King-Chapter 1115 - 168, Frank Church

Fifty miles from the Capital, within a secluded manor, several elders were sitting beside a stone table, drinking and displaying an air of persisting concern between their brows.

"You think we’re going a bit too far? Everyone’s gone, leaving behind this mess. Can that youngster Caesar clean it up?"

Morrison asked uncertainly.

Opposing the Clergy is one thing, but we can’t oppose the Lord of the Dawn. Although the Divine Spirit hasn’t shown up in thousands of years, the believers are still here!

An incident of this scale cannot be resolved with a simple denial.

Even Hudson, the nominal headmaster, had rushed to the Capital as soon as he received the news to handle the aftermath, let alone us, the high-ranking officials of the academy.

"Don’t worry, the sky isn’t falling!

There are still so many important ministers in the Court. They know how to handle these kinds of incidents. Pinning the blame on a Cult organization isn’t anything difficult.

Nevertheless, there will inevitably be complications that follow.

It’s all because of those two fools, Brian and Galeos, with no brains. Why the hell do they have to compete in drinking?

Getting drunk is one thing, but they actually publicized our unverified research findings in the name of the academy while they were drunk.

After causing a big problem, those two can run away and hide, leaving all the trouble behind.

It’s also our fault. Knowing that those two were blockheads, we still let them stay to guard the house.

We can’t be concerned about that now. We’re at a critical juncture, and we need to protect Robert. We simply can’t afford to be distracted.

It’s a blessing in disguise. This incident has drawn the outside world’s attention, which actually makes it easier for Robert to make his breakthrough.

Otherwise, if the Clergy’s and the Different Races’ Strongmen come to sabotage, even if we pull Hudson in to help defend, it may not necessarily be successful!"

Frost couldn’t help but express his sentiments.

Many Strongmen who suspect the Lord of the Dawn’s death were making a big fuss, and a large part of the reason is that the authorities of various nations feel that something has happened to the Divine Spirit.

However, while everyone has their suspicions, no one dares to put their speculations out in the open. If they really can’t suppress the urge to express themselves, they hide behind anonymous accounts.

"Twilight of the Gods Theory" is a logical conclusion that the Strongmen of the Arcane Academy have deduced after numerous verifications.

It is understandable if the believers fight amongst themselves and the Lord of the Dawn does not show up.

However, the extinction of species such as the Half-Orcs and the Cannibals, all with their own racial Divine Spirits, doesn’t add up. It doesn’t make sense that the Divine Spirits would watch their followers die off without any sign of intervention.

Similar events have happened more than once. Over the past years, more than one Species has been wiped out, and their worshipped Divine Spirits have remained silent.

If the followers aren’t important, then why initiate wars of faith?

Throughout history, the Continent of Aslante has been thrown into turmoil repeatedly due to faith.

Even the creatures living in the sea have waged wars on land ill-suited for their survival, forced by the Divine Spirits’ commands.

All the Divine Spirits falling silent together, even ignoring the extinction of their followers, makes it hard not to be suspicious.

Theories akin to the "Twilight of the Gods" are plentiful in the academic community, but there is a tacit agreement to keep them secret.

On one hand, there is the fear of the Divine Spirits; on the other, there is the need for governance. The populace cannot be without faith, and religious theocracy is essentially a part of Noble rule.

Now that things have reached this point, no one can escape responsibility. The two fools might have released the news, but collectively we produced the research findings!

Now we’re all in the same boat. We either work together to manage the aftermath, or we all go down together.

Luckily, they did not show their faces, leaving us some wiggle room. As long as the Kingdom remains strong, there’s a chance to cover it up.

Everyone is a victim, except for Robert, who’s secluded and benefiting from the "Heresy Turmoil." It’s estimated that nobody knows he’s in seclusion, breaking through. For the sake of secrecy, we’ve not even notified the Kingdom’s high officials.

There’s no choice, as there have been three failed breakthrough attempts on the Continent recently.

Without exception, they were all disrupted by the enemy at crucial moments.

As Strongmen of the Kingdom, while they seem glorious, every move they make is watched by others.

The odds of successfully breaking through to the Sanctuary are already low, but with enemies causing trouble, the chances drop to zero.

Even assembling heavy troops for protection is useless. If a fight breaks out, causing an energy tidal fluctuation, it can lead to a breakthrough failure.

A surge of devastating energy entering the body isn’t about changing the essence of life; it sends you straight to meet the Lord of the Dawn.

...

In the Jade Palace, after Hudson’s departure, Caesar IV immediately convened a meeting with his ministers.

There was an unexpected twist, and Caesar IV realized that the situation could not be dealt with according to the original plan.

"Denial and a cold response" would indeed solve the problem, but it would be a reputational disaster for the innocents involved.

"Your Majesty, releasing news to divert public attention is one approach. But now that the high-level officials of the Arcane Academy have disappeared, how can we explain this to the outside world?"

Foreign Minister Earl Francis said, with a somber expression on his face.

The decisions were made by everyone, but it is the Department of Foreign Affairs that has to execute the task. After all, to disseminate messages across the whole Continent, only the branches of the Department of Foreign Affairs have such a widespread network.

To handle the situation well, finding a plausible explanation is a must.

Spreading the news of a Church Relic lost in the wild is easy to manage; the Kingdom has one, and it’s just a matter of fabricating a story around it, after all, a Relic of the Clergy is definitely lost.

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