Re: Zero - Dawn Eater

"Man..." Hedin muttered under his breath, yet, hearing him sigh made everyone in the room sweat at the back. Only a few were exceptions.

Reinhard stood tall, his sapphire eyes looking right at Hedin with a furrowed brow.

Julius was on edge. All his muscles had become taut, ready to act. His instincts screamed at him to defend himself, yet, not seeing the danger himself, he could not move.

But by far the most surprising part for him was the reaction of his spirits.

His Spirits had become extremely favourable to Hedin the moment they took note of his presence, which made him have a favourable impression on Julius himself.

Now?

His Spirits constantly warned him.

Do not approach.

Danger.

Hedin supported his hat with one hand and looked right at Emilia.

Red eyes staring into amethyst.

Emilia blinked, and a heat began to bloom in her chest. Her eyes widened in realization. She knew what this was.

Hedin was bringing out her glory.

A few heartbeats passed in silence - and it was only now that Emilia realized that Hedin did not intend to speak for her.

'Say it aloud' his gaze seemed to say.

'This is your battle. You must face it.'

Emilia did not know how those words appeared in her mind. Perhaps glory had a way to connect with others in more ways than one, but she was more than thankful for it.

Her gaze sharpened as she continued to meet his gaze, feeling a phantom strength surge through her core.

'I shall give you a push.' A final thought appeared in her mind and Hedin moved.

His predatory eyes swept over the crowds, the nobles visibly flinching under them. The colours in the hall seemed get more saturated and the shadows lengthened beyond normally possible.

"You people have some nerve." He began. "You say Lady Emilia is a half-devil. Yet isn't it one of the core principles of the selection - given by the dragon tablet itself - that the candidate is not to be discriminated against by their race? The only defeat is defeat in the selection. Her legitimacy as a dragon priestess cannot be doubted."

He turned his head to the head of the council, towards Miklotov.

"To even question such a thing is to be so utterly against the very core of what had once made your nation great, the dragon itself, that it is nothing short of treason. Wouldn't you agree? Wise Man Miklotov?"

"Just Sir Miklotov is fine." Miklotov interrupted his words, his fist clenched to the limit. A thick line of sweat could be seen at his forehead.

Hedin nodded and began to pace around the hall, behind the other candidates and back again.

"And treason against the kingdom... Hm... What was the punishment for such an offense, I wonder? I remember to have read it but the answer seems to elude me. Care to offer some enlightenment? Sir Marcos?" Hedin smiled lightly.

Marcos' jaw tightened further. He did not answer.

He knew the answer. Almost everyone in the room knew of the answer.

The answer was death.

Of course, most of the laws were held for the common people and those in high standing. Rarely, if ever, was the rule applicable to nobles simply because they held that sort of influence.

But in front of the wise council? in front of every single royal candidate present? In such a large gathering? With the top powers of the kingdom all in one place?

"To condemn an entire species, all for the action of one is the greatest form of idiocy I will ever see. Nothing can top it. Don't many humans rape and pillage and murder? Does that mean every human is a rapist? A murderer?" Hedin walked to the front and looked up again at Miklotov.

"My words will either attract a strong mind, Sir Miklotov, or offend a weak one.

"But I must still say, I stand here today to support someone. The person I think has what it takes to be a ruler of this kingdom. And if you all are too blind to see beyond the notions you have kept grounded in your heart; then this nation was doomed to fall, as it is ruled by idiots and governed by fools.

"And whatever you think of my Lady, whatever thoughts you have in your heart; I request you. Keep it to yourself."

Silence.

A dim silence hung in the room.

And then, a chuckle.

"Puff!" Priscilla choked a laugh behind her fan and smirked at Hedin. "Those are bold words. I hope you have what it takes to back them up."

Hedin didn't speak.

Just then, Emilia stepped forward once again; her gaze cold and detached. Her chin was raised high and her shoulders were squared.

"Wise men of the council and everyone else who have gathered here!" She began.

"My name is Emilia. Just Emilia. I am a half-elf from the Elior Forest and a contractor of the Great Spirit of End!"

A wave of gasps travelled through the air as a blue light flashed above Emilia's head.

And from the light emerged a fluffy cat, holding out it's paw in the air.

"Tada! My name is Puck! The great spirit of End!" He smiled. "And just so you know, I'll protect my daughter from anything!"

Hedin felt a wave of fear and reverence travel through the crowd. Particularly prominent from the knight's section.

"I know that you all associate me with the jealous witch!" Emilia's voice cut through the tension like a knife through butter. Her amethyst eyes gleamed. "But here I am! As a dragon priestess and a royal candidate! I have this selfish desire to make a nation where everyone is treated equal, regardless of their race, occupation and standing! And so, I will keep moving forward! I will run through the selection for this dream I have!"

"Yeah! You tell 'em sis!" Felt exclaimed from behind her.

Closing her eyes, Emilia sighed and returned back to the line, Hedin trailing behind her.

After a few seconds, Marcos cleared his throat and continued on with the ceremony.

...

Dangerous. That was Anastasia's final judgement of Hedin.

She threw a momentary glance at his figure before retracting her gaze, cautious to be caught. She knew how shaky Emilia's position was in the selection.

If not for Roswaal Mathers, the court magician supporting her claim to the throne, she was no different than air. And even with the support, she was hardly a threat.

From the start, Anastasia had her priorities. If possible, ally with Crusch - otherwise, dominate her using economic strength. She was the largest threat after all.

Priscilla? She wouldn't interract much with her, only enough to gather necessary information.

As for the half-Elf? Everyone knew she would lose. And so, she was prepared to be openly hostile.

Now?

Anastasia's eyes narrowed slightly as she thought of the implications of the display Hedin had put up today.

That man... he's clever. Very clever. Undoubtedly, Hedin had turned to previously disadvantageous position into a neutral one.

Not only had he related Emilia's identity to the dragon priestess and the dragon tablet, solidifying her position and effectively undermining her identity as a half-Elf; he had also shut down any rebuttals by framing anyone who dared go against that decision as traitors to the kingdom.

It was a sound argument too.

Lugunica was the dragon kingdom after all.

And it was the order of the dragon tablet to commence the royal selection with the candidates that had been chosen.

As such, denying that claim, a claim of the dragon tablet, was no different than denying direct orders from the dragon itself.

Even when he insults the nobility, he uses clever framing... Anastasia thought back to his words. 'My words will either attract a strong mind or offend a weak one.'

No one wanted to be taken as a fool. As such, if they refused his arguments, they would be admitting to be the fools he talked of.

Even the reveal of the great spirit of end was used at the perfect time. To breed fear and reverence, further solidifying Emilia's stance in the selection. In just a few minutes, Emilia camp's situation had risen from a losing battle to a competitive one.

I might need to reconsider my stance.. and that of the Emilia camp. Anastasia smiled.

A single man had derailed the entire power dynamic in a single gathering. How laughable.

A master of politics and public speaking... and not to mention his strength. She shivered as she thought back to that sensation she had felt.

Like a prey being stalked by a predator.

In between her musings, the conference came to an end.

As they were all making their way outside the hall, she saw Julius move towards the man and talk for a few seconds.

Julius moved back to her with a furrowed brow.

"Hear something interesting?" Anastasia asked with a cheerful voice and a tug of her lips.

Julius shook his head.

"No, my Lady. I was merely confronting that man about the words he said before."

"Confronting? In what way? A duel, perhaps?"

"It was supposed to be an option. With how he was, I didn't doubt that he would be targeted by the nobles or even the knights. As such, I wanted to duel him to settle everything in one go."

"And how did it go?"

Julius hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"My spirits." He said. "They dispelled all notions of a fight the moment I got too close. They..." He paused.

"I've never heard anything like it before." He huffed.

"What is it, Julius?"

"My Lady, they... the spirits began to sing..." Julius managed to say.

"Sing?" Anastasia couldn't help but sound incredulous. Unconsciously, she stroked her scarf. "Do they do that?"

"As I said, it was the first time I had ever seen it. And it wasn't just mine. The ambient spirits in the area too began to sing, joining in like a large choir." Julius shook his head.

"Then it seems we have a new problem at hand. Let's go, Julius. We have many things to take care of and many things to think about. Time is money after all."

And so, she walked off with Julius staying close behind.

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In almost every Re Zero fanfic, there's always some sort of thrashing happening here.

I think that stems from a desire to kick Julius' ass which I completely understand. But sometimes, political situations aren't so simple as offering a spar. Sometimes, a clever mix of words can draw the attention elsewhere and lead to a different outcome.

Just like here.

Hedin's no political genius, but he understands attention and public speaking very well.

Anyway, hope you're enjoying till now.

Leave your thoughts in the comments and take the time to throw some stones.

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A/N: Enjoying yourself so far?

Read ahead on my patreon! : patreon . c o m/Yesnth Just remove the spaces from between.

Cheers~