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Illuminas, the seat of the Duke of Art, one of the pillars of the Three Archdukes’ Party, was engulfed in flames. In front of the central research institute, which served as its core, Charlotte, Tiffany, and Maxwell—the supposed masterminds behind the chaos—all bowed their heads in unison to Professor Vilkin, the prominent figure of Illuminas.
"What…!? Huh!? What's going on!?" Rafinha looked back and forth between them in shock.
"So, it was you, Professor Vilkin, who aided Miss Tiffany and the others?" Inglis asked.
Setting all of Illuminas ablaze couldn’t have been accomplished without considerable preparation. Moreover, for the city's central functions to be disabled, leading to an almost deserted state, it would have required prior knowledge of such a malfunction.
While Vilma was currently using the mechanical dragons to extinguish fires throughout the city, it had originally been the Duke of Art’s responsibility to deploy them and eliminate intruders. This meant that Tiffany and her group had foreseen Illuminas’ incapacitation and prepared to strike at just the right moment.
"So, were you also behind the malfunction and emergency landing of Illuminas into the sea?"
"F-Father…! Is this true!?" Vilma asked in disbelief.
"That's right~. We couldn’t make any rash moves while the Duke of Art was still fully operational, after all," Professor Vilkin replied, his usual cheerful smile unwavering.
"What!? H-How can you smile at a time !? Illuminas is on the brink of collapse!"
"Yes…! Sorry, Miss Vilma, but his face really is the face of a villain after all!" Rafinha exclaimed, recalling their previous encounters with the Church Founder’s Union’s Archlord Abel. Both Abel and Professor Vilkin seemed to use artificially created bodies known as High Manacoat.
"I don’t dislike Lord Abel, though," Inglis added, finding Abel’s aggressive nature well-suited for a combat opponent.
"That’s just because your sense of values is messed up, Glis!" Rafinha retorted immediately.
"Really? Does that mean you dislike me? I’m quite hurt. I thought I treated you all rather kindly."
"No, I’m just reserving judgment for now. If you could be kind enough to accept my challenge, that would help," Inglis replied, smiling.
At her words, Charlotte, Tiffany, and Maxwell swiftly rose and positioned themselves between Professor Vilkin and Inglis, as if to shield him.
"Haha… The professor seems to have quite a lot of support. How wonderful," Inglis commented. If challenging Professor Vilkin meant fighting Charlotte, Tiffany, and Maxwell too, all the better.
"Why, aren’t you as cheeky as ever, even if you’re a bit shorter," Tiffany quipped.
"So, from the Church Union’s perspective, Illuminas' collapse was orchestrated solely by Professor Vilkin and not considered an act of war? This way, they can weaken their enemy, recruit talented individuals, and maintain their standing within the coalition. That suggests the Church Union itself isn’t completely unified, doesn't it?"
"…Well, maybe so~. For me, as long as there's a place that appreciates my intellect and lets me continue my research happily, I’m fine wherever I am~. Consider this just a little gift to the Founder."
"Such selfishness! Why couldn’t you just stay here!? Father!" Vilma protested.
"It can’t be helped, Vilma~. Illuminas… or rather, the entire Duke’s Party, is in decline. It’s a sinking ship, and I didn’t want to stop my research."
"What do you mean!?" Vilma asked, her voice trembling with confusion.
"It’s a matter of lifespan—the lifespan of the Highland."
"…!?" Vilma frowned at Dr. Vilkin’s cryptic words.
"This Illuminas included, the main islands of the Duke’s Party were created over four hundred years ago during the War of Heaven and Earth—the last war against the people of Midland. The grand warlords who made significant achievements were rewarded with pieces of the Highland and granted autonomy. That’s how the Three Archdukes’ Party was formed."
"And they grew powerful enough to rival the Church’s Union, their original masters?" Inglis asked.
"That’s right~," Dr. Vilkin nodded. It was the first time Inglis had heard about the history of the Highland and the origins of the two factions. It might even reveal more about the fate of the Sylvair Kingdom founded by King Inglis.
"It may have appeared that way, but that’s not entirely true~."
"The beating heart of the Highlands, the Levitation Magic Formation? Those can only be created by the Founder himself. They have an incredibly long lifespan, but they aren’t eternal. The lifespan of the Levitation Magic Formation is the lifespan of the Highland, and the one here is almost depleted. I just sped up the process a little… Everyone tried to fix it, but it’s beyond repair. Illuminas will never return to the sky~."
"No way! What will happen to the people of Illuminas then!?" Vilma cried out in shock.
"The Founder doesn’t seem inclined to grant new Levitation Magic Formations to the Dukes, you see~. Apparently, it was a ‘one-time thing.' So, the Three Archdukes’ Party is like a sinking ship. Eventually, they’ll fall to the ground and either be exterminated by the Midlanders they’ve angered or be struck by the Prism Flow and turned into magic stone beasts… Not a pleasant fate, wouldn’t you say?"
"I see. That’s why the Duke’s Party is trying to win over the Midland nations. They’re pretending to ally with them against the Church’s Union, but their real goal is to curry favor and receive new Levitation Magic Formations…"
In recent years, new equipment like the flygears and flygear carriers had been provided by the Duke’s Party, stemming from efforts to strengthen their alliances.
"Well, since I judged that to be impossible, I decided to serve the Founder instead. As long as I can continue my research happily, I'm content," Professor Vilkin remarked casually.
"I see…" Inglis responded thoughtfully.
However, this was the first time Inglis had learned that the Three Archdukes’ Party was essentially a sinking ship due to the lifespan issue of the Levitation Magic Formation.
This revelation raised doubts about the wisdom of the Kingdom of Charalia deepening its ties with the Three Archdukes’ Party. Special Envoy Theodore, along with efforts to unite the nations through the Order of Arcane Wardens, now seemed questionable.
There was a significant risk that the reliable support Charalia was counting on could collapse without warning.
If the Highlands controlled by the Three Archdukes’ Party fell to the ground, Charalia might lose access to new flygears, flygear carriers, and even Artifacts.
It might be wiser for Charalia to align with the Church’s Union from the beginning, even if that meant tolerating some of their tyranny.