Chapter 251: Peace with sorcerers
The King’s butler stepped forward and clapped his hands, sharp and commanding. He was nauseated by those present in the hall. Disrespectful! The sound echoed through the marble pillars like a sacred drumbeat, silencing the throne hall in a breath. How dare they were to scuff at their King!
Every gaze turned to the dais, and the murmurs fell into reverent stillness.
Then the King spoke, his voice not booming, but clear. Timeless. The voice of a ruler who had once conquered nations with mere presence. And these greedy royals must know, he was not dead yet.
"Today, we are gathered to decide the fate of the sorcerers," he began, his eyes sweeping across the assembly. "A fate we once stripped from them with iron and fire. Perhaps too harshly. Perhaps too soon."
He paused.
"We, the Kings are the lawmakers," he continued, "and those who break our laws and disturb our peace must face judgment. That is our duty. But let us not forget that with judgment comes reflection. With law... comes the burden of mercy."
Another pause, intentional. Weighted to study them.
It comforted him, in some quiet way, that he could still speak without faltering. That his mind, though aging immediately, held firm. His body might have withered, but his spirit, his crown, remained unbroken.
Yet the eyes fixed on him were no longer warm. No longer reverent or scared. Even those who once praised his beauty, who had bathed in the light of his aura, now looked at him with quiet contempt.
How quickly they forget.
And for the first time, a seed of doubt broke the surface in his soul.