Why

"Why..."

Inside the empty Temple, beside a pillar adorned with intricate carvings.

Baker leaned weakly against it, his body clearly at its limit.

His exposed fingers had already begun to turn a bruised purple, the capillaries within them starting to congeal, and his heart function had declined to a terrifying degree.

If it were not for his high physical attributes as a powerful individual forcibly holding him together, he would likely be a cold corpse on the floor by now.

Lola's voice echoed through the Temple, the noise of the chaos outside seemingly unable to reach her ears at this moment.

She simply stared at Baker, her mind filled with countless questions she wanted to ask.

In her understanding, Baker was absolutely not a reckless person.

He had been able to rely on his own strength over forty years to cultivate orphans into undercover agents, scattering them across the country to form an effective and massive organization.

This was not something a rash person could accomplish.

Yet this operation clearly did not fit his character.

"Cough, cough, heh... what use is there in talking about this now?"

Baker coughed lightly, though he was now so weak he barely had the strength to do even that.

"I never told you that Her Highness could contract the document tablet, or about the dragon race, but you should have known how difficult she is to deal with now. Why did you do this?"

Lola took another step forward, looking directly at Baker with eyes full of scrutiny and heartache.

At this moment, Baker was as fragile as a sheet of paper that would tear with a single poke. Lola did not even dare to support him with her hands, fearing that if he moved, he would lose his last spark of life entirely.

"Do you think... under the pressure of those nobles, I had a choice?"

Baker took a long breath, barely managing to steady his breathing.

"You did. Even if it meant sacrificing some people, you had the ability to save many more. Why did you do this?"

Baker grinned and looked up at Lola, a trace of approval in his eyes.

"I am very happy."

Lola ignored this nonsensical sentence and continued to press him.

"Why! Tell me!"

However, Baker did not answer her.

"Do you remember when you were little? You were truly different from the other children. You were quiet, disliked communicating with others, and always stayed in a corner by yourself. Back then, you were truly adorable."

Baker's gaze began to wander, appearing to look at the young woman before him while seeing her past self.

In a daze, the little girl from years ago appeared before him.

"Baker! Answer me!!"

Lola stepped forward, practically roaring into Baker's ear, but he only continued to smile.

"Lola, those nobles... were always a thorn in your side."

Baker snapped back to reality slightly, forcing his head up to look at her.

"If there was... ever a time to draw out all those restless nobles in one fell swoop, then... now was the best time."

Lola's brow furrowed.

"But Her Highness has her own ways! The Decree of Distribution of Grace is the perfect tool to deal with the nobles!"

"The Decree of... Distribution? Though I do not know what kind of strategy that is, for it to receive such praise from you, I believe it must be an excellent plan."

Baker's eyes held a hint of doting affection, and a satisfied smile hung on his face.

"But that is only if the Highness you serve truly has the ability to issue such a decree. Of course... I believe now that she has that ability."

Lola's brow tightened as she took a deep breath.

"Baker, you made two plans, didn't you?"

Baker's breathing was faint, and he did not respond, but Lola looked into his eyes and spoke softly.

"You placed the weight of your bet on the nobles and Her Highness, and the chips were the two of us!"

"If Her Highness won, you were certain she could lift the curse on me. If the nobles won, you were confident you could send me away, out of the Kingdom of the Moon, right?"

"The reason you didn't send any news to Her Highness was actually to warn her, wasn't it?"

"You put me in a safe position, but you put yourself in a dangerous one, didn't you!?"

She asked three times in succession, taking a step forward with each question until she was almost pressed against Baker's face.

Her gaze was filled with both hatred and heartache.

Baker slowly raised his head, his breathing ragged. He stared blankly for a long while before letting out a doting, helpless laugh.

"Yes... I calculated everything. I just didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly."

"Why!? You clearly had other ways!"

"There were none... there really were no other ways."

Baker slowly looked up at Lola.

"This was the best way I could think of..."

Lola's brow tightened, and she suddenly turned around to go find the Saintess.

At this point, only Her Highness could save Baker!

If she explained everything, perhaps Her Highness would change her mind!

"Don't go."

As if guessing Lola's thoughts, Baker spoke slowly to stop her.

"Why?!"

"Because she needs... a person she can trust completely to lead an intelligence organization. You are the one she trusts."

"But you didn't have to die!"

Baker smiled slightly but did not respond.

"The more one knows, the easier it is to be targeted. If those nobles hadn't jumped out this time and instead used me to control the organization, what chance would your Highness have had?"

"..."

Lola opened her mouth but stood frozen in place.

"But, I could go beg Her Highness for protection..."

"Heh..."

Baker's gaze held a mix of affection, expectation, and helplessness.

"You are still too young."

He coughed several more times, and this time, his breathing became even fainter.

One could almost no longer hear the sound of his breath!

"Lola, you must take good care of... them. Those people, though they share no blood with you, they... will cherish you more than your own kin."

"Remember... respect that Highness well. She is not a soft-hearted person. Never, ever forget, no matter the time, do not gamble with your own life."

His eyes had already closed, yet his mouth continued to move.

"After I die... do not erect a monument, do not hold a memorial, and do not let my body become a tool to coerce or provoke you."

"Take good care of Her Highness. Though she is young, she is truly special... to be able to control two thousand skysoar dragons, she might truly be our future hope."

"Take good care of yourself... when it gets cold, remember to add more blankets. When it gets hot, remember not to... not to..."

As his instructions followed one after another, his voice gradually grew weaker until it was barely audible.

"Baker! Baker!!!"

Seeing this, Lola could no longer hold back her tears as they streamed down her face.

She rushed to Baker's side, reaching out to prop him up.

But where her hands touched, he was already cold and stiff.

Perhaps as a final flash of life before the end, for a brief instant, Lola seemed to hear Baker say one last thing:

"Finally, I hope... you can call me brother."

"Bro... ther? Brother!!"

However, Baker's body was already cold, and there was no longer any movement in his chest.

From within the Temple... came the sound of suppressed weeping.

Even outside the main hall, it could be heard faintly.

I glanced back at the hall. The bond between Baker and Lola was something I couldn't quite understand.

Though the two had no blood relation, Lola had introduced Baker to me immediately, and the information she received from him was always incredibly swift.

She never had a single doubt about him.

Based on that alone, her relationship with Baker had transcended blood.

They were not siblings by birth, but they were closer than those who were.

Let her cry. Only by crying can she release the suppression in her heart. If she doesn't, it might affect her health.

...

The chaos outside the Temple continued.

However, as time passed, the fires had clearly subsided significantly.

The main areas burning were the North Gate and West Gate in the slums, as the residents there were of the lower class.

It was difficult for them to form an effective organization to control the fires, so the flames had spread very quickly.

Now... Hilda and Nar should be busy over there, commanding the crowds to extinguish the fires.

With them there, I didn't need to worry too much about those matters.

I turned to look at the horizon; more than half the night had already passed.

After all these events, it was now past three-thirty in the morning.

By my count, I hadn't slept for nearly a entire day.

I was certainly exhausted, but in this situation, as a ruler, I couldn't possibly go back to sleep in peace.

During this long wait, a faint blue light gradually appeared on the distant horizon.

Dawn began to rise slowly from the edge of the earth.

Brilliant City... had finally welcomed a new day.

...

"Over two thousand three hundred civilian houses were destroyed. The financial losses have not been fully tallied yet. There are over two thousand civilian deaths and more than ten thousand injured."

"A total of three hundred and seventy-three Temple knights have been stripped of their ranks and imprisoned, including one hundred and twenty-six Hope Knights and ninety-six Fidelity Knights..."

"Two hundred and eighty-eight Temple knights died, among which..."

"Over one thousand two hundred infantry died, with over three thousand injured."

"The total number of rebels captured or killed is over four thousand. Among them, over three thousand were killed, and fewer than six hundred remain imprisoned."

As the numbers were reported one by one, a general picture of the losses formed in my mind.

Fires had been set simultaneously at the North Gate and West Gate. They hadn't gone to the East Gate to burn the merchants' goods, nor to the South Gate to burn the nobles' property.

What was burned were the houses and property of ordinary citizens.

And the Temple knights had lost over six hundred men in one breath; this was practically a crippling blow!

There were a total of one thousand knights stationed in the city, and over three hundred of them—more than a third—had participated in this rebellion.

This news chilled my heart!!

The primary actors in this operation were members of the Garnet family, which meant that the Garnet family alone influenced a third of the knights.

If expanded to the entire knight order, how many would be influenced by the nobility?

With such a terrifying base, once I launched a full-scale suppression of the nobles—especially once the Decree of Distribution of Grace was introduced—the problem would be massive!

It seemed I still needed to be extremely cautious in this regard!

The infantry, on the other hand, had not rebelled. Although the overall quality of the infantry was far below that of the Temple knights.

Fortunately, over ninety percent of the infantry were selected from the common people.

This meant they were highly unlikely to participate in a noble rebellion.

The ten thousand infantry had contributed greatly last night.

Without those ten thousand infantry, it was hard to say how long the fires would have continued to spread.

Because of their group combat skills, even though their individual qualities varied greatly, the ordinary infantry could still exert power far beyond that of normal people when gathered and effectively led.

Lola's eyes were red. Although her face still carried deep exhaustion, she stood there, checking all the data.

Inside the hall, the black bloodstains had been wiped clean, and Baker's body had been transported to Lola's residence.

I had nothing to say about this. Since Lola wanted to bury him, I would let her.

If I didn't even have this much magnanimity, what kind of king would I be?

After a moment of silence, I spoke slowly:

"For the Temple knights, pay a compensation to the families of the deceased. Each family will receive one hundred gold coins, and one gold coin in compensation every year thereafter. Prepare coffins for everyone and give them a proper burial."

"The injured will be given an equivalent amount of gold coins based on their merits. For those who made outstanding contributions, their rank will be raised by one level."

"The burned civilian houses will be rebuilt with funds from the Temple. Use the funds seized from the Garnet family first; if that isn't enough, the national treasury will provide the rest."

"Every injured citizen will be given ten silver coins, and all injuries will be treated by the Temple priests."

"For the fallen infantry, pay a compensation of five gold coins each, and provide extra care if their children have any future needs."

"The injured will be the responsibility of the priests and the Alchemists' Association. For those with outstanding contributions, add extra rewards on top of the standard ones."

After I issued these orders, Lola, as my most capable assistant, quickly sent them out.

"Furthermore, starting today, everyone holding an official position in Brilliant City will undergo a review and reassessment. Anyone found guilty of corruption will be removed immediately—no exceptions."

"Regarding the Mage Association, all mages will be reviewed. Any who resist will be treated as rebels!"

"Your Highness... there is one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Since the Garnet family within Brilliant City rebelled directly, I believe the Garnet family estate must have also raised an army by now."

Lola pushed up her glasses and added calmly.

"Your Highness must handle this quickly, or it may lead to nationwide chaos."

This was indeed a problem that had to be dealt with. At this moment, the family territory near Seaview City had certainly risen in revolt.

As an established noble family, they certainly wouldn't sit there and wait for capture. Even if it meant a fight to the death, they would find a way to survive.

Most importantly, that Garnet family elder, Fitch Garnet, was clearly one of the demon race.

"Mm... fine, I understand. Inform Kevin Cromwell of tonight's events."

"Declare the Garnet family's rebellion. Notify the entire country and tell the people that the Garnet family has betrayed humanity and has been demonized from within."

"Also, notify General Yanagi Musashi. Order his units to return to the Garnet family estate immediately. They are authorized to annihilate any rebels they encounter."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lola wasted no words and quickly issued the commands.

Watching Lola turn to leave, I took a deep breath.

It seemed that even though the demon race and the coup had just ended, I wouldn't have a moment of rest.

Because... the civil war was about to begin!