The two of them stopped at the center of the hall.

All the people in the circular seats were looking at them.

Crown Prince Alberu was wearing a fancy gold and white outfit, while Cale Henituse wore a black uniform that highlighted his red hair.

The two of them were so different; it was readily apparent.

The whispers slowly subsided, and silence filled the hall.

Alberu Crossman began to smile after surveying the hall.

“Crazy bastard.

He says he doesn’t need power? He’ll let go of everything after the war? And he even swore on it.”

He lightly clenched, then unclenched his tingling hand.

“He always does things beyond my expectations.”

Cale emanated an aura that made his palms tingle. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel the oppressive aura emanating from Cale.

It was affecting everyone in the hall.

“This is the true Cale Henituse.”

The man who never sought attention and only craved money was finally revealing his true self. The crown prince couldn’t help but smile.

“If he’s serious, I must be serious to match him.”

The crown prince relinquished part of his role for the day. He decided to play along with whatever Cale chose to do.

It wouldn’t be difficult.

On the other hand, there was someone facing a difficult situation.

“Mm.”

Marquis Sand Ailan let out a groan.

The man known for his stoic expression didn’t seem to be doing well.

He hadn’t expected his expression to change, not because of the smiling Crown Prince Alberu Crossman, but because of Cale Henituse.

“…I thought he would still be a child even if he received that position.”

He was no child.

Then what was he?

Marquis Sand Ailan, being a martial artist, was more sensitive to a person’s aura, believing it reflected their life story.

However, Cale Henituse was radiating the aura of a king or ruler, stronger than Alberu Crossman, who had been groomed for kingship.

He emanated an aura that made the marquis believe Cale would not cower even against the Dragon’s Dragon Fear, known as the strongest aura in the world.

“I feel like I am being dominated by his aura.”

As a top-tier expert, his highly sensitive intuition was going off.

Of course, Cale would have applauded if he knew what the marquis was thinking. This was because Cale was using the Dominating Aura to its fullest after feasting in the palace.

The marquis, unaware of this, focused his gaze on Cale.

Alberu began to speak at that moment.

“It’s been a while since so many people have gathered together.”

He was no longer using formal language, now that his kingship was confirmed. Marquis Ailan saw the brightly smiling crown prince and pressed his temple with his finger.

He had an ominous feeling about this.

The crown prince only smiled like this when he had the upper hand.

Alberu began to walk.

“I should go to my seat as well. However…”

He stopped walking and turned around.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s a seat for our Commander?”

There was no seat for Cale here.

This was done by Duke Orsena’s central faction.

A petty move.

The nobles would sit, while the person being questioned would stand. You could even call it the beginning of the power struggle.

“Ahem.”

Duke Granike Orsena couldn’t hide his discomfort. He observed the crown prince, who knew he had done this but hadn’t said anything until now.

He then made eye contact.

Cale Henituse. He was looking directly at the duke.

“I don’t have a hobby of chatting while standing.”

Cale’s gaze slowly swept the hall. The nobles understood his intent after seeing his gaze.

He was looking down on them.

“But this isn’t bad.”

Cale smiled for the first time, as if enjoying looking down on them like this.

One of the southeast region’s nobles made eye contact with Cale. He began to shout as soon as Cale’s gaze left him.

“I, I heard you were trash! I see that your personality hasn’t changed.”

“Shut up.”

“Excuse me?”

The noble looked toward the leader of his faction.

Marquis Sand Ailan had a rare frown on his face, glaring at the noble.

“I told you to shut your mouth.”

“Marquis-nim?”

The marquis turned his gaze away.

“Can’t you see the look in the eyes of the northeast region’s nobles?”

“Excuse me?”

The noble had never seen the marquis talk so much. That’s why he also looked toward the northeast region’s faction. He could hear the marquis’s voice.

“All their eyes are focused on Cale Henituse.”

“…Do you think they are scared?”

‘Like me?’

He didn’t say that part aloud.

He could see the marquis sighing. It seemed the marquis was saying this noble still had a long way to go. The marquis began to speak once the noble cowered after seeing the marquis’s gaze again.

“It is not fear, but respect.”

“Excuse me?”

Marquis Sand Ailan realized that the northeast region wasn’t gathering around Count Deruth, but actually around his son, Cale Henituse. They seemed to be drawn together by something stronger than power or greed.

“…Looks like we need to give up on the northeast region.”

He slowly calmed himself and began to speak.

“I’m just glad it ended with the northeast region.”

It was extremely fortunate that only the northeast region gathered around Cale Henituse. If he hadn’t realized it through this incident, the entire kingdom might have been consumed by him.

Someone with that kind of atmosphere around them is bound to draw people in. Even if they don’t intend to, they will attract more and more people.

‘He’s either going to absorb another faction or increase his influence. I’m certain of it.’

Marquis Sand was grateful for this awareness, giving him a chance to stop it before it became too severe.

However, there was a problem with his train of thought.

“Then let us begin the meeting.”

Crown Prince Alberu began the meeting with a cheerful expression. He then looked toward a noble.

One of the nobles next to Duke Granike Orsena quickly stood up after seeing Alberu’s gaze. He was the count responsible for the progression of this Grand Nobles Meeting.

He stood up and opened the agenda of things to discuss. He coughed a few times before beginning to speak.

“Ahem, we are unable to begin the meeting as not everyone is present.”

The count turned his gaze away from the smiling crown prince and continued to speak.

“Commander Cale, why did you come alone? The notice requested the attendance of two others as well.”

The count glanced toward Duke Orsena, the leader of his faction, who nodded to tell him to continue. The count straightened his shoulders and looked at Cale after seeing the stubborn duke give him the go-ahead.

He then flinched.

‘How could a person—!’

He felt like an herbivore in front of a carnivore. The count began to sweat after seeing Cale’s gaze directed at him.

There wasn’t much a human could do after being hit by this aura, even the Killer Whale Archie found it difficult to handle.

Tap, tap.

Cale began to walk from the center.

He stopped walking when he reached the count.

The count avoided Cale’s gaze and slightly lowered his head. It was a subconscious gesture. He felt as if he would suffocate if he didn’t do that.

He could hear Cale’s voice.

“I don’t know who I should respond to since you have lowered your head.”

The count bit his lip and lifted his head. However, his gaze quickly fell again.

At that moment…

The crown prince, seated facing the hall entrance, twitched an eyebrow.

Screech.

A very quiet noise was heard as the entrance opened slightly.

The knights should be guarding the door. The door, which still opened only a sliver, remained exactly as it was, neither opening nor closing.

Alberu knew that Cale’s people, the sword master and the necromancer, were the ones who did that. That’s why the knights allowed them to touch the door.

Alberu was correct.

Choi Han had a hand on his scabbard as he stood directly in front of the slightly opened door. He leaned in to listen.

Cale’s voice soon reached both Choi Han and Mary.

Cale looked toward the only other person standing, the count responsible for the meeting, who was unable to make eye contact with him, and began to speak.

“I had asked them to make the navy uniform black.”

It was an unrelated story.

His comment made some nobles wonder what he was trying to do. However, they could only gasp after hearing his continued words.

The voice of the man standing in the center of the large hall could be heard.

“That way, you wouldn’t be able to tell even if you got blood on it.”

His emotionless face looked out toward the nobles.

“The blood on the northeast region’s castle walls has still not dried. The northeastern ocean is also overflowing with blood.”

They listened to the words coming from the commander of the northeast region. It made them recall the battle at the Henituse territory they had seen through the video communication device.

They had been unable to hide their amazement and shock while watching it. But now…

“Whose blood do you think it was?”

The image of the battle, accompanied by the low voice of the man at the forefront, was slightly different.

Whose blood?

Cale asked the question and then answered it.

“The enemy.”

These nobles, unfamiliar with war, realized that the person before them was not a noble. The weight of the commander’s title slowly began to sink in.

“The Roan Kingdom’s enemy, the northeast region’s enemy, my enemy.”

Cale’s gaze then turned back to the count.

“As well as my people’s enemy.”

My enemy. But more importantly, my people’s enemy.

Those words pierced the count’s ears like nails. The count, holding the agenda, felt his hand trembling.

It was a warning.

My people.

It was a warning not to touch the sword master or the necromancer.

Marquis Ailan, watching this, began to speak, almost gasping.

“…He’s a tree.”

A sturdy tree. One that never falters or bows as it maintains its position.

He should have realized this back at the capital’s Plaza Terror Incident.

The marquis realized that Cale Henituse truly was a steadfast hero.

That’s why he was relieved.

He was relieved that Cale was not a schemer.

‘What a relief.’

At that moment…

“The Roan Kingdom is strong.”

Cale didn’t care about the order on the agenda.

Whether or not they would agree to the Caro Kingdom’s request…

He got down to business and said what he needed to say to the people who had called him there today.

“Agree to the Caro Kingdom’s request.”

“That doesn’t seem—”

One of the nobles by Duke Orsena urgently began to speak. However, Cale didn’t look at them; he looked at the person in the highest position.

“Your Highness.”

Crown Prince Alberu.

“What do you think?”

He responded to Cale’s question without hesitation.

“Based on the report from the northeast region’s naval base, the Roan Kingdom is able to maintain its current northeast region defense while still being able to provide support to the Caro Kingdom.”

Some of the nobles by Marquis Ailan and Duke Orsena stood up from their seats. They seemed ready to say something as soon as the crown prince finished.

These were people who wouldn’t let go of their gains even if they were scared.

However, the crown prince didn’t care for them as he continued to speak.

“We also have a lot to gain if we help the Caro Kingdom. It’s worth it if you consider the future.”

“But the other regions besides the northeast region don’t have the extra manpower—!”

One of the nobles urgently began to speak. However, he couldn’t finish his sentence.

The crown prince casually added, as if he had anticipated this response.

“The capital and the central region have the Mage Brigade. We also have our Royal Knights as well.”

The crown prince’s gaze then turned to Marquis Ailan.

“The southeast region has the Roan Kingdom’s strongest martial arts family.”

The marquis flinched for a moment.

One of his loyal nobles, seeing him flinch, began to speak.

He avoided Cale’s gaze and urgently began to shout.

“But the west side needs support! We need to send the northeast region’s extra forces to the west!”

It would be a way to reduce the forces in the northeast region while giving the other nobles a reason to support this decision.

Of course, this wasn’t what the marquis wanted.

This would only benefit the southwest and northwest regions.

The original plan was for the southeast region to absorb the northeast region’s forces, but this noble wanted to shift the discussion back toward the nobles.

Some nobles nodded in agreement, as if he were correct.

This made him certain.

He thought the southwest and northwest regions would now clamor for the support.

If they started causing a commotion, they might be able to work things in so that the central and southeast regions also benefited.

At least that’s what he was thinking.

At that moment…

An old voice echoed through the hall.

This was the first time this person had spoken today.

“The southwest region is strong enough to defend our gate.”

It was the old noble, Duchess Sonata. She opened her mouth to speak.

“Your Highness, the southwest region does not need any reinforcements.”

Her voice was full of certainty and anticipation.

‘Damn it.’

Both Marquis Ailan and Duke Orsena’s expressions changed simultaneously. The two of them had known Duchess Sonata for a long time. They could read her gaze.

‘That old woman has something up her sleeve.’

That old noble never said something she didn’t mean. In fact, she was someone who kept her word.

Marquis Sand Ailan frowned even more.

‘I heard she needed to lock the gates because of Cale Henituse. Weren’t they enemies?’

He thought the two of them were supposed to be enemies.

But that wasn’t the end.

Someone else began to speak as well.

“The northwest region is safe as well.”

It was the gentle-looking man known among the nobles as a vicious man.

Taylor Stan.

He hadn’t involved himself in central politics since taking over, making the nobles think he was busy enough dealing with the northwest region.

However, that wasn’t it.

He had been keeping a low profile at Cale’s request and the crown prince’s order.

They kept him hidden to make him a well-honed blade today.

Taylor, in charge of the Stan household overseeing the northwest region, added something else.

“I agree with the commander’s proposal.”

The northwest and southwest regions.

These two leaders were the only ones to speak among the western faction members.

The other nobles just sat there, mouths shut.

“…This.”

“Marquis-nim—”

Marquis Ailan couldn’t pay attention to another noble calling his name.

Duchess Sonata Gyerre.

Marquis Taylor Stan.

The marquis looked at the two of their outfits.

He then looked at the outfits of the northeast region’s nobles.

Black.

They were all wearing black.

The same black that the northeast region’s navy supposedly chose so you couldn’t tell if you got blood on it.

They had come to get blood on it today.

They were here to take down their enemy and their side’s enemy before returning home.

Marquis Ailan turned his head.

He could see that the crown prince was still smiling. He was wearing a black dress shirt under his white coat.

His gaze moved past the crown prince and stopped elsewhere.

The marquis could see Cale Henituse smiling at him.

He’d been had.

Cale was no hero.

This was someone who understood power and domination.

Duke Orsena and Marquis Ailan heard Alberu’s voice.

“We are strong.”

We.

The meaning of that word was clear.

They could see Cale responding with a smile.

“You are correct, Your Highness. We are strong. We are strong enough to destroy anything in our way.”

That was how strong they were.

Fear began to creep over those who were not part of this “we.”