Chapter 69

Emergency Assembly (3)

Silence fell over the meeting hall.

A very cold, suffocating silence.

With all the eyes of the Archduke and the Dukes fixed on me, I maintained a calm expression and spoke to the Archduke.

"Shall we check, Archduke?"

"......"

She stared at me with a face devoid of any expression, sending shivers down my spine.

The Archduke, the Nine Dukes, and even the Commander and Chief of Staff of the Black Lin.

If there were no heroes, their catastrophic power alone could completely erase Saintea from the continent without any other forces.

I had just spoken to them all, saying that I could take half of them with me to the afterlife even if I fought alone.

The Dukes' reactions were as follows:

1st Duke Sintui, 3rd Duke Cheongung, and 4th Duke Wangjaewang showed no particular reaction.

5th Duke Gwangrang smirked, while 8th Duke Heukhae and 9th Duke Geowang frowned in displeasure.

"Arrogant."

Geowang's voice was as heavy as his massive frame.

"Yeah, yeah. This is it. This is the feeling......"

Gwangrang exhaled a breath filled with excitement and passion, as if he found something very amusing.

"Truly, you are a madman."

2nd Duke Neohu, with a voice filled with bewilderment and anger, spat out his words.

His eyes, brimming with murderous intent, reminded me of the last meeting.

"If you thought such a ridiculous bluff would actually work, you are truly foolish."

Blue sparks crackled around Neohu's body.

Then, the Archduke suddenly burst into laughter.

The Dukes turned their gazes to her, who was laughing so hard she was holding her stomach.

She slowly stopped laughing and met my eyes.

The woman, who had just moments ago had a cold, stern expression, now wore a childlike smile.

"......You're not lying, 7th Duke?"

At the Archduke's words, Neohu's brows furrowed in surprise.

"Do you truly believe you can face me and all the Dukes? Is it arrogance, as 9th Duke said, or is it the truth?"

I didn't respond.

If there was nothing to say, it was better to let the other person think and maintain the pressure.

It was a communication method that had always worked well for me.

I stared at the Archduke for a long time.

She was probably pondering in her mind.

Perhaps it was just the arrogant ramblings of a delusional man. Logically, that would be the right judgment.

But the Archduke knew nothing about my abilities.

And I had proven my strength again by killing the Tyrant.

Therefore, the Archduke couldn't judge or gauge me, hidden behind a veil of the unknown.

What if, in a real battle, more than half of the Dukes died as I threatened?

That wouldn't just halve their power; it would be a matter of Caldric's survival.

If such a disaster occurred, Saintea, Caldric's greatest rival, wouldn't just sit idly by.

......Honestly, I knew I was being completely unreasonable.

Breaking the ironclad rule and threatening to kill them all if they tried to kill me was quite audacious, even to me.

But no matter how audacious, if I hadn't made this threat, my words would have been meaningless.

Imprinting my recent statement in her mind, making her feel that executing me would be a risky gamble.

That was the first goal achieved.

And from the Archduke's expression, it seemed my plan was working.

'......Now, I need to take a step back.'

But I couldn't keep silent forever.

I prepared to speak, timing my words carefully.

I had only managed to delay the execution.

I still believed the Archduke's decision wouldn't change.

These people were the rulers at the pinnacle of Caldric.

As Neohu said, they wouldn't back down from such a threat.

Besides, their prestige aside, keeping me alive after I made such a threat would be like holding a ticking time bomb.

So, the Archduke would likely decide to execute me to eliminate the threat.

I needed to resolve this situation before the atmosphere shifted completely.

I opened my mouth.

"My stance remains unchanged. Killing the 6th Duke was beneficial for Caldric."

"......"

"But I also acknowledge that my actions caused chaos in Caldric's order. There's no denying that."

The Archduke blinked.

"So, I swear. This will not happen again. Of course, as long as I live."

This was sincere.

The Tyrant's death was a result of various coincidences, and I didn't see myself opposing the Dukes again.

"Hmm......"

The Archduke smiled strangely and tapped the armrest of her chair with her fingers.

Some of the Dukes looked at me with disbelief.

It was understandable that they found it absurd to try to quietly pass over this assembly with just a few words.

The Archduke soon spoke again.

"I have one last question, 7th Duke. Was the killing of the 6th Duke at all related to the human siblings you saved?"

"......"

"Ah, I see. I understand."

I didn't say anything, but the Archduke nodded as if she had received an answer.

She looked around at the Dukes with a renewed interest.

"What do the other Dukes think? It seems 7th Duke is sincere about not causing such chaos again."

Neohu immediately protested.

"I cannot accept it. Breaking the ironclad rule must be punished, regardless of the reason!"

The Archduke nodded.

"Alright, since opinions are divided, let's vote. 2nd Duke is in favor of execution. What about the others?"

Heukhae was the first to respond.

"I'm in favor, Archduke. This human is too audacious and unlucky."

"Me too."

Gwangrang quickly chimed in.

He had been gripping his sword hilt tightly, clearly ready for a fight.

"1st Duke?"

In response to the Archduke's question, Sintui said calmly.

"I will follow the Archduke's decision."

Her gaze then turned to 3rd Duke Cheongung.

He, who had been staring blankly into space with a bored expression, finally spoke.

"......I'll follow the Archduke's lead."

Now, only 4th Duke Wangjaewang and 9th Duke Geowang were left.

Wangjaewang, who had been glancing at me, remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"I oppose the execution."

The other Dukes looked at him in surprise.

"What, 4th Duke? I thought you would naturally be in favor. Are you scared?"

Gwangrang's taunt only made Wangjaewang smile.

I was also surprised that he would oppose.

Wangjaewang, along with Sintui and Neohu, was known for valuing order.

'......Is he opposing to repay a debt from last time?'

In any case, only 9th Duke Geowang was left.

He, who had been sitting with his arms crossed and eyes closed, opened them and spoke.

"......I will follow the Archduke's decision."

Neohu's expression darkened.

Three in favor, one against, but since three had deferred to the Archduke, she effectively had four votes.

Thus, the decision would ultimately be hers.

"So, it's up to me?"

The Archduke, seemingly unsurprised, calmly said and fixed her gaze on me.

I waited for her to speak.

If she decided to execute me, what would I do?

'......I have to survive, even if it's ugly.'

I had no intention of giving up my life willingly.

If it came to that, I would use any future information to make a deal, or reveal all my cards to survive.

Still, if a battle broke out, I would try to take as many with me as possible, but......

After a long silence, she spoke.

"7th Duke, I still think you need to take some responsibility for this. After all, a Duke killing another Duke is a serious matter. It can't be brushed off with just a few words."

She smiled brightly.

"So, I have three requests for you."

"......?"

"Of course, they will be reasonable, not absurd. First, there's the upcoming neutral nation conference."

Neutral nation conference?

I looked at her in confusion, and she explained.

"There will be a meeting with Saintea in a neutral nation soon. I want you to accompany me. That will be one request, and the other two can be saved for later. How about it?"

I thought about her proposal for a moment.

Three requests, and Dukes, despite their power, are not completely free from the Archduke's orders.

Thus, at each Duke's meeting, their tasks are decided based on the Archduke's decisions.

Of course, if the justification was lacking, the Dukes could refuse the Archduke's orders.

'An order they can't refuse.'

But this was not a bad proposal to get through this situation safely.

Especially since one of the requests was to accompany her to a meeting with Saintea, which didn't seem too difficult.

I didn't know why she wanted me there, but......

The Archduke was not an easy person, but I had no choice but to accept.

"I accept."

The Archduke smiled.

"Great, then it's settled. The execution of 7th Duke is canceled."

Gwangrang grumbled, looking disappointed.

"Damn, I was hoping for a fight......"

Heukhae also glared at me with displeasure before turning away.

I sighed in relief.

I had managed to get through this crisis.

Just when I thought everything was over, a shout echoed through the hall.

"......I cannot accept this!"

All eyes turned to one side.

Neohu, who had jumped to his feet, glared at me with murderous intent.