"Why did I even accept this position?" Fuze muttered, shaking his head after he finished speaking.
His honesty was brutal, but it rang true. Did they really believe there was no path to victory against us? Perhaps they were right. I alone carried enough power to match an entire army. My existence as Atem was enough to tilt nations into fear and calculation. They feared me the way men fear the night: not because of what they see, but because of what they cannot hope to resist.
To oppose me was suicide. To align with me was survival. Their choice was logical.
Fuze pressed on, his eyes narrowing. "The leaders were in uproar when I only informed them that Atem-dono had ascended as a sovereign. If they were to learn of the 'Eternal Pharaoh's' revival… I needn't even ask what they'd say. I already know their cries, their panic, their desperation."
Duke Erald frowned. "So you gamble everything by revealing this information? To expose all your secrets as if they were worthless?"
Fuze met his stare without flinching. "Yes. Hiding cards we cannot play is meaningless. Laying them down earns Atem-dono's trust. It is a wager, perhaps reckless, but survival demands it. Even if the plan fails and Blumund is annihilated, it is still the only path open to us."
His words struck the chamber like a hammer. The others shifted uneasily, but I remained silent, studying him. They feared me too much, I thought. But then again, perhaps their fear was justified. I had already obliterated fifteen thousand elite soldiers without effort. Against such power, what recourse did a fragile kingdom possess? None. And so, they chose this audacious gamble.
Bold, reckless — and strangely effective. Against someone like me, Atem, the wager worked.
Fuze's voice grew heavier, almost solemn. "At the same time, we are preparing to negotiate with the Holy Church. Our leaders have accepted that defending our nation by our own strength is impossible. We will issue a statement recognizing the monster nation 'Eterna' as an official sovereign state."
Gasps escaped from several throats in the room. Erald's jaw clenched. "You dare… The Holy Church will brand you heretics!"
"Yes," Fuze said simply. "It will be difficult for them to accept, their doctrines do not permit such acknowledgment. But they cannot argue our survival. We will emphasize the truth: a small country has no power to vanquish a sovereign like Atem-dono. We have not formed diplomatic ties with Eterna, only recognition. The Church has no right to condemn us for choosing life over extinction."
He let the words hang before continuing, colder now. "If the Church takes up arms to destroy Atem-dono, our nation will not move. We will aid neither side. Call us cowards, if you will. But we will wait, watch, and bend to the victor. That is the leaders' resolution."
Silence thickened the air. Even Gazel, who seldom revealed emotion, watched Fuze with a sharp glimmer in his eye.
Fuze folded his hands, bowing his head slightly. "I ask you not to despise us for it. It is the choice of a small nation staring into the abyss. Survival has its own laws."
My gaze swept across them all, and the chamber seemed to shrink beneath it. Atem was not Rimuru, no smiling negotiator. My silence was iron, and my presence was judgment. When I finally spoke, my tone carried the weight of inevitability.
"Survival bought with cowardice is still survival. You chose clarity over delusion. I respect that. But know this — when you invoke my name, when you align with Eterna, you are binding your fate to me. There will be no turning back."
The room fell deathly still. Fuze did not falter, though his fists tightened. "We understand, Atem-dono."
And in that moment, their gamble was sealed. Their nation's survival, their leaders' future, their very existence — all of it tied to me, Atem, Sovereign of Eternity.
"I don't understand why I even accepted this job," Fuze muttered after he finished speaking.
He was blunt — too blunt — but he wasn't wrong. Could any of them really beat us? Facing Atem was not like facing a general; he was a force of history and law. One man whose will could flatten an army and bind the fates of whole legions. Small countries don't stand a chance. They know that. So they chose a different path: not opposition, but survival by leaning into power.
Fuze looked up, trying to steady himself. "They were in an uproar when I told them Atem-dono ascended. If they find out about the 'Eternal Pharaoh's' revival… I can already guess their reaction. Panic, begging, collapse."
Duke Erald's face twisted. "So you lay everything open? You hand over secrets like that?"
Fuze nodded. "Yes. Hiding your best cards when they can't be played is pointless. Giving them everything is how you buy trust. It's a risk — a terrible one — but if you're going to survive, you must be bold. Even if Blumund burns, this was the only real option."
The dwarven king, Gazel, who'd been watching with the same flat inscrutable expression as always, finally spoke. "We plan a bolder step. Dwargon will formally open relations with Eterna."
The chamber exploded. Men and women called out, chairs scraped, voices rose to a fevered pitch. Recognition from the Armed Nation of Dwargon would be more than a gesture — it would change the map.
"Are you serious?" someone breathed.
Fuze's mouth hung open. He had assumed the dwarves would stay neutral. So did I—at least until that line left Gazel's lips.
Gazel didn't smile. "The Falmus Kingdom bought our goods and skimmed profit. They taxed the trade and brought nothing but inflated prices. Eterna already has a road ready for us. Where travel by foot took weeks, carriage cuts it to days. A trade route is finished. It's valuable. Militarily, their might is comparable to the Eastern Empire. Monster losses are gone because Eterna's power sweeps them aside. Most importantly," his voice dropped, cold and final, "I trust Atem. That is my judgment as king."
Those words landed harder on the room than Fuze's earlier revelations. A hush fell; only the soft ripping of paper and the faint chuckle of Veldora turning a page broke it. Veldora — unrepentant old dragon — was lost in his manga. Typical. I made a note to throttle him later if he tried to be clever.
Fuze tried to find his footing. "Th-that's a radical move, Your Majesty."
Gazel's eyes were like chips of iron. "There is no point in clandestine games. Make your choice and move."
Duke Erald leaned forward, his calculating grin returning. "If we build the highway between us and Eterna, we open trade with Sarion as well. That road links to Dwargon. Magic engineering and spirit engineering would connect through Eterna — a direct route for goods and ideas. If true, that makes the road worth more than gold."
Fuze's face flushed scarlet. "That's underhanded! You let me show all my cards and then—"
"Because we do not waste time waiting to pick a side," Gazel said. "Decisiveness is diplomacy."
"Both of you are major powers," Fuze said, voice high with frustration. "I'm only a guild officer—"
"Then persuade your leaders," the duke said dryly. "If you can."
Fuze slammed his fist down, half in anger, half in despair. "Fine! I'll talk to them. Why me? Why me of all people?"
In short: Blumund would recognise Eterna as a nation and open relations. They could not make the first move publicly, so Dwargon would take the lead. The room moved into detailed logistics: trade tariffs, wording of the proclamation, contingencies for the Church and other states. Things were racing along far faster than any of us had planned.
Just as the meeting was winding down, with follow-up work delegated and later briefings scheduled, the door burst open.
Baaang!
A small figure stormed in, eyes blazing like coals. She was tiny, but what she lacked in size she made up for with presence. The air seemed to tighten around her.
"I heard what you said!" she cried. "This nation called Eterna will be destroyed!!!"
She landed a second later in the center of the hall, glaring like a lightning strike. It was Ramiris of the Labyrinth — one of the Ten Great Demon Lords. Her voice was a child's sing-song and an executioner's bell at once. The entire assembly froze.
Fuze swallowed. The duke cursed under his breath. Gazel's eyebrow twitched — the only sign that the dwarven king felt anything at all.
Ramiris stamped a foot. "You think recognition is a joke? You think trade routes and deals matter? Eterna must be crushed. I will not let a nation of monsters be allowed to stand!"
Her words were a spark thrown into dry tinder. The room's tension snapped taut, and every eye snapped to me.
I rose slowly. My voice — when I spoke — was measured and absolute. "If you wish war, be clear. But know this: aligning against Eterna is aligning against me. There will be consequences beyond what any of you can imagine."
Ramiris only laughed — an unnerving sound with no humor. "Then let them come."
The hall held its breath. Outside, the world shifted. Inside, men and women realized that choices made in a single room could set whole nations aflame.