The Magic Council's Choice (Part 2)

After entrusting the cleanup work to Yelibell and others, King So led a small squad of the Heavenly King Guard toward the royal palace in the center of the city.

"That rascal really knows how to boss people around, leaving us with such a mess while he just walks away!" (Gilkunis)

Hearing the complaints of Cannon Fodder One, the marshal on the side said softly, "Hehe! Why don't you switch with the bad boy? You go and deal with that mess in the palace, and let him come here to clean up his masterpiece?"

"Gulp"

Upon hearing the Grand Marshal mention the royal palace, Gilkunis swallowed hard, then shook his head violently.

"Then let's forget it, I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself! (Cannon Fodder One)" (PS: The reason why Cannon Fodder One can't control himself is explained in chapter 330 of the manga and chapter 194 of the TV version)

"Hmph! Then stop complaining and get to work! (Vanguard General)"

Having suffered a double blow from the Marshal and the Vanguard, Cannon Fodder One sighed and then obediently got to work.

Milantes Palace

Upon seeing His Majesty the King arrive, the members of the Heavenly King Guard guarding the palace gates immediately bowed in salute.

"Your Majesty, we respectfully welcome you!"

"Get up, all of you!" (Old Suo)

After everyone stood up, Old Suo asked one of the guards beside him, "Which palace is the King Milantes staying in now?"

"Your Majesty, they are currently in the council hall ahead."

His Majesty the King nodded, then continued, "What about the Magic Council member we captured in Haru City earlier?"

"Your Majesty, the man is currently being held in a side hall to the left of the main hall of government."

After the guard finished answering, Old Suo patted him on the shoulder and said, "You've worked hard. When we get back to Philiers, we'll definitely reward you for your service. Don't be shy then!"

After speaking, His Majesty the King led his guards toward the council hall, while the guard, amidst the envious and jealous gazes of his colleagues, reveled in His Majesty the King's praise.

"Squeak"

The sound of the palace doors opening drew the attention of Zaka and the others who were standing in the main hall. The next second, the silver-haired boy who had been separated from them not long ago reappeared in their field of vision.

"Please invite all the ministers to rest next door. I have some matters to discuss privately with Kata other two." (Old Suo)

"Yes!"

A moment later, only Old Suo and Zaka's family remained in the hall.

"King Erus, I remember you said outside the city gates that you would never go back on your promises! (Zaka)"

Looking at Zaka, who was protecting his wife and daughter behind him, Sordil laughed and said, "Zaka, you're overthinking it. I'm not going to kill you, but let you choose the path of your lives."

"Let us choose the course of our lives? King Erus, what do you mean by that? (Zaka)"

"The meaning is simple: you can either become nobles of my Erus Kingdom, or you can choose to relinquish your status and become ordinary citizens. (Sordil)"

Upon hearing Sordil's words, Zaka suddenly laughed.

"Ha ha!"

After a long pause, Zaka stopped laughing and said, "King Erus, you really know how to do business!"

"Heh! Same here! (Sordil)"

"Speak! What are your conditions, (Zaka)?"

Seeing that Zaka had made his point clear, Old Suo didn't hold back and directly took out three scrolls.

"These are three Master-Servant Contract. Once signed, the servant must be absolutely loyal to the master; otherwise, he will vanish in an instant!" (Sordil)

Upon seeing the Master-Servant Contract in Old Suo's hand, Zaka's expression instantly turned much uglier.

"King Erus, you're not making us nobles, you're making us your slaves!" (Zaka)

"You can also give up becoming a nobleman and become an ordinary citizen, but you will not be able to rise in rank through military merit like other citizens, let alone become an official. (Sordil)"

"Can ordinary citizens rise in rank and become officials based on their military achievements?" (Zaka)

"That's right, this is our national policy!" (Sordil)

After Sordil finished speaking, Zaka suddenly recalled the battle reports he had received and the scene he had witnessed at the city gate.

"Heh! No wonder! No wonder your Erus army is so unstoppable, the secret lies here! (Zaka)"

"Alright! I've said everything I needed to say, Zaka, give me your choice! (Sordil)"

Upon hearing Sordil's words, Zaka's brows furrowed. The next second, he spoke, "King Erus, this matter is of great importance. Could you give us some time to consider it carefully?"

Old Suo looked up and glanced at Zaka and the other two, then said, "I have something else to take care of. I hope you can give me an answer when I come back."

"Definitely! (Zaka)"

After Zaka finished speaking, Old Suo turned and walked towards the door.

The main hall for deliberation, the side hall on the left

"Squeak"

As the palace doors opened, strong sunlight streamed through, illuminating Boss Leizhi, who was meditating with his eyes closed.

"What? My time is up? (Leizhi)"

"Heh! Why is Lord Leizhi so pessimistic?"

Upon hearing the somewhat unfamiliar voice, Leizhi slowly opened his eyes.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" (Leizhi)

Upon hearing Leizhi's words, the man in front of him pointed to himself and said, "Me? I am that wicked King Erus!"

After Old Suo finished speaking, Boss Leizhi's eyes widened suddenly.

"You are King Erus? (Leizhi)"

"Why do you all have this expression after you found out who I am? Don't I look like a king?" (Sordil)

"With your looks, people might believe you're Prince, but no one would believe you're a king, especially the infamous King Erus! (Leizhi's inner thoughts)" (Sordil: It was that unscrupulous author who gave me such an innocent-looking boyish face, how can you blame me?)

After grumbling to himself, Boss Leizhi said, "It's just that your appearance doesn't quite match your reputation, which is why everyone is as shocked as I am."

After Leizhi finished complaining, His Majesty the King snorted and then handed an exquisite brocade box to Leizhi.

"Go back and tell your Chairman to seriously consider the proposal I had Ogg take back, otherwise he will receive similar gifts again."

After speaking, without waiting for Boss Leizhi to ask for details, Old Suo used a silvery-white light to send him away from there.

Council Hall

"Squeak"

The palace doors opened again, and the silver-haired boy who had just left stormed in angrily.

"Time's up, tell me your answers!"

Although Zaka and his two companions were very interested in the silver-haired boy's recent experience, considering their own situation, they did not dare to ask and instead obediently stated their choices.

"King Erus, after discussion, we have decided to become nobles! (Zaka)"

The good news offset the displeasure that Leizhi had brought him, so Old Suo immediately put on a smiling face and handed the three contracts to Zaka and the other two.

A moment later, with three dark purple lights appearing in the hall, Milantes's performance finally came to an end.

Kingdom of Fiore, Headquarters of the Magic Council

Since the investigation team brought the bewildered Ogg back a few days ago, the Magic Council's longest discussion in history has begun.

After being dealt a blow, Ogg broke away from the hawks and joined the doves, because he simply didn't believe that he and his allies could defeat the enigmatic King Erus. Meanwhile, Micahlo, who usually acted as Ogg's echo, abandoned his leader and continued to side with the hawks, advocating for sanctions against the Erus Kingdom.

Thus, the peace faction, composed of Ogg, Beluno, and Yajima, engaged in a fierce argument with the war faction, composed of three councilors, including Micahlo.

"Ogg, if we sue for peace with King Erus now, that guy will think we're easy to bully, and then he'll become even more unscrupulous!" (Micahlo)

"Micahlo, as I said before, Sordil has his reasons; he doesn't intentionally oppose us. If we don't back down, he'll have no choice but to continue fighting us. In that case, none of us will benefit!" (Ogg)

"Ogg, are you scared out of your wits? (Councilor No. 8)" (I really don't want to rack my brains to come up with a name for this minor character, so please bear with me!)

"What nonsense are you talking about! Ogg was thinking about the bigger picture, it's not what you think at all!" (Beluno)

"Heh! Just what is it... (Councilor No. 9)"

"Buzzing"

Just as Councilor No. 9 was about to speak in rebuttal, the heavy doors of the council chamber were opened, and a red-haired old man carrying a gift box walked into the hall, escorted by a group of toads.

"Leizhi, are you alright? (Councilor No. 9)"

"Hmph! What? Do you miss me? (Leizhi)"

"Leizhi, don't misunderstand! We received news that you and the Fourth Restraint Force were besieged by Erus' army in Haru City, and as a result... that's why we were so surprised to see you just now. (Micahlo)"

"Hehe! The Fourth Restraint Force and I were indeed besieged in Haru City, but we were only captured, not killed. So, you won't be so surprised if you see members of the Fourth Restraint Force again! (Leizhi)"

Just as the atmosphere became awkward, the Chairman, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked, "Leizhi, what is that box in your hand?"

Upon hearing the Chairman's words, everyone noticed what Leizhi was holding.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on the gift box, Leizhi relayed what Old Suo had told him not long ago.

After Leizhi finished speaking, everyone looked at each other for a while, and then, under everyone's gaze, Crawford opened the gift box.

In an instant, a human head with a mocking smile appeared in everyone's sight.

"Damn it! King Erus is far too arrogant. Chairman, do you still think there's any need for peace talks? (Micahlo)"

Hearing Micahlo's roar, Crawford looked up, glanced at the crowd, and said, "What do you all think?"

"Chairman, this is Sordil's warning to us, and also a demonstration of his resolve. If we don't negotiate, he's willing to go to war with the entire continent! So we have no choice but to negotiate. (Ogg)"

"Chairman, this is not a warning, but a provocation, a threat! Therefore, we absolutely cannot accept peace talks; we can only fight them to the death!" (Micahlo)

Seeing that the hawks and doves were about to start fighting again, Crawford took a deep breath and then said angrily, "Alright! Stop arguing! Since we can't agree, let's follow the old rules and vote by raising our hands!"

After Crawford finished speaking, everyone nodded and then began the vote.