Chapter 64 Eternal Autumn [6] - Unworthy Leader

"What seems to be the problem here?"

The silence continued for a few more seconds, but before Lloyd would be forced to repeat his question, a man stood up from his chair and turned to Lloyd with a piercing gaze, yet Lloyd didn't seem too bothered by it as he returned the gesture.

The man was tall, being a little taller than Lloyd, sitting at 6ft 4 while Lloyd sat at solid 6ft 1.

He had aqua-blue hair, and while the hair made him seem a little soft, his angular facial structure, followed by the scar running through his eye, made him look menacing in his own way.

Like everyone else on the team, he wore a black trench coat that reached his ankles, yet due to him being inside a tent rather than outside, where it was a bit colder, he left his jacket unzipped, showing the military uniform under it that looked almost identical to the one Roderick wore under his coat.

"My name is Lachlan Raven, and I am the leader of this group, and I believe you are sitting in my seat." Lachlan spoke as his aura flared slightly as if he was trying to show it off.

Narrowing his eyes, he continued-

"I don't know who you think you are, barging into our meeting, using your ability in our presence, and taking control of our meeting, but I sure as hell will not be taking any of it." The man growled

"You're the leader?" Lloyd asked in an almost mocking tone that angered the man more.

Lloyd was aware that the man could probably kill him with a single swipe of his palm, but Lloyd was also certain that it would never come to that.

He saw what happened to Felix, so if Lachlan hurt someone as weak as him for a reason that is so petty, he would most likely lose all support from his team.

Not only that, but Lloyd was pretty sure that it wouldn't be hard to replace him, as not only did they have Veronica, who was by far the strongest in the group, but they also had Hime, who, while being a little rash at times, had good battle senses and could very easily lead a battalion to victory.

Lloyd could easily see the problem this group had, and while he might not have the ability to easily fix it, a trend that Lloyd has seen with most of his problems, he knew that he could find a temporary solution, one that had enough of a lifespan to hold out until they are released from the hell-hole they found themselves in.

"Are you mocking me?" Lachlan asked, his voice deep and filled with hatred.

"Since when did the army appoint such hot-headed and easily angered leaders?" Lloyd replied with his own question, yet it only seemed to anger the blue-haired man even more, causing a vein to bulge on his forehead.

"I let you Void Walker-looking child into my camp, and you dare talk to me this way?" Lachlan seethed with rage; every single one of his words was laced with venom.

"You say that you're the one who let me into your camp, but from what I've seen from being here for less than a day, is that you aren't really a leader in their eyes... No one respects you here, to the point they are more than willing to shout at you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you have to raise your voice to be heard?" Lloyd spoke as he leaned back into a relaxing position while a small smile crept up the corner of his lips.

"You might be one of the stronger individuals in this group...

But you lack the confidence, aura, and rational decision-making of a leader..." Lloyd's smile slowly disappeared as his voice became slightly more monotone while the air in the tent shifted.

For a moment, the wind became still, and the room's temperature plummeted.

Lloyd's words lingered in the air for a moment, and before the mood could be broken, a friendly, warm smile appeared on Lloyd's face as he jumped out of his seat and patted Lachlan on his shoulder twice.

"I'm kidding. Why so tense?" Lloyd asked in a cheery voice that felt like the complete opposite of his monotone one.

"I'm just playing around. Of course, your team trusts you. A good leader is one capable of gaining the trust of his group, to the point where they would gladly risk their lives because they know that the leader knows better than they do." Lloyd laughed and stood behind Lachlan before placing his hands on his shoulders and slowly pushing him toward the bigger chair.

Standing behind Lachlan, Lloyd inwardly took pleasure at his confused face, yet without breaking character, Lloyd continued-

​ "I'm certain the army picked you for a reason. It's not like they would pick you for only your class, family status, political power, and money, right?" Lloyd chuckled, even though he knew he was the only one who was laughing at the situation. Well, that's if he didn't count the vampire.

Looking toward the two he hadn't officially met yet, Lloyd's smile slightly widened.

The first one was a shy girl wearing round spectacles. Her bangs were long enough for her to hide behind, while her clothing and figure were mostly conservative.

She had brown hair that reached her shoulders, and from the staff that lay next to her and the bag hung on her chair, Lloyd easily identified that she must be a mage of some kind, one that would require her to carry books around at all times.

The reason she caught Lloyd's attention first was mostly because she was the only one who shouted to stop the arguing rather than arguing a point of her own.

However, the other one looked pretty normal. There was no real indication of his class and personality other than the fact that he looked pretty athletic, but that was about it.

The boy had spiky red hair and amber eyes. He probably had a fiery nature to him since that is what his affinity seems to lean to, but Lloyd felt 'fiery characters' were things of fiction and didn't really exist in real life.

Looking around for a moment, Lloyd's smile quivered slightly. He was enjoying this way too much, and he knew that.

When he heard that Lachlan's last name was Raven, he instantly thought of a hundred ways to take him down.

'Lachlan Raven... As in the Raven family who was in charge of the Raven academy. It also means that Lachlan has an affinity to shadows and a class to support such an affinity.

Since he became the leader of a group and clearly has no items like an assassin's cloak, a dagger, a wand, a staff, or even gauntlets, it means that there is a high chance that his class has to do with leading units or a class that supports him in doing so.'

"Stop spouting this nonsense! W-What are you trying to say?" Like a child that had just been caught stealing candy, Lachlan stuttered in anger while trying to somehow shift the blame and attention to someone else.

'Think of me like Switzerland. I simply laid the seeds of doubt in their minds. He's the one who's going to cultivate these doubts into a magnificent tree with his own actions. Just continue acting the fool and lets see how long you hold out.' Lloyd took a step back.

It was never a good idea to get on the bad side of someone's 2 commandments above you, but it was necessary for this situation.

To rebuild something from the ground up, you must knock down whatever remains to create a structure with as few flaws as possible.

Building upon an already ruined tower is like building a castle out of a deck of cards. You're basically asking to be blown over.

"What's wrong? Why does everyone seem down?" Lloyd asked with a voice that feigned genuine curiosity.

However, instead of one of them speaking up, hesitation could still be seen written across their faces.

"Hey, how about we have an anonymous vote? What do you think of Mr. Raven's leadership so far? Think of all the things that make a leader and compliment him a little.

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Maybe we should make this a regular thing from now on. We all vote on certain key decisions, while the group's leader votes on the decision made on the battlefield. That seems fair, correct?" Lloyd smiled.

Everyone thought for a moment before they all silently nodded... Everyone except Lachlan, yet despite it seeming like he wanted to say something or lash out in rage, he surprisingly stayed quiet as he tightened his fist to the point where blood began to leak from where he pressed his fingernails into his palm.

'That won't do.' Lloyd thought coldly as he passed out several sheets of paper for everyone to write on.

When they all looked down at their sheets of paper, Lloyd narrowed his eyes before grabbing a chair and sitting at the other end of the table.

The moment Lloyd parted his lips, the room became eerily silent before his voice echoed throughout it, making every single one of them pause what they were about to write and look up from their papers with slightly perplexed expressions.

"Lachlan, its cool to know what others think of you, but the real question is, what do you think of yourself as a leader?" Lloyd asked.

Like a tantruming child, Lachlan was going to throw another fit, yet when he looked into Lloyd's eyes, he could not help but feel his muscles relax beyond his will.

[Void Gaze]

For a moment, the blue-haired man forgot why he was angry, yet as the room became darker and the atmosphere became calmer, memories of his past flashed before him, causing his rage-filled heart to beat in a slow and peaceful rhythm.

Of course, the man before Lloyd was in the second commandment, so Lloyd couldn't hold the [Void Gaze] for more than a moment, yet that was all he needed.

"Do you think that you're a suitable leader? You are responsible for every life currently living in this camp, so do you think you can lead us all. Do you believe everyone here should trust you with their lives? Do you think you can make the difficult decision that none of us can?" Lloyd asked.

"You're green behind your ears. What the hell would you know?" Lachlan replied, yet from the sound of his voice alone, they all knew he had lost some of his confidence.

Even if he still remained the leader from here on out, Lachlan was certain that his influence over the group would be lower than ever before. He knew that he wasn't cut out for the job... But what is he supposed to do? Say he couldn't do it? He is a Raven; how could he take a step back on such a great opportunity?

'Do you believe everyone here should trust you with their lives?'

That question echoed through his mind as he tried to formulate an answer, yet even as he tried to defend himself, he knew that the answer to the question was no.

However, on the outside, his silence was already enough of an answer.

Without wasting any more time, they all wrote down their answers, and after a few seconds, Lloyd stood up from where he sat and collected the pieces of paper before shuffling them behind his back, so no one knew who wrote what.

"I'll read them out now."

[Lachlan isn't a good leader. He might be older than us, but he is rash and never thinks of his actions' consequences.]

[Lachlan's leadership is weak at best. He tends to make a lot of mistakes, and he has a lot less experience than many of us. I believe that the only reason he is the leader is because of his family's influence]

[Lachlan is a good person if you get to know him, but I don't think I can trust him with my life.]

[Lachlan is immature and gets angry quickly. Maybe someone like Roderick or Hime would be a better fit as a leader since they have been in such positions before.]

As Lloyd read out everything, he could see Lachlan slowly shrinking in his seat.

He could only imagine Lachlan's humiliation at the moment to find out that everyone in his group thought of him that way, but could he really blame them?

He knew that he shouldn't have been chosen as the group's leader, yet his pride as an individual with the last name Raven took over his personality.

"I think they have said more than enough." Lloyd spoke as sympathy and compassion filled his voice.

Lloyd knew what he was doing; hell, he had planned it the moment he sat on Lachlan's chair.

Everything from the cruel and cold act he initially put on to the overly friendly one quickly replaced it. He knew that the change would seem off to everyone around him but more to Lachlan.

It would throw him off and subtly make him feel no longer in control of the situation. Now that he wasn't in control, as the leader of this group and a part of a prestigious family, he would try to get his power back through an explosion of emotion, and due to his history, it would most likely be aggression.

And then, finally, Lloyd sat on the other side of the table and switched up again, yet instead of going back to his cold self, he knew that the most efficient way to end this strife would be with the use of compassion, no matter how fake it was.

Talking to his opponent on a deeper level would not only throw him off, but also allow him the chance to blame himself or see the error of his ways. Sitting down and talking to him would also make Lachlan hate him less, making it less likely that he would suddenly decide to kill Lloyd without a moment's thought.

Looking to his left, Lloyd leaned onto the chair on the opposite end of Lachlan while looking Roderick and Hime in the eyes. Roderick's eyes were filled with suspicion, while Hime's felt slightly menacing.

"W-We no longer have a leader..." The brown-haired girl stuttered.

"True!" Lloyd pointed at her and shouted, making her slightly flinch at the dramatic volume increase.

"Some of you also spoke about how others in the team would be better leaders, so why not have a vote. You can't vote for me by the way." Lloyd chuckled at his last remark, yet it only made everyone raise a brow.

"Why not? You have shown great intelligence, why can't we vote you?" Roderick asked.

"Because, as Lachlan said, I'm green behind my ears. I know nothing of strategy, and I doubt you would be able to trust someone so much weaker than all of you as a leader. Of course, I can help from a logistic stand point by explaining probabilities to you guys, but they already have you for that." Lloyd shrugged while most of the suspicion Roderick felt dissipated.

"Veronica. Bring Felix here. We're about to have a vote." Lloyd waved, causing Veronica to flinch from outside the tent's curtains.

"S-Sure." She stuttered before shooting into the distance to retrieve Felix.

'how the hell did he notice me?' She asked herself. She had concealed her scent, mana signature, aura, and presence itself, so how could he know that she was there?

Of course, Lloyd didn't actually feel her presence, but he knew that she was strong enough to hide it from him. That, added to her personality, made it obvious that she was most likely listening in from behind the curtain without actually choosing to enter herself.

When she returned with Felix struggling in her arm, Lloyd waved to her to sit down.

"There are eight of us, but if you exclude me, there are seven. You can't vote for yourself, and you can't vote for me." Lloyd spoke while handing out sheets of paper he found in his storage. Lachlan's eyes widened when he realized that he was allowed to vote since he was certain that Lloyd hated him and would find any way to stop him from voting.

"We will be voting on a leader. A leader's job is in the name. He is there to lead the group during battle, make tactical decisions on the fly, and get to make the final decision on most occasions when the rest of the team can't come up with one. However, a vote will be held whenever someone demands one. Understood?" Lloyd asked, making everyone nod as they wrote down who they wanted as a leader.

"I will not be sharing who voted for who; the name thing is just to make sure that you aren't going to vote for yourself," Lloyd said while glancing at Felix, who was by far the most immature one in the group from what Lloyd had seen so far, Lachlan being a close second.

'Can't believe these guys are part of the army. Makes them look a little pathetic, to be honest.' Lloyd sighed, but he quickly remembered that everyone who acted so immature was most likely from big families that would have gotten respect outside the battlefield.

After the vote was finally cast, Lloyd looked through all of them and could not help but raise a brow.

'Felix voted for Lachlan?' He inwardly chuckled before continuing-

'Roderick and Hime voted for each other, Lachlan voted for Hime, Veronica voted for Roderick, the girl named Tina voted for Veronica, and that hot-headed guy named Rex voted for Hime.' Lloyd thought.

"I'll tell you the votes from least to most. Veronica and Lachlan both have one vote. Roderick has two votes, while Hime has three. Hime is now the leader of our group." Lloyd announced before glancing at her.

"Do you have anything to say?" Lloyd asked, and Hime nodded.

Standing up, she walked to where Lloyd was and looked down at the table before saying a few words of gratitude while giving a few promises that she would make sure to keep.

At the end of her speech, she said something that made everyone tense up a little, and that was-

"We will start moving at sunrise. The goal is to find the boss of this dungeon and defeat it before the dungeon can spill out onto the planets it opened on. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Everyone shouted at the same time.

[Author's note: Sorry, this chapter is a little longer than usual; I wanted to get the voting thing done within this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. I would appreciate the use of your golden tickets on my novel, as well as power stones, since they are super helpful in growing this novel.

Also, what do you guys think of me making a discord server? Tell me your thoughts in the comments. Thank you for reading!]