Kindness plus ruthlessness

Back in Sana's lab, Muki clutched her head in pain as she sat in a chair. 

"I take it the elves have been eliminated and my daughter is safe?" Sana asked. 

"Yeah. Those two ate up those mentos cakes without suspecting a thing. Pretty ironic for them given they killed that giant puma by blasting his head off from the inside. But I figured that since elf and human physiology is similar enough, it'd stand to reason that they'd have their stomachs blow up if filled with mentos and cola. And with the high elevation, the effects were strengthened, allowing me the best chance at finishing them off," Muki grumbled. 

"Hoh? You knew of the elevation experiment?"

"I'm the smartest one here, so no shit. It was still a risk given how monstrous those two were, but it paid off in the end. Even better, we might be currying some big favor points with Evendale by presenting their heads to them in addition to clearing that giant puma out of their flight path." 

"And will you try to microchip them all too if you get the chance?" 

Muki scowled and shook her head. "I wouldn't physically last. I'd have to create an AI to manage everything, but even then, it would only be effective within city range. I've also got no clue if they'd even work with elves and dwarves, meaning if I want to maintain some control over them for the sake of the town, it's better to do things the old-fashioned way and put them in our debt early on." 

"If you have so much faith in that process, why the need to chip your own people for control? To create a hivemind under you? Because you're a control freak? No, it's all from the fact that you're haunted by the trauma of nearly being killed by a deranged homeless man." 

Muki slammed her fist down hard on the arm of the chair. 

"I strike a nerve? Good." 

"'Good'!? That bastard was out of control! I didn't do anything to him, yet thanks to Monika's shouting, he pulled a knife on me! I even threw money out at him as I tried to crawl away, but he trampled over it, charging straight for me and stabbing me up through the cheek to my eye!" Muki fumed as she pulled back her hair. 

Were anyone to look at Muki without knowing the details of her attack, they'd assume she was fine and just over blowing the whole thing for sympathy points. However, looks could be deceiving. The right side of her face was only normal thanks to countless plastic surgeries while her right eye was a cybernetic. 

"All this shit I went through was because Monika just couldn't obey me and left me alone out of protest. It may have hardened me up, but that doesn't mean I'm glad it happened. And that's why I don't want it to happen again!" 

"So the solution is to control everyone. Yet it is flawed. Back in the old world, were there not countless people you'd be unable to control? Or is it that now that it's just the city here, you feel your fantasy is a plausibility?" 

"It's a necessity. We're under attack, and if we want to survive, we need the smartest mind leading us!" 

"Are you really the smartest? If so, why haven't you chipped your own mother, the one actually and legally in charge of the city?" 

Muki scowled and slammed her fist down on the arm of the chair once more. 

"So you're selective in your approach. Quite unreasonable, but unreasonable is what all humans are. You claim you've "hardened up" compared to the spoiled brat you used to be, but all you've done is become edgy, emo, and misanthropic on top of being spoiled. You never changed, you just repainted yourself with updated features." 

Muki's jaw hung open as she began to tremble. This was the first time anyone had ever insulted her so harshly or effectively.  "Not even Yamane was this harsh," she mumbled as she clenched her fist.

"Your "roasting" as some would word it aside, you were in the right to eliminate the elves that you did." 

"Well that's a contrast; your daughter was in tears when I killed those two." 

"As you said, she is too kind. Kindness is a quality that should be celebrated, but to be a good leader, you must also be ruthless. Sadly, many leaders of the old world and you have put all your eggs behind ruthlessness, casting kindness out of the equation. Both are needed to lead a people to prosperity, so goes my theorem." 

"Then all I need to do is be a little kinder and I'll be this great leader you speak of." 

"No, you've got a fatal flaw; your misanthropy."

"..." 

"If you can't trust others, you'll never be able to lead. Perhaps that's why you truly seek to control everyone; you can't trust them to act on their own. But what happens when you're gone?" 

"Won't be my problem, that's what."

"And there's another flaw. There's a saying that a great man plants a tree, knowing he'll never live to bask in it's shade, but those in the future will. Look at my research, not all of it will be perfected in my lifetime, yet I continue with it so that future generations can perfect it. I teach others about it so that I'm not the sole authority, and so that the research lives on after I'm gone. Yet what would you gift to this town after your passing? A protege? A functioning society strengthened by good financial and social policy? Or just a bunch of microchips in the brain?" 

"The chips can allow you numerous benefits. Online browsing without a phone, operating electronics hand's free, the control feature is just something only I can do, so once I'm gone, I won't need to worry about managing them and people won't need to worry about it."

"And you think others won't try to do what you're doing?" 

"Not my problem, especially here." 

"Perhaps just in terms of microchips, but with magic in the equation, what if there's a spell that does just as your chips do?" 

"Then create an anti-spell. Heck, maybe the chips themselves would negate it." 

Sana let out a sigh.  "I actually have an idea in mind that could protect this city by using the terra link server as a base. But I doubt you'd agree to it due to it only being able to function once you die." 

"You're a terrible saleswoman, but tell me what it is anyway." 

Sana did just that, but contrary to her prediction, Muki decided to go with it.

"That's a surprise given the argument we just had moments ago." 

"It's logical, and a good insurance policy given we still know nothing about the world. Plus I've thought of a similar idea myself." 

"You'll have to put your life and mind in other's hands." 

"Not if I'm supped up on morphine." 

Sana let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. "Then I'll assume you want to begin immediately after negotiations with Evendale conclude, yes?" 

"Yeah. Once that shit's in the bag, we back me up."