Savant Knights Order — Conference Room
This modest conference room also occasionally served as a command center or reception room. After all, those who came here were either members of the royal family or internal personnel of the Knights Order.
Because of that, the Order had never felt the need to build a separate reception room just to entertain guests.
In fact, even military strategy meetings were rarely held here.
The last time Commander Taylor had entered this room was decades ago, during the peasant uprising.
With that thought in mind, he pushed open the conference room door—only to see someone he had never expected.
"Headmistress Viola?!"
Seeing the woman calmly seated at the head of the table, sipping red tea with composed elegance, Commander Taylor instinctively grew wary.
He had heard of this newly advanced sixth-rank powerhouse of the Bloodline Academy before. He had even attended her promotion ceremony, so he was well acquainted with Viola's appearance.
But he had never imagined that someone regarded as one of the nation's strongest figures would personally accompany and protect a little girl.
Thinking of this, Taylor cast a complicated glance at Hiness, who sat beside Viola looking slightly restrained.
Then he turned back toward Viola and asked with clear caution in his voice:
"May I ask what brings Lady Viola to the Savant Knights Order?"
When he spoke, Taylor had not stepped inside the room. His right hand remained firmly resting on the hilt of his sword.
In this country, sixth-rank powerhouses were practically uncrowned monarchs. Even the royal family preferred not to provoke them.
As long as such individuals did nothing that threatened the rule of the Savant royal house, they could practically kill someone in the street without consequence.
So at this moment, Taylor truly feared that Viola might simply eliminate him—the commander supporting the Fourth Princess—and replace him with someone more obedient.
Of course, doing so might provoke the sixth-rank supporters of the Fourth Princess into retaliating against the new commander, perhaps even launching attacks on the teachers and students of Skoll Academy.
But what did that matter to him?
By then, he might already be dead.
Thus, from the moment he saw Viola, Taylor had not relaxed his guard for even an instant.
Seeing this, Viola smiled gently.
"You can rest assured—we have no ill intentions. I mainly came to accompany little Hiness."
As she spoke, she looked toward Hiness, seemingly passing the lead of the conversation to her.
Hiness nodded.
She stood up, offered Taylor a polite curtsy, and said courteously:
"Commander Taylor, I heard that you previously made an investment in the gelatin market."
The moment those words were spoken, Taylor reacted almost like someone struck by lightning. His grip on the sword hilt tightened instantly.
If Viola had not been present, he might have drawn his blade and cut Hiness down on the spot.
The matter of diverting this year's Knights Order military stipend into the gelatin market was something only Duke Frick had known.
As long as he replenished the missing gold before the stipends were distributed, his position as commander would remain secure.
But if the truth were exposed—
There were plenty of people beneath him eyeing his position.
If the matter reached the Supreme Court, he would not only lose his command; he might spend the rest of his life in prison.
Yet Hiness paid no attention to Taylor's guarded stance.
Instead, she took small, measured steps toward him, calm and unhurried.
Her composure caused Taylor's expression to shift uncertainly.
He did not know what she intended, but one thing was clear: she had him completely in her grasp.
Even if she used this secret to coerce him into supporting her claim to the throne, he would have no choice but to comply.
However, somewhat to Taylor's surprise, Hiness did not attempt to threaten him.
"Don't worry. I don't intend to use this matter to force you to support me. In fact, the remaining five million gold coins of the stipend in your possession can stay entirely in your pocket."
As she spoke, Hiness raised a hand.
A massive chest filled with gold coins appeared, and she smiled.
"You can say that this year's stipends were delayed because of the king's death.
But I'm willing to advance the payment from my own private funds."
Hearing this, Taylor frowned even more deeply.
He understood that Hiness was likely trying to win people's hearts.
He knew well the saying: when you take someone's money, you owe them loyalty.
If he accepted this offer, what would his knights think?
Among the lower-ranking knights, the one who paid them was effectively their patron.
In the highly capitalized Ymir Empire, people saw things very clearly.
They did not possess the so-called noble knightly spirit of the Knight Empire.
For them, there was only one rule: whoever pays them, they follow—so long as they were not asked to die or rebel.
If his subordinates all turned to Hiness, what would be the point of him continuing to support the Fourth Princess?
Unless he rejected Hiness's offer, it was practically a dead end.
But could he refuse?
He could not.
Now utterly penniless, how could he possibly turn down five million gold coins delivered freely to his doorstep?
Even for him, earning five million gold would take seven or eight years.
Yet all he needed to do now was nod.
Why would he refuse?
And after this entire ordeal, he had finally realized something.
The Fourth Princess and the Second Prince were essentially out of the game.
After Duke Frick's suicide, the other duke who supported the Fourth Princess fled Savant City overnight and returned to his frontier domain.
The remaining nobles had suffered heavy losses during the financial turmoil.
The Mechanical Academy had become the biggest loser in the crisis—rumor had it their students were currently staging class boycotts and protests.
As for the Alchemy Academy, they were still entangled in internal conflict.
At present, the only force still supporting the Fourth Princess was the Savant Knights Order.
And he himself might soon be imprisoned for embezzling military funds.
Adding it all up, the Fourth Princess essentially had no cards left to play.
If that was the case, why insist on continuing to support her?
With that thought, Commander Taylor slowly released his grip on his sword hilt.
Then he knelt on one knee, placing a hand over his chest in a knight's salute toward Hiness.
"If Her Highness Princess Hiness does not mind…"
"I, Taylor Flint, Commander of the Savant Knights Order, am willing to assist you in ascending the throne as the new King of Savant."