Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

When Aaron returned home, he quietly closed the door, not wanting to disturb the people inside, but found someone sitting on the sofa downstairs.

"You're back." It was Princess Charlotte.

Charlotte sat quietly on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket. Underneath the blanket, she wore a white silk nightgown that Joan of Arc had prepared for her. This nightgown was one that Joan of Arc had worn before, and it was a bit too big for Princess Charlotte. It hung loosely on her, revealing her dazzling white ankles in the darkness.

"Is Your Highness still awake?" Aaron put down the keys.

"Hmm... I could have stopped sleeping on the straw mat, but I just can't fall asleep..." Charlotte wrapped the blanket around herself even tighter.

Princess Charlotte looked at Aaron as he went out: "Aaron... is he going to take care of something?"

"Yes, I went to see your brother. He cares a lot about you and your mother."

"Is it Sivan?" Charlotte's eyes lit up, and she immediately guessed his identity.

"Yes, he told you not to worry. He said he would plead for you and things would turn out for the better," Aaron added.

Charlotte looked at him with her deep green eyes bearing the Lucretian mark and said, "A few days ago, I wouldn't have believed this, but now that I'm here, I think it might be true, because a few days ago, I wouldn't have imagined being saved like this."

"Yes, things can always happen unexpectedly."

"Yes, maybe one day in the future, just like yesterday, we'll be saved suddenly, and things will suddenly start to look good," the princess said cheerfully, her tone revealing a young girl's hope for the future.

"Yes, Your Highness, go to sleep early. I still have some work to do and I need to rest soon."

"Okay, you should go to sleep early too. I'll prepare breakfast for tomorrow..." Charlotte, wrapped in a blanket, stood up, her mood much better than before.

Perhaps the princess truly believed things would turn out for the better.

*

"Why are you here for breakfast?" Aaron asked Lydia, who had come to freeload so early in the morning, looking somewhat speechless.

“I’ve eaten at all the famous restaurants in Lucerne, but this is the first time I’ve ever had breakfast made by the princess,” Lydia said seriously.

"Really? Actually, when I was little, I learned how to make desserts like other girls, but only my older brother and sister ate them. My mother even said that only my future husband would be able to eat the breakfasts I made regularly," Charlotte said shyly.

Queen Mary and Aaron sat together at the dining table, while Charlotte stood to the side holding a plate. Queen Mary looked serene and smiled throughout. It was a rare breakfast time, and the house felt happy and warm.

“You just run straight here like this, aren’t you afraid of being discovered?” Aaron continued to say to Lydia.

"That's precisely why we should do what we've already planned to do. Trying to hide it would only seem abnormal. How many eyes do you think are watching me from the shadows?"

"Indeed, with those watching you and those watching us, they could sit outside and play cards together."

"If we get found out, things will be very serious, won't they?" Charlotte said with some concern.

"Yes, so please don't let it be discovered, Your Highness."

"I don't care. I guess it's just Aaron who's in trouble, but even if he's fine now, he'll probably be in trouble in two months."

"Why?" Charlotte asked in surprise.

“Because the Seven Kingdoms Alliance is about to attack, the King is still insisting on a policy of non-resistance, saying that he wants to preserve his strength. The front line in Lusset is now like hell on earth. I estimate that in a few months, Aaron will be going to the front line.” Lydia shrugged.

“I know a hundred times more about the front lines than you do.” Aaron picked up a piece of egg with his knife and fork and put it in his mouth.

“The general commanding the anti-Lucet alliance is also very steady. He should have seen through the king’s intentions, but he is still advancing steadily without any rashness. He probably plans to fight a decisive battle with us. If we organize ourselves now, we might be able to stop him outside of Esgard,” Lydia said.

"Are there many people in the country who want to resist?" Aaron asked.

"Don't you know a hundred times more about what's happening at the front than I do?" Lydia teased.

"Rather than saying there are many, it's more accurate to say that there are far more people who want to resist than those who believe the king's orders. After all, people are dying all the time. Those who remain silent are only trying to appear loyal, but the result is the same. There are a lot of people who want to resist, and their enthusiasm is high. In fact, they can organize themselves immediately with just one order. They are now eager to fly to the front lines and bite the enemy to death."

"I see." Aaron silently took a bite of the egg roll.

“What, you also want to continue the resistance? If it were you, you could probably rally a lot of people,” Lydia said.

“I’m not interested in this. If there really is a war someday, I hope I’m the last one to go.” Aaron wiped his mouth and stood up.

"Oh, are you going out?"

"Hmm, I'm going out to catch spies, and I might also have to catch you people who always try to disobey the king's orders." Aaron went out the door.

*

At dusk, the old bakery in the city center.

It was the same bakery that Aaron and Joan of Arc frequented, and they were there again today. Aaron and Joan of Arc were queuing up at the door.

Compared to before the celebration, there were far fewer people queuing at the bakery. Previously, Aaron and Joan would never have considered coming here at this time of evening because the queues were too long, but now that there were fewer people buying bread in the evening, they could even consider it a proper place for dinner.

The proprietress, wearing an apron, greeted customers throughout the bakery. She looked haggard; life was tough. Refugees and wounded soldiers were arriving in the city daily, causing flour prices to rise, and fewer people were able to come to the bakery. Her once plump face now showed signs of thinning, but she still tried her best to smile.

The bakery has been in the old town for many years, and its customers are all regulars. The owner knows many people and seems to be grateful to every customer who came to buy bread during the war. When handing over the bread, she will chat with the customer for a few minutes, trying her best to smile on her tired face, hoping that the customer will come again next time.

Because at this time of year, it's possible that the other person might never come again, so we must cherish every opportunity to meet. This is something the people of Asgard have recently learned.

"Boss, same as before." It was Aaron's turn. Aaron, wearing a black coat, held the coins between two fingers and handed them to the proprietress.

But when the proprietress saw Aaron handing over the money, she suddenly froze.

Because Aaron had lived near the city for many years, and when he was busy, he would sometimes even come over dressed in the uniform of the Obsidian Knights, the landlady knew his identity and even knew that Aaron had a high status in the Knights.

Just then, the shopkeeper was stunned to see Aaron come to buy bread, even though he wasn't wearing the Obsidian Knights' uniform. The next moment, she stopped Aaron's finger and said to him:

"Sir Knight, you've come to buy bread, how can I accept your money? Lord Aaron has been a customer for many years, consider this a gift..."

The shop was full of diners, and they all heard what the proprietress said. When they heard that Aaron was a knight, they all turned their eyes to him. Aaron could even hear the sound of chairs being pulled out and people standing up.

Aaron stood at the counter, still in the gesture of handing over money, when the proprietress had already eagerly placed a plate of freshly baked bread in front of him, saying solicitously:

"Lord Aaron, these are all freshly baked breads, just taken out of the oven. They're all for you... If you want more, we have more. You can have as many as you like. Consider it a gift for your frequent visits to the bakery. These are all free of charge..."

Aaron remained silent as he watched the proprietress desperately trying to hand out the bread.

Aaron was a regular customer, and the proprietress wasn't giving him bread out of fear of being harassed, but for other reasons.

The proprietress looked into Aaron's eyes: "Um... Lord Aaron... I heard that the enemy seems to have made some progress recently... Is it possible that we'll be at war soon here too?"

“We’ve been fighting on the front lines for months,” Aaron said.

"I know...I know..."

The proprietress immediately gave him an "I understand" look, staring intently into Aaron's eyes:

"But no matter what... Lord Aaron will protect us, right? The knight will defend us from those foreigners and protect us from being invaded by them, right?"

Chapter 87 Assassination

The proprietress stared into Aaron's eyes, a fawning expression on her face, as if trying to find comfort in his eyes. Not only her, but the other customers in the bakery also gathered around Aaron.

"Sir Knight, will you protect our safety?"

"Actually, will the adults stop those foreigners?"

Aaron didn't know how he answered, only that the proprietress forced the bread into his hand in the end, and he sighed softly when he came out of the bakery.

When Aaron came to the street, he saw a tall man begging. When he got closer, he realized that the tall man was not begging, but borrowing money from his neighbors. It seemed that he had borrowed too much, and the people on the street looked at him with disgust as if he were a plague god.

Aaron and Joan exchanged a glance. Perfect timing! They had enough bread to last them several days. Aaron took out their dinner portion and placed the remaining bread, basket and all, in front of the tall man.

The tall man was meekly borrowing money from others, unaware of Joan of Arc behind him. When he turned around, Joan of Arc first saw the man's worried face and his shaggy, lion-like hair. In particular, the tall man was somewhat hunched over. When he turned around and looked down at Aaron, Aaron found that he was even taller than he had imagined.

Although he was tall, the man was not blind at all. He spotted the basket on the ground at a glance, and a fawning expression immediately appeared on his face. He picked up the bread basket and kept saying thank you. When he said thank you, he seemed to shrink a little.

The person being lent money looked disgusted and said to Joan of Arc:

“Your Holiness, you don’t need to pity this person. I know you are always kind-hearted, but doing so will only embolden such people. Look at this person, he has hands and feet and is so tall, but he is unwilling to work all day and only knows how to borrow money from us ordinary people. You should know that we ordinary people work hard and do not make money while lying down like nobles. These people only know how to leech off us.”

Aaron looked at the tall man again, only to find that the man had vanished in a flash. He had just lowered his body to prepare for his escape. While they were talking to others, the tall man had already run into the crowd. He was exceptionally agile in the crowd, carrying a bread basket and keeping a keen eye on his surroundings. In no time, he escaped into the alley, like a mouse that had achieved its goal.

Seeing him run away, the man who had spoken to Joan of Arc looked even more disgusted and said repeatedly, "See, see, he got food again. These people are just rats crawling on this street."

Neither Aaron nor Joan said anything. Since the start of the war, prices had been rising continuously, and more and more refugees and wounded were entering Asgard. Young people were finding it harder to find jobs, and life became more difficult for ordinary people. There were also more and more beggars on the streets, which is why people became less and less tolerant. This scene was just one of the microcosms of the whole of Asgard.

"Let's go back, teacher."

Jeanne pulled on Aaron's sleeve, only to find that Aaron was still staring at the person's disappearing figure, his gaze lingering on him for much longer than before.

“Okay, let’s go,” Aaron said.

Joan of Arc paused slightly, looking at Aaron's expression, wondering what he was thinking.

late at night.

The princess and queen had already gone to sleep, but the study on the first floor was still lit, with the sound of pens scribbling in the room. Aaron was hunched over his desk, writing diligently even though it was late at night.

Joan placed the brewed black tea on the table. Aaron seemed not to notice Joan and continued to draw something on the paper, looking very focused. Joan did not disturb him and sat on the bed behind Aaron, hugging her legs and watching him work.

Even now, Joan of Arc's work is no easier than Aaron's. She has to deal with more things and meet more people every day than Aaron. But at night, Joan of Arc will still take off the armor she wore during the day and is willing to stay with Aaron like this. For them now, and for the people living in Esgard now, this is already a great happiness.

After Shasha finished drawing on the paper, Aaron finally stopped, picked up the black tea that Joan of Arc had brought, only to find that the tea had gone cold.

"I'll reheat it." Joan got up from the bed and went to Aaron's side to brew him another pot of tea, but she inadvertently saw what Aaron was drawing on the table. Joan had always thought Aaron was reviewing documents, but when she got closer, she realized that Aaron was actually drawing something.

He held a pencil in one hand and an eraser in the other. What he was drawing on the paper was very abstract, something that most people would never understand. But Joan of Arc had been educated by Aaron, and with just a few glances, she could tell that the abstract thing was actually a map. It was a map that required deciphering according to rules that required both images and text to understand. Understanding this map required prior knowledge, and most people would only think of it as an abstract drawing.

Joan of Arc's heart suddenly pounded, but Aaron didn't want her to know what it meant. When he saw Joan of Arc coming over, Aaron moved the painting away and put it under the book.

Joan of Arc remained silent, but she recalled a conversation she had with her teacher in the past.

She couldn't remember the specifics of their conversation, but they were discussing just how omniscient the Book of Omniscience could be.

Because everything they said would be known, they couldn't discuss things too openly, but they did manage to uncover some clues.

The first point was summarized by Aaron: although the Book of Omniscience has a very wide range of knowledge, it cannot see into a person's mind to know what they are thinking.

This is the Book of Omniscience's greatest weakness: it cannot see through disguises.

Secondly, the omniscient book can see almost everything that has happened in the past and is happening now. If it wants to know, almost nothing can escape its eyes. However, the omniscient book's knowledge of what will happen in the future is always vague, and it seems that it can only get some kind of hint.

This was Aaron's judgment, but Aaron couldn't be sure either. For example, he never knew why the king had summoned Joan of Arc to Esgard, or what he had foreseen in the future. Aaron didn't know.

Third, the king needs to expend mental, spiritual, and physical strength to use the Book of Omniscience. Therefore, there is a limit to the number of times the Book of Omniscience can be activated each day. In addition, it seems that activating the Book of Omniscience requires paying some kind of price that they do not know. This is also Aaron's intuition.

Aaron has been with the Obsidian Knights for many years and has witnessed the reigning king's transformation from an ambitious young ruler to his current inhuman state. However, this is not unusual, as the Book of Omniscience's powerful abilities would not come without any cost. It's just that they have never known what the cost is.

As Aaron picked up his tea, Joan of Arc said, "By the way, teacher, Lydia wants me to ask you if you'd be interested in joining the resistance?"

"what is that?"

"She said that if we act now, it is still possible to stop the anti-Lucerte alliance outside of Esgard. Many people in Lucerte have this intention. She also said that if they succeed, they can save many people, so she wanted me to ask the teacher if he was interested in joining them."

"What do you think?"