"That 'faction'..."
Vico's gaze narrowed slightly. "The one in Graystone Palace?"
"Yes, our Old President. Though he is old and often remains silent,"
Christos sighed softly. "His eyes can still see, and his ears can still hear. He actually knows everything happening in the Federation, and he also knows everything happening in Dawn City.
"He entered the heart of the Federation at thirty and became a congressman. He spent his entire life coming and going from that Graystone Palace, until he finally sat within that palace himself."
Listening to Christos, Vico fell silent.
After a brief pause, he spoke quietly. "Graystone Palace has always been dissatisfied with the Order Church, but they have no means to completely eradicate it.
"So it was not Graystone Palace supporting us. Rather, they needed us to help them bring down the Order Church.
He raised his head and looked at Christos. "That is why they gave Dawn City a 'hint' in advance."
Then he chuckled. "But Mint City received no hint, because Mint City is a small border city. In their eyes, whether it lived or died was not important.
"Sot received no hint either. Even though Sot had done so much for them, when it came to possibly facing the Order Church's impact directly, they decisively abandoned Sot.
"And the one in Dawn City who received the hint was the Legion Commander, not you, because you might have died in this upheaval at any moment, while the Legion Commander would keep living."
He turned to glance at the ruins outside the window. "They did not care whether Dawn City's Municipal Government had problems. They did not care how much turmoil and slaughter the Order Church's actions would cause. They merely placed a chess piece and watched to see whether there was a chance