After my vision was washed with a bright flash of white light, I soon came into a dark and enclosed room. In the middle was a large round table, roughly five meters in diameter, with a large chandelier hanging above it, right at its center, showering a dim orange light all over.
Around the table, there were already seven figures sitting down. All of their faces were familiar other than the two at the farthest end, a man and a woman, who were more than likely the remaining heads of the ancient families down the west and south.
“Sit down.”
Goddess Vermeil said it solemnly.
I didn’t want to break the atmosphere, so I did as was told, sitting down at the nearest vacant chair—the one between Ying Yue and another empty chair.
As soon as everyone was properly seated, Zeshion took the reins and began the meeting.
“Everyone here is aware of the true state of the Royal Capital, so there’s no need to keep quiet about it. As you all know, our kingdom is currently headless.”
Zeshion began by explaining the background of the current situation. How did it come to be, who was involved, and what were the current drawbacks? One by one, he clarified them.
“… And so, without a king ruling over this kingdom, we are bound to get decimated by the joined forces of neighboring countries.”
As expected, the greatest threat for us currently is the neighboring kingdoms. From the note, it was even said that they would end up taking the lives of two of the four remaining god tamers when no king was set in place in another four months.
“See? Those kingdoms have no honor! When they’re weak, they rely on us, and now that they smelled that our current state wasn’t the best, they’re taking advantage!”
The unidentified man spoke angrily, slamming his curled fist against the table. His gold eyes narrowed as he scanned everyone’s faces, while a wide frown covered his face.
“That’s why I said it’s time to become the true sovereign and annex the other countries for real!”
This man, with fiery red hair and gold eyes and a body built like a wrestler, was the current head of the Helios family, Karran Helios. He is also said to be pushing for the militarization of the kingdom.
His figure, covered in a plate armor of gold and silver, was intimidating, despite not having a weapon nearby.
“Nonsense, Karran. Right now, we need to strengthen our connections with them, instead of taking advantage of the situation and bringing them down! If we become the center of trade, an irreplaceable cog in the system of society, then we’ll surely prosper!”
Said the other person, the woman with piercing blue eyes and yellow hair, with a bombastic body displayed for all to see with her royal blue deep V-neck dress. If not for the knowledge that she was the head of the Quartz family, then I’d probably think she’s a harlot who got lost in this meeting.
“Hmm… Sorry, Karran, but if I’m forced to choose between the two of you, then I’d be siding with Milly. After all, a military takeover is simply nonsense.”
Even Max, who was sitting silently between the two, decided to chip in, sharing his opinion. As he finished speaking, his eyes turned in my direction, who was sitting right across from him. He must be telling me to share my opinions too.
“Both options aren’t for the best.”
I said it plainly. The two heads turned to me, their brows furrowed.
“You must be the new head of the Seimei AND Luo families. Will, was it?”
The woman wearing the V-neck dress, Millinda, muttered as a thin smile appeared over her luscious red lips.
“Unfortunately, you’re just too young to understand the importance of—”
“Trading is essential to ensure the circulation of goods. It can also be a great way of gathering supplies that the country can’t produce itself. However, letting trade be the focus of the kingdom would only lead to having those with money at the reign.”
“Humph! And what’s wrong with that? Those who have the most money should have all the power!”
Her gaze became sharper. She wasn’t willing to lend an ear to what I had to say, it seems. Well, a country centered on trade isn’t a bad idea, but for one, our kingdom isn’t in a position that would make that the “best” choice.
“Anyway, if we push for becoming a trading-centered kingdom, then nothing but downfall is waiting for us.”
“Brat, I agree with you on that point. Trading is useless; military might is the best choice!”
The big guy smiled viciously, apparently trying to “intimidate” me through his gaze. However, his level was somewhere around the 7th stage. Rather than being intimidated, I could only use my willpower to stop myself from laughing at him.
“No, military might is the second worst. If we do that, then our forces would be divided between fighting the demons and the other kingdoms. Our defenses would weaken, and the country would eventually fall.”
“… Then just increase the defenses against the demons! Easy.” .
“THEN, the other kingdoms would end up decimating your offensive force, creating a dead end for our kingdom in the end.”
Karran gritted his teeth, apparently realizing how futile his previous plan was. However, that wasn’t enough to dissuade him.
“SHUT IT! I’ll show you if I become the king that I’ll make it all work out!”
His anger was getting to his head, making him basically unconvinceable. Seeing him like that, Millinda Quartz snorted lightly.
“You, a king? A king needs to be wise, but you? Try again after you find something like a brain inside that empty head of yours.”
“B*TCH!”
Not willing to take the insult, Karran stood up and was about to rush Millinda, but at that moment, his body suddenly paused. No, it was more like he couldn’t move. Nothing seemed strange to him at first glance, but from my view, I could see the thick space energy that locked the space around him.
“Well, calm down, Karr. We’re here to discuss things peacefully, not to resolve them with violence.”
Zeshion, the culprit behind the invisible power holding him in place, spoke in a gentle but somewhat intimidating tone. Karran seemed to have sobered up from his anger, but now cold sweat was raining down from his forehead.
“… Alright. Let me go, old man.”
“…”
Zeshion’s eyebrows twitched a little, hearing the insult, but he decided to let it slide. He just said not to resort to violence, after all. If not for that, I guess Karran would have a broken leg or two by now.
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