men beside you.

”Three: If anything bares its fangs or claws at you—or your comrades—you kill it.”

He let the words settle in the air.

”Follow these three rules like your life depends on it—because it does.

Break them, and don’t expect to be carried out of the forest.”

Alex let his gaze sweep across the crowd.

”If anyone here has a problem with me taking command of this platoon... if you disagree with my rules, or believe you’d make a better leader—step forward now and challenge me.”

”As per Fury Law, I’ll accept the duel.”

He waited.

Seconds passed. Then a full minute. Then another.

No one moved.

”In that case,” Alex said, voice clear and sharp, ”I take it you all accept my leadership and my rules. Is that correct?”

”Yes, sir!”

”I can’t hear you!”

”YES, SIR!!”

”Good.”

Alex gave a final nod. His voice cut through the morning air like steel.

”Move out!”

**