Everyone present was intelligent and naturally knew that their power as scholars had been weakened by Nahida, but they also had to grudgingly admit it, not just because Lesser Lord Kusanali was a Sumeru deity.
Furthermore, Sumeru City's defenses were indeed too weak, making them, the scholars, suddenly lose their sense of security.
They had always thought Sumeru City was impregnable, but it was easily breached by a group of Eremites from the Desert—that was simply outrageous!
Fortunately, Alhaitham was leading the team this time; if those vicious, backstabbing Eremites from the Desert had breached Sumeru City, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Sahar was directly rebuffed by Cyno, and his face was slightly awkward, but he didn't get disheartened; offending the currently flourishing Cyno was clearly unwise.
He honestly admitted his mistake to Cyno, saying, "My apologies, Lord Cyno, I was impetuous. Since the Guards are now under your command, I ask you to give the order to arrest Setaria and that foreign spy."
Cyno crossed his arms and said succinctly, "I refuse!"
Just then, Alhaitham, who had been silent for a long time, stood up and said, "Everyone, allow me to clarify. In the operation to rescue Lesser Lord Kusanali, I was only responsible for strategizing, and the true credit for the first achievement belongs to someone else. Without her secretly relaying Azar's intelligence to us, I would not have been able to make the correct plans."
Upon hearing this, everyone present felt a sudden jolt in their hearts and turned their heads in unison, their faces filled with surprise. Secretly relaying Azar's intelligence... could he be talking about Setaria?
At this moment, everyone also understood what had happened. No wonder Azar and his accomplices had all been purged, with only Setaria, Azar's secretary, being spared.
Realizing this, the Akademiya members began to panic, wondering if their previous difficulties caused to Setaria would come back to haunt them.
However, the unluckiest ones were not them, but Sahar and Afshin, who had challenged Setaria; their faces instantly turned pale.
If this was true, they were in deep trouble. At this moment, they looked ahead, eagerly hoping that Alhaitham would name someone else, anyone but Setaria.
Setaria suddenly became the center of attention, but she looked puzzled, wondering when she had ever secretly relayed information. It shouldn't be her he was talking about, right?
Just then, Nahida dealt them a fatal blow, saying, "That's right, Miss Setaria not only provided Alhaitham with a lot of intelligence but also, during Azar's conspiracy, ended the Sabzeruz Festival's cycle phenomenon early, buying valuable time for Alhaitham's actions and reducing the suffering of all Sumeru citizens."
"Sahar, Afshin, are you sure you want to arrest Miss Setaria, who has made such a great contribution?"
Upon hearing this, Sahar felt as if all his strength had been drained, filled with panic. Afshin, however, still held onto a fantasy, gritting his teeth and insisting, "Lesser Lord Kusanali, it is also a fact that Setaria brought a foreigner to eavesdrop on the meeting. Merits are merits, and faults are faults; they cannot be confused."
Just then, Miyashiro, who had been quietly observing from the side, felt the time was right. He stood up, openly took off his hat, then greeted everyone, and looked at Afshin, smiling maliciously, "Are you going to arrest me?"
Afshin looked at the fierce glint in Miyashiro's eyes and felt an unprecedented pressure that made him gasp for air. Somehow, he mustered a foolish courage, like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger, and said, "Yuto! Even if you are the Inazuma Regent, sneaking into an internal Akademiya meeting without permission is a disrespect to Sumeru!"
Miyashiro looked at Afshin's defiant expression and couldn't help but sigh, thinking, 'This is quite a character, to be so stubborn. Didn't he see his backer slumped in his chair, saying nothing? How can a mere Mahamata speak so presumptuously here?'
Miyashiro smiled, "Afshin, right? You're quite good at labeling people. Setaria and I haven't said anything yet, and you've already labeled Setaria a traitor and me a spy. I think you shouldn't be a Mahamata; it would be much better to be a basketball that can sing, dance, and rap."
Afshin didn't understand what Miyashiro meant by the last sentence, but from his playful expression, he knew it was definitely not a compliment. Just as he was about to retort, he heard Lesser Lord Kusanali's voice reprimanding him.
Nahida: "Afshin, don't be rude. Regent is an honored guest I invited. He not only helped us defeat the false god [Balladeer] but also used his divine power to support the collapsing Sumeru City, saving all its citizens."
Upon hearing Lesser Lord Kusanali's words, everyone was shocked and recalled the various strange events and disasters that had occurred in Sumeru City that day. It turned out that the Inazuma Regent had intervened to save them, and they couldn't help but feel grateful to him.
Their gazes towards Afshin then became less friendly.
Sahar quickly roared at Afshin, "Afshin, stop making a fool of yourself, sit down!"
Miyashiro: "Wait, Lesser Lord Kusanali, Setaria just told me that the reason she was delayed a year in her student days was because her mentor, Sahar, altered her painstakingly written thesis and attributed it to Afshin. I'm very curious about this. Is this how Sumeru earned its title as the City of wisdom?"
Everyone present instantly changed their expressions, looking at Sahar and Afshin with unfriendly eyes. Sahar and Afshin, once again the center of attention, immediately denied it, especially Sahar, who righteously accused Miyashiro, saying, "Regent, please be careful with your words. How could I do something that harms the integrity of a teacher?"
Miyashiro smiled, "Don't speak too soon. Lesser Lord Kusanali is the omniscient and omnipotent God of Wisdom; nothing escapes her discerning eye. She will know if it's true or false at a glance."
Nahida sighed helplessly, stretched out her hands, and made an aiming gesture towards the two of them... Nahida looked at Afshin and asked, "Afshin, I have a question for you. If you can answer it, I will believe you didn't cheat. What was the title of your Akademiya graduation thesis?"
The moment Afshin heard this question, he was completely stunned. He had never participated in writing the thesis himself, and so many years had passed; who would still remember such a thing?
Seeing Afshin's constipated expression, scratching his ears and cheeks, everyone present knew the truth.
Nahida's expression towards them also became incredibly serious. In Sumeru City, which values wisdom, committing academic plagiarism, and being exposed in front of the God of Wisdom at that, meant that Sahar and Afshin's future could be described as bleak.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"