Chapter 32: I Will Protect Him
Roger’s opening gambit, both offensive and defensive, allowed the cabinet meeting to proceed more smoothly. The Empress of Eternal Night accepted the idea of a compromise, understanding that governing a nation rarely had perfect solutions, and thus she became more relaxed.
Meanwhile, the cabinet ministers were spurred by Dio’s speech, and their attitudes subtly shifted. They naturally did not want to see the Empress of Eternal Night showing such favor to a madman. The reason the Empress endured such a person was obvious, wasn’t it? It was because her cabinet’s capabilities had reached their limit, so she had to rely on Dio! This truly achieved the catfish effect.
The attendees were all seasoned cabinet members, none of whom wanted this Dio to steal the spotlight. It was easier to share hardships than to share prosperity. During the Azurevine Kingdom’s dangerous times, everyone cooperated, each performing their duties. Now that the empire was strong, there were troubles, but they were all considered troubles, and the cabinet ministers couldn’t help but shift responsibility and protect their own interests. Compared to the past, their minds were not as pure. The proposed solutions were too much about avoiding responsibility, and their effectiveness naturally decreased.
Now, Dio was aggressively attracting animosity, giving the twelve cabinet ministers a common target. They no longer had the energy to scheme against each other, and the buck-passing and arguments reduced significantly. One proposal after another was put forward and passed, making everything much smoother. They shot provocative glances at Dio, thinking, *You brat, don’t even dream of stealing the Empress’s favor from us!*
The “catfish effect” that the Empress of Eternal Night had hoped to achieve through Roger was finally realized. Moreover, the effect was far better than she had anticipated. Consequently, the Empress increasingly recognized Roger’s contributions. It was he who sacrificed himself to achieve this long-lost harmonious scene. It felt like a return to the early days of the Azurevine Empire, when everyone worked together with vigor and shared spirit. She couldn’t help but sigh softly, her thoughts becoming even more complex.
Half an hour later, matters that might have dragged on for days without resolution were all settled before lunch. The cabinet ministers departed one by one, except for Roger. The Minister of History was required to remain in attendance. As Angelina passed by Roger, she whispered, “Did you strike some kind of deal with His Majesty?”
Roger immediately put on a stern face. “Lord Charles, how can you falsely accuse me without any evidence?”
“I understand. You don’t have to be like this.” Angelina had already sensed the truth from Roger’s forceful posture. *Just as clumsy as my own stupid brother,* she thought. *To lie effectively, one must be casual. Vowings and oaths, at first glance, are problematic.* It was no wonder the two of them had common ground.
Roger was a little dejected. *Sister is like this, and Margaret is like this too. Why is it that without me saying anything, they see right through me? Am I some kind of sieve?*
Seeing his confused and wronged expression, Angelina thought for a moment and sighed. “However, it’s not advisable to let more people know about this for now. You have a special catalytic effect on the cabinet right now, so you’ll have to bear with it.”
“Lord Charles, you jest. What grievance could I possibly have? Attacking and debating online is my greatest joy. What are you weaklings compared to me?”
“Alright, alright. Since you are so bold, you can call me Angelina from now on, and I will call you Dio.” Angelina gave Roger a deep look before leaving the Hall of Political Affairs.
That look made Roger a little smug. *My sister actually… respects me? Is this a joke? I’m clearly here to slack off, so what is there to respect? Is it because I dare to curse at the Empress when you don’t? Is that even a big deal?* Roger, a modern person, truly didn’t understand that in this deeply entrenched feudal era, daring to curse at the emperor was a significant matter.
Especially since Angelina believed he wasn’t truly mad but was trying to salvage the Empress’s image and reunite the cabinet. For this reason, he was willing to put himself in the crosshairs, enduring insults and disdain. Such noble sacrifice was the loyalty Angelina admired most. She herself was someone who was excessively loyal, the kind who would be called a fool behind her back. Discovering that Dio was the same, Angelina felt a sense of kinship. However, it was clearly not the right time for a deep conversation.
Soon, only Roger and the Empress of Eternal Night remained in the Hall of Political Affairs. The former Empress of Eternal Night would have directly ordered Roger to do his work. But now, she looked at Roger with a complicated expression, as if struggling whether to speak or not. This situation truly baffled Roger.
*What’s going on today? Saint Anne is acting strange, and Blood Mother is also acting strange. Everyone looks at me as if they have something to say but are holding back…*
*Could it be that my body has some terminal illness that I don’t know about? Could it be that I, a mere cannon fodder, didn’t die by external enemies, but from some congenital disease?*
But since the Empress didn’t speak, he didn’t dare to act presumptuously, keeping his head down and pretending to be well-behaved. Blood Mother was amused by Roger’s wild thoughts. Was there any terminal illness that one Wish spell couldn’t cure? If there was, then two.
However, she also keenly caught a new piece of critical information. Roger had been hiding his abilities and intelligence all along. Was it because he had foreseen his own death? Or perhaps, someone had predicted and informed him of his death? The Empress of Eternal Night naturally didn’t understand the concept of transmigration. She thought of divination spells, a type of unstable, unreliable, and extremely difficult spell. The difficulty wasn’t in casting it, but in interpreting the feedback. The river of fate had countless tributaries, and even if a fish jumped a few steps forward, it wouldn’t necessarily know where the river was flowing. In other words, most prophecies were useless.
Mages who specialized in divination spells were, to some extent, mentally unstable. If the divination school were powerful enough, Blood Mother would be ruling the country with a crystal ball. However, sometimes, a vague sense of the future felt particularly accurate. From the Empress of Eternal Night’s perspective, Roger’s behavior might indicate that Roger knew he would die in the relatively near future. But he didn’t know the method or the exact time of his death. Therefore, he was extremely cautious, unwilling to reveal his genius, and only accumulated strength in secret. This death might be related to the gods, or it might not be. But it should be quite difficult to avoid. After all, she had bestowed upon him the Deep Sea Heart Amulet. She didn’t have many artifacts of that caliber, which could avoid many fatal risks. Yet, Roger still lacked a sense of security.
However, by using the identity of Dio, he became much bolder, even reckless. This was a situation the Empress had never encountered before, a fresh and interesting one. Being so certain of his risk of death but unaware of the specific method, he would suspect himself of having a terminal illness out of thin air… The Empress of Eternal Night immediately cast a divination spell. *Let me see Roger’s fate!*
Then she saw a vast expanse of white mist. No past, no future, seemingly not existing in any river. Huh? She cast an even more powerful divination spell. Still, it was a blank! The Empress of Eternal Night was helpless. Her research into the divination school was limited, so she could only pass this matter to the Arcane Society later.
But one thing she was very certain of. Roger’s performance today had earned the Empress’s favor and piqued her curiosity about his strange fate, so… *I will protect him! Even his death needs my permission first! At the very least, I must witness it firsthand to see what’s going on.* The Empress didn’t want to make any absolute statements, as the situation was quite bizarre.
“Lord Dio.”
“Your subordinate is here.”
“Come closer.”
“Yes.”
“Even closer.”
“Yes.”
Roger took another step forward, stepping onto the last tier of stairs, just two steps away from the star throne. At this distance, he and the Empress of Eternal Night were only an arm’s length apart. It seemed that if he reached out, he could touch her flawless face. Apart from her power that surged like an abyss, she seemed to be just a tall, slender, and beautiful young woman. Her eyes sparkled, and the curve of her eyebrows was unusually soft, as if she were plotting something mischievous. She didn’t seem so unattainable and out of reach.
Just then, her terrifying magic power suddenly stirred, converging at her fingertips. This was the first time since his transmigration that Roger had seen the Empress of Eternal Night take time to prepare a spell instead of casting it instantly. The terrifying magical energy, that made one’s hair stand on end, gathered at her fingertips, with faint sparks of electricity flickering. Even with the orderly mobilization of magic power beyond the legendary level, Roger tensed up completely, not daring to move. This was simply a difference in life forms.
There was no wind, yet the hem of Roger’s robe lifted, and a seam split in his pants, revealing his left leg. The Empress gently tapped his thigh, slightly below the root, and poured magical energy into Roger’s body, leaving a golden symbol on his leg.
“Positive.”
Roger: ???
