In truth, the upper ranks of the Skoll School had been divided into two factions back then.
One faction believed they could use the stabilization of the king's bloodline to threaten the old Savant King into changing his political stance.
The other faction, on the other hand, simply wanted him dead—hoping his bloodline would mutate completely and turn him into a monster.
And unfortunately…
The ones who had originally intended to "help" the old Savant King belonged to the latter.
Thus, the Savant King unknowingly avoided a fatal calamity—
But he also missed his final chance for treatment.
At the same time, he missed his last opportunity to name an heir.
And so…
On the second day after the old Savant King's death, the kingdom's eldest prince unexpectedly drowned in his own estate.
Yet anyone with eyes could tell something was wrong.
A fifth-tier powerhouse drowning?
That was practically rubbing everyone's intelligence into the dirt.
Not long after the crown prince's death, accidents began occurring frequently in the city's alchemical-mechanical factories.
Either mechanical failures sparked massive fires…
Or workers, unwilling to continue endless overtime, erupted into riots.
There were even large-scale resignation movements.
Of course, aside from that last part—which was Hel's doing—
None of the rest had anything to do with her.
Fate was simply that absurd.
Originally, Hel had been worried that once the factory owners realized she was targeting them, they might struggle back in desperation before dying.
But she hadn't expected that the old king's sudden death alone…
Would plunge all of Savant City into turmoil.
The coincidences were so perfect, it felt as though an invisible hand were manipulating everything from behind the curtain.
Art Academy.
Girls' Dormitory, Room 4004.
Hel controlled her clone, Lyco, sitting quietly on the sofa.
Beside her sat Tina and Leflina.
Not far away, from the room that belonged to Hiness, occasional explosions could be heard.
Yet none of them paid it any attention.
All their gazes were fixed on the table before the sofa.
There, a basket of sandwiches had been placed.
They were still warm.
No one spoke.
Only after a long while did Leflina swallow nervously and ask uncertainly,
"Junior Lyco… are you really sure these were poisoned?"
"Mhm."
Hel nodded, completely certain.
"See that idiot over there? She almost died once already."
Hel pointed toward Tina, whose face was ashen.
Tina's eyes were locked onto the basket as though it were her mortal enemy.
When Leflina looked over, Tina nodded stiffly in confirmation.
"That's right. If Guguke hadn't used life-attribute magic on me, I'd already be dead."
"How could this happen…?"
Leflina covered her mouth, disbelief written all over her face.
She had always been well-protected within the ivory tower of the Art Academy.
Aside from the hardships of poverty in childhood, once she entered Savant City, she had never truly seen the cruelty of the world.
Much less experienced an assassination attempt.
Her thoughts immediately spiraled.
If anyone among them had made enemies outside…
It would be her.
After a moment of silence, she stood, bowed deeply to Tina, and said apologetically,
"I'm sorry, little hamster… Maybe it was because of the student movement I organized. People who can't stand me might have targeted us."
"N-no, it's fine…"
Tina froze at the sudden apology and answered instinctively.
But she quickly recovered, sighing helplessly.
"Senior, this isn't your fault."
"Mhm. It's not her fault."
Hel cut in calmly.
"This is probably the same group that assassinated Savant's crown prince."
"Assassinated the crown prince?"
"The crown prince was killed?!"
Two shocked cries rang out at once.
In their eyes, with the old king dead, the eldest prince should have been the future King of Savant.
Who would dare assassinate him now?
Wasn't that a declaration of war against the entire royal family?
But their reaction was understandable.
In this world, kings and emperors did not rule for life.
Once they reached a certain age, they retired and became clan elders.
Thus, royal authority was not absolute.
If a king's orders harmed the long-term interests of the dynasty, the elders could convene and vote to revoke those decisions.
If the king insisted stubbornly…
They could even force him into early retirement.
Because of this system, princes were usually restrained when it came to succession.
There would never be anything like the infamous Xuanwu Gate Incident.
Even secret fratricide among princes was rare.
That was why the two girls were so stunned.
But Hel—someone who had survived the brutal succession struggles of Mandrake territory—
Found such bloodshed entirely commonplace.
Still…
She felt this was all unfolding far too quickly.
The killer hadn't even bothered to conceal himself.
It was Savant's second prince.
Hel had learned this through her undead insects.
And she was certain the royal elders could investigate the truth as well.
Seeing that Tina and Leflina were still staring at her in shock, Hel continued evenly:
"The one who acted should be the crown prince's other brothers.
Now that the crown prince is dead, and the fifth prince—also backed by the Mechanical Institute—is dead as well…
The Mechanical Academy, which once dominated all of Savant City, has already been eliminated from this political game.
The vast resources they held will be forced back onto the table, to be divided among the other major academies.
Among the four remaining heirs—
The second prince is supported by the Alchemy Academy, so his likelihood of poisoning is the greatest.
The fourth princess is backed by the Alchemy Institute, but we all know the Alchemy and Mechanical Academies are close enough to wear the same pair of trousers…
So the political assets once belonging to the crown prince will likely fall into her hands.
As for the third prince of the Biology Academy and the sixth prince of the History Academy…
They basically have no chance of competing on the same stage.
But before the second prince and fourth princess truly clash…
They will certainly clean out the remaining brothers first.
After all, neither of them can guarantee that when the two of them wound each other badly…
The others won't jump out and steal the victory.
And Hiness…"
Hel's voice lowered slightly.
"…is exactly the one they fear will steal the fruit."
Just as Hel finished speaking…
She heard the sound of a door opening nearby.
Hiness stepped out of her room.
Her hair was a mess, her face and hands blackened with soot, her eyes bloodshot and red.
"Sorry…"
She looked at Hel and the others in the middle of their conversation, whispered an apology—
Then, without another word, she turned and walked straight toward the door.