The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

The Sarkaz, with its two jet-black horns, traversed the eastern horizon, shedding blood and sweat on the land of music and law.

This was once a hymn sung in an ancient hymn of Letania.

The only thing Syracuse and Letania have in common is this: they once defended against the invasion from Kazdel.

"You mean, under the guise of Sarkaz mercenaries, you want me to try to unite Syracuse on a moral high ground, and then use force to ensure the enforcement of the law and forcibly suppress the other families?"

Madame Sicily said coldly, her tone carrying an obvious questioning tone.

"Of course, the internal strife in Syracuse is not unrelated to your [harmonious] geopolitics—Leytania doesn't care, Great Yan is far away, Iberia is too busy to take care of itself, Rembiton is in a similar situation, and Kazdel was bombed two hundred years ago."

Qiao Yelan's words basically summarized the current situation in Syracuse—highlighting its comfort.

So since we're all just killing time anyway, why don't we start fighting amongst ourselves?

"If we allow a threatening Sarkaz mercenary force to enter Syracuse at this time, it will definitely make these families vigilant again and unite against a common enemy—after all, isn't the best way to unite the separatists to have a common enemy?"

"—Do you expect me to stand by and watch those demons slaughter my people?"

The woman's voice, besides being filled with shock, was mostly filled with anger.

She was also a Syracuseian, and no matter how much Madame Sicily wanted to unify Syracuse, she would never want to do it this way, given Qiao Yelan's actions of bringing the war to her own country.

“I want you to understand one thing, madam—I’m not consulting you, I’m informing you.”

Qiao Yelan, on the contrary, leaned back in his wheelchair with ease, calmly looking at Madame Sicily.

"I will never allow any army to enter Syracuse and slaughter the people of this land—especially the Sarkaz!"

"What does that have to do with me?"

With a clang, Madame Sicily had already drawn her knife and held it to Qiao Yelan's neck.

But a hand had already been waiting there.

The sharp blade sliced ​​through the gauntlet and cut through the skin, but it was firmly stuck to the bone, making only a creaking sound.

Ace's face remained expressionless. Suddenly, the armor on his other arm unfolded, transforming into a small shield, which he used to smash directly at Madame Sicily with its sharp base.

The woman deftly flipped over, drawing her blade, her knees slightly bent, clearly ready for her next attack.

“Agnir, we…”

Her words were abruptly cut off, and even her prepared offensive stalled.

Because the friend she was calling for was already standing in front of her—

Standing face to face.

"sorry......"

Agnier looked apologetic; he did not draw his gun, nor did he show any intention of fighting the Sicilian.

But he simply stood there, blocking all avenues through which Madame Sicily could attack Qiao Yelan.

"Get out of the way, Agniel!"

She roared furiously.

"No—this one alone won't do."

Agnier remained standing there steadfastly.

"Didn't you give up your bid for the papacy and come to Syracuse with me to prove yourself, to prove that humans can create laws besides the Lateran gods?"

Clearly, Agnier's behavior had touched a nerve with Madame Sicily, to the point that she even started to speak recklessly.

“Now, this man wants to destroy Syracuse with violence, to destroy the laws we created, and you still want to stand in his way—in my way!”

“I will do everything in my power to stop this from happening, but I will not let you kill him in front of me—at least not while I am alive.”

Agnier said with absolute certainty.

Madame Sicily glared resentfully at Qiao Yelan. Ace and Agniel's cover blocked all angles from Qiao Yelan, and she couldn't even see Qiao Yelan's face clearly, only half of his slightly upturned lips.

They contacted me through official Laterano channels, and even the messenger was Sakorta, and not by delivering the message directly, but through Agniel...

Could it be that... this guy anticipated Agniel's reaction, which is why he came to see me with such confidence!

The woman was both shocked and angry—and her guess was, of course, correct.

Agniel is a Sakota who came from the holy city of Lateran, not a Sakota born in Syracuse.

Such a simple difference has determined the current standoff in the reception room.

A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall. Just as he told Ace, Qiao Yelan never allowed his security level to be lower than the level of potential risk.

If he was injured, it must be because his plan went wrong, not because the guards didn't try their best.

"If you think you can use such methods to make me doubt Agniel and sow discord between us, you are sorely mistaken."

Madame Sicily knew she couldn't kill Qiao Yelan today, so she simply sheathed her sword.

“Even after you leave here, Agniel will remain my most loyal friend, and we will still be comrades pursuing the same dream—but you will get nothing from here!”

"You want to use Sarkaz mercenaries? Fine, I'll kill every Sarkaz wandering in Syracuse. Any Sarkaz entering Syracuse from abroad will be on the Grey Hall's kill list!"

"Then why not do it?"

Qiao Yelan's words abruptly cut off Madame Sicily's voice.

Up until now, Madame Sicily had offered Qiao Yelan one way out after another, hoping to bring the conversation to a close, but Qiao Yelan had crushed every single one of them and then hurled the dust at her.

By gradually increasing pressure and delving deeper, the Sicilian woman's bottom line was forced to retreat again and again.

Moreover, it was the other party who gave her a reason that forced her to back out.

A sudden, inexplicable fear gripped the woman's heart—he had once again rejected the way out she had offered, so what would this guy say next?

"Perhaps Madame Sicily did not fully understand what I said. My mention of the Sarkaz mercenaries was just an excuse—you should think more deeply about what I was actually talking about."

Qiao Yelan patiently guided this young leader.

Forward?

This guy isn't talking about introducing enough force—

"......army?"

A murmur, almost like a delirium, rang out. Agniel, unable to control his emotions, turned his head in shock to look at Qiao Yelan.

"The Sarkaz Legion, led by Theresis, one of the Six Heroes of Sarkaz, and including two Sarkaz court lords, with a total strength of over 15000 men, has completed its assembly and is awaiting the arrival of sufficient supplies before setting off."

Qiao Yelan smiled as she uttered those hellish words.

"The Sarkaz mercenaries are just an excuse, just like everyone needs a fig leaf in public—but judging from your words, Madam, it seems you only understand those six words literally, so I think it would be better to remind you."

"So I don't mind if you add a Sarkaz expulsion law right away. That way, this army won't have to wear the hat of mercenaries and can enter Syracuse openly. For example, we need to protect the Sarkaz expatriates in Syracuse."

The veins on his hand, which had just returned the sword to its sheath, bulged as he gripped the hilt tightly, resisting the urge to draw it again.

"Agnir—are you still going to stand in my way?"

The voice sounded as if it were being squeezed out through her teeth; clearly, Qiao Yelan's words had once again crossed the line for Madame Sicily.

"Calm down, calm down, Malena!"

The man's voice was even louder than Madame Sicily's.

"Don't be led by the nose, think carefully about what he says!"

Agnier was already drenched in sweat. Compared to the Sicilian woman who was deeply trapped in the situation, he, who could barely maintain his ability to think, understood Qiao Yelan's terror even more.

The two questions raised by Madame Sicily were not just problems faced by Madame Sicily—any of the twelve families in Syracuse who wanted to agree to Syracuse faced these two questions.

The wolf packs on the wasteland, and the military force used to suppress other families.

However, these two problems were unsolvable within Syracuse, which is why the situation in Syracuse has continued to this day.

Although Qiao Yelan brought solutions and resources to these two problems, the issue remains—

His approach seemed to require no consultation with anyone.

The wolf packs on the wasteland have been taken away, and the Sarkaz legion of 15000 Sarkaz is enough to sweep away any family in Syracuse—including the Sicilian Lady's [Giant Wolf Fang].

In other words, Qiao Yelan himself was qualified to unify Syracuse.

"Think about it carefully! What exactly does the solution that Lord Righteous Man has proposed require you to do?"

Agnier stood in front of Qiao Yelan, desperately trying to awaken Madame Sicily from the trap set by Qiao Yelan's words.

The woman was stunned.

What does Qiao Yelan's solution require her to do?

He took the wolves with him, and he brought the army with him—

What makes her special in relation to Qiao Yelan's plans?

Absolutely not.

So-called laws rely on force to ensure their enforcement, and Madame Sicily was able to maintain the laws of Syracuse because of her military power.

If Qiao Yelan needs to support a puppet government, then he seems to be no different from the other twelve family patriarchs.

This negotiation could take place in the reception room of any family, and the alpha members of those families would be far more obsequious than he was, even agreeing to all of Qiao Yelan's unequal treaties.

Why did he come to him first?