Chapter 443 - The Enemy?

Razeal's gaze moved slowly across the Iron Council, not hurried, not reactive, but deliberate, as if he were studying each of them in turn, measuring something far deeper than their words or postures. Every one of them had risen. Every one of them stood ready hands drifting toward weapons, shoulders tightening, eyes sharpened with the kind of resolve that did not hesitate when it came to death. It was all there, laid bare in front of him. The readiness to fight. The readiness to die. The readiness to drag him down with them if needed. And yet, he did not move. He did not reach for anything. He simply watched. Calmly. Almost… detached. Then, very slightly, he leaned back into his chair, the motion casual, unbothered, as if the entire shift in the room meant very little to him.