Riches and Bitches: I have a gate to an isekai and leveling-up system!

Chapter 298: Initiative

The first step of my plan was all about passively keeping Irene ignorant.

The second step was about actively showcasing how we were focused on anything but her potential presence.

The third point, though, was simple only on the surface.

The third step was to take the initiative. To be the party that put things in motion rather than the ones who simply reacted to the developments around them.

But what exactly did it mean to claim the initiative?

Did it mean to press ahead with our other plans as if my encounter with Irene didn't take place? Or maybe it meant to be the one setting up the terms of confronting her, be it here or back on earth?

In all honesty, I didn't have the answer. I simply followed the dogma stipulating that making even a stupid move would always be better than not doing it at all because, again, not doing anything at all only served to surrender the initiative to the other party!

"We are about to reach the forest's edge," a voice of one of Makary's soldiers filled the insides of the armored cabin. Right after that, the side panels of the commanding center lit up, as the video feed from the cameras of the truck leading the convoy came online, enriching our outlook on the situation.

Even with how quickly the convoy could cut a path through the forest, it still took us roughly fifteen minutes to travel all the way to where the woods thinned out and turned into an open plain.

'Right on time,' I thought, watching how the reformed imperial army already formed into its new battle order.

The first battle of this war was pretty much a siege of the mercenary camp. The second battle took place deep in the forest, with all the mess and chaos that the location enforced on both sides.

In both of those times, the imperial forces fought differently, proving that they were not a static force only capable of following the rules of the military handbook.

And right now, just by a single glance at Etaria's new formation, I couldn't help but silently praise the girl for adapting to the situation so quickly.

"Should we begin?"

Makary looked at me after taking a moment to analyze the formations displayed on the birds-eye view of the forest's edge on his holodesk.

I shook my head in response.

"I think we should try talking with them one last time, you know, not to kill our prospective cheap labor." I took another look at the scene displayed by the projectors of the holodesk. "And I don't think this battle will be as easy as we expected."

Etaria truly learned her lesson from the fight in the forest. Most likely, it was all thanks to her cat-and-mouse chase with the Maglev's tracking fire that gave her a pretty deep insight into what my forces were capable of.

And right now, despite the limited means she could access to counter our strong points, she turned her army from a scattered mess of destroyed and demoralized units into a cohesive and well-organized force.

This time it was Makary's turn to ask for clarifications.

"People that are more than just people. People that are stronger, faster, smarter, more perceptive..."

For a second, I entertained the idea of trying to explain the concept of ascenders to the man.

But after said second, I sighed as I gave up and moved back to the holodesk before resting my elbow on its surface and reaching out with my hand towards the former military officer.

"It would be a pain to explain, so let me show you. Try me," I requested, wiggling my hand a little.

Makary gave me a long, slightly confused glance, before ultimately mirroring my position over the holodesk and reaching out to grab my hand while resting his elbow down.

"On three. Ready, set... go!"

Despite being the one to count our duel down, I refused to let my hand even budge. On the other hand of the table, though, Makary's entire, muscular body tensed up. He grabbed the nearby edge of the holodesk with his free hand as he attempted to use the strength of his entire body to make my hand budge.

Yet, no matter how much the man tried... I simply failed to seriously notice his attempts at bringing the outer palm of my hand down on the table.

"I'm about to pull, so get ready."

As someone aware of just how far my attributes removed me from the limits of the human body, I gave Makary a warning not out of arrogance, but rather a genuine concern for his well-being.

It wouldn't make a good press if he were to come out from the truck with a broken arm, after all!

And as I announced, I took a deep breath before slowly starting to pull my hand down.

Bit by bit, I increased the strength of my pull... Only to slam Makary's hand down into the holodesk with enough force to make its the projected map flicker.

"I'm not saying this to humiliate you, but I hardly used any of my strength," I revealed as I let go of Makary's hand, only for the man to quickly retract it and massage the slightly bruised area. "That's the power of ascenders. They are better than even the best-trained humans. And some of them might invoke abilities that are pretty much magical."

"Okay, I get it," Makary announced before going back to his position of slightly leaning over the map as if our short, small bout never happened in the first place. "But what does it have to do with anything?"

I took a deep breath to buy myself some time during which I gathered my thoughts.

"That princess isn't stupid. It's too risky for me to go and meet her in person," I announced, only to cast my eyes all over the truck, only to have my sights locked on a certain item displayed on the plaque marking the content of one of the equipment shelves within the truck. "Tell me," I turned my eyes back to Makary before stretching out my hand in the direction of the shelf I took notice of.

"Are those in a working order?"