Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"Ahem." Liu Xia cleared his throat, used Gerberi's buttocks as a clapper, and slapped it again with a loud "smack!" before speaking to Tipalotura in a very official tone.

"Reverse engineering is a large-scale, long-term magical engineering project at Sochi Academy. Its aim is to reverse-engineer existing magic to create magical artifacts and instruments. This is a great undertaking undertaken by Grand Scholar Anjaberg and her fellow magical engineers; the research and development of magical weapons, alchemical materials, and other products at Sochi are all closely linked to this project..."

*Smack!* Another resounding slap from the paddle made Gerberi groan. Ryusha seemed quite angry, continuing to pummel Gerberi's large buttocks, showing no respect whatsoever to her master, Tipalotura…

"And that disobedient golden turtle! He even dared to threaten my chief engineer on the dam! He really doesn't know what's good for him! He needs to be taught a lesson!"

*Clap clap clap clap!*

"Ahhh!!! Your Highness! Ohh ...

A barrage of boards rained down, causing Gerberi, whose fighting spirit was exhausted, to scream in agony. Even Tipalotura was taken aback by Ryūka's imposing aura...

"A mere thug like you dares to compare yourself to my high-tech talent! Who do you think you are! You'd better learn this lesson with your ass!"

In terms of individual combat strength, no one is stronger than Ryūka, so for Ryūka, he wouldn't trade Anyaberg for any number of Heavenly Rank cultivators. And the fact that Gerberly dared to threaten his chief engineer is infuriating; he has to give that big ass a good beating!

The violent movements were so brutal, it was as if they were going to smash that big, fat buttocks into a pulp...

Chapter 8 Temporary Alliance

"I understand, I understand, anyway, just stop for now..."

Watching Gerberi scream in agony like a little girl being beaten, even Tipalotura felt a chill run down her spine. It wasn't that Gerberi, despite being a Heavenly Rank cultivator, was a paper tiger; it was simply that the difference in endurance between her and Ryūka was too great. Moreover, Ryūka's paddle was specially made for witches; although it wouldn't break the skin, the pain of each blow was no less than being torn apart, having bones broken, or tendons snapped!

"Ah...ah...my poor butt..."

Amidst Gerberi's sobs, Ryusha finally stopped. Looking at the trembling, swollen buttocks of the female knight on his lap, he was now certain that this woman would learn her lesson and recognize her place.

With a loud thud, the wooden plank was casually tossed onto the table by Ryusha, the clanging sound making Tipalotura and Gerberi's hearts skip a beat.

"Your Highness, so, are you willing to agree? As long as we cooperate sincerely, I can provide you with what you need."

Liu Xia smiled with narrowed eyes, her fingers tapping lightly as usual. But instead of on the table, she tapped Gerberly's swollen, red buttocks, each tap causing the proud female knight to grimace and gasp, her breath coming in muffled gasps that were hard to resist.

Where is your destination?

"In the south, in the Bauhinia Kingdom area."

“I don’t understand.” Tipalotura frowned. “You should also want to open the heretical ruins as soon as possible. As far as I know, you have a girl you care about inside, named Atina, right? Why are you considering taking action against the south across territory now? Is it for Linor?”

New love replacing old love? Tipalotura looked at Ryusha; he shouldn't be that kind of person.

"To ensure adequate preparation, Your Highness."

Upon hearing Tipalotura mention Atina, Ryūka's expression darkened. But after understanding Tipalotura's purpose, he felt even more that the consequences of opening the heretical ruins were unpredictable. If they had to do it, they would have to bring forward many of their plans.

"Your Highness Tipalotura, have you heard of Ansel Gel?"

Ansel Gel? Tipalotura pondered for a moment. If she remembered correctly, it was a magical material extracted and processed from a type of slime monster unique to the south. It had excellent conductivity for magic and aura, and was often used in the making of weapons and wands, or as linings for high-grade armor.

"It's called Ansel Gel because its largest production area is the Kingdom of Ansel, located south of the Kingdom of Bauhinia. However, due to internal strife in the Kingdom of Bauhinia, Ansel has also been affected. Trade routes are blocked, and the country is no longer stable..."

Liu Xia slowly recounted her plan, revealing part of it to the world.

"If, as you say, opening the heretical ruins means entering a state of continuous war in the future, then magic guns and magic cannons alone will not be enough. We need more powerful magic equipment... That is the new weapon that the Chamber of Commerce has been working on, and which magic engineers like Anjaberg are also researching—magical armor!"

By deciphering the secret technique by which Olivia powered her subordinates' Frost Iron Armor, and by analyzing the materials of the bodysuit-like magical equipment that Yurina had worn, Ryuga finally made a breakthrough in the prototype of the magical armor that he had seen at the hands of his magical engineers!

The application of Ansel gel in magical engineering is very similar to the rubber that Ryusha remembers: it has high plasticity, wide application potential, and extraordinary toughness, in addition to its high affinity with magic and battle aura. If he could master this material, his army's equipment would be able to advance to the next generation!

And this gel happens to be produced near the Bauhinia Kingdom. This gives Liu Xia even more reason to resolve this matter before opening the Heretic Ruins. Otherwise, once the unknown path ahead is opened, she might find it difficult to spare the energy to upgrade her equipment.

“I understand…” Tipalotura nodded. “I can find a reason for you to send troops, but what about afterwards…”

"I have to rely on myself, and I can only succeed, I can't afford to fail, right?"

Ryusha smiled. The Bauhinia Kingdom was now practically under the control of the Papacy, making it quite a troublesome area for Tipalotura. From her perspective as the princess of Otus, finding a reason for Ryusha to send troops was already extremely difficult.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing, and besides, I haven't settled my score with the Vatican yet..."

Liu Xia said with a cold laugh. Not only that, he even had a premonition that the changes in the Bauhinia Kingdom and Linor's escape were far more complex than he initially thought!

To reiterate, if the Vatican truly wanted to capture a witch, it wouldn't have been so easy for Linor to travel all the way to their territory! Furthermore, more than a month has passed since the first wave of Judgment Knights were wiped out, and they have made no further moves.

It was like fishing; the group of Judgment Knights were merely bait to test the waters. But the more this was the case, the more Ryūka decided to do the opposite. Whatever the Vatican's plans, he wasn't going to sit idly by and wait for his doom.

After all, the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish.

Tipalotula remained unfazed: "One bead imbued with the power of order each month."

"make a deal."

Seeing Ryūka's composed expression, Tipalotura felt she hadn't asked for enough...

-----------------

Within the royal court, the light of magic shone eternally. On the throne, a boy, barely a teenager, was incredibly nervous; his magnificent clothes and jeweled crown could not conceal the fear on his face. His fear did not stem from anything else, but from the beautiful woman seated beside him on the regent's throne.

The new king of the Bauhinia Kingdom, with his mother.

"Your Majesty the Queen Mother, Your Majesty the King..."

At the bottom of the steps, a middle-aged man bowed respectfully, his smile almost reaching his lips.

"Thank you both for giving us this opportunity to serve the newly established Bauhinia Kingdom. In less than three months, we will be able to take down Ansel. At that time, your country will possess one of the world's first powerful armies armed with magical armor! This will be an epoch-making reform!"

The young king was at a loss for words, but the queen mother smiled and replied:

"Then we'll have to trouble you, special envoys of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce..."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the Empress Dowager waved her hand, dismissing the men below the steps. Her smile quickly turned cold.

"Tilio, do you know why I did this?"

"Mother, Empress Dowager, I didn't know..."

"We used the power of the Papacy's Judgment Knights to control the capital, but the nobles in various regions are not entirely loyal. The Papacy's power cannot be controlled indefinitely... Without the Tears of the Bauhinia, we will need a new force!"

The beautiful woman's gaze lingered on the spot where the man had just left, and she murmured to herself:

"Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce...don't let me down."

Chapter 9 The Princess and the Helpless Knight

"hiss--"

Next to Tipalotura's room, in Gerberi's room, Gerberi lay on the bed, while the princess herself gently stroked her swollen buttocks, the magic in her hands slowly healing Gerberi's pain.

"He absolutely must be killed... Damn it..."

Gerberly gritted her teeth, tears welling in her eyes, burying her face in her arms, not daring to look at her master's face. She stubbornly repeated the sentence, but every time the pain came from her buttocks, she couldn't help but shudder at the thought of Liuxia's evil smile.

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

Seeing her stubborn expression, Tipalotura couldn't help but laugh and slapped her swollen, red buttocks. *Smack!* A crisp sound rang out, and her large, white buttocks rippled like jelly, causing Gerberly to groan again.

"I told you not to mess with him, now look how you'll ever hold your head high in front of him again."

Faced with Tipalotura's teasing, Gerberi only grunted silently, clearly afraid yet defiant. Tipalotura shook her head; she knew her guard's temperament all too well. Back when Gerberi hadn't yet reached the Heavenly Rank, she had volunteered to go to Linhu Town, and thankfully, she hadn't agreed then. Otherwise… it wouldn't have been as simple as being beaten up by Ryusha…

The more stubborn Gerberi was, the more Tipalotura secretly rejoiced at her being taken advantage of by Ryukyu. Perhaps finding a way to share the burden of the power of order finally eased her years of tension, and the princess was more inclined to joke around.

She took out the bead imbued with the essence of Liuxia's purification, and deliberately slipped it gently between Gerberi's buttocks. Before Gerberi could cry out, she quickly got up, covered her mouth, and said with a smile:

"This thing is yours now. At least the beating wasn't for nothing."

"Who wants to use his filth!"

Gerberi quickly reached back and pulled the bead from between her buttocks, rolled over, but was restricted to the edge of the bed by the pain in her buttocks. She looked at the princess and chuckled, pouting in annoyance, her fingers gripping the bead tightly as if she wanted to crush it like Ryusha had crushed it.

"I'm not kidding you. Using it will stabilize your abilities considerably, and reduce my burden. As for whether to take it internally or apply it externally..."

Tipalotura blinked her deep blue eyes, a mischievous glint in them, and looked at Gerberi threateningly:

"Of course, you could probably absorb it even if it were stuffed in. As for whether it's the front or the back... Gerberly, do you want me to help you?"

"Your Highness!"

Gerberi blushed, a coquettish expression she only displayed in front of Tipalotura, with whom she was both like a sister and a subject.

She had no intention of putting this thing inside her body; after all, it was the essence of Ryusha, and the thought of it made her nauseous. Although unwilling, she knew that Tipalotura was no joke. After all, everything had to be based on reality, so she took a deep breath, threw the bead into her mouth, and swallowed it whole.

Unexpectedly, she tasted a sweet flavor on her tongue. She wasn't sure if it was her body reacting to it, or if Ryusha or Hinatil were ill. Gerberly leaned towards the latter; she felt it slide down her throat and swallow it with a thud, the rich power instantly warming her body. A sense of calm spread to her limbs, gradually calming her restless witch power, and the golden thorn veins around her body flickered in and out of existence.

It really worked... Gerberly felt much better. The stable, peaceful, and pure power of order within it made her even think that if she had taken this kind of thing regularly earlier, she might have reached the Heavenly Rank by her early twenties.

Damn it, how could I think like that! Gerberly quickly slapped herself twice in her mind.

Seeing that Gerberi had finally eaten it, Tipalotura tilted her head and asked with a smile:

"what about the taste?"

"Your Highness, if you want to know, you can try it yourself next time."

Gerberi was annoyed and glared at Tipalotura with a pitiful expression. But the princess was laughing happily. However, Gerberi's words reminded her of the burning white marks on her feet earlier. Although they weren't as concentrated as the bead, they still contained power, and they made her feel both ashamed and disgusted, yet also somewhat excited.

"How long will it remain stable?"

After laughing, Tipalotura asked the crucial question.

"If I don't go all out, two or three months shouldn't be a problem."

Gerberi, sensing the power within her, gave a conservative estimate. In reality, the benefits Ryūka's essence brought her far exceeded this figure, a fact that Tipalotura probably also knew. The power bestowed by fragments of order is influenced by the host's order and will. Although she didn't want to admit it, Ryūka's power, like his actions, was stable yet radical, its layers of power strangely orderly, making it seem unbelievable.

He's just a teenager, where did he get such a temperament and talent?

“Two or three months…” Tipalotura pondered for a moment, then looked at Gerberi, “Perhaps Ryusha is right, we should turn our attention south. The Bauhinia Kingdom isn’t a large country, but its geographical location is right on the main transportation route between Otus and the southern kingdoms. If that place falls completely under the control of the Papacy, it won’t be good for anyone…”

Upon hearing the princess's words, Gerberi immediately understood. Even the rare materials she used to advance to the Heavenly Rank were collected by other witches from the resource-rich yet sparsely populated southern kingdoms. Although she was lying on Ryūka's lap at the time, she had heard everything Ryūka said. She was also curious about Ansel gel, used for developing special magical equipment, and what Ryūka, who had created magical guns and cannons, was planning to tinker with now.

“Then I’ll go to the south. I haven’t been in touch with my sisters there for a long time. With the Bauhinia Kingdom in chaos, I’m worried about their safety. But Your Highness, please be extra careful here.”

Gerberi's reaction was decisive. Tipalotura was secretly protected by a band of witches; she was merely a pawn in the open. Her constant companionship with the princess stemmed from her concern for Ryukatsu's ulterior motives. However, after spending time with him, Gerberi, while disliking the young man, had also come to understand his true nature. Since he had reached a temporary cooperation agreement with the princess, he wouldn't betray her.

Adding to the humiliation of being spanked by the younger Ryusha, Gerberly was also thinking of escaping Sochi as soon as possible to avoid seeing Ryusha's arrogant demeanor.

“No need to rush.” Tipalotura shook her head. “Once Liu Xiaqing makes another one of those beads, I’ll give it to you to wear as well. That way I’ll feel more at ease. And if anything unexpected happens, you can still contact me through the ‘Sacred Tree’.”

Gerberly frowned: "Do we really have to wait..."

She had seen Hinatil before, and she couldn't even imagine how much of Ryūka's essence had been poured into the bishop's round belly. If it were a normal person, wouldn't Ryūka have been working for a month?!

But the way Ryūka finally convinced Tipalotura was with a simple "I'll give you three a month!"

Three a month! Even a stallion wouldn't dare make such a boast! Is that kid some kind of dairy cow?! Gerberi didn't believe it. But for some reason, her princess decisively agreed to Ryūsha's request and promised to be an obedient 'good boy' in Sochi Province. Not only did she stop spying on Ryūsha and Sochi, but she also promised to sincerely cooperate with his request.

Tipalotura naturally offered no explanation for Gerberi's accusations. She thought back to the amount of cream she had on her feet back then... three a month, perhaps that kid really was capable of such a thing.

"Perhaps he's trying his best right now..."

Chapter 10 Opening Ceremony

"These are my sincere wishes for everyone. Next, please welcome our esteemed Thirteenth Princess to preside over the inaugural opening ceremony of Sochi Academy."

On the outdoor stage, Ryuka smiled and greeted the students below. Amidst a wave of applause, he nodded and bowed to the side of the stage. The imposing and solemn royal music began to play, and the young and naive boys and girls, led by the noble students in the front row, rose to their feet and watched as the princess, who had traveled from the capital, took the stage to deliver her speech.

There were approximately a thousand students in the audience, but these were not all; they were the children of noble families and 'good kids' who had undergone a rigorous selection process. Given the presence of the Imperial Princess, and considering their social standing, not all students were allowed into the inner hall of the ceremony. Even so, the surrounding security was extremely tight, with royal guards closely watching every corner to ensure no accidents occurred.

Of course, with the young genius Governor present, nothing unexpected would happen. Ryūsha retreated behind Tipalottura, maintaining a businesslike smile. He didn't listen carefully to Tipalottura's polite words, but noticed that Gerberi, the princess's loyal hound, was absent. Unaware that Gerberi had already left Sochi, Ryūsha silently pondered this matter.

Besides, Ryusha also turned her gaze to the student representatives in the front row below. Esther, Evelyn, and the Elena sisters were all among them. Of course, there were probably no more reassuring candidates in Sochi to get close to the princess than them. The three of them would represent the nobles and commoners among the students, and would later go on stage to be received and commended by Tipalotura.

Although it was a royal and aristocratic show, Ryūsha was happy with it. Before he was fully capable of breaking away from Ottus, such a spectacle also helped demonstrate his loyalty to the empire and avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Even the fact that not all students could participate equally in the opening ceremony suited Ryūka's wishes perfectly. He didn't want the Imperial Princess Tipalotura to easily gain immense prestige among the common people in the Sochi province he had painstakingly built. The people of Sochi wouldn't easily shed their worship of royalty and nobility; admiration for power and dependence on class systems were human instincts. What Ryūka wanted was for this land to revere him and everything he had built, not the Otus royal family.

After all, this academy was built at great expense to cultivate talent and educate the people, not to train loyal strategists for Otus or selfish individuals who only care about climbing the social ladder.

While this is a long-term endeavor in terms of talent cultivation, the prestige that Liuxia has gained among the common people and nobility after accomplishing it is undeniably effective in the short term. Not to mention, the nobility, in their competitive spirit, not only donate to the academy but also provide their children with a higher standard of living than ordinary students, incurring significant costs. And naturally, Liuxia intends to use this money for greater things…

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency."

Tipalotura's soft call pulled Ryukia back to reality. Turning around, she saw Esther and Evelyn standing beside Tipalotura. The twin sisters' eyes were full of admiration and affection as they looked at Ryukia. Despite being 'representatives of commoners,' the twins' demeanor was completely different from when they had just escaped slavery a little over a year ago. At the vibrant age of sixteen, and well cared for by Ryukia and Kira, the two girls, though simply dressed and without makeup, exuded an aura that far surpassed that of most noble ladies, captivating the students below.

The origins of these twin sisters, who excelled in the entrance exam, remain a mystery to everyone, as Ryuka's relationship with them is kept secret. As a result, many naive young men, regardless of their backgrounds, are captivated by the two sisters, each with their own unique and charming personalities.

As for Esther, who was standing next to the two of them, she was a newly rich girl from the Sochi province. She was a super beauty who had suddenly risen from poverty to wealth and revitalized her family business, and she was someone that many people wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Especially after today, if Esther establishes a good relationship with the thirteenth princess of the empire, she will likely leap into the true upper echelons of Otus. After all, compared to the nobles and celebrities of the capital, the nobles of Sochi are merely country bumpkins from a remote area…

When Tipalotura woke up, Ruka realized that it was time for her to step forward and, together with the princess, award medals to the three girls who represented all the students.

The medal was placed on a red tray and presented to Ryusha by Melanie Snowfield, the head of the Magic Department at Sochi Academy, a Grand Mage, and a Lady.

Sochi Academy will not be receiving a newly appointed principal or management team from the capital, which was one of the conditions agreed upon by Ryūka and Tipalotura. Therefore, Ryūka, the young governor, will nominally serve as the 'acting principal' as the founder of the academy.

The tall and slender Melanie entered with a smile, handing the medal tray to Ryukyu. The Ice Mage, her eyes filled with affection, locked with Ryukyu at close range. It wasn't that Melanie had changed her personality and was openly displaying her feelings in public. It was simply that Ryukyu had been feeding her way too much lately…