Lofty Ideals

"Ophelia..."

Carlton let out a deep sigh, his massive face now calmer.

"You should know by now that the fundamental logic of this world has been corrupted..."

"You, Luo Wei, or even the Holy Maiden of the Church—you all view the future of this world from the perspective of transcendent powerhouses. You are indeed strong, and confident..."

"But I must tell you, this problem is unsolvable. Hawkins comes from the Arcane Hermitage, and they couldn't resolve it in over a thousand years. Do you really think a few youngsters like you can accomplish it?"

"No matter how powerful you become in the future, no matter how much authority you wield, chaos and order will continue to cycle. Filth and evil will lurk in every dark corner. Transcendent power is the greatest destabilizing factor of this era."

"Only by establishing rules and controlling these unstable elements can this world have a brighter future."

"And yet, you seek to destroy it. You are a sinner against the world."

"No, no, no!" Ophelia clenched her fists. "You're just a power-hungry control freak! You don't have such noble ideals! You're lying to me!"

"Ophelia, you simply refuse to acknowledge your own naivety."

The darkness surged suddenly as Carlton's form materialized once more before the three of them.

His gaze bore into Ophelia. "Have you ever considered how you would handle the empire's current mess once you take the throne? Could you achieve what I have? You can't. Obsessed with petty romance, you'd only become a mediocre ruler, and Wegnar would decline into ruin."

"Perhaps..." Carlton chuckled darkly. "History would remember you as only slightly better than the 'Mad King.' People would say the kind but mediocre empress missed the best chance to unify the northern continent, allowing even our sworn enemy, Norsgul, to surpass us."

"That's impossible..." Ophelia's eyes darted away. "I could never be worse than you. You're a vile man—there's no emperor more disgusting than you..."

"Disgusting? So what?" Carlton laughed loudly. "If it achieves greatness, who would care about such stains? That's why I say you're naive. Your heart is too pure. You lack the resolve required of a true ruler. I admit your actions have impressed me—no one in your generation surpasses you. But in certain aspects, like ambition, you don't even measure up to William or Kevin."

"You—!"

Luo Wei noticed Ophelia was at a loss for words. The sharp-tongued girl who was "invincible in arguments" back at the old mansion couldn't find a rebuttal. She merely stood there, fists clenched in silent fury.

Something felt off to Luo Wei. What was Carlton trying to achieve with this long-winded speech?

Was he stalling for time, waiting for the city guard or the northern First Legion to come to his rescue?

Or did he have another goal?

Luo Wei never underestimated this old schemer. In many ways, he was the best actor of them all, deceiving even those closest to him while secretly researching in this dim study for sixteen years.

Every word he just spoke could be a lie—or half-truths. Luo Wei knew this game all too well.

As Ophelia grew quieter, Luo Wei became convinced Carlton was trying to crush her confidence.

He refused to believe Carlton was truly so noble or idealistic.

Since arriving in this world, Luo Wei had met many idealists.

Tilis, who dreamed of creating a better world; her mentor Usoma, who spent his life trying to solve the mages' problems; Headmaster Danton; and even Eleya, standing right beside him...

None of them were like Carlton.

Luo Wei trusted his instincts, honed from years of reading people.

He could tell at a glance—this old bastard was lying!

Who are you trying to fool? A power-hungry coward so terrified of his own daughter that he'd rather kill her—daring to pose as an idealist?

Luo Wei scoffed inwardly. He stepped forward and covered Ophelia's ears.

"Luo Wei?" She looked at him in confusion. "What is it?"

Luo Wei stared straight at Carlton, who stood a short distance away. "I’ve always admired idealists. Your vision for the future is compelling. If you can answer three questions for me, I might even consider joining your side."

"What?" Carlton frowned slightly, unsure of Luo Wei's intentions.

"First," Luo Wei began. "You claim to despise transcendent power, yet you’ve always supported Magical Industry."

"Is that so hard to understand?" Carlton sneered. "If not for the demands of the times—if not for needing Magical Industry to arm my forces—I would abolish even magic crystals. This world shouldn’t harbor such so-called miraculous power. It’s utterly repulsive."

"Fine." Luo Wei pressed on. "Second question: If you rid this world of transcendent power, what happens when another event like the fall of the Light God occurs? This world is watched by malevolent deities. Could you resist them? Isn’t this just crippling yourself?"

"Simple," Carlton replied. "The anti-magic field would ban transcendent power among the populace, not for myself. I would become the world’s arbiter."

"So, hoarding all the power for yourself?" Luo Wei wasn’t surprised. The Magic Crystal Act had already shown this was his usual tactic.

"Exactly." Carlton smirked. "Haven’t you noticed? I alone am immune to corruption and backlash. Neither you nor the Holy Maiden can claim the same. Thus, I alone am fit to be the arbiter—no, something even greater than the Light God. What He failed to achieve, I will accomplish."

"Blasphemy!" Eleya glared at him coldly. "How dare you compare yourself to the great Light God?"

Luo Wei held back the agitated Eleya and turned to Carlton again.

"Third question—the last one."

"Ask." Carlton’s tone was indifferent.

"How did Crown Prince Andrew die?"

Carlton’s expression darkened. "Why ask that?"

"Oh?" Luo Wei widened his eyes. "Could it be—Andrew’s death is connected to you? Is there more to the story?"

Carlton shook his head. "No. Andrew was always frail. That’s common knowledge."

"The original concept of this field before you was his idea. At first, we—father and son—only sought to suppress the corruption in our bloodline, to save him and all future descendants."

"But before we could achieve results, Andrew suddenly succumbed... and turned into a monster."

"He didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes, like my father, who slaughtered his own kin. So while his rationality still lingered, he ended his own life."

"In that sense," Carlton murmured, gazing at Ophelia, whose ears were covered, "she’s fortunate. Even after becoming a monster, she never lost her reason."

"You’re lying," Luo Wei said firmly. "You’re the one who killed the Crown Prince. And the reason? The same as with Ophelia—you feared he’d threaten you."

"That’s not true," Carlton shook his head again. "Everything I just said was the truth. If you don’t believe me, let Ophelia test me for lies."

Luo Wei froze for a moment.

"You all trust her ability in this, don’t you?" Carlton continued. "Ophelia has never been wrong about this. Since you suspect me of lying, go ahead and have her verify it."

Ophelia’s pale eyes flickered uncertainly between Carlton and Luo Wei, desperate to understand what they were saying.

But Luo Wei kept her ears tightly covered, unwilling to let Carlton’s words influence her.

Carlton scoffed at the sight. "What? Are you afraid?"

"There’s nothing to fear—because you are lying!" Luo Wei sneered. "I don’t need to bother with this charade."

If he had only doubted before, Carlton’s suggestion of letting Ophelia "test for lies" made Luo Wei absolutely certain: he was lying.

It was too deliberate!

Luo Wei didn’t care about the results of any lie-detection. The fact that Carlton was so confident meant he had prepared for this—he was doing this on purpose!

If they followed his logic, they’d fall right into his trap!

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Luo Wei. He was beginning to understand what Carlton was really after...

Ever since they’d entered the study, amid all the bizarre magic Carlton had wielded, one question had nagged at Luo Wei, resurfacing now.

"You’re not just an old fraud—you’re a fool who wants to drag the world backward to satisfy your own selfish lust for power." Luo Wei released Ophelia’s ears and laughed derisively. "The world’s arbiter? The one who sets the rules? Your logic is flawed—deeply flawed! Can’t you see it yourself?"

"What flaw?" Carlton shot back.

"Your stance on Magical Industry defines your narrow vision." Luo Wei stared at him. "You were wrong from the very first question. If you truly supported Magical Industry, I might have respected you. But you only see it as a tool to arm your forces, a means to seize power. Ha! You accused Ophelia of becoming a sinner, but you are the one who’ll be condemned by history!"

"What are you talking about? Make sense!" Carlton’s patience was wearing thin.

"You still don’t see your mistake?" Luo Wei’s disdain grew. "The Magic Hermits invented crystal magic, transferring supernatural power into stones so mages wouldn’t be tormented by their own chaotic thoughts. Gould built the Magical Industry, allowing everyone to share equally in this miraculous power. But you—you want to erase it all. You’re the one who’ll strangle progress, lock the world in stagnation, and doom the future of productivity!"

"What nonsense is this?"

Carlton clearly hadn’t studied Marxian philosophy. To him, Luo Wei’s words were just gibberish. Frustrated, he turned to Ophelia.

"Since this brat covered your ears earlier, you didn’t hear. Let me repeat—"

"Like hell you will!" Luo Wei immediately looked to Eleya.

Dozens of [Judgment] spells rained down again, cutting Carlton off mid-sentence and forcing him into a frantic retreat.

"You deserve death!" Carlton’s eyes darkened as he fixed a venomous glare on Luo Wei, shifting his attack toward him.

A terrifying [Soul Torrent] surged straight for Luo Wei’s head.

"Wrong! Dead wrong!" Luo Wei ducked behind Eleya, mocking loudly:

"This isn’t how magic is meant to be used! And you dare claim no one understands it better than you?"