After choosing to leave, they regretted it.

Aize smiled bitterly and shook his head.

The Black Hounds' goal is to disrupt the existing situation by spreading panic and inciting riots.

But there is actually an easier way to achieve this goal.

Just kill Heidi.

If Heidi, a princess, were assassinated at this point in time, all the conflicts that had been suppressed before would inevitably erupt, and the situation would collapse in an instant.

But as a princess, Heidi stayed in the palace and was protected by brave men, so her flesh was very strong, and the assassins' tricks were not even enough to scrape her flesh.

Naturally it cannot be the main goal.

As a result, Heidi ran out on her own initiative after hearing the commotion.

The Black Hounds therefore changed their plans.

"There were two Black Hounds at the scene, one disguised as a guard, the other as a refugee. They were probably trying to play both sides and fan the flames. This tactic really works everywhere, regardless of the world."

"And those kids, they must have been brainwashed in advance to hate the Wang family and the guards. If you hadn't shown up, they might have been instigated to attack the guards. If the guards were to use violence against the kids, they'd use it as a hype to incite chaos."

"As a result, not only did you appear at the scene, but you even affected the refugees' situation. That's why they suddenly decided to change their plan from incitement to assassination."

After the explanation, Heidi understood what had happened.

Then I felt a deep fear.

It is hard to imagine what kind of fierce game Aize was engaged in with his invisible enemy at a time and place he was unaware of.

But this is Aize.

It was because he was always like this that Heidi felt a sense of security from him that she had never felt before.

Thinking of this, Heidi's mood unconsciously calmed down a lot.

Even when I came to my senses, I found that the corners of my mouth had risen uncontrollably.

He shook his head desperately.

Don't get addicted to this sense of security.

Otherwise, I will become the same as before and unconsciously want to entrust everything to him.

"anyway……"

"--What?"

Aize's sudden words startled Heidi, who was trying to adjust herself.

"I arranged for Alicia to protect you to prevent the worst-case scenario where the violence got out of control. I never expected you to run away on your own initiative."

"……sorry."

"No, no, no, no need to apologize! It's my fault for not telling you clearly in advance."

Seeing Heidi's face darken and she was about to bow again, Aize waved his hands desperately.

"But I'm just curious, why? Why did you...why did you go there?"

This question troubled Heidi.

After all, I didn’t think too much about it when I went there.

"Uh...how should I put it? I don't really understand it, but I just feel like I should go and take a look."

"Oh?"

"It's just... well... didn't father always teach me that it's the nobles' responsibility to protect the common people? But think about it, what exactly are the common people like?"

Heidi takes the so-called noble responsibility and honor very seriously as the code of life.

But after going through so much, looking back, I found that these two sentences were unexpectedly empty.

Nobles and commoners.

What are the nobility and what are the common people?

Heidi had seen enough of the true faces of the nobles in the past month, and it had even broken her defenses.

What about civilians?

Is it different from what you thought?

So, I subconsciously went to see it.

Heidi spoke hesitantly, and Aize listened quietly.

At this point, he finally asked:

"Then, after watching it, how did you feel?"

"Just like I thought, I don't understand anything."

Heidi closed her eyes and shook her head.

I thought I was eloquent, but when faced with the simplest and most basic requests from the refugees, my brain went blank and I had no idea how to respond.

What an irony.

"Isn't it ridiculous? You talk all about the honor and responsibility of the nobility, and the obligations of the nobility to the common people, but in the end, I don't understand nobility, nor do I understand common people. I... I don't understand anything..."

Chapter 110 Core Issues

Among the courses Heidi had taken in the past, a considerable amount of content was included that was related to the people. How to rule the people was also a skill that the nobles had to master.

But that's just theoretical and top-down.

Giving orders from a high position and actually being among the people and meeting them face to face are completely different experiences.

Take this incident as an example.

The future of the entire royal capital is still unclear. No one knows how long this disaster will last. Limited food and supplies must be distributed carefully to ensure that as many people as possible can survive for as long as possible.

This theory is undoubtedly correct and there is not even a single problem with it.

But when refugees, emaciated by hunger, riot for the simple demand of having a full meal, can we say something like "it is reasonable to let you starve"?

Some nobles, perhaps.

They may even go even further and confidently ask others to thank them for saving their lives.

But Heidi, who holds a simple view of good and evil, cannot do that. She cannot say such words no matter what.

This is what Heidi meant by saying that she knew nothing - she never thought that facing the public would be such a difficult thing.

To this, Aize's response was—

"Hahahaha-"

After being stunned for a moment, he turned his head away, covered his stomach and started laughing uncontrollably.

"How should I put it, Princess, is this your first day as Princess? When did you become so sentimental? Hahahahahahaha——"

Even her smile became more and more unbridled, so that Heidi, with a sad face, just stood there, numb and didn't know how to react.

Then he came to his senses, his face flushed red, and he rushed over and beat Aize angrily and angrily:

"What's so funny!? Did I say something wrong?!"

"No, no, no, that's right, sorry... Hahahaha..."

"Still laughing!?"

"Stop laughing, stop laughing... huh~"

When others are serious and melancholy, you are laughing so loudly, you really deserve a beating.

But could Aize be blamed for that? It was simply because the difference between this guy and before was too great.

Until a month ago, she kept talking about the royal family and aristocracy, and never let go of her responsibilities and honors.

Only one month had passed, and even after experiencing all sorts of things, the core concept remained unchanged, but the situation suddenly reversed to an almost completely opposite state.

It’s really hard to evaluate.

But what is certain is that this guy seems to have a tendency to completely deny himself.

This is not good.

So, after suppressing his smile, Aize took a breath, thought for a moment, and then answered seriously:

"You can say all this, yet you still claim you know nothing. What about those other nobles? And what about the three dukes surrounding the city?"

Be able to objectively and realistically compare what you have learned with what you have seen, reflect on your own actions, and even clearly understand what you don’t understand.

This is already rare in the aristocratic circle where everyone is extremely arrogant and looks down on others.

Heidi was stunned by this question, and then subconsciously looked away. Her small body seemed extremely cramped, and she didn't even know what to do with her hands.

Then he muttered softly:

"That's what I said, but... comparing myself to them feels quite awkward. Isn't that just comparing ourselves to the worst?"

"How is this considered a comparison of badness? If a few people are bad, that's a human problem. But if everyone else is bad, it becomes an environmental problem. Criticizing an object without considering the environment has no practical value. Besides..."

Aize paused briefly and organized his words a little:

"You're being too picky. Perfect things don't exist in reality, especially in your position. This doesn't mean you've done anything wrong, it's just reality. Speaking of this incident, well..."

Aize paused and looked around.

The two had already left the dungeon for quite a distance and were now in a corridor near the palace study.

This corridor is located on the second floor and is one of the few areas that is still not open to the public.

From the windows here, one can see the residents taking refuge in the palace gardens.

Aize came to the window, pointed at them and said:

"It's true that the safe zone is short on supplies and has poor living conditions. But are you primarily responsible? No, if it weren't for the blood plague and displacement, they wouldn't have ended up like this in the first place. It's not your fault."

The problem Heidi is struggling with is essentially a replica of the trolley problem.

The trolley problem is something quite anti-human. No matter what choice you make, there is no so-called correct answer.

Therefore, the only way is not to make a choice and just beat up the person who set the question.

That is what happened this time.

The outbreak of the blood plague turned the royal capital into hell, and the blockade by the dukes made the situation worse.

In this environment, no matter how Heidi arranges things or makes choices, it will never be perfect.

As he spoke, Aize raised his head slightly, crossed his arms and smiled slightly contemptuously:

"If you have time, think about how to solve the problem at its root as quickly as possible. What's the point of torturing yourself with moral kidnapping? You still don't understand anything, haha—what do you want to understand?"

This call completely stunned Heidi.

The topic that I had been struggling with for a long time was smashed to pieces along with the problem itself, like a dimensionality reduction attack from a completely different level.

For a moment, she felt her cheeks getting hot and her breathing became rapid.

In an instant, I felt unprecedented relaxation. Not only did my breathing become smoother, but even my consciousness became much clearer.

It was as if a huge rock pressing on him had been removed.

But at the same time, she realized that her behavior was indeed a bit stupid.

In order to avoid Aize's increasingly sarcastic gaze, Heidi even had the urge to jump down from the building.

After finally holding it in, he wiped his face a few times and asked with unusual force.

"Compared to this, what is the current situation of the blood slaves?"

"Hmm? Changing the subject?"

Aize covered his mouth in feigned surprise.

"I just thought of something. Your Hero's Divine Protection, which prioritizes defense, might be related to your masochistic nature. For example, you might be a masochist or something..."

"Shut up! Didn't you say we had to resolve this situation quickly? Let's get down to business!!!"

All the previous entanglements turned into shame and anger at this moment.

Heidi waved her arms and wanted to hit Aize in anger, but unfortunately she was too short and her arm span was too short, so the latter hit her head and she couldn't move.