Ignoring the cold, distant, angry, and sorrowful gazes of her elders and peers, Ravenna repeated to herself that this was the best choice.

“In three days, the Spirity Lake territory will receive the support of that steel giant, and you will be responsible for aiding the Watson. This war will end with the complete defeat of one side. Ravenna Ziegler… hehehe, prepare well, I look forward to your performance.”

With that, Evora vanished like a spark in the conference room.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

After a few seconds of silence, the higher up members of the Tower of Babel swarmed around Ravenna.

“Ravenna, do you realize what you’re doing?”

“Ziegler, you’re mad! You almost doomed us all!”

“You… Mr. Ziegler would never have a granddaughter who would do such a thing. If he were here, he would never do what you have done!”

The cacophony of noise drowned Ravenna, a mix of anger, disappointment, and sorrow… all trying to crush her like a boat amidst the waves.

Yet, in this oppressive environment of endless questioning and accusations from friends and elders, which might have crushed Seraphina, Ravenna remained unaffected.

She simply adjusted her slightly skewed glasses in pushing and said emotionlessly:

“Have you said enough? If so, I must return to reinforce Nidhoggur. Hendrik, find the twenty best alchemists. Three days should suffice.”

“… Ravenna, Ravenna!”

Hendrik never roared at Ravenna before, but now he couldn’t help but shout uncontrollably: “Do you realize what you’re doing? You’ve ruined the best chance we had! Even if the Tower of Babel were to dissolve, it would have allowed all of us to survive.”

“Did I?” Ravenna countered. “Even if I fail, won’t I be the only one to die?”

“You!”

Hendrik’s voice faltered, but he quickly retorted angrily: “How dare you gamble that she would agree to your request? What if she had refused?”

“And why did you dare to gamble that she would accept our outright surrender?” Ravenna replied impassively. “No, you’re not gambling on that. It seems… you’ve already been in contact with Hydral, making this decision after consulting with him. In other words… you’re betting that Ansel of Hydral will help you.”

“Isn’t that a gamble?”

“How could that be a gamble! Lord Ansel, he—”

“He what? Do you know him well? How many times have you met him? Just a few words, and you blindly believe he will definitely help you, without any ulterior motives or schemes?”

Under this pressure, Ravenna became the inquisitor, her gaze piercing into Hendrik’s eyes as she spoke deliberately:

“Tell me, if this isn’t gambling, what is it?”

“…”

Hendrik had no rebuttal, his gaze filled with pain as he looked at Ravenna:

“Even so… Ravenna, we had already succeeded. Her Highness had agreed, and it would have ended with your surrender, without that meaningless war… Why, why did you choose to provoke war again?”

“Why? Is it so hard to understand?”

Ravenna frowned slightly. “Because the purpose of the Tower of Babel existing outweighs the deaths caused by that war, that’s all.”

Her tone was not intentionally cold, but the thought of weighing millions of lives against an abstract “ideal” without any sense of wrongdoing sent a deep chill through everyone present.

The Tower of Babel and the Etheric Academy had many differences, one being that most of their members were sorcerers of extremely humble origins, struggling with a lack of resources.

While extraordinary beings might not care much for ordinary people, those of lowly birth understood suffering better and were less willing to bring disaster to countless lives.

Moreover, under the empress’s rule, the empire had never experienced large-scale wars.

This unusual “peace” made most people loathe the idea of such a vast battlefield.

But, Ravenna, she… she doesn’t care.

Or rather, she might care, but she does not allow her emotions and thoughts to dwell on the guilt for those lives lost because of her.

She does feel guilt, but she… she erases it, as long as this guilt hinders her progress.

Since when, from what moment…

Has this woman, who everyone admires for her talent, become such a… monster?

Hendrik’s heart is filled with sorrow. He even wonders if Ravenna hadn’t invented firearms, if the Tower of Babel had collapsed earlier, would this granddaughter of his most respected mentor, this girl he regards as his own, have become so ruthless?

“… Ravenna.”

He said with difficulty, making a powerless, final question, “Even so, even if you have become so cruel, what makes you so sure that you can win? Do you want to die? Just to uphold the ideals and glory of the Tower of Babel?”

Then… Hendrik received an indifferent look.

Indifference, with a hint of alienation, and even a faint disappointment.

Not just him, but all the higher up members of the Tower of Babel felt this look.

— This look that Ravenna uses to regard mediocrity.

After scanning the room and finding no objections, she suddenly felt an indescribable sense of loneliness.

A sense of loneliness that, despite seemingly having companions along the way, she has always been… isolated from them.

“You all,” the woman said softly.

“Even you all… are the same.”

“You are too far away… from him.”

Ravenna didn’t say anything else, she pushed past the others and left the meeting room alone.

The more she keeps up with Ansel’s pace, the less she can tolerate everything around her.

Ravenna’s reason tells her that this might be another one of Ansel’s schemes, another one of his plans.

The cold truth also tells her—

If you go any further, the only one who can accompany you is the devil.

So, will Ravenna Ziegler choose to stop moving forward?

*

Hey, awesome readers! The story hit its 200 chapters! Woohoo!

I can’t thank you enough for sticking with Ansel, Seri, Marli (and Venna xD) through this wild ride. You guys rock! Wishing you all a merry Christmas and a totally rad New Year! Stay tuned for more epic schemes, surprises, and taming ofc =v=! Peace out!