Renard continued speaking from his position at the curved end of the massive oval table, his voice carrying a smooth, persuasive tone that echoed softly through the living ironwood hall as the golden light from the canopy above shifted in gentle patterns across his face.

"We have decided that you will visit all our kingdoms in turn, and we will all seduc— I mean, show you the genuine goodness and unique wonders of our own lands.

"We want you to become a citizen welcomed by all the great kingdoms in Elyndor. This is crucial to prevent unnecessary headaches on my part, but more so, to prevent wars and open fighting from breaking out across the realms. You get me?"

Benjamin, with his droopy oceanic blue eyes still heavy from the recent drain on his body, slowly scanned the faces seated around the grand table.

His gaze moved deliberately from the round uncle with the thick reddish-brown beard and noticeable pot belly pressing against the edge of the wood;

Then to the elegant glasses woman with her long, twitching elven ears and light green hair tied back in a neat ponytail;

Then to the horned burly woman whose powerful arms remained crossed over her chest, and then across everyone else present...

Their postures straight or slightly leaned forward, eyes fixed on him with varying degrees of intensity.

The living vines inlaid into the table’s surface pulsed faintly beneath their elbows, casting subtle emerald glows that danced across their features.

Then he lifted one hand and rested it against his cheek, holding his head up with the support of his elbow planted firmly on the table.

His shoulders were slumping just a fraction as another wave of tiredness washed over him.

"So..." he began calmly, his voice low and measured, each word drawn out slightly by the lingering sleepiness, "what you are telling me is that you all made a decision about my life... without me being involved in any part of the discussion?"

"C’mon now, Benjamin," Renard leaned forward onto the table, his bright blue eyes sparkling with what looked like friendly persuasion while his fingers interlaced loosely.

His posture was open and relaxed as if this were the most reasonable conversation in the world. "Let’s not be selfish here. This is all for the greater peace of the world we share."

Benjamin made a small, quiet snicker, the sound barely escaping his lips as he paid Renard a brief, sideways glance, his eyes narrowing just enough to show a flicker of dry amusement.

"Renard, who told you that I care one single bit about the world at large? How come you conclude so easily that I am interested in inconveniencing myself for the good of complete strangers I barely even know?"

The grand hall fell into a heavy stillness as the other leaders only watched the back-and-forth exchange in silence.

With their bodies mostly motionless except for the occasional subtle shift in weight or the faint twitch of an ear or finger.

The air felt thicker now, carrying the faint earthy scent of the ancient wood and the lingering trace of Sakura’s fragrant pipe smoke.

"You are one cheeky boy, to reference me directly without any honorifics," Renard giggled lightly, the sound light and almost playful.

Though, his shoulders remained squared and his clasped hands stayed perfectly still on the table’s glowing surface. "I was not asking, Benjamin. You WILL do as I say, because you are essentially part of this alliance too, whether you like it or not."

"H-Hey!" Titania voiced from her seat beside Grey Ivy, her small frame leaning forward sharply as her delicate butterfly wings fluttered once in agitation, her silver twin braids swaying with the motion. "Don’t be mean to Benjamin! He can have his say here like everyone else!"

"Silence, Tyta," Dynamis’s deep voice boomed from her own seat further along the table.

Her burly arms remained crossed tightly over her broad chest, while her horned forehead tilted slightly, her posture radiating unyielding authority as she stared down the petite fairy.

She continued; "You already had a go at the god-touched, and you even had children with him. Allow the others a fair chance to—"

"Little girl, you must watch the way you speak in the midst of giants," Sakura pointedly looked at Dynamis in a serious manner.

Her sharp amber eyes narrowed as she held her long kiseru pipe gracefully between her pink claws, a thin curl of smoke rising steadily while her pink hair shifted around her shoulders with the subtle turn of her head.

"Benjamin Mark," she hissed, "will not be treated as someone who cannot make his own decisions."

Elara soon interjected too, her arms unfolding as she leaned forward in her seat at the opposite end, her voice steady but edged with caution:

"Renard, I will not say I like or dislike your plan outright, but can we not allow Benjamin himself to—"

"Elara..." Renard cut her off cleanly, without removing his steady gaze from Benjamin for even a second, his hands remaining clasped together on the table as his bright blue eyes held firm. "Shut up."

"..."

She bit her lower lip hard enough that the skin paled momentarily, her fist balling tightly on the table’s edge until her knuckles stood out, her broad shoulders tensing visibly before she slowly lowered herself back into her seat with a controlled exhale, her hard expression locked in place.

And no one spoke again for several long heartbeats.

The only sounds were the faint rustling of the living vines overhead and the soft, rhythmic pulsing of the glowing inlays beneath their arms.

The Amazon guards at the entrance shifted their weight ever so slightly, spears held a fraction tighter as the tension thickened in the air like an invisible fog.

"Benjamin Mark... do you know me?" Renard asked.

His smile was still present on his face but not in his eyes anymore, the corners of his mouth curved upward while the rest of his expression stayed calculating and cool, his posture leaning just a touch more forward in his chair. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"I don’t think you know me," he concluded.

Benjamin, still battling with the persistent urge to let his eyelids droop completely shut, raised his heavy, droopy eyes to meet Renard’s directly.

"Know you?" he asked, his voice carrying a tired but genuine note of confusion mixed with challenge. "Huh? Why do I have to know you? Wait, do you mean to say I should fear you?"

The atmosphere in the grand hall grew noticeably more tense with each second that drew out, the golden light seeming to dim slightly as if the living canopy itself sensed the rising pressure.

Seraphina stood behind Renard with her hauntingly professional smile fixed in place.

Her striking blue eyes were watching Benjamin closely alongside the other leaders.

Izra, positioned behind Renard as well, kept her dark eyes narrowed, her long silver braid hanging straight down her back while her body remained coiled and ready...

She was one moment away from stepping in to stop the whole thing if it grew too chaotic.

Elara, Titania, and Sakura sat with their bodies leaning slightly forward in silent hope.

Their expressions were tight with unspoken prayers that Benjamin would calm down and stop provoking the man at the head of the table, their hands gripping edges of the table or pipe stems a little tighter than before.

But their prayers went unanswered:

"Benjamin, you will visit the seven great kingdoms of Elyndor," Renard started again, his tone firm and final as he kept his calculating blue eyes locked on the young man, "Do not worry about freedom and all of that. You are free to move around as you like whenever you wish.

"But please, understand that you have become quite the prize in everyone’s eyes and must not be hoarded by any single kingdom or person. It would be better if you chose no one in fact.