The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Jeremy pulled a key from a crack in the wall, opened the door, and led Vina inside.

“This house is my private property, not many people know about it, but now it’s yours.” Jeremy tossed the keys to Vina without hesitation, then took out a set of clean clothes and headed straight for the bathroom.

Even the most ordinary-looking residence in the capital city is something that ordinary people could not afford in several lifetimes, let alone Jeremy leaving behind a lot of gold and silver in the mansion.

This was also the guarantee he had given Wiener, ensuring he would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life.

While Viner was still carefully inspecting the house, Jeremy had already changed his clothes and came out of the bathroom.

He did not choose gorgeous aristocratic attire, but instead wore a simple and dignified military uniform.

At this moment, his expression appeared exceptionally solemn, as if he were prepared to face all the consequences.

"Then let's say goodbye as we agreed before," Jeremy said, bidding farewell.

"Does Your Excellency really not need me to accompany you?" Viner couldn't help but ask.

“No need,” Jeremy shook his head. “This situation is different from before.”

“I am going to be judged by Her Majesty the Queen, and you are not worthy to be judged by her.”

Jeremy was prepared for a near-death experience, so there was no need for him to drag Viner down with him.

Moreover, as he said, given Viña's rank, even if it were treason, any general could easily handle it; there was no need to trouble His Majesty.

"On behalf of the Empire, I acquit you!"

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Chapter 650 Palace Trial

Jeremy turned and left, while Vina saw him to the door.

When he reached the end of the road, Jeremy suddenly turned around, only to see a tightly closed door.

"That's good." He shook his head and muttered to himself.

As long as he no longer gets involved with it, Dofi can live a peaceful life no matter whose flag flies over the city walls in the end.

Unbeknownst to Jeremy, Venere was silently standing half a meter behind him, using the ability of the Mirror Flower Water Moon to conceal himself.

"Don't do anything unnecessary. How am I supposed to sneak into the palace without your guidance?" Vina shook her head helplessly.

Without a guide, Vina didn't even know the direction of the palace gates, let alone how to sneak in.

Jeremy walked slowly toward the palace, as if cherishing this last stretch of the journey.

His gaze swept over the familiar buildings on both sides of the street, as if trying to etch these scenes into his mind, but this tranquility did not last long.

When Jeremy passed the next intersection, a squad of Imperial Guards clad in armor had been waiting for him for some time.

They were fully armed, weapons in hand, standing like pine trees, yet exuding a chilling aura.

The commander of the Imperial Guards stepped forward: "Lord Jeremy, His Majesty requests your presence."

Although it was said as "please," judging from the soldiers' wary posture, they wouldn't hesitate to capture Jeremy on the spot if he made the slightest move.

Jeremy met the commander's gaze. "I was just about to go see His Majesty."

Surrounded by the Imperial Guards, Jeremy showed no signs of being a defeated general; instead, he resembled a triumphant commander returning home. He quickly arrived at the palace.

Four guards stood on either side, escorting Jeremy towards the palace hall under the command of their commander.

Using the illusion of a mirror to conceal her form, Venus also quietly blended in, unnoticed by anyone.

The palace's security appeared tight, but it was actually riddled with loopholes. There were hardly any sophisticated traps or mechanisms, let alone even the most basic protective barriers.

This led Wiener to suspect that this might be a trap set by the other side.

However, after a moment's thought, he realized what was going on.

Lucien is now the one who truly controls the empire, while the one sitting on the throne is merely a puppet empress, so naturally, no one will spend much effort protecting her safety.

Rather, if something were to happen to Sylph, it would actually give him a legitimate reason to act.

The royal guards who were truly loyal to King IX and Edel had long been scattered by Lucien.

Those who are lucky will be sent outside the capital to perform missions that they cannot return to in the short term.

As for those who were unlucky, or whose emblems were coveted by Lucien, they all suffered terrible fates.

Jeremy was quickly escorted to the main hall.

The throne hung high above the steps, with layers of curtains hanging down, shrouding the empress's figure and obscuring her expression.

Vina's attention was drawn more to a man to the side of the Empress; judging from his position, he should be Lucien.

However, this imperial duke, though standing right here, always gave him a sense of unreality.

Wiener did not act rashly; he simply wanted to see what was going on.

Seeing that everyone was in place, Chief Justice Mayonna slowly stepped forward, holding a roll of parchment in his hands, and began to read Jeremy's charges.

"Jeremy de Valmont, as the supervisor of the Second Legion of the Empire, guarded the Gosa Gorge Fortress, shouldering the heavy responsibility of resisting the rebels. However, when his commander died in battle, he failed to carry on his last will and hold the position. Instead, he abandoned his men and fled the battlefield alone!"

"Such behavior not only delays the battle but also brings shame to the empire! According to imperial law, their noble status should be revoked and they should be executed!"

The justice's every word was weighty and resounding, but Jeremy remained silent.

He kept his head down, but never uttered a word in his own defense.

While these accusations are not entirely true, the fact that he abandoned his position and fled the battlefield is undeniable.

If they were to argue, it would inevitably involve Doffie's existence, so Jeremy gave up on explaining.

What puzzled Vener was that Jeremy, who had been appointed as the military supervisor by Lucien, was now acting as if it were none of his business, listening to the trial with an almost indifferent attitude, as if everything had nothing to do with him.

Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, the figure on the throne finally spoke.

"Sir Jeremy, don't you have anything to say?"

The voice, which sounded seven or eight parts like Adele's, made Jeremy raise his head slightly and look at the throne with a complicated expression.

“Yes,” Jeremy’s lips moved, “I have no objection to the Chief Justice’s verdict, and I am willing to die for it. But I have important matters to report to Your Majesty!”

As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head and stared intently at Lucien, who was standing to the side, his eyes seemingly burning with fire.

"Lucien condones his subordinates' collusion with demons and their assignment of demons to fight. Now that St. Freya Academy and the Hero have intervened, further leniency will drag the empire into utter ruin!"

Jeremy's voice echoed in the hall, but Lucien remained calm in the face of such fierce accusations.

"Finished?" Lucien looked down at Jeremy below the steps and asked.

These three short words carry an indescribable sense of oppression, as if they render all accusations meaningless.

Jeremy paused for a moment, looked around, and found that his former colleagues were all expressionless, even deliberately avoiding his gaze, as if afraid of being dragged into it.

Only then did he realize that the situation had changed completely during the time he had been away from the capital.

“Jeremy, you sinner, have defied His Majesty and falsely accused an imperial nobleman in court. Your crime is compounded!” Mayona’s voice rang out again.

His defection completely extinguished Jeremy's hopes.

Behind the curtain, the blurry figure seemed to want to say something, but was silenced by a sharp glare from Lucien.

"Take it down."

Lucien waved his hand as if he were dealing with a trivial matter.

The Imperial Guard, which was supposed to be responsible only to His Majesty the Emperor, obeyed Lucien's orders without hesitation.

Two Imperial Guard soldiers stepped forward, grabbed Jeremy, and prepared to escort him away.

Jeremy, who had been cooperating, suddenly started to struggle, his eyes bloodshot with anger.

"What on earth did you do to His Majesty—?"

Before he could finish speaking, a member of the Imperial Guard decisively struck, delivering a powerful punch to his abdomen.

Another Imperial Guard swung his hand and chopped at the back of the neck.

Jeremy's body went limp.

The two soldiers didn't care and dragged Jeremy along the ground towards the outside of the hall.

"Do any of you ministers have anything else to report to His Majesty?" Lucien asked, glancing at the assembled officials.

The audience fell silent; no one dared to meet Dao's gaze directly.

Seeing that no one answered, Lucien nodded in satisfaction.

"Since there's nothing else, let's disperse."

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Chapter 651 Sylph: There's an assassin!

After giving the order, Lucien was the first to disappear into the hall.

This scene also confirmed to Viner that what had just appeared in front of everyone was merely a projection of himself.

After Lucien left, the courtiers dispersed, none of them giving the empress, who sat regally on the throne, a second glance.

The blurry figure was concealed by layers of curtains, like a mere decoration.

Only at the very end did a few people step forward to escort the Empress back to her palace.

Viner quietly followed behind, observing the guards' every move.

They appeared respectful and polite, but in reality, they always maintained a distance, and every action revealed their wariness and alienation.

It's less about protection and more about close surveillance.

The magnificent bedroom was more like a luxurious cage.

Several guards quickly conducted a thorough search of the palace, and after confirming that there was nothing unusual, they bowed to Sylph and withdrew.

The sound of the latch clicking shut came from outside the door; they could neither go out nor go in.

Sylph stood in the center of the room, slowly taking off her clothes and then removing the heavy crown and placing it on the table.

It was as if only by removing these adornments could she temporarily shed her identity as "Empress" and be herself again.

The only thing that has sustained Sylph until now is that she knows that if she were not in this position, Lucien would act even more recklessly.

She knew that Edel and the Lafner family had close ties, and she was certain that her sister was marching towards the capital with the rebels.

Every time she heard news of the rebels' victory, Sylph would secretly rejoice and silently pray that her elder sister could return to the capital soon and end this nightmarish situation.

But Lucien clearly saw through her expectations.

Everything that happened today serves as a warning to her not to harbor any illusions.

"Come back soon, my sister," Sylph murmured to herself.

No matter how strong she is, there are limits.

Playing the role of a puppet day after day, watching helplessly as Lucien purged nobles loyal to the royal family, this oppression had long since brought her to the brink of collapse.

"Judging from the speed of Adele and the others' advance, it will take at least another half a month to arrive, not even counting how long it will take to conquer the capital." Just as Sylph sighed softly, Venere quietly appeared in the room.

"That's it."

Even though there was suddenly another person in the room, Sylph showed no surprise whatsoever, and instead calmly opened her arms.

While it was commendable that he remained so calm upon seeing his target, the sight of the girl's frail body displayed before him still prompted Vena to ask, "What are you doing?"

“In that case, it should be easier for you to make your move, Mr. Assassin,” Sylph said calmly. “Don’t let my appearance fool you, I’m actually a little afraid of pain. I hope you can give me a quick death.”

"Do I look that much like an assassin?" Viner looked around at herself, unable to understand.

He did not deny that he intended to end Lucien's life on this trip. From this perspective, Viner could be considered an assassin.

However, before that, he had to fulfill the request given to him by Edel and protect the girl in front of him.

“You don’t need to test me anymore.” Sylph’s smile was tinged with bitterness. “Although the capital is now completely under my uncle’s control, there are still many nobles outside the capital who are watching.”

"There can be no news that would incite public outrage more than the assassination of Her Majesty the Empress."

"You seem to think quite a lot." Viner clapped her hands, but also felt a pang of sympathy.

What kind of environment could have driven this girl, who was even younger than Lisette, to such a state?

The paranoid delusion of viewing everyone who approaches as a potential threat.