When Cameron mentioned that Millian Scott's execution was scheduled for the following day, Fia, Sophie, and Dollis all thought she was another poor witch on the verge of losing control.
However, Cameron quickly explained and dispelled their misunderstanding.
"Millian Scott was sentenced to beheading three days ago for violating the highest law of the Sacred Empire, and the Guardian Bureau has ordered all witches to witness the execution as a warning," Cameron said.
Elie nodded in agreement. "That's right, the Director takes this matter very seriously."
"What law could she have violated?" Fia asked curiously, having heard that the witch had broken the law.
Cameron noticed that everyone, including Leon, was looking at her. She felt a bit nervous and gulped, her wheat-colored skin turning slightly red. She raised three fingers and began to explain:
"There are three laws:
First, the Heresy Law of the Church's Canon. Millian Scott does not believe in God; she only believes in herself.
Second, the National Security Law of the Sacred Empire. Millian Scott used her time manipulation ability to go back in time and claimed she knew the deepest secrets of the Sacred Empire. She believes the empire is rotten to the core and should be erased from the world map.
Third, the Witch's Covenant. Millian Scott refuses to fulfill her duties as a guardian or remain at the Guardian Bureau for research as a witch.
Therefore, the Director considers Millian Scott the greatest heretic in witch history. The Emperor, the Pope, and the Director conducted a secret trial, and the verdict is her execution by beheading tomorrow."
After hearing about Millian Scott's crimes, Fia felt that even she couldn't defend her. The first offense alone—disbelieving in the God of Tigris—was already a grave sin. The second and third offenses were equally unforgivable, leaving no legal loopholes to exploit.
Unlike Leon Morley, who was tainted with corruption to fight against the evil god and saved over a dozen people from Yisofar, Millian Scott acted purely for herself. She even stated that the Sacred Empire should be wiped off the world map.
Leon speculated that Millian Scott likely used her time manipulation ability to travel through time and uncover the secret of witches' existence. This led her to lose faith in God, viewing herself as a product of experimentation and harboring hostility toward the world.
The Pope, the Emperor, and the Director of the Guardian Bureau decided to execute her, using a grafting procedure to extract her ability and transfer the power of time to others.
"Did she do anything else?" Dollis asked, considering the character and nature of all witches who joined the association.
Whether it was Elie, Cameron, Ashie, or Sophie, they were all dedicated guardians worthy of sympathy. If Millian Scott had committed any antisocial or inhumane acts beyond her ideological and verbal transgressions, Dollis would vote against her joining the association.
Cameron shook her head. "No, but the Director says she's very dangerous and warns us not to approach her. Her emotions are also extremely unstable, and if left unchecked, she might resort to self-destruction to cause global chaos."
"If she hasn't done anything harmful, then Director Orphelia's words are likely just speculation without evidence. Millian Scott hasn't actually harmed anyone," Dollis said.
Leon nodded slightly. "Yes, we need Millian Scott's power."
"President, are you planning to stage a prison break?" Cameron asked, surprised.
At the mention of a prison break, Alexander instantly became excited. She loved participating in witch meetings and found the topics increasingly interesting. Unfortunately, she wasn't a witch—just a witch's child and currently impersonating Ashie.
Alexander suddenly hoped she could continue impersonating other witches to attend the meetings.
"Is what's coming next something I can listen to? I'm still part of the Church."
Although Fia had submitted her resignation, the Church hadn't approved it yet. In strict terms, she was still a high-ranking officer. The Church naturally had a say in such official judgments.
"Fia, don't worry, you're one of us," Leon reassured her.
In response to Leon's comment about being "one of us," Fia interpreted three layers of meaning:
First, their relationship was intimate, having shared a bed before, making them close.
Second, they both belonged to the same secret organization, the Clause Association, making them companions.
Third, Leon had a new task for her, requiring unconditional trust, which would come at the cost of her unconditional obedience. He wanted to use her again.
As the only woman present with a friendship-level affection for Leon, Fia maintained a clear mind and rational judgment.
Based on this, Fia replied coldly, "On a soul level, we are still independent individuals."
This statement was deeply meaningful, and Dollis naturally sensed its implications. However, the naive Sophie, the innocent Elie, the clueless Cameron, and the oblivious Alexander didn't catch the subtlety.
Seeing Dollis raise an eyebrow, Leon gulped. He didn't want his first witch roundtable meeting to turn into a disaster.
"Let's continue discussing Millian Scott, shall we? Let's not digress."
Leon brought the topic back on track.
"Rescuing Millian Scott is practically impossible. She's being held in the highest level of the Red Tower, and only the Director has access. Even if we could enter the highest level, we can't bring Millian Scott out. The Guardian Bureau has 15 witches taking turns to guard her, making her the most heavily detained witch currently. Even Vice-President Dollis wouldn't be able to bring her out."
"Are you assigned to the executioner witches?" Leon asked Cameron.
Cameron shook her head. "No, Elie and I are currently tasked with investigating why Sophie hasn't lost control. Until Sophie's secret is exposed, neither of us will have any new tasks."
Elie also nodded in agreement with Cameron's statement.
"Do you know the list of executioner witches?"
Cameron and Elie shook their heads again.
"Something like that is probably only known by Director Orphelia."
Dollis leaned back, resting her hand on her cheek, and looked at Leon.
It was clear that Leon intended to rescue the time witch and have her join the association, which was a necessary step.
Cameron and Elie looked down in embarrassment.
"It's fine, even if we don't know the list, it's not a big deal."
Leon consoled the two witches.
"President, do you already have a plan?" Cameron asked, eager to participate. Although Director Orphelia considered Millian Scott extremely dangerous, since the Clause Association needed her, Cameron felt she wasn't that scary after all.
As Dollis had said, Millian Scott hadn't harmed anyone; she had only spoken out of line. At least, not yet.
"Yes, but first, I need to know what Millian Scott looks like and the layout of the Guardian Bureau."
Leon looked at Cameron. Compared to Elie, Cameron knew more about the Guardian Bureau, having spent the most time there and being the Director's confidant.
"I can draw what Millian Scott looks like and the general map," Cameron said seriously.
"Thank you, we can move on to the next agenda."
Leon smiled at everyone.
The witches looked at each other in surprise. There was another agenda?
"We need to overturn the law that forbids witches from marrying, allowing all witches in the world to have the freedom to marry."
As soon as Leon finished speaking, the witches in attendance were stunned.
Sophie had thought Leon's earlier comment about overturning the 500-year-old law in Green Shade was just a joke. She never imagined he would bring it up for discussion at the roundtable meeting.
"Marriage?" Cameron, who was drawing, suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief.
For witches, marriage was as forbidden as Millian Scott's disbelief in God—it was heresy. At least for witches like Cameron and Elie, who had been brainwashed since childhood by both the Guardian Bureau and the Church, this was absolutely unacceptable.
"Cameron, focus on drawing," Leon reminded her.
Cameron lowered her head again, continuing to draw, but her mind was clearly elsewhere, preoccupied with the idea of witches marrying.
"Except for you, Dollis, any witch who marries violates the law."
Fia suddenly realized what Leon wanted her to do.
"Exactly. We must overturn this law. Witches, as humanity's guardians, bear too many responsibilities. Why should they be denied love and marriage?" Leon countered.
"Love and marriage bring personal bonds, making them fear death and hesitate to stand on the front lines against the most brutal monsters. They will cling to life, and emotions are humanity's greatest weakness. Guardian witches don't need these weaknesses."
Fia said, "Moreover, witches have short lifespans. It's already rare for a witch to survive into adulthood. If they were to marry, it would be a loss for the empire. Witches are the nation's property, not individuals with personal rights. In essence, they lack autonomy."
"Fia, you're also a witch," Leon reminded her.
FeiYa nodded, "I am now refuting you from the perspective of the state, letting you know that your ideas have shaken the most basic legislative principles. No judge will support you in overturning the 'witches cannot marry' law."
In fact, Li En also understood that the witches, who seemed noble on the surface, were not chosen by the gods. They were actually the products of the wise men's laboratories, the state's instruments of violence and secret weapons, like the military or nuclear bombs.
Could nuclear bombs have marital freedom? This was indeed a fairy tale.
But precisely because of the Sacred Empire's brainwashing over the years, telling the public that witches were chosen by the gods to protect humanity, it created an opportunity to exploit loopholes.
Since they were chosen by the gods, they were, after all, human beings. Why couldn't they have the same basic human rights as ordinary people?
As long as the Sacred Empire did not want to reveal its greatest secret, did not want the wise men to disclose the experimental information, it had to acknowledge the status of witches as "chosen by the gods." Only then would there be an opportunity to amend the law that witches could not marry.
"Guardian witches can marry after retiring, just like Ellie. If she doesn't execute any tasks after retiring, she originally had three years to enjoy her life. Why can't she fall in love and marry during that time?" Li En asked.
Ellie, who had been used as an example, froze slightly, pointing at herself, "Can I?"
"Of course, any witch has the right to pursue love. This is a basic human right, and it's what we're fighting for."
Li En began to shift the concept subtly, also providing a thought process for Fia.
Fia pushed her gold-rimmed glasses and asked, "Do you want me to help you persuade those old lawmakers?"
"No, Fia, I'll go myself to persuade them, but I need your help to provide some legal articles and cases that can support my arguments."
"You need a secretary."
"Yes, Fia, thank you."
Fia nodded slightly. After noticing that Sophie was still in a daze, she couldn't help but think of Annie, Catherine, and the on-site Paula. A question that even her higher intelligence couldn't resolve resurfaced in her mind.
"President, how do you manage to like so many people and care for each one so deeply?" Fia asked.
She realized that Li En's desire to overturn this law wasn't for the other witches, but for Sophie.
This question once again drew everyone's attention to President Li En.
Li En felt that the word "playboy" was practically written on his face.
"Fia, can you not misunderstand me? This is universal love."
"Indeed, the president."
Ellie unconditionally believed in Li En's words because she was the one he had saved.
"Indeed, the president."
Cameron had already equated Li En with a playboy in her mind. Although she had no romantic experiences, she loved listening to various versions of love stories and understood that a playboy was the scum of humanity, deceiving women's tender hearts and toying with their emotions.
Cameron even imagined a scenario where, after this law was passed, Li En would marry all the witches in the Clause Mutual Aid Association as his wives.
This was simply the fall of witches.
Damn it, should she defect?
But she had promised to always be loyal to the association!
Just thinking about the possibility of becoming the president's wife or lover in the future, bearing his children, Cameron's face turned red, and her heart raced.
Oh no, she might be toyed with too.
Cameron glanced nervously at Li En and saw that he wasn't looking at her, so she sighed in relief.
It seemed the first person the president wanted to toy with wasn't her, but Miss Sophie.
Cameron noticed Li En's subtle gaze, which unmistakably rested on the quietest one present.
Miss Sophie, with her demeanor and appearance, seemed like a small white rabbit that had just hopped out of a snow-capped mountain.
Even Cameron couldn't resist the urge to play with her.
Poor Miss Sophie, perhaps she had caught the president's eye during her time in the Green Shade Estate.
Cameron swallowed her saliva, feeling that she knew too much. She might be killed to silence her.
"Indeed, the president."
Paula was very happy that Li En had proposed the abolition of this law. She never wanted to be the only witch allowed to marry.
If all witches could marry, then she and the others would have a common ground.
And being able to marry didn't mean one had to marry. It was just a choice. Whether or not to marry would still depend on the witch's own will. This was an important step for witches to move beyond being tools.
It was the first step for witches to transition from being guardians to normal people.
It was also the first step in the fight for witches' rights.
Why should witches always be the ones to guard the walls? Why couldn't the knights do it?
Couldn't they take turns on guard duty and work together to deal with monsters?
Thinking this, Paula felt even more admiration for Li En. He was indeed the man she had set her sights on.
Sophie, however, wasn't paying attention to their conversation. She was lost in her own world.
She was thinking, if this law were abolished, could she too wear a wedding dress and receive a ring from him?
Just thinking about it made her pale cheeks flush red.
Li En, on the other hand, sighed in relief. Although he didn't need everyone's support, if the witches had no objections, then abolishing this law might benefit more people.
"I—I've drawn it."
Cameron stammered, her eyes wide with fear. She didn't dare meet Li En's gaze, afraid that he would lust after her imperfect beauty and shift his attention from poor Miss Sophie to her.
Li En took the portrait of Millie she had drawn and furrowed his brows.
The drawing depicted a very abstract little person. One could barely make out her eyes, nose, mouth, and long hair.
"Cameron, you haven't learned to draw, have you?"
"Yes, it's rough, but it's basically like this."
Cameron scratched her head.
Li En handed the drawing to Ellie, "Can you recognize who this is?"
Ellie shook her head, "No."
"This is more than just rough. It's like she's been turned into a stick figure by a curse."
Alexander teased.
Cameron's cheeks turned red, "Maybe Ellie should draw it instead."
"I haven't seen Millie," Ellie said.
Cameron bit her lip, feeling the atmosphere grow awkward.
Li En looked at Fia, "Can you make our Cameron a drawing expert?"
"Permanent expertise isn't possible, but I can manage for a few minutes."
Fia said, casting a spell on Cameron to temporarily enhance her drawing skills.
When Cameron drew again, she felt entirely different, as if the spirit of a painting god had possessed her.
"My goodness, did I really draw this? It's perfect."
A few minutes later, Cameron held up her drawing in amazement.
It was a detailed sketch that captured Millie's appearance flawlessly.
"Indeed, not bad," Paula complimented.
Cameron then drew a detailed map of the Guardian Bureau, far exceeding her own expectations.
She truly wished she could always have such talent, but Fia told her that to make it last, she would need to practice constantly.
Cameron didn't like practicing drawing because she felt it was a waste of time.
The first round-table meeting primarily discussed five matters. The first was the establishment of the Twelve Original Witches system, with powers second only to the president. The second was the scheduling of weekly witch meetings every weekend. The third was the content of the meetings, which could revolve around tasks and transactions, such as trading magic cards during future meetings. The fourth was rescuing the time witch. The fifth was overturning the "witches cannot marry" law that had existed for hundreds of years.
Although the fourth and fifth matters were essentially tasks and ultimately fell on President Li En, who proposed them, they left the other members with little involvement. However, they set the tone for future witch round-table meetings.
Paula and Cameron now knew that future meetings would follow the same pattern.
Even after the meeting ended, the witches were still digesting the content and the impact of this first meeting.
This meeting would later be recorded in the *Witch Revelation* as an important event, known as the "Original Witch Meeting."
Paula not only recorded the entire content of the meeting but also described its effects and significance in her diary, which would later be known as the *Witch Revelation*.
Nina Owen, who had not participated in the meeting, felt resentful about being excluded from the inner circle of the "evil god." She wrote in her diary: "The evil god doesn't fully trust me yet, perhaps because my loyalty isn't sufficient, or maybe because I'm not a witch. This is discrimination based on identity. I hope that one day, I can be equal to the witches in the evil god's eyes, even if he demands that I offer him my body."
Nina Owen's diary would later be known as the *Memoir of Witnessing the Rise of the Evil God*.
Two people who equally loved writing diaries completed the first step of their works within the tower.
When Li En found Nina Owen, she had just recorded all her thoughts in her diary and perfectly evaded Li En's sharp gaze.
If Li En had known that her number one sycophant had such thoughts, she would have made her abandon the idea early on.
No matter how desperate she was, she wouldn't be so indiscriminate.
During the days when Li En was not in the tower, Nina Owen followed Li En's instructions and presented beautiful flower wreaths to the witch Sophie every day, gaining Sophie's favor.
Nina Owen believed that conquering every witch around Li En and becoming Li En's loyal follower was the inevitable path to entering the mural.
"Water lily."
"My great master, you have something to command me, please feel free to use me."
Nina Owen said humbly.
Because she did not participate in the witches' round table meeting, she felt a sense of crisis and became even more respectful.
Li En raised an eyebrow, feeling that this former duchess had once again imagined something strange, but it didn't matter; Li En wasn't in the mood to probe into what she was thinking.
"Can you create a duplicate that looks exactly like the portrait?"
Li En asked.
"Wise one, you've given me a good challenge, a new attempt. I'll do my best for you, for I am your loyal slave."
Nina Owen bowed 180 degrees, stunning both Aria and Cameron.
They wondered if they were not respectful enough to the president.
Especially Aria, who regarded Li En as her faith, had already begun to imitate Nina Owen.
But such shameful words were absolutely unspeakable.
Aria felt embarrassed just thinking about it.
Moreover, as a member of the association, not Li En's slave, her dignity, locked by her identity, prevented her from becoming a perfect sycophant.
Aria felt anxious, believing her devout heart still needed refinement.
Li En thought that Nina Owen was already flattering enough before, but she could still flatter even more, with every sentence being a compliment.
Unknowingly, what had triggered her, Li En handed the portrait to Nina Owen without affirming her exaggerated words.
Using the Splitting Seal, Nina Owen created a girl who looked about 80% similar to the one in the portrait.
Although not identical, someone of Cameron's visual acuity couldn't tell the difference.
"Great master, are you satisfied?"
Nina Owen asked.
Li En looked at Cameron, who slightly nodded and gave a thumbs-up.
"It's fine."
Li En said.
Nina Owen sighed in relief, "It's my honor to resolve your troubles. Is there anything else I can do for you, great master? If you want to whip me with a whip, that's fine too."
Li En then realized that wearing the Azure Dragon Whip at his waist was a bit too ostentatious.
Cameron's eyes widened; the president had such a perverted hobby.
She cautiously glanced at Sophie, worrying about her again.
Li En's mouth twitched, speechlessly putting the whip into the space pocket, which had a capacity of 1 cubic meter, true spatial equipment.
It had been a long time since he last contacted the black-market merchant, and the beautiful widow behind him.
"Water lily, that's enough. Just continue taking care of Sophie. Whatever Sophie asks for, try to satisfy her."
Li En instructed.
"Understood, great master. Taking care of Miss Sophie is my honor."
Nina Owen said.
In fact, she was internally cursing the world.
Why did the protagonist, Nina Owen, have to take care of a witch who might be discarded at any time?
Well, the evil god had his reasons.
This witch harbored a huge secret.
Nina Owen could only console herself this way.
She disliked everything and everyone except herself and Li En, whom she regarded as the evil god.
Of course, powerful witches like Sophie and Dollis were more likely to win her favor than weak humans.
Li En used the Transformation Cloak to disguise himself as Guardian Bureau Chief Ophelia, and gave the invisibility cloak to Nina Owen's duplicate.
Imitating Ophelia's tone, he called out,
"Cameron, Aria."
"Ah, Chief, not President, you look just like the Chief. How did you do that?"
Cameron was astonished.
Aria also looked surprised.
The world had not seen a shape-shifting witch yet, at least not in the Holy Empire.
Even though witches' powers came from mermaid crystals, and mermaids could transform after eating humans, this ability was not passed on to witches through the crystals.
"It seems I imitated it well."
Li En checked himself in the mirror, very satisfied with his disguise.
Then, Li En and Nina Owen's duplicate left the tower, taking a carriage to the Guardian Bureau's Red Tower.
The Red Tower was the Guardian Bureau's stronghold for detaining guilty witches, guarded inside and out.
But now Li En was Ophelia Frank, and no one dared to stop her.
Just this face was equivalent to the highest authority in the Guardian Bureau.
Li En found it hard to imagine what kind of disaster would happen if Ophelia became a mermaid.
Li En didn't go straight to the Red Tower but went to the Equipment Storage Room according to the map, taking two bracelets, anklets, and collars made of Sage Stones.
Ophelia needed these things, and no one suspected Li En; he didn't even need to explain to the "subordinates" and just took them.
Everything went smoothly, and Li En arrived at the top of the Red Tower, greeted by the polite greetings of the witches, and saw the heretic witch, Milan Scott, detained in the tower.
The entire room was made of Sage Stones. Just by entering, Li En could feel that the magic within him, belonging to Dollis, was sealed. Milan Scott also wore a collar, handcuffs, and ankle cuffs made of Sage Stones.
Milan Scott had striking orange-red long hair and was about twelve years old, yet she exuded an intimidating aura.
She sat by the bed, as if waiting for someone to arrive.
"Were you waiting for me?"
Li En, disguised as Guardian Bureau Chief Ophelia, asked.
Milan Scott slowly opened her eyes, "Yes, I was waiting for you, to take me away, Rose Knight."
Rose Knight was the title Ophelia had given herself. Since she called him Rose Knight, she probably saw through his disguise.
What about the other witches?
Li En composed himself, remaining silent, calmly looking at the time witch as if waiting for her to continue.
"Don't be nervous; the others don't know you. I have the power to travel through time and knew I would be rescued by you, so I've been waiting here for you.
Milan Scott received a message from her future self, deducing step by step that Li En was the one who could save her. Now she was just probing.
But the Chief in front of her showed no flaws, making her doubt a bit.
Still, she remained calm and continued,
"Rose Knight, to save me, you need to find the key first."
Milan Scott stretched out her hands.
Li En smiled, "Oh, so your accomplice is Rose Knight? The Guardian Bureau would be happy to help bring him over. Anyone else?"
Milan Scott frowned,
"You're Ophelia Frank?"
"Who else?"
Li En walked to Milan Scott's side.
Milan Scott exhaled a breath of turbid air. Was the clue left by her future self wrong? Or was the person she waited for not Li En Moria?
Thinking this, Milan Scott said, "You can't catch him. The Rose Knight is already dead, died in the naval battle."
"But Simon Moria is still alive, isn't he? If this involves the Moria family, the Guardian Bureau will treat them equally."
"Oh, then go ahead, shake the pillar of the empire and see if the Creed family will cooperate with the revolutionary army."
Milan Scott said indifferently.
"It seems you don't care about the Morias' lives."
"I'm about to die; why care about others? Ophelia, do you think I'm as foolish as those brainwashed witches of yours?"
Milan Scott glanced at Li En coldly, no longer answering his questions.
Li En also composed his expression, not wanting to waste precious time.
His earlier probing was to determine whether Milan Scott had traveled through time and seen him coming to save her or had left herself clues from the future to guess it was Li En who saved her.
From her expression, it was clearly the latter.
This meant that even as a time witch, Milan Scott's time travel had limitations and couldn't travel through time arbitrarily; she could only travel from the future to the past.
At least she couldn't travel from now to the future.
Although he didn't get the key to unlock Milan Scott, the matter of unlocking could be considered later. The priority was to take her away.
Li En removed the cloak from Nina Owen, "To be honest, you're lucky. You gambled right; the Rose Knight came to rescue you, kid."
To Li En, Milan Scott, only twelve years old, was just a kid.
Milan Scott's eyes lit up, seeing a duplicate who looked very much like herself, excitedly stretching out her hand, "Remove the lock."
"This has to wait. Can you walk?"
Even if Li En were a six-star Blood Rider, he couldn't slash open the Sage Stone with a sword, for the stone had a mechanism inside. Using brute force to destroy it would trigger an explosion, which would directly kill Millian Scott.
Of course, Li En could also choose to kill Millian Scott and take her head.
Li En speculated that the reason why witches were executed by beheading rather than hanging wasn't due to some grand ceremonial significance, but because their secrets were hidden in their heads.
When the Mermaid Crystal was swallowed by a witch, it would form a new crystal in her brain—a Witch Crystal. This crystal was a crucial material for the grafting experiment and determined whether a witch's abilities could be sustained.
These were just Li En's guesses, but they were very likely close to the truth.
"Alright," Millian Scott replied.
Li En draped the invisibility cloak over Millian Scott.
Nina Owen's clone took Millian Scott's original position, replacing her.
Li En placed the Sage Stone bracelet, anklet, and collar on Nina Owen's clone.
He kept another set on himself to disguise the sound of Millian Scott's movements while under the invisibility cloak.
The two left the top floor of the Red Tower, walking past many witches who watched them, and successfully exited the Guardian Bureau.
They boarded a carriage and left the Guardian Bureau.
Meanwhile, the real Ophelia was in Ogulas's study.
Coincidentally, Ogulas's childhood friend, Paula, had come to consult her about something.
Ogulas was delighted that Paula had reached out for help, as she hadn't done so in a long time. This was the perfect opportunity for him to win her back.
"Miss Paula, you could have come directly to the Guardian Bureau to find me," Ophelia said. She felt that such matters didn't require the emperor's personal involvement and didn't fully understand Paula's intentions.
Paula smiled and replied, "Actually, this also concerns Ogulas."
"Oh? What is it?" Ophelia asked.
"I followed my father on the expedition to the Azure Dragon Court last time. I discovered that the Azure Dragon Court doesn't actually curse witches. At least I returned unharmed. Perhaps only the first group of witches who explored the Azure Dragon Court encountered other accidents and lost control. So, I suggest that this time, we bring witches along on the expedition. This will increase our chances of victory for the Holy Empire. That's why the Director of the Guardian Bureau must be present to discuss this matter."
Paula spoke politely.
In reality, she was also laying the groundwork for the future of the Azure Dragon Court. Currently, the Azure Dragon Court effectively belonged to Li En, but Ogulas wouldn't give up on conquering it. He would inevitably send troops to attack it.
How could they avoid war? Only by making humans fear enough.
If they could prove that witches wouldn't lose control on the Azure Dragon Court, Ogulas would undoubtedly send witches into battle without hesitation. This would allow him to conserve most of his troops. Even if he didn't value the lives of ordinary soldiers, he had previously agreed to sacrifice some lives to the Azure Dragon King during the war.
But if there was a better solution, he would certainly prefer to send witches to reclaim the land.
This gave Paula and Li En room to maneuver.
Sending witches to fight and having them collectively "sacrifice themselves" would be enough to demonstrate the dangers of the Azure Dragon Court.
And these "sacrificed" witches would actually become members of the Clause Mutual Aid Association, staying in the Azure Dragon Court as its guardians.
The key now was to deceive Ogulas and Ophelia into dispatching the witches.
And this would also help cover for Li En, who was trying to save Millian Scott. It was a plan that could achieve two goals at once.
Paula was more than willing to approach Ogulas for this matter.
Even though her dislike for Ogulas had intensified.
The reason was simple: Paula had seen how the Azure Dragon King treated the Azure Dragon Queen.
If Ogulas obtained the Azure Dragon Whip, he might treat her the same way.
"This is too risky. We can't send witches to the Azure Dragon Court. You're different from the others, Paula. You're special," Ophelia said. She disagreed with putting the witches under her care in danger. Often, Ophelia had come to identify with the witches, seeing them all as protectors of the empire.
"Ophelia, if witches can reduce the number of soldier casualties, why not send them? I trust Paula's judgment," Ogulas said. Unlike Ophelia, the young emperor saw witches only as tools, devoid of any emotional attachment. He would deploy them wherever they were needed, which was why he had let witches follow Earl Hol to explore the outer seas.
Ophelia furrowed her brows, trying to persuade Ogulas, but her arguments were skillfully refuted by Paula.
In the end, Ogulas ordered Ophelia to dispatch at least ten witches to the war. This was just the first batch. If the Azure Dragon Court couldn't be captured, reinforcements would follow.
