The Empror's Trap

In the end, Guillaume couldn't prevent Lina from entering the Camelot Central Empire's court.

After all, at court, apart from Kenji's own people, most officials ultimately accepted Kenji's approach—as long as he didn't keep power in his own hands, that was enough. As for what happened to Guillaume? Who would care about this neutral scholar who belonged to no faction? When he was pushed by Kenji and nearly fell, not a single person in the entire hall stepped forward to help him.

"Since most people agree with my view, we'll proceed accordingly. Regarding Lina's entry into the court, I've already discussed this with Her Majesty beforehand. Her Majesty was considering everyone's interests when she asked me to seek your opinions. If there are no further questions, in a few days I will transfer this internal affairs unit to Lina and Her Majesty."

Kenji gave Guillaume a cold look before turning away to speak.

He had no personal grudge against Guillaume and had barely spoken with him before. The reason he acted physically this time was purely because Guillaume was too presumptuous—or rather, spoke too carelessly. In court, you could oppose others and argue with them, but basic respect was still necessary. Even those veteran generals and ministers with deep seniority would try to avoid unnecessary provocations in conversation. But Guillaume kept deliberately stepping on landmines.

Remnant of the demonic cult—this term was not only Lina's sore point but his as well.

No one present raised any objections, and the court session quickly concluded.

As Kenji bid farewell to his colleagues to report back to Her Majesty, the ministers who walked out of the hall were buzzing with discussions.

They realized something: the Camelot Empire was truly changing now.

Or rather, perhaps it hadn't changed at all—the clouds that had been concealing everything had simply dispersed, revealing the true sky without any cover.

Kenji didn't concern himself with the ministers' thoughts—he didn't need to. Right now, he needed to report the court proceedings to Her Majesty.

"Miss Sonya, what impression do you have of this Guillaume?" Kenji asked as they walked through the magnificent palace complex.

"I have some impression," Sonya said thoughtfully. "I remember he passed the civil examination and ranked first in the palace exam. He seemed to have had some contact with the Chancellor for a period, but then there wasn't much news of him afterward." At this point, Sonya turned her head: "Why? Is the Grand Marshal interested in him?"

"He doesn't know how to be an official," Kenji said with a bitter smile.

"Yes, he seems to have never considered how to survive in officialdom," Sonya expressed understanding. "You're right, a neutral scholar like him would find it difficult to make it in official circles. If not for his first-place title, he probably would have been marginalized to some local official position by now."

"But sometimes, neutral scholars are more interesting, aren't they?" Kenji smiled, with something mischievous in his expression. "Being neutral means not easily won over, but that's just 'not easily.' If he has ambitions and desires, I think he can be pursued."

"You plan to recruit such an official who can't even speak properly?"

"He truly doesn't know how to speak appropriately, and I was quite angry," he admitted frankly. "Lina is my guard, and for him to say such things—the small punishment I gave him was actually quite restrained."

"There are times when you show restraint?"

The Foreign Minister's tone sounded somewhat sarcastic.

Kenji didn't mind her sarcastic tone and continued: "However, after pushing him and seeing how the ministers reacted to him, I suddenly found it interesting... There's an old saying in Camelot: 'No acquaintance without a fight.' Perhaps I should get to know him."

"If the Grand Marshal wishes to approach him, I have no authority to manage your affairs."

"Haha, don't be so tense. Anyway, Her Majesty has no use for this person. Though placing him in the position of Vice Minister counts as preferential treatment for a central official, I imagine if not for valuing talent, Her Majesty would have kicked him out long ago."

Before he finished speaking, they had arrived at Pluvia's chambers.

Sonya went in first to announce them, and after receiving permission, she led Kenji and Lina into the chambers.

Upon entering, Kenji immediately smelled a very strong herbal scent.

Pluvia was wearing a light, short robe, lying on a special bed.

The bed was unusual—Pluvia lay on top while beneath it was a container similar to a Buddha statue's bath, filled with steaming medicinal liquid. The steam rose through perforated boards in the middle, steaming Pluvia.

Kenji recognized this human steaming therapy, a typical fumigation treatment especially suitable for treating cold, wind, and dampness-related illnesses.

"Oh, is the court session over?" Hearing footsteps, Pluvia turned slightly to look at Kenji.

She truly appeared quite ill. Those eyes that were usually difficult to read now had a dreamy quality, her expression full of fatigue. As steam enveloped her body, that somewhat youthful face was covered with fine beads of sweat.

Yet even now, she still held a stack of official documents that she was reading.

"Yes, I have handled the matter, and the court officials support my arrangement," Kenji said. "Your Majesty need not worry about this matter, but rather about your health..."

"Oh, it's nothing serious. The weather's turning cool, so catching an illness isn't unusual." Her tone was softer at this moment, sounding somewhat strangely delicate. "This unit you've established, what was it called again... the Grey Scale Department, right?"

The so-called Grey Scale Department was the name Kenji had thought of for this internal unit. The term "grey scale" symbolized loyalty to the "dragon," meaning they were the "dragon's" scales and armor. However, they couldn't use "golden scales" (which could only be used for the emperor), and since they mainly wore metal light armor for convenience during missions, they were called the "Grey Scale Department."

"That's correct."

"I've thought carefully about this. Lina is indeed suitable for this role, but be cautious—don't be overly aggressive in your actions. Although your job involves being aggressive, you still need to maintain appropriate limits. Use regular methods when possible, and avoid extraordinary measures unless necessary. Understand?"

"I understand," Kenji said.

Pluvia put the documents aside and stared at the ceiling, taking a breath: "Also, Kenji, there's one more matter to discuss."

"Yes."

"Lina is now the leader of the Grey Scale Department. Going forward, the department will have many tasks and will need to be in the palace at all times. I'm suggesting that we establish the Grey Scale Department within the palace, which would also make it convenient for Lina to work. What do you think?"

"...Your Majesty, I cannot decide this matter. Lina is now my colleague, so you should speak with her," Kenji said after a pause, quite naturally.

Tsk, I had thought that she wasn't thinking clearly because of her illness, but surprisingly, even when she barely had the strength to speak, her mind was still scheming about how to get Lina reassigned.

But...

Kenji glanced at the expressionless Lina.

Hilarious—wanting to poach her? Even I find it difficult to send her away!