Cloud Thinking

Dean Philip was dissatisfied with Helia's ruthless and ruthless behavior, but he was powerless to do anything. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly.

As the number one in the magic world, even though he did not have prominent power, his lofty status and powerful strength were enough to suppress those forces that were ready to make moves.

However, after the battle with Golesa, even with Helia's help in recovering from his injuries, his fundamental damage had been done. His strength was far less than before, and his body was gradually weakening.

His weakness could no longer support the neutrality of Carter's College - not to mention the outside forces that were watching covetously, even the internal fighting within the college was almost a mess, so how could it still look like a place for teaching and educating people!

He was powerless to change anything and could only watch the situation deteriorate.

Although Helia's arrival was a variable, it made the situation even more chaotic.

Now he no longer had the power and strength to discipline Helia, so he could only let her go.

"Dean, I respect you greatly." Helia dropped her aggressive demeanor and adopted a sincere expression. "I also understand that Carterth College is your life's work. I'm deeply sorry that the reputation you've built over hundreds of years has been destroyed in an instant."

She bowed solemnly at a ninety-degree angle, her attitude serious and solemn.

She had indeed acted unkindly in this matter - Analia had offended her, but she had implemented a collective responsibility system, dragging the entire academy into the water.

Especially since the dean had previously cleaned up the mess for her, dealt with the Ositono incident, and sent a teacher to rescue her, which made her feel very guilty.

"I can help you if you want."

She didn't specify what she was going to help with, which was equivalent to writing a blank check for Philip to fill in.

As long as it is within her ability, she will do her best.

"Child, I don't need you to do anything for me." Philip shook his head slowly. His spirit was no longer as strong as before. Even though he tried to straighten his back, his body was still hunched.

This was an internal matter of the academy. Helia was merely a victim of the power struggle. What was wrong with her fighting back in this way?

As the dean, he failed to protect the students from being disturbed. It was his dereliction of duty. How could he have the audacity to ask Helia for help?

Moreover, the college has always maintained a neutral position and has never changed.

Even though its interior has long been riddled with infiltrations, and those greedy individuals have turned the academy into another arena for competition, at least on the surface, it remains a symbol of neutrality.

If Helia were to clear out these people, Carter's College would no longer be Carter's College—it would become the second Abraham College, another sharp weapon for the imperial family.

He stared into Helia's eyes and smiled faintly: "But if possible, I hope you will always maintain a sincere heart, do justice, and live up to the school motto -"

"Give everything to humanity and magic, give everything to peace and happiness."

Helia was slightly startled, and read a trace of sadness in Philip's eyes.

Even though he was the number one in the wizarding world, he had never been truly free.

This place, where he achieved everything, also became the biggest cage that trapped him. He could only sing his own life here for the rest of his life, and there was no possibility of spreading his wings and soaring high.

This made her wonder: Who in this world can truly have freedom?

Claude, the supreme ruler of the secular regime, is not free - he is trapped by the imperial throne and all his actions must be based on the interests of the empire, even at the cost of everything.

Philip, the strongest man in the magical world, is not free either - he is trapped in Carter's College and has given everything to guard this neutral place, to practice true justice, and to protect everyone (not only the powerful, but also the people at the bottom).

Seeing that life is coming to an end, there is still no moment to breathe.

And what about those gods who are high above? Are they free?

Not free either.

The God of Order established the rules of the world, and everyone must abide by them—including himself. He is trapped by the order he created and cannot break free from this cage.

As for her, an outsider, how could she be free?

She was trapped in a body that did not belong to her, trapped in the identity of an imperial princess, and forced to embark on the path of a savior.

To survive, she repeatedly twisted her will and bowed to reality, as if her hands and feet were wearing invisible shackles, making every step extremely difficult.

"Dean, if you have the chance, I'd like to invite you to visit my red rose garden." Helia smiled. "There are varieties of red roses from all over the empire. They are so beautiful that you'll definitely like them."

She sincerely hoped that Philip could escape from this cage temporarily, even if it was just for a short moment, to see the colorful world outside.

Philip was slightly startled, then he laughed out loud and nodded in response: "I will definitely go if I have the chance."

After leaving the dean's office and turning the corner of the corridor, I saw Karlzer squatting against the wall with his knees hugged.

I don’t know how long I waited here, nor do I know how many conversations in the office I heard.

"Why are you sitting here?" Helia reached out to Karlzer as usual, trying to pull him up.

Karlzer raised his red eyes, and to Helia's surprise, there were no traces of tears on his face.

The crybaby has finally grown up.

"I'm sorry..." Kalzer pouted and frowned into the shape of an "embarrassed" character.

"This matter has nothing to do with you." Helia grabbed his arm and pulled him up from the ground. "Even if an apology is needed, it shouldn't be you who apologizes."

After Karlzer stood up, he still hung his head. "But I knew exactly what the teacher was doing, but I didn't have the courage to expose it. That's why your friend was taken advantage of, and you were taken advantage of too."

"The teacher must also want to use me to threaten you... I'm sorry..."

"What's the big deal?" Helia said indifferently, "The fact that you're standing here now doesn't mean that your heart is with me."

"If she really uses you to threaten me, not only will she completely offend me, but she will also lose you. It's not worth it at all."

The corners of her mouth curled up into a smile, but it was obviously not a kind smile: "Of course, if you choose to stand on the teacher's side, I will not lose anything."

"It's good for me to see a person clearly through one thing, especially a close friend."

She was nice to Kalzer, but not without principles.

More often than not, she puts her own interests first.

Karl was stunned for a moment, then forced a bitter smile: "Yes...but I..."

He raised his eyes and looked directly at Helia, his gaze devout and firm: "I will never betray you."

Helia's expression remained calm: "But I don't want you to live only for me."

"I saved you and helped you because I wanted you to become better, I wanted you to be happy, and I wanted you to be free."

"If my help becomes your shackles, I will regret ever saving you."

These words were harsh and hurtful. Compared to the gentle words he had used to speak to Karlzer, his tone now was cold and harsh.

Karlzer clutched his trouser legs tightly with his hands at his sides, biting his lower lip to swallow back the sobs. His eyes were red as if they were about to bleed, but he fought hard not to cry.

Helia stopped talking and just looked at him calmly, as if waiting for an answer that she must get.

Karlzer's breathing was unsteady, his chest rising and falling slightly, but he didn't avoid Helia's gaze. However, under her cold, almost scrutinizing gaze, his psychological defenses gradually collapsed.

He didn't want to answer, nor did he know how to answer. He tried to escape, but was pinned to the spot by Helia's gaze.

Just as Karlzer was about to give up, a green figure poked its head out from under his collar. The hissing sound broke the silence and dissolved the deadlock between the two.

Helia took a step back almost subconsciously, frowning - she was afraid of snakes and hated these cold-blooded animals.

She still remembered the snake, its name seemed to be something like "K". Karlzer liked it very much and accepted it as a gift from her.

I didn't expect him to be so well cared for. Just look at his beautiful scales and you can tell how much his owner cares for him.

Helia sighed heavily and stopped forcing Karlzer to make a choice. She held out her hand and said, "Come on, go somewhere with me."

Carl sniffed hard, and remembering that Helia was afraid of snakes, he quickly patted Snake's little head to make it shrink back.

Just as he was about to reach out to hold Helia's hand, he remembered that he had touched a snake before. He quickly wiped it on his clothes again and again, and then carefully held her hand.

The two arrived at the gate of Marquis Frank's mansion. After a moment, they saw Yolief rushing in, obviously not expecting Helia's sudden visit.

But when he saw Helia again, he couldn't hide his joy in his eyes: "Aya! Why did you come so suddenly? I didn't even ask anyone to prepare to welcome you!"

He naturally extended his hand and led Helia into the mansion.

"I have something to ask of you." Helia pointed to Karlzer beside her and said, "This is my friend Karlzer. You should know him, brother." Then she turned to Karlzer and said, "This is Yolief, who is half my brother."

The two looked at each other and nodded politely.

Yolief held Helia's hand, and Helia held Karlzer's hand. The three of them walked in a row, like children playing house.

Helia looked around. Everything was as familiar as she remembered, except...

"Why does it feel like there are so few people? It looks a bit desolate..."

Yolif, who was walking in front, paused slightly, then continued to lead the way as if nothing had happened: "I don't usually live here, so I don't need so many people, so I sent some away."

Helia noticed something was wrong with his tone, but seeing that Yolief didn't want to talk more, and because of Kalzer's presence, she stopped asking.

The three of them arrived at Yolliff's study. The room was filled with books and scattered with scraps of paper, densely covered with notes and corrections. It was obvious that he was engaged in some kind of magical research that required him to forget about food and sleep.

There was no place to even stand. Yoliv shyly kicked the books aside, clearing a path. "Sorry, I didn't have time to clean up. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."

Helia didn't go in, but instead looked out into the corridor. After a thorough inspection, she didn't see a single servant.

She looked at Yolief carefully: his clothes were not neat, his hair was a little messy, and his coat was obviously put on in a hurry, with the collar folded inside.

There was stubble on his chin, dark circles under his eyes, and his face looked haggard.

If he wasn't born with a good appearance, you wouldn't be able to tell that he was a noble young master.

What happened here?

Helia usually focuses on the affairs of the North, and her main energy is focused on Antonio's family and Carter's College, so she has no time to take care of Yoliv.

But he is the only son of the Marquis after all, how bad can he be?

"If there's anything I can do to help, I'll definitely help." Yolief brought the only soft stool to Helia and looked at Karlzer apologetically: "Sorry, there are no extra chairs. Why don't you sit on the book..."

He pointed to the knee-high pile of books, looking embarrassed.

Both Helia and Karzer considerately overlooked Yoriff's predicament to preserve his dignity.

"I'd like you to send invitations to the other nobles in the name of Marquis Frank," Helia explained. "If I remember correctly, Marquis Frank is probably the highest-ranking noble in the North besides Antonio's family."

"Yes..." Yolief answered the second question first, then asked awkwardly, "Inviting other nobles to a banquet? Is there something important?"

"Hmm..." Helia thought for a moment and felt it necessary to explain in advance, "To be honest, I came out this time not only to deal with the false god of the Morogen religion, but also..."

"Eliminate any nobles who might threaten the rule of the empire."

She emphasized the word "any", and the fierceness in her eyes was not concealed at all, and she was murderous.

Yoriff gasped. It turned out Helia had been ordered to massacre the nobles and carry out the death warrant.

He wasn't completely oblivious to what was happening outside. He had heard a little about what Helia had done before—the Grand Duke of Mawson-Leighton's conspiracy, the Glory Square speech, the blockade of the Imperial City.

But she didn't expect that His Majesty Claude would really allow her to do so.

Although the bloodbath of the royal family was morally condemned, the deaths of those useless people were actually beneficial to the stability of the empire.

But if other princes and nobles were to be massacred, the entire empire would be shaken.

What's more, if those great nobles who own fiefdoms are killed, who will govern their territories?

Yoliev pursed his lips, frowned, and spoke slowly after careful consideration: "Aya, you know... This is not a decision I can make lightly..."

Helia nodded: "Of course I know, this matter is indeed difficult for you."

“If you can do it, do it. If you can’t do it, it doesn’t matter.”

"Does Marshal Hilda know?" Yoriff asked again.

Helia shook her head. "I don't know. I don't want to alarm her, nor will I involve the Antonio family."

This statement was indeed a bit selfish - she didn't want to implicate Hilda and others, but she wanted Reeve to gamble the power and reputation of the Frank family to help.

Without waiting for Yoriff's response, Helia continued, "I won't let anyone know it was me. Just think of it as a killer appearing in the empire, punishing evil and promoting good, specializing in killing evil nobles."

Staring at Helia's eyes that were as bright as stars, Yolif suddenly remembered a rumor he had heard many years ago - Princess Helia of the Empire was the reincarnation of a devil.

Legend has it that she took her mother's life at birth, inheriting Claude's cold-bloodedness. She flew into a rage at the slightest displeasure, and countless people were drowned by her.

Her Amber Palace has solitary cells. When she is in a bad mood, she will randomly arrest and lynch people. No one has ever walked out intact.

Some people also said that she did not drink milk when she was in swaddling clothes, but only drank blood, and grew up drinking blood.

So the rumor of "devil's reincarnation" spread.

But Yoriff knew that Helia was not as violent and cruel as the rumors said. She was not bloodthirsty, nor did she advocate violence. She was just a little girl who loved to play and make trouble.

But why has it become like this now? Was she caught up in a power struggle? Was it voluntary or forced? Is she also suffering?

Yolief kept speculating in his mind, and the look he gave Helia became more and more filled with sympathy and love.

But at the same time, a certain idea became more firm.

"I will help you," Yoriff repeated. "I will help you."