Chapter 184 : Chapter 184
Chapter 184
The Seventeen Elders were the pinnacle of the West.
Though there weren't seventeen due to vacant seats, the old title still stuck.
However, I felt no tension in their presence.
Instead, I was incredibly pleased, a sense of relief washing over me now that I had finally come this far.
With a slightly excited heart, I threw open the door.
Grand Duke Pret was surprised by my composure.
There was a table, and people sat around it.
Their genders and ages varied, but they all wore a stern expression.
I greeted them cheerfully.
"A pleasure to meet you for the first time."
My voice was as light as if I had come to a banquet.
"I am Shion of Merion."
The Elders, the Upper House of the Dawn Brotherhood, glanced at each other.
My attitude was unexpected.
Grand Duke Pret was fidgeting while I smiled slyly.
An old man in a long robe stood up to greet us.
"…Welcome. Please, have a seat."
"Where is my seat?"
"It's not specifically assigned, but for now, please take the seat at the very end."
The old man's name was Heindel.
He was the representative of Hohopran Magul, the leading magical institution in the West.
Before the regression, he and I were close friends, but not now.
Therefore, I suppressed my delight and pretended not to know him.
I walked nonchalantly and sat at the end of the table.
Grand Duke Pret gave a slight nod and moved to find his own seat. O
nce Grand Duke Pret and I were seated, Heindel continued.
"First, let us conclude the agenda we were discussing. Regarding the Maesh-Konland border tariff issue at Cad Hill……."
"One moment."
I interrupted.
Not even a minute had passed since I sat down.
Glares poured in.
A newcomer, just arrived, interrupting an agenda he knew nothing about—it didn't look good.
I continued speaking, knowing they found me unpleasant.
"Isn't there a more important agenda?"
"…I know what you're trying to say. But there is a time set for that agenda."
"Still, given the gravity of the matter, wouldn't it be better to address the urgent issue first?"
Deep wrinkles formed on Heindel's brow.
It was obvious he was getting annoyed.
He had a gentle appearance, but he was not a patient old man.
Thanks to our friendship before the regression, I knew his limits well.
"…Shion, this is also a very urgent matter."
"Is that so? Then let's get on with it."
"……."
As if he had never interrupted, I leaned back in my chair.
Then I crossed my legs and began to yawn widely.
To anyone watching, I was an insolent brat, and appearing so was my intention.
A thick vein popped on Heindel's forehead.
This too was as I intended.
Heindel barely suppressed his anger and continued.
"…So, regarding the tariff issue……."
"Haam."
"Konland's fault is clear, but Maesh's response was not without its problems. A meeting for this……."
"Ha-aaaaaahm."
I yawned seven times in a row.
I didn't hide my intention to disrupt the conversation by forcing out yawns that weren't there.
Heindel kept telling himself: You are the representative of Hohopran Magul. He's just a kid, you should be patient. You can't lose your temper among the Upper House of the Dawn Brotherhood…….
"Don't they even serve refreshments here? At the pinnacle of the West."
"That's it-!!!"
Heindel, who had been trying to proceed with the meeting somehow, finally threw down the documents he was holding.
He was the only five-star mage in the West.
Red smoke billowed in step with Heindel's anger.
"I can't stand it anymore!"
He pointed a finger at me.
His face looked like he wanted to throttle me right then and there.
It was a solemn occasion, but no one stopped Heindel.
They all felt the same way.
I had acted very annoyingly, and indeed, I had managed to earn a great deal of dislike.
Only Grand Duke Pret was fidgeting, wondering why on earth I was acting this way.
"You've gone too far, Shion of Merion!"
"What have I done?"
"You must realize that your current attitude is an act that also puts Grand Duke Pret, who recommended you, in a difficult position!"
"Of course, I'm not so foolish as to not know that."
I stood up from my seat.
The annoying expression was gone, replaced by a serious one.
They realized I had deliberately acted annoying to get a chance to speak.
My blue eyes swept the room.
A sneer touched my lips.
"More importantly, you should realize that your attitude is an act that will allow the West to be trampled upon."
The glares were sharp.
There were some among them who could kill a person with a look, so my skin tingled with pain.
"Your gazes are quite fearsome."
But my tongue remained as smooth as ever.
"Elders, this young man will speak for a moment."
"……."
No one stopped me.
They wanted to hear what I had to say, even after acting so obnoxiously.
I stepped into the center, and Heindel made way.
Grand Duke Pret was inwardly impressed by my skill in commanding the atmosphere.
"I have been a bit rude, but I ask for your understanding."
I bowed my head politely.
"It's because I'm angry and frustrated."
The regressed prince held up his hand.
It was wrapped in a bandage.
A wound from the fight with Niko.
He showed his wound for all to see.
"Niko Nereyades is dead. A week ago."
It was my accomplishment.
But I didn't say it in a way that suggested I had done it.
My tone implied that my purpose was not to claim credit.
"Three Cordis legions tried to attack the Bururade Peninsula. Very fortunately, there were no casualties… but the Empire's intentions have become very clear."
It was a fact no one could deny.
Thanks to the efforts of me and Amethus, all ten thousand soldiers of the West survived.
This meant there were ten thousand witnesses to the event.
Moreover, since they were people who had gathered from various countries to celebrate the Guidone family's wedding, it was as if witnesses to this incident were spread all over the land.
What happened off the coast of Guidone?
The Empire sent one of the Ten Great Generals to assassinate Santia, and I stopped it.
They brought a horde of fishmen and legions to attack the Bururade Peninsula, but I stopped it.
The Whale of Hobel Bay, Niko Nereyades, whose name alone was feared, became a white whale, but I, who had become a giant of fire, stopped him.
So the truth is plainly simple.
The Empire launched a massive offensive,
And I stopped it all.
"Is a week a short time?"
I didn't hide my anger.
I always lived with a flame inside me, but today, for some reason, the flame seemed to burn more fiercely.
The Seventeen Elders were my comrades before the regression.
Some of them were even figures I admired in my younger days.
That's why the disappointment was so great.
"By now, I thought you would have naturally started preparing for war. But a meeting? Tariffs? When Cordis could attack at any moment?"
"Hey, Shion."
Heindel tried to intervene.
"I understand what you're saying, but……."
"One moment, Heindel."
"Elder Hika……."
The man sitting in the center stopped him.
I knew that man too. He called himself Hika Hireium, but I didn't know if that was his real name.
He was a secretive man even before the regression, the de facto leader of the Dawn Brotherhood.
In other words, Hika Hireium was as good as the master of the West.
"Shion of Merion, continue speaking."
No one dared to talk back to Hika. Hika continued.
"The situation is not as simple as you say. But you must have known that much when you spoke."
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me."
"But to criticize, you must have a solution. You've thought of one, haven't you?"
"I can't say I haven't."
The regressed prince raised the corners of his mouth.
Hika Hireium, a formidable man then and now. Rumor had it that he had lived for a thousand years and I thought it might actually be true.
"The rumor of war has already spread. We must reassure the people."
"That's what these agendas were for. We had to show that the rumor of war cannot shake people's lives."
"That's not enough. The Empire is one, and we are many. If the situation drags on, we are bound to be shaken. We need strong justification, powerful evidence that will be a source of support for the people."
"…I know what you're trying to say, but I want to hear it from your mouth."
Hika showed me the palm of his hand. I didn't hesitate to take his cue.
"Let's formally declare the Western Alliance."
"That's the right thing to do."
Hika Hireium nodded.
Murmurs broke out here and there.
A Western Alliance, it wasn't something they hadn't thought of.
However, since it wasn't a light matter to be discussed easily, no one had brought it up first until now.
"Shion of Merion. We are not fools."
This time, another old man spoke up.
I knew him too. Desep Denoebang, the representative of the Denoebang family.
"An alliance cannot be formed without a central figure. Who will take on that role?"
"We'll need a hero."
"Yes, that's right. Are you talking about the newly rising hero, Shion of Merion?"
Heindel cut in again.
"That's hard to agree with."
Hika's expression was also not positive.
"You are a very plausible hero. Even the way you appeared like a comet is very heroic."
"That's why I'm a bit suspicious. Your abilities are so outstanding, but there's no proof to trust you."
"I'm not trying to blame you. Can you give us proof to trust you?"
I shook my head without hesitation.
"There's nothing of the sort. I've already given enough proof, and if you can't trust that, I have no more proof to give."
"……."
"And in the first place, I never wanted to be the central figure."
I was a hero.
But I never wanted to be a hero.
I just wanted to destroy the Empire.
That was enough.
My life was already too heavy to carry anything more.
"But what you're saying is, you need someone with both skill and trust."
I pretended to think, putting a hand on my chin unnecessarily.
"…Yes, for instance……."
I grinned.
"…A man like the White Lord, Obro Denoebang."
Desep Denoebang's face contorted.
"…Do not speak that name so carelessly."
"Why not? Because it's already been eight years since he went missing?"
"You know that well!"
Obro Denoebang, the hero who represented the West.
A man who was respected and admired by all the people of the West.
But he suddenly disappeared eight years ago.
It was a painful name for the Denoebang family.
But I had no intention of stopping.
"If he were here, wouldn't all these problems be solved?"
"If he were here, yes. But he's not."
"Elder Hika Hireium, that's just the current story."
The regressed prince placed a finger on his lips.
"I will go and find him. Then won't everything be fine?"