Chapter 601
Kaelen simply nodded.
That single motion sent the entire room into a frenzy. Their reaction was understandable. The great chasm between the ogre generals and the mages was a simple, brutal truth: the mages had a path to the higher tiers, while the ogres believed their own power had a hard ceiling. This was why they had swallowed their pride and become servants to a race they once saw as their equals.
The one exception to this rule was Kaelen, their king, who had found a way to the sixth tier. A stage so powerful it made the mages see him as their equal. He commanded enough influence to give them orders. Now, after all this time, after his fall from grace, Kaelen was offering this power to them.
An unsaid question hung in the air, a silent plea from every ogre in the room: "What has changed?"
"What has changed," he began, his voice dropping to a low, intimate tone, "is that I have seen the true face of power. I learned a truth the mages will never understand."
He walked down the length of the table, his gaze intense as he looked at each general. "They believe power is something to be hoarded, to be locked away in towers and guarded by secrets. They see our path as a dead end, a ceiling they built to keep us from ever reaching their height. They gave me power, yes, but only enough to make me their strongest pawn."
Kaelen stopped and placed a hand on Grull’s shoulder. "My journey through the abyss did not just make me stronger; it taught me that true power is not held alone. It is shared with your brothers, with your people. It is the strength of a united army, not just one man at the top. I bring you this knowledge now because I am no longer their pawn. I am your king, and I will not let our race be held in chains a moment longer."
He then looked at the crystals resting on the trays. "This is not merely a gift. It is a choice. You can take this and use it to reclaim your honor, to stand as equals and make the mages see that our path is not a dead end, but a new road. Or you can leave it here, and continue to serve as their pawns until they decide you are no longer useful."
The ogres looked down at the glowing crystals, their hearts and minds now ablaze with a fierce, renewed hope. The choice was clear.
The ogre generals, as one, immediately rose from their seats and dropped to a knee, their heads bowed low toward Kaelen. Rattan’s soul was alight with a wild, triumphant joy. He watched them with a calculating eye, already seeing a larger picture. Soon, it would not just be ogres kneeling before him, but his own people, the ratfolk, and then the goblins. A chilling thought ran through his mind: Oh, how will they look when they see the true face behind the one they are bowing to?
"Now rise, my brothers," Kaelen said, his voice a low, solemn command.
The ogres stood, their hands tightening around the glowing crystals. Their eyes, once filled with doubt, now burned with fierce resolve.
"Go back this very night and take back the power that belongs to you," Kaelen commanded. "Have no fear in front of the mages. They won’t say it out loud, but you are the backbone of this empire. Know your value, and let them know you hold the key to the sixth-tier stage in your hands. Let them know you hold the key to change your fate in your hands."