"Austin, I just didn’t catch that, can you repeat it? What ambassador?" Wayne cleaned his ears, suspecting he might have heard hallucinations.
It might be that Veronica’s punching power had improved, and she’d inflicted internal injuries on him last night.
Austin was interrupted mid-sentence when Wayne burst out laughing, pointing at himself proudly: "I’ve got the shape alright, but the image is too ridiculous. Has our Windsor run out of candidates, or is it now that anyone will do?"
Megan nodded in agreement, indeed absurd.
Austin rolled his eyes: "I find it ridiculous too, but this is the minister’s command. You saved the High Priest of the Moonlight Church; only you can restore the Magic Department’s image."
"That makes sense but..."
Seeing that Austin was not joking, Wayne started to sweat from his forehead: "Fulfilling all her requests no matter what, isn’t that a bit too much? If she harbors inappropriate thoughts, won’t I be sacrificing myself for the country?"
"If sacrificing yourself satisfies her undue desires, your sacrifice is worthwhile, and the minister will bestow upon you a Knight’s Medal in the capacity of the nation’s highest leader," Austin said with a sullen face.
He’d sent signals outward that Wayne was the heir of the Lando Family, and the Queen must have caught wind, delivering such an order clearly shows dissatisfaction towards the Lando Family.
Austin knew why the Queen was dissatisfied. From a national perspective, the traitor in the Magic Department was indeed a heinous criminal. The prime culprit of this event must be caught and severely punished. Close behind was Wayne, who had torn away the fig leaf, showing the dishonor of the Magic Department to several churches.
No matter how disgraceful the Magic Department behaved behind closed doors, it was a family matter, but Wayne was wrong to air it out.
Now the Moonlight Church is demanding an explanation from the Magic Department to turn over the murderer for severe punishment. Other churches are fanning the flames, leaving the Queen with a huge headache, making Wayne, who unveiled the disgrace, clean up the mess himself.
"The traitor is still under investigation; they can’t be found out in a short time. The urgency is to calm down the Moonlight Church. Once they’re satisfied, the other churches will likewise be appeased," said Austin impatiently.
It was a statement; it showed Windsor’s stance towards The Church, not intending to provoke disputes, everything was just an accident.
It showed weakness, but that’s politics. The churches gather in the dark, prepping their big moves. Windsor must compromise, even if it’s all an act, they have to feel respected.
"To put it plainly, if you hadn’t saved people, none of this would have happened; you have to pay the price for your actions," said Austin.
"No, come on, I’m a good person. Is it a sin to save someone too?" Wayne looked wronged.
"Don’t play dumb, there are no good people in this world. Morality is a constraint imposed by the upper class on the lower class, the upper class never shackles itself with morality; interests are what truly matter." The logic wasn’t complicated, and Austin knew Wayne understood.
Plus, playing the victim in front of him was pointless. He had the nerve to go and tell the Queen—see if the Queen believes there are good people in the world!
Wayne sighed, the world was rotten through, and luckily, he had the foresight to step onto the glorious path of a societal reject early on, otherwise just the cost of tuition would have bankrupted him.
"Any other questions?"
"Actually, there are."
Thinking of Philomena’s spellbinding beauty, Wayne broke out in a cold sweat for himself: "Not to hide it from you, when I saved them, I was after the briefcase. To cover up my impure motives, the act of rescue was quite heroic, leaving a profound impression on the High Priest. I can feel that she’s quite fond of me."
He’d introduced himself as Jack at the time, and Philomena had called him Isaac, which was the best evidence.
If they never met again, Philomena’s favorable impression would persist, and Jack would just be a hero passing by, at worst involved in a double-cross but not affecting the goodwill of a life-saver.
Perhaps Philomena might even fantasize about his face and do some touch-up work in the dead of night.
But should they meet in Lundan, the Divine Court Golden Mage, a local of Luzelburg who goes by Jack, suddenly transforms into the Brand Ambassador for the Windsor Magic Department, Philomena would feel like she received two big slaps in the face, and any good feelings would be reset to zero.
In such circumstances, fulfilling all of her demands...
Wayne’s scalp tingled. The Queen was indeed harsh, it wasn’t just arranging for him to sacrifice for his country, but rather making him sacrifice for his country!
Wayne explained his predicament to Austin, whose face turned even sourer: "You’re aggrieved, and so am I. You being ordered around out there is the same as me being ordered around... "
In the end, Austin was frustrated, blaming Wayne for meddling.
After complaining for a while, Austin waved his hand: "The minister has decided, and nobody can change that. Besides, you really are the most suitable candidate."
Wayne nodded; indeed, he was the most suitable candidate. The role of Brand Ambassador was tailor-made for him.
"The Magic Department’s ambush of the Moonlight Church was meant to go unnoticed, but you just had to save the High Priest, landing the department in a tight spot and allowing the Moonlight Church to gain leverage over the Magic Department in Windsor, securing more benefits..."
Having finished his analysis, Austin concluded: "By facing the High Priest yourself, it’s enough to prove that Windsor’s strategy has never changed. We have always treated all churches well. This time we didn’t shirk responsibility; indeed, it was due to a mole within. Nothing more."
Wayne listened and nodded; he understood the reasoning, but still, he’d fooled that woman. Now willingly showing up for her to be happy, he was likely to be played for a fool.