Chapter 28. Change

A chilling silence descended.

A truly frigid, suffocating stillness.

While everyone, including Balkan, was staring in this direction, I continued to gaze at the man in front of me.

'…This works pretty well, doesn’t it?'

To describe my current state, it’s literally invincibility.

No, to be precise, it's more like a state of complete stasis.

In other words, the fist caught in my grasp is trapped within a frozen domain.

Whether he tries to wrench it free with superhuman strength or forcibly pull it out by channeling Mana, it's pointless.

Because the very space surrounding his fist has stopped.

'…I should stop this soon.'

This Supernatural Power is truly broken, but my Mind's Eye isn’t strong enough to maintain this for long.

More importantly, if I hold on any longer, the guy will likely sever his own arm in a fit of rage.

Unless I intend to make him a permanent enemy, there's no need to go that far.

Therefore, I released the flow of Time around his face and quietly opened my lips.

“Have you seen enough, Gwonseong?”

“…….”

He stared intently at me with a fiercely distorted face.

Balkan, over twenty Arcana agents, and the Third Lord.

In this place, teeming with a disastrous amount of power, I was openly bluffing.

Complete with an overwhelming display of acting, at that.

The reactions I received were also unique.

Balkan looked back and forth between me and the Third Lord with a shocked expression, and the others did the same.

The Third Lord breathed roughly in frustration, then frowned unpleasantly.

“…Enough.”

He spoke with a voice as heavy as his large frame.

“Stop this now.”

He glared at me with a look mixed with bewilderment and rage, but his voice was calmer than before.

Given his personality, once he makes up his mind, he doesn't change it. He had clearly accepted the outcome.

As I released the flow of Time, Kallen retracted his right arm, its skin peeled back and joints twisted.

Soon after, his unique regenerative ability began to heal the wound.

Kallen glanced at his dangling right arm and suddenly burst into laughter.

His booming laughter, which seemed to shake the ground, caused everyone around him to wear bewildered expressions.

After his laughter subsided, he looked at me.

The murderous glint in his eyes had been replaced with interest, and a meaningful smile played on his lips.

“You’re no ordinary human.”

Our eyes met.

A burning competitiveness flickered in his sharp gaze like a flame.

A magnanimous man without grudges, who keeps his word to the end.

He was exactly as he was portrayed in the original story.

“I expected the Great Lord wouldn’t protect you for no reason, but this is beyond imagination.”

I remained silent.

Whether Kallen made his own assumptions, I didn't need to explain or justify myself.

Silence was the wisest course of action right now.

Honestly, I just wanted him to get the hell out of here as soon as possible.

Kallen knows nothing about the true nature of my ability.

That's to be expected, because this special power derived from the Rune of Time is not easily understood from the receiving end.

All he knows is that he was completely subdued.

He might even be mistaking me for a Lord-level powerhouse or stronger.

Judging by his current reaction, things seemed to be going according to my plan.

Kallen grinned and extended his undamaged left hand for a handshake.

“I am the Third Lord Kallen. The world calls me Gwonseong.”

“Luke. Luke Richter.”

“Luke Richter, huh…”

Kallen spoke casually, as if not surprised, and fixed his gaze on me again.

“I don’t know how someone like you just popped up now, but does it matter? We'll be family soon.”

It's stranger that you, the Third Lord, would know a mere Noble.

It's only now that we have a connection, so we know each other.

…But what did you just say? Family?

When I looked at him with a puzzled expression, he tilted his head.

“First time hearing about it?”

“I’d like to hear more.”

“A few days ago, a meeting was held. Discussions about appointing a new Lord, and about the future relationship between the Lord Council and the Imperial Family.”

“…Don’t tell me that the new Lord is…?”

“Yes, some human named Luke Richter.”

Kallen explained with a smirk.

“At first, opinions were somewhat divided, but the Great Lord personally guaranteed your qualifications, and the matter was settled.”

“…I never agreed to this.”

“That’s not my concern.”

Kallen responded to my question in a calm voice.

“However, I heard you set a condition. You said the relationship between the Imperial Family and the Lord Council needed to be improved first.”

“……”

“So the Great Lord personally went to the Imperial Palace. Just last night.”

At his words, I blinked blankly.

Of course, Arkan had mentioned meeting the Emperor.

But I hadn’t imagined him acting so hastily, pushing it through like this, which made me laugh in disbelief.

I knew that a matter of this magnitude required the approval of the majority of the Lords.

‘…Could it be that the Lord Council is really siding with the Imperial Family?’

I couldn’t understand what was happening.

Wasn’t the Lord Council supposed to be a completely neutral force?

Although the Great Lord is the Leader and the face of the group, the Lords are not in a relationship of sworn loyalty to him.

They are closer to colleagues who trust and rely on each other.

They're not in a position to blindly follow the Great Lord’s every word.

“Don’t tell me you agreed to this as well?”

“I did.”

“Why? Five of the Lords, excluding the Great Lord, have been hostile to the Imperial Family.”

“That’s true. But the Emperor offered to personally negotiate guaranteed control over each Lord's Territory. There’s no reason to refuse.”

“But why didn’t they negotiate before?”

“I’m not sure. They probably didn’t feel the need.”

Kallen tilted his chin as if asking what the problem was.

However, contrary to his thoughts, there were quite a few problems.

First, I had absolutely zero interest in some Lord Position, that was problem number one.

Second, my opinion hadn't been considered even once in this whole damn situation.

Lastly, just thinking about the aftermath of Arkan spewing bullshit about me to the Emperor made my head throb.

Has an official ever held a Lordship concurrently in history?

Never. Not once.

My name was already at the center of social circles' bullshit rumors, branded a mastermind or whatever. If this blew up too… I couldn't even imagine what would happen.

“Anyway, I’ll be going now.”

Kwonseong Kallen smirked and turned around.

Then, he added one last thing.

“The other Lords, excluding me, will likely visit you one by one.”

“……”

“Next time, I'll bring a gift or something.”

He uttered words that made me dizzy just hearing them.

“See you later, 6th Lord.”

He grinned and left coolly.

Balkan's eyes trembled as if excited by those words, but…

“…This is fucked.”

I was just dizzy.

Extremely so.

****

Meanwhile…

“……”

*plop*

The Emperor slowly poured herbal tea into an empty teacup.

Then, an innocent voice drifted from the other side.

“So, have you thought about my proposal?”

“……”

The Emperor remained silent.

He slowly raised his head and simply looked at the woman sitting across from him.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious.”

“Arkan, this isn’t your solo act, is it?”

“Well, my influence was strong, but the other Lords didn’t really object. So, can you give me an answer quickly? I'm kind of busy.”

The Emperor's face was filled with bewilderment.

Arkan tapped the side table impatiently with her fingertips.

It was one of her habits, stemming from her impatient nature.

“It's certainly not a bad deal for the Imperial Family.”

“Are you kidding? This is practically spoon-feeding it to you.”

“Yes, if the Lord Council lends its support, nothing could be more reassuring. However…”

The Emperor bowed his head slightly, and his Imperial Family's characteristic red hair ruffled.

Golden pupils flashed between the strands.

“Luke Richter. Has his opinion been considered?”

“……”

Arkan blinked foolishly.

She had talked *about* it, but she hadn’t exactly gotten his permission.

But she didn’t want to think about it too much.

She liked him, and she wanted to keep him by her side, no matter what.

“Um… Probably?”

“……”

Well, it’ll be fine.

I’ll just treat him well, right?

So well that he can’t escape.

Thinking so, Arkan chuckled.

How much time had passed?

The secret negotiations between the Emperor and Arkan had concluded, and now it was time to talk to Luke Richter directly.

He had to be brought to the Imperial Palace.

However, strangely, everyone in the Ministry of Internal Affairs vehemently refused a business trip to Blackmore.

Especially those who had met Luke Richter previously seemed to have returned with a pale complexion.

In the end, the chosen person was…

“…Me?!”

The headmaster of the Academy, the Empire’s highest educational institution, and the Vice-Leader of the Red Magic Tower.

Above all, a woman who knew Luke Richter and had a befitting status.

“You’re telling me to go meet Luke Richter?!”

Selena Lugrite.

It was her.