[The Next Day]

The hallway of the Royal Council looked exquisite as always.

Its polished floors, extravagant designs, and pristine scenery never dulled for the two months that Rey spent in his coma.

There seemed to be quite a few changes to the design of the place, and that was because the battle with Dagon had destroyed a portion of the main building. Still, rather than being a cause for degradation, the redesign worked in favor of the overall aesthetics of the palace.

As Rey and his friends strolled into the inner sanctum, he recognized that there were a lot more security officers than usual, and once he asked, his questions were answered very swiftly.

"Some influential figures are going to be present in today's meeting, so this is a culmination of their guards and ours." The one who did the honors of replying to him was Lucielle, and she did it ever so eagerly.

He smiled and thanked her, hoping she wouldn't use the opportunity to try what she did the previous day.

Thankfully, she did not.

"You're welcome. Once we get inside, I'll take my place beside the Councilors. Brutus is already waiting inside, since I offered to get you all myself."

Right now, Lucielle was leading the charge of Rey, Belle, Clark, and Justin. Ater said he was busy with other businesses, so he excused himself.

As such, the Grand Mage was the only adult in the group--at least, by Earth's standards.

"How kind of you..." Rey mumbled, his guard raised once again.

'Is she trying to get closer to me again? She must really want us to have that conversation, huh?'

"It's no problem. If it wasn't me, it would have been Brutus. I just don't like staying in that stifling place with those old nobles and so-called important men of the Alliance."

Her gaze trailed from him to the rest of the Otherworlders, and she kept on speaking. "They were once nobles of the Kingdoms before the war, and since they still hold sizable influence and wealth--plus, they make contributions to the cause--they are recognized by the Alliance."

In essence, appropriate respect was accorded to them despite them not being directly in control of the Alliance.

"If they're so important, why can't they be selected as members of the Royal Council. Last I checked, there were three vacant seats." Rey asked, once again diverting her gaze to him.

"Oh that..." She smiled and shrugged. "Most of them aren't interested in the position, since they would rather live in the South, where it's safe. They're fine with the recognition they get from the contributions they make."

"And what of the ones who are interested in the position?"

"They're incompetent buffoons." Lucielle chuckled. "I'm sure one of you could make better leaders than them."

Some nobles had no experience ruling anything. They were born into wealth, and so they simply flaunted their heritage and desired more power. Unknown to them, being a member of the Royal Council often meant sacrificing all the benefits gained for the sake of the Alliance.

It was why the now deceased members engaged in Criminal Activities in order to attain wealth. There was hardly any legitimate means to get rich, since the Alliance itself still required a lot to sustain itself.

"Those fools don't understand that. Well, it doesn't really matter. They won't be getting their hands on the seats anyway."

Lucielle's brash attitude as she referred to the aristocats made Rey a little amazed. He looked at the other three and found similar expressions on their faces.

"Don't you think you're being a bit... I don't know... disrespectful towards the important men of the Alliance?" He asked with a slight smile on his face.

"What are they going to do against the Grand Mage? They need me more than I need them. Plus... they couldn't touch a hair on my body unless I permitted it."

Her response, coupled with the confident way she spoke, made Rey's smile grow broader on his face.

"You can relate, can't you? I saw and heard of how you related to everyone as Ralyks." Her gaze narrowed on Rey, with the crimson glow in it gleaming with suppressed excitement.

"When you're absurdly strong. Stronger than anyone else... there's a lot you can get away with."

Lucielle stopped walking, and so did Rey. The rest also followed suit, but they all looked at the two who kept staring at each other with complicated expressions on their faces.

"Wouldn't you agree, Rey Skylar?"

He narrowed his eye as he heard her call him by his full name. He disliked it when people did that, but somehow her words did not irk him.

He smiled when he realized why, shrugging as he answered her question.

"I agree."

Lucielle wasn't wrong. Being unfathomably strong had a lot of perks. They both recognized that aspect of themselves well.

But

"Why don't you simply get more then? More power, money, or whatever you desire? If you're strong enough, why are you satisfied being the Grand Mage of the Alliance, working for weaker people, when you could be so much better?"

Lucielle was very young compared to practically everyone else in positions of power. It was probably because someone of her caliber couldn't work under those less competent than she was.

'Yet she works under the Royal Council and fights humanity's wars as her duty'

Rey also did the same, even when he was Ralyks, but he did things on his own terms. However, for Lucielle, she followed the orders of the Council and was pretty much subject to the power that be.

"Duty is something I like to associate with power. If I'm this strong, I should at least help people out, right?" She shrugged in response.

"But who is there to enforce that duty on you? If you choose not to perform it, who can really fault you or stop you?"

"Me."

"Hmm?"

"If I'm strong enough to decide to abandon that duty, I'm also strong enough to accept it. In the end, I decide what I want to do."

Rey's smile broadened as he heard this. He could see her lips also curling upward.

"Besides my duties have nothing to do with my desires. There are things I want, but they aren't more money or more authority. I already have enough of that, honestly"

Upon hearing this, Rey felt his interest piqued.

"So what do you want? And why haven't you gotten it?"

"Well, let's just say the things I want aren't in my reach at the moment. As for why I haven't gotten what I want at the moment" A broader smile formed on her face as she stared keenly at Rey.

"... The guy that has it is much stronger than I am."

Lucielle gave him a wink and then continued her march forward. Before Rey could properly assimilate her full intent, she raised her hand and signaled everyone to keep up the pace.

"We don't want to keep those oldies waiting, do we?" She chuckled, laughing out loud as her hair swayed from side to side.

'This woman' Rey found himself chuckling internally, shaking his head as he advanced.

'... She really knows how to drive home the point.'

*

*

*

Thanks for reading!

This conversation is important to the story going forward, I swear.

Source: Trust me bro.