Chapter 428: Done? (1/2)

A silence continued to hang over the Royal Court. For a while, it seemed as though no one would speak at all until it was that King Arthur finally composed himself, regaining his bearing.

”Today it seems that two parties have come to negotiate turns with our Camelot, one of which was more of a surprise than the other.” Arthur began to speak, sweeping a gaze over the hidden families.

Though the appearance of Mordred and the others was planned, these hidden family members appeared out of nowhere. However, after hearing that they were a power that could oppose The Empire, Arthur became intrigued and allowed them to enter.

He couldn't be certain of what Mordred's purpose here was, but as an intelligent man and a ruler with many years of experience, he could make a good guess. Initially, even though he was unwilling, he thought that he might have no choice but to accept Mordred's propositions, especially with the current actions of his wife, but the appearance of this third party left him feeling pleasantly surprised.

It seemed that King Arthur was still unwilling to relinquish his power. As much pain and suffering as this Throne had brought him, wouldn't it make all that hardship meaningless if he were to just give it up now?

Matteus cleared his throat, trying to settle the atmosphere down. He sent a side glance toward the red haired man before he opened his mouth to speak.

”Yes. We came here today to encourage Camelot not to fall prey to the intimidation of The Empire. Though we won't deny that they are powerful, what we can say is that they are not the only ones who are so. This universe is very big and its scope is endless. In the grand scheme, The Ascension Empire is just a speck of dust floating in the winds.”

King Arthur and the other court ministers were quite intrigued by these words.

This concept of a 'universe' was one they had never heard of before. Yet, it was a word that filled them with awe and thoughts of grandeur. Before, they hadn't even been aware that a world outside their own existed, but now they were learning about so much more.

Among these 'ministers' were a few characters Leonel recognized, namely Lancelot and the young prince Lionus. Neither had participated in the Merlin Trials, so they were of course very safe.

From their facial expressions, it was difficult to tell what they were thinking. But, the two sat on complete opposite sides of the room, not interacting with one another.

”Your words are quite honey-coated.” King Arthur said with a laugh. ”But, what does the vastness of this universe have to do with us? If anything, it might be safer to have a sturdy wing  to take cover beneath, don't you think?”

Even though King Arthur didn't mean these words, he still spoke them. He wasn't a fool. Negotiation was about leverage and why would he give up his own so easily?

Matteus smiled lightly at these words. Clearly he was very much expecting them.

”To answer your question I think we should give a bit of background on Earth itself. The Empire might be considered the main power beneath the sun, but it is only that. Within the shadows, there are several other rivals to it.

”For one, there is the Slayer Legion that The Empire has not been able to weed out all this time. And, with the Descent of the Metamorphosis, the Slayer Legion is only growing more powerful.

”However, I would say that the true hidden strength of Earth would be us so-called hidden families. I don't particularly like this term. Rather than saying that we are hiding, it's more accurate to say that there hasn't been anything worth coming out for just yet.

”I can swear that if our families were to come out now, this so-called Ascension Empire would have no chance of survival.”

Matteus' words were forceful and full of pride. However, King Arthur only shook his head after hearing them.

”You've spoken many niceties and painted a picture in very broad strokes. However, you have yet to speak of how these things could help our Camelot. What difference is there in submitting to you versus this Ascension Empire? Though you say you are more powerful, these are just your words. How can we take them just as you've said them?”