Hans had a restless night. His mind was filled with unease due to the strange events from the night before, making it difficult for him to fall asleep. To make matters worse, the meeting starts in the morning.
If he were to doze off during the meeting, just imagining the aftermath made Hans feel a headache coming on. The meeting was no different from a vicious snake’s den.
If he showed even the slightest sign of weakness, he would definitely be torn apart by the beasts. To prevent that, Hans had to overcome his fatigue.
In a situation like this, the only person he could rely on was, of course, Cluna, who was well-versed in various medicines and magic. Hans moved with purpose.
“Is there a way to chase sleep away right now?”
“Yeah. Don’t you have any good methods?”
“I do have a tea I usually enjoy…”
“Then please use that.”
He could trust Cluna 100%. Plus, time was running out, so he had no choice but to use that. The combination of urgency had Hans hastily get that tea.
Of course, he didn’t expect that drinking just this would wake him up. But thinking it was similar to coffee back in the modern world, Hans felt some relief as he attended the meeting.
“Let’s discuss the problems at hand first.”
The morning meeting went surprisingly well. By postponing the issues that would lead to fights once brought up, they quickly tackled the pressing problems.
There were interruptions now and then, but thankfully, with the help of three chiefs supporting Hans, they managed to get through it without much difficulty. The morning meeting concluded successfully.
“Fortunately, Cluna’s tea was effective.”
There had been a bit of a crisis in between, but he managed to endure it without much trouble. Alone at the Table of Equality, Hans punched his own face with both hands to shake off the fatigue.
“Should I skip lunch? If my stomach is full, I might just….”
“Filthy son of a betrayer from that clan!!”
“…?”
Just when he was thinking about getting a bit more sleep during lunch. Suddenly, a loud voice struck Hans’s ears from outside. Without realizing it, he hid his body.
The Table of Equality was on the first floor of Lionheart Fortress. The shouting was coming through the window right in front of him. Hans quickly hid nearby and peeked out the window.
There was Cluna and an unfamiliar Elf. Cluna silently listened to the conversation, while the Elf in front of Cluna was shouting all kinds of accusations.
“Why did you betray your clan?! Someone who cared so much for your fellow tribesmen…!!!”
“I merely removed the rotten flesh of my kin.”
“How could you say such nonsense…!!”
It seemed Cluna was facing resentment from her kind. Hans furrowed his brows. It was somewhat understandable. To fortify their position, they made enemies outside.
This would surely redirect everyone’s resentment towards that enemy. It was a perfect story. To turn the hate towards the traitor of the clan and desire a hero who would punish that betrayer.
“What’s all the commotion?”
But Hans wasn’t the type to just watch. He understood but wouldn’t endorse it. With that thought, Hans stepped up. The Elf was taken aback and said.
“W-Who are you?!”
“Destroying the World Tree was my command. So the responsibility lies with me.”
“….”
“So if you want to resent someone, resent me.”
Hans himself didn’t realize it yet, but he was extremely sleepy, his expression twisted. However, the opposing Elf took that as anger. Of course.
They thought no one was around to catch their outpouring of resentment and hatred, and suddenly the Commander of the Royal Knights appeared. Ultimately, the Elf hurriedly left the scene.
Once he managed to settle the situation, Hans let out a sigh of relief. He wondered what would happen if someone attacked, but thankfully, it seemed that the guy wasn’t that crazy. Hans turned to Cluna.
“Who was that just now?”
“He’s my cute junior.”
“Junior, you say?”
“Yes, he became the Guardian of the Forest instead of me.”
“I see, so that’s why he….”
Was he feeling more betrayal because he was Cluna’s direct junior? But regardless of that, he couldn’t just sit there and watch. Hans scratched his head.
“Do you need anything?”
“That’s a clumsy consideration. But that’s what makes it even cuter.”
“I’m the Commander, okay? The Commander.”
“Understood, Commander.”
Cluna bowed and quickly walked away. Left alone again, Hans thought. With a situation like this, how could he possibly sleep? He might as well organize the documents.
*
After finishing lunch, the afternoon meeting commenced. There were still countless issues piled high. Slowly but surely, dissent began to arise here, and arguments started to ensue.
The Vampire Lord, now using the name Lucy, was lost in thought, wearing a faint smile. She wanted to keep an eye on the path of the Upright Humans to the end. She had no interest at first, but…
Once intrigued, she couldn’t lose her temper without trying it herself. Unfortunately for Hans, the personality of Vampire Lord Lucy was quite bothersome.
“Isn’t it about time to mention that issue?”
“What issue are you talking about?”
“The neutralization of the Royal Knights.”
“….”
Lucy didn’t hesitate to throw a stone into the calm lake. As a result, the ripples that formed didn’t stop and grew larger. The first to bite was Maquenis, the Elder Elf.
“We can’t keep turning a blind eye to this.”
“I thought that matter was already settled.”
“Nothing has ended. It’s just beginning now.”
“What?!”
“That beastly smell. Shut up before I catch you and eat you.”
With the sudden interjection from an Orc, veins popped up on Yuyoung’s forehead once again. The meeting quickly turned into chaos. Alright, the stage is set. What will you do now?
Will you protect those who raise their hands for you? If so, you could solidify your support base. But at that moment, the opportunity to unite this alliance would slip away.
Of course, Lucy didn’t care which side it went. If this situation escalated and the Royal Knights relied on the vampires, that would be good for her too. However, just then.
The moment Lucy’s gaze fixed on Hans, she tilted her head. Hans was sitting with his arms crossed, bowing his head. At first, she thought he was deep in thought, but…
Soon, Lucy realized that wasn’t the case. Yes, right now, Hans was blatantly asleep. Right in this important gathering where leaders of all races were gathered.
‘What the…?’
In a scene that surpassed imagination, Lucy naturally made a dumbfounded expression. However, Hans didn’t react. To be precise, he couldn’t react, as he had fallen into a deep sleep.
But Cluna’s words weren’t lies. In fact, Cluna had taken on excessive work within the Royal Knights. Of course, Hans noticed and shared the load, but…
Even considering that, Cluna’s workload was inevitably more than the other members. Thus, she used relaxing herbal tea to alleviate her fatigue as much as possible.
For the Elves, at least. Just picture lying on soft grass, feeling the warm sunlight. For an Elf, it would energize them, shaking off sleep.
But for a human? Lying on soft grass, feeling the warm sunlight, and sensing the gentle breeze from afar? No doubt he would fall asleep.
‘Mmmph.’
The reason Hans could wake up in that situation was entirely because Yuyoung, sitting next to him, was furious. In that scenario, he woke up without making it obvious.
And he locked eyes with Lucy, who was looking in his direction. Like being struck by lightning, Hans hurriedly straightened his posture. Thanks to that, Lucy couldn’t hide her confusion.
There’s no way this important meeting, especially not someone as significant as the Commander of the Royal Knights, could be asleep. But the sight just now clearly looked like someone sleeping.
‘Could it be, did he intentionally show that?’
That was the best thought Lucy could come up with. No matter how she thought about it, the image of the Commander of the Royal Knights asleep in this crucial meeting was unimaginable.
There was no way a man so pathetic could rebuild the Royal Knights. Ironically, that intense belief caused Lucy to fall into a significant misunderstanding.
On the other hand, Hans ignored Lucy and surveyed the reactions around. Unfortunately, all gazes were turned his way. Having been in such situations often, he immediately spoke up.
“Is the petty argument over?”
Playing dumb to shake off the blame.
Rather, stepping up confidently.
That was Hans’s ultimate move.
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