The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Lisette reached under the covers and pinched Vina hard.

“It’s my fault for reflecting on my actions.” Jessica forced herself to sit up. “As the Silver Wolf Class leader, I was reckless and ventured in without understanding the situation, dragging Junior Viner into it as well—”

The two had a brief argument before entering the cave.

Wiener felt that since the fish had taken the bait, they should first call for reinforcements to ensure everything went smoothly.

Jessica, however, believed she had memorized all the information on the existing demon apostles and that none of them could have saved her.

Furthermore, the other party cursed and killed innocent villagers right in front of them, and they were unwilling to delay any longer.

When Viner realized he couldn't persuade Jessica, he took the initiative to compromise.

"Cough! That's enough. If the mission fails because of you, I'll give you a piece of my mind about who's to blame. It's pointless to talk about this after the mission succeeds."

Wiener interrupted.

"More than that, I'd like to know how the matter was handled afterwards."

Upon waking up, he immediately handed the carefully crafted recording stone to Tilisa, which contained footage of Rogurd fighting alongside the giants.

“The kingdom says this was all Rogurd’s personal act,” Tissa replied.

"They really are trying to deny everything, even though they were using those demon-made weapons in the Griffin Battle."

Judging from the size of that underground workshop and the amount of dust it had accumulated, it must have been there for quite some time.

Vena didn't believe that the giant had only forged a few pieces of equipment for the kingdom.

He strongly suspected that all the equipment that shot out like bullets from the mental barrier was equipment forged by giants, but he didn't know how many of them had fallen into the hands of the Empire.

Although he knew the kingdom would definitely find a scapegoat to take the blame, Vena was still disgusted by their shamelessness.

"The kingdom claims that it only knew that Rogurd had recruited a master-level blacksmith, but was unaware that the blacksmith was a demon. It expressed great gratitude to the academy for helping it uncover the demon spy—this is the official statement."

"And what about the substantive measures taken?"

"On charges of treason, Rogurd Taiwo's earldom is revoked, his lands are stripped, and all his blood relatives are barred from employment for a century. There are also some compensation and thanks to the academy; I looked at the list, and it is indeed very sincere."

"You and Jessica are the biggest contributors this time, and you deserve to have priority in choosing. It doesn't matter if you choose more, because it's what you deserve anyway."

"Hush money?"

"That's the idea."

"It feels like they're getting off too cheaply."

“That’s exactly what I’m going to say next,” Tilisa cleared her throat. “After discussions within the academy, we decided to conceal Rogurd’s presence in this incident and only announce to the public that we have defeated the remnants of the Sword Demon’s apostles.”

"Teacher, there must be some deeper meaning behind the academy's actions," Lisette asked, raising her hand.

She did not believe that the academy had chosen to cover up the matter because of the kingdom's threats.

"It's not about profound meaning, it's just a helpless move under the current circumstances." Tilisa sighed slightly. "Although the academy is trying its best to maintain the balance between the three countries, it has almost reached its limit."

The academy's ultimate goal is to eliminate demons and demons and protect the future of humanity.

However, the academy was divided into two factions regarding their attitudes toward the Three Kingdoms period.

One group believes that maintaining the status quo is the safest option.

Another faction believes that only a unified nation can minimize internal strife and integrate the strength of all mankind to jointly resist the demon race.

Regardless of peacetime, St. Freya Academy always tries to smooth things over between the three kingdoms, playing the role of the peacemaker.

Whenever a national-level war breaks out on the continent, the academy, as humanity's last line of defense against the demons, must maintain absolute neutrality.

Even if the academy's intervention could quickly tip the scales of victory or defeat, minimizing the losses from the war, the same applies.

The biggest reason why St. Freya Academy has been able to stand the test of time is that it will never participate in national wars.

"Is the academy worried that this incident will become an opportunity for them to start a war?"

Viner roughly guessed what Tissa meant.

The claim that the Count of the Kingdom colluded with demons, betrayed humanity, and harmed the imperial nobles is clearly a substantial and plausible assertion.

"That's right. The two countries already had a long-standing feud, and with this new trigger, it's impossible to predict what will happen next."

"But the initiative in this matter lies with the Empire, as long as Edel understands the bigger picture—"

Jessica, who had been silent, raised an eyebrow when she heard a certain name.

"Although that woman is the first heir to the empire, you don't actually think that such a vast empire is her personal fiefdom, do you?"

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Chapter 374 Vena: Can anyone else register under the same household registration as the hero?

The Aster Empire was the largest and most powerful of the three kingdoms.

Their long history, besides giving them a profound foundation, has also naturally led to the emergence of numerous political factions.

If you can control 30% of it, you can maintain your position without worry.

If you can control half of it, you can achieve great things.

If more than 70% of the factions could be unified, then the kingdoms and allies would have been out of the question long ago.

After all, the Kingdom of Fagas and the Allied Kingdom of Stana were merely branches that split off from the Aster Empire a thousand years ago.

The current emperor of the empire, Isnia IX, once controlled nearly half of the empire's factions, but just as he was ambitiously preparing to make the empire great again, he suddenly fell ill.

This event completely disrupted the empire's plans and plunged the internal situation back into chaos.

"Not to mention that Edel has not yet become empress, even if she were to accept the crown, there are many things that she alone cannot change."

"Just a poor soul who was too greedy and ended up being dragged around like a puppet," Jessica said with disdain.

This is probably why Adele and Jessica don't get along.

Edel's greatest aspiration is Tissa, whom she respects even more than ordinary people respect heroes.

So she was jealous of Jessica, feeling that she had easily obtained what she desired most.

But Jessica saw it differently.

Before the new students of Viña enrolled, Jessica's first choice for successor was this imperial princess.

After expressing their desire for her to join the Silver Wolf, Edel still chose the Black Eagles.

A vast empire is never short of an heir, and the Silver Wolf Class is never short of a talented student.

Since she had chosen the position of Empress, Jessica naturally wouldn't force her to accept it.

This matter should have ended there.

But Adel was very greedy.

Whether in public or in private, he made no secret of his desire for Tilisa and wanted to poach her from his team, which infuriated Jessica.

They kindly gave you a chance, but you didn't take it and actually tried to sneak away?

The two became enemies from that point on.

"But it's a bit unsatisfying that they let it go so easily," Viner clicked her tongue, a hint of resentment in her eyes.

“I mean… have you forgotten that you’re still a citizen of the Kingdom?” Jessica couldn’t help but complain.

"Let's just stick to the facts. They've caused such a huge mess, and they can just let it go so easily. I'm afraid they won't learn their lesson."

“How about you go and tell this news to Adele?” Tilissa suddenly interjected.

"Teacher?!" Jessica's emotions surged instantly upon hearing this, causing a sharp pain in her abdomen. "Hiss... Teacher, you can't mess around with this kid!"

"?"

Although Vena did not say it directly, he looked at Tissa with a surprised expression.

“Of course, the premise is that we must control the scale.” Tilissa continued to explain to Venus, “It is not convenient for the academy to publicly endorse this matter.”

"But if the Empire, as the victim in this incident, is completely unaware of it, it would make it seem as if we are protecting the Kingdom."

"Therefore, we need someone who is knowledgeable, can speak with the Empire, and whose stance does not fully represent the Academy, to pass on this message."

“...You might as well just register my household registration directly,” Viner said helplessly.

"Good to know." Tilisa smiled slightly.

Before becoming a member of the Silver Wolf Class, Vena was a citizen of the Kingdom, and even a fellow countryman of the hero Arios.

Even if they "accidentally" let it slip, it was the Kingdom's people who let it slip, and it had nothing to do with the Academy.

If the Kingdom insists on saying things like "Lumiel Village doesn't count as Kingdom territory" or "the Silver Wolf Class is your academy's responsibility," then it's tantamount to stripping Arios of his citizenship as well.

They wouldn't do something so stupid.

"Um... what are they talking about?"

Felix, who could no longer understand the cryptic messages these people were spouting, secretly asked Listy.

How can I explain this to you...?

Lisette, being of noble birth, was not unfamiliar with such a process of passing the buck, though she disliked it, and easily understood what Tilissa meant.

The challenge, however, lies in explaining it to Felix in a way he can understand.

"...You can borrow this to play with first. Come over and listen when we call your name later."

Lisette handed the Lionheart to Felix.

"Hey, if you had said that earlier, I would have understood."

Felix breathed a sigh of relief.

"When you tell Edel, also remind her that the clues obtained from the demon apostle who was defeated have revealed that there are also their accomplices within the Empire."

"Where did this intelligence come from?"

Wiener thought to himself that the giant was already beyond dead, so if he really had accomplices, why would they just watch the giant being imprisoned without coming to his rescue?

“I just made it up.” Tissa made no attempt to hide it. “I certainly can’t produce any evidence if you ask me to, but the Kingdom is definitely not the only one colluding with the Demon.”

What a kingdom can do, an empire can absolutely do as well; there is no doubt about that.

Those demons who were still like hotheads and only knew how to wreak havoc had long been killed by heroes of all generations.

Those who remain are either exceptionally capable or cunning and treacherous.

The incident where Tilisa and Arios were ambushed by three demons took place within the Empire.

How the demons obtained their whereabouts is quite intriguing.

With King Isnia IX seriously ill, the royal family's control over the empire has declined sharply, so it's not surprising that some of his subordinates have some inappropriate ideas.

If Adele can make up her mind to properly clean up the deep-seated problems in the country, it would be a good thing for the Academy.

"Well, you're not even embarrassed to say it so readily."

This half-truth made it easier to believe, as Tilissa was clearly certain that Adele wouldn't pry into the matter, but would verify the answer in her own way.

"Sigh, I don't want to either, but what can I do when there are only five years left before the Demon God's resurgence?"

"We must not allow the empire and kingdoms to be engulfed in war during this period."

Both countries had accumulated resources for over a century, all for this war.

Even if the academy cannot stop it, it must find a way to delay the war until the threat of the demon god is eliminated, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Teacher...you're joking, right?"

All the previous news was less shocking to Lisette than the phrase "the demon god has revived."

Given Tilissa's multiple prior convictions, Listy still held onto a sliver of hope.

Wiener glanced at the countdown screen he had been using as a clock and confirmed, "No, that's the only thing she was serious about."

"...That's strange, Venus, how did you know?"

“That’s because—” Vena was about to blurt it out, but then worried that Lisette wouldn’t be able to accept the reality that the hero had apparently died.

He glanced around furtively, then suddenly met Tilisa's gaze. "Ahem... Arios told me."

"What a coincidence, I also learned about it from Arios."

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