The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

“I didn’t expect you to know me so well now.” Viner was somewhat surprised.

“I just know how lazy you are,” Jessica replied irritably.

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Chapter 687 Parliamentary Co-governance

"Alright, I won't pressure you anymore." Leia sighed softly, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness and relief.

She finally gave up the idea of ​​putting Vina in the position of leader.

"But I've only just arrived, and you're already planning to take Jessica and Lisette all away. Isn't it a bit too much of a burden on an old man like me to leave like this and never come back?" Leia said half-jokingly.

“You’re wronging me. We’re just asking for a short leave, not that we’re not coming back.” Wiener scratched his head, looking innocent. “Besides, this is just a request. If the Dean doesn’t give his permission, how dare we leave?”

Leia chuckled upon hearing this, clearly unconvinced by Viner's sophistry.

But Jessica, who was standing to the side, took these words seriously and stepped forward to assure us: "Lady Rhea, if there is anything you need us for, just send us a message and we will do our best to complete it."

“I will speak up if necessary.” She paused, then looked at Vena. “Call out Tilissa.”

Vena dared not say more and hurriedly summoned the Goddess of the Palace.

With a soft flash of light, Tissa appeared before everyone in human form.

"Lady Leia." Tissa gave a slight bow.

“You should know that I have always been grooming you to be the next dean.” Leia gazed at Tilisa.

"I have failed the Dean's expectations."

Leia reached out to stop her apology: "It's not your fault. After all, what you've been through is a hundred times more cruel than what we're facing now. It might not be a bad thing that things have developed to this point."

She paused for a moment, as if considering her words, and then slowly said, "But the reason I'm here with you is to hear your opinion—would you be willing to let Jessica take over as the dean of St. Freya Academy?"

Upon hearing this, Jessica looked up in surprise, her eyes filled with disbelief: "Dean, I'm afraid this is inappropriate. I am still inexperienced and have many shortcomings. How can I shoulder such an important responsibility?"

“Of course not now,” Leia shook her head. “I’m not trying to keep you here this way, but Tilissa’s current condition is no longer suitable for this task. Although there is still some time, we need to make plans as soon as possible.”

“I believe Jessica is qualified for this position,” Tilisa said without hesitation. “I am also confident that she would not refuse the appointment.”

"Teacher, I——"

Jessica was still hesitating when Tilissa suddenly changed the subject, pointing the finger at Vina.

"You don't want to be the leader of the alliance, and you don't want to get involved in the dean's position either. How about you take on a temporary position as a special advisor within the academy? That shouldn't be too much of a waste for you, right?"

“No, no, I’m not aggrieved,” Wiener shook her head repeatedly, “I just don’t know what the consultant’s usual salary and vacation time are—”

“Then you’ll have to negotiate with the dean yourself,” Tilisa said with a light laugh.

Jessica understood her teacher's meaning immediately, so she took a deep breath and nodded solemnly: "In that case, I am willing to accept the position of dean."

Upon hearing this, Tissa nodded in satisfaction, then turned to look at Rhea: "Dean, look, they've all agreed."

Looking at the scene before her, Leia couldn't help but chuckle: "You really do have a way with things."

Having received their promises, she felt that one of her wishes had been fulfilled.

Leia glanced at Vina and Jessica, a hint of relief and satisfaction in her eyes: "If there's nothing else, you can leave now."

Although she said she wanted Jessica to inherit the position of Dean, she wasn't in a hurry now; it would be after the Demon God was defeated.

So deep down, Rhea didn't want them to waste their time on these mundane matters.

Compared to myself, whose abilities are already fixed and will only gradually decline in the future, these students still have untapped potential.

Since the academy can no longer guide his progress, it's better to let nature take its course and allow them to explore their own paths.

“Speaking of which, there is indeed something I need to ask of the Dean,” Venere suddenly said.

“Oh? You go ahead.” Leia raised an eyebrow slightly.

"It's about the Empire—"

......

"Edel, Lady Rhea requests your presence," Samif announced.

"Thank you for the notification."

After Wiener left, Adele waited an extra hour before requesting a meeting to avoid running into him.

"Come with me."

The two had fought side by side for a period of time, so their relationship wasn't too distant. Samif, who was leading the way in the corridor, took the initiative to start a conversation: "You could actually have come with Vena."

“The Dean’s meeting with Venere is an internal matter for the Academy; but my meeting with the Dean is a matter between the Academy and the Empire. There’s no need to put him in a difficult position.” Edel clearly had given this matter careful consideration.

“You’re still making too many distinctions,” Samif shook her head. “Vina wouldn’t care about these things.”

“Perhaps,” Adele admitted, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, “but I already owe him enough.”

"If he did these things for a reward, how could he have gained the trust of so many people?"

Samif stopped, reached out and pushed open the study door, and gestured for her to enter.

Adele didn't say anything more, just nodded, and then stepped into the room.

"Edel, the Empire contributed the most to the conquest of the capital and the extermination of Labbel and the remnants of the demon race."

Rhea knew the other party's intentions from the beginning, so she didn't beat around the bush. She simply raised her hand and waved a scroll, which floated to Edel's front.

"Take a look at the terms listed above. Is there anything lacking?"

Adele accepted the scroll; after all, it concerned the interests of the empire, and she dared not be negligent in the slightest.

But as she browsed through the offers one by one, her expression changed slightly, because the conditions offered by Leia were so generous that they were even 30% higher than the best outcome she had anticipated.

However, some of the clauses are puzzling.

“This…” Adele raised her head, hesitating to speak.

“Don’t be surprised,” Rhea noticed Adele’s confusion and explained, “Some of these terms were suggested by Venere.”

The empire and kingdoms have just suffered from the scourge of the demons, and this is the time for them to unite in their hatred of the enemy.

If we can seize this opportunity to unite the three kingdoms, we can not only stabilize the current fragile peace, but also lay a solid foundation for the future war against the demons.

The best solution at present is for the three countries to govern together through a parliament.

The suggestions made by Viner regarding resettling and providing relief to people affected by the demonic calamity through mixed-use housing, as well as some suggestions on resource sharing and technological exchange, are also quite valuable.

“He sees things very clearly,” Adele murmured softly.

Compared to Wiener, her vision and perspective are far too narrow.

"Anyway, he doesn't need to worry about it, so of course he's easygoing," Leia said helplessly.

Someone only makes suggestions and doesn't follow through, yet everyone listens to what he says.

With such a "brave hero" around, who can say it's not a blessing for the mainland?

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Chapter 688 The Price of Challenging the Demon God

After saying goodbye to Rhea, Vena, who wasn't in a hurry, suddenly decided to form a small mercenary group.

While accepting several requests to hunt monsters, they made their way towards Rumiel Village.

Along the way, they didn't use teleportation or any shortcuts, but instead walked the entire way, as if they wanted to rediscover this land.

That was at least the original plan.

"Gentlemen, I think we've run into trouble."

Taking advantage of a break after dinner, Viña gathered everyone together with a serious expression.

"Has the Demon God awakened ahead of schedule?"

Felix couldn't think of anything else that could cause trouble for the group.

"No, actually we're out of money."

Wiener took out his purse, poured out the only two silver coins he had left, and sighed, "Raising Felix is ​​still too expensive."

"How can you blame me for this?!" Felix said indignantly.

“Give me the money bag,” Anna said, taking the money bag from the table, clasping her hands together, and as if by magic, conjuring up a heavy money bag. “Now I have money again.”

“No, we agreed beforehand that we can only use the money we earn from completing missions along the way,” Viner refused.

"Then we'll have to ask where all our money went, Commander?" Jessica emphasized the word "Commander."

With her current strength, she could make the round trip from the capital to Lumiel Village in a day, even with everyone else.

But Jessica actually knew why Viner suddenly said he wanted to hike to Lumiel village.

He wasn't just looking for a simple travel experience; he wanted people to experience firsthand the lives of ordinary people living outside the city and far from the center of power through the identity of mercenaries.

“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.” Lisette lowered her head, her voice filled with shame and self-reproach. “I just felt so sorry for them.”

At the beginning of their trip, the group was able to receive some decent commissions and accumulate some spare money.

If used according to plan, it would be enough to support them all the way to Lumiel Village even if they didn't receive any more commissions.

However, as their journey progressed, their activities shifted from bustling cities to remote villages.

There, they witnessed the trauma left by the war.

Families that have lost their breadwinners, houses and fields destroyed, villagers struggling to make a living.

Every time Lisette sees such a scene, she feels a pang of compassion.

At first, she would only occasionally share some food and money with those in need.

However, as such behavior became more and more frequent, the mercenary group's operating funds finally ran out.

"I told you it wasn't my problem."

Felix breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, he had been reflecting on whether he was really such a glutton that he could bankrupt the mercenary group.

"On the bright side, at least we haven't received any requests to hunt monsters along the way. As long as we get through this last period, things will get better."

Anna tossed the refilled purse to Lisette.

She knew some of Rhea's plans, including the compensation and aid for these residents affected by the war.

However, the preparation and distribution of supplies is a huge undertaking, and it will take some time to get it implemented.

Before this, these impoverished families had no choice but to maintain the status quo.

However, Anna doesn't dislike Lisette's genuine kindness.

“These alone cannot help everyone.” Lisette shook her head and gently put the money bag down.

"Throughout this journey, I've been thinking: if magic were no longer used for war, but instead for people's livelihoods and production, wouldn't it be possible to feed more people?"

“This will probably take a long time to change,” Jessica cautioned.

Magic was originally a technology developed to combat demons, and its development over hundreds of years has been closely tied to combat.

When Lisette saw the encouraging look from Vina, she felt as if a surge of strength had been injected into her heart.

"No matter how difficult it is, I am willing to give it a try. Even if it only improves things a little bit, it will be worth it."

Jessica paused for a moment, then finally smiled faintly: "That's not a bad idea. Once the continent of Fodora no longer needs the Officer Academy, St. Freya Academy's teaching policy should also be changed."

"Ahem, the future headmaster has spoken, shouldn't you hurry up and thank him?" Viner coughed lightly to remind him.

"Thank you." Lisette gave Jessica a grateful look.

“Don’t thank me so soon,” Jessica waved her hand, her expression becoming serious. “If we can’t completely destroy the demon god, this will forever remain just a plan and never become a reality.”

“I will know what’s important,” Lisette said confidently.

The atmosphere eased slightly, but Vena seemed to have thought of something and asked, "Speaking of which, what kind of being is a Demon God? Since the academy has been able to seal Demon Gods so many times, it should have some experience, right?"

For most people, the existence of demons has always been shrouded in mystery.

"If the lesson that every time a demon breaks free from its seal it becomes stronger than before can be called a 'lesson'... then it's probably this: never underestimate the power of a demon," Jessica said slowly.

A thousand years ago, the battles between humans and demons did not have the numerous martial arts and spells we have today; the battles were essentially fought using magic.