Three elderly individuals sat in a comfortable room within a meeting chamber. They all gazed at the young prince before them, who, at first glance, did not appear particularly remarkable. However, the fact that he had the audacity to meet with them was already something to admire.
Gilgamesh looked at these elderly men seated alongside him and took a moment to assess the situation. The dangerous eyes of these men stared at him intently, their eyebrows conveying both softness and strength. The bodies of these old individuals exuded a natural aura of coldness and a killer's roughness.
In the gleam of these elders' eyes, there was a certain spark of anticipation and others of tranquility. Apparently, none of them had underestimated him, which only increased Gilgamesh's respect for these men.
"I can assume that none of you will leak the information you acquire in this place. Asking such a question could be disrespectful to all of you. Therefore, I want to know one thing: what do you think of the Asura Kingdom?" As he posed this question, Gilgamesh was subtle with his words, leaving several openings to gather more information about these elders' thoughts.
"This is a rare and unexpected question, even if I considered that it wouldn't be like the others, it still surprised me, Prince Gilgamesh." The first to speak was Caspian Black Crow, who continued, "Of course, I admire this kingdom and would be willing to die for it. What's the purpose of this question?"
"I agree with the old crow's question. What's the point of this question?" Alarion Harrington, who was the least sensitive about the matter, thought that Prince Gilgamesh struggled with expressing himself.
However, Jax Ivanov, being an old war veteran, possessed greater experience and observation than the foolish elders in this meeting. He understood the underlying meaning of this question but chose not to interfere for now.
"I want to delve more deeply into what you think of this kingdom and what your greatest disappointments are. How about I start? Most of the nobles in this kingdom should disappear. Not only was the prime minister a swine, but it turns out my father is afraid to wield a sword."
Gilgamesh smiled broadly at these elders and said, "They have tried to take my head on multiple occasions but have never succeeded. So, as punishment, I plan something truly sublime for the future of this kingdom. For that, I need families of great knights who excel in aspects I can relate to. That's why I contacted you."
Old Jax Ivanov widened his eyes but remained silent. His hands trembled slightly upon hearing Gilgamesh's words, and he immediately thought, "Huh? I thought he would directly ask us to join his faction to become king. I never imagined he would present such complex and delicate matters before three elders."
"Do you understand the meaning of the words you're saying? Fourth prince, I understand that you may not know who is attacking you and that you're desperate, but uttering these words does not instill confidence in us to continue discussing this matter." Alarion Harrington furrowed his brow and stood up with a cold expression.
Listening to Gilgamesh's words, they realized that if this information were to become public, they could be executed for high treason. Not even their knightly families could escape the consequences of speaking with someone who still didn't grasp the dangers of politics.
"Hahaha, I agree with those words, Prince Gilgamesh. There are plenty of families that have been consumed by the kingdom's complacency, doing nothing but fornicating and drinking until their kidneys malfunction. Tell me, what do you want from us?" Jax Ivanov laughed, sensing the subtle aura surrounding Gilgamesh, and the dozens of eyes possibly watching from dozens of meters away.
"Old Ivanov! Have you gone completely mad?" Caspian Black Crow erupted, seeing the naivety of the old man beside him.
"I need new knightly families to swear loyalty to me in regions currently under the control of other noble families. Swear by my name that if they ever attack me again, I will shatter all their illusions slowly. That's why I ask, do you want to be the next nobles to serve a respected Emperor?"
At that moment, a golden aura enveloped Gilgamesh, causing the surroundings to feel a temperature that not just anyone could endure. This made the elders, who were battle-hardened experts capable of matching a Sword King, feel small.
"What kind of battle aura is that?" Caspian Black Crow growled with a furrowed brow, still impacted by the words he had heard from this young prince.
Jax Ivanov ignored that and instead asked a more pointed question, "Prince Gilgamesh, when you say you want to be an emperor, are you saying that you'll rule over the entire central continent?"
"What?" Alarion Harrington withstood Gilgamesh's aura and said, "No one has ever considered that. Even the current king, who fought tooth and nail to rule just under half of the central continent, and that's still debatable due to the spaces."
It's known that the Central Continent was formerly part of a larger landmass known as the Great Continent, which also included the Demon Continent.
This gigantic continent, however, split into the current Central and Demon Continents at the end of the Second Great Human-Demon War due to a Mana Calamity caused by an unknown entity.
After the war ended, the Central Continent and the Demon Continent reformed, with the Ringus Sea in between. The western half of the Great Continent was predominantly populated by humans, and naturally, after the division, the Central Continent had a majority human population.
"There's no need to get alarmed. Of course, that was just a passing thought, but it's not ruled out to completely reform this kingdom if I decide to become a future emperor of the entire central continent." Gilgamesh waved his hand dismissively before the alarmed elders before him, though the most excited of them was Jax Ivanov.
Gilgamesh's eyes sparkled with a hint of bitterness as he continued, "You might believe that I speak without grounds, but I'll give you a current account of my faction to substantiate my words. Alastor, please come in!"
"Yes, my lord!" In the blink of an eye, Alastor appeared at Gilgamesh's side, exuding a calm aura but an indescribably terrifying pressure.
Gilgamesh smiled and said, "Give an honest assessment of our current forces."
Alastor bowed slightly and said, "According to this week's calculations, our faction boasts over three hundred Sword Kings, five Sword Emperors, and more than a thousand warriors at the Holy Sword Realm. It's estimated that by the end of this year, our forces will increase by 400%."
"Impossible!" Alarion Harrington exclaimed in a choked voice. This was simply impossible to fathom. A ten-year-old prince could not command such forces, or he would have already become the King if he so desired.
With a faint smile, Alastor asked the elder who spoke, "Are you questioning my lord's word?"
At that moment, a stifling battle aura erupted, causing even the elders who had experienced thousands of battles to feel fear. They were unquestionably facing a very powerful Sword Emperor.
Jax Ivanov looked Gilgamesh in the eyes and said in a cold tone, "If the Fourth Prince can show me the pinnacle of power and make my family as impressive as the people under your command, you have the full support of the Harrington family."
"Have you gone senile with age, old Ivanov?" Caspian Black Crow retorted in an unnatural tone.
"If you promise to improve the state of the kingdom before making any other decisions, I, Alarion Harrington, will be willing to support you," Alarion also yielded, leaving Caspian with no way out.
"You old fools, I'll kill you if we're heading down a dead-end path!" Caspian said as he reluctantly bowed his head to Gilgamesh.
"Very well, then I will prove with actions that my words are genuine. First, accept these swords, each of you, and you will witness a stronger and cleaner Asura Kingdom than the heavens!" Gilgamesh's eyes gleamed as these elders formed a binding oath. It was only natural; everyone was drawn to his confident words and actions, and no one could refuse to accept him as their lord after he had demonstrated a fraction of his power. With this alone, he had managed to assemble a faction more powerful than his siblings, who had the support of the kingdom's major noble families.