Naomi crossed her arms. "Fear also makes people do stupid things. Like accusing a god of crimes he did not commit."
The clone slouched on the sofa. It reached into its bag of potato chips. It pulled out two chips at once. It popped them both into its mouth. It chewed them slowly.
"This guy is definitely the next major villain," the clone analyzed lazily. It pointed its chips at the TV. "He has the dark armor. He has the angry scars. He yells a lot. He is completely projecting his own insecurities onto the cool masked character. It is very standard character development. I bet he has a secret dungeon full of bad guys somewhere."
Laxmi laughed loudly. "You are enjoying this way too much."
"Of course I am," the clone replied. It crunched on a chip. "Old men yelling at each other in a fancy room. That is literally a filler episode in every single anime ever made."
Zinia grinned. "He is going to give the entire living room a permanent headache."
Suddenly, a completely different voice echoed across the television speakers.
It was a very relaxed, highly amused voice. A man sitting on the left side of the table let out a loud, genuine laugh.
The Sultan of Albino leaned back in his plush chair. He wore loose, comfortable white silk clothes. He did not look angry. He did not wear armor. He held a small, silver bowl filled with fresh green grapes. He popped a grape into his mouth. He chewed it happily.
Naomi smiled. "The Sultan of Albino. He is my favorite foreign leader."
Laxmi nodded vigorously. "He brought grapes to a political meeting. That is the most powerful move I have ever seen."
The clone sat up slightly. Its dark eyes lit up with pure joy. "Yes! I absolutely love this guy! He brought his own snacks to a political meeting! He understands the true priority of eating! He is my absolute favorite foreign leader. I want to shake his hand."
On the screen, the Sultan of Albino looked at the King of Zulfara. He smiled a very mocking, completely relaxed smile.
"You are being utterly ridiculous, Zulfara," the Sultan stated smoothly. He tossed another grape into the air and caught it in his mouth.
The King of Zulfara turned his head sharply. He glared at the Sultan. "What did you just say to me?"
The Sultan of Albino swallowed his grape. He rested his elbow on the wooden table. He looked at the angry king with complete pity.
"I said you are being ridiculous. You and Zenith are standing here complaining about Lancelot. You say he crosses borders. You say he ignores the laws. You call him a rogue monster."
The Sultan leaned forward. His relaxed smile vanished. His eyes turned sharp and incredibly observant.
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"But let us look at the undeniable facts. When the Black Magicians were gathering their forces. When they were building dark altars in the forests. When they were plotting to overthrow entire nations. What did you do, Zulfara? What did you do, Zenith?"
The two angry kings went totally silent.
"You did absolutely nothing. You hid behind your tall stone walls. You locked your gates. You pretended the problem did not exist. You were too cowardly to send your own armies to fight the dark mages."
Sayma smiled a polite, highly satisfied smile. "The Sultan of Albino presents a flawless, undeniable logical argument. He completely exposed their hypocrisy."
Zinia laughed her deep, booming laugh. "I like this guy. He knows how to completely shut down a bully. He just uses words instead of rocks."
On the screen, the Sultan popped another grape into his mouth. "Lancelot was the only one who actually fought them. He hunted the mages down. He destroyed their bases. He did the dirty work that you were entirely too scared to do. And now, you want to cast blame on him? You want to point your fingers at the only entity who actively protected this continent? It is completely pathetic."
The King of Zulfara turned a bright, explosive shade of crimson. His face twisted with intense, uncontrollable rage. He slammed both of his armored fists violently onto the round wooden table.
CRACK.
The impact was so forceful that a long, jagged crack appeared in the polished wood. The teacups on the table rattled loudly.
"Do not dare call me a coward!" the King of Zulfara roared. He completely abandoned all diplomatic manners. "I see exactly what is happening here! The Belmontia Empire and Lancelot are exactly the same thing! You are secretly working together in the absolute darkness! You use his rogue status as a convenient excuse!"
Princess Iris gripped her silver rapier tightly. She glared at the crazy king.
"You are using Lancelot to terrorize the entire world!" the King of Zulfara accused wildly. "You send him across our borders to dismantle our defenses! You allow him to destroy our secret facilities! You are trying to conquer this continent through absolute fear! You want us all to bow to the Belmontia throne!"
Naomi leaned forward on the sofa. Her green eyes narrowed at the television screen. "The King of Zulfara is completely unhinged. He is accusing Lancelot of being a secret weapon."
Laxmi crunched on her popcorn. "I wish Lancelot would just show up already. I want to see this guy's face when the shadow god appears."
The clone nodded slowly from the sofa. "Patience, Laxmi. The best entrances require perfect timing. He is probably waiting for the exact right moment."
Naomi glanced at the clone. "You sound like you know a lot about dramatic timing, Ken."
"I watch a lot of anime," the clone replied lazily. "I am basically an expert."
On the screen, the King of Zulfara continued his wild rant. "You are using Lancelot to terrorize the entire world! You send him across our borders to dismantle our defenses! You are trying to conquer this continent through absolute fear!"
The room plunged into complete, suffocating silence. The other diplomats stared at the Emperor.
The Emperor of Belmontia sat perfectly still on his golden throne. He did not laugh. He did not smile. He did not yell back.
Instead, the Emperor slowly narrowed his cold, piercing eyes.
Sayma clicked her pen. "The Emperor is analyzing the accusation. He knows the King of Zulfara is partly correct. Lancelot does operate beyond the Empire's control. But admitting that would destabilize the entire summit."
Ira nodded. "The Emperor must balance absolute truth with political perception. A very delicate equation."
The Emperor narrowed his eyes even further. The silence in the grand marble room became incredibly strict and unyielding. The summit had reached its most critical breaking point.
---
The living room of the 13th Unit estate was completely silent. Everyone stared at the television screen.
Naomi sat on the edge of the sofa. Her teacup sat forgotten in her hands. "Something is about to happen. I can feel it."
Laxmi leaned forward. Her golden eyes burned with excitement. "He is coming. I know he is coming."
On the screen, the King of Zulfara glared at the Emperor. "You cannot deny it! Lancelot answers to you! You use him to destroy our defenses! You are a tyrant!"
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