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

Elliott looked at him in surprise.

“What I mean is, we should never help him.” Theo looked out the window. “If he’s capable, he should pass the final trial on his own.”

"Just like we were back then."

He turned to Elliot and said, "We were also chosen by Claire back then, and we passed the final trial on our own merits. Since he was chosen by Claire, he should be just like us..."

"..."

More than ten hours later, at St. Anne's Cathedral, Theo repeated those words once again:

"He should pass the final test by his own ability."

"but……"

Elliott gazed out the window. "Given the current situation, this can no longer be considered a normal trial. It has gone beyond what is normal, and we can't even predict how things will ultimately turn out..."

Theo also looked out the window, but did not answer him. Instead, he said, "I'm asking you, if it were Claire back then, or us, in this situation, what would the outcome be?"

Elliott was slightly taken aback.

Theo's lips curled into a cold smile: "If Claire were here, even if it were Claire from five years ago, they wouldn't have the courage to step into the stadium."

"But if it were us back then..."

Theo smiled cruelly and said in a low voice, "But you know very well what would have happened to them if we had been in this situation back then."

"..."

Although reluctant to admit it, Elliott realized that Theo was right.

If the judges had used the two of them as the standard, this is how things should have been.

“You’re right. Neither you nor I would have given them the chance to cause trouble here. If it were you back then, with your fiery temper, I doubt they would have made it out alive,” Elliott said slowly.

Chapter 175 Will he pass the test?

“You’re wrong. If I had come when I was younger, not only would they not have been able to walk out intact, but they would have been lucky if I hadn’t torn down the entire stadium,” Theo said with a sneer. “And the outcome would have been the same for them if they had faced you. You wouldn’t have torn down the stadium like I did, but you would have given them a lesson they would never forget, and the result wouldn’t have been much worse than mine.”

"Yes... After so many years, I've almost forgotten what it felt like to be young."

Theo nodded and reiterated his statement: "What we really need are battle-hardened warriors."

Theo came to Elliott's side: "Let's go. If things are resolved quickly, we might even see the end of the show."

Elliott stood up and said no more.

*

At the same time, in Birmingham, at the Crystal Palace.

At dusk, the Crystal Palace's glass curtain walls reflect the sunlight, giving the entire glass building a dazzling warm golden hue. "That's where the name Crystal Palace comes from."

But this isn't the most beautiful time for the Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace is most beautiful at night. When night falls, the interior of the Crystal Palace's huge glass curtain wall lights up with dazzling light, and the entire Crystal Palace shines like stained glass in the sunlight. The exterior of the glass curtain wall sparkles with a layer of fire, like a huge gem carved in the city, magnificent and awe-inspiring.

The Crystal Palace, a marvel constructed of cast iron and glass, first appeared at the Great Exhibition of Lodoron to showcase the industrial prowess of the Kingdom of Dok to the world. Only the most advanced nations in the world could forge such a crystal palace. Its successful exhibition amazed ambassadors from various countries, and it is said that over a million people visited the Crystal Palace at the end of the exhibition, making it famous ever since.

After the exposition ended, Crystal Palace had to relocate due to its temporary site. It then appeared in Birmingham and became the most luxurious hotel in Birmingham. Given its history and reputation, it is even more famous than the hotels in Rhodorun. Today, Crystal Palace has become one of the landmark buildings in Birmingham and a gathering place for celebrities and nobles. Only the most elite can set foot here. Even if you come from Rhodorun, you need to think twice before setting foot here.

Of course, given the Crystal Palace's former status, its spending was astonishing, but today the Crystal Palace was booked out. As a private banquet hall for a young nobleman, the person who booked it was none other than Simon Jagger.

Simon Jagger, isn't he the most popular nobleman in the kingdom lately? Everyone knows he got engaged to the princess at the kingdom's celebration, even the princes have to eclipse him, the king and queen personally awarded him a medal, and all the kingdom's nobles have offered their blessings to him.

And one can imagine that in the not-too-distant future, he will receive blessings from hundreds of countries, and when he finally marries Helena, he will become the focus of the world and the happiest man in the world.

With such an important host, the guests naturally flocked to the banquet, all hoping to benefit from the host's influence and establish a relationship with him. Perhaps they could even meet the beautiful Princess Helena at the banquet, and if they had the chance to have a drink with Her Highness Helena, that would be an unparalleled honor.

Princess Helena will indeed be at the banquet tonight, but she will not be the main character. Simon is hosting this banquet for his sister Freya.

More than half a month has passed since the attack on the government building. Although Freya was reluctant, she has now recovered and will be leaving Birmingham tonight to return to Royal Lodoren Academy. Therefore, Simon has decided to throw a farewell party for Freya. Not only Freya, but he and Zane will also be leaving Birmingham temporarily, and this party will also serve as a farewell for them.

To the outside world, however, they gave a different story. They had already held a celebration in Lodoren, so naturally they would hold another one in Birmingham to formally announce their engagement to the nobles of Birmingham. Birmingham was the hometown of the Earl of Iron, and winning over the local nobles was equally important to them.

But there was another purpose besides that, and that was Aaron.

Simon knew that Aaron hadn't been very interested in life lately, spending his days in a daze and not even going to work. Some people said it was because Aaron had become unfazed, and that he didn't want to do his old job anymore after marrying the eldest daughter of the Jagger family. Indeed, who would want to be an office manager after marrying the eldest daughter of an earl?

But Simon was different from the others. He didn't believe these lies. He knew that Aaron wasn't actually "completely satisfied" with the marriage. So he decided to use this dinner to "wake up" Aaron and make him realize that he wasn't marrying an ordinary girl, but "Freya Jagger," his sister Simon, the daughter of the Earl of Iron.

But now he has encountered a problem: everything for the banquet is ready, but Aaron is nowhere to be found.

Where else could he have gone? The disappearance of one of the main characters of the night made Simon frown. The banquet had been set, but the guests were nowhere to be seen. So he sent people to look for him and learned that Aaron had not appeared for a day and a night.

"Where else could he have gone? Did he escape to Lucerne?" Simon frowned.

He summoned the butler who had last seen Aaron, and the butler told him that the last time he saw him was when he took him to the Papal District for the interview with the judges.

"An interview with the judge?" Simon was taken aback; he finally remembered this.

"We just received word that the judge's interview will be at 6 PM. It won't take too long, and Young Master Aaron can come to the banquet after his interview," the butler said.

Simon didn't reply. He frowned, and suddenly thought of the conversation he had with his father some time ago.

"The investigation results are in." Falk tossed a stack of files onto the table. "Just as I expected."

"What investigation report?" Simon asked.

"The investigation report on the government building incident is only a preliminary result, but it has preliminarily ruled out any danger and it was not an attack targeting Jagger," Earl Iron said slowly, leaning back in his chair.

"According to MI7's investigation, the other party is a superhuman who manipulates people's minds with fear. According to the investigation and testimonies, there was no fighting in the room. From beginning to end, there was only the threat of holding a gun. Then Claire descended from the sky, and the matter was over."

"So, Aaron didn't play any role?" Simon flipped through the files.

"No, Aaron and the other party are locked in a stalemate, which is enough. Moreover, there is evidence that the other party is mentally abnormal and not in a normal state."

Simon nodded: "Then what about Aaron's test?"

Chapter 176 Don't help him

"What do you mean, what to do?"

Simon was taken aback: "I thought you did it, Aaron's Judge interview."

“I did nothing, and I hope you do nothing either,” Falk said.

"Why? Without our help, he might not even pass the interview." Simon frowned.

"Just like before, I don't plan to change my assessment of him."

“I thought you would help him at least a little, for Freya’s sake, but you still think Aaron is a liability.”

“I have said that I do not intend to change my assessment of him. He will get what he deserves and will attain a status commensurate with his identity.”

"You don't want him to become a superhuman?"

“No, I just don’t see any investment value in him, any value in becoming a superhuman, so I won’t help him, nor will I hinder him,” Falk said.

"The Jager family only needs you and Zane as their superhumans. As for him, he doesn't need to become a superhuman. Becoming a superhuman will only devalue him, let alone allow him to enter the superhuman world. If he becomes a superhuman, it will not only be of no benefit to us, but it will also only harm him. It will also prevent him from staying peacefully by Freya's side, which is entirely detrimental."

"........."

Simon snapped out of his reverie, took a sip of red wine from his glass, and stopped thinking about Aaron.

*

Birmingham, Papal District.

Just as Scherton Palace is always mentioned when Lodoren is mentioned, Alice Palace is always mentioned when Esgard is mentioned, and St. Anne's Church is always mentioned when the Papal Quarter is mentioned. St. Anne's Church is the spiritual symbol of the Papal Quarter.

Apart from St. Anne's Church, few people in the Papal Quarter know what the other buildings are used for; they often stand silently to the side, with very few people knowing their purpose.

Not far from St. Anne's Church stands a white building called the Giant's Tower. From a distance, it resembles a giant, gnarled tree, its strong, twisted trunk supporting the sky. Few know its purpose. People, based on its shape and appearance, consider it a place of healing and prayer, but only those in the Church of Judgment know that it is a testing ground.

In mythology, two giants wrestled and struggled together, eventually transforming into a colossal tower that reached the heavens; this is the origin of the name "Giant's Tower".

After climbing the weathered steps and passing through rusty iron gates, we finally arrived at the largest arena on the first floor of the Iron Tower. It was an oval-shaped plaza with only a few iron gates for people to enter and exit. There were no armed guards or knights like an impregnable fortress, but everyone could feel the antiquity and weight of the plaza. Various mechanisms and secret passages were set up in the plaza, and only one person stood in the plaza.

This is where the final trial will take place today.

There were only four judges in the entire Birmingham, so even though only one person participated in the trial, they still opened the Tower of Giants.

Today, there are two interviewers supervising the trial participants: one from the Kingdom of Dok and one from the Church of Judgment.

The interviewer sent by the Church of Judgment has yet to appear; it is said that she intends to observe from the shadows. The interviewer sent by the Kingdom of Dok, on the other hand, arrived early. He is a renowned old man, Colin Campbell, the former commander of the Royal Guard. He has retired from the Royal Guard and is now the military advisor and chief training officer of the Kingdom of Dok.

When Colin Campbell is mentioned, nobles always speak highly of him, because although he is the commander of the Royal Guard, for a long time Colin's job was to train the young noblemen sent to him for training into qualified soldiers and then send them back as intact as possible.

Don't underestimate this job. Organizing those pampered young masters into a company or a regiment, preventing them from causing trouble, and training them into qualified soldiers is no easy task.

He was known for his impartiality and incorruptibility. Among the new recruits he trained, several military stars emerged, and some were even planned to be groomed into pillars of the kingdom. As a result, the nobles trusted him greatly and even admired his training style. They also largely delegated authority over his training methods, which made things difficult for the young masters who were just there to gain experience in the military.

Despite being well-liked by the nobility, Colin Campbell actually possessed the typical military style of the late 20th century, always maintaining the strict style of the aristocratic lads' fathers. He once commented, "The young people of the Kingdom of Dok are getting worse with each generation." He was also described by the famous playboy, Zane, as "a terrible man."

It is said that even the duke's son, the future heir to the dukedom who will own a large amount of land, cannot get any benefit from him. After all, even their father had suffered at his hands. And now even his father has become a loyal supporter of Colin, so the young masters naturally cannot get any advantage.

Rumors circulated that even a former king had trained under him, a period the king preferred not to recall; all that was known was that the king later held him in high esteem.

Before Colin Campbell focused his efforts on training new recruits, he was the commander of the Royal Guard, and all the previous commanders of the Royal Guard were extraordinary figures and powerful superhumans. Although people might rarely associate the current Colin Campbell with a tall, handsome young man, that's the fact—

Colin Campbell's background as a superhuman, and his insight into superhumans, are likely more extensive than his experience training new recruits, which is why the Kingdom of Dok appointed him as an interviewer.

As a soldier, Colin Campbell was very punctual. Half an hour earlier, a lean figure had already appeared in the square. As a soldier, he was precise, dignified, and strong. Even when he was alone, he maintained his military posture. He wore a dark green military uniform with a gold medal hanging on his chest. His head was bald. Although he was old, his serious face and shiny head still made him look very dignified.

Just then, a man with a completely opposite temperament suddenly barged in. Anyone who saw him would think he had come to the wrong place. He was wearing a bright red suit, a flamboyant purple tie fluttering at his chest, and long, curly hair that reached his chest that was half red and half white. He wore white sunglasses and strolled in slowly, like a playboy entering a brothel.

Colin glanced at him and said, "You've come to the wrong place."

"Oh? Isn't this the Trial Grounds of the Church of Judgment?"

The young man deliberately made an exaggerated expression, strode up to Colin, took out his license from his breast pocket and said, "Commander, although I have retired from the military, I am still working for the government. I am here today to remind you of something."

Chapter 177 The Flag Knight

It's hard to imagine that this man named Leon was once a soldier. Judging from his clothing style, he should have been kicked out of the army on his first day. Judging from his eccentric behavior, he would have been beaten half to death on his first night in the army. But he really was a soldier. He used to be a member of the Royal Guard. However, he has now found a better job and works in the government.

"What is it?" Colin asked without turning his head.

"There's been a little mishap, but you'll understand once you read this letter." Leon put away the license and handed him another envelope.

Despite disliking Leon's style, Colin had to admit Leon's abilities. Before being removed from the military, he had been an excellent intelligence officer. He took the envelope, but when he saw the title of the letter, he couldn't help but frown. It was a letter of protest.

“Yeah, these little guys really know how to cause trouble for us. Let’s keep reading.” Leon shrugged, seemingly not finding it troublesome at all, but rather quite interested.