"Of course, there is a second question... Hmm, those wars that caused them to lose everything surely had nothing to do with you, right?"
"Mr. Levi, there is only one thing I can be certain of regarding you... You are truly quite the hypocrite. You are the culprit who, directly or indirectly, caused these children to lose everything, yet you still pretentiously style yourself as a 'Father'."
"To you, they are nothing more than tools selected through inhuman training. There is not a shred of familial affection to speak of, so stop using such a laughable term as 'Father'."
Fíliya's words were merciless, yet Levi, the man sitting before her, merely revealed a faint smile after listening to her entire tirade.
"Miss Fíliya, you indeed possess an intelligence that does not match your age... However, regarding your accusation, I actually have reasons that could exonerate me. Would you be willing to hear them?"
"I would not. I am not here to debate morals with you. Let's turn the page on what was just said and get straight to the point," Fíliya said with a stern face. She couldn't be bothered to listen to this guy's sophistry.
"Since that is the case... Lady Fíliya, I hope you can join our side and become a power of the Empire."
Hah?
Fíliya almost couldn't maintain her composure. Although she was the one who said to 'get straight to the point,' the guy opposite her was perhaps a bit too direct.
"That is rather interesting... I am a newly promoted First-Class Mage, a member of the Magic Association. Why would you think of recruiting me?"
Fíliya forced herself to calm down slightly.
"In my view, you are a potential candidate for recruitment... After all, aren't you mixing with the Demon Race?"
As Levi spoke, he raised his wine glass toward Fíliya, but she had absolutely no intention of clinking glasses with him.
"And the benefits? Since it is a recruitment, there must be some benefits, right?" Fíliya narrowed her eyes as she looked at him.
"Benefits? That word isn't quite appropriate. What I can offer you isn't something as simple as benefits, but everything you desire."
"Whether it is the best laboratory, or all of the Empire's magical research results, or perhaps..."
Levi paused mid-sentence, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the three figures standing behind Fíliya.
"I can guarantee that as long as you contribute your power to the Empire without reservation, the Empire can allow Demons to become citizens... Of course, the prerequisite is that you can manage your Demons well... I can grant you a large fiefdom where you can build a city according to your own will. The Empire will also give you maximum assistance, and you can freely select your Demon citizens to inhabit it."
After listening to Levi's words, Fíliya raised an eyebrow slightly.
How should she put it? The conditions this guy offered were indeed not bad. However, for Fíliya, while there was a little attraction, it wasn't much.
Her goal was not to have the Demon Race become subjects of the Empire and then fence off a piece of land to amuse herself. Moreover, what made Fíliya even more curious was... did this guy actually have that kind of authority?
To have the Empire accept the Demon Race? To accept humanity's former mortal enemies... and even carve out a large area for Demons to govern autonomously? Even the Emperor of the Empire wouldn't dare to make such a promise, right? Is he playing me?
Although waves of shock were stirred in her heart, Fíliya remained outwardly calm.
"Hmm... a very nice proposal. A little more and I might just be tempted," Fíliya said slowly.
"Hey (#`O')! What are you do—"
Just then, Miss Aura behind her seemed to get nervous. Upon hearing Fíliya's words, she immediately wanted to say something, but her mouth was quickly covered by Solitär.
"Shut up!" Solitär whispered coldly, leaving Miss Aura to shrink back to her original position pitifully.
Fortunately, this interlude did not affect the negotiation.
"However, can you answer a query of mine first?" Fíliya stared at Levi's eyes with a look of suspicion.
"Please ask."
"What exactly do you want to do? Why hunt mages in large numbers?"
during this past week, Fíliya had done quite a lot... For instance, she had coaxed a little bit of intelligence out of Miss Lutine.
She originally thought the Empire only wanted to kill First-Class Mages of the Magic Association who held different stances from them. However, she learned from Lutine that the Shadow Warriors and the Magic Special Forces had even initiated assassinations against scattered Second and Third-Class Mages. In just these short two or three years, the number of mages who had died at the hands of the Empire already numbered in the hundreds.
One had to realize... in this world, 'Mages' were a rather scarce resource. It was a profession that, across the entire continent, only totaled four or five thousand people. Among them, those who could hold their own—mages of the Third Class and above—numbered less than a thousand to begin with. Yet the Empire, in two years, had directly eliminated one-tenth of them.
"It is very simple. Because our goal is to eradicate all magic in this world."
Levi spoke calmly, as if chatting about domestic trivialities.
Fíliya's pupils trembled. She hadn't expected that the organization dedicated to 'Extinguishing Magic,' which she detested so deeply, was right in front of her.
"Eradicate magic? What a joke..."
Fíliya was just about to say something when she was interrupted by Levi.
"Lady Fíliya, you must be thinking that we are doing this for selfish desires, merely to kill all mages not belonging to the Empire so that the power of 'Magic' exists only within the Empire, becoming its exclusive weapon, correct?"
"Otherwise what?"
Is having one's own lines spoken by others first always this uncomfortable? Fíliya thought unhappily.
"I think you have misunderstood... The great cause of the [Eradication of Magic] is absolutely not for me, nor for the private interests of the Empire... This is a magnificent feat to save humanity."
For the first time, a clear emotional fluctuation appeared on Levi's face. This made Fíliya frown tightly.
Because whether through her own visual observation or the feedback from her emotional scoring... this guy in front of her... really wasn't lying. He seemed to genuinely believe this.
"Are you serious... If you want to eradicate magic, there is a very unsolvable problem standing before you." Fíliya stared coldly at the other party's reaction. "That [God of Magic] will not sit idly by and watch such a thing happen."
But contrary to Fíliya's expectations, Levi once again revealed a confident smile.
"Yes, regarding that Elf, Serie... we have already devised a method to execute her. Of course, if Lady Fíliya is willing to join us, our odds of winning will approach one hundred percent."
Is this guy teasing me?
The corners of Fíliya's mouth twitched slightly, as if she had heard some colossal joke. But on the other hand, 'Killing Serie' was an incredibly attractive subject for her; for a mage, there was no activity in this world more stimulating than researching that.
So, should she... agree? How is that possible.
Even if she were to make a move on Serie... it would have to be a duel she fought alone. She would never cooperate with this kind of idiot whose brain was filled with thoughts of eradicating magic.
____
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