The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

"At a time like this, you don't still want to run away alone, do you?"

You weren't planning to take me with you when you ran just now!

Didn't I tell you to escape first? You can't understand what I mean and you have the nerve to blame me?

The two engaged in a fierce exchange of glances.

"No need, I have other things to ask Miss Anna for later."

Edel waved her hand to indicate that it wasn't necessary.

"When I rushed back to the palace from out of town, my father, who was already lying in bed, handed me this pocket watch."

"Who would have thought that a personal guard who had served the Emperor for more than twenty years would be an apostle of the demon? If it weren't for the Emperor's considerable strength, he would probably have been killed back then."

Adele laughed in exasperation, nearly crushing the teacup in her hand, tea slowly seeping out along the cracks.

"Not only the kingdoms and allied nations, but even the demons are wary of the rise of a unified empire. So, after learning that my father had the intention to unify the empire, they launched a covert operation that had been lurking in the palace for more than twenty years."

"This fragment of Demon Blood Soul in the pocket watch was left behind by my father when he killed that demon apostle."

"That--"

“I guess you’re wondering why Father was so badly injured when he was able to kill that apostle, right?” Edel saw through Venus’s thoughts.

Wiener nodded, waiting for what was to come.

“Because it was an apostle of the Plague Demon,” Edel said frankly. “In terms of direct combat ability, it wasn’t top-tier, only at the level of a seventh-tier Emblem Master. But the toxins it released after its death were so potent that even an eighth-tier Emblem Master couldn’t remove them.”

“That guy never intended to leave alive from the very beginning.” A chill flashed in Adele’s eyes.

Except for Isnia IX himself, who survived by sheer power and the royal treasures.

None of the other guards present survived; those who were caught in the crossfire were completely wiped out.

“Now you can understand why I hate demons so much, right?” Edel looked intently at Vena. “On the issue of fighting demons, I am on the same page as the academy.”

Chapter 402 Change of plan

Anna replaced Adele's teacup and gave her a towel so she could wipe the tea off her hands.

"grateful."

Adele accepted it gracefully and thanked her for it.

Meanwhile, Wiener was trying to process the information that Edel had revealed.

Although Isnia IX survived, his injuries took many years to heal.

Even if there are signs of improvement, with his age and declining physical function, there is absolutely no possibility of him returning to his peak condition.

A tiger without teeth cannot rule over all the beasts.

Not to mention the factions that were already on the opposite side of the royal family, even the nobles who originally supported Isnia IX had many other ideas.

“This is very difficult for you,” Wiener sighed.

He could tell that Edel wanted to fulfill the unfulfilled wish of King Isnia IX.

But is it really that easy to achieve the grand ambition that even a generation of emperors failed to realize?

She is indeed the first in line to the throne, but not the only one.

Even those forces affiliated with the royal family wouldn't all be on her side.

The pressure of tackling the most stubborn disease within the empire before one has fully developed one's power is unimaginable.

“That’s why I need to rely on the academy’s resources,” Edel said bluntly.

"Now that heroes have appeared in the world, the crisis of demons has not yet been resolved. Even if they are really colluding with demons, they would not dare to openly raise the flag of rebellion."

"If we miss this opportunity, it will be even more difficult to eradicate them."

"...Silver Wolf Class will not stand idly by as long as it is for the purpose of dealing with the demons."

Wiener knew he was not qualified to represent the Academy, so he naturally wouldn't make any promises in the name of the Academy.

But it's fine if we use the name of the Silver Wolf Class.

"Thank you," Adele said gratefully.

“It’s too early to say that,” Venere waved her hands repeatedly. “Don’t be fooled by my sweet talk. I can only do odd jobs from behind the scenes. The ones who can really do the work are Teacher Tilissa and Jessica.”

"Doing odd jobs..."

Adele glanced at the thick stack of blueprints on the table and neither confirmed nor denied Wiener's explanation.

“Miss Anna, I would like to ask the Valentine Chamber of Commerce for a favor.”

"Eh? Your Highness, please speak."

Anna was slightly surprised, not expecting the topic to suddenly turn to her.

“I would like to commission the Valentin Chamber of Commerce to produce this batch of equipment.”

Edel pushed all the drawings except for the "sundial" shape in front of Anna.

"Your Highness, what do you mean?"

When it comes to business, Anna's eyes become sharp.

"Only the Valentin Merchant Guild can mass-produce these pieces of equipment in a short period of time and promote them throughout the Empire."

Although the Black Eagles have alchemy talents, they can only make a few samples, not mass production.

The empire also has its own artisans, but it's bound to raise suspicions that Edel, who aspires to the throne, would suddenly turn to doing things that are only for merchants.

“I have seen the blueprints. All three sets of equipment are disguised as handicrafts, which is good.”

"I hope the Valentin Merchant Guild can promote these 'crafts' throughout the empire."

If Edel were to bestow these artifacts upon nobles in various regions in the name of the royal family, it would likely arouse suspicion.

But what if they bought these things with their own money?

Selling seemingly useless items to extravagant nobles who are willing to spend lavishly for novelty is precisely what the Valentin Merchant Guild excels at.

“We will provide the materials needed for production, or financial support equivalent to the materials, while the Valentin Chamber of Commerce will be responsible for promotion and after-sales service.”

"If Miss Anna is interested, I will ask Schuster to negotiate further on profit sharing and other details later."

Adele had no intention of revealing the purpose of these items; she would simply sell them as handicrafts.

If frequent malfunctions occur in a certain area, it can be basically determined that there are demons nearby.

This is why Adele mentioned after-sales service.

As for the product designed by Jessica, Adele reluctantly gave it up.

It's simply because, in terms of both size and volume, it doesn't seem to fall into the category of civilian use.

This was also in consideration of the strong backlash that might result from interfering in the military before inheriting the throne.

"...Since it is for the great cause of resisting the demons, the Valentine Merchant Guild will naturally give its full support."

Even disregarding the greater good, the value inherent in this deal and the favor owed by the imperial princess were enough to motivate Anna to carry it out.

"There shouldn't be anything else for me, right?"

Seeing that his role as matchmaker was complete, Wiener prepared to slip away.

"Oh, I almost forgot."

Edel threw the pocket watch into Vina's hands.

"These Demon Blood Soul Fragments are excellent forging materials. They are useless to me, so I'm giving them to my junior."

“And another thing,” Edel turned to Anna, “from now on, all the material expenses required for junior Viner’s forging will be covered by the Black Eagles Class.”

"This promise will remain in effect until the junior graduates."

"Oh dear, I can't accept this."

If it were just the fragments of the Demon Blood Soul in the pocket watch, Vena was prepared to refuse.

Since he already had one, there was no need for him to accept this one, an object of great significance to Edel.

But with the additional conditions, Viner could only rub his hands together excitedly.

"The Aster Empire never mistreats its friends."

Edel made a pointed remark, then gracefully got up and left.

"...Anna, how many credits would it be worth if we took all the materials from here?"

Viner could almost see himself lying on a mountain of forging materials, and drool involuntarily trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

Anna slapped Venus back to reality.

Even if Viner could take it blindly, she would still have to provide the Black Eagles Class with a detailed statement before she could collect the debt.

If people find out that they colluded to swindle forging materials, how many heads does Anna have to hang on a lamppost?

Besides, does this kid even know how much stock she has in her shop before planning to take it all? Even if you had a lifetime, could you use it all?

-----------------

The next day.

Felix woke up early and dragged Viner to go with him to the Silver Wolf Class.

"Hoo-hoo?~"

You seem to be in a good mood today.

Felix has rarely shown this level of happiness since Tilissa's special training program began.

"Of course!"

Felix turned around and started walking backwards.

Just imagining the embarrassing moments that Wiener might make under this rigorous training, Felix couldn't help but smile.

If happiness can be categorized into different levels, then gloating would certainly surpass most forms of happiness.

Unfortunately, his smile didn't last long.

Because the Silver Wolf Class has an unexpected guest today.

"Samif?"

When Viner saw that the person who came was Samif, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, she was slightly surprised.

"Ah."

Samif, who was communicating with Tilisa, nodded to Vina as a greeting.

Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling?

Felix muttered to himself.

Not long after, Jessica also arrived at the reception room.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, I'll make an announcement."

Tilisa clapped her hands lightly to draw the disciples' attention to her, and then announced something.

"Today's training session is canceled."

Picture.jpg

Chapter 403 Hurry up and say thank you, Miss Anna.

"Huh? So I can't see Vena... Wait, does that mean I don't have to do special training today? Hmm..."

Felix fell into deep thought.

He couldn't decide whether he should feel regret for not seeing Wiener suffer a setback, or be grateful for the day off.

"I still need to report to Lady Rhea. You'll have to explain things here yourself?" Samif asked softly.