Bridget watched as the last of the students stepped into the glowing portal before turning around and walking back toward her spacious office.
Inside, there were surprisingly familiar faces already present. The likes of Nathan, Boris, and Brawn were seated, along with so other important nobles, their expressions incredibly serious.
Due to the recent happenings in the Vermilion Kingdom, key individuals in the capital had decided to gather for a crucial discussion. The entire atmosphere was thick with tension.
They were no fools. Every one of them could sense that the king's recent orders made absolutely no sense. There was even a wild theory circulating that the king might be under so form of control—or worse, completely possessed.
And their number one suspect was none other than the Demonic Empire, which resided on the non-human continent. How had they co to this unsettling conclusion? Because the status of Volgrath bore all the telltale signs of demonic interference, almost as if it were their direct handiwork.
Bridget took her seat, then cleared her throat, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. These were so of the most influential figures in the kingdom, and yet even they were struggling to make sense of the recent developnts.
Nathan was the first to break the silence, his expression dark. "We all know why we're here. The king's latest actions aren't just strange—they're dangerous. Forcing the people to worship a demonic statue? That's not just madness; it's outright treason."
Boris nodded. "The people are terrified. They don't understand why the king is making them bow to a foreign god. And let's be honest, neither do we."
Brawn, the Guild Master of the Silent Whispers, leaned forward slightly. "There's only one explanation that makes sense. The Demonic Empire is behind this."
A murmur spread through the room like wildfire. No one dared contradict him. After all, Brawn, as an assassin, traveled a lot.
He had even carried out a mission in the Demonic Empire once, so they thought his assumption was spot on.
"If it's them, then this is even more serious than we thought," one of the nobles muttered, swallowing hard, the sound of his saliva noisily passing through his throat.
The Demonic Empire, the strongest empire on the non-human continent, was infamous for its corrupting influence. If they had sohow gotten to the king, then the entire Vermilion Kingdom was in grave danger.
Bridget tapped a single finger against the polished wooden table. Her purple eyes narrowed as she said in a sowhat uncertain tone,
"It's not just the statues. The king has been amassing resources, moving troops in strange patterns, and silencing anyone who dares to question him. This isn't preparation for defense. It's preparation for war."
Silence followed her words, heavier than before.
Then Boris spoke again. "A war he's trying to keep hidden from the public eye."
Everyone exchanged glances. They all had the sa thought in their minds—how the heck would the king keep a war under wraps?
It was impossible.
The implications were terrifying.
If the king was preparing for war in secret, that ant he either expected an imminent invasion or—worse—was planning one himself.
"We need to act before it's too late," Nathan said after pondering for a while. He thought Bridget's words made a lot of sense.
The Tristan Kingdom was clearly an allied nation. They had even helped the Vermilion Kingdom a couple of tis in the past.
However, when they asked for the Vermilion Kingdom's help, the king refused to send the military and instead tasked the academy with aiding them.
Was he scared that the kingdom would be attacked while the military was away?
"I say we remove him," Nathan said all of a sudden.
An oppressive silence filled the room.
Most of the individuals visibly stiffened.
A coup wasn't sothing to suggest lightly. If they failed, their entire faction would be wiped out without hesitation.
Boris exhaled sharply through his nose. "You're suggesting treason, Nathan."
"I'm suggesting survival," Nathan countered without missing a beat. "The king has already crossed the line. If we allow him to continue unchecked, the kingdom will burn—either to war or to demonic corruption."
A heavy silence settled over the room as everyone pondered Nathan's proposal. A full two minutes flew by, and soon the eyes of everyone burned with determination. Then, one by one, heads began to nod in agreent.
"It's high ti we do the right thing."
"Truth be told, we should've done this years ago—ever since he slaughtered those commoners."
"We can't act recklessly," Boris cautioned, his tone serious. "The king is powerful. We all know that. But the real problem isn't just him—it's his son, Adrian."
At the re ntion of the na, the tension in the room spiked like a blade against stone.
Adrian Vermilion. The first prince, commander of the kingdom's navy, and one of the youngest recorded experts in history. At only twenty-five, he was already a force to be reckoned with.
"He's fiercely loyal to his father," Bridget said, eyes narrowing. She knew him very well. After all, he was the most promising student in his batch.
"If we move against the king, he will retaliate without hesitation."
"And if Adrian gets involved," soone muttered under his breath, "it will be extrely difficult to take down the king, who is also an expert."
"There's even a rumor that the king is closing in on Level 150. That ans he has a massive mana pool to play with. It will be difficult to exhaust soone like that."
"We should not forget—he might also have the backing of soone even more powerful."
The grim reality of the situation pressed down on them.
Even if they managed to overthrow the king, Adrian would not stand idly by and watch his father be killed.
Nathan exhaled slowly.
"Then we plan for him, too."
"You want to involve the kid as well?" soone asked, raising an eyebrow. "I an, his father is the bad blood, not him..."
"Tsk, nonsense." Nathan sneered, his eyes filled with anger. "Those commoners were also innocent, but they were used for so stupid show of power."
A murmur of agreent spread through the gathered nobles. It was a dangerous gamble, but at this point, there were no safe bets left.
Bridget tapped the table once more. "Then let's outline our options. If we're going to do this, we need to be precise. We can't afford any missteps."
One by one, plans were proposed and then discarded. Possible allies were listed and evaluated. Weaknesses of both the king and Adrian were analyzed in painstaking detail.
The night stretched on, and by the ti they were done, a dangerous plan had begun to take shape.
---
anwhile, in the vast seas of the Vermilion Kingdom, a handso, spiky dark-haired youth was staring through a spyglass on one of the nurous naval ships belonging to the kingdom.
The ship at the centre!
The youth looked like an older version of Ainsworth, only he was more mature, more handso, and radiated a powerful aura.
He was none other than Adrian Vermilion, the firstborn and rightful heir to the throne. After Arthur, he held the record for being the youngest expert in the Vermilion Kingdom and one of the strongest in the entire far west human capital.
Adrian gently took off his spyglass and, without even looking at his subordinate, ordered in a deep voice, "Get ready to intercept the incoming ship."
anwhile, on the other side sea, Akira's eyes flashed with a hint of fear.
After traveling for so long, she had finally entered the human domain and was very close to the Vermilion Kingdom...
"I knew it would be difficult to get in, but this... all this." She was both dumbfounded, amazed, and frightened at the sa ti because...
Because in front of her were dozens of armored ships.
Furthermore, a powerful presence was radiating from the ship at the very center.
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