"They are all going to be roasted alive."

"Literally."

For a moment, nobody knew whether she was joking.

Judging by the murderous aura beginning to leak from her body, she probably was not.

Despite her attempt to maintain a stern and composed appearance, the hurt behind her expression was obvious.

Logan was not merely a subordinate. He was one of the highest-ranking officials in her empire.

The fact that someone she trusted had betrayed her was painful enough.

The possibility that numerous others had participated in the scheme only made the situation worse.

William observed her silently before speaking.

"Calm down, Miss Selena; we need to extract more information from this man," William said

She looked at him with a disturbed expression that was anything but calm

"What if Logan used the same method on them that he used on you?"

Selena blinked while William slowly activated his lunar blessing ability again to calm down her emotions and stabilize her mental state.

According to Sera, she was already suffering from a very bad temper.

Under the influence of her ability, her anger in her eyes immediately paused.

Another realization struck her.

She had become so focused on the betrayal itself that she had not considered that possibility.

Her expression quickly changed.

"If that is true, then they might not have acted of their own free will."

William nodded.

"Exactly."

Selena immediately stepped closer. "Can you remove whatever control he used?"

There was genuine urgency in her voice now.

If even a fraction of her people had been manipulated against their will, she needed to know immediately. William nodded confidently.

"Yes."

Relief appeared on Selena’s face. Then William continued.

"Although..."

The relief disappeared almost instantly. Selena narrowed her eyes.

"Although what?"

William smiled.

"Don’t you think I am doing you a rather significant favor by saving your subordinates?"

Selena stared at him. A look of annoyance slowly appeared on her face.

Even in the middle of a conspiracy against her throne, this man somehow found a way to negotiate.

"Fine." She sighed heavily.

"What do you want?"

William did not even need time to think. The answer came immediately.

"I will stay beside Seraphine during her physique awakening."

The request caused Selena’s brows to rise slightly. For a few moments, she remained silent. On the surface, her expression appeared neutral.

However, beneath that calm exterior, numerous emotions were swirling. Part of her wanted to reject the request immediately.

Another part remembered exactly how powerful William was. A third part remembered that Seraphine would probably be furious if she refused.

Eventually, Selena nodded.

"Alright." Then she added another condition.

"But only if my Sera agrees."

Immediately afterward, she turned toward her daughter. A very deliberate smile appeared on her face.

"What do you think, honey?" Her voice sounded perfectly innocent.

"Would you like him to remain by your side during the MOST CRITICAL MOMENTS of your life?"

The emphasis she placed on the final words was impossible to miss.

She spoke them slowly and carefully while staring directly at Seraphine. The look in her eyes clearly communicated a mother’s warning.

Unfortunately for Selena, Seraphine was no longer paying attention to her. The moment she heard the proposal, her entire face lit up.

A bright smile bloomed instantly. Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Yes!"

Before anyone could react, she started running toward William.

For Seraphine, the agreement represented something far more meaningful than simple companionship.

It meant she no longer needed to hide William from her mother and feel guilty about it. It also meant she no longer needed to hesitate whenever William was around.

Most importantly, it meant her mother had finally given her approval for this relationship, even if indirectly.

Before she could reach him, Selena immediately coughed loudly. The sound stopped Seraphine in her tracks.

"Do not get too excited."

Selena pinched the bridge of her nose. "There are still more important things to deal with first."

She pointed toward the sky where hundreds of frozen cultivators remained suspended. "Take your friends and return to your room."

Then she glanced at William. "I will handle this with him."

Seraphine nodded enthusiastically.

Completely unaware of the complicated emotions hidden behind her mother’s calm expression, she immediately turned toward her friends.

"Come on, everyone." Her mood had improved dramatically. "Mom and Willy are going to handle everything." Kara, Leila, and Katherine exchanged weary looks. Only a short time ago, they had witnessed a battle capable of devastating entire regions.

Now they were apparently expected to walk away while those same people discussed conspiracies, mind control, and a potential coup in front of their eyes.

Nevertheless, they followed Seraphine. As the girls disappeared into the palace, silence settled over the area once again.

Selena turned toward William. Her gaze clearly reminded him of his part of the agreement.

William simply nodded.

Then he raised both hands. A slow circular motion followed.

The surrounding mana responded immediately.

A vast wave of silver-blue energy emerged from his palms.

The energy carried a peaceful and soothing aura, unlike anything the elves had ever witnessed. It expanded outward in every direction.

Like a gentle tide beneath moonlight, the energy spread across the entire battlefield and enveloped every suspended cultivator.

For several moments, nothing happened. Then, strange reactions began appearing. Dark substances slowly started leaking from the eyes, ears, and noses of the affected elves.

The material resembled a mixture of black and crimson flesh-like slime. The sight was disturbing enough to make several observers visibly uncomfortable.

The substance continued oozing out steadily. Yet the moment it touched the air, it began dissolving.

Thin wisps of smoke rose upward as the corruption vaporized completely.

The process continued for several minutes. One by one, the elves regained clarity in their eyes. Confusion replaced the blank obedience they had displayed earlier.

At the same time, William released the Space Lock that had immobilized them.

Without the support holding them in place, many immediately lost control of their balance.

One after another, warriors, ministers, nobles, and cultivators of the Sylvaris dynasty tumbled from the sky and crashed awkwardly on the ground.

The once intimidating force that had arrived to save the Empress now looked more like a group of extremely confused victims waking up from a collective nightmare.

Meanwhile, Logan remained suspended exactly where he was. Unlike everyone else, William had made no effort to free him.

The Prime Minister could only watch helplessly as the evidence of his actions literally leaked out of every person he had manipulated.

The calm smile on William’s face never changed. Unfortunately for Logan, the difficult part of the day was only beginning.