At these words, Stiano's fingers unconsciously tightened, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
He avoided Edwin's gaze, looking instead at the skeletal frames of buildings still under repair outside the window.
"Oh? Do you know something?"
Noticing Stiano's unusual reaction, Edwin asked curiously.
Stiano took a deep breath, turned around, and set the nearly untouched glass of whiskey on the edge of the mahogany desk with a soft tap.
"That consciousness—if I'm not mistaken, it was most likely Roselle Gustav."
Hm? Emperor Roselle?
Hearing that answer, Edwin froze halfway through leaning back in his chair.
He had never expected to receive news of that famous fellow transmigrator here, in this manner.
Stiano seemed to notice his surprise and continued.
"Back then, like you, he appeared with knowledge far beyond that era.
"The Steam Church—or rather, I—saw in him an opportunity for change.
"We supported him, providing him with shelter and resources, allowing him to turn the ingenious ideas in those blueprints into steel behemoths roaring down the rails."
Stiano sighed, his tone tinged with nostalgia.
Having separated from part of his divinity, his emotions had grown richer as well. "The technological innovations and the advancement of civilization that accompanied them gave me an unprecedented opportunity to digest the Sequence 1 potion.
"In return, we helped him establish the Intis Republic and placed him in the position of its first Consul."
"But—he was later assassinated."
Edwin took over.
"The assassination was merely an inevitable outcome."
Stiano shook his head. "Once he became Consul, everything changed.
"He began encouraging a cult of personality around himself. Statues of him filled the squares of Intis, and children sang ballads praising him.
"His power and prestige reached the pinnacle of what a mortal could attain at that moment.
"Then, he became dissatisfied with