The conference chamber remained heavy with silence.
Warm lanternlight flickered softly against darkwood walls while moonlight stretched across the polished table like silver frost. Outside the towering windows, the Southern capital glittered beneath the night, beautiful from afar—
Yet every noble within this room knew the truth.
The South was fractured.
Violent.
Lawless in many regions.
And despite its wealth—
The Aurelia Empire looked down upon it.
After Landon revealed that Heral himself drafted the proposal, the atmosphere within the chamber had shifted entirely.
Now—
The nobles no longer merely analyzed the contract.
They analyzed him.
Every gaze resting upon Kel carried different emotions.
Curiosity.
Jealousy.
Annoyance.
Fear.
Admiration.
Suspicion.
And yet—
Kel remained perfectly calm beneath all of it.
Standing quietly behind Landon's chair with composed posture while shadows and lanternlight divided his figure into gold and darkness.
Finally—
A Count seated near the eastern side of the table leaned slightly forward.
His voice carried restrained irritation.
"Mister Heral."
The room quieted further.
"If you truly wrote this proposal…"
His fingers tapped against the contract.
"…then explain something."
Several nobles focused immediately.
Even Duchess Seraphine lifted her gaze with visible interest now.
The Count's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why write this kind of structure?"
A faint scoff escaped him.
"Seventy percent royalties."
"Limited licenses."
"Territorial control clauses."
Another pause.
"And layered political obligations."
His expression hardened.
"This proposal benefits House Veil enormously."
Several nobles immediately nodded subtly.
Some openly.
Another merchant lord added quietly—
"It almost feels designed to make the entire South dependent on House Veil."
The atmosphere sharpened again.
Landon remained silent.
As intended.
Because now—
This stage belonged to Kel.
Sairen's voice echoed softly through the soul-link.
"…And here comes the performance."
Far away—
At Scarder Lake—
Sairen rested lazily atop silver mist while watching the room through Kel's senses.
Kel ignored her calmly.
Instead—
He stepped forward slightly.
Not too much.
Not enough to challenge Landon's authority.
Just enough for the room to naturally focus on him fully.
Then—
He spoke.
"My reasoning…"
His voice flowed calmly through the chamber.
"…is actually quite simple."
Silence deepened.
Kel's eyes slowly moved across the gathered nobles.
Meeting each gaze without hesitation.
"If House Veil distributed these potions entirely alone…"
A slight pause followed.
"…then only House Veil would benefit."
Several merchant nobles frowned faintly.
That answer was unexpected.
Kel continued smoothly.
"And while that would certainly increase my lord's wealth…"
His expression remained calm.
"…it would contribute very little toward improving the South itself."
Now—
The atmosphere shifted slightly.
Subtly.
But noticeably.
Duke Altair's sharp eyes narrowed.
Interesting direction.
Kel calmly folded his hands behind his back.
"My lord did not ask me merely to draft a profitable proposal."
His gaze briefly shifted toward Landon.
"He asked me to create a structure…"
A faint pause.
"…that helps the South grow together."
Several nobles blinked faintly.
Together?
A merchant Count almost scoffed internally.
Idealistic nonsense?
But before the thought fully formed—
Kel continued.
"Currently…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"…the Southern Territories are viewed as the wilderness of the Aurelia Empire."
Silence.
Immediate.
Sharp.
Several nobles stiffened subtly.
Others looked away briefly.
Because that statement—
Was true.
Painfully true.
Kel's gaze sharpened faintly now.
"People from the North call the South barbaric lands."
A brief pause.
"Lawless."
"Violent."
"Uncivilized."
The room grew colder.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Because every Southern noble here had experienced it before.
The dismissive looks in the Imperial Capital.
The subtle mockery.
The way Northern aristocrats treated Southern nobles as lesser despite their wealth and military strength.
Duchess Seraphine slowly leaned back within her chair.
And internally—
Her heartbeat shifted faintly.
You clever man…
Because now—
This was no longer merely a business discussion.
Kel had turned it into something emotional.
Pride.
Identity.
Humiliation.
And nobles—
Especially Southern nobles—
Could tolerate greed easier than insult.
Kel continued calmly.
"Even Southern nobles…"
A faint pause.
"…are treated differently in the Imperial Capital."
One older Count unconsciously clenched his jaw slightly.
Memories resurfacing.
Kel's voice remained composed.
"Our territories are rich."
"Fertile."
"Powerful."
"Strategically vital."
Then—
His eyes darkened faintly.
"And yet…"
A slight pause.
"…the Empire still views the South as barbarians."
The word echoed heavily through the chamber.
Barbarians.
Sairen softly laughed through the soul-link.
"…You're provoking their pride now."
Kel answered internally.
"People protect what they emotionally invest in."
Meanwhile—
Within the room—
The nobles had fallen completely silent now.
Even the earlier irritated merchant Count no longer interrupted.
Because whether they admitted it or not—
Kel's words struck deeply.
Duke Altair slowly crossed his arms.
And inwardly—
He acknowledged it reluctantly.
This man understands pressure frighteningly well.
Not through threats.
Not through force.
Through emotion.
Kel continued speaking calmly.
"My lord wishes to reshape that image."
His gaze shifted toward Landon again briefly.
"He wants the South to become a territory respected throughout the Aurelia Empire."
Several nobles slowly looked toward Landon differently now.
Not merely ambitious.
Visionary.
And before skepticism could fully form—
Kel pressed further.
"That is why this structure exists."
His fingers lightly touched one of the contracts resting upon the table.
"If multiple Southern factions grow together…"
A slight pause.
"…then trade expands."
"Security improves."
"Mercenary activity stabilizes."
"Regional economies strengthen."
The room listened carefully now.
Even the merchant nobles.
"More trade routes create safer roads."
"Safer roads create migration."
"Migration creates labor."
"Labor creates cities."
Kel's voice remained calm.
Steady.
Like someone explaining natural law rather than persuasion.
"And eventually…"
A faint pause followed.
"…the South stops being viewed as wilderness."
Silence settled once more.
Heavy.
Thoughtful.
Because the terrifying part—
Was that the logic actually made sense.
Count Veridan slowly adjusted his glasses again.
And inwardly—
A chill ran through him.
He connected economics to identity.
That was dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
Because now—
Rejecting the proposal emotionally resembled rejecting Southern growth itself.
Duchess Seraphine quietly smiled inwardly again.
You manipulative beautiful monster.
Her chest tightened faintly.
Not from fear.
From fascination.
Then—
Kel delivered the final strike.
"Additionally…"
His gaze slowly swept across the room.
"…House Veil intends to allocate thirty percent of its own monthly profits…"
A brief pause.
"…toward rebuilding the South."
The chamber froze.
Completely.
Several nobles looked up instantly.
Others visibly stiffened.
Even Duke Altair's expression shifted slightly.
Road restoration.
Defense expansion.
Trade route reinforcement.
Infrastructure development.
Monster suppression.
Thirty percent.
That was not a symbolic number.
That was enormous.
Kel calmly continued.
"If the South wishes to change its image…"
A faint pause.
"…then someone must begin investing in that future first."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
And somewhere deep within that silence—
The room changed.
Not completely.
Not instantly.
But enough.
Because suddenly—
The proposal no longer looked merely greedy.
Now—
It looked ambitious.
Visionary.
Dangerously visionary.
Some nobles still distrusted him.
Some still felt manipulated.
Some still hated the royalty percentages.
But now—
They could no longer dismiss the proposal as selfish.
And that made it infinitely harder to reject.
Sairen's voice echoed softly.
"…You turned greed into pride."
Kel's gaze remained calm beneath lanternlight.
"No."
A brief pause followed.
"I gave them something larger than profit to justify their greed."**