"That alone isn’t enough. One matter is one matter. That magic tool is your reward for representing us in the tournament—it has nothing to do with what happened recently."

  "Hmm......"

  Hulim fell into thought. She hadn’t prepared for such a question—suddenly being asked what she wanted caught her off guard.

  Perhaps noticing Hulim really had no idea, Bars offered a suggestion.

  "How about this? I’m sure you can’t think of anything right now. On behalf of the White Cat Clan, I formally invite you to serve as our royal guest minister. What do you say?"

  "What? Mr. Bars, isn’t this too hasty?! "

  "Hasty? Not at all. If you’re worried about the responsibilities of a guest minister, don’t be. I just want you to hold the title—you won’t have to do anything. Of course, you’ll receive all the corresponding benefits."

  "No, that’s not what I meant......"

  "Alright, don’t refuse. It’s just a title—think of it as a token of friendship between you and our White Cat Clan. And of course, this is just an extra. You can still ask for whatever you want anytime later."

  Though Bars spoke casually, the position of royal guest minister was clearly far from trivial.

  The Hayelar family was indeed an noble house in the empire, but there was no denying their current decline—as evidenced by the fact that even the sons of viscounts dared to provoke them openly.

  Now, the title of White Cat Clan’s royal guest minister was a special recognition. It signified she had the friendship and backing of the White Cat Clan—a status even the upper nobility of the empire wouldn’t dare to slight casually.

  After unexpectedly gaining the title of royal guest minister, Hulim asked about the follow-up to Mirei’s poisoning incident.

  "......Those three will be exiled to the dangerous frontier as battle slaves, forced to fight for their lives. As for Shiri......"

  A look of hesitation crossed Bars’ face.

  "According to federal law, she has clearly committed a serious crime. But she’s also a victim in this matter—and her child was nearly killed......"

  Though Bars had been furious after Mirei was poisoned and even wanted to punish Shiri in the same way, learning the full story and realizing she’d acted to save her child had softened his heart.

  "What do you plan to do with her in the end, Mr. Bars?"

  "No matter the reason, she must face the appropriate punishment."

  Bars said firmly.

  As a king and a federal Upper Seat councilor, upholding the rules was his duty.

  "She will still be stripped of her free status. But considering the mitigating circumstances, we won’t exile her to a dangerous region. Instead, she will serve a life of atonement in Hatoru Royal Castle, with her freedom restricted."

  "In the royal castle?"

  Hulim was slightly surprised by the location of her atonement.

  I see......

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  Legally, the sentence was justified. But serving her atonement in the royal castle meant she would live much like an ordinary servant—hardly different from her previous life, except for some restrictions on her daily movements.

  "You’re surprisingly flexible, Mr. Bars......"

  "Hehe, I have no idea what you’re talking about~."

  Bars smiled, understanding her implication.

  Looking at him, Hulim suddenly remembered a question that had crossed her mind earlier.

  "Mr. Bars...... You guessed who the mastermind was from the very beginning, didn’t you?"

  "Well......"

  Bars hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

  "I suppose you could say that."

  "......Was it because of the effect of the magic potion?"

  "Ah...... That’s right."

  When the healer had explained the details of Mirei’s poisoning, Hulim had found something amiss.

  If it was an assassination attempt, why use a non-lethal poison?

  Now Bars provided the answer.

  "The safety of council members is crucial to the stability of the entire federation. If Mirei had been poisoned with a lethal toxin, this incident would have escalated into a major federal case. The entire federation would have mobilized to hunt down the culprit—no one could have escaped, no matter who they were!"

  "But if he’d only been given a magic potion that induced a deep sleep, with his life unthreatened...... The federation wouldn’t take it seriously. Some council members might even mock us, and no one would bother to investigate the perpetrator."

  It was like the difference between using a fatal poison and a laxative. Both were acts of poisoning, but the former would become a criminal case, while the latter would only make the victim an object of ridicule.

  "So...... The real mastermind had already revealed themselves from the start."

  Whoever wanted to harm the White Cat Clan without disrupting the federation could only be another council member.

  "......Do you plan to take revenge, Mr. Bars?"

  "Of course I do. I won’t let this slide!"

  Bars said sharply, his eyes narrowing with resolve.

  "After the tournament ends, I’ll make those guys regret ever provoking the White Cat Clan!"

  ......

  A few days after Mirei’s poisoning incident.

  The atmosphere in Helinks reached a fever pitch.

  For the quadrennial Royal Martial Arts Festival officially began today!

  At the Helinks Grand Arena—

  the venue for the tournament. It could accommodate nearly 100,000 spectators, consisting of one massive main arena, four large sub-arenas, and dozens of small arenas. It was the largest arena in the world, bar none.

  Boom! Boom! Boom......

  Ceremonial magical fireworks burst continuously above the arena.

  Amidst the festive atmosphere, spectators from all over flocked into the venue.

  In the giant main arena, where the opening ceremony was to be held, the surrounding stands were packed with a dense crowd of people.

  "......Dad, there are so many people!"

  In the White Cat Clan’s VIP box, Mirei looked around excitedly—as if he hadn’t just woken up from a poisoning-induced coma the night before.

  "Mirei, this place is crowded and chaotic. You must remember not to run around this time, understand?"

  "Got it, got it."

  Mirei replied perfunctorily.

  Bars felt his anger rise instantly.

  "Oh~, you got it? Good. Don’t say I didn’t warn you—if I catch you running off, I’ll send you straight back to Hatoru. You won’t get to watch the tournament at all!"

  "Huh!? "

  Mirei stared at Bars in shock.

  "No! I don’t want to go back!"

  "Then behave yourself. Understand?"

  "Yes......"

  Mirei finally hung his head obediently.

  Seeing he’d finally settled down, Bars felt slightly relieved. He glanced around the VIP viewing room and couldn’t help wondering.

  "It’s one thing for Hulim—she had to confirm her tournament registration...... But why isn’t Miko here? Are they really that inseparable?"

  Bars sighed helplessly. But Miko was free to go wherever she wanted.

  After some time,

  Hulim walked into the VIP room.

  "Mr. Bars, my tournament registration has been confirmed."

  "Thank you for your hard work. Have a seat—the opening ceremony is about to start."

  "Alright."

  As Hulim prepared to find a seat, she suddenly noticed someone was missing.

  "Huh, Mr. Bars, where’s Miko?"

  "Hmm??? "

  Bars was filled with confusion.

  "Wasn’t she with you to confirm the registration?"

  "? No, I went alone."

  "??"

  PS：

  1、My Patreon has been updated up to Chapter 237! For fellow readers who love advance chapters, welcome to head over and check them out. Thank you for your support!!

  2、As a new creator, I’m still learning as I go. To maintain update speed, there have been quite a few mistakes — I’m currently revising the novel to fix them, and I aim to finish correcting all these errors within 15-20 days.

  3、I have a question to ask everyone: How can I quickly standardize all surnames and given names while typing? Although I’ve made a table, I have to check it every time I type — it slows down my typing speed a lot and easily interrupts my creative flow. If you have any good solutions, please share them in the comments section. I’d be extremely grateful, begging for your advice!!