Four thousand words now, I sincerely request monthly votes. …… At ten o'clock the following morning, the Central Plaza of Neo-Ostia, capable of holding fifty thousand people, was already a surging sea of humanity. Ringing the plaza were the residents of Ostia, while lining the edge, totaling five thousand, were the ordinary guards. Inside the plaza, arrayed in a quadrilateral formation, stood the elite magic cavalry of the MM forces, numbering five thousand.

Seated upon the highest dais were thirty-six individuals: the highest governing body of Mekalo—the MM Senate. To their left and right sat representatives from other powers in the magical world. First on the left was Theodora, the Third Princess of the Helas Empire, behind her stood three thousand elite guards sworn directly to her. First on the right was Silas, the Grand Master of the Ariadne Magic Knights, with two thousand magic knights following in his wake.

The rest were representatives from various factions affiliated with the Mekalo Empire, each bringing a contingent of about a thousand troops, totaling nearly ten thousand personnel overall.

“Now bring forth the prisoners: Lin Luo, Sakuya Izayoi, Gnail, and Iscylis!” As this resonant voice boomed across the square, in a corner outside the plaza, escorted by two hundred MM elite cavalry, the four of them—Lin Luo and the others—were led to the central execution platform. The Academy Head, penalized only for dereliction of duty, was excluded from this trial, as was the Imperial Guard Captain, who was unrelated to the incident and thus not subject to this judgment.

Lin Luo and Sakuya retained their original appearances, but because Al and Evangeline were too famous in the magical world, they employed transformation magic to slightly alter their features and donned false names. Al retained the name he used during his time at Mahora Academy, while Lin Luo casually bestowed upon Evangeline the moniker of a Black Wing Apostle: Iscylis.

Though the plaza was vast, due to magical projections magnifying and reflecting their figures high above, every single person could clearly discern their faces.

The primary adjudicators were naturally the MM Senate. After delivering a lengthy address that held little consequence for Lin Luo and his companions, one senator suddenly slammed his fist onto the table and demanded, “Regarding the matter of exposing magic to the mundane world, do the four of you have anything to say?”

“I have something to say.” Hearing this, Lin Luo’s spirit immediately soared. He stepped forward a few paces, took hold of the magical amplification device before him, and spoke loudly, “In this world, you enjoy miraculous and unbelievable magic, yet the mundane world is filled with ordinary and dreary daily life. People cannot afford homes, cannot afford wives; they toil for half their lives only to gaze upon a single tile roof. Countless individuals grow haggard under the crushing weight of their existence; childhood dreams have long faded, suffocated by the helplessness and sorrow of reality that oppresses everyone, forcing them into the monotonous repetition of tasteless work, day after day. Why? This is not fair!”

“Nonsense! Utter nonsense!” The senator roared back. “We demand you explain the reason for exposing magic, not listen to your recitation of worldly injustice! Step back and let someone else answer!”

Lin Luo certainly did not retreat, nor would the other three step forward. Completely ignoring the senator, Lin Luo spoke again, “Who among you still remembers the soaring dreams of youth? Under the oppressive hand of the cruel reality called life, who dares to strive toward pursuing those dreams? No one, because reality has long robbed us of dreams. Only magic is hope!”

“Magic, which exists only in the world of fantasy. In their youth, people watched comics, novels, films, and games; they watched those heart-stopping spectacles, and every single person felt their hearts surge. They longed to fly high, they dreamed of galloping across landscapes, dreaming that one day they too could become one of those omnipotent mages capable of creating miracles!”

Bang!

Lin Luo slammed his hand forcefully onto the table before him and declared, “Indeed, magic is not omnipotent. It does not only bring happiness; it can also cause harm. But that is not a reason to conceal it! That which exists here—magic—is the truth of this age. Every person, whether from the mundane world or the magical world, has the right to know of it, the right to possess it. Because… that was the fantasy of our younger selves; that was the dream called hope!”

“Since, in your eyes, mages are a profession that brings happiness to the people, why do you hoard magic in the hands of a select few? Why not disseminate it, allowing everyone to possess magic? Let the weak be free from bullying; let the strong recognize even greater power; let those afflicted by incurable diseases enjoy the healing light of magic; let those who toil all day enjoy the vitality and happiness that magic bestows after work! Happiness is not something to be begged for! True happiness must be fought for by oneself!”

“Therefore, I let this magic resonate throughout the mundane world, allowing every ordinary person to witness the miracle, allowing everyone whose dreams are held back to see hope, allowing everyone lost in the drudgery of daily life to know that their dreams… have not died!”

The senators of the Senate were now incandescent with rage. They wanted to stop Lin Luo from continuing, for they vaguely sensed something was profoundly wrong. However, they possessed the right to judge, but not the right to silence the accused. Furthermore, besides themselves, the vast majority of the crowd listened to Lin Luo with rapt attention—the MM magic knights, members of the Magic Knights Order, the imperial army, and even more so, the commoners gathered on the periphery…

Suddenly, Lin Luo spread his arms toward the entire assembly and roared, “People of the magical world! Magic exists in this world, but how many of you truly wield it? Commoners standing outside the plaza, you know of magic, you see magic, but have you ever possessed it? No! Why? Because magic is held only by a few. You are deemed unworthy. But surely, you all harbor the dream of becoming a mage? Has your dream been extinguished now? If you were granted the right to possess magic, would you fight for it with your very lives? Answer me!”

In an instant, the entire plaza fell silent, utterly devoid of sound. After about ten seconds, a voice suddenly rose from the crowd outside the plaza perimeter: “We would.”

One person took the lead, and immediately others gathered courage. Soon, scattered voices arose, and finally, every commoner began shouting in unison, “We would! We would! We would! We would…”

Lin Luo smiled, but the expressions on the faces of the MM Senate senators turned ashen. They still did not grasp Lin Luo’s ultimate goal, but their ominous premonitions grew stronger.

“Take him down quickly!” One senator leaped up from his seat, his face contorted with fury, pointing at Lin Luo as he commanded the surrounding magic cavalry.

However, before the magic cavalry could move, Grand Master Silas of the Magic Knights Order intercepted them. She stated calmly, “Esteemed Senator, the interrogation is not yet concluded. Even those sentenced to death have the right to defend themselves. Please allow him to finish.”

“Grand Master Silas, are you going to allow that madman to spout poison? This could incite a populace riot!”

“No,” Silas smiled faintly. “I am the magic tutor of Ariadne. My duty is to cultivate more outstanding mages. Do you see?”

Saying this, she gestured toward the commoners outside the square. “Though none of them may have the chance to study magic, their passion has never been extinguished. Perhaps one day, some among them will become my students. For a tutor, there is no greater joy than witnessing the fervor of one's students.”

“You… you are condoning this!” the senator fumed. “If everyone were to learn magic, what would become of this world?!”

“But magic is the wealth of this world, and it should not be controlled only by the few.” The voice that spoke was not Silas’s, but that of Theodora, the Third Princess of the Helas Empire, who had risen from her seat on the other side. “Our Helas Empire is a warrior race. We would never deny anyone who harbors a dream. What I see now is not a popular uprising, but their drive and fervor.”

“You…” The senator’s face changed drastically. Not just him, but most of the other senators felt the same. They hadn’t expected these two to oppose them at this juncture. This left them momentarily bewildered, as these were representatives of two superpowers; antagonizing them would create significant trouble, even for Mekalo.

Meanwhile, Lin Luo’s impassioned speech continued unabated. He was not only stirring the commoners but also inciting the soldiers within the plaza. “I believe you too are people who harbor dreams, unwilling to be ordinary, unwilling to be insignificant. But why have you ended up merely as guards? Because this world has war! And why is there war? Because those seated high above desire more power, desire a better life. But! Why must their ambition be paid for with the dreams of your lives? Why must you live for them? Why can you not take charge of your own destiny?”

“Indeed, mediocrity is a form of happiness. Finding one’s own joy within the mundane is a beautiful thing. But! For those unwilling to settle for the ordinary! With the world so vast, have you never thought of searching for your dreams in this expansive world? We do not need war; we do not need invasion. What we truly need is that… passion and fervor that has lain dormant in our hearts for years! We are not the claws of war; we are not the machines that construct power. We are… people who hold dreams!”

“Shout it out loud! What do you need? The people of the mundane world have already seen hope, and you, so close to magic, why are you not grasping that hope? In the quiet hours of midnight, have you never heard? What our younger selves once declared… Let our dreams take flight!”

The entire assembly was shaken. At this moment, everyone was galvanized! Regardless of origin, whether soldier or civilian, the blood within them began to burn. Most people trembled slightly, looking at Lin Luo as if he were their sole hope.

“Truly remarkable!” Observing everything around him, even Al couldn’t help but offer a genuine compliment. “It was meant to be a small plan, yet he has managed to stir the atmosphere to this extent. Katie, do you believe it? Listening to him, even I feel a stirring of fervor.”

“What is a thousand-year-old immortal like you talking about? I don’t recall you possessing such a thing,” Evangeline retorted, though her eyes shone with excitement. She, too, had not expected events to unfold this way. A mere glance around would confirm, even for the most obtuse person, that Lin Luo now held complete control of the rhythm.

“This is no longer a trial; it is his stage,” Sakuya remarked with a smile. For the first time, she admired Lin Luo genuinely—not for his power, but for something else. What was it? Sakuya wasn’t entirely sure, but she recalled having felt something similar before, a thrill and agitation she felt when she first discovered her ability to manipulate time.

Contrary to Evangeline and the others, the hearts of the Senate sank to the bottom. It didn’t matter that Silas and Theodora opposed them, as they were not on the same side anyway. But now, they realized that even some of their most trusted troops were responding to Lin Luo’s words… This was absolutely unacceptable!

“We cannot let him continue speaking, or the entire situation will spiral out of control, and our plan will be affected,” one senator, sitting silently with an impassive expression in the Senate seating area, stated in a low voice.

A neighboring senator nodded in agreement. “Then we have no choice but to execute the next step prematurely. Once the first phase succeeds, nothing he says afterward will matter.”

Just as the two finished speaking, two figures suddenly shot out like lightning from among the MM magic cavalry positioned beside the Senate dais, their chilling killing intent aimed forward.

“Your Highness, danger!”

“Grand Master Silas, watch out!”

The Helas Empire guards and the Magic Knights Order simultaneously cried out in alarm and rushed forward quickly.

Theodora and Silas both started, instinctively turning their heads, only to see the two figures already upon them, blades condensed with massive magical power slicing toward their necks.

Although both were highly skilled individuals, they had been completely unprepared. There was no time to defend now, and their escorts were still too far away… It was too late; they were doomed!

Just as the two women thought this, two other figures suddenly appeared in the square, reaching them with even greater speed.

Swish!

A brilliant flash of sword light cut through the air; the assassin aiming for Theodora had his arm severed by a single sword strike.

Bang!

Almost simultaneously, the assassin targeting Silas was kicked violently away by a short figure.

“Imperial Guard Captain!”

“You are… Guard Captain Kinshō!”

As the two assassins landed, Theodora and Silas exclaimed with relief. The Imperial Guard Captain and the Academy Head stood guard beside them like seasoned warriors.

“Long time no see, wild princess,” the Imperial Guard Captain turned and said with a smile to Theodora.

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