The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

“Then let’s not show any clips of irrelevant people, just the records related to Arios.” Vena gripped the Seven Star Sword and readjusted her breathing.

"it is good."

Escudo nodded in agreement, then waved his arm, and the opponent in front of him changed again.

At the same time, the light spots surrounding Venus suddenly converged and condensed into a huge sphere of light.

Jessica watched this strange phenomenon and realized that Venus had entered the most crucial moment of the trial.

She clasped her hands together and prayed silently, "Goddess, please bless Vena and the teacher with safety."

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

Gracia, the capital of the Kingdom of Fasca.

Leia's trip was not very smooth.

Although the kingdom was impeccable in its etiquette and hospitality, it consistently refused her request to meet with Tilisa.

Ironically, their reason was "for Léa's safety."

“This man is far too dangerous. Not only has the hero been implicated, but Marquis Gaston has also suffered as a result. It would be safer for the kingdom to keep him under its control.” Kifka’s tone was respectful but left no room for doubt.

Leia stared at the dignified prime minister of the kingdom before her, a cold smile playing on her lips.

This excuse is nothing more than a fear that she will forcibly rescue Tilisa.

However, she did not lose her temper, but calmly asked, "Then may I ask, Your Excellency, what evidence does the kingdom have that Tilisa colluded with the demons and harmed the heroes?"

Kifka seemed to have anticipated this question, clapped his hands twice, and two attendants pushed a cart of files into the meeting room.

"Without solid evidence, how dare the kingdom act first and report later? Please, Dean, take a look."

Leia casually picked up the topmost dossier and opened it. It contained a detailed account of how Tilisa colluded with the Undead in Sudori Town to massacre the villagers, and how she attempted to kill them to cover it up after being exposed.

Between the lines, it seems as if all the guilt is already set in stone.

"Bang!" Leia slammed the file shut and slammed it on the table. "The kingdom itself asked for our help, which is why Tilisa went to Sudori Town! Now they're turning around and blaming us? Isn't that going too far?"

“If I remember correctly, the reinforcements the kingdom requested from the academy were Lord Arios, not Tilisa,” Kifka said with certainty. “The reason for doing so was to use the hero’s power to kill him once and for all. Otherwise, why would an undead demon dare to trouble the academy for help?”

Even with her excellent composure, Leia couldn't help but be angered by these words.

With the kingdom's strength, suppressing a few demons would be a piece of cake if they were willing.

But if what he said is true, then how do you explain his previous actions of frequently seeking assistance from the academy and the Knights of St. Freya to eliminate the lurking demons?

Were these all the personal actions of those lords?

“I heard that during that time, Lady Rhea had important matters to attend to and was unable to leave, so all the affairs of the academy were handled by Tissa alone. It seems that she was also misled by this person,” Kifka continued.

Rhea finally realized how formidable this prime minister was.

The fact that the other party dared to present the case files shows that they were certain she couldn't verify them immediately. If she kept dwelling on these files, she would only fall into their trap.

She directly questioned the other party: "Then where did you come up with the matter of harming the hero?"

Upon hearing this, Kifka calmly took out two parchment scrolls from his chest and presented them to Rhea.

"These two documents are the confession of the Undying Demon and the testimony obtained by Lord Juta using a wishing spell."

Chapter 574 Ending without a cure

The demon's testimony cannot be used as conclusive evidence.

The kingdom itself was aware of this, which is why it ordered the kingdom's chief mage, Juta, to provide evidence through a wishing spell.

This explanation seems logically sound on the surface, but it contains many suspicious points.

“This order seems wrong, doesn’t it?” Leia questioned.

If the kingdom only began to doubt Tissa because of the testimony of the immortal demon Karnos.

But the truth is that they laid an ambush first, and Tilisa and Carnos were captured later.

This conclusion, which reverses cause and effect, clearly cannot convince Rhea.

“Actually, we had already captured Karnos long before we asked for help,” Kifka explained calmly. “His Majesty wanted to find out who betrayed him, which led to the hero’s whereabouts being exposed and him being attacked by the three demons, Void, Sword, and Undying. The answer he received was shocking.”

"Karnos said the whole incident was a self-inflicted injury orchestrated by Tilissa."

Leia narrowed her eyes, her gaze sweeping over Kifka like a knife. "Sacrificing two demons to carry out this self-inflicted injury is quite a price to pay."

"His Majesty naturally didn't believe the demon's nonsense and was prepared to hand him over to the hero for judgment, but he couldn't get in touch with him no matter what," Kifka said under pressure. "Lord Arios' last appearance revealed that he was going to find the Holy Sword with Tilisa."

“We naturally respect the hero’s decision. The process of seeking the Holy Sword is fraught with danger, and it is understandable that we cannot contact him for the time being. However—” Kifka paused, his tone suddenly turning cold, “Tilisa has already returned to the academy before the Griffin War, so where is the hero now?”

This question hit the nail on the head, causing Leia's face to freeze instantly.

She knew that Adramra had a separate communication channel with the kingdom, but she didn't expect it to be waiting for her here.

Rhea has kept the news of Arios's disappearance a secret, partly to avoid causing panic, and partly out of a sliver of hope that he might just be trapped somewhere and hasn't met with any misfortune.

It wasn't until Vena and the others found the Holy Sword but still couldn't find Arios's whereabouts that Rhea finally gave up hope.

She originally planned to find a suitable time to inform the leaders of the three kingdoms of this news, but a series of unforeseen events delayed her, leading to her current passive situation.

The same information, whether given voluntarily or disclosed under duress, carries drastically different meanings.

“Arios was trapped by the Holy Sword during the trial, and his fate is unknown,” Leia replied with difficulty.

"I suppose this news was also told to me by Tissa?"

Having gained the upper hand, Kifka sneered, his words dripping with sarcasm.

“Tilisa’s actions are certainly trustworthy.”

"So, the Dean means that Lord Juta framed this person?"

“I can let Tilissa confront me,” Leia responded calmly, trying to gain the upper hand.

"I wouldn't dare. If the Dean insists on protecting this person, I'm afraid the entire palace won't be able to stop you."

These words pierced Leia like a sharp blade, igniting a surge of anger within her.

"Kifka, you must not be disrespectful to the Dean."

A majestic voice suddenly rang out, breaking the tense atmosphere.

Upon seeing this person appear, Kifka immediately knelt on one knee as a sign of respect.

"Your Majesty," he said, his tone filled with awe and respect.

The visitor was none other than King Rabel Ejit Bredad of the Kingdom of Fagas.

He walked steadily into the hall, his gaze sweeping over everyone present with sharp eyes, before finally looking at Leia: "Lady Leia, you are still as elegant as ever."

“Your Majesty flatters me,” Tilisa said with a slight bow. “Your Majesty must have already come up with a solution.”

“As expected, the rumors couldn’t be kept from the head of the academy,” Labbel said slowly. “In my opinion, there are two solutions to this matter. First, find the hero Arios. As long as he shows himself, all the rumors will fall apart.”

"What about the second one?"

Leia knew that this first condition was difficult to meet.

“Then I’ll have to trouble Lady Rhea,” Labbel said. “I would like to ask Dean Rhea to personally perform the wish-granting spell.”

"I have complete faith in Dean Leia's character, but I am worried that she may be misled. If she is willing to use her wish spell, the truth will be revealed immediately."

“What if my results are different from Juta’s?” Leia countered.

A cold glint flashed in Labbel's eyes. "Then kill Juta to apologize to the Dean."

These words shocked the entire audience.

Although Juta was not of noble birth, he was one of the few ninth-rank emblem wielders in the kingdom, and could be considered Labbel's right-hand man.

Rhea had not expected the king to give such a resolute answer.

Labbel seemed to sense her doubts and continued to explain, "If the results of the two prayer spells are different, I am more willing to believe Dean Leia. Then Juta, who tried to frame Tilisa, should naturally pay the price for it."

His voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable power.

"Is Your Majesty so confident?" Leia couldn't help but ask.

"Could it be that Dean Leia didn't?" Labbel smiled slightly, looking at her with piercing eyes.

Leia was speechless for a moment.

Seeing the other party remain silent, Labbel waved his hand and said calmly, "Lady Rhea, there's no need to rush to answer. Go back and think it over carefully; perhaps you'll come to a conclusion. Someone, take these files to Lady Rhea's residence for her to review."

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

This meeting ended without any resolution.

Leia boarded the carriage to return to her residence, her eyes regaining their former sharpness.

"After Kifka played the villain, is it now Label's turn to play the good guy?" she thought to herself with a cold laugh, having already seen through this meticulously planned meeting.

Labbel only mentioned how to handle different results from the wish spell, but made no mention of how to deal with the same result, clearly leaving room for maneuver and trying to test the academy's bottom line.

This shows that the kingdom did not intend to take Tilisa's life, but rather wanted to use her as a bargaining chip to make the academy hesitant to act.

Leia's mind raced, and she immediately saw through the other party's intentions.

Arios naturally couldn't produce it, so this first solution was essentially ignored.

Making her personally perform the wish-granting spell seems more like a trap.

Once the spell is cast, regardless of the outcome, Rhea, who has lost the ability to resist, will likely find it difficult to even protect herself.

"This is trying to force the academy to back down."

Rhea probably guessed the reason why the kingdom did this.

After losing the hero's protection, they immediately turned their attention to the academy, attempting to use this incident to weaken the academy's prestige and pull it down from its aloof position.

If the Academy wants to protect Tilisa, it will be difficult to remain neutral between the Kingdom and the Empire.

Just as Leia was pondering, a long arrow suddenly pierced through the air, accurately piercing the wooden planks of the carriage and heading straight for her throat.

However, before the arrow could touch her skin, Rhea caught it with her hand and brought it to a steady stop in front of her.

Although the arrow was fast, it was far from enough to harm her in the slightest.

"Enemy attack! Protect the Dean!"

A series of urgent shouts of battle came from outside the carriage.

Someone actually tried to assassinate Rhea in broad daylight.

It seems that not everyone is willing to wait for the outcome of the negotiations.

Chapter 575 Felix: I Have a Plan

The attendants who could accompany Rhea were all elites.

But when faced with a numerically superior enemy, one can never fight against many opponents.

The assassins quickly separated a group to hold off the guards, while the rest rushed towards the carriage without hesitation.

The sound of crossbow bolts piercing the air suddenly rang out, and a series of colorful arrows headed straight for the carriage.

These arrows are either poisoned or enchanted, and each one is very expensive to make.

Just as the arrow was about to pierce the fragile wooden plank, a crisp sound of a scepter striking the ground suddenly rang out.

As the sound spread, an invisible force swept around, repelling all the approaching arrows like a whirlwind.

After hovering in mid-air for a moment, the deadly weapons fell to the ground, losing their threat.

Even so, the assassins did not stop, but simply abandoned their crossbows and continued their charge.

Just then, a lithe figure leaped onto the roof of the car.

His movements were clean and swift; with each swift motion, a cold glint flashed in his hand. The assassins at the forefront fell to the ground before they could even scream, and none of them were able to stand.

The visitors were none other than Lisette and Felix.

They rushed as fast as they could and finally caught up with Lena just as she was attacked.