Cloud Thinking

"what?!"

This was the nth time Helia had blurted out these two words today.

Her mood at this moment was far beyond what a simple "fuck" could describe.

"Say it again, I didn't hear you!"

The guard swallowed nervously. When he met Helia's shocked and puzzled gaze, his legs unconsciously tightened and he repeated slowly, word by word: "Master Yolifu, he..."

"He handed the sword to the lady and told her that Wagers had five lovers."

"The lady was furious. She called her two sons to hold down Weigers and then chopped off his... genitals with her own hands..."

"Hiss—" Helia took a breath.

Although she didn't have that thing, just listening to it made her feel excruciatingly painful!

No wonder the guard was so stiff as he walked. It must be a phantom pain.

"This isn't over yet," the guard continued, his voice trembling. "After Wagers recovered, Master Yoriff took the sword back from the lady and gave it to Wagers, telling him..."

"The two sons born to that lady were not her own, but the family's groom's."

"That lady has been secretly having an affair with the groom for a long time, and has been doing it behind Wagers' back..."

"Not only that, they are also secretly transferring the assets under the name of Weijies..."

"Hiss—" Helia gasped again.

Wow...this is such a great show!

She suddenly felt a little regretful that she didn't go to watch the game in person.

"When Weigers heard this, he nearly fainted. He raised his sword and was about to kill the two sons born to the woman and her adulterer. But he had lost too much blood, and he was no match for the three men, so he was pinned to the ground again."

"But..." The guard recalled the scene, his expression completely out of control. "Their youngest daughter rushed out at the critical moment with a kitchen knife and stabbed each of her two brothers - one in the waist and abdomen, the other in the thigh..."

Helia raised her hand to wipe the non-existent cold sweat from her forehead.

She was so scared, she thought someone had been castrated again...

Don't ask, the only thing I know is that she and Yoliv have a brother-sister understanding to some extent.

Perhaps the title of "Root Eradicator" she earned at the academy could be transferred...

"The lady was trying to protect her son and was scuffling with her daughter. Widgers saw his daughter being beaten and joined the melee."

"In the end, it was a complete fight. Master Yolief stood by and watched coldly, even recording the entire process with a video stone. I wonder if he planned to savor it privately or use it as leverage."

Helia laughed heartily, thinking that this farce was so absurd that it made her laugh.

From beginning to end, the whole thing has a sense of outrageous absurdity.

It's just a pity for Yoliv and his mother, who became innocent victims of this ridiculous farce.

"Then..." Helia slowly sat back in the chair, touched the teacup beside her and took a sip of tea, calming her fluctuating emotions. "Is he okay now? How is his condition?"

This "he" naturally refers to Yoriff.

As for the others? Helia didn't care.

It's better that Weijies' thing is broken, so that he won't have to go around flirting with other women, harming young men and women and tarnishing the family's reputation.

If there are any illegitimate children or something like that... hehe...

This pot of porridge is already messy enough, so just drink it while it's hot.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness!"

The guard dropped to his knees with a thud, his forehead almost touching the ground, his voice filled with obvious panic.

Helia raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Just answer properly. Why are you kneeling all the time?"

She always believed that being knelt down would shorten her lifespan, so she would avoid it whenever possible. Even if she had to perform a ceremony, she preferred to kneel on one knee - it showed respect while maintaining her dignity.

She knew very well that the guard must have failed to do his job well and was afraid of being punished, so he knelt down in a hurry, hoping to gain forgiveness by showing his loyalty.

But this isn't a major task, so even if it goes wrong, how bad can it be?

However, she did overestimate the abilities of her subordinates and underestimated Yoliv's determination for revenge.

"He released the Image Stone to the entire city???" Helia rubbed her throbbing temple. "He also publicly announced that he would donate all his wealth???"

The guard pressed his forehead to the ground and replied in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, that's exactly what happened!"

"You don't want money, but I do..." She muttered softly, covering her stuffy chest.

Although she is not short of money, money is something that more is always better!

But it was someone else's property after all, and it was Yoliv's freedom to decide how to deal with it. It was not her turn to interfere.

Helia waved her hands helplessly: "Forget it, let him be."

"Thank you for the hard work. Go down and claim your reward."

As soon as the guard left, Yolief came slowly. If you didn't know, you would think he came at the right time on purpose.

Although he still looked a little haggard, there was a hint of relief and lightness between his brows.

"Is this enough?" Helia stood up, took his hand and asked him to sit down, then poured him a cup of hot tea.

"Let them torture each other while they're still alive." Yoliv smiled helplessly.

He felt really bad for troubling Helia, such a busy woman, with such a small household chore.

Yolief's series of swift and decisive actions proved that he did not sit idly by after discovering the truth, nor did he allow himself to sink into depravity.

On the contrary, he has been secretly collecting evidence and clues that can completely bring down Wagers.

Among those dismissed servants, there must be spies who were in cahoots with Wagers.

He simply dismissed everyone at once. Even if Wagers became suspicious, he would ultimately think he was having a mental breakdown.

After all, Weigers was just a villain who had suddenly gained power. Once he completely dropped his disguise, he became unscrupulous and his eyes seemed to grow as if they were on top of his head. Such a person was actually very easy to deal with.

As a qualified heir to the Frank family, even if Wagers never cultivated him carefully, Yoriff would not be too bad with his intelligence and talent.

Moreover, the environment he grew up in was not bad: the old butler loyally guarded the wishes left by his wife; the servants, although dismissed, still cared about their former master; the teachers in the academy carefully taught the true meaning of magic; and he had a dazzling friend like Helia around him...

These precious interpersonal relationships, like bright lights guiding the way forward in the darkness, are enough to support him to go higher and further in the fog of life.

"As long as I hold onto this fortune, they won't give up." He gripped his teacup tightly, staring at his reflection flickering in the water. "I want to completely rid myself of these disgusting blood-sucking bugs. Simply... give up everything."

This decision was decisive enough.

After thoroughly seeing through the nature of those blood-sucking bugs, this is the best option to fundamentally solve the problem - even if the cost is to incur huge losses for oneself.

He knew that the parasites clinging to the family fortune would never be satisfied. As long as there was a shred of profit to be made, they would cling to it like leeches, sucking the lifeblood with their greedy mouthparts.

Instead of wasting yourself in this endless tug-of-war, it is better to sever this rotten bond with your own hands.

Giving up his immense wealth was certainly heartbreaking, but he would rather choose the freedom of having nothing than being trapped forever in the golden cage woven by blood-sucking worms.

Wealth can be accumulated again, but a soul that has been eroded is difficult to recover.

This seemingly decisive move is actually a wise choice made after careful consideration.

He did not act impulsively, but after weighing all the pros and cons, he chose the path that would best protect himself.

"Don't you leave yourself any way out?" But Helia still felt that he was a little impulsive.

This practice of hurting the enemy by a thousand and hurting yourself by eight hundred is really not worth it.

Yolifu looked at her with a smile: "Don't you still have me?"

Helia was stunned for a moment, then smiled brightly and jokingly said, "I've seen people who rely on their parents, but I've never seen people who rely on their younger sister."

Yolifu also laughed out loud: "Who made my sister so powerful?"

After the joke, he said seriously, "I love magic. In the past, I was restricted by my status and had to choose between my family and my dreams."

"But now, this home is no longer a place to rest and settle down. Instead, it has become the source of all misfortune. There is nothing here worth protecting anymore."

"In that case, why can't I give it a try and pursue my dream?"

At the mention of magic, his eyes suddenly lit up, just like when they first met, his whole body was glowing with vigor and energy, like a sunflower that never fades, warm and beautiful.

"I've signed up for the cooperative project between the academy and the Royal Institute of Magic. Once I'm done with matters here, I'll head south to the imperial capital."

He winked at Helia, his tone filled with a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty: "You need me, right?"

Helia tapped her fingertips on the table, lost in thought.

The Royal Academy of Magic was indeed one of her goals.

As the only magician in the royal family, taking over the research institute was a natural thing to do.

But she has never been able to find the time, and with various misfortunes happening one after another, even her own identity is now in jeopardy, let alone controlling this sharp but dangerous sword.

She had originally chosen Stellar. Once the heroine returned from her studies at Abraham College, she would be able to join the research institute.

With her strength and status, no one dares to compete with her.

only......

Helia thought of the Church of Charity. The Archbishop had once offered her an olive branch, believing that Stella would be suitable for further study there. She had declined, saying she couldn't make the decision for her sister.

Now it seems that this may not be a bad choice.

The religious forces in the empire are intertwined, with the Church of Charity and the Church of Light dominating.

Despite repeated suppression by the royal family, the civilians who lived in poverty needed spiritual sustenance, and the development of religious forces could not be curbed at all.

Furthermore, the Church of Charity undoubtedly played a significant role in the Duke Ronald incident. This was far more complex than she had imagined. Without complete certainty, she didn't want to venture into this lightly.

Why not borrow the heroine's light?

She placed Stella in the Church of Mercy and Yoriff in the Royal Academy of Magic. This way, she would have people on both sides. Even if she couldn't completely control them, at least she could respond promptly to any disturbance.

"Yes, I need you." Helia nodded solemnly. Then, worried that thinking too long would dampen Yoriff's enthusiasm, she emphasized, "I really, really need you!"

She leaned towards Yoliv, her face full of seriousness, her beautiful eyes fixed on him, as if her heart and eyes were filled with only him.

Yoriff smiled knowingly. He knew Helia was being considerate of him.

I feel ashamed when I think about how I still need my younger sister to take care of me when I’m this old.

"Of course, you can't do without me at the next banquet!" Yolief patted the back of Helia's hand with a grateful smile in his eyes.

Helia raised her eyebrows and teased, "You're now a destitute nobleman who's squandered all your wealth. Will anyone else come? Don't ruin my plan."

"Don't worry," Yoriff said with a confident smile. "No one can refuse such a great amusement, and no one can refuse to witness the once high-ranking nobles reduced to the status of commoners."

Helia thought about it for a moment and felt that it was indeed the case.

If she was one of them, even without Yolif's invitation, she would not be able to resist the temptation of such a big gossip - either come in person to find out the truth in the name of "comfort", or send someone to spy on it.

In any case, these people are eager to know: Why would a marquis's family fall apart overnight?

Now that Yolif has personally invited them, how can they suppress their curiosity?

Those who are truly concerned will come uninvited, and those who are simply curious will come when invited, so there is no need to worry about your plans falling through.

Or it can be said that it was because of this great show created by Yoliv that these guys who were usually hard to invite were now scrambling to come to the banquet.

Helia stared at the young yet haggard face and couldn't help but reach out and stroke it.

She couldn't explain her feelings at the moment, but her eyes revealed a deep regret - as if looking at a precious piece of pottery destined to be broken.

"Brother, you should understand that once you help me, there's no turning back." She said softly, feeling the cool touch of his cheek on her fingertips.

"Even if they don't realize that I, the royal family, was the mastermind behind this, you are definitely not immune from responsibility."

"If you insist on protecting me, you will inevitably have to endure their most ferocious counterattack before their death. And you are now restricted in every way, and it is not certain that you can escape safely."

She had known this for a long time.

Long before she came to find Yoliv, the moment she came up with this plan, she foresaw that Yoliv might not end up well.

But even so, she still took this step.

And Yoliv did not refuse her request.

Until this moment, she seemed to suddenly have a change of heart and felt a little regretful.

He is still so young and should have achieved great things. Does he really have to be caught up in political struggles at such an early age and spend his whole life embroiled in boring and cruel conspiracies?

But she had no choice.

She really wanted to help Claude eliminate the instability and clear the way for Eric.

But doesn't she have selfish motives?

Naturally there is.

After getting rid of those nobles who owned territories and returning the jurisdiction to the royal family, she could easily promote her own confidants to serve as local officials and turn these territories into her sphere of influence.

When she first traveled through time, she dreamed of promoting universal education and implementing the "Imperial Examination System" in this world, selecting officials through examinations so that ordinary people would also have the opportunity to enter the center of power.

Driven by interests, ordinary people will send their children to receive education in order to get ahead.

At that time, she will promote popular education, build more schools, and consolidate the examination and selection system, so that the royal family can win the support of the vast majority of civilians.

The idea is nice, but whether it can be realized is another matter.

She knew that if she presented this plan to Claude's desk, it would be considered a fantasy.

But even if it was a fantasy, she wanted to try it.

Even if it means getting my hands stained with blood, I will do it.

Which reform was not paved with blood and flesh?

She's not the first, and she won't be the last.