Inside the Akademiya of Sumeru, in the former office of the Grand Sage.
Leon sat upon the luxurious throne that had once belonged to the supreme leader of the Akademiya, resting his chin on one hand as he carefully organized, one by one, all the information he had obtained directly from the World Tree.
In the days to come, he would make use of the power of the Kingdom of Palettia, Night Raid, and even several other territories he had already conquered to gather every useful force for his purpose.
After all, at his core, he was someone who sought to gather all the magical power in the world for himself.
The absolute monopolization of power—whether it be magic, authority, or knowledge—had always been Leon's true objective.
He would not allow anything that could further increase his strength to slip away.
This world hid countless secrets.
Ancient relics, forgotten powers, dormant entities…
But now, under the dominion of the World Tree, all those secrets—once hidden in unknown places—had been completely laid bare before him.
For example…
The location of the Holy Grail sought by King Arthur, the whereabouts of various elemental draconic sovereigns, and even the so-called "World Relics"—extremely powerful artifacts left behind by descendants of past eras.
Leon would obtain all of them.
No matter the cost.
But before that…
After returning from the World Tree alongside Nahida and Rukkhadevata, he decided to take advantage of the final moments of the festival to present the last piece of that grand spectacle to the public.
"Just in time for the final moment… Allow me to introduce the third highlight of the Goddess of Flowers Festival. At the same time, she will also be responsible for governing Sumeru on my behalf from now on."
"What?! That can't be true!"
"Great Lord Rukkhadevata?!"
"But… wasn't she dead?!"
"What is going on?!"
The moment Rukkhadevata appeared beside Leon, the crowd was thrown into complete shock.
It was as if the collective sound of jaws dropping echoed throughout the entire plaza.
The citizens of Sumeru stared at the scene in absolute disbelief.
The former Goddess of Wisdom was alive.
Something utterly unimaginable.
However, before chaos could erupt, Rukkhadevata raised her hand and spoke calmly:
"There is no need for panic. I am no longer Sumeru's ruler. Furthermore, Sumeru will cease to be a kingdom. From now on, it will become an academy dedicated purely to the pursuit of knowledge, following the will of His Highness Leon."
The moment those words were spoken, the impact grew even greater.
To reduce an entire kingdom to the status of an academy was unprecedented.
Amid the crowd, a certain reporter from Fontaine was practically trembling with excitement.
Charlotte placed a hand over her chest, her eyes shining brightly.
"Incredible… absolutely incredible! I knew following His Highness Leon was the right choice! News of this magnitude… one after another!"
She was practically delirious with excitement.
"Decided! For the next ten days, every headline will be mine!"
For any other journalist, a world-shaking piece of news might happen once in a lifetime.
But by following Leon, Charlotte felt like such events would occur… every single month.
"As expected of His Highness… someone who changes the world with every step he takes. I've made up my mind—this life, I will follow him to the very end!"
Her mind was already overflowing with possible headlines:
"Shocking! The former Queen of Sumeru returns to life as the kingdom becomes an academy!"
"The Goddess of Flowers Festival and the miracle of its ruler's return!"
"Leon, the new ruler of Sumeru, and the secrets behind Nahida and Rukkhadevata!"
After dropping that "bombshell" onto the crowd, Leon simply left the stage.
In a way, it was like lighting a fuse… and walking away before the explosion.
He then summoned his closest subordinates.
Gathering Alpha, Beta, and the other members of the Seven Shadows, Leon shared with them all the information he had obtained from the World Tree.
"From now on, Night Raid's priorities will change. Our main focus will be the acquisition of these strategic assets: the Holy Grail, the World Relics, and the exploration of ancient ruins."
"My lord, what about the Cult of Diablos…?"
"It doesn't matter. I already know where their nest is. I can destroy them at any time. What matters most right now is gathering power."
"Understood. Night Raid will follow your orders."
Although the desire for revenge against the cult still burned in many of their hearts, Leon's word was absolute.
To those girls, his will was equivalent to a divine decree.
And deep down, all of them knew that this was the correct decision.
The Cult of Diablos had existed in the shadows for thousands of years, manipulating the world in silence.
Even if Night Raid was strong, a direct confrontation would cause severe damage.
The difference in numbers was overwhelming.
Even if a single member could defeat multiple enemies, the total enemy forces outnumbered them by dozens—perhaps even hundreds—of times.
Therefore, gathering power first was essential.
Leon then crossed his arms, a faint smile on his lips.
"These items… are necessary for my dream. So… I'm counting on you."
Alpha: "Yes."
Beta: "Of course!"
Gamma: "Leave it to us!"
Epsilon: "We will not fail!"
Delta: "We'll succeed!"
The moment they heard those words, the members of the Seven Shadows practically "overheated."
The urge to immediately set out into the world, gather everything, and offer it to Leon filled each of them.
Anything else—revenge, conflict, rivalries—became irrelevant in the face of their master's dream.
After all, contributing directly to his goals meant earning his recognition.
And to them, that was everything.
"We will definitely not disappoint you, my lord!"
Leon chuckled softly.
"Haha… I'll be looking forward to it."
After that, he turned his attention to the future of Sumeru.
Alongside Nahida and Rukkhadevata, he began a long discussion about transforming the nation into an academy.
After all, a change of that magnitude had never occurred before.
All laws would need to be restructured.
Political systems dismantled.
The consequences left behind by the former Grand Sage would have to be resolved.
It was a long… and complex process.
But with someone like Rukkhadevata at his side, it was only a matter of time.
This would not be Leon's main field of action moving forward.
He could remain there for a while, but his true path lay beyond.
From that moment on, Rukkhadevata and Nahida would govern Sumeru in his name.
With Leon's knowledge, Rukkhadevata's wisdom… and Nahida's charm, it was inevitable that the land would prosper—even in its new form.
It was already deep into the night when Leon finally finished organizing everything.
He stretched slowly, then turned his gaze toward the final guest of the day.
"Sorry for the wait. We may begin."
"Yes… but first, allow me to ask: are you satisfied with the birthday gift I offered you, Your Highness?"
Leon smiled faintly.
"Ah, I am extremely satisfied. It was of great help to me… Lady Morgan."
He lightly touched the Avalon sheath at his waist and looked at the woman seated before him.
Morgan le Fay—the legendary Witch of Britain… and sister of the King of Knights.
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(End of Chapter)