"Milena?" — finally, one of the representatives of the Orleans family recognized her.

Gasps of surprise and whispers swept through the hall.

"It's really her," someone said, peering intently.

There were two young men among the Awakened Ones, who recognized them from the very beginning, as soon as Idan and Milena appeared. They were the leaders of the Wings of Freedom and Red Sails guilds.

The leaders of the two Awakened guilds who were rescued by Idan and Arabel from the territory of Darkness, along with Milena and the other Awakened ones.

The two were incredibly happy to finally see their savior. Nevertheless, they were amazed at how much Milena had changed. The last time they saw her, she was in such a sad state that it was unbearable to see.

Now she looked just great: healthy, full of strength, and more powerful and confident than before. But most importantly, she became a part of the Kingdom. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Looking at how Milena stood on par with their savior, a desire arose in the hearts of the two to join their savior's guild.

Milena, realizing from the very beginning that she would be recognized when she asked to join Idan, tried to remain calm and confident, without showing any emotions.

She couldn't help but notice the desire and lust in the gazes of most men. The man in black with golden eyes, in which vertical pupils could be seen, was looking at her especially intently.

"A dragon?" — She guessed, sharing Arabel's contempt for dragon lust.

Idan carefully examined everyone present, not missing a single one of them, after which he closed his eyes and smiled.

"I've achieved my goal," he thought, and opening his eyes, he met Serafina's gaze.

"Now let's see why they gathered everyone here," he said, and flames burst out of his body, causing a commotion.

Milena, who was standing next to him, didn't even move. She knew that Idan's flame would not harm her, only enveloping her in a pleasant warmth.

But everyone else present, including Serafina and Rezkar, sensed the danger emanating from Idan's flame.

The clouds of flames began to move, and numerous flaming blades began to appear behind Idan's back. One by one, they stabbed into the floor behind him, creating a throne of blades.

A throne of flaming blades.

As soon as the throne was fully formed, Idan sat down on it, relaxed back and, resting his elbow on the armrest, bowed his head, propping it with his hand.

Everyone present was standing, and only one person, like a King, leaned back on the throne he had created for himself.

"So… Are we waiting for someone, or are we going to start anyway?" asked Idan calmly.

Serafina did not succumb to Idan's provocation and remained unperturbed.

"Impressive design, Idan Fein. I hope your throne is as solid as your ambitions. It's just a pity that it doesn't fit into the interior... however, for a man who fancies himself a King and even called his Guild a Kingdom, the rules of decoration are probably not written."

Without waiting for Idan's reply, she swept her gaze over everyone present and fixed her gaze on the group of Awakened Guild Leaders, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Of course, it was clear to everyone why Serafina kept her gaze on them.

After all, none of the ten Heroes of the Federation, the most famous Awakened Ones, were among the assembled Leaders.

"It's not worth looking for and waiting for them," Idan said, once again attracting everyone's attention and taking the initiative, although he did not seek it.

Serafina turned her gaze back to Idan.

"Some of you may already know, but let me officially announce that the Queens Guild, the Flower Gardens Guild, and the Red Fox Guild are now part of the Kingdom." Idan announced the news loudly and solemnly.

He understood that the rumors about the joining of these three Guilds should have spread long ago.

But Idan didn't stop there.

"As for the leaders of the Titan Guild, Rachel and Nathan Rockford, as well as Guild leader Raven Crowey, they, along with my beloved wife and our Guild members, are busy saving and evacuating cities in the path of Anomalies."

"No matter how much they wanted to come, we had a conversation with them and were able to convince them that saving ordinary civilians is more important than the imminent appearance of the Quintessences of the Elements."

Idan deliberately emphasized that Rachel, Nathan, and Crowe were absent not of their own volition, but because of the Kingdom's actions.

Regarding the Hero of Ren, Idan decided not to announce his accession to the Kingdom yet, glancing at the puzzled deputy of the Dojo Guild, who had recently been unable to find and contact the leader of her Guild.

Regarding the two remaining heroes of the Federation, the brothers and the leaders of the Gemini Guild, Idan did not know where they were or why they did not attend this meeting. However, considering that Rachel, Nathan, and Crowey had ended up in Darkia's hands, he assumed that perhaps these two had been captured by her and were now following her orders.

Although Idan spoke softly, his words reached many.

Serafina, seeing the growing excitement in the audience, remained calm, but felt that she was losing control and initiative.

Rezkar, staying on the sidelines, enjoyed watching Idan's attempts to weaken the influence of one of the most powerful Guardians of the Light. At the same time, he couldn't take his eyes off Milena and her beautiful legs, dreaming about how they felt.

Serafina's body shone softly, and her aura slowly began to fill the hall. She did not conflict with the flame of Idan, but seemed to envelop her, trying to restore the space to its former order.

"You're talking about saving cities and those who are waiting for the Quintessence of the elements. Beautiful words for someone who thinks he's a King," she said.

By this time, her aura had already begun to influence the majority of those present, endearing them all to herself.

"It is commendable that you have gathered outstanding heroes under your banners. But don't confuse saving the world with taking it over."

Serafina took a step forward, closing the distance, and her gaze became hard, devoid of any irony.

"Did you come here to assert your rights? We heard you. But remember one important thing: in the upcoming clash, the winner will not be the one who announces his victories the loudest, but the one who will be able to keep all the conquests when the dust settles. Your new allies are responsible, Idan. And I sincerely hope that your "Kingdom" will not collapse from its own pride before we face a real threat."

She was silent for a while, and then she resumed her polite lady's look.

"Now, if you're done, can we get down to business?"