Another Stupid Isekai

– Those people are determined to hunt, and they will get stronger quickly, which is good for us now, and for the city, as they genuinely want to provide, but in long term, it’s a bad decision – explained Will. – We will have another fraction in the city that will slowly grow away from us. Who knows what they will become in the future. And their leader… That guy is nuts. They didn’t tell you this, Peter, but that guy is trouble. I talked with him, so I know.

– I also talked with that person – said Aisha. – And I agree. He is a fanatic of something he created by himself. We can’t allow a guy like that to lead such a potentially dangerous organization.

– Then what do you think we should do?

– I believe that you should explain to them that this whole faith is a lie. The Great One, whatever he is, is not all-mighty and powerful. He is some crazy being that is inducting some messed-up experiments on a whole species. He messed up one and is trying again. Who even knows what he really wants?

– Exactly – Will quickly agreed. – We should use their eagerness to hunt, but transform them into something else. Something led by us. Maybe we can split those people among the organizations we already have. Bushido lost few people, Bratstvo even more, and there is also Wuxia.

– So you want to force them into our ranks? Sorry guys, but even if I believe your words, and because of that have the same worries, I can’t agree with your line of thinking. Do you even know what that leads to? It leads to tyranny. We want to dictate to people what to believe in, and what to do with their lives now? I just can’t stand behind this.

– So you want to let them burn the city again? Because it will end this way – stated Aisha. – I know it’s a tough decision, and I don’t like it either, but we can’t have another war among ourselves.

– Arent you both from the USA? Where is your sense of freedom? This is just a step away from complete tyranny. What’s next? We will dictate to people what to eat, and do?

– Peter! You know that’s unfair! We don’t want it either, but the risk is too big. We can’t let a lunatic lead those people! – Will seemed to be really upset by my words. – I don’t want the history to repeat itself, again! Can’t we finally learn something from our mistakes, and do something while we still can?

I sighed. To be honest, this was a problem I really didn’t want to deal with, but since my voice holds some weight to it, I was involved even if I didn’t want to. I was forced to decide between one evil and another.

– Ok… So what exactly are you proposing? – I looked at Aisha since Will seemed too angry.

– First of all, we need to make a statement about The Great One. Explain to them what we know properly because those dreams messed up their thinking. We need to make sure they understand what’s really going on around here. The second thing is their leader. I don’t want to propose any drastic method, but there is something else we could do to at least try taking him down from the position he holds.

– And that is? – I asked, genuinely curious.

– I’ll find somebody among them that is… A bit more susceptible to persuasion, and support that person to take over. This way we will have some control over them and can make sure this won’t get out of our control.

– You two planned had it all figured out even before, didn’t you? – I looked at both of them.

Will just smiled.

– Fine. I’ll support this, but if it doesn’t work, we drop it. We will not force anything on those people, ok?

They both exchanged looks, then nodded.

– It’ will work Peter. I’ll make sure of it – said Aisha.

-I hope it does.

– Ok. Let’s go to Hatta then. There is no time like the present.

I just shrugged my shoulders.

We all went outside, even Tam, whom I took with myself, holding in my arms. While walking Will made me slow a bit down, so the two of us could have a quick conversation together.

– Peter… I want you to know that I’m really sorry about yesterday, but you are not making this easy for me. Do you know that?

– I know. I’m trying to figure it out… I’ll stay away from the canyon for a while, does that work for you?

He nodded, and we started walking faster, to catch up to Aisha.

We managed to grab Hatta outside, and kinda forced him to talk with us in his office, to avoid eavesdroppers.

[0)ᴠʟ – What’s so important? – he asked the very moment he entered the room.

The response came only after we closed the door.

– We came to you to talk about Followers of Divine Tree – said Will.

– I thought we all already decided on that. They are too useful, and on top of that, it doesn’t seem right to force people…

– We have a better solution – said Aisha. – First of all, we need to explain to them what is really going on here. They are blinded by those dreams and some bullshit feed by Erebos. This guy is nuts. I’ll find a more suitable leader for them, and support that person to take over. This way we will have better control over them, and won’t allow all of them to turn into a bunch of blind fanatics following a crazy lunatic.

Hatta looked at me, straight into my eyes.

– And you are supporting this, Peter?

– I guess – I spread my arms. – If it’s really this bad, then we should do something, but I’m not good with dictating to people what to believe in.

He nodded slowly.

-I also feel that’s not right, but the risk is big. Those people are really dedicated, and I can imagine them turning crazy, especially when a couple already is crazy. Fortunately, at this point, we can deal with those people relatively easily…

He sighed.

– I really would like to not have to deal with this – he continued. – It just doesn’t feel right.

– It doesn’t feel right to anybody here, but I’ll take care of it – said Aisha. – I just need your official permission.

It was strange to me, hearing those words from her. Not too long ago, she would never ask Hatta for permission to do anything. She would scheme behind our backs. It made me feel a bit relieved, since I still thought about her as a friend, although those feelings were badly damaged by what she did. This was promising for our future.

– Sure. You have it. Just consult with the rest. Especially Boris and Nobuo, and Amit.

She nodded and left. Hatta looked at me, and I was able to see how tired he was.

– You know you can take a day off, don’t you? – I asked him.

He smiled at me in response, and I knew immediately, that there was no talking about any breaks.

– I have some things to attend to. So… – he said.

– Ok – I said, and left them.

I went outside and walked around for a moment. Then I went to the cafeteria, to grab some food, and finally ended up returning Tam to Velvet Lotus. Aisha wasn’t present, but Alice gladly took care of him for me.

Then I returned to the city center. There was a bit of ruckus, as the news about incoming announcements spread around. It was scheduled for the next day evening. I decided to not attend. To be honest the whole situation made me tired. I wanted to already go out hunting. I wouldn’t admit it back then, but I just wanted to run away from this situation.

That day came to an end with 5 083 120 points remaining on my account, and three class points.