The prince's soul froze for a moment, looking puzzled as he hesitantly asked, "You mean the things written in the Empire Truth Holy Scripture? That knowledge is certainly interesting, but... but what use is it?"
"What use is knowledge? I don't know either. But I've ruled the empire for eleven years and have always been building schools. Do you know why?"
"To train army officers?"
"That's only part of it. More importantly, it allowed me to successfully establish an entire civil service system. With the thirteen-rank civil service system, I no longer needed to rely on those stupid nobles to govern the country. The talented people of the empire would step forward on their own and become useful to me."
Seeing the prince's thoughtful expression, Isabella shook her head. "Actually, there's a simpler statistic—build one more school, and you can build one less prison."
Silence fell over the room. After a long while, the prince finally hesitantly asked, "Do you think Bazel will release them? Can Nora return safely?"
"Of course not."
The prince's soul widened his eyes. "Then why are you still—"
Isabella snorted. "What's there to fear? This is a good thing. Those useless fools who pay lip service while defying orders are due for a warning. As for Theus—reputation has always been fought for. If he were afraid, he would have stayed huddled on that island long ago."
"You mean he'll send troops to the Northern Territory?"
"That was his plan from the very beginning. Did you read the letter he had me write? Tsk, tsk, he's so much like his father."
"His father?" The prince racked his brains for a long time before asking uncertainly, "Duke Cohen?"
But Isabella did not answer. She shifted into a more comfortable position, closed her eyes, and began to rest.