On Saturday morning, the plaza in front of the Upper Council was crowded. Early in the morning, many citizens received a piece of inside information that Anthony Nasser was going to be beheaded.

Yes, the Nasser Clan, absolutely one of the millennia-old noble families in the Moncalleta Kingdom, with the current family head's eldest son, Viscount Anthony Nasser, set to be executed by beheading for the crime of emulating an Inner Demon by murdering innocent women.

People were shocked upon hearing the news, partly feeling disbelief. Could a great noble be beheaded for something like this?

The people protested, were angry, hoped for severe punishment for the culprit. In truth, their greatest hope was that Anthony wouldn't simply pay a fine and escape justice. Execution? By beheading? It was something they dared not believe. The order and power established by the nobility cannot be erased by a few incidents. So even though the Hex Bird Report exposed his numerous heinous acts, there was still no trial. Many had already lost hope in recent days. They were not complaining about the King but wanted to change tradition, for even the Kingdom couldn't do as it pleased.

Just when everyone gave up hope, they heard Anthony was to be beheaded. If this wasn't a rumor, what could it be?

Many nobles didn't believe it either. Could killing someone really lead to the beheading of a high-born knight? Was there still justice?

Rumors spread faster than anything in any era, and soon, almost every corner of the city of Hedan knew. Everyone was talking, and many citizens flocked to the Upper House entrance. Unsure of the truth, they wanted to see if King Ola would indeed stand up for them.

When the crowd flooded the square, there was no chatter, only a dense sea of heads silently watching the empty square. There was nothing.

Yet no one left. People just stood there, continuously gathering from afar. The fully armed Knight Order appeared. They rode tall horses, clad in full armor, wielding long spears, swords at their waists. This was the Royal City Knight Order, their raised banner bearing the symbol of the Golden Tree.

The Knight Order did not disperse the crowd but maintained a clear area in the square. Then a group of workers appeared, assembling the guillotine components. The whole scene was silent. The crowd gathered from afar, making the surrounding streets impassable. Only their breathing could be heard, as it was not about one victim waiting, but countless potential victims.

Two bare-chested strongmen hoisted a giant guillotine blade, reflective and bright, still gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Yet people saw hope in their eyes.

The guillotine was ready. Half of the rumor had come true. But would it really be Anthony Nasser?

Meanwhile, in the Cabinet within the Royal Palace, King Ola the Eighteenth was handling affairs with his ministers. Duke Nasser was present, along with other ministers, yet no one discussed this matter. They instead deliberated over the kingdom's tax issues for the year. Even Duke Nasser remained expressionless, as if it had nothing to do with him.

The moment Anthony's fate was sealed; his death was no longer the issue. How the Nasser Clan would soothe the King's wrath was. This incident had certainly touched on the King's most intolerable point. Had Duke Nasser known, he might have snuffed it out early on.

However, King Ola was fair. The kingdom still remembered their contributions, so he did not implicate the Nasser family, even erasing Anthony's heinous deeds from the soon-to-be-public crimes to save face for them. In such circumstances, the Nasser Clan had to be grateful and support all the King's decisions. With the prominent Nasser family bowing down, other families had inadequate grounds for opposition.

In the midst of great anticipation, Anthony Nasser was brought out. At that moment, people's eyes began to burn with passion. Hope, that minuscule hope, truly became reality.

Yes, praise the just King Ola the Eighteenth, Your Majesty, for executing this criminal!

Anthony was fearful. He didn't want to die. He gave up on inheriting the family title just to live a carefree life, but now his life had reached its end. He once aspired to become a knight in the spotlight.

Now his wish was half-realized.

A fat man appeared—none other than the Cabinet's press officer. The fat man was dressed very formally, wearing a wig and a gold frock, proudly strutting forward. Amidst the intense gazes, he unrolled a scroll and began to read aloud Anthony Nasser's crimes in a cadence resembling an opera.

The concise version of the charges still ignited the people's anger. All eyes were fixed on Anthony Nasser—not just him, but the many wicked nobles as well.

"…the great, just King Ola the Eighteenth, Your Majesty, now pronounces Anthony Nasser's death sentence, to be beheaded for public display," announced the diminutive press officer in an exhilarating tone, his hands gesturing as he spoke. The crowd erupted with thunderous excitement, but the matter was far from over.

"His Majesty the King has issued the latest royal laws, declaring that every subject of Moncalleta is a child of the King, and from today, if a prince offends, he shall be punished the same as a commoner."

In that moment, the fervent crowd suddenly felt breathless, soon bursting into earth-shaking cheers that soared to the heavens. With those cheers, the guillotine fell from a great height, and Anthony Nasser's head flew into the air. The people's cheers peaked, and at the same time, Ola the Eighteenth firmly established his absolute prestige among the people of Moncalleta. History would record this significant change.

This kingdom blessed by the gods always sees the rise of a great king at turning points in history.

"Long live the King" echoed throughout Hedan, and the King's illustrious name spread with messengers across Moncalleta and Dao Yuan. From this day forward, no one could shake the rule of Ola the Eighteenth, not even that great sage king.

The Cabinet members, busy working, also heard the faint roaring sounds, seemingly cheering "Long live the King." Even here, it could be heard; such a scale was rare in Hedan.

The Hex Bird Report had also become a hive of activity. Everyone worked overtime to release a special edition continuously detailing Anthony Nasser's crimes, along with the misdeeds of other nobles. The new edict, "if a prince offends, he shall be punished the same as a commoner," was, in essence, a royal proclamation to abolish the nobles' privilege of avoiding punishment through bail and similar means. This presented the most direct threat to these nobles.

If even the firstborn of the Nasser Clan, the pillar of the kingdom, could be sentenced to the guillotine, who could have a neck tougher than this?

This was the most direct and unrestrained threat.

Citizens took to the streets, releasing their joy and excitement, for in the end, it was His Majesty the King who stood with them. To many, he was already the greatest king in Moncalleta's history.

Atop the Celestial Principle School's Heavenly Star Tower, Vladimir felt a powerful Wish Power coursing through him. He knew His Majesty the King had succeeded, and the beneficiaries were not just the Moncalleta Kingdom but also the Celestial Principle School. Their ideals being realized meant great strides in their strength.

Already at the critical point, Vladimir finally took that half step forward, and golden light illuminated the Heavenly Star Tower.

This time, a true advance to demigod status. Centuries of accumulation, and under his leadership, the Celestial Principle School finally birthed a demigod.

Within the Star Tower Academy, countless members of the Celestial Principle School knelt to their demigod, signifying the supreme will's acknowledgment of their path. No longer was it a cult or fringe practice but a truly sacred path.

Vladimir knew executing Anthony alone wouldn't have achieved this outcome. It all stemmed from Princess's words, "if a prince offends, he shall be punished the same as a commoner." This action aimed at reducing noble privileges was elevated to a national progress issue. This powerful Wish Power alone could help him take that crucial step. The new path differed from the traditional path in its difficulty.

When His Majesty the King consulted him, they chose to forego revealing all of Anthony's crimes in exchange for the Nasser family's support in abolishing privileges. With the Nasser family's change of heart and the King's "rage," the matter proceeded smoothly. Of course, the nobility wouldn't concede so easily; they must have plans in store.

What they didn't anticipate was His Majesty the King's willingness to place royal privileges on the line, this remarkable blow to enemies surpassed all expectations.

They anticipated a significant reaction but didn't foresee such an extraordinary public response. If Vladimir gained so much, how much more did His Majesty the King gain?

While Vladimir reveled in the fulfillment of his ideals, a shadow of disaster loomed over him, seemingly freezing his soul in an instant.

Crisis.

A tremendously major crisis—a threat capable of destroying both the Kingdom and the Celestial Principle School—was approaching…

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