Chapter 211: Now Do You Get It? (2)
Translator: miraclerifle
Editor: Borderline Masochist
The two of them stopped at the center of the hall.
All of the people in the circular seats were looking at them.
Crown prince Alberu was wearing a fancy gold and white outfit while Cale Henituse was wearing a black uniform that showed off his red hair.
The two of them were so different than it was so visible.
The whispers slowly died down and silence filled the hall.
Alberu Crossman started to smile after looking around the hall.
‘Crazy bastard.
He says he doesn’t need power? He’ll let go of everything after the war? And he was even willing to swear on it.’
He lightly clenched and then unclenched his tingling hand.
‘He always does things beyond my expectations.’
Cale was giving off an aura that was making his palms tingle. He could not see it, but he could feel the oppressive aura coming off of Cale.
It was affecting everybody in the hall.
‘This is the true Cale Henituse.’
The person who never wanted to put any attention on himself and only wanted money was finally showing his true self. The crown prince could not help but smile.
‘If he is being serious, I just have to be serious to match it.’
The crown prince gave up a part of his role for the day. He decided to play along with whatever Cale decided to do.
It would not be hard to do that.
On the other hand, there was someone who was facing a difficult situation.
“Mm.”
Marquis Sand Ailan. He let out a groan.
The man who was known for having a stoic expression did not seem to be doing well.
He did not expect that his expression would 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 not a child.
Then what was he?
Marquis Sand Ailan was more sensitive to a person's aura because he was a martial artist. He believed that a person's aura gave off their life story.
However, Cale Henituse was giving off a king or a ruler’s aura that was stronger than Alberu Crossman who had grown up primed to become king.
He was giving off an aura that made the Marquis believe that Cale would not cower even against a Dragon's Dragon Fear, which was known to be the strongest aura in the world.
‘I feel like I am being dominated by his aura.’
As a highest-grade expert, his extremely sensitive intuition was going off.
Of course, Cale would have applauded if he knew what the Marquis was thinking about. This was because Cale was using the Dominating Aura to its fullest after eating a feast in the palace.
The Marquis who did not know this focused his gaze on Cale.
Alberu started to speak at that moment.
“It’s been a while since so many people have gathered together.”
He was no longer using the formal tone to speak to them as it was confirmed that he would be the next king. Marquis Ailan saw the brightly smiling crown prince and pushed his temple with his finger.
He had an ominous feeling about this.
The crown prince only smiled like this when he had the advantage.
Alberu started to walk.
“I should go to my seat as well. However.”
He stopped walking and turned around.
“It doesn’t seem like there is a seat for our Commander?”
There was no seat for Cale in here.
This was done by Duke Orsena’s central faction.
It was a petty move.
The nobles would sit while the person being interrogated would stand. You could even call it the beginning of the fight for power.
“Ahem.”
Duke Granike Orsena could not hide his discomfort. He observed the crown prince who knew he had done this but had not said anything until now.
He then made eye contact.
Cale Henituse. Was directly looking at the Duke.
“I don't have a hobby of chatting while standing.”
Cale's gaze slowly looked around the hall. The nobles understood his intent after looking at his gaze.
He was looking down at them.
“But this isn’t bad.”
Cale started to smile for the first time as if he enjoyed looking down on them like this.
One of the southeast region’s nobles made eye contact with Cale. He started to shout as soon as Cale’s gaze left him.
“I, I heard you were trash! I see that your personality has not changed.”
“Shut up.”
“Excuse me?”
The noble looked toward the leader of his faction.
Marquis Sand Ailan had a rare frown on his face as he glared 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 talking so much. That was why he also looked toward the northeast region’s faction. He could hear the Marquis’s voice.
“All of their eyes are focused on Cale Henituse.”
“...Do you think they are scared?”
‘Like me?’
He did not say that part out loud.
He could see the Marquis starting to sigh. It seemed as if the Marquis was saying that this noble still had a long way to go. The Marquis started to speak once the noble cowered after seeing the Marquis’s gaze once again.
“It is not fear but respect.”
“Excuse me?”
Marquis Sand Ailan realized that the northeast region did not gather around Count Deruth, but actually around his son, Cale Henituse. They seemed to be gathered together by something tighter than power or greed.
“...Looks like we need to give up on the northeast region.”
“Based on the report from the northeast region’s naval base, the Roan Kingdom is able to maintain its current northeast region's 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 was finished.
These were people who would not let go of their gains even if they were scared.
However, the crown prince did not care for them as he continued to speak.
“We also have a lot to gain if we help out the Caro Kingdom. It is worth it if you consider the future.”
“But the other regions beside the northeast region don’t have the extra manpower-!”
One of the nobles urgently started to speak. However, he could not finish his sentence.
The crown prince casually added on as if he had expected 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 headed toward 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 who saw him flinch started to speak.
He avoided Cale's gaze as he urgently started 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 was not what the Marquis wanted.
This would only be beneficial to the southwest region and the northwest region.
The original plan was for the southeast region to gobble up the northeast region's forces, however, this noble wanted to take the flow of discussion back toward the nobles.
Some of the nobles nodded their heads in agreement as if he was correct.
This made him certain.
He thought that the southwest region and the northwest region will now go wild to take the support for themselves.
If they start causing a ruckus, they may be able to work some things in so that the central and southeast regions get some benefits as well.
At least that was what he was thinking.
It was at that moment.
An old voice echoed in the hall.
This was the first time this person was speaking 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 at the same time. 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 did not mean. In fact, she was someone who kept her word.
Marquis Sand Ailan started to frown even more.
‘I heard she needed to lock the gates because of Cale Henituse. Weren't they enemies?’
He thought that the two of them were supposed to be enemies.
But that was not the end.
Someone else started to speak as well.
“The northwest region is safe as well.”
It was the gentle looking man who was known amongst the nobles as a vicious man.
Taylor Stan.
He had not involved himself in the central politics since he took over, making the nobles think that he was busy enough dealing with the northwest region.
However, that was not it.
He had been lying low at Cale's request and the crown prince’s order.
They kept him hidden in order for him to be a well-sharpened blade today.
Taylor who was in charge of the Stan household that oversees the northwest region added something else.
“I agree with the commander’s proposal.”
The northwest region and the southwest region.
These two leaders were the only ones to speak among the western faction members.
The other nobles just sat there with their mouths shut.
“...This.”
“Marquis-nim-”
Marquis Ailan could not pay attention to a different noble calling his name.
Duchess Sonata Gyerre.
Marquis Taylor Stan.
The Marquis looked at the two of their outfits.
He then looked toward the outfits of the northeast region’s nobles.
Black.
They were all wearing black.
The same black that the northeast region's navy supposedly selected so that you could not tell when 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 back.
Marquis Ailan turned his head.
He could see that the crown prince was still smiling. He was wearing a black dress shirt underneath 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 knew about power and domination.
Duke Orsena and Marquis Ailan heard Alberu's voice.
"We are strong.”
We.
The definition of that word was clear.
They could see Cale responding back 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 started to creep up the bodies of those who were not part of this, ‘we.’