"We did not think he would come to like Sakura and her sisters so genuinely. We did not imagine he would become close lovers with the four legendary Superior Spirits that once governed the world in ages past. This unexpected development happened because he ventured out on his own... or because he was kidnapped and thrust into those situations, but in the end it amounts to much the same thing."

Renard’s shoulders relaxed a little as he continued, his hands gesturing lightly in open palms to emphasize his points.

"Of course, he will not be refused entry if he chooses to occasionally visit his women and the specific kingdoms he has grown to love and cherish. In essence, what I am saying is that we should allow Benjamin Mark to become the most important individual in the world by granting him unrestricted access to enter any of our kingdoms and leave them however and whenever he pleases, without unnecessary barriers."

His tone grew firmer, his expression turning serious as he straightened his back and met the eyes of several leaders directly.

"Seduce him if you must, using whatever honest and open means feel natural to you. But no more underhanded plays or schemes are allowed from this point forward. He is a person, a living human being with his own heart and feelings. I personally will not tolerate him continually being used and treated as a mere high-class object for anyone’s convenience or amusement."

Renard leaned back slightly in his chair, his posture open and confident as he concluded his proposal.

"Now, I believe I have coalesced all our minds and brought us to a great extent of shared understanding. Does anyone here have any objections or concerns they would like to voice at this moment?"

After Renard finished asking the question, the grand hall fell into a deep and complete silence.

The only sounds were the faint rustling of living vines overhead and the soft filtering of golden light through the canopy.

Gaze after gaze darted carefully from one leader to another across the wide oval table, eyes narrowing slightly or widening in quiet assessment as they weighed his words.

Then, one by one, everyone present began to nod their heads in agreement.

Some nods were slow and thoughtful, accompanied by subtle leans forward in their seats.

Others were quicker, with small shifts in posture that tried to show reluctant acceptance mixed with underlying excitement (you know these ones).

Even the most stubborn among them eventually gave a single, firm nod, their expressions softening just enough to signal consensus.

’Hook, line, and sinker...’

Renard reveled internally, a quiet spark of satisfaction flickering behind his bright blue eyes while his outward expression remained perfectly composed and neutral, his fingers lightly drumming once against the table’s edge before stilling.

The rest of the discussion that followed turned toward practical matters concerning the delegations and the specific amounts of time Benjamin could reasonably spend within each kingdom.

Detailed points were raised about logistics and boundaries.

If he could stay completely on his own without any external influence, then he could remain in that kingdom for as long as he genuinely wanted.

However, that particular kingdom would have the responsibility of explaining clearly that nothing magical or manipulative was causing him to stay put against his true will.

And while the leaders were just about to shift the conversation toward a different, unrelated topic — specifically the matter of the sudden and highly suspicious calm that had recently settled over the demon territories — something unexpected broke the hard-won calmness of the grand hall in an instant. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Hm...? Was there an interracial summit happening today? Wait... what day is this exactly?"

The calm, gender-neutral voice echoed softly through the living ironwood hall, coming from a light brown-haired person who now stood so close to the edge of the massive oval table that he seemed almost part of the gathering.

He rubbed his eyes sleepily with one hand while gently holding the small hand of a grey-skinned child beside him, his posture relaxed and unguarded as if he had simply wandered in from a nap.

The entire group of leaders — except for Sakura, Elara, Renard, and Titania — stiffened immediately in their seats.

Their bodies went rigid with surprise, shoulders tensing sharply, eyes widening in shock, and postures freezing as the same urgent thought flashed through all their minds at once: ’When... did he get there?’

"B... Benjamin!!"

The three women — Titania, Elara, and Sakura — immediately stood up from their seats in a rush, their chairs scraping lightly against the floor as they hurried toward Benjamin with obvious concern and affection.

They reached him quickly, their hands gently rubbing over his arms and shoulders in careful, checking motions.

While they asked in overlapping, worried voices whether he was doing okay, if anything was hurting him, or if he needed anything at all after his sudden appearance.

To the other leaders still seated around the grand table, something truly bizarre and unsettling was unfolding right before their eyes, and it was no joke or illusion... Or was it?

If any one of them had truly wanted to, they could have smelled and detected even the tiniest fraction of ash carried on the wind from fifty miles away with ease.

Yet none of them had sensed Benjamin’s presence entering the atmosphere of Verdant Spire until the very moment he had spoken.

Their bodies remained tense, eyes darting between one another with growing unease as they processed the impossibility.

Did he somehow bring their hidden location directly to himself through some unknown means?

Because that explanation felt far more believable than the alternative — that he had simply walked in or appeared among them and no one had known it until now.

Not even Seraphina, who stood composed and watchful behind Renard, had detected his arrival beforehand.

Her striking blue eyes narrowed slightly in quiet surprise, though her professional smile remained carefully in place as she observed the scene.

Benjamin himself was still a bit confused, his mind clouded by the lingering haze of a post-sleep hangover.

He only glanced curiously at the strange and unexpected gathering of Titania, Elara, and Sakura standing together in one place like this, his brow furrowing slightly as he tried to make sense of the moment.

"Good afternoon, Benjamin Mark!" Renard flashed a warm and welcoming smile at the casually dressed god-touched young man, leaning forward in his seat with genuine friendliness while his bright blue eyes sparkled with quiet amusement. "If it will not be too much trouble for you... would you kindly join us in our meeting today? It could greatly concern you and the path you are currently walking."