My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 459 Don't underestimate the Academy's intelligence network, you bastard!

As night fell, the speeding airship landed at the landing site outside the capital and began recharging its energy the instant it landed.

Meanwhile, the tower on one side of the landing field remained brightly lit.

Originally used to direct airship takeoffs and landings and refueling, the area has been temporarily emptied for brief intelligence exchanges.

The old emperor, whose health was declining due to the curse, coughed incessantly as he awaited the arrival of the guests on the airship.

Beside him, the seemingly unnaturally young Chief Sage, Amphis, who looked no different from a teenager, looked at him with concern: "Salah, has your body reached such a state?"

"Are you really not going to consider my plan? Although the technology is indeed immature... there are already successful precedents."

"Look at me, I'm standing right in front of you, perfectly fine."

After Salah III finally stopped coughing, he waved his hand to refuse: "No need... Even in this condition, I'm strong enough to last for a while, and I don't have a penchant for hiding myself in a tin can."

"Even when I was a young adventurer, I didn't like wearing those heavy armors."

"Not to mention someone like you... but the skills you've learned are truly incredible."

Salah III looked out the window: "I never imagined that magical technology, from its first appearance three hundred years ago to its first explosion fifty years ago, would turn the world into this."

"Although most of the technology is currently only used in the military or combat... once it begins to be mass-produced and put into civilian use, people's lives will be transformed."

"I just don't know if I'll live to see that day."

"If it's possible... then it would be a fair assessment of this throne that I got for free."

With a youthful face, Amphis sighed softly, "The Empire is truly a lucky country."

"Since the founding of the Kingdom of Knights, there has never been a tyrant or a foolish ruler."

"Even emperors with talent and long-term vision are still rare, but they are just mediocre."

"Even in the last hundred years, when the power of the nobility grew and began to go against the original intention of this country, it was stopped by your grandfather, your father, and you."

"It's truly an incredible feat."

"Unfortunately, neither your grandfather nor your father, nor even you yourself... lived long lives."

"You were overwhelmed by a sense of responsibility, an excessive workload, and infighting among internal factions."

The chief sage, who had already transferred his self-awareness into his mechanical body, sighed, then looked with some admiration at the old emperor, who was only in his early fifties but looked like an old man in his eighties.

“You have not disgraced the bloodline of the King of Knights, your grandfather, your father, and your two brothers who died in a noble conspiracy... they were all the same.”

"As a fellow citizen of the Empire, I express my respect to you."

"Without the relatively stable learning and living environment of the Empire, I could not have embarked on the path of learning, nor could I have grown up in peace, and naturally I could not have entered the Academy, and then achieved what I have today."

“I grew up in the nation that you three generations have worked so hard to build. Although the Society is an independent organization, as the Chief Sage, I cannot make choices that go against the interests of the Society.”

“But my promise still stands, even if it doesn’t work out… but if you change your mind, just let me know.”

At this point, Amphis laughed, then joked, "But perhaps I won't be needed."

"The Society has already investigated some of the legends of the Archduke Roland."

"He did indeed perform the 'giving life' miracle, which was like a divine intervention."

"And more than once."

"Even if such a miracle has some limitations, his teacher, Russell, the master of bio-alchemy, would probably be willing to create a physical body for you."

Salah III shook his head helplessly: "Heh...you still don't understand what I'm thinking, Your Excellency."

"Like I said... this throne is something I just picked up."

"I don't think I'm suited to be a leader."

"The efforts and results you see are simply my firm implementation of the policies left by my father and grandfather. They are the ones who should be respected."

“My two elder brothers… although they are different in character, they are both more suitable to be the emperor than I am.”

"If it were them... the matter of Iluvia could not be used by the noble faction as a reason to attack the royal family."

"Whether it's a hardline crackdown or public opinion manipulation, they always find ways to suppress it."

"But I'm different."

"I am neither as tough and decisive as my eldest brother, nor as smooth as my second brother, and I have a lot of ideas."

“I lacked the qualities a leader should have… Even when I tried to change, it was just a clumsy imitation.”

“I made Iluvia do things that she might not want to do.”

"This is my incompetence. As a father, I failed to protect my daughter. As an emperor, I also failed to fulfill my responsibilities."

"I had no choice but to push everything away."

"So I have always been very fortunate... fortunate that during my decades in power, there was only one rebellion, Wellington."

Salah III chuckled self-deprecatingly, then coughed violently. After finally stopping, he continued, "My ambitions, my dreams... have all been overshadowed by family responsibilities. I want to take a break."

"A...long vacation that never ends, a dream from which I will never wake up."

"Hopefully there, Salah Hearst, that incompetent emperor who can only put on airs by imitating his father and grandfather, can have a real life of his own."

Even if he was just the leader of an equally mediocre adventure team, he hoped that he could measure the world step by step with his own footsteps.

"To live the life he once imagined."

"In that dream, his two older brothers did not die because of the conspiracies and traps, but instead helped each other... leading the empire to a bright future."

After saying that, Salah III chuckled: "That's my idea."

Even if it's just a dream... just a fantasy... it's fine.

Amphis stopped speaking and only sighed softly.

The prepared remarks were rendered useless at this moment.

After a long silence, the chief sage finally spoke slowly: "Why belittle yourself, Your Majesty?"

Then he looked out the window and saw that the airship's gangway had been lowered and a group of people were walking down it.

"The guests have arrived. Let's start early and finish early."

"And I urge you, my Majesty, to stand firm in your final post."

Salah III laughed: "The military and the Inspectorate have already begun to take action, and the Adventurers' Guild has also joined in, responsible for filling the corners that the Empire's power cannot reach for the time being."

"As for now, prepare the information to be exchanged."

"The state of the Federation of Nations... is worse than we had anticipated."

"Moreover, the Chaos Brotherhood disappeared after withdrawing their power, and we don't know what they are planning with their remaining forces."

……

……

"Roland, why did Father suddenly want to see us at this time? If there is really any information that needs to be conveyed, why not just use communication magic or a communication device? Is it necessary to talk face to face?"

Iluvia looked at Roland beside her; the two of them were currently on the steps leading to the top of the tower.

Although it's a distance that could be reached instantly with a teleport, considering that the airship's refueling time would take at least two hours, and their intelligence exchange activities obviously wouldn't take that long.

Considering that it wasn't too late and the commercial streets of the capital were bustling with activity, everyone else except the two of them, especially Polycia and Little Grey, chose to go out for a stroll and buy some food, drinks, clothes, and the like.

Everyone knew that this stay in the capital was the last quiet moment.

In addition, Toran and Aslan, who were originally at the Chalk Wall, also returned to the capital with the airship and then immediately went to the academy, seemingly on some other mission.

Mashu also disembarked from the airship when she passed through Aslan territory not long ago, and the branch leader Baron was already waiting there.

According to what his senior brother told him before disembarking from the airship, Aslan territory had begun building many factories, seemingly preparing to mass-produce something, and that was why he and Tolan had returned to the academy.

And they will unite the academy's resources to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

This made Roland curious as to why his father-in-law insisted on exchanging information face-to-face.

Logically speaking, using communication magic and communication devices to transmit messages is the best option.

It is convenient without affecting the efficiency of information transmission.

unless……

The information being conveyed itself has a certain "influence".

While they were pondering, Roland and Iluvia arrived at the tower.

Federic, the old acquaintance and commander of the Imperial Guard, smiled at Roland and Iluvia, then personally opened the door for them.

"I arrived just in time. Although I was half an hour later than expected, it didn't affect my normal routine as an elderly person."

Salah III smiled and activated the secret technique left by his friend Sean, disguising his appearance as a normal old emperor. In the eyes of Roland and Iluvia, he looked like a somewhat tired and thin man in his fifties.

Iluvia smiled and nodded, while Roland explained why he was late. He then sat down at the table and looked at Amphis, who was standing next to the old emperor.

"Your Majesty, who is this gentleman?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency." Amphis nodded slightly and then said, "I am Amphis, the chief sage of the Continental Historical Society."

"I will be the one to tell you about the information that the Society collected in the ancient ruins of the northern snowfields."

Roland nodded, then looked back at the old emperor.

Roland could already see the abnormality in Salah III.

He's disguising his appearance... but why?

And why is the life force within the other party so weak? It's as if it might be extinguished at any moment?
(End of this chapter)