Overnight, the gloomy sky was suddenly swept clean of its heavy clouds, like a weary middle-aged man accidentally having his wig blown off.
By dawn the next day, the cloudless horizon glowed as the sun climbed up from the Forest of Freyst, casting pale golden light in all directions.
It was as if sunlight were reflecting off a polished bald head, dazzling the eyes of someone who had just woken up.
Ron had risen before first light for his morning training. Now, as the sunlight fell upon him, even his mood brightened.
After finishing his exercises and taking a bath, he found Sylvie already waiting at the door with breakfast in hand.
"You came personally? You could've had someone else deliver it," Ron said as he sat down and took the tray from her.
The fragrance of rice porridge and meat buns spread through the air. Paired with a small dish of pickled vegetables and a glass of milk, Ron immediately lowered his head and began devouring the meal.
"Something happened yesterday. I felt it would be better to report to Your Highness in person, so I brought breakfast along," Sylvie explained. After stating her reason, she stood quietly by the table, waiting patiently for Ron to finish eating.
Her graceful figure was concealed beneath a loose black nun's habit. Her smooth hair was tucked beneath a white coif, and her light green eyes were calm as still water—without the slightest aura of a sixth-tier powerhouse.
A faint fragrance lingered around her—more pleasant even than the scent of the porridge.
Ron slurped another mouthful of porridge and took a bite of a meat bun. With his left hand, he pulled over a chair and placed it in front of her.
"Sit."
Sylvie obediently sat down.
In less than five minutes, Ron finished the porridge with the pickles and buns. Leaning back comfortably, he sipped warm milk while turning his head toward her.
"So, what happened yesterday?"
Sylvie took several sheets of paper from her storage space and handed them to Ron before organizing her thoughts.
"Yesterday afternoon, Royal Capital First Military Academy suddenly announced this semester's Outstanding Evaluation list—but only confirmed part of the cadets."
"The remaining spots were indefinitely postponed under the pretext that 'all cadets have performed exceptionally well, making it difficult to distinguish rankings for now and requiring additional time for precise evaluation.'"
"And those whose confirmations were delayed are all affiliated with the forces involved in this incident."
Ron skimmed the documents, then looked up. "This Outstanding Evaluation list—is it important to the cadets?"
"Yes." Sylvie nodded seriously. "Every year, the First Military Academy determines Outstanding Evaluation lists at the end of summer and the end of winter."
"Cadets on the list are led by academy instructors to visit and train with military units across the empire, gaining superior development resources."
"Especially the winter list. Those selected are taken north to the battlefield of the Winter War during its final phase. Experiencing real warfare firsthand is both valuable training and an impressive credential."
"When the Military Department's elite division selects members from the academy, these records are highly regarded."
"Mm." Ron's lips curved upward as he continued reading. "What else?"
"Royal Capital Magic Academy has also responded," Sylvie continued. "They issued a list delaying certain individuals' access to the Magic Tower and experimental zones."
"Similarly, those individuals are all affiliated with the relevant forces."
"What reason did they use?" Ron asked with interest. "There must be quite a few people involved. Without a solid justification, it wouldn't be easy to manage."
"Oh, that…" Sylvie covered her mouth with a light laugh. "Professor Simmons publicly declared that he has made a major discovery and needs to requisition part of the experimental district's research personnel."
"This includes the laboratories those individuals belong to, as well as all related equipment."
"In addition, because Professor Simmons' experiment requires a large supply of magical power to ensure smooth execution, most of the elemental arrays in the Magic Tower have been temporarily requisitioned."
"The remaining elemental arrays are now assigned by random order. Only when one's turn arrives can they enter the Magic Tower."
"And those affiliated with the forces involved in this incident have all been placed at the very end of the list. At the earliest, they won't get their turn until February next year."
Ron chuckled. "Who exactly is this Professor Simmons?"
"Professor Simmons is a lightning-element legendary-tier mage. He has a straightforward and rather abrasive personality. Though he only holds the title of professor within the academy, he has mentored many renowned mages and thus wields considerable influence."
Sylvie added, "This entire measure by the Magic Academy was largely driven by him."
Ron nodded in satisfaction.
Royal Capital Magic Academy and Royal Capital First Military Academy were century-old institutions founded at the very birth of the Empire. They had nurtured countless legendary mages and warriors.
Once these two giants entered the fray, it was like two nuclear bombs suddenly dropping into an ordinary conflict—the impact would be nothing short of seismic.
Though they had merely announced certain "routine internal measures," the warning embedded within was unmistakable.
"In addition," Sylvie continued, "yesterday the Royal Capital Criminal Investigation Department dispatched personnel and arrested a group responsible for posting assassination tasks and spreading rumors."
"Though they were all minor figures, each was a devout follower of Sebotan, God of War, or the God of Life."
"After investigation, it appears the Criminal Investigation Department's actions were influenced by the First Military Academy and the Magic Academy."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "They can mobilize the Criminal Investigation Department?"
"In theory, yes. Many within the department graduated from these two institutions. But as schools, they wouldn't directly command the department."
Sylvie handed over several more documents. "These are pieces of evidence the Church of the Goddess of Harvest — Hervesta has gathered recently. Since we've been under scrutiny from the other two churches, the evidence chain was incomplete, so we hadn't presented it to Your Highness."
"This time, the Criminal Investigation Department obtained sufficient evidence from the two academies, giving them legitimate grounds to launch the arrests."
"The two major churches were so focused on monitoring us that they neglected investigations by other forces—allowing critical evidence to be collected quickly."
Ron nodded in understanding as he finished reviewing the materials and reorganized his thoughts.
Then he took out another 100 Nether Orchids and Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemums.
"Deliver these as before. And inform them that I'll be visiting Royal Capital First Military Academy tomorrow morning, and Royal Capital Magic Academy in the afternoon. Help me arrange it."
"Yes." Sylvie accepted the plants, then hesitated slightly. "And Your Highness' schedule for today?"
"Today?" Ron put away the documents, stood up, and stretched lazily as he walked toward the door.
"Of course I'm going fishing."