"What... Did you just say?!" Victoria opened her eyes wide and looked at Robin in absolute shock
She gathered every ounce of strength and self-control, and she somehow managed to hold back her tears and trampled on her dignity until she ask for the metal tablet.
This should have been enough for This Robin kid to jump with joy!
She herself did not know if she could say the humiliating words of the oath after the tablet reached her, but Robin refused to give her the tablet in the first place?!
"I said I don't want you, I don't want your loyalty, take the Sages of your empire and leave my property right now, and if I were you I would start preparing your defenses," Robin confirmed his words and waved his hand again
"....." Victoria's eyes began to widen until her eyelids almost disappeared, She felt her mind collapsing.
The option of swearing allegiance to Robin was always on the table, but it was left as the last possible option if all else failed, but even that option was taken away from her?!
Victoria looked at the backs of the two people sitting in front of her, Alexander and Elizabeth, with a look that varied from disgust to envy... She now understood why they had shown so much respect to Robin from the very start.
Alexander and Elizabeth also left declaring loyalty as the last option as well, but their approach was completely different.
They understood that Robin did not need any of them, that there was no need to play the hard-to-get role.
They understood that if their unity did not frighten Robin, their disrespect towards him would not scare him either.
"Your Excellency, please reconsider."
"Your Excellency, niece Victoria is sometimes impulsive and doesn't know what she is saying."
"Yes, yes, Your Excellency, please let us take the oath, we will be your best helpers!"
More than 300 shadows began to flock from all around the hill, with panic and intense fear on their faces.
If Robin said that he did not want Victoria, in particular, to swear allegiance to him was one thing, but his words about preparing the defenses were something else entirely.
He was talking openly about the invasion of the Water Continent!!
Now speaking of invasion was no longer just a threat, even apart from Robin himself and the mighty Demon army, the Sacred Tree, The Wind, and The Flame Empires could easily finish the job for him!!
"Forget it, she tried to kill my son." Robin waved and looked away
"Your Excellency, please don't--" One of the Level 40 Sages of the Water Empire tried to get closer to Robin, but Sakar stood in front of him and blocked the way, although Sakkar's bloody aura and smell and his overpowering presence confused that sage for a moment, but he quickly continued shouting from afar, "Your Excellency, Please do not associate the Water Empire with Victoria, She is only the Empress of this generation and does not represent the ancient history of the empire!"
"Yes, Grand Master Robin, we can change to another Emperor immediately and make him take an oath!!"
"Yes sir, please choose any one of us, everyone here is from the royal family and we are all level 40, we just need to learn The Divine Decree Incarnation Technique and we will be as powerful as an Emperor!"
"Your Excellency, please give orders and we will kill her for you!"
Robin rubbed his chin slightly when he heard this, "Hmmm, this is worth some thought…."
"you... YOU ALL!!!" Victoria did not comprehend what was happening around her.
All of these were her uncles or grandfathers, some of them were even her direct older brothers, but none of them uttered a word in her favor.
None of them had spoken to her a word of advice or consultant since they climbed the hill. All their words were directed at Robin, all their words were about overthrowing or killing her...
Did they not know that she was doing all this for them? She wanted every head in the Water continent to be held up high, she wanted to sacrifice herself here and kill Robin to give her subject a better, free future!
She decided that even if she had to obey Robin, she would have to be the last, sacrificing a lot of benefits and knowing that she would never be close to Robin like the rest, why? So that the people of the Water continent may live with their heads held high and have the excuse that others sold them first!
But now... These Sages talked a lot before they arrived on the ancestral continent about what she was supposed to do and that their empress should stand firm and never kneel, but now they choose her as a scapegoat?!
But she paused after she shouted *you* and looked down at the ground below... She made up her mind and there is no benefit in regret now, If her death is the price for the empire's survival, then so be it.
"Your Excellency, Victoria has always been like this. She acts first and then thinks about what happened. Her actions and sayings today against Your Excellency and your honorable adopted son were nothing personal but rather her natural character. Please reconsider your decision and pardon her and the Water Empire." Elizabeth lowered her head slightly and spoke in her usual sweet voice
"Elizabeth..." Victoria raised her head slightly and looked at Elizabeth's back with tearful eyes, not believing that the first person to defend her would be her rival, the one she spent most of her time and energy dealing with for centuries.
Alexander also let out a long sigh and spoke, "I endorse this Your Excellency, a Sage from the Water Empire could indeed increase his strength quickly if he obtained The Divine Decree Incarnation Technique, but he wouldn't have Victoria's talent in using that technique nor would he have her youthful age, and if you want someone to cross the Sagehood barrier quickly, you need Victoria."
Victoria also looked at Alexander's back for a few seconds and then looked at the ground again..she didn't know how to feel about what was happening, but she knew she had no right to say a single word now
This is humiliating, to say the least. How did the situation turn around so quickly?!
An hour ago, the three of them were ready to fight to the end, and now two of them have submitted and are interceding for the third to submit like them?!
She planned for the Water continent to be the most prideful and look down at the Flame and Sacred Tree even in submission, to tell Robin that they will not break easily even in submission and that he should respect them the most... but the exact opposite happened!?
Thinking of this, she raised her face and looked at the person who did all this... Towards Robin.
And not only she, but every eye on the hill was gazing towards Robin to say his word that would determine the fate of the Water Continent.
*tack tack tack*
Robin tapped his finger on the table in front of him as he looked down at Victoria with a cold look that sent chills down her spine as if he was wondering if killing her or sparing her would be more beneficial.
Then Robin looked beside him and spoke, "Caesar, what do you think?"
Caesar kept his eye on Victoria for a few seconds as if he felt Robin was going to ask him this, then spoke softly, "I have no personal problem with her, she was defending her position and I defending ours, do whatever you want with her."
"Hmm, it's true, but she still tried to kill you. My adopted son and one of my senior generals, You know your life is more precious to me than everyone on the hill put together, I can't just ignore that, hmmm... What do I do with her... What do I do with her.." Robin nodded twice when Caesar heard, then went back to click his chair again, " Ah, found it!"
*bam bam bam*
The hearts of the Elders of the Water Empire were beating like war drums with every word that came out of Robin's mouth
As for the concerned himself, he looked into Victoria's eyes with a smile, "As you know, I don't need to accept you now, taking your lands and raising a new generation from scratch would be better for me than dealing with such arrogance every time, but… I will accept the declaration of allegiance from the Water Empire on one condition.
Your oath will be different from that of the rest of the empires, your ruler Victoria must add a new clause in the oath, she will have to take Caesar's opinion on anything she does start from today, if he says prepare for war, she will prepare me the biggest army, if he tells her to commit suicide, she will happily cut her throat, If he told her not take a shit, she will hold it in! ..is this acceptable, everyone?"