Read Novel Full Chapter 507: Voting…?
Chapter 507: Voting…?
The Sovereign Hall remained completely silent.
Several long seconds passed without a single person speaking. The enormous chamber, which had witnessed countless meetings throughout history, seemed even quieter than before. Not even the attendants standing respectfully behind their respective World Regents dared to move. Every eye remained fixed upon the ancient table. Some of the World Regents wore faint amused smiles, clearly interested in seeing how this discussion would unfold.
Others simply remained expressionless, as though they had no personal interest in taking either side and merely wished to hear both arguments before making any judgment. A few quietly rested their chins upon their hands, while others sat with folded arms, their calm eyes moving between Nerrisa and the Frost King.
However, despite their different expressions, one thing was common among almost everyone present. Their attention slowly settled upon the King of the Frost Continent, Hraezar Iceheart. They were waiting. Waiting to hear whether he would answer the Empress or remain silent. After all, it had been he who had first questioned her decision.
Hraezar himself remained completely calm.
Not even the slightest change appeared upon his stern face. His expression remained exactly as it had been before, his posture perfectly straight upon the frozen throne, his arms resting naturally while the ancient ice surrounding his seat quietly shimmered beneath the hall’s light. There was no anger in his eyes. No nervousness. No hesitation. He simply looked toward Nerrisa with the same composed gaze as before. Anyone unfamiliar with him might have mistaken his calmness for arrogance, but the World Regents knew better. This was simply the kind of man Hraezar was. Even while standing before one of the strongest beings alive, he neither rushed his words nor allowed emotions to influence his judgment.
"It’s not that we do not trust your judgment Empress." Hraezar finally spoke, his naturally cold voice spreading calmly across the hall. He neither raised his voice nor lowered it. Every word came out steady and measured. "It is simply that... this time, you have broken the rule."
The hall remained silent as everyone listened.
"The very foundation of the World Council was established when the first stone of this council was laid by Ser Voltan Virelan together with your respected ancestor, Sir Arthur Gwon Valentine. At that time one of very rule was written alongside its creation." Hraezar paused briefly before continuing. "If a new throne were ever to be added to this council... it would require a formal vote. At least fifty percent of the existing World Regents must approve before another seat could be created."
His calm eyes slowly swept across the ancient thrones surrounding the table.
"When this council first came into existence, there were only five thrones. That meant only three votes were required. As centuries passed, new civilizations rose, new continents united, and new seats were gradually added. Today there are fourteen thrones."
He looked back toward Nerrisa.
"And every single one of those additions followed that same tradition."
No one interrupted him.
Several of the older Regents quietly nodded.
Hraezar slowly extended one hand toward the heavily armored man sitting upon the throne representing the Wasteland Continent.
"I still remember... roughly three decades ago... when I personally recommended Commander Lucian for a seat upon this council."
Lucian quietly looked toward him but said nothing.
"At that time, humanity upon the Wasteland Continent had nearly been erased. It was Commander Lucian who united the scattered survivors beneath one banner. He reclaimed cities that had been lost for generations. He pushed back the monsters. He rebuilt civilization where nothing but ruins remained. His achievements, his sacrifices, and his contributions to humanity were beyond question."
A brief silence followed.
"And even after accomplishing all of that..."
Hraezar’s voice remained perfectly calm.
"He still followed the same process as everyone else."
His hand remained directed toward Lucian.
"The council voted."
"Nine of the fourteen World Regents supported him."
A faint smile appeared on one Regent’s face upon remembering those days.
"Even now, that remains one of the highest approval votes any new World Regent has ever received."
The hall remained quiet.
Everyone understood exactly what Hraezar was implying.
He slowly lowered his hand.
"If, this time, we simply allow someone to enter the World Council solely because of your personal decision..." he continued, "...then with all due respect, it would not only diminish Commander Lucian’s achievements..."
He glanced briefly toward the other occupied thrones.
"...It would also diminish every single World Regent who earned their place through that same process."
His voice never changed.
"It would disregard the tradition established by Ser Voltan Virelan."
"And it would disregard the principles laid down by your own respected ancestor, Sir Arthur Gwon Valentine."
Only after finishing did Hraezar finally fall silent. Not once during his explanation had his expression changed. Not once had he spoken disrespectfully.
His words carried no hostility.
Only reason.
Only history.
Only the traditions that had guided the World Council for centuries.
Commander Lucian quietly nodded again.
Several other World Regents followed with small nods of agreement aswell.
Even those who had remained silent earlier couldn’t deny that Hraezar had presented his argument well. He had not attacked Razeal personally. Nor had he insulted the Empress. Instead, he had based every point upon history, law and precedent.
Across the hall, Nerrisa quietly listened without interrupting him even once.
When he finally finished speaking...
She slowly nodded her head.
A faint smile still rested upon her beautiful face.
"Yes."
"You are correct."
Her calm platinum eyes briefly moved toward Commander Lucian.
"I respect Commander Lucian."
"He earned his places."
Her gaze slowly swept across the remaining World Regents.
"I also respect every World Regent seated here."
Another brief pause.
"And naturally..."
She looked toward Hraezar once more.
"I respect my own ancestor... and Ser Voltan Virelan, who together laid the first foundation of this council."
Several Regents quietly watched her.
No one interrupted.
Everyone waited to hear what would come next.
Then...
Nerrisa’s gentle smile remained exactly the same.
"But..."
She softly spoke a single word.
"...That does not mean... I am required to follow every rule that all of you must follow."
Silence.
She looked directly into Hraezar’s eyes.
"The reason is very simple."
Her voice remained calm.
Without arrogance or pride.
As if simply stating what she believed to be a fact.
"Because I am stronger... than the ones who created this council." Her platinum eyes remained completely steady.
"I am stronger than Ser Voltan Virelan."
"I am stronger than my own ancestor."
She paused only for a heartbeat.
"And..."
"...I am stronger than every past World Regent this council has ever known."
Another brief pause followed.
"Combined."
She emphasised that word.
The words settled over the Sovereign Hall like an invisible weight.
No one spoke.
No one argued.
The silence somehow became even deeper than before.
Not because anyone was shocked by her confidence.
Nor because they believed she was boasting.
Quite the opposite.
Everyone sitting inside the Sovereign Hall knew... She wasn’t exaggerating.
She wasn’t threatening anyone.
She wasn’t trying to establish dominance.
She had merely spoken a truth that every World Regent present had accepted long ago.
An uncomfortable truth... But an undeniable one.
For that very reason...
No one immediately replied.
They simply sat there in silence... Listening.
"So yes... I don’t really care about some and many many of these rules," Nerrisa said calmly, the faint smile on her face never changing. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of apology in her voice, only complete certainty.
"I find some of them totally unreasonable and unnecessary. Especially this one.. And as for why..." She paused for a brief moment before continuing, her platinum eyes calmly sweeping across the massive round table.
"Because when I make the decision that someone is going to join the World Table... I don’t think anyone here would truly have any opposition toward that decision. Isn’t that the same thing as already having more than fifty percent of the votes?" She looked at every World Regent one after another, patiently waiting for an answer.
No one spoke.
The hall remained completely silent.
Not a single Regent opened their mouth. Some simply looked back at her with calm faces, some lowered their eyes toward the table, while others quietly watched her with faint smiles filled with amusement. Yet despite their different expressions, every single one of them chose silence.
"Is it not?" Nerrisa asked once more, tilting her head ever so slightly as if genuinely expecting someone to answer this time, almost like she was trying to wake everyone from their silence.
Still...
Nothing.
Not a single voice answered her.
The smile on Nerrisa’s face never faded. If anything, it became just a little deeper, carrying a quiet confidence that didn’t need to be proven. It was obvious to everyone present that she held absolute influence over the entire World Council. It wasn’t because the other World Regents were incapable of disagreeing with her, nor was it because they feared her. Every single person sitting here possessed enough authority to reject any proposal if they truly wished to. They were the rulers standing at the very peak of the world. None of them were weak, and none of them lacked pride. The real reason was much simpler than that.
She was almost always right.
If Nerrisa personally believed someone deserved to sit upon one of the thrones, then that alone already carried more weight than countless investigations, recommendations, or months of discussions. If she stood behind someone’s nomination, the vote itself would almost certainly reach ninety-nine percent approval without much resistance. That was simply the reality everyone had accepted long ago. Rejecting someone she personally supported accomplished absolutely nothing except wasting everyone’s time. They all understood that if she had already reached this conclusion, then she had undoubtedly investigated every possible detail long before walking into this hall. There was simply no reason to drag the meeting on any longer.
More importantly... convincing Nerrisa herself to support someone was far more difficult than convincing over seventy percent of all the World Regents combined. Everyone here knew that fact. Winning the approval of this Arrogant Empress wasn’t something that could be achieved through status, wealth, influence, or empty words. She judged people by standards only she fully understood, and those standards were terrifyingly high. If someone had somehow managed to gain her support even if just a little, then they almost certainly possessed enough qualifications to pass every vote this council could ever hold. Going through the formal voting process afterward was nothing more than procedure... a formality everyone politely acted out because the rules demanded it.
Naturally...
That only made everyone inside the hall even more curious.
Their thoughts quietly drifted toward the same young man.
Just what exactly had that boy done?
What kind of impossible achievement had Razeal accomplished to make Nerrisa personally ignore the council’s traditions and openly push his nomination herself?
Bringing her the stars... or gifted her one of the moons themselves or something? Of course, none of them truly believed such ridiculous thoughts, but it only showed just how unbelievable this entire situation felt.
Whatever Razeal had done... it had to be something extraordinary. Something so impressive that even the Empress, a woman who almost never involved herself this directly, was willing to stand behind him without hesitation.
As for the way she had casually announced that she didn’t care about certain rules... not a single Regent truly minded. Most of them had known Nerrisa for long time. This was simply... her.
Some sighed helplessly inside while shaking their heads ever so slightly. Others hid amused smiles behind their hands. A few, especially those with stronger pride or stricter personalities, naturally felt a little dissatisfied hearing someone openly disregard the council’s own regulations. Yet even they understood there was absolutely no point arguing about it.
Complaining about Nerrisa behaving like Nerrisa was about as pointless as asking why the sun was hot or why the ocean contained water. It wasn’t arrogance. It wasn’t rebellion. It was simply her nature, something that had remained unchanged for always. Trying to change that now was as impossible as changing the laws of the world itself.
"Alright then..." Nerrisa finally said with a soft chuckle, her amused smile becoming slightly brighter.
"Since all of you seem so eager to follow the proper voting procedure..." There was the faintest trace of teasing in her voice. "...then I’ll gladly fulfill everyone’s desire as well." She slowly rested one elbow upon her chair before looking around the entire table once more.
"Let’s vote. Please place one hand upon the table if you accept my proposal of granting this kid a new throne within this council."
Razeal silently watched everything unfold from where he stood.
The moment her words ended...
Without anyone saying a single thing...
One hand slowly came down onto the enormous table.
Then another.
Then another.
One after another.
Every World Regent calmly placed a single hand upon the polished surface without hesitation. No speeches were given. No debates followed. No one bothered explaining their reasons. Whether they personally knew Razeal or not... whether they had faith in him or still carried doubts... whether they liked this decision or simply remained neutral... none of it mattered anymore. At this very moment, every one of them accepted the proposal.
Not because of Razeal.
But because of Nerrisa.
Because they trusted her judgment more than they trusted their own limited understanding of someone they had never even met.
Within barely two seconds...
Ten hands were already resting upon the table.
The vote had already surpassed the required majority by an overwhelming margin. Razeal’s position was, for all practical purposes, already secured.
Yet...
There wasn’t complete agreement.
One seat remained still.
One hand had yet to touch the table.
The entire hall naturally noticed it.
And although the outcome had already been decided beyond any doubt, Nerrisa’s calm platinum eyes slowly shifted toward the only World Regent who had not cast their vote. Her smile remained exactly the same, neither offended nor surprised. She simply looked at that lone figure with quiet curiosity, patiently waiting to hear what reason could possibly remain.
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