Walking through the moon-like designed Wienestierast, the silence was only disrupted by the sounds of the guards' constant marching.
At the end of the hallway, a light like the moon's embrace swallowed us before revealing the jewel-like design of this magnificent and utterly jaw-dropping work of architecture. At the other end of the room was the emperor who had overthrown the democratic government of Wien and who now proclaimed himself emperor of Wien with the help of the Royal Family, Alaric.
Devina casually strolled past the guards and climbed the stairs up towards the throne where the emperor was sitting. A few guards tried to intervene, but their supervisor immediately pulled them back, saying that if they angered the Academy, it would be the end of them.
With her arm resting on her knee and her face right in front of the emperor's, she asked him what he was playing at.
He scanned the room before taking a deep breath and saying that it was simply a misunderstanding between Wien and the Academy. The individuals who proclaimed themselves to be from the Royal Academy were completely safeguarded during the whole coup, and their safety was a priority.
Alaric immediately called upon his men to let the people from the Academy out. As the emperor had said, the people from the Academy were completely unharmed and quite lively. Two guys were arguing with the guard escorting them, whilst a girl just sighed as she was led away.
As the people from the Academy saw their Head Principal, they called out to her and told her that they were apprehended and thrown into a room in the Wienestierast, where they had been for several days.
"Alaric, surely you know how much it costs the Academy to do these types of investigations and missions?"
"I fully understand. I will issue a reimbursement for any damages that we have caused to the Academy."
"Not only that... You caused these poor students mental anguish. Imagine yourself in their shoes. They feared that their lives would end at any moment, and as for me, you really had the audacity to make me partake in a mission."
The emperor's face twisted in discomfort as he heard Devina arguing. He let out a long sigh before asking what the Academy wanted in exchange for letting this go.
A sinister grin appeared as Devina heard those words come out of his mouth.
"You hand over the "exiled" Matiligax to the Academy."
The emperor was shocked but quickly collected himself. He knew that the Academy would investigate Wien due to the civil war, but he never imagined them scrutinizing every detail to the point that they knew Wien was collaborating with exiled researchers, including Matiligax.
He thought about denying the fact that they were harboring rogue researchers, but if that was what the Head Principal wanted, then if he lied, they would show evidence that they were, and it would be a justification for the Academy to cause horrible damage to Wien, which would hinder their ability to support the Royal Family in the attack against the Luvian Empire. But if he admitted that he was indeed working with illegal researchers and it went public, then it would cause a huge scandal, damaging the reputation of Wien to the rest of the world. Of course, the Royal Family knew about the corrupt research facility, but they kept it hidden. Were this to get out, it would damage their reputation with all of their neighboring countries. The only option was...
"Head Principal Devina Tetolis of the Royal Academy, I invite you to a conference to discuss this situation."
This was the Emperor's gamble to get the Royal Academy to stay out of their affairs. The emperor rose from his throne, walked past Devina, and told her and me to follow him to the conference meeting.
He gave the order to his top officials to finalize any agreements made during the negotiation. Now in the room with the Emperor were several top officials from Wien.
The Royal Family could not know that they were making this secret agreement, otherwise it would spell betrayal.
Alaric's hand trembled a bit before he sat down. What did he have to sacrifice to come this far? His family, his brother, his generals, his own people... He couldn't throw away everything he had built so far.
Devina's nails tapped on the wooden table several times, drawing everyone's attention to her.
"So Alaric, will you be giving up Matiligax?"
All of Wien's advisors turned towards their emperor, waiting for his word. The silence and atmosphere were unbearable, but a smile broke through the cold, tense air.
"We wish to establish a good relationship with the Royal Academy. Therefore, we will help you and hand over Matiligax, but there is one more thing we want from the Academy."
"Hmm? The guilty are making propositions to the Academy now?" Devina said, tilting her head.
"We are in possession of Lusians, and I would like to hand them over to the Academy in exchange for something."
"YOUR MAJESTY?!" One of his advisors stood up and shouted.
Everyone holding a top position in Wien held their heads in fear upon hearing those words.
"If it were to come out that we are in possession of Lusians... the Royal Family is gonna execute us all..."
The emperor remained stoic, with a serious gaze fixed on Devina.
From having her arms crossed, Devina stared blankly at Alaric before bursting out in laughter.
"You are sure a ballsy one, revealing a secret that would cost you the alliance with the Royal Family to the Royal Academy. What makes you wanna take this gamble?"
Alaric interlaced his fingers and placed them on the table.
"I figured that the Academy is a neutral entity in this war between the Luvian Empire and Fukviyu. And I am sure you, as the Head Principal and the Aeon of Dexterity, wouldn't give up such a rare opportunity to see Lusians for yourself. The Academy is known for its confidentiality and trustworthiness, and they would prioritize ancient history over political wars."
"Aren't you scared the Royal Family might be listening right now?"
Alaric grinned.
"To be honest, I am afraid. But this is for our nation. This is for the survival of Wien."
I couldn't help but ask the emperor himself how everything he had done was for the betterment of Wien. All the suffering and meaningless deaths he had caused were questioned.
"Well, I betrayed those who had fostered me. I betrayed my country, I overthrew it, I collaborated with the ones who once exploited the country for their own selfish gains. But soon, with time, you shall see that these deaths were not meaningless."
I shook my head in disbelief. He dodged the question completely. Devina then gestured for the emperor to say what he wanted the Academy to do in exchange for the Lusians.
"We wish to get into contact with Yunestra Lilith, Emanator of Nihility."
"That's a bizarre request... but I will see it happen," Devina smiled.
They wrote down their agreement on a contract and shook on it.