Cloud Thinking

“I will handle the political situation. It is inconvenient for you to interfere, but you don’t need to worry. With my status and methods, there won’t be any major trouble.”

Helia recounted her current predicament to Mobius, occasionally revealing a hint of vulnerability, practically wearing the words "Please love me" on her face.

No sooner had she finished speaking than she received several solid slaps on the head, causing her to gasp in pain.

Mobius was truly surprised by Helia's talent for causing trouble—how could this young girl have so many enemies?

He's even more hated and troublesome than he was in his youth!

Would you consider this a case of the student surpassing the master in some sense?

However, this is also related to her unique background: an imperial princess, the vessel for the resurrection of the god of war, and a favorite of the gods...

Her multiple identities dictate that she must take unconventional paths to forge a free and unhindered path.

Moreover, once you become involved with deities, it's no small matter; you could face the risk of sudden death at any moment.

This world has always been unreasonable; might makes right.

As the true rulers of the world, gods who wield supreme power need no reason to kill anyone they wish.

A single sentence can leave someone utterly mutilated and powerless to resist.

“You…” Mobius scolded, poking Helia’s forehead, “You’ve offended the two most troublesome ones right off the bat! The Magic Association is so powerful, how could a novice mage like you possibly handle it?”

It wasn't actually poked very hard, but Helia still cooperated by howling.

At this point, she suddenly recalled her teacher's heroic act of burning down the association's headquarters when he was young, and couldn't help but mutter, "Teacher, didn't you also provoke the Magic Association back then and burn down their headquarters...? I'm just imitating you..."

The old man was about to scold her for talking back, but as he recalled the past, his expression suddenly became serious.

The hand that was about to tap her forehead instead gently patted the back of her head.

“It’s because I thought I was invincible when I was young that I suffered so much…” Mobius sighed, “That’s why I don’t want to see you follow in my footsteps…”

"Teacher, can you tell me about it?" Helia asked, both curious and cautious, afraid of touching on her teacher's painful memories.

Mobius wanted to call her gossipy, but seeing her cautious demeanor, he swallowed his words.

He waved his hand, unwilling to elaborate: "It's nothing...it just caused the tragic deaths of a few close friends..."

"I too ended up...with my family destroyed and my life ruined..."

When Helia was choosing her mentor, she did indeed investigate Mobius – he was the one she had carefully selected from among many excellent magicians.

Claude also conducted a thorough investigation of him before entrusting his daughter to him, only daring to do so after confirming that there were no problems.

At the time, she only knew that the other party's family had died in a disaster years ago, but out of respect for the living and mourning for the dead, she did not investigate further.

But this was a painful matter, and she never asked about it again, afraid of reopening old wounds.

Unexpectedly, this was the price the teachers paid for burning down the association's headquarters...

Helia couldn't help but look at Yuros, who was sitting quietly to the side.

At this moment, Yuros remained in child form, being unusually well-behaved.

She suddenly had the urge to back out—she didn't want to pay such a heavy price.

Moreover, she knew that even at a great cost, she might not be able to severely damage the association.

This organization is spread across the continent, while she is all alone.

I'm afraid that in the end, they'll lose both their wife and their army.

“Sister.” Yuros saw through her worry at a glance, leaned over and hugged her waist, looking up at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

Mobius frowned as he watched from the side.

He wanted to avoid seeing it, but he was also afraid that Helia would suffer.

But then he thought about it again. This girl is never short of people around her. He knows of several, and no one knows who she really likes.

He simply couldn't stand a grown man pretending to be a child and taking advantage of his apprentice.

But in reality, Eurythus maintained his child form purely because of Möbius—mortals cannot look directly at the true gods.

Helia respected her teacher, and Yoros, out of affection for her, did not reveal himself in his true form.

He had suffered a great loss of strength and a drop in status while recovering from his injuries, and was almost on the verge of death, which allowed people to catch a glimpse of his true appearance.

Now that he has absorbed the authority originally belonging to Osinotto, which was given to him by Helia, his power has been restored, and he can no longer appear in his true form.

Helia was already extraordinary.

In terms of strength, she could be considered a demigod, only lacking divinity and divine power.

Therefore, she can look directly at the true God.

However, if she were to confront a being like the God of Order head-on, she probably wouldn't be able to hold out for long—divine power would force her to bow down and kneel in worship.

This is absolute power, the power to dominate the world.

“But worry doesn’t disappear just because you become powerful.” Helia gently stroked the top of his soft hair. “As long as I care about you, I will always worry about you.”

Yuros felt that Helia had really changed—at least she would never have said such honest things before. She was becoming more and more like the person he remembered.

Does this mean that the moment is just around the corner?

After recovering from his injury, he noticed that people who had previously harbored resentment towards him, or even doubted him, suddenly let down their guard and became as gentle as melting spring water.

Although he was puzzled and even somewhat apprehensive, he cherished this long-lost care.

He had missed her for too long and waited for her for too long.

"Cough cough!" Mobius coughed twice loudly, announcing his presence.

Helia patted her teacher's hand on her knee knowingly: "Teacher, I'm worried about you too."

Mobius shook off her hand: "Come on! If you were really worried, you wouldn't have dragged this old man into this."

He wasn't used to Helia's obedient demeanor and always felt that she was plotting something.

Helia pouted sheepishly, "Let's keep things separate... I was genuinely worried, and I really needed your help..."

Mobius stood up: "I will get justice for you this time. The association must give an explanation, so you can rest assured."

His eyes burned with anger—both for Helia's fate and for the injustices of the past.

"Now the people's hearts are with you, the Dean is willing to protect you, and Marshal Hilda is backing you up..." He paused, "This time, they have no choice but to bow down!"

This matter has long since transcended the question of fairness; it is purely a contest of strength.

Helia's side is strong, and regardless of whether she is right or wrong, the association has to bow down.

If the association is strong enough, no matter how much trouble Helia causes, she won't be able to harm them in the slightest.

Truth always stands on the side of the powerful.

-

Ten days after the blood feast, the gates of the Behrman branch of the Magic Association were smashed open by angry crowds.

In the chaos, some mages were forced to retaliate, using magic to harm innocent people.

This completely ignited the long-suppressed fear and anger of the people, almost burning down the entire branch.

During the previous monster invasion, Bellman relied on the presence of Carter's Academy to prevent casualties, but many people witnessed the cowardly behavior of some mages.

He usually abuses his power with magic, but in times of crisis, he abandons them and even tries to push them to block the monsters to buy himself time to escape.

How can this not make people indignant?

The conflict between magicians and commoners is about to erupt.

As war was about to break out, the elder in charge of the branch walked shakily to the academy gate and knelt down with a thud.

The elderly man with gray hair confessed his sins in a hoarse voice, begging Helia for forgiveness.

What a cunning move!

If Helia refuses to see him or accept his apology, she will become a villain who abuses the elderly, thus confirming her moral depravity.

If the imperial princess has no pity for the poor old man, how can she possibly pity the common people?

Although public opinion leans towards Helia, the association's act of kneeling did indeed turn the tide.

When those in power, who are usually high and mighty, bow their heads and admit their mistakes, it is enough to make ordinary people excited and proud.

They might even think they've gotten justice for Helia, placing themselves in the position of benefactors—and then turn on her if she goes against their wishes.

This is the price of manipulating public opinion.

But Helia was not one to be trifled with.

No one can force her to do things she doesn't want to do.

If you push her too far, she's capable of anything.

"Who are you? What are you doing kneeling here? Do you also want to trample on the academy and ruin its reputation?"

Helia stood on the steps with her arms crossed, looking down at the trembling old man kneeling on the ground. She questioned him in a loud voice without any mercy, showing her cold-blooded side to the fullest.

The old man looked up, tears streaming down his face. His hands, like withered tree bark, were pressed against his heart as if he were tearing his soul apart, and he cried out, "Your Highness Helia! I am Slade Cook, the head of the Bellman branch of the Magic Association."

After saying this, he bowed down and kowtowed deeply.

"The association has never harbored any disloyal intentions! The enforcement team's actions that night were purely individual actions; we were unaware of them and had no idea why they would harm you."

"I suspect this is an organized and premeditated operation aimed at sowing discord between the royal family and the association, muddying the waters, dividing the empire, and inciting conflict!"

Helia sneered: "You mean, I was almost killed, and I might continue to be hunted down, but for the sake of the so-called big picture, I have to endure it, suffer, and wait to die?"

"Of course not!" The old man's frail body trembled. "I am heartbroken by what you have been through! This is indeed the fault of the association's inadequate discipline. We are willing to take responsibility, which is why we have come to apologize."

"But I beg you..." he choked out, "to be magnanimous and not let those with malicious intentions succeed..."

He bowed again.

All the people could see was his thin and pitiful back; they couldn't see his expression.

Helia frowned and pouted. After thinking for a moment, she finally stepped down the steps and stopped in front of Slade.

Slade could only see her bright red skirt swaying like a flower, as dazzling as she was.

"So, if I continue to pursue this, I'll be a fool who's fallen for a divisive scheme?" She leaned down and smiled.

"I can't pursue the matter, and I can't forgive you either. You've said all sorts of good and bad things. What should I do?"

Her tone was coquettish, yet it concealed a sharp edge.

The old man said nothing.

He didn't need to answer—the choice had been made by Helia; the dilemma was hers, not his.

Helia nodded slightly and paced back and forth on the steps, feigning hesitation.

The onlookers were all discussing and analyzing the situation for her.

Behind her, on the steps, several unfamiliar faculty members were keeping a close watch—not to receive an apology, but to prevent her from suddenly committing murder and tarnishing the academy's reputation.

"Sigh—" Helia finally stopped, let out a long sigh, and looked full of regret.

"I have a problem making decisions, and I hate making decisions the most," she said slowly. "Especially when it comes to life-or-death decisions, it puts me in a very difficult position."

"But I don't want to suffer for nothing. If someone wants to kill me, it's only right that I fight back."

"Although the murderer has been brought to justice, the mastermind behind him is still alive. I must remain vigilant against assassination attempts from now on."

She pointed at Slade: "This is your responsibility. If you can't find the real killer, you'll have to bear my wrath and revenge."

“My demand is: from this day forward, the Bellman branch shall be disbanded.” She paused. “The city’s resident mage shall be selected and managed by the Catherine Academy, and the Association shall no longer interfere.”

How could Slade dare to agree?

He was nothing more than a scapegoat pushed out by the association to take the blame; he had no real power whatsoever!

Helia wants to use this opportunity to eliminate the association's influence and support her alma mater. Who can guarantee that she will only target Bellman? This could very well be just the beginning!

The faculty members were shocked by what they heard. They looked at each other, their eyes conveying a wealth of information.

The public is completely unaware of the importance of the transfer of power and mostly takes an indifferent attitude.

“Princess Helia!” Slade looked up abruptly, his relaxed skin taut with excitement. “This matter is of utmost importance; how can I make a decision alone? We must obtain permission from headquarters!”

"Furthermore, if the branch is disbanded, what will happen to the resident mages? Who will protect the people? Who will oversee the neutrality of the academy?"

Helia chuckled and bent down, placing her hand on Slade's shoulder. Her tone was gentle yet authoritative: "These things are none of your concern, you scapegoat."

She leaned closer and lowered her voice: "If you don't want to leave, I have plenty of ways to make you leave."

"Whether you leave vertically or stay horizontally—the choice is yours."

This was the decision she made that morning after discussing it with her teacher, Mr. Mobius.

The academy is now rife with undercurrents and factional strife, and it is likely that conflicts will soon erupt, leading to a crisis of disintegration.

Mobius, grateful for Dean Philip's patronage, could not simply ignore this mess and walk away.

Helia was also grateful for the dean's help and did not want to see him get mired in the power struggle.

Therefore, Professor Mobius will not leave the academy for the time being—he needs to stay here to stabilize the situation and properly handle the internal affairs of the academy.

Since the academy has found it difficult to remain neutral, Helia naturally hopes that it will stand on her side.

She intends to cultivate her own influence within the academy, paving the way for her future.

Behrman marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life; she had a special affection for this land and considered it one of her spiritual homes.

That's why she had to eliminate everything that might be in her way.

Ultimately, eliminating the association's branch in Bellman and supporting the expansion of Carter's College was for her own benefit.

With the academy's assistance, Yorif will enter the Royal Magic Academy under the guise of cooperation, exchange, and further studies, becoming a pawn planted in the shadows by Helia.

Professor Mobius stayed at the academy to recruit talent and expand her influence—Helia was indeed desperately short of capable people.

This move will also help the Antonio family consolidate their rule in the North.

Helia's ambition is to bring the entire North under her control.