As everyone knows, the Calencia Empire does not allow any churches to exist.
A nation where imperial authority stands above all will never permit any opposing forces to grow in secret.
This is something every emperor, without exception, has upheld.
But there are always extremely fanatical sects. In order to infiltrate and control the Empire from within, they use all kinds of methods to bewitch innocent civilians and brainwash them.
They gather on street corners or in the Empire's dark alleys, looking for all sorts of excuses to recruit the poor and displaced, turning them into loyal followers of their sect.
This kind of spread allows the church to grow like a plague.
One passes to ten, ten pass to a hundred, expanding at a terrifying speed.
That was when Aubrey had just ascended the throne.
Various sects suddenly rose up, raising their banners along the Empire's borders.
They gathered believers, took up weapons, and shouted slogans about overthrowing the Empire.
Among them, the loudest voices were the followers of the Goddess of Justice.
Because Aubrey had taken part in countless battles and killed too many, the brainless fanatics of the Goddess of Justice believed he was a foolish tyrant who only knew slaughter.
If such a person became emperor, they feared the entire nation would never know peace.
The world would fall into endless war because of him.
Thus, the voices of resistance from the Church of the Goddess of Justice were especially loud, and their goal was clear, oppose the newly crowned Aubrey.
Unfortunately, they had underestimated Aubrey's ability.
Whenever an old emperor dies and a new one ascends, there is always a period of unrest.
Civil and military officials scrutinize the new ruler, and warlords across the land stir restlessly.
But unfortunately for them, the emperor this time was Aubrey Sol.
At seventeen, he had single-handedly slain a dragon, creating an immortal legend for the entire Empire.
As the strongest emperor in Calencia's history, he alone was enough to form an army.
Relying solely on his extraordinary power, he could make countless people sincerely submit.
Within just a few years, there was no unrest anywhere in the Empire. Instead, under overwhelming military strength, the Empire grew even more powerful.
During Aubrey's reign, the Empire did not receive a single war declaration.
Every nation behaved itself. No one seemed willing to provoke this young lion.
Finally, once Aubrey's position had stabilized, he responded to the previous sect uprisings.
Whichever sect had shouted the loudest naturally got hit with the first brick.
In just a few short months, the believers spreading their faith within the Empire were completely wiped out by Aubrey.
However, even under severe suppression, even at the cost of burning their lives away, these believers remained firm in their convictions, determined to cause trouble for Aubrey.
The church gathered three hundred thousand believers and prepared an uprising along the border. That truly put pressure on Aubrey.
And this time, it did give him a headache.
Because during that period, he was establishing diplomatic relations with foreign nations.
If he wanted to leave a good impression on surrounding countries, he naturally couldn't engage in large-scale slaughter again.
After all, he had only just become emperor. He couldn't continue casually exterminating believers in massive numbers, leaving corpses everywhere. The impact would have been extremely bad.
While he was troubled by this, Duke Levi had already led a legion of mages to the place where the believers were hiding.
With the appearance of a single war spell, the believers' ashes were ground together with the ruins around them.
Three hundred thousand believers were all eliminated by Levi alone.
That is why, to this day, Levi and Aubrey remain such steadfast brothers.
Because Levi was willing to use his own reputation as the price to secure an extremely stable rule for Aubrey.
After so many years, the Empire's eradication of the Goddess's church has long since been forgotten by most people.
Levi has always kept a low profile, and on top of that, he is a duke of the Empire.
Although he now has a daughter, over all these long years, he has not suffered any retaliatory punishment.
However, that incident back then still had a profound impact on Duke Levi. After Erica was born, he became even more cautious.
Everyone understands the logic that when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold.
The Empire was never the only place where the Goddess's believers developed.
The sect that claimed tens of millions, even hundreds of millions, of church members was not exaggerating casually.
This also left Aubrey feeling a trace of guilt toward his brother.
If not for that incident in the past, Levi could have behaved more casually and freely.
His daughter would not need to live under such strict protection every day.
Fortunately, now everything is moving in a better direction.
And now, hearing the two councilors mention this, long-buried memories suddenly surfaced in Aubrey's heart. With a hint of nostalgia, he became greatly interested in the matter.
"You mean the believers of the Goddess of Justice?", Even Aurelian, listening from the side, was drawn in.
Her attention fixed on their discussion. She even forgot to blink, her focused expression astonishing to see.
'The Goddess of Justice?'
Once, in the Council's magic library, she had accidentally wandered into a room.
There, she had seen the golden scales of the Goddess of Justice.
At that time, Aurelian had felt that there must be some connection between the Mage Council and the Goddess of Justice.
And now, the mystery was finally about to be revealed.
Haim Horn smiled and looked at Aubrey, "In fact, they should be called cultists who fanatically enforce our Goddess's doctrine."
"You should know no less than we do about the Council's recent affairs, Your Majesty."
At this point, Haim Horn sounded somewhat helpless.
There are twelve councilors in the Council, and two of them are mages from the Empire.
Rachel goes without saying.
His ability, [Natural Sparrow], allows him to monitor most places in the world.
The Goddess of Justice descending upon Endymion was able to spread so quickly throughout the world.
At least part of the credit belongs to Rachel.
The other one is even more heavyweight.
Viktor Clavenna.
This incident involving the Goddess in the Council was, to put it plainly, because of Viktor.
And with Viktor's relationship with the princess added in, it would be difficult for Aubrey not to know about it.
However, even if both sides understood this clearly, neither would expose it outright.
Aubrey chuckled lightly and waved his hand. Servants brought over two golden chairs.
Even on the armrests, shining red gemstones were embedded.
"Please, sit first."
Haim Horn and Ryan Kent nodded to each other and took their seats.
Aubrey also sat back down beside Aurelian, crossing his legs, his expression turning somewhat serious.
"On behalf of the Empire, I acknowledge the Council's orthodox status."
Haim Horn smiled and nodded respectfully toward Aubrey.
"With Your Majesty's words, our Council can rest assured."
The importance of the Calencia Empire's international standing is beyond question.
Especially Aubrey.
His overwhelming strength left a deep impression on countless people.
His presence alone is enough to represent the entire Calencia Empire.
No one is willing to provoke this aging blood-red lion.
And once this empire, which has always disliked churches, speaks up, other nations will naturally acknowledge the Mage Council and the Goddess of Justice's orthodox status as well.
The Mage Council itself already possesses enough influence.
As a gathering place of mages, Endymion is no weaker than any nation.
At this time, Haim Horn spoke again.
"Your Majesty, during our stay in the Empire, we will use this opportunity to clean out the hidden vermin within your borders."
After all, this was part of the cooperative agreement.
Helping the Empire is also helping the Council.
When all the fanatical believers who blindly worship the Goddess of Justice disappear from this world, then even without the recognition of so many nations, the Mage Council will still become the sole orthodox authority of the Goddess of Justice.
After speaking, he stood up and bowed respectfully to Aubrey.
"Then we will take our leave."
As soon as the words fell, Haim shot Ryan a look.
Ryan understood. He struggled to his feet, rummaged through the pocket of his overalls, and pulled out an exquisitely crafted gift box.
"A small gift."
The princess lowered her head, her gaze falling on the box.
She was not surprised at all that the two councilors knew her birthday was approaching.
After all, the entire kingdom was already celebrating in grand fashion.
She had just reached out to accept the gift, intending to bow politely and thank them.
But Haim Horn suddenly said, "This is a small gift that Councilor Clavenna asked Ryan Kent to make. He said this gift suits you very well."
The old mages truly know how to please people.
It's simple... give the right medicine for the right illness.
"Happy birthday, little princess."
Hearing this, Aurelian's hand gripping the gift box became unsteady.
She tightened her hold on the edge of the box and froze slightly.
At the same time, she felt her heart begin to beat a little faster.
Councilor Clavenna... that could only be Teacher Viktor.
At that moment, Aurelian grew nervous.
She even forgot how to bow properly. Her mood had already been replaced by an indescribable joy.
"Th-thank you…"
Before she could finish speaking, a teleportation spell formed beneath Haim Horn and Ryan Kent's feet. Their figures began to flicker throughout the hall.
Purple magic overflowed from the formation. The two were rapidly wrapped in layers of afterimages until they were completely obscured.
The moment two pale violet wings spread open, the illusions scattered.
And their figures disappeared along with them.
Seeing this, Aurelian blinked, 'Why does this feel so familiar?'
It seems like every councilor prefers to leave using a different teleportation spell.
Aubrey understood clearly what Viktor was trying to do.
'Forcefully twisting the will of a god.'
He was deeply impressed by Viktor's boldness.
A faint smile appeared on his weathered, aged face... perhaps pride, perhaps delight.
From the very beginning, he had admired Viktor greatly.
And now, Viktor had exceeded his expectations.
He even dared to twist the divine will of the Goddess of Justice.
Aubrey also knew that Viktor was not doing this for others, nor for the Empire.
He was doing it solely for Gwen.
Aubrey greatly admired Viktor's single-minded devotion.
But at the same time, he felt a slight disappointment because of that very devotion.
Aubrey looked toward Aurelian, who was immersed in joy, his eyes filled with expectation.
Fortunately, he still had two years.
At that moment, he stood up and slowly walked to Aurelian.
Looking at the gift box in her hands, he couldn't help but ask, "Why not open it and take a look?"
"I want to wait until my birthday to open it."
Aurelian shook her head and put the box away.
Then she lifted her head and spoke with a hint of determination.
"Father, I've decided."
"For this birthday, I'm going to visit Grandfather."
Whether it was to go back and see her mother, or to show her pride and strength to the neighboring kingdom, Aurelian had already made up her mind.
As she spoke, a figure appeared in her mind.
A stern yet gentle man wearing a black windbreaker, with a one-eyed crow perched on his shoulder.
"And…"
The corner of Aurelian's lips curved upward slightly, as if she could already see Viktory approaching.
"I will make everyone understand."
"Viktor Clavenna is my teacher."
"Irreplaceable."