The long-standing disagreement between Veronica and Aurora over the direction of the sorceress assembly stemmed from a fundamental ideological divide. This conflict, inherited from Margarita and deeply rooted in the history of the Garland Council, centered on a singular question:
Should female magic apprentices with innate sorcerous bloodlines be given preferential access to educational resources and research funding?
This debate had persisted throughout the history of the Garland Council.
Veronica, inheriting Margarita's perspective, staunchly believed in equality—treating all apprentices fairly. She argued that every magic apprentice should receive the same treatment and opportunities. Only through fairness could every sorceress apprentice have a chance to succeed.
Aurora, however, believed that apprentices with sorcerous bloodlines had a natural advantage in spellcasting and learning. She advocated for prioritizing and focusing resources on these gifted apprentices. With the current state of the sorceress assembly being a shadow of the Garland Council's former glory, financial support largely came from commissions, the sale of magical scrolls and artifacts, funding from Ryan, and small donations from dukes. Aurora argued that pursuing equality would result in wasted funds and hinder the swift development of talent. Without investing in the most promising apprentices, the assembly's resurgence would remain a distant dream.
Even Veronica had to admit that Aurora had a point. Often, fairness came at the cost of inefficiency. Magic education had a high attrition rate, with most apprentices never progressing beyond the status of a mere helper. Becoming an independent and capable sorceress was no easy feat.
However, fairness remained a cherished ideal—especially for someone like Veronica, who had endured suppression and discrimination in the past.
The truth was, human nature gravitates toward equality and freedom. Yet in this world, sorcerous bloodlines undeniably influenced magical talent. Some were born with an innate advantage, destined to excel, while others, despite their efforts, were fated to remain ordinary.
This deep-rooted inequality made their arguments difficult to resolve.
The most recent argument ended with Veronica planting her hands on her hips and declaring triumphantly, "Ryan agreed to my proposal. If you have a problem, go convince Ryan yourself!"
Aurora had no retort for that.
Thus, this round of debates ended in complete defeat for the Sanctuary Witch.
Aurora had already been subjected to a series of setbacks recently. Katarin's rise to become a marquess' consort, the increasing distance between herself and Theresa from the core circle of influence, her suppression in the assembly, and her constant exclusion by Morgiana—all weighed heavily on her.
But the final blow came from Sylvia. The low-ranking courtier, who once had little presence in Ryan's court, was now elevated to near-noble status simply because she became pregnant. Her family and father rose to prominence, benefiting from the unborn child.
How could Aurora bear this?
After leaving her daughter's room, Aurora spent a long time in contemplation before summoning one of her apprentices.
"Has that batch of potions been completed?" Aurora asked.
"They've just been finished, Vice Speaker," the apprentice replied cautiously. Everyone knew Aurora's temper wasn't great—worse than both Veronica's and Theresa's. While Aurora wasn't inherently malicious, crossing her often resulted in petty punishments, such as being assigned menial tasks like cleaning the library or scrubbing toilets for days.
"Good. Take me to see them," Aurora said, pausing for a moment before adding, "Wait. Are you free right now?"
Upon receiving confirmation, Aurora's expression grew awkward. "Theresa is busy with something. I have a letter from her. Take it to the ducal castle and deliver it to King Ryan. Be sure to say it's a personal letter from Theresa. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The next morning, Ryan returned from the Ice Wizard Tower, and his expression had been odd ever since.
There was something indescribably peculiar about him—part smug, part embarrassed. This behavior puzzled Sulia, who was practicing her swordsmanship and adjusting to her newfound powers. Dressed in full armor, the knight queen accepted a towel from Olica and wiped the sweat from her brow, smiling as she teased him, "What's wrong, dear? Did something troublesome happen with Theresa last night?"
"Uh, sort of," Ryan admitted, shrugging—a rare moment where he didn't take the opportunity to tease Sulia in return. "How's it going, dear? How are you finding Brother Sanguinius' power?"
"Not easy... to control," Sulia admitted, a hint of frustration in her voice.
Sanguinius' power, rather than being purely holy, was more emotional and fervent. For Sulia, who adhered to the ideals of chivalry and practiced self-restraint (except when with Ryan), the power was difficult to master. The queen, usually confident in her abilities, found herself facing a unique challenge.
"Take your time. No rush," Ryan reassured her with a nod.
"Master, both Beria and Talleyrand are ready," Olica interjected, stepping forward. "Shall I summon them now?"
"Have them meet me at 2:30 in the afternoon," Ryan instructed, understanding Olica's subtle hint. "For now, I'll take a bath. Please make the arrangements."
"Yes, Master," Olica replied sweetly, her smile as bright as ever.
Sulia couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Ryan today. "Dear, you're acting more like you've come from Morgiana's place than from Theresa's," she remarked, blocking his path.
"I'm fine," Ryan replied, rolling his eyes before deciding to tell Sulia the truth. "Aurora and Veronica had a heated argument about the direction of the sorceress assembly."
Ryan explained the conflict between Aurora and Veronica to Sulia.
"I'm not well-versed in magic," Sulia admitted, dabbing at her sweat with her towel. She caught a faint whiff of lavender and violet perfume on Ryan. Noticing the scent, she felt a subtle change in her own body and casually asked, "What's your plan to resolve it?"
"I'll set up an advanced or elite class for the top students," Ryan said with a wry smile. "Aurora isn't wrong—gifted apprentices need special attention. Think about it, Sulia: if I had remained a simple wandering knight in Nord, we wouldn't be where we are today."
After offering Sulia a few pointers on her training, Ryan continued toward the castle with Olica.
As he walked, Ryan reflected on how long it had been since he last trained properly. His duties as king, along with endless administrative work, had left his combat skills somewhat rusty.
Recently, he had sparred with Angron to test two new abilities he'd gained after reaching the pinnacle of the Sanctuary level: Temporal Stasis and Psychic Black Hole.
However, the sparring session revealed that neither ability was as invincible as they seemed. Ryan realized why the Emperor, despite possessing similar powers, rarely used them.
First, the Temporal Stasis ability proved underwhelming during combat with Angron. Time-stopping abilities were relative. If the opponent was significantly stronger, such powers became almost useless, as greater mysteries rendered lesser ones ineffective. For Angron, who had faced countless horrors in the Warp, Ryan's temporal manipulation was hardly a challenge.
For example, Kabanha, Khorne's mightiest Greater Daemon, had once split an entire temporal domain with a single axe strike. Daemon Primarch Magnus the Red could create and destroy countless worlds in an instant and traverse time to rewrite reality.
Ryan's temporal powers paled in comparison. Even the Emperor's time-stopping abilities couldn't halt Angron's axe. Only Daemon Primarch Perturabo's superheavy Warp artillery volleys—and his infamously cutting remarks—could slow Angron down.
In simpler terms, time manipulation was useless against stronger opponents. Against weaker foes, it was overkill. It was only against evenly matched opponents that time abilities could provide a tactical edge.
As for the Psychic Black Hole, it was undeniably powerful—even Angron admitted he wouldn't dare face it head-on. However, the ability had a significant drawback: its long charge-up time. The several seconds it required were more than enough for Angron to kill Ryan a hundred times over.
"Master~" Olica called from behind, her tone playful. "Did you enjoy yourself?"
"Not bad," Ryan admitted, realizing Olica probably knew everything already. He lifted her up and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for your hard work, Olica."
"As long as Master is happy, that's all that matters," Olica replied, shaking her head. "For now, this is all I can do for you. However, regarding the Dark Elves, I do have a suggestion."
"What is it?" Ryan asked.
"I can't say just yet. But if Master allows me to handle it, I might be able to take control of part of the Dark Elf army. However, it would involve some risks."
"I understand. Do what you need to, Olica. I'll support you."
"Master~ You're the best~" Olica giggled.
After taking a bath, Ryan managed to sneak in a short nap. After lunch and another quick rest, he met with Marshal Rokossovsky, Commissar Beria, and Foreign Minister Talleyrand in the castle's reception room.
Ryan's purpose for summoning them was straightforward.
Seated at the head of the room, Ryan addressed the three men. "Recent intelligence from Section Seven indicates that Tsarina Katarin, after lingering in Altdorf for some time, plans to travel to Marienburg for the winter solstice. She intends to solicit donations from Marienburg's citizens and seek financial aid from its upper and lower assemblies, wealthy merchants, bureaucrats, guilds, and other influential groups."
The three men reacted differently to this news.
Rokossovsky appeared hesitant and uneasy, keeping his head down and remaining silent.
Beria furrowed his brow, nodding slightly as his leg jittered nervously.
Talleyrand's eyes sparkled, and he began twirling his cane lightly on the carpeted floor.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongues? One of you is a marshal, one is a commissar, and one is a foreign minister. Why are you all silent at such a critical moment?" Ryan teased, observing their reactions.
It was an amusing sight. The more you do, the more mistakes you make. The less you do, the fewer mistakes you make.
Rokossovsky genuinely didn't want to get involved in this matter. The marshal kept his head down, and Ryan didn't press him. Instead, the king turned his attention to Beria and Talleyrand.
"Your Majesty," Beria finally spoke after some thought. "This is a logical move. It's well known that the Empire's three wealthiest cities are Altdorf, Nuln, and Marienburg. If Katarin couldn't secure sufficient funds or military support in Altdorf, her next step would naturally be to seek help in Marienburg."
"Why not Nuln?" Ryan asked, smiling knowingly.
"You already know the answer, Your Majesty," Beria replied after a brief pause. "The Countess wouldn't welcome her exiled court. Nuln has chosen to align with us."
"Indeed, Nuln stands with us," Talleyrand chimed in, his genuine smile sending a chill down Rokossovsky's spine. Despite his military brilliance, the marshal detested dealing with the likes of Beria and Talleyrand. "But Marienburg is a different story. Your Majesty, you know as well as anyone that despite the financial losses Marienburg's merchants suffered during the Eight Peaks Expedition, that place is never short of people who oppose and dislike you."
"Of course. Everyone knows that," Ryan agreed. "In fact, according to my intelligence, these merchant princes have long been trying to find someone to counterbalance me. Unfortunately for them, they haven't found a suitable candidate."
"Could Katarin be that candidate?" Talleyrand tapped his cane on the floor. "The Tsarina holds the strongest claim to Kislev, possesses Sanctuary-level power, and has a relatively complete administrative system. Though she has failed multiple times, she still wields considerable influence among the boyar nobility, who owe generations of loyalty to her family. Let's not forget, Your Majesty, she is the last of the Romanov bloodline. If I were a merchant prince, I would certainly try to use her."
"That's a valid point," Ryan conceded, nodding as the others murmured in agreement.
"Marienburg would undoubtedly want a piece of Erengrad," Rokossovsky added. "This might also be an opportunity."
"That's exactly why I summoned you," Ryan said, his tone serious. "Beria and Talleyrand, prepare your teams and head to Marienburg. Monitor the situation closely. I'm granting you discretionary power and operational funds. Do everything you can to prevent Marienburg's merchant princes from forming a secret agreement or military alliance with Katarin that could undermine our interests in Erengrad. If possible, try to establish contact with Katarin and let her know Bretonnia can offer her better terms."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Beria and Talleyrand stood, Beria looking slightly worried while Talleyrand's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"As for you, Konstantin," Ryan turned to Rokossovsky, "you're not going. I have another task for you—recently, the Norscan Dwarfs have been refurbishing the Angrand Clan's brewery. Your First Guard Lancer Regiment will be responsible for ensuring their safety."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Rokossovsky stood and saluted.
And so, the unusual duo of Talleyrand and Beria packed their belongings and set off for Marienburg.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/INNIT
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.