Shōkyū left the bedroom where Garfield was still fast asleep and stepped outside.
Rin and Izuna were already awake, stretching and preparing for their morning exercises before breakfast.
"Don't disturb that smelly cat." Shōkyū said lazily. "He's busy."
She paused, then added casually, "If the King of Wakanda comes, you can let them in."
Although Rin had no idea what Shōkyū meant by busy, she nodded obediently anyway.
"Understood."
Izuna glanced at Shōkyū twice, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Alright."
Not long after Shōkyū departed…
The Wakandan royal council hall was filled with tension.
After receiving the ancestral messages the night before, the chiefs of every Wakandan tribe arrived one after another.
They came in haste, took their seats without exchanging pleasantries, and all wore the same stunned expressions.
The old Black Panther sat upon the throne, surveying the assembled leaders.
"Everyone gathered here already knows why." He said gravely. "How, then, do we properly carry out the will of the Panther Goddess?"
Nobody rushed to answer. Everyone present understood just how delicate the situation was.
"Your Majesty." One chief finally spoke, "If this were an ordinary individual, we could dispatch emissaries without hesitation."
"But the other party is not only foreign to Wakanda, but he is the king of another realm."
"And more than that." Another added, "He is the apprentice of the Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj."
"This makes the matter… extremely difficult."
"Perhaps we could offer heart-shaped grass, as an equivalent exchange?"
"That is not something heart-shaped grass alone can decide."
"Then vibranium?"
"I have already promised him a full set of vibranium weapons." The old Black Panther said helplessly, rubbing his temples.
His weariness stirred sympathy rather than blame.
No one faulted him. Garfield's status alone, as the Sorcerer Supreme's disciple, was enough to justify an entire body of vibranium equipment.
Not to mention… that goddess.
The hall once again fell into deadlock.
Suddenly, the Wakandan High Priest spoke. "I believe sitting here achieves nothing. Why don't we go and ask him directly?"
"Good idea."
"The High Priest speaks wisely."
"Then let it be so."
"Who should go?"
After a brief but intense discussion, the decision was unanimous.
This matter concerned the fate of Wakanda itself.
They would all go.
Thus, the old Black Panther, the High Priest, and the chiefs of every tribe set out together for the guest quarters to meet Garfield.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Knock. Knock.
Rin opened the door.
Her gaze landed on the old Black Panther, the High Priest, and a line of tribal leaders behind them, each wearing an expression that could only be described as existentially shaken.
"Your Majesty," Rin greeted politely. "May I ask what brings you here?"
"Greetings, young lady." The old Black Panther said kindly. "We are here to seek an audience with His Majesty, King Garfield I."
Rin hesitated. She was about to say please wait a moment… then she remembered Shōkyū's instructions.
This was Wakanda, after all.
Stepping aside, Rin left the door open and gestured inward.
"Master Garfield is still asleep. His Majesty the Panther King may enter and speak with him directly."
"…Asleep?" The old Black Panther glanced at the time.
It was nearly ten in the morning.
Still… sleeping?
Concerned about the urgency of their situation, the king exchanged looks with the High Priest and the tribal leaders.
After a brief nod of agreement, they decided it was best to clarify matters immediately.
"Excuse us." the old Black Panther said to Rin.
One by one, they filed inside.
The old Black Panther approached the bedroom door, reached out, and gently pushed it open.
He took one look inside.
"…"
"Y-Your Majesty…?"
The High Priest frowned. "What is it, Your Majesty?"
He leaned forward to look.
"…!"
The tribal leaders craned their necks.
"…"
BANG
The old Black Panther took two steps back and slammed the door shut with terrifying speed.
Then, from inside the room~
"~WHAT THE HELL?!"
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream