Power Rises from Violence (Part Two)

Inside the tower, Cyril snorted coldly:

"I dare say that even the Wise King, upon seeing Star Kingdom today—its people suspicious of one another, the atmosphere tense and on the verge of violence—would find it hard not to feel a trace of regret over his decision back then."

This time, Tales listened in silence without saying a word.

But he remembered what he had said to persuade the five Grand Dukes when he had given his all to turn the tide at the Palace of Heroes.

[Star Kingdom's current weakness and turmoil are not accidental, but inevitable after taking this path.]

[This is what the Wise King left behind for Star Kingdom.]

At the time, these had been the "arguments" he had painstakingly dug up and delivered with absolute conviction, merely to shake the resolve of the Grand Dukes.

To be honest, even he himself had not really believed them.

But now...

Tales unconsciously clenched his fists.

Yet Cyril, who had been silently observing him all along, seemed unsatisfied. After clicking his tongue and shaking his head, he raised his voice and built up his tone as he delivered his next words:

"But do you know? We—we people whose sun is setting—might merely be the most inconspicuous part of the terrifying future in which you 'cross the obstacles' and successfully 'reach the summit'..."

The Duke's voice was soft, like a demon whispering into one's ear:

"The least conspicuous part."

Tales abruptly raised his head.

"What do you mean?"

The terrifying-looking Duke of the Western Desolation no longer looked at him. Instead, he shook his head and sighed to himself:

"Do you think that after we frontier lords, after the old nobles who rule the local regions, have completely disappeared, the commoners who barely managed to secure seats at the National