Rattle rattle—
A luxurious carriage moved leisurely down the central avenue of the Imperial Capital.
Inside the carriage, a thin man used his black-gold cane to lift the curtain, gazing out at the scenery of the capital.
“Mr. Yuri, this is the Capital of the Aos Empire.”
Beside him, a shorter man introduced with a cheerful smile.
Nodding, Yuri commented, “Not bad. It seems that besides our family, there are other powers capable of building such an impressive city.”
“It’s so-so, really. You must know, this capital was built with the labor of countless people, but your Preston Family Residence took just a few hundred men to construct.”
At these words, Yuri unconsciously straightened his chest, casting a satisfied glance at his guide. “True enough. You ordinary humans will need countless more years to catch up to us.”
The Preston Family, a renowned and reclusive clan.
Every member of the family was a descendant of the Goddess.
Though they looked just like humans, they considered themselves not human, but gods.
Yuri was one of them. He lifted his right hand and glanced at his watch, sneering coldly, “I heard that abandoned thing, Teresa, is at the Oracle Hall?”
“Strictly speaking, she’s with the Rose Knights under the control of the Oracle Maiden.”
“What’s the difference? Just go to the Oracle Hall and ask for her.”
Yuri’s forcefulness made the guide twitch at the corners of his mouth.
He hesitated and said, “Mr. Yuri, what if the Oracle Hall refuses to hand her over? After all, the Oracle Hall was established by the Goddess herself.”
Yuri was from the Preston Family, but the guide was not.
He admired the Preston Family and knew they were descendants of the Goddess, but the Oracle Hall was no simple matter either.
The Oracle Maiden was the Goddess’s representative in the mortal realm.
In fact, provoking the Oracle Hall might have even more dire consequences than provoking the Preston Family.
“So what if it was set up by the Goddess? The Oracle Maiden is just the Goddess’s envoy in the world, but we are the direct descendants of the divine. The blood of the Goddess flows in our veins!”
As he spoke, Yuri’s eyes took on a hint of madness.
“In today’s world, we are the true gods. These humans, they’re just that—humans. The Oracle Hall wouldn’t dare refuse us.”
Wouldn’t dare?
The guide’s eye twitched, an unexplainable sense of unease rising in his heart.
……
Oracle Hall, inside the Saintess’ Resting Room, Selis frowned deeply.
“You’re saying Mills Academy agreed to send tutors to instruct the Order of Knights in magic, but their condition is that afterwards the Order must represent Mills Academy and defeat the Galwin Magic Academy delegation?”
Earlier, she’d hoped Nola could find her some Academy tutors to help teach the Order of Knights magic.
Tutors had indeed been found, but a condition came with them.
The Rose Knights would have to represent Mills Academy and, during the academic exchange, defeat the Galwin Magic Academy’s delegation.
Just thinking about this condition made Selis’s head ache.
Mills Academy, funded by the Mills Family, was considered a first-rate institution in the world, but compared to Galwin Magic Academy, it was like a child’s plaything before a giant.
Galwin Magic Academy—one of the two supreme academies with countless years of legacy—its Dean held equal footing in conversation with the emperors of all the Empires.
During the recent Conference of the Goddess’ Oracle, among the six participants, one had been the Dean of Galwin Magic Academy.
Now, Mills Academy wanted the Rose Knights to use magic to defeat Galwin Magic Academy’s delegation?
Selis coughed and softly asked, “What if we lose?”
“If we lose…”
Perhaps thinking of something embarrassing, Nola broke off, turning her gaze aside and blushing for no apparent reason.
“Hm?”
Selis sensed something was off, while Nola pursed her lips and lowered her head even more.
The maid Jenny seemed unable to watch any longer and blurted out, “Master said, if you lose, he hopes Saintess Selis will marry Duchess Nola.”
“……”
Oh, she’d nearly forgotten, Nola was from the Mills Family.
Selis massaged her forehead, feeling her headache intensify.
Knowing this condition troubled Selis, Nola hurriedly explained:
“Be-because of this condition, I had a fight with my father, but he just won’t budge. I can’t do anything about it. I’m sorry, Selis.”
“I know my family is making things difficult. Selis, maybe you could ask Queen Flandre for help? I heard Isavel is on good terms with Flandre, isn’t she?”
Selis hesitated.
“But Flandre…”
In this matter, Queen Flandre couldn’t actually help much.
Within the Empire, the teaching capabilities of its academies couldn’t compare with world-class institutions.
Inviting their tutors would probably waste much of the Rose Knights’ time.
As for those world-class academies, they were often independent of the Empires.
If she sought their help, they might use the opportunity to extract unreasonable conditions for a connection to the Oracle Hall.
The Oracle Hall must not be tainted by the stench of worldly affairs.
As for those two supreme academies—there was even less hope.
Their Dean still coveted the authority she held over the Rose Knights.
Thinking it over, Selis realized her only option seemed to be marrying Duchess Nola.
Bah!
No, it was choosing Mills Academy.
“Forget it, let’s just do it. The ultimate goal of the Rose Knights is to save the world. If they can’t even beat Galwin Magic Academy after learning magic, then they have no hope of saving the world.”
“…You agree?”
“Yes.”
Receiving Selis’s clear reply, Duchess Nola’s eyes lit up, nearly jumping to her feet in celebration.
Anyone unaware would think Selis had already lost, and Nola was about to forcibly marry the Oracle Maiden.
But she quickly noticed the deep, meaningful look Selis shot her, so she forced herself to suppress her inner joy, making her expression appear composed.
Unfortunately, her quickening heartbeat and rapid breathing still betrayed her true feelings.
Knock knock knock—
At that moment, the maid Renia knocked on the door and said, “Lady Selis, a messenger claiming to be from the Preston Family has come to visit.”
“Let them in.”
Renia nodded and gestured to the two men beside her. “This way, please.”
“So many rules.”
With a snort, Yuri strode into the Saintess’ Resting Room, while his guide smiled apologetically at Renia before bowing and entering the room.
Upon seeing two ladies seated inside, Yuri chuckled and, without another word, sat directly on the sofa, crossing his legs as he asked:
“Two beautiful ladies, may I ask which one of you is Saintess Selis?”
His rude and brazen manner made the guide widen his eyes in shock, not daring to look at him, while the previously excited Nola was now completely composed.
She glanced at him coolly and said in a frosty tone, “Before you inquire about others, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”