<h4>Chapter 67: King''s Gaze</h4>
"I, the second prince of the human kingdom, request a council with authority," Ray dered, standing in a small room surrounded by walls covered in rainbow-colored crystalline ss, casting pointy lights in various hues around the room.
''MAY THE PRINCE SUBMIT THE REASON FOR THIS COUNCIL''
A resonant oracle voice filled the crystalline room, its source concealed. Ray knelt on his left leg, fist over his chest, in a salute of respect.
"It''s an emergence regarding the sovereignty of the kingdom and the likelihood of a small-scale battle," Ray responded in a subdued tone, conveying his deference to the oracle voice. The room fell silent again, remaining hushed for the next minute or so until an announcing voice broke the stillness.
''THE COUNCIL MAY BEGIN''
In the blink of an eye, the crystalline rainbow room plunged into darkness, and an overwhelming pressure enclosed the space, causing cold beads of sweat to form on Ray''s forehead.
'''''''' YOU MAY LIFT YOUR HEAD''''''''
Synchronized voices spoke, each resonating with domination and authority, emphasizing control over Ray''s presence. Anxiously, he raised his head, only to find the ckened room surrounded by multiple pairs of eyes.
Not one, not two, but numerous eyes fixed upon Ray from all directions, as if they were the only discernible entities in the dark expanse, evoking scenes reminiscent of horror movies.
''This much pressure, just from their gaze...'' Ray nervously chuckled, ncing around. Even in a chilling atmosphere, the beads of sweat continued to trickle down his face.
"All 27 council members at once..." He muttered, looking at the number of eyes in the room.
''What else do you expect? After calling a council about kingdom sovereignty, None of the council members is busy enough to ignore this meeting.'' A deep male voice rang as he responded to Ray''s words.
"Now, now, there is no need to be so impatient. If the second prince called a meeting, then it must be for important reasons. Am I wrong...the prince?" A seductive and yful female voice, sharp but calm, rang in the room.
In response to this, Ray just smiled nervously, as he directly matched the gazesing from his eyes. "I called you here to request a temporary expansion of my authority."
"And why do you think we will let you enjoy an unfair advantage against other princes?" Another voice, that of an old man, scolded, anger evident in his tone.
"You do realize what you are saying, Ray? I am at least expecting a good reason for your demands." Another deep voice, calm and familiar to Ray, sounded.
"Please don''t worry, Master. I didn''t call the council just to spout nonsense." Ray responded to the calm voice with a smile as he stood up. With determination etched on his face, he continued, "My intelligence has revealed an external threat to the country and my vige. This conflict may involve formidable members of the werewolf n and demons."
The room fell silent once again before another pair of eyes manifested in the room. These eyes bore crimson-red pupils simr to Ray''s. The pressure from this gaze alone was greater than all other presencesbined. A booming voice resonated through the room, demanding,
"CONTINUE..."
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..
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Present, in the vige─
The sun descended below the horizon, casting the world in the gentle moonlight of a waning gibbous moon.
Ben diligently worked on extracting the rabbit''s nails and storing their bodies in a small pit in the ground. The cold weather ensured the meat would likely remain fresh until the next day. As for the rabbit fangs, typically discarded by hunters, Ben had ns for them.
These fangs were infused with a natural poison, which can cause stinging pain and dizziness. Normally, this kind of poison isn''t fatal, but it can be used as a distraction and debuff the enemy. In other words, these fangs will y a good role in uing battles.
"Three days from now..." Ben wiped the sweat from his forehead, gazing at the moon in the sky. Time was ticking away; by the end of the third day and the beginning of the fourth night, the wolf wouldunch its attack.
"Why is the timing so specific, though?" Freya questioned, breaking an hour-long silence between them.
Ben responded withplex expressions. Since he was born into this world, he has experienced only a few emotions: anger, rage, fear, hunger, and satisfaction. Emotions like guilt, regret, or love were now apletely foreign concept to him.
The only guiding force pushing him toward the right path was a sense of justice in his head, the same sense signaling that he was standing before a murderer now. In his mind, Freya was no longer the innocent girl Ben had saved from the enchanted forest, but in his heart, he refused to believe so.
"Tell me honestly, why did you have to kill that man? Don''t you feel any regret about it at all?" Ben asked, ignoring Freya''s earlier question. He stared directly into her eyes while activating a ve skill on his back.
"A person who dares to take advantage of the weak has no ce in society to live. I don''t feel any guilt because what I did was meant to be done," Freya responded firmly. Her resolve was evident on her face. Without a hint of hesitation, she met Ben''s gaze and continued, "What I did was the right thing to do, and one must not feel any guilt or regret in serving justice."
''System?'' Ben inquired in the back of his mind, and the soothing female voice answered his curiosity.
[She is wrong, Ben. Her emotions don''t match her words; she feels as guilty as a normal human would for killing someone.]
"I guess... things don''t work as simple as they used to work in my world," Ben muttered, his internal conflict addressed, and a small smile yed on his lips.
"What the hell are you smiling for?...**GrullllLLl..." Freya started to say, but a groaning sound from her stomach interrupted her, turning her face cherry red in embarrassment.
In response, Ben''s smile widened. He retrieved two rabbits from the pit, covered it, and ced a wooden carpet on top. "These things taste good, you know?"