"What did you just say? Me?"
Hiness pointed at her own nose, staring at Hel in complete disbelief.
But all she saw was Hel nodding firmly.
Hiness immediately waved her hands.
"No, no, I can't. I'm not cut out for that at all."
Hiness understood very clearly—
She had no money, no strength, no faction.
In this war between princes, she had absolutely zero chance of winning.
"True."
Hel nodded as well.
She stroked her chin, looking Hiness up and down with great seriousness.
"If we don't help you, then you really do have no hope whatsoever.
No money, no people, no power.
Other than having a pretty face, you're basically useless."
"But…"
Hel clicked her tongue, continuing:
"With Savant's current situation, there isn't a single great noble strong enough to stand against those academies.
So even if you married yourself off…
You still wouldn't be able to seize the throne."
"I…"
Hiness opened her mouth, but no words came out.
She looked completely crushed by Hel's blunt honesty, as if all hope had been beaten out of her.
But Hel gently patted her head and said softly:
"Don't worry. You still have us, don't you?"
Hel swept her gaze around and pointed at Tina.
"If it's money—
Little hamster is the general manager of the Heim Industrial Zone.
And she holds forty percent of its shares.
You could say she's the future financial queen of Savant."
Then Hel pointed at Leflina.
"If it's people—
Senior's freshman society is already showing signs of surpassing the Spark Society.
And with the Spark Society's foundation…
The western three nations are facing catastrophic crisis.
The heirs of noble titles are all rushing back home to fight over their inheritances.
Before long, Senior will be able to integrate the entire Spark Society…
And become the largest organization in Savant City."
Then Hel pointed at herself, smiling.
"As for me—
I can handle every assassination attempt during this period.
So you can just relax.
Be a salted fish.
Lie flat and wait while we push you onto the throne."
After Hel's breakdown, Hiness felt her cheeks burn.
She lowered her head and muttered softly:
"Bad Cuckoo Lyco… you're the salted fish…"
But quickly, she suppressed her embarrassment and looked up seriously.
"Then… what can I do?
I can't really do nothing like you said.
I can't just become a useless salted fish."
"Hmm…"
Hel rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
But soon she smiled at Hiness.
"I actually do have one thing I need you to do for us."
"What is it?"
The moment she heard that, Hiness's eyes lit up, her face full of excitement as she looked at Hel.
But Hel didn't answer immediately.
She only smiled faintly at her.
Then—
With a wave of her hand, three shadowy silhouettes emerged from Hel's own shadow…
And silently sank into the shadows of Hiness and the other two girls.
The movement was incredibly subtle.
Even though all three of them were extraordinary beings…
Not a single one of them noticed anything.
…
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
Three days had already gone by since the discussion in the dormitory.
And during those three days, a major event shook Savant City.
A mentor from the Alchemy Academy had accidentally obtained three bottles of potion…
From a foreign merchant.
They were three vials of liquid as crimson as blood.
And after consuming them…
They possessed the power to bring the dead back to life.
This horrifying effect instantly caused an uproar among the Alchemy Academy's upper ranks.
After extensive research by high-level pharmacists, they discovered something baffling—
The ingredients inside were extremely ordinary.
In theory, they should never have produced such an unbelievable effect.
Yet after clinical trials…
They were forced to admit in shock:
These potions truly could resurrect the dead.
At once, scholars began speculating that these might be the work of witches.
However, after inspection by the Church…
They were stunned to find that the potions were completely pure.
They had absolutely nothing to do with witchcraft.
And thus, the entire Alchemy Academy erupted in excitement.
A potion that could revive someone was not unheard of.
But a potion that could reverse life and death itself—
Such things were always unimaginably rare, top-tier elixirs.
Even within the royal family, they were treasured as ultimate emergency reserves.
Only if an extremely important figure died unexpectedly…
Would the palace reluctantly take out such a potion from the vault.
So when these potions appeared before the academy mentors…
They were utterly shaken.
Not for any other reason—
But because of their cost-effectiveness.
Based on their analysis, nearly all the materials involved were common, low-grade ingredients.
The only valuable component was something called:
Gentle Breeze Slime Gel.
This substance was unfamiliar to pharmacists—
But extremely common among alchemists.
Especially among mentors of the Mechanical Institute…
Because it was a lubricant frequently used in alchemical machinery.
It was considered somewhat valuable, but not truly rare.
After all, if it were a high-tier material…
The Mechanical Institute wouldn't be using it as lubricant.
The cost would be far too high.
The main reason it stood out…
Was because it was the only mid-tier ingredient among an entire list of low-tier ones.
That was what made it seem "precious" by comparison.
So even though it was produced far away in the Land of Windmills…
And even though that nation was temporarily unable to trade with Savant due to recent upheaval…
Savant City still held large reserves of Gentle Breeze Slime Gel.
And the price was cheap.
Three gold coins could buy an entire barrel—
Which was practically a bargain among mid-tier magical materials.
At first, the Alchemy Academy didn't pay much attention to this ingredient.
They believed that even without it, there was no need to worry yet.
To them, the urgent priority was finding the merchant who sold the potions—
And discovering the master who brewed them…
So they could obtain the formula.
Their greatest fear was that the brewer belonged to another nation—
Or worse, that even the merchant didn't know who the brewer was.
Because if that were the case…
They would never acquire the recipe.
But when the pharmacists surrounded the merchant in full force…
They received news that was not exactly good.
The potions had been purchased from a wandering adventurer.
And according to the merchant…
That adventurer claimed he had discovered them in an ancient ruin.
Still, there was one stroke of luck—
That adventurer had not only sold the potions…
He had also sold a notebook containing brewing notes for the potion.