When the other children had been released from their solitary confinement, upon seeing Veronica and the other children playing happily with the toys, the boys who had fought among themselves previously became furious.
"What do you think you're doing with those?!"
"You don't deserve to be playing with those and having fun with everyone else, Veronica!"
Slap!
One of the boys hit the toy out of Veronica's hand.
Veronica was looking down, and appeared to be angry. Some people might think that she was going to stick up for herself, and fight the boy.
She then looked up, with a smug grin.
"What's wrong? Aren't you gonna hit me, like you did the other kids? Or are you going to sit there and simply take these away from me so that things can go back to the way they were before?"
At this provocation, the boy became angry and punched Veronica square in the jaw.
"Veronica!"
"Are you ok!?"
"Headmaster!! He just hit Veronica!!"
The kid seemed worried and flustered after realizing what he had done.
Veronica looked up. She had some blood coming from her nose and lip.
However, her face was not that of someone who had just been hit.
It was a victorious face. One that screamed 'checkmate'.
The headmaster rushed in, and the boy who hit her was transferred to another orphanage in a neighboring town for juveniles.
Victoria put on a crying face when the headmaster had came in. She had realized that crying worked, but only in specific situations. Like this one, where she was covered in blood and surrounded by witnesses to the event.
However, as soon as the headmaster left with the boy in tow, Victoria made a motion to the other four boys.
'If you try anything funny, then you're next.'
Nobody dared to go against Veronica from that day forward.
She grew up like a princess among the orphans. Everyone else bowed to her, and did everything they could to not piss her off, knowing her twisted personality.
She would use the system to benefit herself, no matter how it was set up.
However, Veronica grew to understand that there was nothing interesting about being in a situation where one stood above others.
It was meaningless. There was no satisfaction at having no opponent to face. There was no pleasure in being the one on top. She realized that she only gained pleasure in ripping the rug out from underneath others- not in climbing onto the table herself.
She had used the system to take over, however she didn't want other children who were mentally weak and couldn't do what she did to have to experience anything similar. So, while she kept her edge and never once felt sympathy for those who tried to abuse others, she also treated those underneath her with respect.
Which was why when she was old enough, she offered to work as the headmaster's secretary.
As a result of this, the headmaster soon realized her talents in manipulating people and when she gave her the task of looking over the finances, she discovered that she had a knack for business.
She then asked Veronica- who was young and beautiful- to meet with the Senator of the small village in order to discuss the finances which the government allocated to the orphanage.
"If an old woman like me heads over to talk with the senator, then he won't be too excited about giving us funds... if a young one like you goes, then perhaps he would do more for us..."
Veronica learned that her own beauty was an asset she could use, and that without beauty many men would not be inclined to listen to a woman unless she had something much more substantial to offer- that is, an actual benefit.
With beauty, however, the men would often accept irrational deals on their end.
She was able to increase the funds allocated to the orphanage easily, and began her work as the financial coordinator of the orphanage.
Doing this work, she was separated from the orphanage itself, and unable to make any changes to the system.
She truly wanted to simply take care of the children, and ensure that no unfair situations were occurring. She wanted to topple any hierarchies between them so that none of the children would end up corrupted like her or left out and unable to fight back.
However, she was unable to do so.
Then, suddenly, the headmaster fell sick with a grave illness and soon after died.
Veronica was not necessarily concerned too much. While she did suffer a mild shock, she quickly turned to focus on her next move- that is, to become the new headmaster and work hard to change the conditions and improve them for the children.
Unfortunately, this was not so easy. The sister of the headmaster appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and claimed that she had full right to take over the orphanage. Veronica remained in her position as financial coordinator, however major changes occurred as soon as the new headmaster took over.
The entire orphanage was completely transformed into an underground labor camp. An entire factory was built right next to the orphanage, where metal ore was refined and crafted into armor and weaponry.
It was dangerous labor even for adults to be working with metal forges, however the orphanage had grown at this point. There were now around 30 children, though there had originally been around 40 at the time the new headmaster took over, and the head of the orphanage capitalized on the large numbers of children within the orphanage. Even if one or two died or suffered from life threatening injuries, they could easily be thrown aside and replaced.
She forced the children to work endlessly at the inhuman labor camp, and thus the mass production of equipment for the military began to occur. She started selling the equipment to either passing mercenaries or to military units, and at first nobody asked where it came from.
Veronica despised what was happening, but she was a methodical woman. She was not the type to jump into something without a plan. If she was to take down the new headmaster, she would take her time and expose her crimes to the public.
She pretended to agree with what was going on, and continued doing the financial work for the orphanage, and managing the sales of the products.
'Just as I found a way to take down those stronger than me before, I will find a way to take down this woman. Running away and telling people won't fix anything if they have no motivation or reason to butt in. They will only be half invested if it is a matter of the conscience, and as soon as something doesn't benefit them, they will pull out. I have to take this slowly, and corner my opponent.'
Her first move was to send a letter to the senator explaining the situation. If she could get them to do an official inspection on the facility, then the head would be fired and she would be able to take over, reverting the facility to its previous state, and she would be able to do things her own way.
One day, shortly after the letter was sent, a guard knocked on the door to the orphanage- the building which was not the factory, of course. The headmaster, Mrs. Fera, answered quickly. She was a woman in her late 40's, and while she was not good looking she was not ugly either.
"To what do I owe you the visit, here at my humble orphanage? Is something the matter?"
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
"Are you the head of this facility? The Senator has summoned you, and needs to have a conversation with you immediately."
Mrs. Fera's face scrunched, as she knew that she had likely been found out. After all, her business was not something that was unnoticeable. It was a small town and everyone must have noticed the large factory going up next to the orphanage, and wondered who was managing it.
However, this was something she had prepared for. She knew exactly how to deal with this particular situation.
"Of course. I will head out immediately. Please just give me a few moments to get ready, and I will do so."
"Very well. I will wait here to guide you to his residence."
Mrs. Fera then headed out with the guard to speak with the Senator, soon arriving at his home. It was larger than most homes around, however as this was a small town it was not extremely extravagant like a normal Senator's home would be. This was about the size of a civilian's home in the capital.
The guard went first, opening the door to the home and guiding her to the living room, where an older man was sitting at a rocking chair near a lit fireplace. He looked to be very cozy as he relaxed by the fire- a man who seemed to be out of date. Perhaps he would be called a country bumpkin if someone from the big cities were to visit like this, however in this area of the Empire it was not all too strange.
He gave her a kind look and gestured his hand over to another chair near the fireplace, inviting Mrs. Fera to sit down.
"Would you like some tea?"
"Yes, thank you."
After the guard retrieved some tea and poured it for her, the two sipped their cups calmly before getting down to the discussion.
"Do you know why I invited you here?"
"I have not the slightest idea."
"Very well. I received a letter with some.... disturbing rumors. Rumors are quite the dangerous thing, you know. They can ruin the reputation of a person, of a business, even of a nation- with no real basis. Unless they are quickly dispelled and proven to be false, they tend to get out of hand, and especially so for those who are far away from the origin of the rumor. As they have no ability to confirm for themselves whether or not the rumors are true, people will often tend to believe in the rumors."
"Indeed, rumors are quite a troublesome thing. And what rumors have you been hearing?"
"There was a rumor that stated that children- orphans at that- were being put to work in a factory that happens to be located right next to the orphanage. Now, I for one am not so easily swayed by rumors, and especially rumors of such a preposterous nature. However, if these rumors are to escape and run rampid throughout the town, then you understand that I will have no choice but to send an investigation unit to confirm whether or not any illegal labor is being used."
"I can assure you that there is nothing illegal going on within my orphanage, however I am sure that my word alone is not enough to prove that. Am I wrong?"
"You are indeed correct. Word of mouth is something flimsy. It cannot be taken at face value. Even if one were to claim that nothing is going on, if another is to claim that something is going on, who should one believe? Is it not the case that each voice holds equal? If this is true, then there is no truth that should be assumed based on word of mouth alone, and one should believe that either person could be correct, and investigate further. However, if perhaps one person was backed by some..... evidence, then would you not agree that the person who holds the evidence is more trustworthy than the one who simply goes by word of mouth?"
"Of course. Evidence is crucial, and those who make claims without any substantial evidence are nothing more than envious of the successes of those whom they spread rumors about. Are you suggesting that my shop provide you with some... substantial evidence, in order to prove myself innocent of the accusations, and thus relieve myself of any form of suspicion?"
"Of course. I prefer hard, solid evidence. Evidence that I can fit in my hand, or perhaps hold in my pouch. Is your shop able to provide that sort of evidence?"
"Certainly we can. Please give us some time, and we will provide as much evidence as is needed. I would say that somewhere around 40% would be a substantial amount of evidence?"
"40% is indeed substantial to completely override any claims that are backed by nothing more than rumor. I thank you for your cooperation, Mrs. Fera."
"You are most welcome."
"Ah, there is another thing, Mrs. Fera. There is a crucial piece of information which you may need to be aware of, however I am only willing to share this information if you provide an extra.... helping of evidence to your case."
"So be it. 45%"
"The one who is spreading your rumors is Veronica- your secretary. You may need to teach her that it is wrong to be lying in such ways, ruining the reputation of the very orphanage she works at."
"I will do so. Thank you for that information. We cannot have her spreading rumors about us like this. How shameless...."
"Then, one last thing. I would like to hold a ceremony to accommodate you. As a result of your great donations to the government, we would like to reduce the taxation on the people of this small town. However, we cannot simply allow you to go unrecognized for this generous donation, can we? I would like to invite you to an award ceremony in order to recognize you and the factory you own for your contribution to the development of this town. Your donation will compose of more than 60% of the tax income, after all."
"I see. Then, when will this aware ceremony be?"
"Tomorrow afternoon in the plaza."
"I will be there. Thank you kindly, Senator."
"And you, Mrs. Fera."
And thus, Mrs. Fera established a deal with the Senator.
Her orphanage, which had been turned into a labor camp to produce weapons and armor for the military, would contribute a portion of the profits to the government as a bribe to prevent investigation. Not only this, but it would be publicly seen as a factory that happens to be owned by the woman who runs the orphanage, with no correlation between the two- and the contributions of the factory to the government would lower the taxes the people of the town would need to pay, thus increasing the popularity of the factory, and discouraging any civilians from butting their head into matters.
Veronica would soon learn that her plan to get the government involved was a failure, and she would quickly lose her position as secretary of financial coordination of the orphanage.
However, she was prepared for this outcome.
Veronica was skilled in management, and as such she had a hand in many small businesses spread across cities. Making her own income was not an issue, and being fired from her current position was only a minor setback.
The major issue was that the local government was not willing to get involved in the matter, which she had hoped for.
'I will have to find another method to take this new headmaster down.... I don't want those kids to be working in those conditions after all. They will turn out far worse than I did.... I have time though. I should think through this carefully. I suppose I got a little worked up over it, and forgot about an important fact for a moment.'
Victoria, who was writing at her desk the night after being cut loose from her position, stopped for a second and smiled.
'I forgot that the people around me are nothing more than high quality toys, meant to put on a good show for me.'
----
We turn the time to the day Kyle had killed the King, and taken over as the new King of the Ruthobold Kingdom.
Mackayla was a proud soldier of the Ruthobold kingdom.
She worked hard her entire life to become a member of the Royal guard, and was one of the only women to do so.
Of course, this was due to her own efforts and skillset which she had cultivated over years of training.
She was hated by many who didn't want to see a woman rise to such a position. Others cheered her on, hoping for her to reach heights which had never before been touched.
She did not do this because she wanted to be 'the first woman'.
She didn't do it for the recognition.
She didn't do it because she wanted to be some sort of revolutionary.
She did it because she wanted to fight.
She wanted the power to protect others.
She wanted to be able to help people at every moment, and helping her country from a position of power as a soldier would allow her to do so.
She had a great sense of justice.
She never wanted to see people hurt in front of her.
She wanted to be able to step in on any injustice, and brandish her sword against those who would hurt the innocent.
And yet, Mackayla had been faced with a decision which she struggled to find what the right answer was, just recently.
Mackayla watched as Kyle took the throne, and tried to recall everything that had happened.
The hero had returned from guiding the Emperor back to the Empire, only to claim that the Emperor had done some sort of great injustice towards the common people of his nation, and acknowledging him as a tyrant- admitted that he had killed him for this reason.
Then, the hero proceeded to kill off a nobleman in a barbaric manner, and after she had fought the hero desperately in an attempt to slay the man who seemed to be rampaging in the throne room, and failed, she watched him kill the king heartlessly- his own father.
Yet before even that, the hero had won Mackayla over, showing her that he wasn't merely killing without meaning.
He showed her that his killing was for a greater purpose. One which she perhaps did not see at first, but through speaking with him was enlightened to, if only the slightest amount.
Was this true? Or were these words merely bravado, meant to sweep up as many followers as he could while obtaining massive amounts of power? Mackayla was not sure at first. But she wanted to believe in the hero. In the justice that came with him.
The hero then had a conversation with her, as he sat upon the throne.
One, which made it so that she pledged her very heart to him in service.
Mackayla was at first torn as to whether what happened was just or unjust.
Whether it was right or wrong.
What did it mean?
Right and wrong.
It used to be so simple.
Help those in need.
Extend a hand to others.
Protect the weak.
Why could it not be so simple?
Was the King a tyrant?
Was the Emperor a tyrant?
Were their deaths justified?
Her first instincts shouted no.
The King was one thing.
Mackayla understood that he was a selfish ruler- one who did not care for his people. However, to kill him for something like that... was that justice?
Perhaps the hero knew better, and was simply carrying out what he knew was his duty.
What of the Emperor then?
Perhaps that too, was something that the hero knew better of.
Mackayla couldn't rule this out. The hero was in another dimension than she was in strength, so maybe he too was in another dimension in wisdom.
After hearing the hero speak today, she could not help but think that was the case.
He seemed to impartially judge the soldiers when she fought him.
He did not kill her, but rather he killed the soldier who was fighting out of selfish desire.
Was it not the same for the others he killed then?
Perhaps.
Mackayla found herself giving the hero the benefit of the doubt, and wanting to assist him and fight by his side even more as she thought about it.
'Perhaps it was the wrong decision to try to kill him before.... perhaps I actually did something unjust at the time.... then, I will do what is just from now on! I will serve the hero loyally, and trust in his justice!'
Having come to this conclusion, Mackayla stood by, listening and waiting to hear what the hero had to say.