When he was a little over one hundred, King Oliver Oglivarch had gotten it into his head that he might one day end up being king. Unfortunately, out of all of his father’s children, he was, at the time, considered one of the least likely successors to the throne. But, that hadn’t deterred him.

  He competed in arenas across the kingdom, joined the military, and began politicking in earnest. He stopped discussing his thoughts with those around him, and slowly shaped his public persona into someone whom others were likely to follow. It hadn’t been easy, but nothing worth doing ever was.

  Hundreds of years later, when others began putting forth his name for consideration for the throne, all he had to do was act surprised. To this day, even his wife believes that it had been her idea.

  Central to his success had been and will always be his competence and skill of exploiting people’s perceptions.

  One such strategy he’d employed was the commonly held beliefs he’d fostered concerning his pillars. Like most high-level people, he’d made great efforts to muddle the understanding of those around him concerning what exactly his pillars were capable of. It was a common tactic, but an effective one.

  Everyone, commoner to noble, believed that he was effectively all-knowing due to his observation pillar. When, in fact, his perceived omniscience was due to a multitude of factors including, but not limited to, his vastly improved mind, his talents in logical deduction, and his skills concerning emotional interpretation. After spending tens of stars to improve his pillar of observation, he was able to see all, know all, and predict all. Or so people believed.

  However, he was more than aware of his limits. And he was also more than aware that this commonly held belief cut both ways. On more than one occasion it had caused severe misunderstandings that led to problems he was still being forced to deal with.

  His teasing of his wife for her ‘close’ friendship with her childhood friend had led her to believe that he wanted a harem. She mistakenly concluded that he had probably always known about her private hopes and dreams, and therefore had taken them into account when he’d married her. He could still remember the moment he realized the mistake he’d made.

  But that wasn’t the only time other people’s belief in his omniscience caused him headaches.

  A joke he’d told at a party nearly 400 years ago was still causing him problems concerning the twin cities of Blakinridge and Volkring. All it had taken was a few of the local nobility overhearing him say, ‘Who knows what’s in those mountains they’re always fighting over? Maybe their conflict isn’t just a bunch of fools fighting over rocks’. Now, to this day, their still formally declaring war on each other every few decades thinking that he’d seen something in their mountain worth pursuing. Of course, he’d later checked and there wasn’t, but he couldn’t exactly tell them that, now could he?

  He was nearing 700 years old, and there had been countless times that his all-knowing nature had been misinterpreted and misconstrued. So, as a result, he’d learned to keep his thoughts to himself, learning to not casually show his emotions for any and all to see and interpret however they’d like.

  He had learned to be careful. Yet, he was also only human and therefore bound to make mistakes. Mistakes like the one he’d just made.

  The arch general in front of him, the nobles around him, and nearly everyone in the room had just seen him flash an expression of shock and annoyance.

  Sitting on his throne in the Hall of Leadership, he forcibly stopped himself from audibly groaning or showing any expression other than boredom. He could already see the gears turning in their heads. They concluded that he was unhappy with their plan, and therefore it was doomed to failure. With one small slip-up, he’d inadvertently changed the entire course of the conflict with the centaurs. Even with his prodigious skill at interpreting the likely outcome of events, he was unable to fully conceptualize the consequences of what had just happened.

  He’d have to spend days in seclusion working with the Oracle of Fate, manually redoing the calculations on what the new outcome would lead to.

  Inwardly cursing up a storm, he kept his expression blank.

  The cause of all of this, the reason this had happened, was simply due to chance.

  One of his subminds which he had tasked with watching over the anomaly known as Nero Walker in Dorchester had chosen an inopportune time to update him on what it had witnessed. It had overheard the young man’s clever reinterpretation of Oglivarchian societal values and decided that he’d needed to be immediately apprised. Why it had chosen this exact moment to do so, was just a result of poor timing. It hadn’t been paying attention to what was happening here in the hall and therefore had simply made a mistake.

  A mistake, which then led to his mistake. Even if he tried to explain, it wouldn’t do any good. The arch general wouldn’t believe him. The man and his subordinates would just interpret his explanations as another subtle manipulation and plan accordingly. He could already tell that it was an inevitable outcome at this point.

  Silently fuming, he turned most of his attention to the part of his mind currently scrying on the anomaly Walker. He couldn’t stop himself from getting more and more annoyed as the young man spread his misinterpretation among his ‘Wackos’.

  Generations of his predecessors, all the way back to the founding, were likely looking down on this plane in impotent rage at having such disruptive ideas spread so haphazardly. Worse yet, he couldn’t do anything about it. He could see hundreds of powerful people watching through their own scry links. The young man’s words were being sent out across the entire kingdom.

  ‘I should have seen this coming,’ he said to himself in silent recrimination at his miscalculation.

  —--

  Seeing as everyone around him was paying close attention, Nero tried to speak loudly enough so that they could all hear him, “Now I’m not saying that you should always step in and help those weaker than you. Obviously, that would stunt their growth. But giving them a hand when they need it, that’s just common sense. I mean, think about it, isn’t that what the capital does for its cities?”

  One of the Wackos, whose name Nero didn’t even have a clue about, asked, “How do you mean, my lord? The kingdom ensures that each city survives and thrives on its own. Everyone knows that.”

  Nero shook his head as if he were contradicting the erroneous beliefs of an ignorant child spouting nonsense. “Come on, you don’t actually believe that, do you? If that were true, then every city would have to be founded by just a few people in the wilds without any resources. Do you think the kingdom just drops people off in the middle of nowhere and says, ‘Here. Build a city here, we’ve cleared out the monsters. Have at it.’? It only makes sense that each city at least gets a starter package. You know, a few engineers to build some walls along with a few basic necessities to get them started. I’m sure you’ve realized that the basic knowledge packet given to every city comes from the capital.”

  Their conversation continued on while the formation made its way through the tunnels back to the lower levels. They were being led by the army scouts who’d come to collect them, their course following along what they believed to be the safest path. This in all likelihood seemed to be the case, as aside from a few isolated instances of kobalds popping up now and then, the journey so far hadn’t been all that dangerous. Which conveniently allowed them to have plenty of time for an impromptu lecture from their lord and master.

  “You know there are plenty of powerful people around, offering advice and guiding things from the shadows. There is an archmage in the city for God’s sake. Do you think a man like that came all the way here from the capital just to watch you all die? And what about that powerful general guy who is in charge of your army? He’s a big shot too I bet. There are probably a ton of people who are watching over Dorchester ensuring its safety,” Nero claimed as if he were some great sage speaking truths to the masses.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Keeping his expression as sincere as possible, he added, “The important thing to always keep in mind is that you are only responsible for you. It’s up to you to determine what kind of man or woman you want to be. All those powerful people are watching you, hoping you become the versions of yourself they know you can be.”

  Merrick, on Nero’s left, muttered, “Just like you, my lord?”

  Nero scoffed loudly, ensuring that everyone knew just how amazingly humble he was. “I’m not all that different than any of you. Maybe I have a bit of an advantage with my skill at essence manipulation, but my level is probably still below most of yours. Don’t throw me up on a pedestal just yet, I’m not even in their league.”

  A gruff-looking woman who’d been silently listening along said loudly, “Just ‘cause the high-level powerhouses are watching, doesn’t mean they can do anything. The law says that they can’t interfere. It’s up to us to save ourselves. It’s our duty to prove that we can take care of ourselves. It wouldn’t be right for them to interfere.”

  Nero glanced around, noticing almost everyone instinctively agreeing with her.

  Replying quickly, he said, “I’m not saying they should. The law was put in place for a reason. But what I am saying is that they are here to respond to the challenges that you wouldn’t be able to overcome without help. Remember, humanity needs to stick together. That’s the basic premise of civilization - working together for the greater good. As a citizen under the protection of the kingdom, you are expected to try and improve yourselves and grow so that you in turn can protect the next generation of citizens that are coming up behind you.”

  Several confused and thoughtful faces made it clear to Nero that they weren’t buying what he was selling just yet.

  “Look. Think about it like this. Civilizations are like big families, taken to the extreme. The younger generations are like children. The older ones, like parents, need to be careful not to stifle their growth while allowing them to grow in safety. It’s a delicate balance they need to maintain. They can’t be too protective of you, or you’ll end up growing weak and never making anything of yourselves. But they also can’t just let you rush into danger like idiots. What kind of parent would that make them? Shitty ones… am I right?” he asked sarcastically.

  One of the Wackos near the back shouted loud enough for everyone to hear him, “My dad always said that he couldn’t protect me forever and that I sure as hells below and heavens above better learn how to protect myself before I ended up dying in the wilds like a savage.”

  Nero nodded while loudly agreeing with him, “That’s right! Every challenge and danger is just an opportunity for growth. You can’t expect powerful people to just take care of everything for you. But you also can’t take that too far in the other direction either. Everyone knows that if you really need them, a good parent will always be there for you.”

  A young man whose face looked somewhat childish admitted quietly, “My lord, I was taught that my responsibility is to the kingdom. I don’t think I’ve ever heard about the kingdom having any responsibility to me. Our leaders earned their place as our nobles, and I’m not sure I have it in me to watch over anyone.”

  Seeing as the young man hadn’t asked a question, but merely voiced his concerns, Nero chose his words carefully. “You’re here, aren’t you? You’ve chosen to put your life on the line for the city. You’re already protecting people. When I say that you should only concern yourself with your own growth, I’m not saying that you should ignore everybody else like they aren’t worth giving a shit about. The key is to remember that you only have control over your own actions, no one else’s. When you choose to step up and help others, for whatever reason you choose to do so, then you are working toward the greater good. The… uh… betterment of all and all that. Remember, you can be selfish and still be a productive member of society. It’s a mistake to think either one has anything to do with the other. The higher you grow, the more shade you can provide. Write that down.”

  Having more or less gotten his point across, the conversation from there began to become predictable. Nero kept up his contribution of random wisdom snippets that he’d stolen from memes and self-help books he’d come across over his many years of internet surfing. To him, nothing he was saying was all that ground-breaking, but he could tell that it was resonating with the Wackos who were listening.

  On the whole, he’d just wanted them to no longer object to his presence. But, his proselytizing had admittedly gotten a little out of hand. He knew he’d never convert them into true believers of the ‘let someone else handle it’ mentality that he’d grown up with, but he could at least get them to accept a little more help when it was offered.

  It was a little weird for him to be the one explaining how it wasn’t wrong to allow the people in charge to provide them, the common citizenry, with aid. For the most part, he was used to arguing for people to accept a little more personal responsibility for their own lives. Back on Earth, society had been flipped to the point that everyone expected someone else to give them a handout as if they deserved it for merely existing. The common argument and stance he’d always heard was that people needed to take care of themselves.

  Even weirder was the fact that he was actually caring enough about the subject to engage in the debate in the first place. Never in his life had he tried to convince anyone of anything he actually believed in. Normally, he’d just parrot the common beliefs of the majority and revel in the feeling of being in the right. And when he went the other way, it was usually just for the enjoyment of pissing someone off. He’d rarely if ever cared about anything strongly enough to have a real opinion about anything. So, taking a stance on a subject without the intention of causing discord was a new experience for him. One he wasn’t sure he liked.

  The longer he talked, the more and more ‘scummy’ he felt. Using platitudes and clever sayings to get people to agree with him was both easier and harder than he thought it would be. He was perfectly fine with the idea of manipulating people, but it felt uncomfortable to be doing it for a targeted purpose.

  ‘Is this what being a politician feels like?’ he wondered.

  Only twice during their march had their conversation been interrupted by anything. And both times it had been larger groups of kobalds trying and failing to kill them.

  Just like he said he wouldn’t, he didn’t participate in the fighting. He just stood back and watched. Afterward, he’d congratulated them while trying to sound supportive.

  Although he’d come back to the mountain for a reason, it hadn’t been for combat. He’d come back because he’d felt guilty for leaving them in the first place, and failing to be there to resurrect those who’d died.

  Nero was well aware of what was going on in his subconscious. He wasn’t like one of those idiots who went through life completely unaware of their feelings. Or at least he thought he wasn’t.

  While Vera and Jennings were so concerned about the bigger picture, he remained sure that there was no point in worrying about it. He knew who he was. He was a blue-collar guy who’d gotten promoted above his level. His place was with his Wackos. They needed him here.

  So, like a good leader, he focused on keeping up their morale and getting to know them. This was the first time in his life that he’d had subordinates who were worth getting to know. Back when he’d managed his little store, his employees had been idiots and textbook underachievers. Not that he’d been all that special either. He wasn’t oblivious to that fact. But here, now, these Wackos he was in charge of were all people worthy of respect. He couldn’t help but feel a little glimmer of pride growing in his chest the more he got to know them.

  He found himself actually listening to their dumbass ideas on how they saw the world and their place in it. It was more than a little eye-opening.

  For the common citizenry of the kingdom, they expected to live lives of quiet mediocrity. Most of their families were filled with people who’d tried and failed to level high enough to matter. Nero found it somewhat depressing the more he heard about how they expected their lives to turn out.

  The conversations he was having also helped him understand why they had chosen to follow him. When he heard their perspective on his rapid rise into their nobility, he couldn’t help but agree that it did sound somewhat farfetched. Now, looking back on it, he wondered if the only reason he’d succeeded was because he hadn’t known that it shouldn’t have been possible.

  Considering that this entire reality had elements of will influencing reality, Nero couldn’t help but wonder if his true superpower hadn’t been ignorance all along. Without knowing that he shouldn’t be able to do something, had that ignorance somehow given him the ability to do it? Was something that ridiculous possible?

  Then, he remembered all those cliches he’d heard back on Earth about the power of belief and crap like that. Even back home, countless people believed in that nonsense. Or at least what he’d believed was nonsense. But here, in a world where reality was shaped by beliefs and identities, was it not entirely possible that it could work like that?

  Eventually, Nero stepped back from the center of the conversation, allowing them all to proceed without him. He had too much to think about. The last thing he wanted to do was allow himself to get infected with their limitations if his ignorance of things gave him the advantage he was beginning to think it did.

  Thinking back, he recalled Jennings once saying something about how he didn’t want to influence Nero’s growth too much. Maybe Nero had misunderstood him. Could he not have been talking about influencing what Nero did, but rather how he thought? Was there more to the whole allowing people to figure things out on their own than he’d previously understood?

  He felt like he was grasping the edges of some profound truth that he couldn’t quite yet comprehend.

  By the time the formation finally arrived at the site of what used to be one of the kobald encampments, Nero had quite thoroughly confused himself.