Viktor's gaze seemed buried deep within a cold, black sea of terror, giving off a faint light of calmness and doubt.
His appearance was like a sudden thunderclap falling into the banquet hall, making everyone's eyes widen like bronze bells.
Their hearts pounded wildly, unable to pull their eyes away from him.
At the same time, the moment Henny saw Viktor, admiration and obsession filled her eyes.
She stared at him blankly, and it seemed like small hearts were faintly jumping in the depths of her eyes.
Beside her, Liya felt completely different.
She crossed her arms and slightly curled her lips, looking somewhat disdainful.
"Tch, he just loves showing off."
Erica's gaze shifted from a noble who had just tried to chat her up to Viktor.
"Sorry, I'm not interested in chatting."
After politely refusing the noble, her expression instantly changed. A trace of surprise showed within her smile.
And that noble who had been rejected seemed to forget his disappointment the moment he saw Viktor.
Viktor's appearance made the entire banquet hall fall silent.
Only Gwen stood at the edge beside the banquet stairs, cold as frost.
Her silver-gray long hair hung down her back, just like her face at this moment, without the slightest ripple.
Her eyes stared blankly ahead, not even noticing Viktor's sudden arrival.
Seeing Viktor, everyone suddenly realized something, and a very reliable guess rose in their hearts.
If Aurelian were to become Empress, then who would be her greatest supporter in the entire Empire?
Obviously, it would be Viktor, the Clavenna family.
Now, the strength of the Clavenna family was known to all.
People understood that this family's power did not lie in their wealth or status.
It lay in Viktor.
Even the First Prince and the Second Prince both wanted to gain Viktor's support. Why?
Because Viktor had truly become a terrifyingly powerful mage within the Empire.
All kinds of fancy tricks could never compare to strength that was direct and obvious.
The noble who had objected looked at Viktor nervously.
He felt an overwhelming pressure coming straight at him. He swallowed with difficulty, and sweat seeped from his forehead and back.
Looking at Viktor holding the black staff with the golden bird head, his legs trembled slightly.
After struggling for a moment to gather courage, the noble finally spoke to Viktor in a shaking voice, "Vi… Viktor."
"I just think that regarding the matter of the Empire's successor, the decision seems a bit rushed…"
"Is that so?"
Viktor smiled lightly and casually withdrew the tense atmosphere spreading around him.
The air seemed to relax a lot, and the noble's shoulders loosened as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Then Viktor held his staff and calmly walked forward.
The crowded people automatically made way for him.
In the end, he stood below the golden platform shining with light and slowly stopped.
He raised his eyes and met Aubrey's gaze.
Behind him, the three council members of the Mage Council all gathered at his back.
The black suit on Viktor's body seemed to ignite with black flames. The flames were instantly drawn inward, swirling toward his chest.
When the flames gathered into one point, a subtle crack seemed to appear in the surrounding space.
The black flames quickly burned out, as if scattered by an invisible hand, leaving no trace of scorching.
And a three-headed emblem shining with mysterious light had already appeared on Viktor's chest.
Only then did everyone suddenly realize.
Viktor was not only a Count of the Empire.
He was also a heavyweight council member within the Mage Council.
Viktor placed the staff beside him and bowed deeply toward Aubrey, "Your Majesty, I believe most people here share the same question."
"Why have you decided to let Her Highness Aurelian inherit the throne?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the nobles all changed. Doubt and expectation instantly mixed together, and they began whispering in agreement.
Because this was exactly what they were thinking.
Viktor had helped them ask the question they wanted to ask.
Before this, no one had ever wanted to support Aurelian inheriting the throne.
And the reason the nobles were so anxious now was because they desperately hoped the Emperor would withdraw this thunderbolt-like announcement.
The reason was simple. If he did not take back his order, then what were these old men who supported the Second Prince and the First Prince supposed to do?
At the beginning, the two princes had refused to give way to each other, clearly divided. The nobles moving between them had long chosen sides.
They waited to run into the arms of the winner and enjoy a rise in power and fortune.
Some people had even placed their family's prosperity on this huge gamble.
Take the Lesser family as an example.
Although due to their conflict with Viktor they had rarely shown themselves in the royal capital, if the Lesser family knew Aurelian was to become the heir, they would probably be the first to disagree.
After all, their family business and fate were all placed on the First Prince.
If Aurelian truly became Emperor, would that not mean all their efforts would go to waste?
If the Lesser family was like this, the other families were not much different. Basically, it meant all their investments had failed.
In the end, these old men might even lose the last pair of pants they had.
Even those who had prepared for both sides felt their brains crash when hearing this sudden news.
'This is not right, is it?'
'Is this not pushing them straight into a pit of fire?'
Originally, both sides of the First Prince and Second Prince had made preparations. No matter who ascended the throne, they would not lose out.
Even if they did not gain great merit, whoever became Emperor would at least remember them.
But now the heir to the throne had become Aurelian.
This time, both paths were completely blocked.
In fact, these nobles did not truly care who the new Emperor would be.
They only cared about their own interests.
If Aurelian had given them a proper chance, they would even have been willing to invest in her.
But unfortunately, the Emperor had not given them such a chance.
In the Empire's history, there had never been an Empress. And for many years, Aurelian had been raised like a vase.
Although she had progressed quickly in magic studies, she had never had any eye-catching achievements.
Only in the past few months had she begun to show her edge.
How could that make the nobles sincerely convinced?
Therefore, just as Viktor had questioned Emperor Aubrey, he now asked again, "On what basis can Her Highness Aurelian become Emperor?"
'Yes! On what basis can Her Highness Aurelian?'
This was what these nobles could not stand the most.
The princess had not been trained from childhood, and she was only in her teens. What did she know about ruling a country?
Governing a nation was not child's play.
In the eyes of these nobles, Viktor suddenly seemed so great. They felt extremely grateful.
They even briefly felt that Viktor had become their comrade, asking Aubrey the question they wanted to ask but did not dare to.
Simply the hero in their hearts.
However, sadly, they forgot one fact.
That Viktor had always stood on Aurelian's side from beginning to end.
So Aubrey did not answer the crowd's question.
Even Aurelian stood behind Aubrey with a smile.
She remained dignified, without the slightest response.
Only Viktor suddenly turned around and looked at the countless nobles present.
"So, you want a reason?"
The nobles instantly fell silent.
They knew that Aubrey's action was undoubtedly firm support for Aurelian.
The Second Prince and the First Prince had probably already lost their right to compete for the throne.
"Very well, I will give you a reason."
Thick magic instantly overflowed from beneath Viktor's feet, and a complex magic circle appeared on the ground.
The lines of the formation moved like living beings. Every rune flashed with brilliant light.
When the intense magical aura spread out, it was like a dark abyss suddenly opening, drowning everyone present within it.
The banquet hall seemed to be torn apart. Everything around them turned into deep darkness.
But the darkness did not last long. It began to surge, and the darkness around them was like rolling ink, gradually revealing the magnificence of the universe.
Endless stars and swirling nebulae filled the vast cosmos, and the nobles felt as if they were placed within it.
The surrounding seats seemed to float in the starry sky.
Countless nobles stared blankly as they were dragged into this illusory world, looking down at their surroundings.
They even looked at their own bodies, wondering whether the place they stood was real at all.
One noble pointed at the sky in shock and shouted, "Th… that, what is that!?"
Hearing this, everyone looked up and froze.
The sky was also filled with a sphere of stars.
But the only difference was that a massive black scale was rapidly swaying from side to side high above.
As if weighing something.
Some well-informed noble mages suddenly cried out, "Could this be… the legendary Scale of the Goddess of Justice?"
"What? The Scale of the Goddess of Justice?"
"The Mage Council and the Goddess of Justice… are they really connected?"
Then the scale slowly stopped swaying and floated balanced in the depths of darkness.
Several strands of black light gradually gathered and shot out from the scale like divine light of judgment, shining upon certain nobles.
They seemed to receive some kind of call. They became extremely agitated, their eyes bloodshot, their breathing quick and heavy.
Suddenly, those nobles guided by the divine light began to change. Their bodies shriveled rapidly as if losing moisture, their entire forms twisting to the limit.
Their bodies trembled slightly, as if something inside them was about to break free.
The nobles who witnessed this scene turned pale with fear and shouted, "Baron Lither, what's wrong with you?"
"Viscount Kier, your body…"
However, when seeing this scene, whether it was Aubrey on the golden platform, or the four council members present, none of them showed much reaction.
...As if everything was completely expected.
They had carefully arranged all of this and placed it before everyone.
Duke Levi watched the scene with a smile.
At the same time, he glanced at Gwen, whose eyes were empty and still cold, as if nothing at all had happened.
Then he calmly said to Count Beck beside him, who had already widened his eyes in shock, "See? I told you earlier."
"If you wait a little, something will definitely happen."
[🎉 Shoutout to Yago for joining p@treon. Muuuuda! Muuda! Muuda! Muda! Thank you very much.🤗]
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