The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1130 - 173 - The Titan Kingdom’s Future (1)

Being next to a titan made me acutely, painfully aware of my own size.

It wasn’t just a casual realization, the kind you shrug off after a second. It hit me all at once, like my body instinctively understood the difference before my mind could catch up. The gap between us was overwhelming in a way I had never experienced before. I had stood next to tall women before—Meria, Zes, and others who were well above average—but even then, I had never felt this small. With Layla, it wasn’t just height. It was presence. Her sheer scale made the air around her feel denser, heavier, as if the world itself had adjusted to accommodate her existence.

It was strange.

Uncomfortable.

And a little disorienting, if I was being honest with myself.

Still, I kept those thoughts firmly to myself. Letting them slip, even by accident, felt like a bad idea.

Despite her size—despite the fact that she was a literal titan—I knew women could be sensitive about things like height. Pride, perception, insecurity... those things didn’t magically disappear just because someone was larger than life. I didn’t know if those same feelings applied to titans, but I wasn’t about to test that theory the wrong way. Some questions were better left unasked.

She stood there in silence for a moment, her presence heavy but not oppressive. It wasn’t threatening, but it was undeniable, like standing near a massive cliff or an ancient tree that had been rooted there for centuries. You didn’t feel endangered, but you felt small. Insignificant, even.

Then she finally spoke.

"Sir Leon, if I may speak with you for a bit," she said.

Her voice was calm, steady, and surprisingly gentle considering her size. There was no urgency in it, no sharp edge. I wasn’t sure what she wanted to talk about, but nothing in her tone suggested danger or a crisis. I gave a small nod, a simple gesture, silently telling her to go on.

She took that as permission.

"Although I know you are trying very hard to cure the people of the Titans," she began, "I think that, given the time frame, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were to fail."

There it was. Straight to the point.

"To be honest," she continued, her words measured but heavy, "this was our last resort. The people of the Titan Kingdom want nothing to do with those outside our country. When we heard about you trying to unite all of the forest at once, we thought it was foolish. Many of our people laughed at the idea."

I didn’t interrupt. I just listened.

"That is why, if you had come here and asked us to allow this unification of all the kingdoms within the Great Forest," she said, "we would have rejected you firmly. We might have even done whatever it took to make sure you never considered the idea again. That is also why we initially refused to seek your help when our people began collapsing, one after another."

Her words didn’t feel accusatory. They felt tired. Honest.

Well... that was only natural.

From their perspective, I was an outsider. Worse than that, I was someone with ambitions that directly challenged their way of life. Even after everything I was doing now, I didn’t expect them to suddenly see me in a new light. Trust wasn’t something that could be forced, especially not in a situation like this. For all they knew, I could have been smiling to their faces while secretly praying for the downfall of their kingdom.

And honestly, if I were in their place, I might have thought the same.

But Layla seemed to understand something beyond that. She could see that I was genuinely trying to help them. Even if she knew—probably knew—that I was acting with my own agenda in mind, she still chose to trust my actions. Agenda or not, I was here. I was trying. And that mattered.

"I’m sorry that you came all this way just to meet a disappointment," she said softly.

Disappointment?

The word caught me off guard. I frowned slightly, wondering what she meant by that. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"You came here to ask us to join this unification," she continued, "to help create a country made up of all the nations and tribes within the Great Forest, correct?"

I didn’t deny it.

"But unfortunately," she said, her voice lowering just a little, "we have fallen into this state. This crisis will likely erase us from existence. As much as I want to accept what you are trying to achieve, I don’t believe we are even needed anymore. We probably don’t count as a nation at this point."

There was no anger in her words. No bitterness. Just resignation.

"Still," she went on, "if you want us to join, even after everyone in our kingdom has died from the disease, I am willing to accept. Whether you succeed or fail, you were the one who helped us through this crisis. That alone is something I will not forget."

She sounded like she had already given up on the idea of her people waking from the Eternal Sleep. Like she had already prepared herself for the worst and decided it was easier to accept it than to fight against despair. And honestly, I couldn’t completely blame her. The Titans were losing their vitality right before our eyes. Watching your people fade away one by one would break anyone.

But I couldn’t accept that outcome.

"You don’t have to worry about your people dying, Layla," I said firmly. "I’ll make sure all of them survive. I promise you that."

I didn’t dress it up. I didn’t soften it. I meant every word.

For a moment, she simply stared at me. Her expression froze, as if she didn’t quite know how to process what I had just said. Then, slowly, something changed. Her lips curved upward into a smile—one that wasn’t forced, wasn’t polite, and wasn’t meant for appearances.

It was genuine.

It came from deep within her, raw and unfiltered.

"Thank you," she said. "I truly appreciate that."

She paused, as if choosing her next words carefully.

"I don’t know how to repay you for everything you have done for us," she continued. "If you would allow it, I wish to repay you with my loyalty."

My eyes widened before I could stop myself.

"Loyalty?" I repeated.

The word echoed in my mind, sharp and unexpected. It was like someone had dumped cold water over my head. I hadn’t anticipated anything like that—not from her, and not in this situation.

"Yes, Sir Leon," she said without hesitation. "I will pledge my loyalty to you, and I promise to uphold it until the end of my life."