The office was dead silent.

After learning the ins and outs of the whole matter, the hearts of all the scholars sank to the bottom.

They not only had to face the powerful weapons they had created, which would slaughter countless lives in a vicious situation, but now they also had to continue doing this morally contradictory and meaningless thing, knowing full well that they had no chance of winning.

If they were not completely desperate, it could only be because —

The young Hydral, who had just arrived at the office door after the Elder Princess had left, spoke apologetically, “I didn’t expect the empress to change my original proposal of a death-row gladiatorial contest into a large-scale war between two territories. Nor did I expect the emperor to take the Elder Princess so… seriously.”

He shook his head helplessly, “This matter started because of me and has reached a point where I can no longer control it. Therefore, I believe I must do something.”

“No, Lord Ansel.”

Hendrik immediately said, “How could this be your problem! It’s perfectly normal for you to be curious about the strength of the weapons created by the Etheric Academy. If we were just using death-row prisoners for experiments, we wouldn’t have any qualms. This is all because of…”

He opened his mouth but fell silent in the end.

Who else could it be but those equally tyrannical, cruel, and even mad mother and daughter? The princess who saw them as tools, and the narrow-minded empress?

But no one dared to say a word, and they could only repeatedly condemn the two monsters in their hearts, without blaming Ansel, even though the matter was entirely his fault.

Curious about mechanical armor? Isn’t that normal? The empress and the Elder Princess are so capricious, and Lord Ansel merely wanted to use death-row prisoners to test the effectiveness of alchemical weapons. How much restraint is that!

He even considered helping us! The Elder Princess angered the emperor, and she would be fine, but who could guarantee that the furious empress wouldn’t do something crazy? What she’s doing now is crazy enough!

No one blamed Ansel. These scholars, who were intelligent but had almost no political sense, could not see through the layers of… false reality.

Because they had no way of looking at the palace, and it was even more impossible for them to get reliable news and intelligence from others, the things they got from stacking and piecing together were only close to the “facts” in Ansel’s mouth.

Even Ravenna couldn’t analyze how much of Ansel’s words were true and how much were false, but she keenly sensed that Ansel was deliberately provoking hatred.

Hatred towards the empress and the Elder Princess.

Without a doubt, Ravenna also despised the two mad women, but as someone with divine qualities in Ansel’s eyes, she could completely extinguish this emotion when observing coldly and not be affected.

Then, she noticed the emotions stirred up by Ansel’s words — directing all contradictions towards the empress and the Elder Princess. Although this was the case, Ravenna did not believe that he, as the fuse, was not deliberate.

Curiosity about the effects of mechanical armor seemed normal to others because Hydral had the capricious right, or rather, his self-restrained caprice made people feel at ease and more likely to gain trust. But how could Ravenna believe such nonsense?

In this world, who could know more about mechanical armor than him?

Moreover, Hydral did not choose any other reason. He knew that I could easily see through this excuse, but still chose this reason.

Is this a provocation or another trap?

In contrast to Ravenna’s cautious deliberation of Ansel’s words and actions, Ansel laughed with unparalleled ease, “I am glad you bear no resentment towards me. To be honest, I do not wish to see scholars like you, who represent the new etheric academia, to be buried in obscurity… You all have the potential to shape a new era, hence, I do not wish for you to be defeated in this confrontation.”

If their initial calm sincerity and kind words had only slightly moved the scholars, then now, in comparison with Evola and the empress, and in the face of higher recognition, many scholars were genuinely moved.

“However, please keep this matter confidential,” Ansel whispered, “Her Majesty and the Her Highness, as of now, I cannot definitively side with either. I hope you all understand.”

Hendrik nodded repeatedly, “Your willingness to help us is already a great blessing… How could we possibly bear any resentment towards you!”

Not only is he helping us, but at this moment… he is also considering the stability of the empire.

Lord Ansel… he truly is the perfect Hydral. If the Elder Princess were like him, how wonderful would the future of the empire be!

What if, what if it was Lord Ansel leading us, he could not only confront the Etheric Academy, but also has a wealth of resources, and his father the great saint Flamelle… If it was Lord Ansel leading us, and not the Elder Princess…

Would everything be different?

This was what Hendrik was thinking, and in this room, he was certainly not the only one thinking this.

The only spectator remained silent, for she knew that she could no longer change anything.

She had spent many years with these elders, the longest even exceeding ten years.

She knew too well what these people were thinking, and also cast a fearful gaze at the devil who, despite his gentle smile, seemed to have everyone under his control.

Just a few words in a conversation were enough to elevate his status to this level.

It was not a status obtained through violence and power, but genuinely, raised by others.

No… it was not just this conversation, but from much earlier, much earlier…

From the moment he stepped into the nobility, from when his good reputation began to spread throughout the empire, and for years he played the role of “perfection” to the fullest…

Ravenna gradually realized that Hydral did not possess a magic that could convince people as soon as he opened his mouth, but that he had prepared for any moment in the future, long ago.

This preparation is more terrifying than any calculation or conspiracy. What else has he prepared? How many traps has he laid? How far into the future… has he cast his gaze?

–>