Chapter 280: World War III Part 10

Minutes had passed since Arias's question. In those few minutes, several more officials chose to try their luck in answering. Now, out of the many that gathered, less than 10 remained, their attires stained in the blood and brain matter of their colleagues. 

Now, they were completely scared to answer. Some of the reasons they had conjured up in their minds were said by their colleague, only for their colleague to meet a swift end, and in an instant, they vanished like an insignificant insect. Naturally, this instilled fear in their minds, and now, no matter what they could think of, they felt they were going to die.

In truth, there was no real answer to Arias's question, as he would've killed them no matter what they said. The entire purpose behind his asking in the first place was simply to create an atmosphere of tension, to shatter whatever strong confidence these higher-ranking officials may have had in their ability to get out of tough spots. 

He wanted to show them that in the face of absolute power, whether you were right or wrong, it simply didn't matter. It was something no amount of words could truly teach these people unless they felt that true fear firsthand. They would always harbor ambitious and/or treacherous thoughts towards Tara, seeing Arias as an obstacle. But by doing this, Arias showed that he was more than just an obstacle; instead, he was the summit, one that was simply unreachable to them.

So, with less than 10 of them left, each one of them more scared than the last to answer, Arias smiled and said to them, "The answer is: there is no answer. There is nothing you can say to justify coming down here when Tara, your absolute monarch, clearly stated that you shouldn't. Even if the entire Markovia was burning, loyalty demands that you do what you were told. Failure to do so, whether the reason was good or bad, is simply treachery."

Arias paused and let his words sink in for a moment before adding on, "either way, unfortunate as this may be, since there is still much work to do, so consider this a lesson, one that I hope you all won't forget."

"Oh, and I think you're smart enough to know what you need to say and what not to say. Am I clear?" Arias asked. 

"Yes, yes," a few quickly answered, while some were too consumed by fear to utter words, scared that if they said something wrong, they would still die. This was the immense level of fear Arias implanted in a short time. No matter how fearless one was, if you were to witness those around you with the same level of power as you getting killed and squashed like bugs, whatever confidence you had in yourself would disappear. 

If you saw even a good man get killed, whatever honest lies you thought you could conjure up would simply feel like they weren't enough. You would begin to doubt the people around you as well, fearing that perhaps they were also lying and that they weren't the good people you thought them to be.

The high-ranking officials couldn't even begin to understand the layered thought process behind the question, and seeing Arias orchestrate chaos right before them without any prior planning. These were the thoughts of a person who had transcended what was normal. He began to see the world differently and how he could influence it almost to his whims. However, he kept discipline, not letting the power cloud his mind and make him complacent. By doing so, he created a truly frightening entity that these poor lower beings could never hope to understand.

After Arias said this, some of the officials left nodded, with a few saying "Yes, yes," while another simply remained silent, too scared to speak.

However, none of them collectively moved. This was simply how far the fear had burrowed; they didn't even want to move without his permission. Arias, however, didn't say anything and instead looked back.

Tara, who had watched the scene occur from behind, was almost as equally unsettled and fearful as the officials left alive. This was perhaps the first time she had seen Arias's more brutal side in play. Seeing that it wasn't only his words that could hurt, and in comparison, she had gotten off lightly for what she had attempted to do. 

She came by Arias's side obediently and felt too anxious to even speak. Arias ignored her current emotional state and asked her, "Are you satisfied? Do you believe these people will be loyal from now on? If so, then they will be allowed to leave and continue about their duties. If you feel, however, they won't..."

Fear now emerged in the eyes of those present as they looked toward Tara, who had just become their lifeline. Even if troubled in her mind, because the tension Arias created wasn't directed at her, she was still able to catch on to what Arias was trying to do by directing attention to her. 

The people before her were now scared, and he had made her the lifeline. By nature, they would all likely scramble to this lifeline and likely aim to please it more than they would that which they feared, for they knew it could protect them from it in the long term. As Tara continued to rule, this would be the foundation for an incredibly solid and loyal structure of subordinates.

This was one of the key goals in setting foundations for Arias. He had to ensure they were capable of running themselves, with him being the ultimate beneficiary. This was what he considered efficiency. One might think that if he became king and directly did everything, it meant the power centered on him, but it was just simply the opposite. 

Unless he chose to completely dominate without regard, he would have to operate and navigate the many laws of the world that existed to get his way done in the same way he was doing now but countless more negatives. It just didn't make sense to do otherwise.

At the end of the day, people knew who he was and what he had, even if it wasn't in his name, which was in its own an entirely different level of power.

Tara looked to face the officials before her, simply looking at their fearful states, and the fear that was now present in the air. She knew that they would do anything she asked just to stay alive. Whatever pride they had and confidence in themselves had completely gone, as if they were mentally tortured. 

Solely inwardly aiming to please Arias, she chose to play her part of the future queen.

"If you will bow now and swear absolute allegiance to me, then I shall forgive these transgressions. But I will fully expect each and every one of you to work to your deaths for the sake of the crown. Am I clear?"