Half an hour ago…

Anon sat inside the carriage as it carried him toward the castle. Suddenly, he heard a sound in his mind.

‘Master, can you hear me?’ It was Jessica’s voice, and she was using the psychic connection skill to communicate with Anon.

‘Hmm…? Jessica, is that you?’ Anon questioned.

‘Yes, Master. I am right above your carriage at this moment with No.300 and Mike. We are ready to break you free at any moment, just say the word. Mike can take care of the guards, and we can escape in that time,’ Jessica suggested. ．

‘No, Luv. I am going into that castle by my own choice. I want to infiltrate the castle from the prison. I can easily gain access to the castle after corrupting the jailor. Once I’ve corrupted the head maid, I’ll get Lucy back to her job. With her inside the castle, it will be easier to influence the Queen, or should I say, your sister, Fiona,’ Anon explained.

‘Master, the crime you committed carries a death penalty. You’re not going to prison for killing three upper noble men,’ Jessica explained.

‘I know, but according to the Elven constitution, if I possess a threat-proof given to me by the noble I killed, my death penalty will be commuted because of the mutual revenge feelings, and I’ll be imprisoned for only 80 years. Didn’t you read your own constitution?’ Anon asked.

‘F-Fiona betrayed me before I could read it,’ Jessica stammered.

‘Well, you can get your revenge after I corrupt her, but for now, get off this carriage… it’s fortunate that it’s at the end of the line, so no one will see you. Go,’ Anon ordered.

‘Master, you said you want to get inside the castle, right?’ Jessica asked.

‘Yeah… Why? Do you have another plan for me?’ Anon asked as a joke.

‘I do,’ Jessica replied seriously.

‘Hmmm…? Are you serious?’ Anon asked.

‘I am. Do you know about the upcoming ‘Academic Exchange tournament’ in two days?’

‘I do. What about it?’ Anon asked.

‘Okay, listen to this. The Queen can choose her own representative every year for this Academic Exchange.’ Jessica explained.

‘Why would the Queen represent her own representative? Isn’t this a competition for academies?’ Anon questioned.

‘Indeed it is, but the Queen selects a child each year to train as her personal counselor, someone who can advise her personally on every matter. The counselor remains by her side, even at night, and serves as her bodyguard,’ Jessica explained.

‘Jessica, Luv, what exactly are you trying to say?’ Anon asked.

‘Well, what I mean is that the Queen chooses a child each year to become her counselor and has them compete in the Academic Exchange as an independent participant. Now, if she chooses you as her candidate, all you have to do is win the Academic Exchange, and you’ll become the counselor to the Elven Queen. Won’t that be great? It will save you a lot of time,’ Jessica suggested.

‘Well, it’s easy to say, but how will I get her to choose me as her candidate, and doesn’t she already have a counselor?’ Anon asked.

‘No, the role of counselor is very important. To become the Queen’s counselor, you need to meet two conditions. First, you must be the chosen candidate of the Queen. Second, you must win the Academic Exchange. These two conditions have never been met, which is why no one has filled the role of Queen’s counselor since my great-grandmother. Either the winner of the Academic Exchange isn’t the chosen candidate, or the chosen candidate doesn’t win the Academic Exchange due to increased competition,’ Jessica explained.

‘What do you mean by increased competition?’ Anon asked.

‘Well, what do you think happens when the Queen herself chooses a candidate and makes them compete in the Academic Exchange? Everyone wants to defeat that candidate because when the chosen candidate is defeated, the winner gets a position boost in the Academic Exchange, advancing directly to the finals without competing in other matches during the event,’ Jessica explained.

‘Wow… that’s a lot to take in. How do you plan to make me the chosen candidate of the Queen?’ Anon questioned.

‘Well, for the past 50 years, my sister has been choosing the candidates for this tournament, and she’s faced defeat each time. She wants to fill the position of the Queen’s Counselor to become the perfect Queen because a Queen without a counselor is not considered a proper Queen. You just need to impress her with a display of your powers and speak to her with confidence. Leave the rest to me,’ Jessica explained.

‘Well, if you say so. I don’t mind showing off my skills and talking to someone with attitude but what happens if I get defeated in this Academic Exchange tournament?’ Anon asked.

‘Well, at best, your prison sentence will be increased by 50 years, I believe,’ Jessica said.

‘Wait, I’ll get my time increased by 50 years if I’m defeated in that event?’ Anon asked.

‘Yes… though I think it might have been 150 years. Ah, I can’t remember exactly, but it won’t matter to you since you can continue with your previous plan, right?’ Jessica asked.

‘Hmm… you’re right. If this idea succeeds, it will be a great opportunity to get close to the Queen without wasting extra time and effort. If it fails, I can always fall back on my other plan. When did you become so clever, Jessica?’ Anon asked.

‘I was the Queen before her, Master, and a fully-fledged assassin too,’ Jessica replied.

Back to the present time…

“You didn’t answer the question, Mr. Jule. Are you going to participate in this year’s Academic Exchange?” The Queen asked with a smile.

“I am,” Anon answered with a smile.

“Well, then I have a deal for you. Today’s court will be adjourned here. I want a meeting arranged with Mr. Jule in the meeting room,” the Queen ordered as she stood up and walked toward her room with her maids.

‘What now, Jessica?’ Anon asked.

‘Just stand there; the guards will automatically escort you to her meeting room.’