"Forget it. My turn is over. Now let's watch His Highness's performance."
After realizing that the plan she and her companions had carefully prepared had failed, Lumine simply decided to stop insisting on it and, somewhat surprisingly, chose to "watch the show" instead.
In any case, whether she had succeeded or failed no longer mattered to her.
The fate of Sumeru would not change because of that.
From this point onward…
It would be Leon's turn to act.
All Lumine needed to do now was find a good place to observe Leon's performance.
After all, she already knew very well that when it came to subverting an entire kingdom, Leon was a true expert.
---
---xXx---
In the City of Sumeru.
"Is everything ready, Master?"
"Yes. Let's begin now."
"Understood."
After receiving Leon's slight nod, Alpha calmly took a flare out of her clothes and fired it into the sky.
Almost immediately, the girls of Night Raid—who had already infiltrated every corner of Sumeru—began moving simultaneously.
At that same moment, Leon slowly raised his hand and made a simple gesture toward the sky.
Then something impossible happened.
A massive crack appeared in the blue sky.
It looked as if the very firmament had been torn apart, like an open wound across the heavens.
In the next second…
Countless pieces of paper began to fall.
Tens of thousands—perhaps millions.
They drifted down from the sky like a storm of white snow, spreading across the entire City of Sumeru.
The city's residents were shocked and suspicious.
"The sky… the sky is cracking!"
"Look! Something is falling!"
"What is happening today?! So many strange things have occurred! What are these papers?!"
If something like this had happened in any other kingdom, the citizens would probably already have fallen into complete panic in the face of such an abnormal phenomenon.
But the people of Sumeru were different.
As the so-called Kingdom of Wisdom, their first reaction was not fear…
It was curiosity.
Soon, someone picked up one of the papers that had fallen from the sky.
The person quickly glanced at its contents.
Then—
Their pupils instantly dilated.
With a look filled with panic and disbelief, they slowly turned their head toward the great Akademiya.
"That can't be true…"
Their throat trembled.
And they were not the only one.
People around them began picking up the papers as well.
As they read the contents, their expressions changed drastically.
They simply could not believe that what was written there could be real.
Yet at the same time…
They could not stop their minds from considering a terrifying possibility.
What if it were true?
Anger.
Fear.
Resentment.
Suspicion.
Countless negative emotions began emerging in the minds of the people.
Sumeru…
Seemed to be on the verge of change.
---
Watching the city slowly descend into panic from the top of a tall building, Leon slightly raised the corners of his lips.
Beside him, Alpha silently waited for the right moment.
Her breathing trembled slightly.
"No matter how many times I see it…" she murmured. "Your methods remain as direct, simple, and irresistible as ever."
She watched the chaos spreading through the city.
"This time… it's going to cause enormous turmoil."
Leon let out a light laugh.
"Haha… that's exactly my goal."
Alpha sighed, resting her delicate chin on the table.
"But in the end we still ended up using my method."
She looked somewhat frustrated.
"This time we wanted to hand this kingdom to you with our own hands."
She closed her eyes for a moment.
"It's really frustrating."
The elf girl had already predicted this outcome.
It was inevitable that this country would eventually fall into Leon's hands.
Originally, however, the girls of Night Raid had planned to resolve everything themselves, relying only on their own strength.
But when they presented the plan to Leon with great confidence…
He first thanked them.
Then, in less than ten seconds, he proposed an entirely new solution.
Better.
Safer.
More efficient.
More convenient.
More practical.
Thinking back on it, Alpha felt the corner of her eye twitch.
Once again they had realized something extremely frustrating.
Among the so-called Seven Shadows, almost all of them were geniuses with absurdly high IQs.
Except for one certain idiot.
But even so…
Compared to Leon, there still seemed to be an enormous abyss.
Alpha couldn't help but feel depressed when she remembered the bold decision she had made—to follow that man's footsteps and try to walk beside him.
Probably…
There was no more difficult challenge in the world.
His figure advancing ahead seemed as distant as the sun in the sky.
Even someone as talented as Alpha could barely keep up with him.
But even so…
"I won't let you interfere next time."
The elf girl raised her gaze and stared directly at the young man before her.
"One day… I'll stand on the same level as you."
Leon smiled faintly.
"Alpha, what are you talking about?"
He gently picked up a strand of the girl's long blonde hair and began playing with it between his fingers.
The touch was softer than the finest velvet in the world.
"We're already on the same level now."
Alpha fell silent for a moment.
"…That's not what I meant."
She looked away.
"Forget it. You know exactly what I'm talking about… you're just pretending not to understand."
Leon laughed.
"Haha… am I?"
Even though they knew in their hearts that the distance between them was as vast as heaven and earth…
None of the girls would ever give up on following that man.
Because they all knew one thing.
If they succeeded…
The reward would be unimaginable.
A lifetime of happiness.
Infinite wealth.
Supreme status.
Absolute power.
All of those things…
Would merely be decoration.
For the woman who could remain beside that future king—favored by him, or even becoming his favorite—such things would be insignificant.
Just thinking about it made Alpha's mind grow slightly hazy.
It was a temptation even more powerful than the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden.
Faced with such a reward, they were all willing to chase after that man with all their strength.
Even knowing the enormous gap between them.
Even knowing the chance of success might be only one in a thousand.
Or one in ten thousand.
But any girl who met Leon and fell under his charm would end up wagering her life on that nearly impossible possibility.
Because…
It was worth it.
After a moment of silence, Leon glanced at his watch.
"Hmm… five minutes have already passed."
He turned to Alpha.
"How are things in the other cities?"
Alpha responded immediately.
"Everyone has already begun."
"They're all using storage artifacts."
"It's raining newspapers in every city of Sumeru."
She quickly calculated in her mind.
"By now… it's estimated that around forty percent of the people in Sumeru have already seen the contents about the Grand Sage."
Leon nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad."
Soon…
A large number of Sumeru citizens would storm the Akademiya to demand explanations.
Thinking about the contents of those newspapers…
Leon was willing to make a bet.
When the Grand Sage discovered this…
If he didn't faint on the spot…
Leon would stop calling himself Leon.
He looked coldly at the massive green-and-white palace not far away.
The Akademiya of Sumeru.
In Leon's opinion, even if Lumine's plan had succeeded—even if the Grand Sage had been overthrown and Nahida rescued—
It still would have been a failed plan.
Because their method relied only on brute force.
If that were all it took…
Leon could solve it with a simple wave of his hand.
With his current strength, suppressing Sumeru would not be impossible.
But he knew very well that such a thing would be foolish.
Even if the Grand Sage died…
His influence would still remain.
Even if Nahida were freed…
The kingdom might end up internally divided.
Leon thought calmly:
If you want to subvert a kingdom…
Then do it properly.
If all you know how to do is swing your fists, you're nothing more than a reckless person.
Not someone truly strong.
He silently observed the Akademiya.
Then murmured:
"Now… watch closely."
"I'll show you what a true subversion looks like."
And also…
What it means to rule a kingdom.
(End of Chapter)