After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

"Money? Didn't you swallow all that money, Your Grace? I heard that the money you spent on the last banquet, just for hiring those musicians, was enough to feed everyone in your Dukedom for half a year!"

"...Master Peter! What's done is done, and I can't get the money back from the musicians. The most urgent thing now is how we deal with this crisis!"

The round table meeting was a cacophony of chatter, resembling a marketplace of birds and beasts. The royal family were like vendors, looking troubled and unsure of what to do, while General Dreschka was like a silent policeman who might overturn the table again at any moment.

Amidst the seemingly endless arguments, and with General Dreschka's barely contained anger nearing its breaking point... Master Peter finally gave in.

The roundtable meeting concluded with a five-to-one vote, deciding to respectfully invite back the former regent, Yang Hao, who had been exiled.

But if that's the case, how exactly should one invite them in the end?

They didn't even know if the man was alive or dead, so how could they possibly bring him back?

Everyone looked at each other.

Finally, the representative of the royal family, who was also the uncle of the future Empress of the Roman Empire, raised his hand:

"The court sorceress Priscilla is the Regent's lover. She knows where the Regent is most likely to be, and given this connection, bringing him back shouldn't be a problem..."

"Moreover, the Regent truly cares about the people! Judging from his various reforms to improve people's lives, he couldn't possibly allow the people to live in such a precarious situation while he himself takes no action..."

"I believe he'll return for the sake of the people! At this point, we must admit that the Roman Empire simply cannot afford to lose that man..."

"This means we have to give him some benefits..."

Looking at the royal representative who stood up and spoke eloquently, General Dreschka just sneered in his heart: You were the first person to want him dead back then, so why are you the one who most wants him back now?

Moreover, the whole thing is utter nonsense. The only important point is actually the last sentence, right?

We, not the Roman royal family, must relinquish our interests to the regent.

Chapter Three: The Concession of Interests, the Vigilance of Great Powers, and Shaving

The Roman Empire's roundtable conference lasted neither long nor short, yet it still left all the participants, except for General Dreschka, shouting themselves hoarse.

Ultimately, they still couldn't reach a consensus on the issue of "concessions"—General Dreschka's guess was correct. The royal representatives kept claiming it was for the greater good, but the core issue was actually transferring the royal family's losses to other factions.

Everyone was indignant about this, but they could only grit their teeth and swallow their anger: because the former regent Yang Hao's lover, Priscilla, was now the court mage of the Roman royal family.

Known as the "Witch of the Night," Priscilla is skilled in wide-area strategic support magic and conventional four-elemental magic. Not only is she a supporter of the Roman royal family, but it also means that she is not like an ordinary, naive young lady who is easily threatened and controlled.

With the former regent exiled and her former companions nearly severed, Pu now only obeys the orders of the Roman royal family.

If everyone continues to pressure the royal family to make concessions, it may push them to the brink, causing them to reject the previous proposal to "return the regent"—and if the royal representatives do so, and there is no suitable person to bring back that man, then the Roman Empire will likely perish.

To avoid the worst possible outcome, the faction leaders, each with their own ulterior motives, resorted to bickering over who would concede more benefits.

After much back and forth, the two sides finally reached a conclusion: the nobles and landowners made concessions, releasing the workers' guild and the Red Cross. For them, it was a painful blow to their monopolistic profits being forcibly broken; for Bishop Peter and General Dreschuk, this was just the beginning.

After all, the ambitious regent would certainly not be satisfied with just this much. His ambition to overthrow this world dominated by bloodline and genius was already widely known.

General Dreschka and Patriarch Peter must be prepared, even if it means sacrificing landowners or nobles, because the Roman Empire needs his lightning-fast return.

Meanwhile, seeing that everyone had finished talking, the royal representative whispered a few words to his attendants, then clapped his hands, signaling everyone to quiet down for the time being.

"We will give the Night Witch ten days to bring him back. With the convenient magical portal network that the Regent has built in various important cities, it shouldn't take too long to find out his whereabouts," he said. "But we must also prepare for the possibility that he may have already died somewhere... So, gentlemen, let's talk about the management of the drought, and important matters from the empire across the sea."

Everyone looked up at the clock.

It is now exactly midnight.

Pope Peter was already getting sleepy. He didn't want to linger any longer in this situation where he had to concede his own interests, and besides, the empire across the sea? Coastal affairs? What did that have to do with the parishes in the northern interior!

You coastal people can't even handle the issues of your coastline? You might as well give me all the money there to save it from being wasted...

“That’s General Dreschka’s problem.”

After leaving those words, Peter the Elder departed.

Next to leave were the noble and landowner representatives, their faces contorted with rage from the concessions they had made. They didn't want to stay in this wretched place any longer; who knew if they would have to continue conceding benefits, further straining their already meager treasuries?

It would have been better to just pretend we didn't hear it from the start! As for the royal family's threat? Hmph!

What does the royal family have left besides the capital city as a cultural center and the claim to the nation?

I'm a little tired.

"I have to attend a banquet hosted by businessmen tomorrow, so please excuse me."

After each leaving a message, they left the conference room even faster than they had come in.

Finally, the royal representative remaining at the round table and General Dreschka exchanged glances. Under the bewildered gaze of the royal representative, General Dreschka, already deeply disappointed with all the representatives at the round table, silently rose and left.

............at the same time.

On the continent across the sea, it was already daytime, and an empire called [Ysgard] was carrying out a intensive colonial expansion plan.

Based on their previous political aid to the persecuted scholars in the Roman Empire, Isgard's generals judged that the Roman Empire was in a period of extreme chaos and weakness. If Isgard wished to expand its influence overseas and establish an enclave province, then these years would be their best opportunity.

However, the president of Isugard remained quite cautious about this. She had learned from scholars of the Roman Empire that the regent, Yang Hao, was a rare genius, a living superstar.

Thanks to his efforts, the Roman Empire achieved in less than five years what Isgard had taken fifty years to accomplish.

He implemented universal education throughout the Roman Empire, ensuring a steady rise in the cultural level of its people over the next decade. The universities he established in the capital were providing the entire empire with qualified officials and technical personnel, and he even built military academies to ensure the production of officers and highly trained soldiers.

He built steam factories to develop industry in the originally primitive Roman Empire, which also advocated "magical talent and bloodline talent", transforming the original fragmented production of handicraft workshops into a large-scale industrial production system.

He was doing his best to make expensive products cheaper and to use these cheap but essential materials for modern nations in more valuable ways, while also trying to narrow the gap between genius magicians and ordinary people.

He developed a series of technologies and insurance policies in the Roman Empire to ensure that agriculture, the foundation of the nation, could be guaranteed, even in years of natural disasters, that the Roman Empire's farmers could produce enough food to feed the entire empire.

He even created a free medical aid organization called the Red Cross in the Roman Empire, which is still in the planning stage in Isgard and it is unknown how many years it will take before it can be implemented.

All indications suggest that although the Roman Empire may sound chaotic now, it is, in essence, a nation with so many reforms that lives up to its name and remains a powerful force that rivals Issugard.

Even if the regent has been exiled by villains, the entire empire would not possibly squander all the wealth he left behind, would it?

In Isgard, whether scholars or military officers, merchants or professors, or even beggars on the street—none of them believed that the Roman Empire would be so foolish as to overturn all the beneficial social reforms left behind by the regent in order to completely exile him.

They believed that the scholars who fled the Roman Empire were spreading alarmist rumors, recounting stories that had been passed down through many hands—"Hey, you say that the villains in your own country drove out or even killed that capable man? We believe it!"

But you're saying that in order to completely eliminate someone's influence, they even demolished the foundation of their own newly built house? That's an incredibly exaggerated claim.

Therefore, the president of Issugard offered a cautious opinion: Should we really be so eager to launch a colonial war against the Roman Empire, instead of waiting half a year for our newest steam warships and new rifles to be launched?

"With the new warships, we have overwhelming strength against the Roman Empire's navy. But overwhelming naval strength alone cannot guarantee the success of our war... Considering the legacy left by that regent, the Roman Empire may have already begun developing technologies like flintlock muskets."

“Ms. President, but this means we will have to wait even longer for the new rifles to be deployed.”

"Isn't this better than having our army fight the enemy in terrible conditions? Besides, this is a colonial war that spans an entire ocean. If it were that Regent, he couldn't possibly be unaware of our weakness in relying heavily on sea transport for logistics... We must proceed with caution."

"That's true... He was a genius, and we must be careful with the legacy he left behind... Alas. Poor Regent, if he were in Isgard, would he have met such a fate?"

"Perhaps. After all, Isgard is an enlightened country—of course, it could also be because we don't value bloodlines and magical talent here."

The blonde, blue-eyed president shrugged and then repeated:

“We don’t value bloodlines or magical talent here. That’s why we believe in every capable person. Just as you believe in me, I believe in you.”

"Who wouldn't trust a princess who's lived for over a hundred years but still has a baby face? Haha! But it's strange, though. As a vampire, you don't seem to care much about bloodlines and magical talent, so why does the Roman Empire, composed of a group of orthodox humans, place such importance on these things?"

"You ask me? Who should I ask? This is the work of scholars, my good general."

"That's true... So, how about postponing the colonization plan for nine months?"

"Including the sailing time... let's set it at a full year. Let our caravans gather all the information about the Roman Empire... Even if they're stupid, they shouldn't be as stupid as those mad scholars claim, right?"

"Who knows?"

The colonization plan in Isgard has come to a temporary halt. They are wary of the powerful force behind the chaos of the Roman Empire, and also lament that the regent was born in the wrong place.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the night, at the monastery outside the village of Shkur.

He changed into a linen outfit and ate his first hot meal in a year.

Yang Hao sat helplessly on the bench, following Mother Teresa's orders, waiting for her to cut his hair and shave him with a razor.

Chapter Four: A New Life, and the Pursuers

It is late at night.

Tonight, Yang Hao ate his first hot meal, and under Mother Teresa's supervision, he didn't eat too much.

"Don't think about that anymore. Don't think about this country. Let's eat properly first. But don't eat too much at once—don't wolf it down!"

After all, your stomach and intestines may have been damaged by a whole year of eating raw and cold food... If you eat so much hot food all at once, I guess you'll need to find a doctor to treat you here.

But I don't have that much money. Ever since your Red Cross was overthrown and medical resources were once again monopolized by those landlords and nobles... the poor can no longer afford to see a doctor.

So don't eat too much for your first meal today. Just a few sips of soup, a few pieces of softened bread, and some vegetables. This is for your own good, so don't openly gorge yourself!! Seriously..."

Mother Teresa seemed to be paying special attention to Yang Hao's condition during this period. Based on her previous observations, she judged that Yang Hao's condition was very bad recently, so the hot meals she prepared were mainly easy-to-digest thick soups and soft breads that would not harm his weak stomach.

As Yang Hao wolfed down his food, he noticed her looking at her wallet with obvious concern. For a moment, he was filled with confusion: What value did he still have that made Mother Teresa treat him like this?

The experiences of the past year have caused Yang Hao to completely lose trust in the Roman Empire, and even in humanity. He is so tense that he suspects everyone wants to kill him, but the reality is that he has no value whatsoever, and even the bandits he encounters don't bother with this lone wolf.

That's why... he's confused. He felt confused more than once tonight.

Why did Mother Teresa do that?

...After finishing the delicious food, the warmth and heat from his stomach finally transformed into the strength to survive, surging up his limbs, and also causing his brain to feel a rare kind of weariness—a weariness that he only felt in a safe place.

He wanted to lie down and rest for a while, but Mother Teresa did not seem to allow him to do so.

She simply grabbed Yang Hao by the ear and dragged him in front of the mirror. After pulling out a chair that was barely tall enough for him, she took out a razor with a dull blade.

The razor blades gleamed in the candlelight. She then fetched a basin of hot water, soaked a dirty wool towel in it, and placed the warm towel over Yang Hao's beard and messy hair before leaving it there.

"Let me make this clear first, I'll only shave half of your beard and hair."

She said, glancing at Yang Hao's stiff body, then sighed:

"After all, I don't want to put too much pressure on you—as the saying goes, beauticians are the easiest assassins to carry out assassination missions."

Look, to shave, you have to hand over your neck and head to someone to scrub with a blade at will, and if you're not careful, you'll end up with blood splattering everywhere.

You have to make sure the person cutting your hair and shaving you is someone you trust, otherwise your body simply can't relax... But you don't know how to shave yourself, and I hate seeing you all messy and like a wild man in my house, so let's compromise—I'll shave half of your beard, and you can do the rest yourself, okay?"

"..."

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes."

Mother Teresa smacked her lips, just as she had said before, that beauticians were the easiest assassins to carry out.