THE LORD IS TOO OVERBEARING

The Summit Meeting was held in a place that was located in the north of Braxtein. It was also close to the 5th Obelisk, which was the least dangerous Obelisk because it was located the farthest from the inhabited area.

The place where the meeting was held was the sole building amongst the endless plain that was covered in snow. It was built in one week just to host the Summit Meeting.

In the welcoming room, which was a massive hall with a massive Teleportation Magic Circle, Basil and company appeared a brief, blinding flash. The Mages situated there immediately bowed their heads and escorted the people to the meeting room.

"For a hastily erected building, the interior is breath-taking," Edward remarked as he looked around.

"The Array used to power the Runes covering the building too. They really did their best—whoever built this building," Aldrich added.

"We are very honoured to receive the praise of the Princes of Braxtein," said one of the Mages escorting them.

Basil, Anthony and the other Princes didn't say anything. While the first two were observing the atmosphere, the three Princes just didn't know what they should say.

After walking slightly more than a minute, they stopped in front of a 3 metres tall red door. The escort opened the door for them, prompting Anthony and Basil to take the lead and enter the room.

The moment they stepped in, the pressure from the people who were already inside assaulted them. Anthony and Basil were unfazed, but the Princes couldn't help sweating coldly.

Following Basil and Anthony, none of them looked around. They kept walking toward the seats that were reserved for them.

Anthony and Basil sat by side, the Princes sat in the chairs five meters behind the two and the four Royal Escort Commanders stood on the sides, guarding all of them. It was not until this moment could they see who had been pressuring them.

Boom!

Everyone's eyes widened the moment the air exploded, knocking the vacant seats in the room. A new overwhelming pressure filled descended upon the room, making all of them gulp dryly.

"Greetings, King of Grittenhein, Your Highness Manfred von Grittenhein. I am Braxtein's Golden Apple, Basil Pacifer," Basil stated calmly as he bowed politely. "We thank you for the warm and friendly welcome we have received."

As Anthony smirked mockingly, Manfred focused his grey eyes on Basil. He couldn't help gently pulling on his red beard as he cursed Braxtein for its luck.

'This is the Dragon Slayer of Braxtein, huh? Ku-Ku-Ku. Lucky, aren't you, Anthony? If that young man was on our side, we would have declared war against you.'

'Manfred, I know what you are thinking. A battle maniac like you must be dying from envy. Ku-Ku-Ku.'

The room was silent, but the atmosphere wasn't pleasant. As Manfred and Basil were clashing their Qi Pressure, Anthony was pressuring the Knights that accompanied Manfred with his Mana Pressure.

The signs were too obvious to ignore; at any time, a fight would break out. It was actually common for Practitioners that adopted two different Principles to cross opinions, but if Anthony, Basil and Manfred had a clash, only disaster would await them.

"Your Majesty, it is—"

Bang!

"My, my… as usual, the friendship you two have makes me envy, Manfred, Anthony."

Carlyle, who was about to warn Anthony about the consequences they might face if a fight broke out, was interrupted by a heavy and raspy voice belonging to an elderly man. The pressure didn't disappear, but every still turned to the owner of the voice.

A well-trimmed white hair, a well-trimmed white beard, a pair of white eyes that saw nothing but shadows; wearing a white military attire, the man looked like a Noble sage that believed in righteousness. He was the King of Frachtenhein, Alphonse de Frachtenhein.

"Do you want to join us, Alphonse? Maybe, if you do, we will be able to restructure the hierarchy once again. A certain Kingdom has been sitting at the top for too long, don't you think?" Manfred asked heatedly.

"Ku-Ha-Ha! What a ludicrous thing I have heard! Very well, Alphonse, join in. Let us write a new history." Anthony smirked.

"Well… I will rather not to," Alphonse replied wryly as he glanced at Basil. "I am nothing but a dying old man. Having a peaceful end is my goal."

Manfred clicked his tongue and turned to Anthony. He harrumphed in annoyance and then retracted the pressure.

Basil also did the same and was about to sit down when Manfred called, "Young man, for a talented Knight, you are wasting your life there. As a Middle Stage Purple Core Knight, I am sure you can fight toe to toe with me and that is saying something."

"I thank you for your high view of me, Your Highness," Basil replied casually.

"I am not sweet talking, young man. Come to my side and I will inherit you my throne."

Everyone widened their eyes in shock and bafflement at how blunt and daring Manfred was. His words were heavy. It wasn't something that couldn't be said heavily. Even Anthony, who had more than a fleeting thought about it, didn't dare to openly say it.

"Taking something that is given to me on a silver platter has never been my hobby. I apologize for my rudeness, but amongst what you may be able to offer me, nothing the Braxtein Kingdom doesn't have."

Quirking his eyebrow, Manfred said, "Ho-oh, is that so? Very well, I won't force you." Smirking as he sat down, he added, "You have raised him well, Anthony."

Anthony would like to smile bitterly at the remark since that wasn't the case, but he smirked to not lose face instead. Alphonse, who had been observing the exchange with the help of his Art, smiled and also sat down.

The room was quickly filled with the relieved sigh of the escorts. Silence filled the room afterwards; it was only ended by the entrance of the other two Kings.

"It seems something has happened here," remarked the man with long ashy blond hair and a youthful look, the King of Vallienda, Gerhard van Vallienda.

"The scent of conflict is thick here, which is not that surprising because Anthony and Manfred are here," added the man with short, light green hair, who had an eerie smile on his face; the King of Baillocke, Mason Baillocke.

The people in the room turned their heads to them but then immediately ignored them. The two Kings didn't mind that at all and sat in their seats.

As the others waited for the last group to come, which was Tinuviel's group, the two chatted friendly with each other. Unlike the others, the Kingdoms the two led had established bilateral cooperation; their friendship was to be expected.

Thud!

After three minutes, the last group finally arrived. Tinuviel walked in with Aegnor on her side and her escorts behind her.

Her eyes were instantly planted on Basil. She immediately smiled at him, prompting him to smile back at her.

Ignoring the wondrous look that the young people in the room gave them, the Elf sat in their seats. They were positioned right beside Braxtein, implying their favouritism towards the Kingdom.

"Greetings to you, Mr Anthony," Tinuviel said simply.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Tinuviel," Anthony replied with a soft smile.

"It has been some time, Master Basil. Do you care for a few minutes of visiting after this?" Tinuviel with a smile, slightly baffling Anthony.

"We shall see, Tinuviel. If we have the leisure; sure, why not?" Basil replied casually, bewildering the people in the room.

'The way she treats them—isn't it supposed to be the opposite?' the observers thought.

Clap!

"Well, now that everyone is here already, let us begin the meeting, shall we?" Anthony said after gathering the people's attention.

"We can make this short by immediately having a vote for the kingdom-in-command, but I want to know the reason why you hastened the meeting, Lord Anthony," Alphonse said.

"I have talked about it if I am not mistaken," Anthony replied.

"We are getting closer to a perilous time. The nightmare that no one wants to have will be realized soon … That was the only thing you said to us. We want an explanation that is more detailed than that," Manfred said.

"This is only my theory, but is this related to the upcoming Outbreak?" Mason asked, which baffled everyone. "Other than the Empire, only the Obelisk can send us to the perilous situation, can't it?"

"That is… correct," Anthony confirmed.

The Kings turned their heads to Anthony and looked at him as if they were forcing him to spill the tea. Tinuviel was getting nervous, but she kept looking calm outside.

With a light sigh, before telling them about the abnormality in the 27th Obelisk's Mana Flow, he told them the importance of establishing the Alliance Army. They instantly knew he had an alibi from his explanation that was bordering propaganda but listened to it regardless.

When he talked about the 27th Obelisk, the Kings were immediately sure that it was indeed on the verge of Outbreak. They, too, noticed what he was attempting; so, when he finished speaking, they immediately bombarded him with questions.

"Are you saying that we have to help another Race for our debut? Don't you think about how our people will look at us?"

"No offence to Lady Tinuviel here, but why do I feel like this meeting was hastened solely for her? Isn't it a little bit too selfish?"

"I get the urgency; but, even without the Alliance Army, when the Outbreak happens, shouldn't we still be able to send help to Padeithophys?"

Anthony's eyes darkened; even though he had expected this to be the case, he still couldn't help getting irritated. He could hear what their eyes were saying: 'Give me a part of your share from the deal you made with the Elf!'

The only Kingdom that wished nothing was Frachtenhein, which was also close to the 27th Obelisk. Unlike the others, who wouldn't move without receiving some benefits, Alphonse knew his Kingdom was in peril.

He knew that the Demons would likely head to Padeitophys since it was closer, but he still felt the need to fight. With the help of his Art, he could feel something wrong with Basil and that didn't make him feel comfortable.

"Everyone, have you heard of a controlled Outbreak?" Basil suddenly spoke, silencing the talking Kings. "It is a fearsome method that can be used to send a territory into a state of despair."

There was a soft smile on his face, but no one could prevent themselves from gulping dryly.