It had been over a month since BaiYun enrolled at Auffre Academy. A month since he had shocked everyone with a fireball far larger than normal, becoming the talk of the school. The nickname "Bulb Lighter" had spread like wildfire, and much to his dismay, it stuck.

But that wasn’t even the worst part.

The worst part was that Professor Ola had placed him in the Rogue Division instead of the Mage Division. It was utterly baffling. Sure, BaiYun’s combat style leaned more toward deception, trickery, and outright scamming people mid-fight, which made him look less like a proper mage and more like a Trickster, a subclass of Rogue. But still… putting him in the Rogue Division? That was just wrong.

That day, BaiYun was going through the running drills he despised—sprint training, endurance running, silent running, parkour, and the like—all while grumbling in his mind that if he had enjoyed working out, he would have been way more popular with girls back on Earth. After all, he wasn’t bad-looking, just a bit too skinny.

And yet, he was even willing to give up female attention, simply because he absolutely hated working out.

As if to add insult to injury, Min Zhao, the Head of the Rogue Division, suddenly summoned him.

She stood before him, clad in sleek black leather armor that perfectly outlined her tall, curvaceous frame. Her long, raven-black hair was coiled into a high bun, exuding an air of efficiency and lethality. She moved like a shadow—silent, poised, deadly. With her sharp, exquisite features and dark, piercing eyes, she looked no older than her early-thirties, yet carried an icy, almost timeless authority.

"Professor Ola wants to see you," she said flatly.

Before BaiYun could even get a word in, she turned on her heel and left.

Watching her disappear into the distance, he let out a sigh of disappointment. Another missed opportunity to talk to Min Zhao. Ever since he had first seen her up close, his interest in the young, cheerful girls at the academy had evaporated. Sure, they were pretty, lively, and full of youthful energy, but they lacked something—something Vivian had. Something Min Zhao had.

But there were more pressing matters at hand.

Ola had come to take him to see Queen Evelyn.

What BaiYun didn't know was that for the past month, Ola had been watching him closely—monitoring who he befriended, whether he had any hidden background or secrets.

After careful observation, Ola had come to his expected conclusion: BaiYun, aside from occasionally drinking with Arthur at Dawn Tavern - well, before ditching him to hover around Vivian, had little interaction with anyone. He was talkative, sure, but he never truly fit in.

Finding nothing suspicious, Ola deemed him trustworthy enough to meet the Queen.

Before they set off, the professor gave BaiYun but one single advice:

"Do! Not! Run! Your! Mouth!"

…

The royal palace of Auffre was breathtaking. Its towering spires of white marble gleamed under the sun, adorned with intricate golden inlays and banners bearing the crest of the kingdom. Majestic courtyards, with carefully sculpted fountains and sprawling gardens, surrounded the structure, giving it an air of serene yet overwhelming grandeur.

But the inside was unexpectedly simple.

The hallways were lined with modest wooden decor, the walls adorned with elegant yet understated tapestries. Unlike the exterior, which boasted wealth and power, the Queen’s personal office was even more spartan—practical wooden furniture, a large but unembellished desk, and a single ornate tea set resting at its center.

Despite the simplicity, Queen Evelyn herself was radiant.

BaiYun had asked the system early on if this world had succubi. The answer had been yes. They weren’t just impossibly beautiful and seductively built, but they also wielded enchantment magic—mind-affecting spells like Charm and Suggestion.

Looking at Queen Evelyn, sitting with regal poise, sipping tea with a slight furrow in her brow, BaiYun thought:

Even if a succubus hit me with a full-powered charm spell, I still wouldn't be able to take my eyes off her.

Hell, if working out would get me noticed by her, maybe I'd actually be willing to do it.

"Ahem."

Ola cleared his throat twice, snapping BaiYun out of his trance.

"Um… Hi, G’day, Queen Evelyn," BaiYun blurted out.

"Your Majesty!" Ola hissed.

The Queen chuckled softly, seemingly unfazed by Bai Yun’s abruptness. After all, he didn’t come across as an unpleasant person—in fact, that little moment of foolishness just now was almost… cute.

Cute? Well probably, he hadn’t started running his mouth yet.

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“Your Majesty,” Ola introduced, regaining composure, “this is BaiYun—the only person on the continent with a Mage Potential Level of 5.”

"Yep… that’s me," BaiYun said awkwardly, unsure of what else to say. Ola shot him a glare.

"Do! Not! Run! Your! Mouth!" Ola’s voice rang in his mind through Telepathic Transmission—a branch of Enchantment magic.

“And,” Ola continued, “the reason I brought him here today is that, despite appearances, he’s quite intelligent. I believe he may have an interesting perspective on your… current predicament.”

The Queen let out another soft, amused chuckle. "He doesn't look very smart," she teased.

But her amusement quickly faded as she shifted into her formal, regal posture.

"Enough joking," she said, eyes locking onto BaiYun. "Ola trusts you. That means I will trust you enough to tell you about my… small problem."

The Kingdom of Auffre is a realm where the nobility wields tremendous influence—far beyond the confines of their own fiefs. Over the years, their power has grown to the point where it no longer merely exists under the monarchy but actively competes with it. They control vast territories, impose their own laws, and exercise near-autonomous rule over their lands. Their political and economic privileges grant them significant leverage over trade and taxation, while their private armies make them military forces in their own right, independent of the royal command.

The Queen, determined to restore balance, has been seeking ways to curb their authority—perhaps by increasing their required tax contributions to the kingdom or by limiting the size of their personal forces. However, any attempt at negotiation has been met with staunch resistance. The nobles refuse to yield an inch, making it clear that they will not willingly surrender any part of their power, no matter how reasonable or necessary the changes may seem.

"Doesn’t sound like a small problem to me, Your Majesty," BaiYun remarked, shaking his head with a mix of humor and concern.

"Do! Not! Run! Your! Mouth! How many times must I tell you?!" Ola’s voice thundered in his head.

"Okay, got it, got it! Jesus fucking Christ, easy, old man. Stop nagging in my head, it's creepy."

For the third time, the Queen giggled.

It had been far too long since she’d encountered someone so vibrant, so full of life. Everyone around her was always cautious, measured, walking on eggshells in her presence. Profanity? Unthinkable.

But this BaiYun… he was different.

"That being said," BaiYun turned to face her, his demeanor shifting from casual to serious, analytical. "Your Majesty, I believe your current plan won’t work."

Evelyn’s smile faded, and the playful atmosphere dissipated. She furrowed her brows, pulled back into the cold, weighty reality of governance.

"Power, once given away, is nearly impossible to take back," BaiYun continued. "That’s why your proposal won’t work."

Silence filled the room. Evelyn's violet eyes studied him carefully.

"But that doesn’t mean we don’t have other options," BaiYun went on. "If they love power so much, then give them more! Grant them the right to ennoble their own family members. Instead of noble titles being solely in your hands, allow them to create their own minor nobles under their rule."

The room fell deathly silent.

Ola and Evelyn stared at him, utterly stunned.

Ola, especially, looked like he was reconsidering every life choice that led him to bringing BaiYun here.

Reading the doubt in their expressions, BaiYun raised a hand in reassurance. "Relax, team. Just hear me out."

He leaned forward.

"If they gain this power, they’ll only have two choices: use it or ignore it."

"If they use it, they’ll be have to split their land, population, and resources among their newly created nobles. Their personal wealth and influence will be diluted. And as history has shown, those granted power rarely stay blindly loyal. These minor nobles will eventually start thinking for themselves, just as their predecessors did. You gave the current nobles their titles—did that stop them from resisting you now? No. Likewise, the lesser nobles they create will also begin protecting their own interests."

"As more nobles appear, the class itself will weaken. The more people who share a privilege, the less valuable that privilege becomes. It's a simple historical precedent."

Queen Evelyn took a moment to process his words. Her mind raced through the implications, piecing together the long-term consequences. Slowly, a smile crept back onto her face.

She turned to Ola. He was still stunned but, after a pause, gave her a small nod.

The Queen sat back, shifting into a more relaxed posture. One leg crossed over the other, and she fixed her gaze on BaiYun, while twirling a strand of her wavy violet hair between her fingers, which just barely brushed past her cheek.

"Interesting," she mused. "But what if they just… don’t do it? What if they refuse to hand out titles, if they are smart enough?"

BaiYun grinned.

"They could always use some… encouragement."

He stood up slightly, gesturing animatedly as he explained,

"Announce this privilege publicly. Make it a royal decree. Frame it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure their family’s honour and future. Emphasize how it will allow them to ‘better provide for their kin.’"

"And even if they don’t want to use it, do you really think their family members will stay quiet?" BaiYun smirked.

"If they refuse to elevate their relatives, the branch families will be furious. You, as the Queen, encouraged them to be enobled, yet the main family refuses? Resentment will brew. Tensions will rise. The chances of internal conflict, as high as it will ever be."

"On the other hand, if they do use this power, these nobles breed like rabbits. They’ll never be able to promote everyone equally. Jealousy, favoritism, and family feuds will follow."

He folded his arms, flashing a confident smile.

"Either way, they’ll be too busy fighting among themselves to cause you trouble. And you can sit back and reap the benefits."

The more Evelyn listened, the brighter her eyes became. The more she smiled, the more captivating that smile became.

And when BaiYun finished speaking, she even clapped a little bit.

“You are a really dangerous man, Sir.”

“Poison ivy protects oak roots. This danger is yours to wield, Your Majesty.” BaiYun bowed, finally behaving with the proper decorum.

In her heart, the Queen couldn't help but think, "Our first meeting, and you already claim to protect me? How boldly you reveal your unspoken intentions."

But then she made a decision.

"From this moment on," she declared, her voice carrying both amusement and unmistakable authority, "BaiYun, I order you to be my personal advisor!"

BaiYun froze.

His mind blanked. This was quicker than he thought.

Watching her enchanting smile, with those violet eyes shimmering with anticipation and appreciation, he nodded fervently.

Our children will have her eyes.

Definitely her eyes.