[Vol. 7] Chapter 235: The Beginning of Collapse
Early the next morning, Violet returned alone to the academy city that was always covered in [Eternal Day] Barrier.
Maybe because the World Academy Joint Exchange Conference was about to end, the Sainz City was especially lively today. All kinds of vehicles moved through the roads and many residents came out into the streets. Some were heading to the venue for the final day of the event if they had tickets, but even more people were simply finding a good spot on the roadside to watch the live broadcast brought by the [Tower of Clarity].
It was said that for today, most institutions and businesses in Sainz, except those doing essential services, had given their employees the day off to celebrate the ending of this major international event. On the other hand, all the guards and security staff were fully on duty, keeping watch for any possible unexpected incidents.
Especially important were the seven giant magical towers that protected Sainz. All related staff were already in place, on high alert.
You see, the seven towers were not only the core power sources that supported the [Eternal Day] Barrier, but each of them also held great power on their own. The range of each tower’s protection could cover an entire school district. In other words, as long as these seven towers were running, the academy city was the strongest fortress in the world that would never fall.
But on the flip side, if something went wrong with those seven towers, the city’s defense would suddenly become incredibly weak and vulnerable.
So, if someone wanted to cause trouble, the seven towers would be the key targets to sneak into or sabotage. Of course, even with all this talk, Violet was not one of Sainz' protectors. Strictly speaking, she wasn’t even officially part of the Sainz faction. Even though she had made a cooperation agreement with Lucine, she never intended to run around like a firefighter, solving every crisis.
With white wings fluttering behind her, the black-haired girl floated in the sky. She looked at the seven shining magical towers in the distance and quietly organized her thoughts, going over her plans and what might still change.
“Hmm… next is over there. I’ve been watching and testing her long enough, it’s time to be honest with her. Hehe… though I bet right now, that little girl is still completely confused~”
The flawless [Divine Feather] gently flapped. With a soft laugh, the black-haired girl flew down and soon disappeared from Sainz’ sky.
"What did you say?! Did Father really give that order?! Has he gone mad?!"
In a hotel room in the Sixth Academic District, where the Frederick Royal Academy was staying, a certain princess was furiously shouting.
Since being reborn as Carinvega, this was probably the first time she had ever felt such intense anger from deep within. She was so upset that even the royal manners she usually kept so carefully completely fell apart for a moment.
Of course, part of it was because she had lost the script that usually guided her actions, and the news had come too suddenly. But the main reason was the shocking content of the secret order sent from the imperial capital, Frederick City. It had shaken Carinvega’s beliefs to the core.
"Your Highness, Your Highness... please be careful with your words. We're talking about His Majesty the Emperor, your own father. No matter what, you can’t say things like that. What if someone hears through the walls…?"
"He’s my father, sure. But isn't Prince Xiluo also his son?!"
"Your Highness…"
The vice leader of the Royal Academy delegation, Shutak, waved his hands frantically with a frightened look. He looked around nervously, made sure all the windows and doors were shut, and then whispered cautiously.
"His Majesty is doing this for the good of the Empire and its future. And besides, Prince Xiluo is the only other royal who might compete with you for the throne. If he disappears, it will actually benefit you greatly... Those who achieve great things must sometimes make hard choices."
"Think about it, Your Highness. Why are you and Prince Xiluo both here in Sainz at the same time? And why did this secret order arrive only now? This is a test. The Frederick royal family always follows the rule of survival of the fittest. If you hadn’t done so well at the conference and won the competition, the one being pushed forward right now wouldn’t be you, it would be Prince Xiluo."
"There can only be one emperor. Prince Xiluo has been secretly fighting against you all this time without holding back or showing mercy. Now that you clearly have the upper hand, you must not go soft."
Standing before the gloomy-looking princess, Shutak continued trying to persuade her with everything he had. Since the last [Fantasy Sky Courtyard] banquet, he had fully joined Carinvega’s faction. Now, their fates were tied together, if Carinvega acted on impulse and made an unwise move, he would also suffer the consequences.
Even though Shutak had only just received the emperor’s secret order early this morning, personally delivered by the Imperial Intelligence Agency, and rushed over to report it to the princess, he had already sensed something like this might happen.
The reason he had tried to meet with the other prince as soon as he arrived in Sainz was exactly because he wanted to see how both royals would react to this situation, and what methods they would use. Based on that, he would decide whom to support in the end.
After all, his choice this time could affect his entire future, and even his life.
Princess Carinvega was a very wise person. There was no way she wouldn’t have seen this coming. The only problem was that she cared too much about emotions. Not just her family, even the loyal people around her, she treated with great kindness and concern. While this was something that made her followers like her more and showed her great personal charm, from the point of view of a leader, or a future ruler, this could be a serious weakness.
Just like now. Even though the princess had already easily defeated her rival in the power struggle for the throne, she was still struggling emotionally because of their family ties. She even dared to speak disrespectfully about the emperor’s command. If those spies from the intelligence agency, who hadn’t pledged loyalty to her yet, heard that… it could cause serious trouble for her.
After listening to Shutak’s advice for quite some time, Carinvega seemed to finally calm down. She sighed and waved her hand in frustration.
“I… I understand. You go to the main arena and take care of things there. No matter what, we should finish the last match first. I want to be alone for a while. I’ll meet up with you all later.”
“Well… alright. But please be careful, Your Highness. Trouble is coming soon, and you must stay close to your bodyguards at all times.”
“Yes, yes… I got it.”
Still a bit worried, Shutak gave a few more reminders. But when he saw Carinvega simply sitting back on the sofa, holding her forehead and nodding silently, he had no choice but to bow respectfully and leave the room.
The door opened, then closed again. As the vice leader left, the room returned to complete silence, as if cut off from the rest of the world. Only the girl’s troubled breathing remained, followed by a soft sigh that came after a long pause.
“So that’s why big brother came to see me yesterday… Damn it. Did he already know all of this? Was I the only one left in the dark?”