"Please, take your seats, you highnesses!!"
Crown Prince, and other two princes silently sat down in order, except for Prince Mikail.
General Leon furrowed his brows, clearly displeased by the Northern Duke's presence. It wasn't that he held any personal enmity toward Duke Milroy—it was simply the Duke's overbearing attitude that grated on him, as if he saw himself above everyone else, even the King.
As the King's youngest brother, Northern Duke Milroy commanded the northern, wintry borders, fending off barbarian invasions.
Outwardly, he seemed loyal, but Leon knew that ambition might ran deep in the Duke's veins. That was only a suspicion.
With his SS-Rank (Transcendental) power, Milroy could match Leon's strength, making him both a valuable ally and a potential threat.
Leon cast a cautious glance toward Crown Prince Malcolm. With the King growing old, the kingdom's future lay in uncertain hands. Leon hoped that when the time came, the King would securely pass the throne to the Crown Prince—a leader whom Leon believed was perfect for the role and capable of guiding the kingdom into a prosperous future.
General Leon was about to intervene to save Aengus from Duke Milroy's intimidating gaze, but something unexpected happened.
Duke Milroy, intending only to frighten the young Captain, suddenly felt a deep sense of danger. Confused, he tried to locate the source, only to meet Aengus's eerie, whitish glowing eyes—eyes possessing an ancient, petrifying curse that could strike fear into even the mightiest.
In horror, Milroy looked down and felt a numbness spreading through his legs. To his disbelief, his lower body was slowly turning to stone.
Leon instantly recognized the eyes and the ability, and his calm composure shattered.
"Ancient Petrifying Curse Eyes?"
he shouted in astonishment.
Leon, Felix, and Martin immediately stood up, closing their eyes and shouting a warning.
"Don't look into his eyes!" some cried out desperately, heeding the Generals' warning and feeling a wave of fear.
Everyone quickly shut their eyes—everyone except Prince Mikail, who continued to glare maliciously at Aengus, unaware of the danger.
"What?"
"Save me!"
Just what was happening in this world?
"Bam!"
"Enough! Can we please focus on our task? Are you all going to stop only after we're attacked and decimated by the Imperial army?!" General Martin shouted, feeling exasperated.
Aengus, feeling slightly embarrassed, released the Duke, whose face was now flushed red. Aengus judged that the Duke wasn't inherently bad, but his personality was arrogant and despotic.
A strange silence fell over the tent among all the officials.
General Leon and the others seemed surprised by the revelation of Aengus's true strength, capable of defeating a Transcendental so easily.
"Ethan—no, Zero—did you somehow defeat the Basilisk in Darkwood Forest?" General Leon asked, recognizing the ability. He remembered encountering the God-beast Basilisk in that forest on a past visit. At that time, he had been too weak to take it on.
Not only him, but others had been unable to defeat the creature due to its deadly venom, attack reflection, and godly strength. It was like an unstoppable force.
"Huh? That Ancient God-Beast? He defeated it?" With General Leon's casual announcement, everyone was stunned.
Prince Mikail, Crown Prince Malcolm, and others, including the Northern Duke, looked shocked as well.
"Now that I think about it, this ability is quite similar to the Beast Lord Basilisk's!"
"Yeah, I also remember hearing news about a terrifying fight that decimated a third of Darkwood Forest. Was Comrade Zero the one who did it?"
"How terrifying!"
As they whispered among themselves, their respect for Aengus grew.
Everyone knew how fearsome the beast was, especially as a God-blessed creature. It was said that the Beast God personally bestowed it with a God-Weapon.
"Oh, right! There should have been a God-Weapon with the beast, right? If the beast is dead, doesn't that mean the God-Weapon is with our Comrade Zero?"
With that thought in mind, some of their eyes flashed with greed, but recalling Aengus's prowess, they quickly concealed it.
Aengus noticed this but said nothing. If anyone came for his weapon, they would have to go through him first.
"Yes, General. I did it, but it's nothing compared to your service and loyalty to the kingdom. Shall we get back to the task at hand? Who wants to join me in causing a little chaos for our enemies?" he asked with a dangerous smirk.