Translator: Cinder Translations
...
For the entire afternoon, Kevin continued transcribing books.
As evening approached, Kevin finished organizing his day's work and prepared to return to his quarters in the Bachelor's Tower.
To his surprise, his senior, Mond, arrived at that moment.
"Senior, your permissions must be quite high. Is the library in the Bachelor's Tower not enough for you?"
"What are you saying? No library can hold all the books in the world! In fact, I come to the Royal Archives from time to time to see if there are any new books that interest me. I just happened to be busy these past few days while you were working. You can ask your supervisor and colleagues; I'm well acquainted with them."
Mond explained with a smile, casually greeting another administrator who was leaving.
"Alright then, let me serve you, Senior. What books do you want to see?"
"I have a list. Could you help me find them?"
Mond pulled out a note and handed it to Kevin.
Kevin took the note and found each book to place on the table. When he found the last one, he smiled and said, "You're in luck! This book was just returned at noon today."
"Oh, that really is good luck."
Mond laughed heartily and took a pile of books with him.
But less than a minute later, he returned with a somewhat mysterious expression and said, "Kevin, I have good news. The teacher has been dispatched by His Majesty to the Holy See, and he plans to take you along to see the world. You should get ready!"
"Ah?" Kevin was surprised. "I've only been working here for a few days; isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
"Come on, it's just a part-time job. Don't worry; I'll speak to your supervisor tomorrow. Does he dare refuse our teacher's face?"
"Um… alright."
...
In the military camp north of the imperial capital, the Council of Ten of the Arcane Order was holding a meeting.
However, the so-called "Council of Ten" only had nine members present.
The old man in the black robe said in a deep voice, "Considering all aspects, the Kingdom of Aldor has effectively split. Giles only maintains a nominal allegiance to the royal family."
Another person added, "Yes, Aldor's power has reached its historical low. This country will continue to decline in the foreseeable future."
The others began to discuss.
"It's really lamentable. Back in the day, the founding king of Aldor subdued various local lords amid chaos and recaptured lands occupied by orcs for years, expanding the territory to the natural borders of the Inner Rodan Corridor in the east, the Endless Sea in the west, the Rocky Mountains in the north, and the Miasma Forest in the south. It almost seemed to recreate the glory of the ancient Bela Empire, yet now it has fallen to this state."
"There is no eternal dynasty. Throughout history, those vast countries gradually lose the monarch's control over vassals over time, leading to fragmentation. Alas, even our endeavors, a few hundred years from now, will merely be a footnote in history. By the way, mind your language—what do you mean by recreating the glory of the ancient Bela Empire? Gabella is the rightful successor to the ancient Bela Empire."
"Hmph!" A female voice interrupted, expressing dissatisfaction.
"Clearly, the capital and most of the population and territory of the ancient Bela Empire were in Aldor…"
"What? Do you still have affection for Aldor? Hmph, I know your past…"
"I don't understand. Even under Aldor's previous situation, it wouldn't have the power to intervene strongly in external affairs. Why do we need to…"
"Do you know? That Princess Catherine is no simple character. What if she ascends to the throne and consolidates Aldor? Now is the best time; even if she ascends, she will be powerless. Moreover, this was agreed upon by His Highness Antonio; do you dare to go against him?"
"Shut up! When did I say I would go against His Highness Antonio?"
...
"Enough!"
Seeing the argument escalating, the old man in the black robe immediately intervened.
"Although we come from different nations, I hope we do not create conflicts due to nationality. The current weakening of Aldor and the maneuvering in the Horns Bay are actions taken out of necessity for our plan. We are not seeking destruction for its own sake, nor are we merely pursuing Gabella's interests. Our actions stem from the strength of the empire and the recognition of His Highness Antonio, making Gabella the best platform for us to realize our plans. Everything we do is for the future of the entire human race."
The old man in the black robe articulated each word clearly:
"I hope everyone does not forget that terrible prophecy."
The last sentence made everyone present feel a chill.
The meeting returned to the previous topic.
"Since Aldor has already fallen into the state we desire, we should take action in the Gulf as well."
The old man in the black robe turned to the woman who had spoken earlier, "Lady Chiyan, you personally went to the Gulf before. What do you think of the situation there?"
The woman named Chiyan, possessing a lovely face and dazzling red hair, replied, "The contradictions between the coastal nations and the Church have reached a boiling point; a single spark could ignite it."
The old man in the black robe said, "Hmm, Nathan is still lurking there, right? With your son's abilities, it should be easy for him. Besides, we have someone supporting us in the Church of the Horns Bay."
He continued, "We also need to stir up trouble at the Church headquarters. The war in the Horns Bay is not the goal; dragging the Church into it is the objective."
Someone responded, "Lord Aldridge's mission has been arranged. He has already persuaded His Majesty the Emperor to support the Church in the upcoming Horns Bay dispute. With the support of such a large nation as Gabella, it will surely greatly enhance the Church's determination and courage to intervene in the Horns Bay situation."
"Very good."
The old man in the black robe nodded.
A hoarse voice interjected, "Now that we've wrapped up the main business, let's discuss another topic… regarding Bennett."
Upon mentioning this name, everyone suddenly realized that Bennett, a member of the Council of Ten, had not shown up for years, and they… hadn't felt anything was wrong.
No wonder, after all, Bennett was known to prefer solitude.
The hoarse voice said, "Bennett hasn't appeared for so long and has failed to fulfill his responsibilities. I propose we expel him from the Council of Ten."
"This…"
The crowd began to murmur.
Some said, "If we expel Bennett without permission, he'll turn against us when he returns. Bennett has a significant status among his faction."
"Return?" The hoarse voice scoffed, "Let's just consider him dead. Have you received any news from him in such a long time?"
Those who knew Bennett recalled that although he often took long trips, it was indeed the first time he had been absent for several years without any word.
Such a powerful spellcaster; could he really have died? After all, it would take an entire army of mortals to take him down. But he had the ability to escape from encirclements by the army.
Someone muttered, "Mages value freedom. To expel him based on his long absence from the meetings…"
The hoarse voice rebutted, "A bunch of rats in the gutter talking about freedom? Let's wait until our goals are achieved. Until then, we must maintain the integrity of the Arcane Order. Individuals like Bennett who operate alone are a bane to the group."
Everyone fell silent.
The old man in the black robe said, "In that case, I propose we add Lord Aldridge from the Bachelor's Tower to the Council of Ten."
"What? That's not acceptable!"
Some voiced their dissent.
"The members of the Arcane Order must be spellcasters first and foremost, especially those leading the Council of Ten. Of course, I have great respect for Lord Aldridge, but we can't break the rules."
The old man in the black robe smiled, "Hehe, you don't know, actually…"
"Let's put this matter aside for now…"
A voice came from outside, and then its owner appeared—it was Lord Aldridge.
He said solemnly, "I need you to take action immediately."
"About Marshal McDonald…"
(End of the Chapter)
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