Ella held her head high, her steps light and lively, looking just like a schoolgirl on an outing, but in reality, she was quietly surveying the entire room.
The scene was grand, and there were quite a few people present.
On the observation seats, people sat in small clusters.
The reason to describe them as clusters was that these people sat together in groups of three or five, and there was a considerable distance between the different groups, each clearly forming its own little faction.
The largest group was positioned directly behind the negotiation table.
They looked rather familiar—they were the ones who usually sat in the council, all high-ranking nobles, and had always advocated for severe punishment of the culprit.
The other groups were unfamiliar to her.
Some sat with a heroic bearing, exuding a fierce aura, like people who frequented the battlefield. Some wore pointed hats like wizards, seemingly from the Magic Court.
And though some faces were new, their clothes were instantly recognizable—they belonged to the Church of Light.
“Miss Ella,” Maken’s voice pulled her attention back.
“Are you ready?”
The pink-haired, dazzling beauty took her seat at the negotiation table.
“I’m ready.”
“Please state your terms,” Maken was straightforward, “as well as the sincerity you can offer.”
Wow, not even following the usual process?
Ella was silent for a moment, then sighed, her soft voice tinged with a trace of gravity: “I don’t understand why you say it like this, as if we’re in some negotiation, talking about conditions and sincerity.”
Maken frowned.
“I am indeed—”
“Aren’t we part of the Kingdom?”
Suddenly, Ella stood up, causing the guards present to tense up slightly.
But she did nothing more than glance around, her gentle voice now carrying a hint of grievance:
“We are also members of the Human Race, the future blossoms of the Kingdom. Why must we be treated like outside enemies?”
Her unexpected words, paired with the heart boldly rising on her chest, left everyone in the observation seats stunned.
Maken’s frown deepened.
Ella’s performance was not over.
She turned and pointed at the young girls who had entered with her..
“Celes, the youngest Sword Saint in the Human Race, the perfect Kingdom Rose—many people know her. Why perfect? Because she walks the Knight’s Path, possesses every virtue of righteousness, and always does what is right!”
Among the observation seats, those with heroic bearing nodded slightly in agreement.
“Leah, the youngest Saintess of the Church of Light, the sun in the hearts of all the Kingdom’s believers. She is gentle and kind, has healed wounds of the body, and soothed countless wounded hearts. Under the sunlight, there is no place for darkness—this is the only reason she stands before you!”
The faces of those from the Church of Light in the observation seats shone with pride, proud of the Saint.
Not to mention them—even Leah herself was proud, puffing out her impressive chest.
“Vina, a genius Magician from the Magic Court. Although she may seem mischievous at times, in order to become the Kingdom’s future source of firepower, she has worked hard in her training, never once slacking off!”
This time, things seemed a bit off.
The people from the Magic Court looked a bit awkward, but still forced themselves to keep a straight face.
“Zero, from a special place. Though she has only her sharp blade to rely on, she has always believed that necessary deaths are for the sake of the Kingdom. Over a decade of life, like a dream, like an illusion—she toils in darkness, but serves the Light!”
Zero didn’t have colleagues from her place here, so there were no people for her in the observation seats, but her presence was still imposing.
Finally, Ella turned to Maken and the others, her small hand gently pressing against her chest, over that big heart.
“I was captured by the Demon King as a child, suffered endless torment, and lived through countless days and nights of hardship. The only thing that kept me going was my homeland of the Human Race! The Kingdom I long for in my heart! Celes, Leah, Vina, Zero, and myself—everything we have done, every action we take, is all for the sake of making our Kingdom better.”
After saying this, she returned to her seat at the negotiation table.
The Royal Plaza fell silent, and the whispers from the observation seats were too soft to break the silence at the negotiation table.
Maken’s brow furrowed, then relaxed a little.
“Your people, without permission or any warning, killed a high noble of the Kingdom,” he said.
“As I said, Zero has always believed that necessary deaths are to help the Kingdom rid itself of poisonous blood and welcome a better tomorrow. She happened to learn what Tai Dingjue had done and believed he was a cancer to the Kingdom, so she acted on impulse.”
“Acted on impulse?”
“That’s right.”
Ella spread her small hands.
“She’s only a teenager—how could she think of so much? Her simple sense of right and wrong compelled her to act.”
That’s just how it is during adolescence.
Didn’t you notice how my skirt bounced just now as I walked?
Didn’t it feel full of youthful energy?
Maken fixed his gaze on her and asked, “How can you guarantee that something like this won’t happen again? How do you prove you are not a hidden threat to the Kingdom?”
“We’re still young—we’ll grow up.”
Ella smiled sweetly.
“When we mature, we’ll understand.”
Truly refusing to take even the slightest loss.
But no one could find words to refute her, because in the girl’s cherry lips, today’s event wasn’t even a negotiation.
It was more like a child from the family made a small mistake, came over to apologize to the adults, and promised to do better in the future.
If this isn’t a negotiation, then what terms are there to discuss?
Maken looked at her deeply, then stood up and said, “Miss Ella, please wait here a moment.”
He walked back toward the observation seats, already able to hear the discussions among those people—
“I think the girl’s right. They’re still young, don’t know all the twists and turns—just believe that good will be rewarded and evil will be punished.”
“Innocent hearts. The only difference between them and other children in the world is that they truly have the ability.”
“Their intentions are good, just a bit too radical—young people are always like that.”
“She’s just a teenager, what bad intentions could she possibly have…”
There was a lot of support, while the nobles could only mumble, unable to find words.
Only the Prince, his face red with anger, kept shouting, “This is outrageous! Disrespectful!” and “That was my own uncle!” and the like.
Seeing Maken return, the Prince left the others and rushed over to ask him:
“You’re not going to agree, are you? Don’t tell me you’re taking her ridiculous speech seriously…”
“Your Highness!”
Maken called softly, grabbing him and whispering, “You must have seen, among those present today—several Marshal-ranked generals, all of whom have had correspondence with Celes’s family. The Magic Court has jointly petitioned for Vina, with even the Court Mage signing. Also, news from the frontier: the priests accompanying the army have ceased all prayers and blessings, declaring they will await the Saintess’s guidance. This is already a strike in protest.”
The only chance to fall out with them was the day before yesterday, when they could have suppressed them for treason while they were confronting the army.
No matter how much people cherished their geniuses, if there was truly a treasonous heart, the more talented they were, the greater the danger.
But at that time, Ella had stepped out with her list and intimidated everyone.
They couldn’t act, and could only try to use Tai Dingjue’s case to get something in return.
Maken’s original plan was to use this opportunity to disband the overly dangerous Special Squad—these girls not only had great individual strength, but each had a formidable political backing, and were prone to act on impulse.
Gathering them together was far too dangerous.
If disbandment failed, then at least carry out the previous council proposal—take over management of the Special Squad.
But now…
He couldn’t help but glance back again.
The pink-haired girl sat obediently in her chair, blinking her big, innocent eyes.
His previous conversation with Celes hadn’t gone well. Maken felt she couldn’t see the bigger picture in this matter, and talking to her would only lead to a deadlock. That’s why he’d suggested letting another handle the negotiation.
He hadn’t expected Miss Ella not only to come, but to see right through the essence of the negotiation—the real negotiation wasn’t at the table in the center of the plaza, but among the representatives of various factions and the nobles of the Royal Capital in the observation seats.
Not only did she see this, she also gave the factions the best weapons: the “our own children” argument and the “love for country, home, and justice” argument, a double assault that left the nobles speechless.
Miss Ella, is she really only eighteen?
The Prince’s face turned red, then white.
“You’re just going to let it go? Let such dangerous people gather together? Today they killed Tai Dingjue with nothing happening—tomorrow, they’ll dare kill the royal family. Will you take responsibility then?”
The nobles, finding support, all chimed in, “Exactly, exactly—how can you just let it go after a few words?”
“So hot-tempered at such a young age—what about the future?”
“What if one day they just storm into the inner palace—who will take responsibility?”
“I will.”
A vigorous and powerful voice rang out, silencing all the questions.
Everyone turned to look, and all rose to greet, “Mentor Luosi.”
Everyone held respect in their hearts for this legendary hero who had once truly saved the Human Kingdom.
The Prince seemed a bit intimidated, but still refused to back down—until he saw a wheelchair being pushed up behind Mentor Luosi, and his face changed dramatically:
“Father, Father!”